Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seasonal persistence of northern low- and middle-latitude anomalies of ozone and other trace gases in the upper stratosphere

[1] Analysis of observed ozone profiles in Northern Hemisphere low and middle latitudes reveals the seasonal persistence of ozone anomalies in both the lower and upper stratosphere. Principal component analysis is used to detect that above 16 hPa the persistence is strongest in the latitude band 15–45°N, while below 16 hPa the strongest persistence is found over 45–60°N. In both cases, ozone anomalies persist through the entire year from November to October. The persistence of ozone anomalies in the lower stratosphere is presumably related to the wintertime ozone buildup with subsequent photochemical relaxation through summer, as previously found for total ozone. The persistence in the upper stratosphere is more surprising, given the short lifetime of Ox at these altitudes. It is hypothesized that this “seasonal memory” in the upper stratospheric ozone anomalies arises from the seasonal persistence of transport-induced wintertime NOy anomalies, which then perturb the ozone chemistry throughout the rest of the year. This hypothesis is confirmed by analysis of observations of NO2, NOx, and various long-lived trace gases in the upper stratosphere, which are found to exhibit the same seasonal persistence. Previous studies have attributed much of the year-to-year variability in wintertime extratropical upper stratospheric ozone to the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) through transport-induced NOy (and hence NO2) anomalies but have not identified any statistical connection between the QBO and summertime ozone variability. Our results imply that through this “seasonal memory,” the QBO has an asynchronous effect on ozone in the low to midlatitude upper stratosphere during summer and early autumn.
MHC Class I-Mediated Antigen Presentation and Induction of CD8+ Cytotoxic T-Cell Responses in Autoimmune Diabetes-Prone NOD Mice

The common class I alleles (e.g., JC1 and Db) within the H2g7 major histocompatibility complex (MHC) clearly contribute to autoimmune IDDM in NOD mice, but the mechanism by which this occurs has been controversial. One laboratory has reported that the peptide transporter encoded by the Tapl gene within H2g7 is defective, and this contributes to IDDM by impairing MHC class I-mediated antigen presentation. If true, defective MHC class I-mediated antigen presentation should segregate with the H2g7 haplotype. NOD mice, related congenic stocks, and other control strains were used to test this hypothesis. H2g7-positive strains did not differ from those expressing other MHC haplotypes in ability to present MHC class I-restricted H3aa or H3ab minor histocompatibility (H) antigens to cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL). The H2g7 haplotype was found to have a reduced capacity to mediate MHC class I-restricted presentation of the H47a minor H antigen. However, MHC class I-restricted presentation of H47a was found to be Tap independent. NOD mice and control strains also did not differ in ability to activate adenovirus-specific MHC class I restricted CTL. Thus, the H2g7 haplotype is not characterized by a Tap gene defect that only impairs the inductive phase of the immune response. In addition, MHC class I-restricted presentation of either minor H or adenoviral antigens was equivalent in male and female NOD mice. Therefore, while the class I alleles of the H2g7 haplotype exert diabetogenic functions in NOD mice, this is not elicited through a Tap gene defect. The absence of female-specific Tap gene defects also indicates this cannot account for the reduced male incidence of IDDM in some NOD mouse colonies.
Toward image based algorithm to support interactive data exploration

Notre societe est entree dans l'ere de la donnee, dans laquelle, non seulement une quantite enorme de donnees est generee chaque jour, mais les perspectives de pouvoir les analyser et les exploiter sont toujours plus prometteuses. L'exploration de ces masses de donnees complexes est essentielle pour realiser de nouvelles decouvertes et en tirer profit, mais cela demeure une tâche tres delicate ; la plupart des donnees sont devenues simplement trop volumineuses et ont souvent des durees de vie trop courte, en ce sens qu'elles changent trop rapidement, pour pouvoir les visualiser selon des methodes classiques, ou les analyser correctement avec des methodes courantes. Cette simple observation ont conduit mes recherches vers des outils precis et rapides d'exploration et de gestion de donnees multivariees. Durant ces dernieres annees, mes travaux ont porte sur plusieurs domaines : le controle du trafic aerien, la visualisation medicale, la visualisation de trajectoires, notamment d'avions, le traitement d'images, la visualisation logicielle et la gestion d'ordinateurs personnels. Pour chacun de ces domaines, j'ai developpe des techniques d'interaction et des algorithmes de traitement des donnees : Edge Bundling base sur des estimations de densite de kernels (SBEB, KDEEB), interaction diffusante sur des trajectoires, transitions animees, visualisations en realite augmentee. Ces algorithmes et ces techniques d'interaction ont ete integres et testes dans differents logiciels : FromDaDy, MoleView, Active progressbar, Strip'Tic, ColorTunneling. Ils partagent une meme specificite technique : ils integrent des techniques de rendu de pixels. Ainsi, les donnees (c'est-a-dire les valeurs decimales) peuvent etre manipulees dans leurs dimensions originales, ou elles peuvent etre projetees selon d'autres dimensions. Avec cette technique, les donnees sont projetees sur des cartes raster, dans lesquelles elles sont exprimees par des entiers. Cette collection de techniques permet de realiser des ponts entre les differents domaines d'exploration des donnees que sont GeoVis, InfoVis, SciVis et Visual Analytics, en leur fournissant un ensemble d'outils interactifs. Meme si ces techniques ont prouve leur efficacite, de nombreuses questions restent en suspens. Dans cette presentation, nous allons aborder la validite de ces techniques basees sur le rendu de pixels, en termes de precision des donnees, de passage a l'echelle, de limitations et d'applicabilite a differents domaines. Je terminerai par une evocation de futures utilisations.
IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERNATIONALIZATION STRATEGY AT KCB GROUP LIMITED

This study aimed to investigate the implementation of internationalization strategy at Kenya Commercial Bank group limited. A case study approach was adopted with the interview method used to gather data for the study. Based on the data from the interviews, two research objectives were addressed, to determine how Kenya commercial bank group limited implements its internationalization strategy and to establish the challenges faced by Kenya commercial bank group limited in the implementation of internationalization strategy. Data was analyzed using content analysis and the analysis of the findings revealed congruence with theoretical strategies identified in previous studies. It was found that Kenya commercial bank group has adopted greenfield investments as its foreign market entry strategy. From the findings, it’s clear that KCB group limited has been motivated by a number of factors to go international, the main ones being increase of profits and shareholder value, better serve customers who have relocated abroad. The implementation basically involves communication through emails, cascades which are quarterly publications by KCB group and involvement of the members of staff to encourage ownership of the strategy, the different licenses are bought, office space identified and the human resource team recruits members of staff who will handle the implementation of the strategy. From the findings it’s clear that KCB group experiences some challenges during the implementation of internationalization strategy including cultural diversity, language barriers, political instability, human resource constraints, custom delays, poor infrastructure and high setup costs pegged to the choice of entry mode. The study recommended that the company should develop policies that cover, communication, recruitment and training handling of challenges.
Sp1‐mediated transcriptional activation is repressed by Sp3.

Sp1, Sp3 (SPR‐2) and Sp4 (SPR‐1) are human sequence‐specific DNA binding proteins with very similar structural features. In this report, we have analyzed Sp3 in direct comparison with Sp1. We have raised antibodies against both Sp1 and Sp3, and show that Sp3 protein, like Sp1, is expressed in various cell lines. Co‐transfection experiments in different mammalian cell lines reveal that in contrast to Sp1 and Sp4, Sp3 is not able to activate several Sp1 responsive promoters. In addition, Sp3 also fails to activate reporter constructs in Drosophila SL2 cells lacking endogenous Sp factors. Instead, we find that Sp3 represses Sp1‐mediated activation in a linear dose‐dependent manner. A mutant of Sp3 lacking the DNA binding domain does not affect activation by Sp1, suggesting that the inhibition is most likely due to the competition with Sp1 for their common binding sites. To determine if any structurally similar domain of Sp3 is able to replace partially homologous domains of Sp1, we have generated chimeric proteins and tested their activation characteristics in gene transfer experiments. It appears that neither the glutamine‐rich domains A and B nor the D domain of Sp1 can be replaced by the homologous regions of Sp3. Our results suggest that Sp3 is an inhibitory member of the Sp family.
Mutational analysis of ERCC3, which is involved in DNA repair and transcription initiation: identification of domains essential for the DNA repair function

The human ERCC3 gene, which corrects specifically the nucleotide excision repair defect in human xeroderma pigmentosum group B and cross-complements the repair deficiency in rodent UV-sensitive mutants of group 3, encodes a presumed DNA helicase that is identical to the p89 subunit of the general transcription factor TFIIH/BTF2. To examine the significance of the postulated functional domains in ERCC3, we have introduced mutations in the ERCC3 cDNA by means of site-specific mutagenesis and have determined the repair capacity of each mutant to complement the UV-sensitive phenotype of rodent group 3 cells. A conservative substitution of arginine for the invariant lysine residue in the ATPase motif (helicase domain I), six deletion mutations in the other helicase domains, and a deletion in the potential helix-turn-helix DNA-binding motif fail to complement the ERCC3 excision repair defect of rodent group 3 mutants, which implies that the helicase domains as well as the potential DNA-binding motif are required for the repair function of ERCC3. Analysis of carboxy-terminal deletions suggests that the carboxy-terminal exon may comprise a distinct determinant for the DNA repair function. In addition, we show that a functional epitope-tagged version of ERCC3 accumulates in the nucleus. Deletion of the putative nuclear location signal impairs neither the nuclear location nor the repair function, indicating that other sequences may (also) be involved in translocation of ERCC3 to the nucleus.
Price satisfaction and producer loyalty: The role of mediators in business to business relationships in Kenyan mango supply chain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate which dimensions of price satisfaction influence producers’ trust in buyers and assess the mediating role of such trust in the relationship between price satisfaction and producer loyalty in fresh fruit supply chains. Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional study design using both semi-structured interviews and structured questionnaires was used. The study was conducted in the Eastern part of Kenya and included 600 smallholders. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings – The results show that price fairness, price reliability, and relative price are dimensions of price satisfaction that affect producers’ trust in the buyer. Moreover, trust between the producer and the buyer is found to be a strong mediator between price satisfaction and producer loyalty. The findings support recent studies about trust and its mediating role. Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on a cross-sectional study design, limitin.
Social Engineering and its Countermeasures

This chapter introduces and defines social engineering, a recognized threat to the security of information systems. It also introduces a taxonomy for classifying social engineering attacks along four dimensions: who or what the targets are, what media are used, how the attacks fit in an attack cycle, and the techniques used to execute the attacks. Additionally, the chapter discusses current social engineering countermeasures and how to map attack types to these countermeasures. Finally, the chapter ends with a discussion of future trends and technologies for defending against social engineering attacks. Use of the taxonomy should help security professionals and researchers understand social engineering attacks, and implementation of the discussed current and future countermeasures should help professionals reduce the risks associated with social engineering attacks.
The regulation of norepinephrine synthesis in sympathetic nerves: effect of nerve stimulation, cocaine, and catecholamine-releasing agents.

The eluates were collected in 4-ml aliquots in scintillation vials, dried over H2SO4 and NaOH flakes in a vacuum desiccator, and, after addition of water and dioxane scintillation fluid, were counted by liquid scintillation spectrometry; correction factors for quenching were obtained by the use of internal standards. -9 The average counting efficiency was 9%. An aliquot of tissue extract was used for norepinephrine assay by the trihydroxyindole fluorimetric procedure.20 in an manner, of nerve in each was determined by comparing the rate of norepinephrine synthesis in the stimulated tissue with that in the contralateral unstimulated organ. We have observed that although the rate of norepinephrine synthesis varies considerably among vas deferens of different animals, the differences in this rate between the homologous organs of the same animal are quite small. elution Dowex-50-H bitartrate, and of drugs refer to the free base. Reserpine was by dissolving mg of the 0.05 ml of glacial acetic acid and diluting the solution
Information Security – Bell-La Padula Model

Before the Bell-La Padula model in the late 1960’s, developments in commercial operating systems suggested the possibility of tremendous cost savings. Timesharing was starting to provide commercial customers the ability to share the leasing costs of IBM and other big-iron computers through simultaneous or sequential use of the expensive mainframe computers. For those in classified government circles, this new capability promised even more savings. Before timesharing, separate computers had to be used for each different security level which was processed on computers, or careful “color changes” had to be made so that the same equipment could be used sequentially to process information at different security levels (referred to as “periods processing”). There was therefore the possibility of sharing those computer systems across security levels, with an important proviso. It was crucial that processing artifacts of each security level (files, registers, data) be kept rigorously separate with a high degree of confidence. During this period the so called “tiger teams” groups of experts were assembled and were working on these computers [1]. During those days hackers found ways to enter into the high level security systems and they were opening back doors that would persist through system and compiler recompilations, which faced the computer security world to the need of better security model [2-5].
Hybrid sensor network and fusion algorithm for sound source localization

In this paper, we present a network composed of two-different types of nodes for the task of sound source localization. One of the nodes is a low-power A-scale (dbA) logarithmic sound pressure level sensing (SPLS) unit, and the other is a bearing estimator sensing (BES) unit based on a cross-correlation approach. The sensor boards are mounted on MICADOT nodes, therefore, they are wireless connected. An information fusion algorithm collects the information provided by five SPLS units and one BES unit and provides an estimation of the location of the target. Field results collected from the experiment are shown.
MIXED VERSUS MONO TENURE ESTATES: IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN ASSET MANAGEMENT NEEDS?

A research gap has been identified concerning the long-term maintenance (asset management) of Mixed Tenure Estates (MTEs). The research question is: Do MTEs have different asset management needs from mono tenure estates? The research methodology is based on a case study of a social housing provider, supported by semi-structured interviews. The analysis has shown that there are differences. Whilst the use of a single case study does not allow generalization of the findings to the population of RSLs, it does raise several hypotheses for future investigation. Two of the main findings are a lack of inter-working between functional departments at the RSL, and the impact of different social characteristics on asset management issues. The research should be of interest to a wide audience including social housing, developers and urban researchers.
Consumer Perceptions of Extra-free Product Promotions and Discounts: The Moderating Role of Perceived Risk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how perceived performance risk moderates consumers’ evaluations of different types of promotions, including extra free product promotions (e.g., buy-one-get-one-free deals or BOGOFs) and price discounts (e.g., 50% off). Some evidence shows that consumers prefer extra free products to discounts because of mental accounting, and the way that these different types of promotions are framed. This research explores a new moderating link in the consumer behavior literature by showing that perceived performance risk, through its effect on a consumer’s tendency to stockpile, moderates consumers’ evaluations of extra free product promotions and price discounts. Design/methodology/approach – This research uses a cross-sectional experiment to manipulate perceived performance risk, type of promotion and promotion size, and measures consumers’ value perceptions and purchase intentions. The experimental method provides greater internal validity and addresses calls in the literature for more experimental research in pricing and sales promotion studies. Findings – The results indicate a clear and strong moderating effect for perceived risk on consumer value perceptions and preferences for extra free product promotions and price discounts. Specifically, for products low on performance risk consumers tend to attribute higher value to extra free product promotions than they do to discounts. The reverse occurs for products high on performance risk where consumers attribute higher value perceptions towards price discounts than they do to extra free product promotions. These findings have implications for a variety of different product categories including innovative new products, products with higher absolute promotion levels, and other categories where perceived risk is likely to vary. Research implications – These findings are consistent with and extend the literature on sales promotions by showing that existing theory holds for products low on performance risk, but that the theory should be extended for products high on performance risk. Therefore, retailers and managers should think carefully about how to frame promotions based on consumer perceived risk. The findings here highlight and present a more complete picture of the implications of different promotional types. Originality/value – A variety of studies have examined consumer response to the design of a promotional offer (e.g., discount size, absolute versus relative amounts etc.). Yet few studies have compared and examined consumer response to monetary and nonmonetary promotions. This study is the first study to examine the moderating role of perceived performance risk on consumer perceptions of different promotional frames and contributes by integrating literature in the area of perceived risk with literature in the area of sales promotions to provide a broader theory of consumer response to different promotional deals.
Characteristics of Hormogonia Formation by Symbiotic Nostoc spp. in Response to the Presence of Anthoceros punctatus or Its Extracellular Products

Nostocacean cyanobacteria typically produce gliding filaments termed hormogonia at a low frequency as part of their life cycle. We report here that all Nostoc spp. competent in establishing a symbiotic association with the hornwort Anthoceros punctatus formed hormogonial filaments at a high frequency in the presence of A. punctatus. The hormogonia-inducing activity was produced by A. punctatus under nitrogen-limited culture conditions. The hormogonia of the symbiotically competent Nostoc spp. were characterized as motile (gliding) filaments lacking heterocysts and with distinctly smaller cells than those of vegetative filaments; the small cells resulted from a continuation of cell division uncoupled from biomass increase. An essentially complete conversion of vegetative filaments to hormogonia occurred within 12 h of exposure of Nostoc sp. strain 7801 to A. punctatus growth-conditioned medium. Hormogonia formation was accompanied by loss of nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) and by decreases in photosynthetic CO2 fixation and in vivo NH4+ assimilation of 30% and approximately 40%, respectively. The rates of acetylene reduction and CO2 fixation returned to approximately the control rates within 72 to 96 h after hormogonia induction, as the cultures of Nostoc sp. strain 7801 differentiated heterocysts and reverted to the vegetative growth state. The relationship between hormogonia formation and symbiotic competence is discussed.
Homestays’ contribution to community-based ecotourism in the Himalayan region of India

ABSTRACT This article investigates how villagers’ participation in the homestay programme can influence attitudes and behaviours related to ecotourism objectives within a wildlife sanctuary. Initially, it provides a historical context of the development of the homestay programme within the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in Kumaon Hills of the Indian Himalayan region using a case-study approach. Based on interviews with each household head conducted within the Sanctuary, the paper explores the links between villagers’ homestay involvement and, attitudes and behaviours related to the Sanctuary’s ecotourism objectives. The findings suggest that contextual variable such as occupation significantly influences villagers’ attitudes towards the homestay programme while human–wildlife interactions additionally influence the villagers’ attitudes towards ecotourism development. Furthermore, positive attitudes towards homestays have been manifested as positive ecotourism-directed behaviours resulting in villagers’ engagement in public–private partnerships, their involvement in tourism-related cultural programmes and willingness to contribute towards nature interpretation activities to support ecotourism objectives in the Sanctuary. While the homestay programme has encouraged local guardianship behaviour, opportunities to improve and expand conservation efforts with the help of communities in the region could be further developed, and require greater cooperation from concerned stakeholders in both public and private sectors.