Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EU-wide individual Farm Model for CAP Analysis (IFM-CAP): Application to Crop Diversification Policy

This paper presents the first EU-wide individual farm level model (IFM-CAP) intending to assess the impacts of CAP towards 2020 on farm economic and environmental performances. IFM-CAP is a static positive programming model applied to each EU-FADN individual farm to guarantee the highest representativeness of the EU agricultural sector and to capture the full heterogeneity across EU farms in terms of policy representation and impacts. The model is used to assess the effects of the crop diversification measure. Results show that most farms choose to comply with the diversification measure owing to the sizable subsidy reduction imposed in case of non-compliance. However, the overall impact on farm income is rather limited: farm income decreases by less than 1% at EU level, and only 5% of the farm population will be negatively affected. Nevertheless, for a small number of farms the income effect could be more substantial (more than -10%).
Diagnosis and quantitative evaluation of parvovirus B19 infections by real‐time PCR in the clinical laboratory

A real‐time PCR assay was developed for quantitative detection of B19 DNA in clinical serum samples. The assay was carried out using a LightCycler instrument and product formation was monitored continuously with the fluorescent double‐stranded DNA binding dye SYBR Green I. With an optimized PCR protocol, this system was able to quantitate the target DNA down to 3 × 101 genome copies/reaction and to detect as few as 3 × 100 genome copies/reaction. Real‐time PCR was used to detect B19 DNA in 108 serum samples from patients with a clinical suspicion of B19 infection, showing a sensitivity of 92.7% and a specificity of 100% when compared with a standardized PCR‐ELISA considered as the standard. Using the LightCycler assay, the entire procedure of detection and quantitation of B19 DNA in clinical serum samples took up to 90 min proving five times faster than PCR‐ELISA. B19 DNA quantitation in positive samples by real‐time PCR showed a mean of 1.1 × 109 B19 DNA copies/ml in samples in the acute active phase of B19 infection (DNA+, IgM+, IgG−), 4.3 × 106 B19 DNA copies/ml in samples in the active phase (DNA+, IgM+, IgG+), 3.7 × 105 genome copies/ml in samples in the long‐lasting active phase (DNA+, IgM−, IgG+) with a statistically significant reduction of B19 DNA content between the group of sera in the acute active phase and the group of sera in the active phase of B19 infection. The high levels of sensitivity, specificity, and rapidity provided by the LightCycler technology for the detection and quantitation of B19 DNA represent a significant improvement for the laboratory diagnosis of B19 infection. J. Med. Virol. 67:275–281, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparison of self-reported alcohol intake with the urinary excretion of 5-hydroxytryptophol:5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid, a biomarker of recent alcohol intake

Under-reporting of alcohol intake has been frequently reported. However, due to the lack of an objective reference method, e.g. a biomarker, information about the extent of under-reporting of alcohol intake obtained with dietary assessment instruments is not available. The objective of this study was to compare reported alcohol intake data derived from a 24 h recall with a biomarker of recent alcohol intake, the urinary excretion of 5-hydroxytryptophol (5-HTOL):5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA). Embedded into the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Potsdam Study, Germany, a validation study that collected 24 h recall data and 24 h urine samples was conducted. Cohort study participants (n 107) volunteered to participate in this validation study. Among them were five subjects who reported no consumption of alcoholic beverages but had a 5-HTOL:5-HIAA ratio that indicated recent alcohol intake when the clinical cut-off point was taken as a judging criterion. After exclusion of these under-reporters, the Pearson's correlation coefficient between reported alcohol intake and the 5-HTOL:5-HIAA ratio was 0.92 (P<0.0001). Except for low alcohol intake of <0.1 g/kg body mass, a significant increase in 5-HTOL:5-HIAA excretion was observed with increasing amounts of alcohol intake. In conclusion, the 5-HTOL:5-HIAA excretion ratio appears to be a valuable quantitative biomarker of recent alcohol consumption. Denial of alcohol intake can be detected, but for the quantification of under-reporting of alcohol intake 24 h reference data are not yet available. With these data at hand, however, 5-HTOL:5-HIAA could become a biomarker for validation purposes in nutritional epidemiology.
Improvement and Public Service Relationships: Cultural Theory and Institutional Work

This article examines the influence of cultural-institutional factors on user–provider relationships in public services. Using Grid-Group Cultural Theory (CT) as a way to structure the complexity of public service relationships, the article considers the extent to which public services are attuned to users' relational concerns. This analysis shows particular tensions between how users think the service ‘should be’ compared with how they think the service ‘actually is’. Additional study evidence is used to assess these findings; in particular, the effects of different patterns of compatibility on both the perceived quality of public service relationships and the value added by this. Finally, relationships between ‘good opportunities’ for user voice and the above results are discussed. In response, opportunities for improvement are identified (within the institutional work done by public service organizations), and the implications for the relative value of CT analysis are discussed.
Identification of Activating Transcription Factor 4 (ATF4) as an Nrf2-interacting Protein

Nrf2 regulates expression of genes encoding enzymes with antioxidant (e.g. heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)) or xenobiotic detoxification (e.g. NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase, glutathione S-transferase) functions via the stress- or antioxidant-response elements (StRE/ARE). Nrf2 heterodimerizes with small Maf proteins, but the role of such dimers in gene induction is controversial, and other partners may exist. By using the yeast two-hybrid assay, we identified activating transcription factor (ATF) 4 as a potential Nrf2-interacting protein. Association between Nrf2 and ATF4 in mammalian cells was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and mammalian two-hybrid assays. Furthermore, Nrf2·ATF4 dimers bound to an StRE sequence from the ho-1 gene. CdCl2, a potent inducer of HO-1, increased expression of ATF4 in mouse hepatoma cells, and detectable induction of ATF4 protein preceded that of HO-1 (30 minversus 2 h). A dominant-negative mutant of ATF4 inhibited basal and CdCl2-stimulated expression of a StRE-dependent/luciferase fusion construct (pE1-luc) in hepatoma cells but only basal expression in mammary epithelial MCF-7 cells. A dominant mutant of Nrf2 was equally inhibitory in both cell types in the presence or absence of CdCl2. These results indicate that ATF4 regulates basal and CdCl2-induced expression of theho-1 gene in a cell-specific manner and possibly in a complex with Nrf2.
The theory of constraints and the constraints of theory: A structural equation model for supply chain disruptions

A model is presented, whose constructs represent factors related to manufacturing supply chain disruption. The primary questions motivating the model’s formulation concern the influence that use of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) in manufacturing management may have on supply chain disturbance handling. Using data from 165 plant participants in the high performance manufacturing (HPM) research project, the model’s measurement characteristics were validated through confirmatory factor analysis. Path analysis of the model then showed that TOC orientations among managers have a positive influence on perceived supply chain disruptiondiscovery success, as do JIT relationships with plant customers. The model’s significant paths also show that customer JIT and TOC orientation of managers together explain 51% of the variation in respondents’ evaluations of their plants’ daily task performance success. TOC thinking also has a positive influence on overall plant performance in the perceptions of managers. Interestingly, the supplier JIT construct showed no significant explanatory role in the model.
Improved Glucose Homeostasis in Mice with Muscle-Specific Deletion of Protein-Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B

ABSTRACT Obesity and type 2 diabetes are characterized by insulin resistance. Mice lacking the protein-tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B in all tissues are hypersensitive to insulin but also have diminished fat stores. Because adiposity affects insulin sensitivity, the extent to which PTP1B directly regulates glucose homeostasis has been unclear. We report that mice lacking PTP1B only in muscle have body weight and adiposity comparable to those of controls on either chow or a high-fat diet (HFD). Muscle triglycerides and serum adipokines are also affected similarly by HFD in both groups. Nevertheless, muscle-specific PTP1B−/− mice exhibit increased muscle glucose uptake, improved systemic insulin sensitivity, and enhanced glucose tolerance. These findings correlate with and are most likely caused by increased phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and its downstream signaling components. Thus, muscle PTP1B plays a major role in regulating insulin action and glucose homeostasis, independent of adiposity. In addition, rosiglitazone treatment of HFD-fed control and muscle-specific PTP1B−/− mice revealed that rosiglitazone acts additively with PTP1B deletion. Therefore, combining PTP1B inhibition with thiazolidinediones should be more effective than either alone for treating insulin-resistant states.
NIST 10 V Programmable Josephson Voltage Standard System

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed and implemented a new programmable Josephson voltage standard (PJVS) that operates at 10 V. This next-generation system is optimized for both dc metrology and stepwise-approximated ac voltage measurements for frequencies up to a few hundreds of hertz. The nonhysteretic Josephson junctions produce intrinsically stable voltages and are designed to operate in the 18-20 GHz frequency range. The most recent 10 V PJVS circuits have total output current ranges greater than 1 mA.
Methylthiol:coenzyme M methyltransferase from Methanosarcina barkeri, an enzyme of methanogenesis from dimethylsulfide and methylmercaptopropionate

During growth on acetate, Methanosarcina barkeri expresses catabolic enzymes for other methanogenic substrates such as monomethylamine. The range of substrates used by cells grown on acetate was further explored, and it was found that cells grown on acetate also converted dimethylsulfide (DMS) and methylmercaptopropionate (MMPA) to methane. Cells or extracts of cells grown on trimethylamine or methanol did not utilize either DMS or MMPA. During growth on acetate, cultures demethylated MMPA, producing methane and mercaptopropionate. Extracts of acetate-grown cells possessed DMS- and MMPA-dependent coenzyme M (CoM) methylation activities. The activity peaks of CoM methylation with either DMS or MMPA coeluted upon gel permeation chromatography of extracts of acetate-grown cells consistent with an apparent molecular mass of 470 kDa. A 480-kDa corrinoid protein, previously demonstrated to be a CoM methylase but otherwise of unknown physiological function, was found to methylate CoM with either DMS or MMPA. MMPA was demethylated by the purified 480-kDa CoM methylase, consuming 1 mol of CoM and producing 1 mol of mercaptopropionate. DMS was demethylated by the purified protein, consuming 1 mol of CoM and producing 1 mol of methanethiol. The methylthiol:CoM methyltransferase reaction could be initiated only with the enzyme-bound corrinoid in the methylated state. CoM could demethylate, and DMS and MMPA could remethylate, the corrinoid cofactor. The monomethylamine corrinoid protein and the A isozyme of methylcobamide:CoM methyltransferase (proteins homologous to the two subunits comprising the 480-kDa CoM methylase) did not catalyze CoM methylation with methylated thiols. These results indicate that the 480-kDa corrinoid protein functions as a CoM methylase during methanogenesis from DMS or MMPA.
Operator Functional State Classification Using Multiple Psychophysiological Features in an Air Traffic Control Task

We studied 2 classifiers to determine their ability to discriminate among 4 levels of mental workload during a simulated air traffic control task using psychophysiological measures. Data from 7 air traffic controllers were used to train and test artificial neural network and stepwise discriminant classifiers. Very high levels of classification accuracy were achieved by both classifiers. When the 2 task difficulty manipulations were tested separately, the percentage correct classifications were between 84% and 88%. Feature reduction using saliency analysis for the artificial neural networks resulted in a mean of 90% correct classification accuracy. Considering the data as a 2-class problem, acceptable load versus overload, resulted in almost perfect classification accuracies, with mean percentage correct of 98%. In applied situations, the most important distinction among operator functional states would be to detect mental overload situations. These results suggest that psychophysiological data are capable of such discriminations with high levels of accuracy. Potential applications of this research include test and evaluation of new and modified systems and adaptive aiding.
In Vitro Metabolite Profiling of ADB-FUBINACA, A New Synthetic Cannabinoid

Metabolite profiling of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) is critical for documenting drug consumption. N-(1-amino-3,3-dimethyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl)-1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (ADB-FUBINACA) is an emerging synthetic cannabinoid whose toxicological and metabolic data are currently unavailable. We aimed to determine optimal markers for identifying ADB-FUBINACA intake. Metabolic stability was evaluated with human liver microsome incubations. Metabolites were identified after 1 and 3 h incubation with pooled human hepatocytes, liquid chromatography- high resolution mass spectrometry in positive-ion mode (5600+ TripleTOF®, Sciex) and several data mining approaches (MetabolitePilot™, Sciex). Metabolite separation was achieved on an Ultra Biphenyl column (Restek®); full-scan TOF-MS and information-dependent acquisition MS/MS data were acquired. ADB-FUBINACA microsomal half-life was 39.7 min, with a predicted hepatic clearance of 9.0 mL/min/kg and a 0.5 extraction ratio (intermediate-clearance drug). Twenty-three metabolites were identified. Major metabolic pathways were alkyl and indazole hydroxylation, terminal amide hydrolysis, subsequent glucuronide conjugations, and dehydrogenation. We recommend ADB-FUBINACA hydroxyalkyl, hydroxydehydroalkyl and hydroxylindazole metabolites as ADB-FUBINACA intake markers. N-dealkylated metabolites are not specific ADB-FUBINACA metabolites and should not be used as definitive markers of consumption. This is the first ADB-FUBINACA in vitro metabolism study; in vivo experiments enabling pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics studies or urine from authentic clinical/forensic cases are needed to confirm our results.
A PAK1–PIX–PKL complex is activated by the T‐cell receptor independent of Nck, Slp‐76 and LAT

Given the importance of the Rho GTPase family member Rac1 and the Rac1/Cdc42 effector PAK1 in T‐cell activation, we investigated the requirements for their activation by the T‐cell receptor (TCR). Rac1 and PAK1 activation required the tyrosine kinases ZAP‐70 and Syk, but not the cytoplasmic adaptor Slp‐76. Surprisingly, PAK1 was activated in the absence of the transmembrane adaptor LAT while Rac1 was not. However, efficient PAK1 activation required its binding sites for Rho GTPases and for PIX, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rho GTPases. The overexpression of βPIX that either cannot bind PAK1 or lacks GEF function blocked PAK1 activation. These data suggest that a PAK1–PIX complex is recruited to appropriate sites for activation and that PIX is required for Rho family GTPase activation upstream of PAK1. Furthermore, we detected a stable trimolecular complex of PAK1, PIX and the paxillin kinase linker p95PKL. Taken together, these data show that PAK1 contained in this trimolecular complex is activated by a novel LAT‐ and Slp‐76‐independent pathway following TCR stimulation.
Pathogenetic significance of ecotropic viral integration site‐1 in hematological malignancies

The ecotropic viral integration site‐1 (Evi‐1) gene was first identified as a common locus of retroviral integration in murine leukemia models. In humans, EVI‐1 is located on chromosome 3q26, and rearrangements on chromosome 3q26 often activate EVI‐1 expression in hematological malignancies. Overexpression of EVI‐1 also occurs with high frequency in leukemia patients without 3q26 abnormalities, and importantly, high EVI‐1 expression is an independent negative prognostic indicator irrespective of the presence of 3q26 rearrangements. Recent gene targeting studies in mice revealed that Evi‐1 is preferentially expressed in hematopoietic stem cells and plays an essential role in proliferation and maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells. In addition, intense attention has been focused on the EVI‐1 gene complex as retrovirus integration sites because transcription‐activating integrations into the EVI‐1 locus confer survival and self‐renewing ability to hematopoietic cells. The experimental results using animal models suggest that activation of Evi‐1 in hematopoietic cells leads to clonal expansion or dysplastic hematopoiesis, whereas onset of full‐blown leukemia requires cooperative genetic events. EVI‐1 possesses diverse functions as an oncoprotein, including suppression of transforming growth factor‐β‐mediated growth inhibition, upregulation of GATA2, inhibition of the Jun kinase pathway, and stimulation of cell growth via activator protein‐1. In this article, we summarize current knowledge regarding the biochemical properties and biological functions of EVI‐1 in normal and malignant hematopoiesis, with specific focus on its pathogenetic significance in hematological malignancies. (Cancer Sci 2009; 100: 990–995)
Context-Sensitive Awareness Services for Communities of Practice

The eLogbook is a Web-Based collaborative environment particularly adapted to the needs of communities of practice. It is deployed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and developed within the framework of the Palette European Project. This paper presents the eLogbook “Context- Sensitive View” intended to increase the environment usability and acceptability by communities of practice and to support collaboration and communication by embedding different types of awareness “cues” within an innovative user- friendly interface.
E-government Impact on Business and Entrepreneurship in High-, Upper-middle- and Lower-income Countries from 2008 to 2014: A Linear Mixed Model Approach

Most electronic government (e-government) initiatives have the improvement of business atmosphere and the creation of new business as their objectives. This article aims to measure the impact of change of e-government index (and its composing sub-indexes) in the ease of doing business (EoDB) and the rate of creation of new business in the high-, middle- and low-income countries, seeking to test if there is a difference in the effects. The study used a panel data design (repeated measurements), with four points (years 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014), in three change periods (2008/2010, 2010/2012 and 2012/2014), collecting data from various databases: Doing Business Report by World Bank, United Nations (UN) E-government Survey, Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International and World Bank Entrepreneurship Survey. The data were combined and analyzed with linear mixed models procedures with fixed and random effects. Data suggest that different models should be applied to understand the relationship of e-government with outcome variables, according to the income level. Suggestions for future research are presented.
Gaze and filled pause detection for smooth human-robot conversations

Let the human speak! Interactive robots and voice interfaces such as Pepper, Amazon Alexa, and OK Google are becoming more and more popular, allowing for more natural interaction compared to screens or keyboards. One issue with voice interfaces is that they tend to require a “robotic” flow of human speech. Humans must be careful to not produce disfluencies, such as hesitations or extended pauses between words. If they do, the agent may assume that the human has finished their speech turn, and interrupts them mid-thought. Interactive robots often rely on the same limited dialogue technology built for speech interfaces. Yet humanoid robots have the potential to also use their vision systems to determine when the human has finished their speaking turn. In this paper, we introduce HOMAGE (Human-rObot Multimodal Audio and Gaze End-of-turn), a multimodal turntaking system for conversational humanoid robots. We created a dataset of humans spontaneously hesitating when responding to a robot's open-ended questions such as, “What was your favorite moment this year? ”. Our analyses found that users produced both auditory filled pauses such as “uhhh”, as well as gaze away from the robot to keep their speaking turn. We then trained a machine learning system to detect the auditory filled pauses and integrated it along with gaze into the Pepper humanoid robot's real-time dialog system. Experiments with 28 naive users revealed that adding auditory filled pause detection and gaze tracking significantly reduced robot interruptions. Furthermore, user turns were 2.1 times longer (without repetitions), suggesting that this strategy allows humans to express themselves more, toward less time pressure and better robot listeners.
Improved Kernel Descriptors for Effective and Efficient Image Classification

Kernel descriptors have been proven to outperform existing histogram based local descriptors as such descriptors are extracted from the match kernels which measure similarities between image patches using different pixel attributes (gradient, colour or LBP pattern). The extraction of kernel descriptors does not require coarse quantization of pixel attributes. Instead, each pixel equally participates in matching between two image patches. In this paper, by leveraging the kernel properties, we propose a unique approach which simultaneously increases the effectiveness and efficiency of the existing kernel descriptors. Specifically, this is done by improving the similarity measure between two different patches in terms of any pixel attribute. The proposed kernel descriptors are more discriminant, take less time to be extracted and have much lower dimensions. Our experiments on Scene Categories and Caltech 101 databases show that our proposed approach outperforms the existing kernel descriptors.