Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural and functional interaction of fatty acids with human liver fatty acid‐binding protein (L‐FABP) T94A variant

The human liver fatty acid‐binding protein (L‐FABP) T94A variant, the most common in the FABP family, has been associated with elevated liver triglyceride levels. How this amino acid substitution elicits these effects is not known. This issue was addressed using human recombinant wild‐type (WT) and T94A variant L‐FABP proteins as well as cultured primary human hepatocytes expressing the respective proteins (genotyped as TT, TC and CC). The T94A substitution did not alter or only slightly altered L‐FABP binding affinities for saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated long chain fatty acids, nor did it change the affinity for intermediates of triglyceride synthesis. Nevertheless, the T94A substitution markedly altered the secondary structural response of L‐FABP induced by binding long chain fatty acids or intermediates of triglyceride synthesis. Finally, the T94A substitution markedly decreased the levels of induction of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor α‐regulated proteins such as L‐FABP, fatty acid transport protein 5 and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor α itself meditated by the polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in cultured primary human hepatocytes. Thus, although the T94A substitution did not alter the affinity of human L‐FABP for long chain fatty acids, it significantly altered human L‐FABP structure and stability, as well as the conformational and functional response to these ligands.
Selection of rare-earth-free permanent magnet machine for C-segment electric vehicle: Comparative analysis of different machine topologies

This paper deals with rare-earth-free permanent magnet traction machine design for C-segment electric vehicle (EV). Four different ferrite permanent magnet synchronous machine topologies having different magnets arrangement and pole-pair number, selected for their high potential, are presented and compared thanks to a computationally efficient finite-element based analysis tool that was developed purposely. It was found that flux focusing machine having 12 poles and 72 slots outperforms in terms of torque-speed requirement fulfillment, efficiency and power to weight ratio. Influence of the magnet grade on the resilience against demagnetization under symmetrical short-circuit condition of the selected machine was then investigated. It is shown that the machine is subject to complete demagnetization if low grade hard ferrite (Ceramic 8) is adopted, thereby fostering research of new and abundantly available magnet grades is key for penetration of new and cost effective electrical machines into EV powertrain market.
Reliability modelling and analysis of thermal MEMS

This paper presents a MEMS reliability study methodology based on the novel concept of 'virtual prototyping'. This methodology can be used for the development of reliable sensors or actuators and also to characterize their behaviour in specific use conditions and applications. The methodology is demonstrated on the U-shaped micro electro thermal actuator used as test vehicle. To demonstrate this approach, a 'virtual prototype' has been developed with the modeling tools MatLab and VHDL-AMS. A best practice FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) is applied on the thermal MEMS to investigate and assess the failure mechanisms. Reliability study is performed by injecting the identified defaults into the 'virtual prototype'. The reliability characterization methodology predicts the evolution of the behavior of these MEMS as a function of the number of cycles of operation and specific operational conditions.
Neuronal connexin36 association with zonula occludens‐1 protein (ZO‐1) in mouse brain and interaction with the first PDZ domain of ZO‐1

Among the 20 members in the connexin family of gap junction proteins, only connexin36 (Cx36) is firmly established to be expressed in neurons and to form electrical synapses at widely distributed interneuronal gap junctions in mammalian brain. Several connexins have recently been reported to interact with the PDZ domain‐containing protein zonula occludens‐1 (ZO‐1), which was originally considered to be associated only with tight junctions, but has recently been reported to associate with other structures including gap junctions in various cell types. Based on the presence of sequence corresponding to a putative PDZ binding motif in Cx36, we investigated anatomical relationships and molecular association of Cx36 with ZO‐1. By immunofluorescence, punctate Cx36/ZO‐1 colocalization was observed throughout the central nervous system of wild‐type mice, whereas labelling for Cx36 was absent in Cx36 knockout mice, confirming the specificity of the anti‐Cx36 antibodies employed. By freeze‐fracture replica immunogold labelling, Cx36 and ZO‐1 in brain were found colocalized within individual ultrastructurally identified gap junction plaques, although some plaques contained only Cx36 whereas others contained only ZO‐1. Cx36 from mouse brain and Cx36‐transfected HeLa cells was found to coimmunoprecipitate with ZO‐1. Unlike other connexins that bind the second of the three PDZ domains in ZO‐1, glutathione S‐transferase‐PDZ pull‐down and mutational analyses indicated Cx36 interaction with the first PDZ domain of ZO‐1, which required at most the presence of the four c‐terminus amino acids of Cx36. These results demonstrating a Cx36/ZO‐1 association suggest a regulatory and/or scaffolding role of ZO‐1 at gap junctions that form electrical synapses between neurons in mammalian brain.
Applicability in Hong Kong of London's experiences on urban redevelopment practices

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to: study reviews of the urban renewal practices in Hong Kong and London; compare the perceptions of the design professions in both cities on the importance of different urban design considerations when defining urban renewal strategies; and verify the applicability of London's experiences in achieving sustainable urban renewal in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive literature review was conducted to compare the urban renewal practices in Hong Kong and London. Questionnaires were sent to design professions in both cities who were actively involved in Hong Kong's and London's urban (re)development projects. ANOVA was adopted to compare the perception patterns in both cities.Findings – The survey and ANOVA analysis revealed that the urban design considerations short‐listed for this study could contribute towards the sustainability of economy, environment and social equity. It was noted that the distinctive features of cities of various locations do have.
Poverty of Ethnic Minorities in the Poorest Areas of Vietnam

This paper examines the poverty and inequality pattern, income and characteristics of households in the Program 135-II communes – the poorest areas in Vietnam. The poverty incidence decreased from 57.5 percent to 49.2 percent during the period 2007-2012. Although the poverty incidence decreased, the poverty gap and severity indexes of households in the Program 135-II areas did not decrease during 2007-2012. The decomposition analysis shows that the reduction of the poverty incidence in the poorest communes was achieved by the income growth. The inequality increased, thereby slightly raising the poverty incidence. Poverty is sensitive to economic growth. However, the elasticity of poverty with respect to income growth tends to decrease overtime. It means that income redistribution plays a very important role in decreasing the poverty gap and poverty severity.
Identifying Opinion Leaders and Elites: A Longitudinal Design

The term longitudinal design refers to a flexible research approach that can be applied to a wide range of topics involving change over time. Longitudinal refers to both the data collected and the methods of analysis used, and project designs can combine several data-gathering and analysis methods within a longitudinal framework. Longitudinal research demonstrates several features that permit the observation of process and change and facilitate identification and evaluation of the underlying factors. Several library and information science studies demonstrate the application of a longitudinal approach to both prospective and retrospective research questions. This article draws primarily on a longitudinal study of leaders who emerged in the archival profession during the 1980s when archivists developed the first set of descriptive standards (MARC AMC) in response to trends in the automation of library cataloging. The study identified a core group of leaders whose influence drove the archival profession to move in a specific direction. The identification of opinion leaders and elites, and the factors that led to their status, has significant implications for understanding patterns of decision making and communication within organizations.
Exaggerated astrocyte reactivity after nigrostriatal deafferentation in the aged rat

Although clinical experience suggests that brain injury in the aged is associated with a poor prognosis, little research has examined this phenomenon at a cellular or molecular level. Unilateral 6‐hydroxydopamine lesions of the nigrostriatal system were produced in 6‐, 15‐ or 24‐month‐old rats. In the deafferented neostriatum, the time‐dependent induction of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was larger and persisted longer in the aged rats. The response of middle‐aged rats was intermediate. In contrast, no induction of S‐100 or glutamine synthetase was observed in any age group.
Future Perspectives of Enhancing the Therapeutic Efficacy of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibition in Malignant Gliomas

In adults, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) represents the most common malignant brain tumor (Karpel-Massler et al., 2009). Unfortunately, even with the best available standard of care, patients with this disease still face a poor clinical outcome (Stupp et al., 2005). Based on the discovery of molecular targets that are involved in tumorigenesis and maintenance of the malignant cellular phenotype, new therapeutic strategies were developed. In about half of all glioblastomas, the epidermal growth factor receptor (HER1/EGFR) was shown to be amplified and overexpressed, rendering it an outstanding target in this disease (Libermann et al., 1985; Ekstrand et al., 1991). Thus, great interest was generated in the creation of HER1/EGFR-targeted agents. The clinically most advanced compounds that were developed to target HER1/EGFR for the treatment of GBM are small-molecule tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitors such as erlotinib (Tarceva, Genentech Inc., San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.). TK inhibitors reversibly bind to the intracellular catalytic TK domain of HER1/EGFR followed by the inhibition of autophosphorylation of the receptor as well as further downstream signaling involving phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (PI3-K/AKT) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways ( Arteaga, 2001; Busse et al., 2000; Scagliotti et al., 2004). Erlotinib does not only inhibit HER1/EGFR but also EGFRvIII, the most frequent mutant form of HER1/EGFR which is characterized by ligand-independent activation (Chu et al., 1997). In experimental studies, erlotinib was shown to inhibit the expression of genes encoding pro-invasive proteins and to significantly diminish EGFRvIII expression in transfected glioblastoma cells (Lal et al., 2002). Moreover, the extent of erlotinib-mediated inhibition of anchorageindependent growth of glioblastoma-derived cell lines was shown to correlate inversely with the cellular capability to induce HER1/EGFR mRNA (Halatsch et al., 2004). However, clinical studies examining the therapeutic efficacy of erlotinib in the setting of GBM have so far failed to prove a therapeutic benefit (Raizer et al., 2010; van den Bent et al., 2009). In a randomized, controlled phase II trial, only 11.4% of the patients with recurrent glioblastoma treated with erlotinib were free of progression after 6 months compared to 24.1% of the patients treated with temozolomide or carmustine (van den Bent et al., 2009). In addition, overall survival of the two treatment groups was found to be similar (7.7 months for the erlotinib group versus 7.3 months for the temozolomide/carmustine group).
Swaptions in Libor Market Model with Local Volatility

The original Libor Market Model (LMM) has been extended to several dynamics (or local volatilities) for the underlying Libor rates. The main result presented here is a generic approximation that provides an explicit swaptions price for local volatilities LMM. The approximation is base on an initial freeze approximation very efficient in the Bond Market Model and a corrector or Runge-Kutta approach. The approximation is not done at the path level but at the global level for a given strike allowing a smile calibration. The approximation efficiency is analyzed in details in the displaced diffusion case; it is analyzed by comparison to precise Monte Carlo simulations.
The Performance of Liquidity in the Subprime Mortgage Crisis

‘Liquidity’ is highly significant to representations of the crisis that gripped financial markets from the summer of 2007. A wide-ranging ‘liquidity crisis’ is typically traced to the collapse of prices in markets for assets backed by or derived from the repayments of American subprime mortgagors, while public authorities are said to have responded by ‘restoring liquidity’ to markets in these now ‘distressed’ and ‘toxic assets’. Here the category of performativity is developed to enable a critical investigation of liquidity. The performance of liquidity in booming subprime markets is shown to have turned on the affirmation and exemplification of wider norms present in wholesale asset markets, and upon specific calculative and emotional valuations of risk through underwriting procedures, bond rating and hedging. However, the performance of liquidity contained its other, illiquidity, and this surfaced in subprime markets because asset prices symbolised risk valuations which could not capture incalculable future uncertainties. As the crisis broke, talk of liquidity and illiquidity licensed particular policy responses and closed down wider political debate.
Trellis-coded unitary space-time modulation

Space-time coding is well established for high data rate communications over wireless channels with perfect channel state information. On the other hand, the case where the channel state information is unknown has received limited attention. Recently, a new signaling scheme called unitary space-time modulation that is suitable for the latter case has been proposed. We describe the use and design of trellis-coded space-time modulation schemes that use unitary space-time constellations. We construct these codes using a novel suboptimal code design criteria and study the performance of trellis-coded unitary space-time modulation for block fading channels under the assumption of no channel state information. Simulation results show that the proposed schemes improve the performance compared to uncoded transmission with the same spectral efficiency. The results are also compared with the turbo-coded modulation scheme Bahceci (2002) and the differential detection scheme described Jafarkhani (2001) under the same assumptions.
Elections, Opportunism, Partisanship and Sovereign Ratings in Developing Countries

We empirically examine whether and how opportunistic and partisan political business cycle (“PBC”) considerations explain election-period decisions by credit rating agencies (“agencies”) publishing developing country sovereign risk-ratings (“ratings”). Analyses of 391 agency ratings for 19 countries holding 39 presidential elections from 1987‐2000, initially suggest that elections themselves prompt rating downgrades consistent with opportunistic PBC considerations, that incumbents are all likely to implement electionperiod policies detrimental to post-election creditworthiness. But more refined analyses, integrating both opportunistic and partisan PBC considerations in a unified framework, suggest that election-period agency downgrades (upgrades) are more likely as right-wing (left-wing) incumbents, become more vulnerable to ouster by challengers. Together, these results underscore the importance of integrating both opportunistic and partisan PBC considerations into any explanation of election-period risk assessments of agencies and, perhaps, other private, foreign-based financial actors important to the pricing and allocation of capital for lending and investment in the developing world. This study investigates the impact of developing country electoral politics on private, often foreign-based financial actors making decisions about risks associated with lending and investment. We ground our approach in the theory of political business cycles (“PBCs”), which, following from the seminal papers of Nordhaus (1975) and Hibbs (1977), models interactions between domestic political incumbents and voters. We extend the empirical domain of both opportunistic and partisan PBC theories to consider the election-period reactions of international credit rating agencies (“agencies”) to potential PBC-style behavior by incumbents. Sovereign risk ratings (“ratings”) published by agencies play a critical role in conditioning the cost and availability of capital for lending and investment in developing countries. Agencies facilitate credit transactions for developing country borrowers by publishing lettergrade ratings, commonly relied on by capital market participants to assess both the specific capability and willingness of governments to honor their debts, and more general risks associated with lending and investment in the locale. Our study investigates whether these agencies also “vote” during election periods based on opportunistic or partisan PBC considerations. Their votes are in the form of election-year ratings. Opportunistic PBC considerations suggest that agencies are more likely to downgrade developing country sovereign ratings in election years, due to general concern that incumbents will implement spending sprees beneficial to garner
Exchange Rate Regimes and Inflation and Output in Sub-Saharan Countries

The paper studies the role of real exchange rates and exchange rate policies in explaining differences in the economic performance in the CFA franc countries, with their fixed exchange rate regime, and another group of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with more flexible arrangements. Policy-makers in inflation-prone countries are faced with a permanent dilemma: should policy priority be given to containing inflation or to maintaining competitiveness through currency depreciation. This policy conflict tends to be aggravated by the fact that in both country groups devaluations seem to have a positive impact on economic activity, throwing doubt on previous work on possible contractionary effects of devaluations. Even so, the question as to whether the pegging of an exchange rate is advantageous, when taking account of both output and inflation effects, remains open, as it partly depends on the supply shocks to which the countries are exposed.
Classification of SHOALS 3000 bathymetric LiDAR signals using decision tree and ensemble techniques

Coastal Management is a complex issue that is facing policy makers and scientists around the world. Monitoring the coast can be difficult given the vast stretch of water which needs to be covered. Ship-based surveys can take weeks to perform mapping of the coastal zone. LiDAR bathymetry is a tool which shortens the survey time at reduced survey cost. The objective of this paper is to describe the parameterization of the LiDAR waveform from the SHOALS 3000 LiDAR system and show how it can be successfully used for classification of bottom habitat. Decision tree techniques and ensemble methods are used for classification purposes. The Rotation Forest ensemble method provided the greatest overall classification accuracy of 91% averaged over all fractions of the training data.
Eliminating Traditional Employment: Troubleshooters Available in the Building and Meat Industries

The recent cost and competitive pressures, and concomitant legitimacy ascribed to all elements of deregulation, have encouraged employers in Australia to seek new forms of the use of labour. The Troubleshooters system has been one such new form, wherein an agency has supplied contract workers to firms, but where no apparent employment relationship exists. The implementation and outcomes of the Troubleshooters system in parts of the building and meat industries are examined to consider whether there are any particular features which enhance this form of labour use. It is concluded that the nature of product markets and production processes are salient features in choosing the Troubleshooters system. but these are not without difficulties.
Relationship of bioelectrical impedance parameters to nutrition and survival in peritoneal dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND Malnutrition is highly prevalent in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and is associated with higher mortality in these patients. In this study, we have prospectively examined the relationship of bioimpedance indexes to the nutritional status and survival in PD patients. METHODS We enrolled 48 PD patients beginning in November 2000. On enrollment, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) (BIA-101; RJL/Akern, Clinton Township, MI, USA) was performed and monthly blood was analyzed for biochemical markers, including prealbumin. Patients were followed until April 2003. RESULTS The mean age of PD patients was 51 +/- 15 (SD) years. Fifty-eight percent of the patients were female and 23% of the patients were diabetic. Mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.7 +/- 5.0 kg/m2. Mean resistance, reactance, and phase angle were 521 +/- 104 ohms, 57 +/- 19 ohms, and 6.16 +/- 1.6 degrees, respectively. During the study period, 8 patients (17%) expired. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compute observed survival. The cumulative observed survival of PD patients with enrollment phase angle greater than or equal to 6 degrees was significantly higher (P = 0.008) than that of patients with phase angle less than 6. Using Cox's multivariate regression analysis, phase angle was an independent predictor (relative risk = 0.39, P = 0.027) of more than two years' survival in PD patients. Serum prealbumin was directly correlated with phase angle (r = 0.54, P < 0.0001), reactance (r = 0.55, P < 0.0001), and resistance (r = 0.29, P = 0.06). CONCLUSION BIA indexes reflect nutritional status and may be useful in monitoring nutritional status in PD patients. Phase angle is a strong prognostic index in PD patients. It is useful to incorporate prealbumin and BIA parameters in the regular assessment of PD patients, whose survival may be improved by better management of malnutrition and overall health status.
Anthropometric failure and persistence of poverty in rural India

Recent studies have drawn attention to the high prevalence of stunting among children in rural India. In fact, these estimates point to more pervasive deprivation than conventional measures of poverty based on income or consumption expenditure shortfalls imply. Since stunting reflects cumulative nutritional and health deprivation, it is likely to persist despite higher incomes. With a view to shedding some new light on this issue, an analysis of the determinants of stunting is carried out, based on a recent all‐India survey of rural households. While income matters, other factors acting independently of it matter too. These include household size, whether household head is male, caste affiliation, mother’s age at marriage, mother’s age, age composition of children, male–female wage differences, hygiene and sanitation facilities, and prices of food items. So, while higher incomes will help mitigate stunting, careful attention must also be given to enhancing women’s autonomy through more remunerative employment opportunities for them, enabling households to improve hygiene and sanitation facilities, and facilitating more competitive local markets for food.