Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Telomerase activity in chronic lymphoproliferative disorders of B‐cell lineage

The progressive shortening of telomeres at each cell division is a key mechanism in controlling cell proliferative capacity. The activation of telomerase, a reverse transcriptase that extends telomere length, potentially leads to unlimited cell proliferation, and is believed to play a critical role in the neoplastic process. High levels of telomerase activity have been demonstrated in almost all solid tumours; however, little data is available concerning its expression in chronic B‐cell neoplasms. By using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction‐based method we quantified telomerase activity in normal B lymphocytes, and in various B‐cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and hairy cell leukaemia (HCL). Compared to normal B cells, which expressed very low levels of telomerase activity, malignant cells from most of the patients showed a significant increase in telomerase activity, with highest values observed in HCL samples. Moreover, among the CLL and HCL cases, significantly higher levels of telomerase activity were found in patients with progressive disease at 1 year follow‐up versus patients with stable disease. These data suggest that telomerase activity might correlate with disease progression.
Improved Cross-Polarized Radiation and Wide Impedance Bandwidth From Rectangular Microstrip Antenna With Dumbbell-Shaped Defected Patch Surface

Rectangular patch with dumbbell-shaped defected patch surface has been studied theoretically and experimentally to improve polarization purity over wide angular range and broad impedance bandwidth. More than 30 dB co- to cross-polarization (CP-XP) ratio over entire angular range around the broadside direction with wide impedance bandwidth is obtained. Moreover, the present structure is free from back radiation in terms of XP fields, and it can efficiently suppress the XP radiation in different diagonal planes. The present structure is very simple and easy to manufacture. The present investigation provides an insightful visualization-based understanding of concurrent improvement in impedance bandwidth and the XP radiation characteristics with the present structure.
Secure dynamic searchable symmetric encryption with constant document update cost

With the development of cloud computing, data sharing has a new effective method, i.e., outsourced to cloud platform. In this case, since the outsourced data may contain privacy, they only allow to be accessed by the authorized users. Encrypting the data before outsourcing is a commonly used approach, where the data owners only need to send the corresponding encryption key to the authorized users. However, in such approach it is difficult to use the data since the encrypted data obsoletes comprehensive search functionalities of plaintext keyword search. In this paper, we leverage the secure k-nearest neighbor to propose a secure dynamic searchable symmetric encryption scheme. Our scheme can achieve two important security features, i.e., forward privacy and backward privacy which are very challenging in Dynamic Searchable Symmetric Encryption (DSSE) area. In addition, we evaluate the performance of our proposed scheme compared with other DSSE schemes. The comparison results demonstrate the efficiency of our proposed scheme in terms of the storage, search and update complexity.
EA NON-FORMAL EDUCATION , OVEREDUCATION AND WAGES

Why do overeducated workers participate in non-formal education activities? Do they not suffer from an excess of education? Using microdata from the Spanish sample of the 2007 Adult Education Survey, we have found that overeducated workers participate more than the rest in nonformal education and that they earn higher wages than overeducated workers who did not participate. This result can be interpreted as evidence that non-formal education allows overeducated workers to acquire new abilities that improve their competence at the job they perform. Our results support the European Commission’s view on the need to reinforce lifelong learning among the adult population.
Least activation path for protein folding: investigation of staphylococcal nuclease folding by stopped-flow circular dichroism.

Is the pathway of protein folding determined by the relative stability of folding intermediates, or by the relative height of the activation barriers leading to these intermediates? This is a fundamental question for resolving the Levinthal paradox, which stated that protein folding by a random search mechanism would require a time too long to be plausible. To answer this question, we have studied the guanidinium chloride (GdmCl)-induced folding/unfolding of staphylococcal nuclease [(SNase, formerly EC 3.1.4.7; now called microbial nuclease or endonuclease, EC 3.1.31.1] by stopped-flow circular dichroism (CD) and differential scanning microcalorimetry (DSC). The data show that while the equilibrium transition is a quasi-two-state process, kinetics in the 2-ms to 500-s time range are triphasic. Data support the sequential mechanism for SNase folding: U3 <--> U2 <--> U1 <--> N0, where U1, U2, and U3 are substates of the unfolded protein and N0 is the native state. Analysis of the relative population of the U1, U2, and U3 species in 2.0 M GdmCl gives delta-G values for the U3 --> U2 reaction of +0.1 kcal/mol and for the U2 --> U1 reaction of -0.49 kcal/mol. The delta-G value for the U1 --> N0 reaction is calculated to be -4.5 kcal/mol from DSC data. The activation energy, enthalpy, and entropy for each kinetic step are also determined. These results allow us to make the following four conclusions. (i) Although the U1, U2, and U3 states are nearly isoenergetic, no random walk occurs among them during the folding. The pathway of folding is unique and sequential. In other words, the relative stability of the folding intermediates does not dictate the folding pathway. Instead, the folding is a descent toward the global free-energy minimum of the native state via the least activation path in the vast energy landscape. Barrier avoidance leads the way, and barrier height limits the rate. Thus, the Levinthal paradox is not applicable to the protein-folding problem. (ii) The main folding reaction (U1 --> N0), in which the peptide chain acquires most of its free energy (via van der Waals' contacts, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic interactions), is a highly concerted process. These energy-acquiring events take place in a single kinetic phase. (iii) U1 appears to be a compact unfolded species; the rate of conversion of U2 to U1 depends on the viscosity of solution. (iv) All four relaxation times reported here depend on GdmCl concentrations: it is likely that none involve the cis/trans isomerization of prolines. Finally, a mechanism is presented in which formation of sheet-like chain conformations and a hydrophobic condensation event precede the main-chain folding reaction.
Effect of Magnetic Field Energy on Growth of Aspergillus flavus and Aflatoxins production

The study was conducted to determine the impact of the magnetic field poles on aflatoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus. The subjected fungus to the northern pole, southern pole, both poles and their influences were compared with the control at which the fungus was not affected by magnetic field energy. Aspergillus flavus was influenced by magnetic field energy which applied through a magnet at different forces (5, 7,10,30,50 Gauss) for seven days at temperature of 27 o C. There are no different between the uses of magnate with 5 or 50 Gauss. The effect of magnetic field poles was observed on the growth of Aspergillus flavus on solid and liquid media. The southern pole had a positive effect on the growth of Aspergillus flavus by increasing the diameter of the colony or the turbidity of growth medium, while the northern pole had a negative influence on the growth of A. flavus, diameter or the turbidity, while the treatment of northern and southern poles together and the control treatment are equal. The most important conclusion that have been observed was the effect of magnetic field poles on the concentration of total aflatoxin produced by A. flavus, which was 454.73 ppb (when treated with southern pole) and 25.40 ppb (when treated with northern pole) while the control 212.46 ppb and both poles 88.33 ppb by using ELISA technique.
Perfect Competition in Markets with Adverse Selection

This paper proposes a perfectly competitive model of a market with adverse selection. Prices are determined by zero‐profit conditions, and the set of traded contracts is determined by free entry. Crucially for applications, contract characteristics are endogenously determined, consumers may have multiple dimensions of private information, and an equilibrium always exists. Equilibrium corresponds to the limit of a differentiated products Bertrand game. We apply the model to establish theoretical results on the equilibrium effects of mandates. Mandates can increase efficiency but have unintended consequences. With adverse selection, an insurance mandate reduces the price of low‐coverage policies, which necessarily has indirect effects such as increasing adverse selection on the intensive margin and causing some consumers to purchase less coverage.
Context Aware Vertical Soft Handoff Algorithm For Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

Soft handoff in WCDMA systems allows multi connection between the user and base stations during handoff, in contrast to single connection in hard handoff. But multi connection flexibility leads to a trade-off between quality of service for the user and the system downlink capacity. The heterogeneous wireless networks consist of WCDMA and WLAN systems, which operate at different frequency with no direct interference. Therefore, a vertical soft handoff between downlink shared channels from WCDMA and WLAN will not suffer similar side effects as the horizontal soft handoff in WCDMA systems. In this paper, we present an analytical framework for vertical soft handoff and propose a context-aware vertical soft handoff algorithm (CAVSH) for heterogeneous wireless networks. CAVSH considers four user and system context parameters such as user required bandwidth, user traffic cost, access network utilization, and signal to interference-and-noise ratio (SINR). The results show that the proposed CAVSH can provide the system with lower dropping probability, lower average cost to the user and higher throughput, as compared with vertical hard handoff.
Sacropelvic Fixation With Iliosacral Screws: Applications and Results in Adult Spinal Deformities

Study Design: Retrospective radiographic and clinical review. Objective: To determine the feasibility of iliosacral screw fixation in adult spinal deformations. Summary of Background Data: Pelvic fixation is one of the most challenging instrumentation problems. The poor bone quality frequently found within the sacrum and the large lumbosacral loads with cantilever pullout forces across this region explain its frequent failure. Methods: Fourteen adult patients undergoing pelvic fixation using iliosacral screws with a minimal follow-up of 24 months were analyzed for radiographic outcomes. Radiographic data included the localization of the spinal deformity, the Cobb angle, T4-T12 thoracic kyphosis, L1-S1 lumbar lordosis, the T9 tilt, the pelvic parameters, and the POA. Mechanical and infectious complications were also noted. Results: The lumbo-pelvic correction was performed with a large reduction of the POA in every case. The frontal and sagittal corrections obtained with this procedure were considered as being effective. There were no mechanical complications due to failure of the instrumentation, loss of sacral fixation, or loss of lumbar lordosis at the time of the last follow-up. One patient experienced local infection on the left iliosacral screw without any residual functional sequel. Discussion: Iliosacral screwing can offer a pelvic fixation reliable enough to allow restoration of 3-dimensional trunk balance. This technique has a quite short learning curve and adequately permits frontal and sagittal corrections, increases stability, and decreases instrumentation-related complications. Our observations suggest that it is applicable to pelvic fixation in adult surgery.
Oligomerization state-dependent elevations of adiponectin in chronic daily headache

Objective: To evaluate serum adiponectin levels in female episodic migraineurs (EMs) and chronic daily headache (CDH) sufferers. Background: Obesity is a risk factor for headache “chronification. ” Adiponectin (ADP) is an adipocytokine secreted primarily by adipose tissue. ADP and its oligomers (high-molecular-weight [HMW], middle-molecular-weight [MMW], and low-molecular-weight [LMW] ADP) have been shown to modulate several inflammatory pathways that have also been shown to be associated with migraine pathophysiology. Methods: Age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched women participants were enrolled. Anthropometric measures (including waist-to-hip ratio [WHR] and BMI) were measured in all participants. Serum total ADP (T-ADP) levels and its oligomers were measured in EMs during headache-free periods and CDH sufferers at baseline level of pain, as compared with healthy control subjects using ELISA. Results: Although total body obesity as estimated by BMI showed no significant association between participants, visceral obesity as estimated by WHR was significantly associated with CDH as compared with EMs and controls. WHR was also inversely related to both T-ADP (p = 0.008) and HMW-ADP (p = 0.002). After adjusting for WHR, serum T-ADP levels were higher in CDH sufferers (10.1 ± 4.0) than in both EMs (8.6 ± 3.5) and controls (7.5 ± 2.4) (p = 0.024). In addition, HMW-ADP was higher in CDH (6.1 ± 2.8) as compared with EMs (4.2 ± 1.7) and controls (3.9 ± 1.5) (p = 0.003). MMW-ADP was also higher in CDH (2.0 ± 1.2) as compared with EMs (1.5 ± 0.7) and controls (1.1 ± 0.4) (p = 0.009). Conclusion: Serum adiponectin levels are increased in women chronic daily headache (CDH) sufferers. In addition, visceral obesity, as measured by waist-to-hip ratio, is a risk factor for CDH in women.
Cocaine in the hair of mother-infant pairs: quantitative analysis and correlations with urine measures and self-report.

A sample of mothers who had used crack cocaine while pregnant was evaluated during the postpartum period before random assignment to drug treatment. Mean infant age was 74 days. Paired hair samples were acquired from 63 mothers and 63 infants. Maternal urine was screened for cocaine and benzoylecgonine; three different drug use self-report measures were also collected. Normalizing transformations of all hair and urine data preceded analyses. The initial correlation of mother and infant hair (r = .41, N = 62, P = .001) was strengthened (r = .62, N = 30, P < .0005) by removing from the dataset maternal hair independently judged to be damaged. Damage to hair is associated with certain types of "hair care" products. The damaged maternal hair bore no quantitative relationship to infant hair (r = -.04, N = 30, P = .41). Poor quality hair samples could have been partly anticipated because self-reported use of hair products had a significant contingent relationship to laboratory-judged damage to hair (Z kappa = 2.28, P = .01). Maternal urine benzoylecgonine correlated with maternal hair (r = .41, N = 60, P = .001) and, of course, with maternal urine cocaine (r = .63, N = 60, P < .0005). None of the three self-report measures (use in past 30 days, duration since first use, average regular use) significantly correlated with any of the hair or urine measures. Factor analysis of drug use variables identified three factors possibly representing long-term use, recent use, and some artifact of self-report. In summary, hair analysis may provide a quantitative index of exposure when the hair is not damaged. The amount of self-reported drug use could not be corroborated with analytic measures of hair or urine. Studies in which self-reported cocaine use is a scalar variable should be interpreted cautiously.
Movement-Related Activity of Human Subthalamic Neurons during a Reach-to-Grasp Task

The aim of the study was to record movement-related single unit activity (SUA) in the human subthalamic nucleus (STN) during a standardized motor task of the upper limb. We performed microrecordings from the motor region of the human STN and registered kinematic data in 12 patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery (seven women, mean age 62.0 ± 4.7 years) while they intraoperatively performed visually cued reach-to-grasp movements using a grip device. SUA was analyzed offline in relation to different aspects of the movement (attention, start of the movement, movement velocity, button press) in terms of firing frequency, firing pattern, and oscillation. During the reach-to-grasp movement, 75/114 isolated subthalamic neurons exhibited movement-related activity changes. The largest proportion of single units showed modulation of firing frequency during several phases of the reach and grasp (polymodal neurons, 45/114), particularly an increase of firing rate during the reaching phase of the movement, which often correlated with movement velocity. The firing pattern (bursting, irregular, or tonic) remained unchanged during movement compared to rest. Oscillatory single unit firing activity (predominantly in the theta and beta frequency) decreased with movement onset, irrespective of oscillation frequency. This study shows for the first time specific, task-related, SUA changes during the reach-to-grasp movement in humans.
Specificity of DNA probes for the detection of toxigenic Pasteurella multocida subsp. multocida strains

Five DNA probes directed against different regions of the gene that encodes the dermonecrotic toxin of Pasteurella multocida subsp. multocida were examined for their ability to identify toxigenic P. multocida subsp. multocida strains. The specificities of the probes were studied with 96 strains of P. multocida subsp. multocida and 22 strains of 11 other bacterial species. Results of colony hybridization assays using these probes indicated that two of the five probes have potential diagnostic value.
Tobacco use habits among Swedish female youth athletes and the influence of the social environment.

AIM This study examined the prevalence of tobacco habits and the influence of the social environment among Swedish female athletes representing both individual and team sports in Sweden. MATERIAL AND METHOD A self-reported cross-sectional survey was performed with 791 female athletes 15-24 years old representing ten of the most common sports in Sweden. The questions related to the participants' involvement in sports and their tobacco habits. RESULTS Findings revealed that a large proportion of the female athletes had never smoked (65%) or used snus (74%). However, a considerable portion of the participants had tried smoking (27%) or using snus (20%), especially those involved in team sports. Results also showed statistically significant associations between female athletes' smoking habits and those of both their mothers and their peers, but not with the tobacco habits of their coaches, indicating that coaches do not influence the female athletes' use of tobacco. CONCLUSION In conclusion, this study indicated that the vast majority of female athletes did not use tobacco. A significant portion had sometimes tried tobacco, especially members of team sports, but this behaviour did not seem to be influenced by the tobacco habits of their coaches.
Competition and facilitation effects of differential intra- and inter-row weed management in sugarcane

Une gestion rang inter-rang differenciee pourrait generer des economies d'herbicides en culture de canne a sucre. En 2011 a La Reunion, dans un essai de nuisibilite sur canne vierge a rangs maintenus propres, les adventices des inter-rangs ont ampute le rendement en canne a sucre de 10% par mois de concurrence precoce pendant les quatre premiers mois du cycle. Le rendement des temoins a inter-rangs non desherbes a ete significativement superieur au traitement ayant subi quatre mois de concurrence. Une compensation partielle et tardive de la concurrence precoce est donc intervenue, ce qui suggere des phenomenes de facilitation de la part des adventices confinees dans les inter-rangs sous la canne jusqu'en fin de cycle. La flore atypique de l'essai dominee par des fixatrices d'azote et des malvacees connues pour la puissance de leur enracinement pivotant pourrait etre en cause ; les profils de densites de longueur racinaire realises sur un couple de parcelles ne sont pas incoherents avec cette hypothese qui reste a verifier. (Resume d'auteur)
Serum Copper Levels in Patients with Solid Tumors

The serum copper levels were investigated in 125 patients with solid tumors: 34 patients with bronchial cancer, 35 with gastric cancer, 31 with breast cancer and 25 with melanoma. Analysis showed that serum copper was extremely high in 82% of the patients with bronchial carcinoma, while in the other examined groups no significant changes were observed. According to these results, serum copper could be a diagnostic factor in patients with bronchial carcinoma.
Semantic attack on transaction data anonymised by set-based generalisation

Publishing data that contains information about individuals may lead to privacy breaches. However, data publishing is useful to support research and analysis. Therefore, privacy protection in data publishing becomes important and has received much recent attention. To improve privacy protection, many researchers have investigated how secure the published data is by designing de-anonymisation methods to attack anonymised data. Most of the de-anonymisation methods consider anonymised data in a syntactic manner. That is, items in a dataset are considered to be contextless or even meaningless literals, and they have not considered the semantics of these data items. In this thesis, we investigate how secure the anonymised data is under attacks that use semantic information. More specifically, we propose a de-anonymisation method to attack transaction data anonymised by set-based generalisation. Set-based generalisation protects data by replacing one item by a set of items, so that the identity of an individual can be hidden. Our goal is to identify those items that are added to a transaction during generalisation. Our attacking method has two components: scoring and elimination. Scoring measures semantic relationship between items in a transaction, and elimination removes items that are deemed not to be in the original transaction. Our experiments on both real and synthetic data show that set-based generalisation may not provide adequate protection for transaction data, and about 70% of the items added to the transactions during generalisation can be detected by our method with a precision greater than 85%.