Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antifungal Effect of Novel 2-Bromo-2-Chloro-2-(4-Chlorophenylsulfonyl)-1-Phenylethanone against Candida Strains

We investigated the antifungal activity of novel a 2-bromo-2-chloro-2-(4-chlorophenylsulfonyl)-1-phenylethanone (compound 4). The synthesis of compound 4 was commenced from sodium 4-chlorobenzene sulfinate and the final product was obtained by treatment of α-chloro-β-keto-sulfone with sodium hypobromite. The sensitivity of 63 clinical isolates belonging to the most relevant Candida species toward compound 4 using the method M27-A3 was evaluated. We observed among most of the clinical strains of C. albicans MIC ranging from 0.00195 to 0.0078 μg/mL. Compound 4 at 32 μg/mL exhibited fungicidal activity against nine Candida strains tested using the MFC assay. Compound 4 displayed anti-Candida activity (with clear endpoint) against 22% of clinical strains of Candida. Under compound 4, Candida susceptibility and tolerance, namely paradoxical effect (PG), was found for only two clinical isolates (C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis) and reference strain 14053 using both M27-A3 and MFC method. We found that compound 4 does not induce toxicity in vivo against larvae of Galleria mellonella (≥97% survival) and it displays reduced toxicity on mammalian cells in vitro (< CC20 at 64 μg/mL). Furthermore, XTT assay denoted clear metabolic activity of sessile cells in the presence of compound 4. Thus, the effect of compound 4 on formed C. albicans biofilms was minimal. Moreover, strain 90028 exhibited no defects in hyphal growth on Caco-2 monolayer under compound 4 influence at MIC = 16 μg/mL. The MIC values of compound 4 against C. albicans 90028, in medium with sorbitol did not suggest that compound 4 acts by inhibiting fungal cell wall synthesis. Our findings with compound 4 suggest a general strategy for antifungal agent development that might be useful in limiting the emergence of resistance in Candida strains.
Does Superior Firm Performance Lead to Higher Quality Outside Directorships?

Purpose - Holding the number of outside directorships constant, this paper aims to test whether executive directors from superior performing firms are subsequently rewarded with better quality outside directorships. Design/methodology/approach - The quality of new outside directorship appointments is modelled using a two-step Heckman selection procedure to control for the probability of acquiring a new outside board seat. Outside directorship quality is estimated using an index formed from series of observable firm-specific characteristics proxying for the following three latent aspects of quality: prestige, reputational risk and monetary rewards. The index aggregates across these three dimensions to produce an overall quality score, with higher scores signifying higher quality directorships. Findings - Tests based on a sample of UK executive directors who subsequently acquire at least one new outside board seat show that the quality of newly acquired outside directorships is positively related to past and contemporaneous performance at the executive's own firm. Recent past performance appears to be a more important determinant of the quality of outside directorships than long-run performance reputations. However, effects are largely confined to executives that either switch between boards or enter the outside directorship market for the first time. Research limitations/implications - Findings support the view that the market for outside directorships operates (at least in part) as a meritocracy by rewarding executives from superior performing firms with better quality outside board appointments. Originality/value - Prior work on the market for outside directorships focuses on explaining cross-sectional variation in the number of outside board seats held. The paper is the first to measure and model directorship quality.
Assessing safety net readiness in response to food price volatility

In 2008, when food prices rose precipitously to record highs, international attention and local policy in many countries focused on safety nets as part of the response. Now that food prices are high again, the issue of appropriate responses is again on the policy agenda. This note sets out a framework for making quick, qualitative assessments of how well countries' safety nets prepare them for a rapid policy response to rising food prices should the situation warrant. The framework is applied using data from spring 2011, presenting a snap? shot analysis of what is a dynamically changing situation. Based on this data safety net readiness is assessed in 13 vulnerable countries based on the following criteria: the presence of safety net programs, program coverage, administrative capacity, and to a lesser degree, targeting effectiveness. It is argued that these criteria will remain the same throughout time, even if the sample countries affected will be expected to vary. Based on this analysis the note highlights that though a number of countries are more prepared than they were in 2008, there is still a significant medium term agenda on safety net preparedness in the face of crisis. In this context, strategic lessons from the 2008 food crisis response are presented to better understand the response options and challenges facing governments and policy makers. The note concludes by calling for continued investment and scale up of safety nets to mitigate poverty impacts and help prevent long term setbacks in nutrition and poverty.
Improved Intraoperative Visualization of Nerves through a Myelin-Binding Fluorophore and Dual-Mode Laparoscopic Imaging

The ability to visualize and spare nerves during surgery is critical for avoiding chronic morbidity, pain, and loss of function. Visualization of such critical anatomic structures is even more challenging during minimal access procedures because the small incisions limit visibility. In this study, we focus on improving imaging of nerves through the use of a new small molecule fluorophore, GE3126, used in conjunction with our dual-mode (color and fluorescence) laparoscopic imaging instrument. GE3126 has higher aqueous solubility, improved pharmacokinetics, and reduced non-specific adipose tissue fluorescence compared to previous myelin-binding fluorophores. Dosing and kinetics were initially optimized in mice. A non-clinical modified Irwin study in rats, performed to assess the potential of GE3126 to induce nervous system injuries, showed the absence of major adverse reactions. Real-time intraoperative imaging was performed in a porcine model. Compared to white light imaging, nerve visibility was enhanced under fluorescence guidance, especially for small diameter nerves obscured by fascia, blood vessels, or adipose tissue. In the porcine model, nerve visualization was observed rapidly, within 5 to 10 minutes post-intravenous injection and the nerve fluorescence signal was maintained for up to 80 minutes. The use of GE3126, coupled with practical implementation of an imaging instrument may be an important step forward in preventing nerve damage in the operating room.
Leading Diverse Schools: Tempering Accountability Policy with Social Justice

This qualitative research examines how school principals perceive social justice and accountability, the actions they take, and the reasoning process they use in their attempt to satisfy accountability mandates while simultaneously tackling the various causes of social injustices in their schools. This constructive study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the world from the subjects’ points of view, to unfold the meaning of their experiences, and to uncover their lived world. It employs semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions guided by the conceptual framework developed from review of literature on social justice, educational leadership, and accountability policy. Twenty-two school principals and vice-principals from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) were interviewed.The findings show that some participants define social justice as equity, which goes from the economic and political dimensions of resource distribution and equality of opportunity and access, to the cultural aspect of social representation and inclusion. Some view public education as a social justice endeavour with a particular reference to the purpose of public education. Others construe social justice by focusing on its end goal – the academic and social outcomes of students and the impact on their lives.Study participants implement their social justice beliefs and values in praxis by engaging all stakeholders and catalyzing them to be the new force for the social justice movement. Evident in this study is that participants enacted their social justice practices by putting students at the centre, positioning themselves as social justice leaders, developing people for social justice, building school climate through justice, and fostering positive relationship with families and communities. Under current accountability context, principals in this study responded to the current reform by going beyond its narrow focus through instilling a sense of moral responsibility in their perceptions of accountability itself. As social justice activists, they are proactively engaged in expanding its parameters by encompassing the moral, social, and professional aspects of their accountability. Leading for social justice thus becomes a process of constantly confronting and tearing down such obstacles and barriers by leveraging the politics of accountability and social justice to move towards what is best for students.
The Formation of Viroplasm-Like Structures by the Rotavirus NSP5 Protein Is Calcium Regulated and Directed by a C-Terminal Helical Domain

ABSTRACT The rotavirus NSP5 protein directs the formation of viroplasm-like structures (VLS) and is required for viroplasm formation within infected cells. In this report, we have defined signals within the C-terminal 21 amino acids of NSP5 that are required for VLS formation and that direct the insolubility and hyperphosphorylation of NSP5. Deleting C-terminal residues of NSP5 dramatically increased the solubility of N-terminally tagged NSP5 and prevented NSP5 hyperphosphorylation. Computer modeling and analysis of the NSP5 C terminus revealed the presence of an amphipathic α-helix spanning 21 C-terminal residues that is conserved among rotaviruses. Proline-scanning mutagenesis of the predicted helix revealed that single-amino-acid substitutions abolish NSP5 insolubility and hyperphosphorylation. Helix-disrupting NSP5 mutations also abolished localization of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-NSP5 fusions into VLS and directly correlate VLS formation with NSP5 insolubility. All mutations introduced into the hydrophobic face of the predicted NSP5 α-helix disrupted VLS formation, NSP5 insolubility, and the accumulation of hyperphosphorylated NSP5 isoforms. Some NSP5 mutants were highly soluble but still were hyperphosphorylated, indicating that NSP5 insolubility was not required for hyperphosphorylation. Expression of GFP containing the last 68 residues of NSP5 at its C terminus resulted in the formation of punctate VLS within cells. Interestingly, GFP-NSP5-C68 was diffusely dispersed in the cytoplasm when calcium was depleted from the medium, and after calcium resupplementation GFP-NSP5-C68 rapidly accumulated into punctate VLS. A potential calcium switch, formed by two tandem pseudo-EF-hand motifs (DxDxD), is present just upstream of the predicted α-helix. Mutagenesis of either DxDxD motif abolished the regulatory effect of calcium on VLS formation and resulted in the constitutive assembly of GFP-NSP5-C68 into punctate VLS. These results reveal specific residues within the NSP5 C-terminal domain that direct NSP5 hyperphosphorylation, insolubility, and VLS formation in addition to defining residues that constitute a calcium-dependent trigger of VLS formation. These studies identify functional determinants within the C terminus of NSP5 that regulate VLS formation and provide a target for inhibiting NSP5-directed VLS functions during rotavirus replication.
View-Oriented Parallel Programming

Traditional parallel programming styles have many problems which hinder the development of parallel applications. The message passing style can be too complex for many programmers. While shared memory based parallel programming is relatively easy, it requires programmers to guarantee there is no data race in programs. Data race conditions are generally difﬁcult to debug and difﬁcult to prevent as well. The View-Oriented Parallel Programming (VOPP) is a novel shared-memory-based programming style. It removes the burden of checking data race conditions from the programmers. With the VOPP approach, shared data objects are divided into views according to the memory access pattern of the parallel algo-rithm. One advantage of VOPP is that programmers don’t need to worry about mutual exclusion, such as locks, since mutual exclusion is automatically done by the underlying system when a view is accessed. By removing data races from programs, VOPP makes it easier to code and less difﬁcult to debug programs. It also provides potential performance advantages on multi-core systems as well as cluster computers.
Improving Speaker Identification Performance for Telephone-based Applications

passwords, swipe cards, keys and PIN numbers are used daily to gain access to various services. However, these mechanisms can become cumbersome to carry around and remember. It would be much more convenient to speak some arbitrary text thereby allowing an identification system to determine our identity. This method of authentication is user-friendly as we don't usually forget how to speak or leave our speech at home! However, when identifying speakers over the telephone, identification performance degrades due to the effect of telephone channels on speech signals. As a result, this paper addresses the problem of text-independent speaker identification on telephone-quality speech. In particular, we investigate how various channel normalization techniques can be used to improve speaker identification performance. We show that by using a technique known as histogram equalization, significant improvements above those reported in literature, are achieved.
The Relationship between Energy Consumption, Energy Prices and Economic Growth: Case Study (OPEC Countries)

This paper studies the causal relationships between energy consumption and economic growth for OPEC countries using cointegration and error‐correction modelling techniques. The results indicate that in the short run, the Granger causality runs from income to energy consumption for Iran, Iraq, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, while for the rest of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) countries, the reverse is true, i.e. the Granger causality runs from energy consumption to income. However, in the long run, there is not any Granger causality relationship for all the OPEC countries. In the case of Qatar and the Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, energy, economic growth and prices are not mutually causal. Results show, that even for these countries, which the energy consumption has an effect on economic growth, the effect is very minimal. The direction of causation between energy consumption and economic growth has significant policy implications. If there exists unidirectional Granger causality running from income to energy, it may be implied that energy conservation policies may be implemented with little adverse or no effects on economic growth. In the case of negative causality running from economic growth to energy, economic growth could rise if energy conservation policy were to be implemented. In other words, if unidirectional causality runs from energy consumption to income, reducing energy consumption could lead to a fall in economic growth. One can conclude that for all of the OPEC countries, the theory of resource curse holds. Hence, substantial energy consumption is not likely to bring about significant economic growth but an increase in CO2 emissions. In this regard, it is very important for those low‐income OPEC countries to adopt appropriate energy policies in order to promote their economic growth.
Post Adoptive ERP Use Behaviors : A Dynamic Conceptualization

A conceptual model of post-implementation enterprise resource planning systems (ERP) use is developed and operationalized using a dynamic systems perspective. The primary purpose is to enrich our collective understanding of how companies might facilitate ERP usage to enhance the business value of this technology investment after the initial installation. The conceptual model represents a dynamic information feedback structure that illustrates the relationships among several post-adoptive factors including software and work process training, experiential interventions to facilitate extended and deeper usage, user software and work process understanding, the extent of features implementation, the range of ERP system usage, and ERP benefits. The model is drawn from findings about post-ERP implementation described in the literature. Pragmatic insights are provided by the conceptual model and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Development of a robust DNA quality and quantity assessment qPCR assay for targeted next-generation sequencing library preparation

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is becoming a standard for genetic analyses of clinical samples. DNAs retrieved from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue specimens are commonly degraded, and specimens such as core biopsies are sometimes too small to obtain enough DNA for NGS applications. Thus, it is important to measure both the DNA quantity and quality accurately from clinical samples. However, there is no standard method for DNA quantity and quality analyses for NGS library preparation. We tested four different methods (PicoGreen, Qubit® fluorometry, TaqMan and SYBR-Green-based qPCR assay) and compared each to RNase P TaqMan as a reference control. We found that SYBR-Green-based qPCR assay provides a consistent and accurate DNA quantification while keeping its cost relatively low and the throughput high. We designed a dual-probe SYBR-Green qPCR assay for DNA quantity and quality assessment for targeted NGS library preparation. This assay provides a Dscore (degradation score) of the interrogated DNA by analyzing two different sizes of amplicons. We show an example of a clinical sample with a very high Dscore (high degradation). With a regular DNA quantification, without considering the degradation status, no correct NGS libraries were obtained. However, after optimizing the library condition by considering its poor DNA quality, a reasonably good library and sequencing results were obtained. In summary, we developed and presented a new DNA quantity and quality analysis qPCR assay for the targeted NGS library preparation. This assay may be mostly efficient for the clinical samples with high degradation and poor DNA quality.
RANDOM FUZZY SETS: A MATHEMATICAL TOOL TO DEVELOP STATISTICAL FUZZY DATA ANALYSIS

Data obtained in association with many real-life random experiments from different fields cannot be perfectly/exactly quantified.hspace{. 1cm}Often the underlying imprecision can be suitably described in terms of fuzzy numbers/\values. For these random experiments, the scale of fuzzy numbers/values enables to capture more variability and subjectivity than that of categorical data, and more accuracy and expressiveness than that of numerical/vectorial data. On the other hand, random fuzzy numbers/sets model the random mechanisms generating experimental fuzzy data, and they are soundly formalized within the probabilistic setting.This paper aims to review a significant part of the recent literature concerning the statistical data analysis with fuzzy data and being developed around the concept of random fuzzy numbers/sets.
Curvelet based CRLBP texture descriptor for facial expression recognition

In this paper, we proposed a new technique for facial expression recognition based on extraction of Complete Robust Local Binary Pattern (CRLBP) features from curvelet domain. The curvelet transform show evidence of improved multiscale directional capability, and a greater ability to localize distributed discontinuities such as edges along curves as compared to traditional multiscale transform such as wavelet transform. Hence, we transform original face images to frequency domain using curvelet transform. Noise and illumination invariant features are extracted from approximate sub-band using complete robust local binary pattern, which forms feature descriptor of facial expression. The proposed technique is assessed based on facial expression recognition carried out using a benchmark database such as JAFFE. Recognition of facial expression is achieved using a chi-square distance measure with a nearest neighbour classifier. Experimental results prove that our method outperforms compared to other popular LBP based methods.
Long-Run Evidence on Money Growth and Inflation

Over the last two centuries, the cross-spectral coherence between either narrow or broad money growth and inflation at the frequency ω=0 has exhibited little variation-being, most of the time, close to one-in the U.S., the U.K., and several other countries, thus implying that the fraction of inflation's long-run variation explained by long-run money growth has been very high and relatively stable. The cross-spectral gain at ω=0, on the other hand, has exhibited significant changes, being for long periods of time smaller than one. The unitary gain associated with the quantity theory of money appeared in correspondence with the inflationary outbursts associated with World War I and the Great Inflation-but not World War II-whereas following the disinflation of the early 1980s the gain dropped below one for all the countries and all the monetary aggregates I consider, with one single exception. I propose an interpretation for this pattern of variation based on the combination of systematic velocity shocks and infrequent inflationary outbursts. Based on estimated DSGE models, I show that velocity shocks cause, ceteris paribus, comparatively much larger decreases in the gain between money growth and inflation at ω=0 than in the coherence, thus implying that monetary regimes characterised by low and stable inflation exhibit a low gain, but a still comparatively high coherence. Infrequent inflationary outbursts, on the other hand, boost both the gain and coherence towards one, thus temporarily revealing the one-for-one correlation between money growth and inflation associated with the quantity theory of money, which would otherwise remain hidden in the data. JEL Classification: E30, E32
Collaboration for Environmental Evidence Are Mammal and Bird Populations Declining in the Proximity of Roads and Other Infrastructure? Systematic Review Summary Background

This is a draft review for consultation. Additional work is in progress. Please do not quote this document or any part therein without prior consent of the authors. 2 COVER SHEET Title Are mammal and bird populations declining in the proximity of roads and other infrastructure? Systematic review No. 68 Reviewers Ana Benítez López, Rob Alkemade and Pita Verweij Date draft protocol published on website Date final protocol published on website Date of most recent amendment Contact address Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency