Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Semiparametric Evidence on the Nature of Price Transmission in Tanzanian Maize Markets

Maize is a major staple food in Sub-Saharan Africa. Monthly maize prices in Tanzania are analyzed since the country is an important maize producer and exporter in East Africa. We analyze price transmission between the five most important urban regions of Tanzania between 2000 and 2008 which correspond to major maize production or consumption areas. We propose a novel method for the analysis. The semiparametric vector error-correction model allows the partial impact of the past deviations from price equilibria on current price changes to be potentially nonlinear. The nonparametric estimates of these partial influences suggest that they can be adequately modeled by linear functions.
A taxonomy of Botnet detection techniques

Among the diverse forms of malware, Botnet is the most widespread and serious threat which occurs commonly in today's cyber attacks. Botnets are collections of compromised computers which are remotely controlled by its originator (BotMaster) under a common Commond-and-Control (C&C) infrastructure. They provide a distributed platform for several illegal activities such as launching distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks against critical targets, malware distribution, phishing, and click fraud. Most of the existing Botnet detection approaches concentrate only on particular Botnet command and control (C&C) protocols (e.g., IRC, HTTP) and structures (e.g., centralized), and can become ineffective as Botnets change their structure and C&C techniques. The detection of Botnet has been a major research topic in recent years. Different techniques and approaches have been proposed for detection and tracking of Botnet. This survey classifies Botnet detection techniques into two approaches. One approach is based on setting up honeynets and another approach is based on Intrusion Detection System( IDS) which has been categorized into signature-based and anomaly-based detection techniques.
Wnt5a attenuates the pathogenic effects of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in human retinal pigment epithelial cells via down-regulating β-catenin and Snail

Activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays a pathogenic role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and is thus a potential target for the development of therapeutics for this disease. Here, we demonstrated that Wnt5a antagonized β-catenin response transcription (CRT) induced with Wnt3a by promoting β-catenin phosphorylation at Ser33/Ser37/Thr41 and its subsequent degradation in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Wnt5a decreased the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), which was up-regulated by Wnt3a. Furthermore, Wnt5a increased E-cadherin expression and decreased cell migration by down-regulating Snail expression, thereby abrogating the Wnt3a-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human RPE cells. Our findings suggest that Wnt5a suppresses the pathogenic effects of canonical Wnt signaling in human RPE cells by promoting β-catenin phosphorylation and degradation. Therefore, Wnt5a has significant therapeutic potential for the treatment of AMD. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(9): 525-530]
The COOH-terminal ends of internal signal and signal-anchor sequences are positioned differently in the ER translocase

Signal peptides (SPs) target proteins to the secretory pathway and are cleaved from the nascent chain once the translocase in the ER has been engaged. Signal-anchor (SA) sequences also interact transiently with the ER translocase, but are not cleaved and move laterally out of the translocase to become permanent membrane anchors. One obvious difference between SP and SA sequences is the considerably longer hydrophobic regions (h regions) of the latter. To study the interaction between SP/SA sequences and the ER translocase, we have constructed signal sequences with poly-Leu h regions ranging in length from 8 to 29 residues and have characterized their locations within the translocase using both a new assay that measures the minimum number of amino acids needed to span the distance between the COOH-terminal end of the h region and the active site of the oligosaccharyl transferase enzyme and an assay where the efficiency of signal peptidase catalyzed cleavage is measured. Our results suggest that SP and SA sequences are positioned differently in the ER translocase.
Regional Inequality, Industry Agglomeration and Foreign Trade: The Case of China

How do foreign trade and foreign direct investment affect regional inequality? Foreign trade and investment may affect internal economic geography, and the resulting industry agglomeration may contribute to regional inequality. This paper provides empirical evidence supporting this linkage. The results indicate that the increasing regional inequality in China has been accompanied by an increase in the degree of regional specialization and industry agglomeration. Foreign trade and foreign investment are closely related to industry agglomeration in China.
Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1 Regulates the Progression of Autoimmune Nephritis in Males by Inducing Necrotic Cell Death and Modulating Inflammation1

Necrotic lesions and necrotic cell death characterize severe autoimmune nephritides, and contribute to local inflammation and to progression of the disease. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), a DNA repair enzyme, is involved in the induction of necrosis and is a key player in the acute and chronic inflammation. Therefore, we hypothesized that PARP-1 controls the severity of nephritis by mediating the induction of necrosis in the kidney. We used lupus and anti-glomerular basement membrane models of nephritis to determine the effects of PARP-1 on the inflammatory response in the kidney. We show in this study that PARP-1 is indeed activated during the course of glomerulonephritis. We also show that the absence of PARP-1 or its pharmacological inhibition results in milder nephritis, with lower blood urea nitrogen levels, reduced necrotic lesions, and higher survival rates. The relevance of PARP-1 showed a strong male sex specificity, and treatment of male mice with 17β-estradiol prolonged their survival during the course of nephritis. PARP-1 also regulated TNF-α expression and up-regulation of adhesion molecules, further supporting a role of PARP-1 in the inflammatory process within the kidney. Our results demonstrate that PARP-1 activation and consequent necrotic cell death play an important role in the pathogenesis of male nephritis, and suggest that PARP-1 can be a novel therapeutic target in glomerulonephritis.
A topology survey of single-stage power factor corrector with a boost type input-current-shaper

A topological review of the single stage power factor corrected (PFC) rectifiers is presented in this paper. Most of reported single-stage PFC rectifiers cascade a boost type converter with a forward or a flyback DC-DC converter so that input current shaping, isolation, and fast output voltage regulation are performed in one single stage. The cost and performance of a single-stage PFC converters depend greatly on how its input current shaper (ICS) and the DC-DC converter are integrated together. For the cascade connected single-stage PFC rectifiers, the energy storage capacitor is found in either series or parallel path of energy flow. The second group appears to represent the main stream. Therefore, the focus of this paper is on this group. It is found that many of these topologies can be implemented by combining a 2-terminal or 3-terminal boost ICS cell with DC-DC converter along with an energy storage capacitor in between. A general rule is observed that translates a 3-terminal ICS cell to a 2-terminal ICS cell using an additional winding from the transformer and vice versa. According to the translation rule, many of reported single-stage PFC topologies can be viewed as electrically equivalent to one another. Several new PFC converters were derived from some existing topologies using the translation rule.
Triangle counting in streamed graphs via small vertex covers

We present a new randomized algorithm for estimating the number of triangles in massive graphs revealed as a stream of edges in arbitrary order. It exploits the fact that graphs arising from various domains often have small vertex covers, which enables us to reduce the space usage and sample complexity of triangle counting algorithms. The algorithm runs in four passes over the edge set and uses constant processing
Cataract Surgery in Eyes with Low Corneal Astigmatism: Implantation of the Acrysof IQ Toric SN6AT2 Intraocular Lens

Purpose: To assess the refractive and visual outcomes following cataract surgery and implantation of the AcrySof IQ Toric SN6AT2 intraolcular lens (IOL) (Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Fort Worth, TX, USA) in patients with low corneal astigmatism. Methods: This study is a retrospective, consecutive, single surgeon series of 98 eyes of 88 patients (with low preoperative corneal astigmatism) undergoing cataract surgery and implantation of the AcrySof IQ Toric SN6AT2 IOL. Postoperative measurements were obtained 1-month postsurgery. Main outcome measures were monocular distance visual acuity and residual refractive astigmatism. Results: Mean preoperative corneal astigmatic power vector (APV) was 0.38±0.09 D. Following surgery and implantation of the toric IOL, mean postoperative refractive APV was 0.13±0.10 D. Mean postoperative distance uncorrected visual acuity was 0.08±0.09 logMAR. Postoperative spherical equivalent refraction (SER) resulted in a mean of –0.23±0.22 D, with 96% of eyes falling within 0.50 D of the target SER. Conclusion: The AcrySof IQ Toric SN6AT2 IOL is a safe and effective option for eyes undergoing cataract surgery with low levels of preoperative corneal astigmatism.
Defining hematoma expansion in intracerebral hemorrhage

Background: Hematoma expansion (HE) is a surrogate marker in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) trials. However, the amount of HE necessary to produce poor outcomes in an individual is unclear; there is no agreement on a clinically meaningful definition of HE. We compared commonly used definitions of HE in their ability to predict poor outcome as defined by various cutpoints on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Methods: In this cohort study, we analyzed 531 patients with ICH from the Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive. Primary outcome was mRS at 90 days, dichotomized into 0–3 vs 4–6. Secondary outcomes included other mRS cutpoints and mRS “shift analysis. ” Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for commonly used HE definitions were calculated. Results: Between 13% and 32% of patients met the commonly used HE definitions. All definitions independently predicted poor outcome; positive predictive values increased with higher growth cutoffs but at the expense of lower sensitivities. All HE definitions showed higher specificity than sensitivity. Absolute growth cutoffs were more predictive than relative cutoffs when mRS 5–6 or 6 was defined as “poor outcome. ” Conclusion: HE robustly predicts poor outcome regardless of the growth definition or the outcome definition. The highest positive predictive values are obtained when using an absolute growth definition to predict more severe outcomes. Given that only a minority of patients may have clinically relevant HE, hemostatic ICH trials may need to enroll a large number of patients, or select for a population that is more likely to have HE.
General and Specific Human Capital: Policy Implications of Private Sector Training on China's Unemployment Problems.

Lifelong learning and skill flexibility are especially important for workers in China, where structural economic adjustment has generated 22 million layoffs from state-owned enterprises since 1997. Skills that were in huge demand in previous years, such as accounting, international trade, and language translation, are now facing serious oversupply pointing to the need for a workforce that is both highly educated and adaptable. Onthe-job training, which is mostly informal and is usually carried out within a firm while the worker is still working, and off-the-job training, which takes more formal forms and is usually outside of the firm, are two activities that increase skills and employability. Using data collected from nearly 3500 urban Chinese residents aged 25-65, it was found that off-job training in previous firms significantly raises wages at current firms, while previous on-job training has no effect on current wages. However, after controlling for unobserved motivations and abilities, the training-wage relationship of both types of training became insignificant. Based upon results that have been found true in competitive labor markets around the world that suggest that training improves human capital and hence raises wages, it is recommended that the Chinese government direct resources to more general type of training rather than firm-specific training. (Contains 13 references and 7 tables.) (MO) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
From Parental Involvement to Children's Mathematical Performance: The Role of Mathematics Anxiety

This study examined whether children's mathematics anxiety serves as an underlying pathway between parental involvement and children's mathematics achievement. Participants included 78 low-income, ethnic minority parents and their children residing in a large urban center in the northeastern United States. Parents completed a short survey tapping several domains of parental involvement, and children were assessed on mathematics anxiety, whole number arithmetic, word problems, and algebraic reasoning. Research Findings: The results indicated that parents influence children's mathematics achievement by reducing mathematics anxiety, particularly for more difficult kinds of mathematics. Specifically, the mediation analyses demonstrated that parental home support and expectations influenced children's performance on word problems and algebraic reasoning by reducing children's mathematics anxiety. Mathematics anxiety did not mediate the relationship between home support and expectations and whole number arithmetic. Practice or Policy: Policies and programs targeting parental involvement in mathematics should focus on home-based practices that do not require technical mathematical skills. Parents should receive training, resources, and support on culturally appropriate ways to create home learning environments that foster high expectations for children's success in mathematics.
The intercellular adhesin involved in biofilm accumulation of Staphylococcus epidermidis is a linear beta-1,6-linked glucosaminoglycan: purification and structural analysis

The primary attachment to polymer surfaces followed by accumulation in multilayered cell clusters leads to biofilm production of Staphylococcus epidermidis, which is thought to contribute to virulence in biomaterial-related infections. We purified a specific polysaccharide antigen of biofilm-producing S. epidermidis 1457 and RP62A, which was recently shown to have a function in the accumulative phase of biofilm production by mediating intercellular adhesion (D. Mack, M. Nedelmann, A. Krokotsch, A. Schwarzkopf, J. Heesemann, and R. Laufs, Infect. Immun. 62:3244-3253, 1994). Following Sephadex G-200 gel filtration, this antigen was separated by Q-Sepharose chromatography into a major polysaccharide, polysaccharide I (> 80%), which did not bind to Q-Sepharose, and a minor polysaccharide, polysaccharide II (< 20%), which was moderately anionic. As shown by chemical analyses and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, polysaccharide I is a linear homoglycan of at least 130 beta-1,6-linked 2-deoxy-2-amino-D-glucopyranosyl residues. On average, 80 to 85% of them are N acetylated; the rest are non-N-acetylating and positively charged. Chain cleavage by deamination with HNO2 revealed a more or less random distribution of the non-N-acetylated glucosaminyl residues, with some prevalence of glucosaminyl-rich sequences. Cation-exchange chromatography separated molecular species whose content of non-N-acetylated glucosaminyl residues varied between 2 and 26%. Polysaccharide II is structurally related to polysaccharide I but has a lower content of non-N-acetylated D-glucosaminyl residues and contains phosphate and ester-linked succinate, rendering it anionic. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay inhibition with various monosaccharides revealed the beta-anomeric form and the acetylated amino group of the D-glucosaminyl residues as important for reactivity with the specific antiserum. The unbranched polysaccharide structure favors long-range contacts and interactions between polysaccharide strands and the cell wall and/or lectin-like proteins, leading to intercellular adhesion and biofilm accumulation. The structure of the polysaccharide is, so far, considered to be unique and, according to its function, is referred to as S. epidermidis polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA).
Using Lidar-Derived Vegetation Profiles to Predict Time since Fire in an Oak Scrub Landscape in East-Central Florida

Disturbance plays a fundamental role in determining the vertical structure of vegetation in many terrestrial ecosystems, and knowledge of disturbance histories is vital for developing effective management and restoration plans. In this study, we investigated the potential of using vertical vegetation profiles derived from discrete-return lidar to predict time since fire (TSF) in a landscape of oak scrub in east-central Florida. We predicted that fire influences vegetation structure at the mesoscale (i.e., spatial scales of tens of meters to kilometers). To evaluate this prediction, we binned lidar returns into 1m vertical by 5 × 5 m horizontal cells and averaged the resulting profiles over a range of horizontal window sizes (0 to 500 m on a side). We then performed a series of resampling tests to compare the performance of support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), logistic regression, and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classifiers and to estimate the amount of training data necessary to achieve satisfactory performance. Our results indicate that: (1) the SVMs perform significantly better than the other classifiers, (2) SVM classifiers may require relatively small training data sets, and (3) the highest classification accuracies occur with averaging over windows representing sizes in the mesoscale range.
Effect of Amiodarone and Sotalol on Ventricular Defibrillation Threshold: The Optimal Pharmacological Therapy in Cardioverter Defibrillator Patients (OPTIC) Trial

Background— Many patients with implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) receive adjunctive antiarrhythmic drug therapy, most commonly amiodarone or sotalol. The effects of these drugs on defibrillation energy requirements have not been previously assessed in a randomized controlled trial. Methods and Results— The Optimal Pharmacological Therapy in Cardioverter Defibrillator Patients (OPTIC) trial was a randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of amiodarone plus β-blocker and sotalol versus β-blocker alone for reduction of ICD shocks. Within OPTIC, a prospectively designed substudy evaluated the effects of the 3 treatment arms on defibrillation energy requirements. Defibrillation thresholds (DFTs) were measured (binary step-down protocol) at baseline and again after 8 to 12 weeks of therapy in 94 patients, of whom 29 were randomized to receive β-blocker therapy (control group), 35 to amiodarone plus β-blocker, and 30 to sotalol. In the control group, the mean DFT decreased from 8.77±5.15 J at baseline to 7.13±3.43 J (P=0.027); in the amiodarone group, DFT increased from 8.53±4.29 to 9.82±5.84 J (P=0.091). In the sotalol group, DFT decreased from 8.09±4.81 to 7.20±5.30 J (P=0.21). DFT changes in the β-blocker and the amiodarone group were significantly different (P=0.006). In all patients, adequate safety margins for defibrillation were maintained. No clinical variable predicted baseline DFT or changes in DFT on therapy. Conclusion— Although amiodarone increased DFT, the effect size with modern ICD systems is very small. Therefore, DFT reassessment after the institution of antiarrhythmic drug therapy with amiodarone or sotalol is not routinely required.
Carbon Partitioning in Green Algae (Chlorophyta) and the Enolase Enzyme

The exact mechanisms underlying the distribution of fixed carbon within photoautotrophic cells, also referred to as carbon partitioning, and the subcellular localization of many enzymes involved in carbon metabolism are still unknown. In contrast to the majority of investigated green algae, higher plants have multiple isoforms of the glycolytic enolase enzyme, which are differentially regulated in higher plants. Here we report on the number of gene copies coding for the enolase in several genomes of species spanning the major classes of green algae. Our genomic analysis of several green algae revealed the presence of only one gene coding for a glycolytic enolase [EC 4.2. 1.11]. Our predicted cytosolic localization would require export of organic carbon from the plastid to provide substrate for the enolase and subsequent re-import of organic carbon back into the plastids. Further, our comparative sequence study of the enolase and its 3D-structure prediction may suggest that the N-terminal extension found in green algal enolases could be involved in regulation of the enolase activity. In summary, we propose that the enolase represents one of the crucial regulatory bottlenecks in carbon partitioning in green algae.
Improved Equalization for UWB Multiband OFDM

In this paper, we propose a new channel equalization using frequency and/or time spreading for UWB multiband OFDM schemes. The proposed equalizer is optimal in the least square sense, and does not increase complexity compared to classical equalizers. The performance of this equalizer is studied for channel delay spread below the guard interval
Prototyping a DHT-Oriented Architecture

We attempt to decouple identity from location in Internet hosts. In our proposal, hosts receive flat identifiers in a large and sparse namespace, and an Internet-wide distributed hash table (DHT) acts as a resolver by mapping these flat identifiers to IP addresses in analogy with today’s DNS. Unlike DNS names, the source and destination identifiers appear in packets, in a shim layer after the IP header. Our proposal would change all host software but leave the core routers untouched. The advantages of our proposal are: (1) the benefits of decoupling location from identity, which have been articulated elsewhere (see, for example, [16, 19]) and (2) enhanced middlebox functions. The paper’s focus is the second of these two advantages.
Computational phosphoproteomics: From identification to localization

Analysis of the phosphoproteome by MS has become a key technology for the characterization of dynamic regulatory processes in the cell, since kinase and phosphatase action underlie many major biological functions. However, the addition of a phosphate group to a suitable side chain often confounds informatic analysis by generating product ion spectra that are more difficult to interpret (and consequently identify) relative to unmodified peptides. Collectively, these challenges have motivated bioinformaticians to create novel software tools and pipelines to assist in the identification of phosphopeptides in proteomic mixtures, and help pinpoint or “localize” the most likely site of modification in cases where there is ambiguity. Here we review the challenges to be met and the informatics solutions available to address them for phosphoproteomic analysis, as well as highlighting the difficulties associated with using them and the implications for data standards.