Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IV Chronic Unemployment in the Euro Area : Causes and Cures

persistently high unemployment remains a major problem in Europe, especially among most of the economies that entered monetary union on January 1, 1999. The election of new governments in many of these countries in recent years and the change in the policy framework associated with the formation of monetary union have given renewed impetus to policy discussions and efforts to reduce joblessness and promote employment growth. The issues involved are wide-ranging: short-term concerns center on the recent slowdown of growth that has reduced the likelihood of a decline in cyclical unemployment in 1999 and threatens to exacerbate unsustainable global current account imbalances. In the medium and long run, the dramatic increase in the old-age dependency ratio makes the low employment ratios that go hand in hand with high European unemployment increasingly costly and unsustainable. The precipitous deterioration in the labor market performance of the area over the past three decades is manifest in the strong trend increase in the unemployment rate, which rose from around half the average U.S. rate during the 1960s to more than twice the U.S. rate in the 1990s (Figure 4.1). The underlying weakness in the labor market performance of the euro area is even more striking when comparing private sector employment growth, although this partly reflects differences in growth of the labor force: nongovernment employment in the United States increased by 70 percent between 1970 and 1998, while the increase was well below 5 percent in the euro area over the same period. Finally, the relatively low participation rate in the euro area suggests that the unemployment rate actually underrepresents the magnitude of the problem, since government training, employment, and early retirement schemes have kept the unemployment rate artificially low, and many discouraged workers have simply dropped out of the labor force in response to low chances of finding employment.1
A Survey of Channel Measurements and Models for Current and Future Railway Communication Systems

Modern society demands cheap, more efficient, and safer public transport. These enhancements, especially an increase in efficiency and safety, are accompanied by huge amounts of data traffic that need to be handled by wireless communication systems. Hence, wireless communications inside and outside trains are key technologies to achieve these efficiency and safety goals for railway operators in a cost-efficient manner. This paper briefly describes nowadays used wireless technologies in the railway domain and points out possible directions for future wireless systems. Channel measurements and models for wireless propagation are surveyed and their suitability in railway environments is investigated. Identified gaps are pointed out and solutions to fill those gaps for wireless communication links in railway environments are proposed.
Design of gecko-inspired fibrillar surfaces with strong attachment and easy-removal properties: a numerical analysis of peel-zone

Despite successful fabrication of gecko-inspired fibrillar surfaces with strong adhesion forces, how to achieve an easy-removal property becomes a major concern that may restrict the wide applications of these bio-inspired surfaces. Research on how geckos detach rapidly has inspired the design of novel adhesive surfaces with strong and reversible adhesion capabilities, which relies on further fundamental understanding of the peeling mechanisms. Recent studies showed that the peel-zone plays an important role in the peeling off of adhesive tapes or fibrillar surfaces. In this study, a numerical method was developed to evaluate peel-zone deformation and the resulting mechanical behaviour due to the deformations of fibrillar surfaces detaching from a smooth rigid substrate. The effect of the geometrical parameters of pillars and the stiffness of backing layer on the peel-zone and peel strength, and the strong attachment and easy-removal properties have been analysed to establish a design map for bio-inspired fibrillar surfaces, which shows that the optimized strong attachment and easy-removal properties can vary by over three orders of magnitude. The adhesion and peeling design map established provides new insights into the design and development of novel gecko-inspired fibrillar surfaces.
Evidence Accumulation and the Moment of Recognition: Dissociating Perceptual Recognition Processes Using fMRI

Decision making can be conceptualized as the culmination of an integrative process in which evidence supporting different response options accumulates gradually over time. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate brain activity leading up to and during decisions about perceptual object identity. Pictures were revealed gradually and subjects signaled the time of recognition (TR) with a button press. We examined the time course of TR-dependent activity to determine how brain regions tracked the timing of recognition. In several occipital regions, activity increased primarily as stimulus information increased, suggesting a role in lower-level sensory processing. In inferior temporal, frontal, and parietal regions, a gradual buildup in activity peaking in correspondence with TR suggested that these regions participated in the accumulation of evidence supporting object identity. In medial frontal cortex, anterior insula/frontal operculum, and thalamus, activity remained near baseline until TR, suggesting a relation to the moment of recognition or the decision itself. The findings dissociate neural processes that function in concert during perceptual recognition decisions.
Role of PKD2 in Rheotaxis in Dictyostelium

The sensing of mechanical forces modulates several cellular responses as adhesion, migration and differentiation. Transient elevations of calcium concentration play a key role in the activation of cells following mechanical stress, but it is still unclear how eukaryotic cells convert a mechanical signal into an ion flux. In this study, we used the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum to assess systematically the role of individual calcium channels in mechanosensing. Our results indicate that PKD2 is the major player in the cell response to rheotaxis (i.e., shear-flow induced mechanical motility), while other putative calcium channels play at most minor roles. Mutant pkd2 KO cells lose the ability to orient relative to a shear flow, whereas their ability to move towards a chemoattractant is unaffected. PKD2 is also important for calcium-induced lysosome exocytosis: WT cells show a transient, 2-fold increase in lysosome secretion upon sudden exposure to high levels of extracellular calcium, but pkd2 KO cells do not. In Dictyostelium, PKD2 is specifically localized at the plasma membrane, where it may generate calcium influxes in response to mechanical stress or extracellular calcium changes.
Two classes of small antisense RNAs in fungal RNA silencing triggered by non‐integrative transgenes

Transformation of Mucor circinelloides with self‐replicative plasmids containing a wild‐type copy of the carotenogenic gene carB causes silencing of the carB function in 3% of transformants. Genomic analyses revealed a relationship between silenced phenotype and number of copies of plasmids. This phenotype results from a reduction of the steady‐state levels of carB mRNA, a reduction that is not due to differences in the level of transcription, indicating that silencing is post‐transcriptional. Small sense and antisense RNAs have been found to be associated with gene silencing in M.circinelloides. Two size classes of small antisense RNAs, differentially accumulated during the vegetative growth of silenced transformants, have been detected: a long 25‐nucleotide RNA and a short 21‐nucleotide RNA. Secondary sense and antisense RNAs corresponding to sequences of the endogenous gene downstream of the initial triggering molecule have also been detected, revealing the existence of spreading of RNA targeting in fungi. These findings, together with the self‐replicative nature of the triggering molecules, make M.circinelloides a suitable organism for investigating some unresolved questions in RNA silencing.
The DEAD‐box RNA helicase DDX3 interacts with DDX5, co‐localizes with it in the cytoplasm during the G2/M phase of the cycle, and affects its shuttling during mRNP export

DDX3 is involved in RNA transport, translational control, proliferation of RNA viruses, and cancer progression. From yeast two‐hybrid screening using the C‐terminal region of DDX3 as a bait, the DEAD‐box RNA helicase DDX5 was cloned. In immunofluorescence analysis, DDX3 and DDX5 were mainly co‐localized in the cytoplasm. Interestingly, cytoplasmic levels of DDX5 increased in the G2/M phase and consequently protein–protein interaction also increased in the cytoplasmic fraction. DDX3 was highly phosphorylated at its serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues in the steady state, but not phosphorylated at the serine residue(s) in the G2/M phase. DDX5 was less phosphorylated in the G1/S phase; however, it was highly phosphorylated at serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues in the G2/M phase. PP2A treatment of the cytoplasmic lysate from G2/M phase cells positively affected the interaction between DDX3 and DDX5, whereas, PTP1B treatment did not. In an analysis involving recombinant His‐DDX3 and His‐DDX5, PP2A pretreatment of His‐DDX5 increased the interaction with endogenous DDX3, and vice versa. Furthermore, the results of GST pull‐down experiments support the conclusion that dephosphorylation of serine and/or threonine residues in both proteins enhanced protein–protein interactions. UV cross‐linking experiments showed that DDX3 and DDX5 are involved in mRNP export. Additionally, DDX3 knockdown blocked the shuttling of DDX5 to the nucleus. These data demonstrate a novel interaction between DDX3 and DDX5 through the phosphorylation of both proteins, especially in the G2/M phase, and suggest a novel combined mechanism of action, involving RNP remodeling and splicing, for DEAD‐box RNA helicases involved in mRNP export. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 985–996, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Casein kinase 2 associates with and phosphorylates Dishevelled

The dishevelled (dsh) gene of Drosophila melanogaster encodes a phosphoprotein whose phosphorylation state is elevated by Wingless stimulation, suggesting that the phosphorylation of Dsh and the kinase(s) responsible for this phosphorylation are integral parts of the Wg signaling pathway. We found that immunoprecipitated Dsh protein from embryos and from cells in tissue culture is associated with a kinase activity that phosphorylates Dsh in vitro. Purification and peptide sequencing of a 38 kDa protein co‐purifying with this kinase activity showed it to be identical to Drosophila Casein Kinase 2 (CK2). Tryptic phosphopeptide mapping indicates that identical peptides are phosphorylated by CK2 in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that CK2 is at least one of the kinases that phosphorylates Dsh. Overexpression of Dfz2, a Wingless receptor, also stimulated phosphorylation of Dsh, Dsh‐associated kinase activity, and association of CK2 with Dsh, thus suggesting a role for CK2 in the transduction of the Wg signal.
Construct Validity of the Relationship Profile Test: Links With Measures of Psychopathology and Adult Attachment

ABSTRACT This study assessed the construct validity of the Relationship Profile Test (RPT; Bornstein & Languirand, 2003) with a substance abuse sample. One hundred-eight substance abuse patients completed the RPT, Experiences in Close Relationships Scale–Short Form (Wei, Russell, Mallinckrodt, & Vogel, 2007), Personality Assessment Inventory (Morey, 1991), and Symptom Checklist–90–Revised (Derogatis, 1983). Results suggest that the RPT has good construct validity when compared against theoretically related broadband measures of personality, psychopathology, and adult attachment. Overall, health dependency was negatively related to measures of psychopathology and insecure attachment, and overdependence was positively related to measures of psychopathology and attachment anxiety. Many of the predictions regarding RPT detachment and the criterion measures were not supported. Implications of these findings are discussed.
The Par polarity complex regulates Rap1- and chemokine-induced T cell polarization

Cell polarization is required for virtually all functions of T cells, including transendothelial migration in response to chemokines. However, the molecular pathways that establish T cell polarity are poorly understood. We show that the activation of the partitioning defective (Par) polarity complex is a key event during Rap1- and chemokine-induced T cell polarization. Intracellular localization and activation of the Par complex are initiated by Rap1 and require Cdc42 activity. The Rac activator Tiam1 associates with both Rap1 and components of the Par complex, and thereby may function to connect the Par polarity complex to Rap1 and to regulate the Rac-mediated actin remodelling required for T cell polarization. Consistent with these findings, Tiam1-deficient T cells are impaired in Rap1- and chemokine-induced polarization and chemotaxis. Our studies implicate Tiam1 and the Par polarity complex in polarization of T cells, and provide a mechanism by which chemokines and Rap1 regulate T cell polarization and chemotaxis.
Iterative reengineering of legacy functions

This paper describes a process of gradual reengineering of the procedural components of a legacy system. The process is integrated and completed by the data reengineering process analyzed in a previous paper by the same authors. The proposed method enables the legacy system to be gradually emptied into the reengineered system, without needing to either duplicate the legacy system or freeze it. The process consists of evolving the legacy system components toward firstly a restored system and then toward the reengineered system. Meanwhile, the legacy system can coexist with both the restored and the reengineered parts. By the end of the process, a single system will be in existence: the reengineered one. The method has been applied to reengineer a real system and demonstrated its ability to: support gradual reengineering, maintain the system at work during the process, minimize the need to freeze maintenance requests, renew the operative environment of the reengineered system with respect to the legacy system and, finally, eliminate all the system's aging symptoms.
Integrated WiFi/PDR/Smartphone Using an Unscented Kalman Filter Algorithm for 3D Indoor Localization

Because of the high calculation cost and poor performance of a traditional planar map when dealing with complicated indoor geographic information, a WiFi fingerprint indoor positioning system cannot be widely employed on a smartphone platform. By making full use of the hardware sensors embedded in the smartphone, this study proposes an integrated approach to a three-dimensional (3D) indoor positioning system. First, an improved K-means clustering method is adopted to reduce the fingerprint database retrieval time and enhance positioning efficiency. Next, with the mobile phone’s acceleration sensor, a new step counting method based on auto-correlation analysis is proposed to achieve cell phone inertial navigation positioning. Furthermore, the integration of WiFi positioning with Pedestrian Dead Reckoning (PDR) obtains higher positional accuracy with the help of the Unscented Kalman Filter algorithm. Finally, a hybrid 3D positioning system based on Unity 3D, which can carry out real-time positioning for targets in 3D scenes, is designed for the fluent operation of mobile terminals.
Deep-Sea Archaea Fix and Share Nitrogen in Methane-Consuming Microbial Consortia

Balancing the Nitrogen Budget Setting the global budget for elements presents difficult challenges, such as accounting for possibly unknown sources or sinks. An unresolved imbalance in the oceanic nitrogen budget suggests that there may be additional sources of biological nitrogen fixation in the deep sea. Using high-resolution imaging techniques, Dekas et al. (p. 422; see the Perspective by Fulweiler) observed direct assimilation of isotopically labeled N2 by anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea from deep marine sediment and the subsequent transfer of nitrogen to their sulfate-reducing bacterial symbionts. This slow and energetically costly conversion by archaea is dependent upon methane and requires physical contact with the associated bacterial partner. Such syntrophic consortia represent a potential source of nitrogen in the oceans and may help to balance the global nitrogen budget. Methane-oxidizing bacteria in marine sediments may also be a major factor in ocean nitrogen cycling. Nitrogen-fixing (diazotrophic) microorganisms regulate productivity in diverse ecosystems; however, the identities of diazotrophs are unknown in many oceanic environments. Using single-cell–resolution nanometer secondary ion mass spectrometry images of 15N incorporation, we showed that deep-sea anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea fix N2, as well as structurally similar CN–, and share the products with sulfate-reducing bacterial symbionts. These archaeal/bacterial consortia are already recognized as the major sink of methane in benthic ecosystems, and we now identify them as a source of bioavailable nitrogen as well. The archaea maintain their methane oxidation rates while fixing N2 but reduce their growth, probably in compensation for the energetic burden of diazotrophy. This finding extends the demonstrated lower limits of respiratory energy capable of fueling N2 fixation and reveals a link between the global carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles.
A Small Molecule Pyrazolo[3,4-d]Pyrimidinone Inhibitor of Zipper-Interacting Protein Kinase Suppresses Calcium Sensitization of Vascular Smooth Muscle

A novel inhibitor of zipper-interacting protein kinase (ZIPK) was used to examine the involvement of ZIPK in the regulation of smooth muscle contraction. Pretreatment of de-endothelialized rat caudal arterial smooth muscle strips with the pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidinone inhibitor 2-((1-(3-chlorophenyl)-4-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazolo [3,4-d]-pyrimidin-6-yl)thio)propanamide (HS38) decreased the velocity of contraction (time to reach half-maximal force) induced by the phosphatase inhibitor calyculin A in the presence of Ca2+ without affecting maximal force development. This effect was reversed following washout of HS38 and correlated with a reduction in the rate of phosphorylation of myosin 20-kDa regulatory light chains (LC20) but not of protein kinase C-potentiated inhibitory protein for myosin phosphatase of 17 kDa (CPI-17), prostate apoptosis response-4, or myosin phosphatase-targeting subunit 1 (MYPT1), all of which have been implicated in the regulation of vascular contractility. A structural analog of HS38, with inhibitory activity toward proviral integrations of Moloney (PIM) virus 3 kinase but not ZIPK, had no effect on calyculin A–induced contraction or protein phosphorylations. We conclude that a pool of constitutively active ZIPK is involved in regulation of vascular smooth muscle contraction through direct phosphorylation of LC20 upon inhibition of myosin light chain phosphatase activity. HS38 also significantly attenuated both phasic and tonic contractile responses elicited by phenylephrine, angiotensin II, endothelin-1, U46619, and K+-induced membrane depolarization in the presence of Ca2+, which correlated with inhibition of phosphorylation of LC20, MYPT1, and CPI-17. These effects of HS38 suggest that ZIPK also lies downstream from G protein–coupled receptors that signal through both Gα12/13 and Gαq/11.
Phylogenetic Mapping of Recombination Hotspots in Human Immunodeficiency Virus via Spatially Smoothed Change-Point Processes

We present a Bayesian framework for inferring spatial preferences of recombination from multiple putative recombinant nucleotide sequences. Phylogenetic recombination detection has been an active area of research for the last 15 years. However, only recently attempts to summarize information from several instances of recombination have been made. We propose a hierarchical model that allows for simultaneous inference of recombination breakpoint locations and spatial variation in recombination frequency. The dual multiple change-point model for phylogenetic recombination detection resides at the lowest level of our hierarchy under the umbrella of a common prior on breakpoint locations. The hierarchical prior allows for information about spatial preferences of recombination to be shared among individual data sets. To overcome the sparseness of breakpoint data, dictated by the modest number of available recombinant sequences, we a priori impose a biologically relevant correlation structure on recombination location log odds via a Gaussian Markov random field hyperprior. To examine the capabilities of our model to recover spatial variation in recombination frequency, we simulate recombination from a predefined distribution of breakpoint locations. We then proceed with the analysis of 42 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) intersubtype gag recombinants and identify a putative recombination hotspot.
Use of Link-by-Link Flow Control in Maximizing ATM Network Performance: Simulation Results

Simulations have been performed to verify the effectiveness of using link-by-link flow controlled virtual channels for maximizing ATM network performance. A simulator which accurately reflects the real hardware design of a flow controlled ATM switch is used. The switch is currently under joint development by BNR and Harvard. The simulation results clearly demonstrate that the flow control mechanism is able to provide sufficiently rapid feedback to allow a network to adapt to load changes and maximize its performance. The simulations also show that, when compared to VCs using other traffic management approaches, flow controlled virtual circuits are efficient in terms of buffer usage and in point-to-multipoint multicast implementations.
A Cross-Domain System Architecture for Embedded Hard Real-Time Many-Core Systems

The EC project parMERASA investigates techniques for the parallelization of industrial real-time applications from automotive, avionic, and construction machinery domains. The aim is to execute such applications on many-core processors with up to 64 cores. The system software plays a key role in the deployment of applications. However, requirements of application domains differ widely, and thus no general solution can be implemented. In this paper we present the cross-domain system architecture utilized in the parMERASA project to provide Runtime Environments (RTEs) for the three different domains. The approach eases the implementation of domain-specific RTEs through a generic kernel library that provides basic hardware abstractions and timing-analyzable synchronization mechanisms.
An Empirical Study of Real-world Polymorphic Code Injection Attacks

Remote code injection attacks against network services remain one of the most effective and widely used exploitation methods for malware propagation. In this paper, we present a study of more than 1.2 million polymorphic code injection attacks targeting production systems, captured using network-level emulation. We focus on the analysis of the structure and operation of the attack code, as well as the overall attack activity in relation to the targeted services. The observed attacks employ a highly diverse set of exploits, often against less widely used vulnerable services, while our results indicate limited use of sophisticated obfuscation schemes and extensive code reuse among different malware families.