Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interleukin-1 Family Cytokines as Mucosal Vaccine Adjuvants for Induction of Protective Immunity against Influenza Virus

ABSTRACT A safe and potent adjuvant is needed for development of mucosal vaccines against etiological agents, such as influenza virus, that enter the host at mucosal surfaces. Cytokines are potential adjuvants for mucosal vaccines because they can enhance primary and memory immune responses enough to protect against some infectious agents. For this study, we tested 26 interleukin (IL) cytokines as mucosal vaccine adjuvants and compared their abilities to induce antigen (Ag)-specific immune responses against influenza virus. In mice intranasally immunized with recombinant influenza virus hemagglutinin (rHA) plus one of the IL cytokines, IL-1 family cytokines (i.e., IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-18, and IL-33) were found to increase Ag-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) in plasma and IgA in mucosal secretions compared to those after immunization with rHA alone. In addition, high levels of both Th1- and Th2-type cytokines were observed in mice immunized with rHA plus an IL-1 family cytokine. Furthermore, mice intranasally immunized with rHA plus an IL-1 family cytokine had significant protection against a lethal influenza virus infection. Interestingly, the adjuvant effects of IL-18 and IL-33 were significantly decreased in mast cell-deficient W/Wv mice, indicating that mast cells have an important role in induction of Ag-specific mucosal immune responses induced by IL-1 family cytokines. In summary, our results demonstrate that IL-1 family cytokines are potential mucosal vaccine adjuvants and can induce Ag-specific immune responses for protection against pathogens like influenza virus.
Al-Qaeda's Response to the Arab Spring

The Arab revolutions, often referred to collectively as the ‘Arab Spring’, posed, and continue to present, a considerable challenge for Al-Qaeda. This article assesses how Al-Qaeda’s senior leadership, as well as affiliates and associates, have responded to the Arab Spring, by analysing media material and public communiques issued in the aftermath of the uprisings. The first section discusses the impact of the Arab Spring on Al-Qaeda. The second section explores the AlQaeda core leadership response to the revolutions, especially the ways in which Ayman AlZawahiri has chosen to frame the events. The third section examines the way Al-Qaeda’s affiliates and associates have responded to the revolutions, including contributions to the English-language Inspire magazine. Overall, The article describes how Al-Qaeda has sought to interpret the events in its favour and how it hopes to exploit the current turmoil in the wake of the Arab revolutions.
Central bank communication and correlation between financial markets: Canada and the United States

We study the correlation between pairs of bond and stock markets in Canada and the United States between January 1998 and December 2009 in the framework of diagonal-BEKK models. Our research question is whether monetary policy actions and communications by the Bank of Canada and the Federal Reserve significantly affect the conditional co-movement of financial markets (i) within Canada and (ii) between Canada and the United States. We find that central bank communication significantly increases the correlation of financial markets within and across the two countries and is particularly important for the correlation of Canadian and US long-term interest rates.
Improving relative anisotropy measurement using directional correlation of diffusion tensors

A method employing directional correlation of the diffusion tensor, directional‐correlation weighted relative anisotropy (DRA), was developed to improve the accuracy of estimated relative anisotropy (RA). The intravoxel directional correlation was established on the same voxel between two identically acquired diffusion tensor images, and the correlation coefficient derived from tensor dot product was employed as the weighting factor applied in the calculation of RA. The effect of noise influence was reduced since the random noise between repeated scans is not directionally correlated. The RA and the inter‐ and intravoxel DRA estimations were examined on rat brains in vivo. The background noise alters the direction of eigenvectors and the magnitude of eigenvalues. The dispersion angle between repeatedly obtained eigenvectors, representing the extent of directional alteration of eigenvectors, depends on the tissue anisotropy as well as the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) of the source images. Current results demonstrate that the intravoxel DRA improves the accuracy of RA estimation, increases the relative contrast of gray and white matter, and avoids the partial volume effect commonly seen in the intervoxel operations. Magn Reson Med 46:1088–1092, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Women`s Bargaining Power and Educational Expenditures: Implications for Subsidy Policy

This study tackles the question of whether the distribution of power in a family might affect the Level of expenditure on each child`s education. We constructed a direct measure of the bargaining power of a wife and husband within a household. Our analysis showed that a household spends more money on children`s education when the wife has a Larger voice. We also found that the marginal effects of a wife`s income lessened when the relative power of the wife and husband was controlled. Our analysis may imply the effect of a household`s income will be multiplicative if women`s control of household resources empowers women. However, if all that matters is the power itself, then giving money to women without changing their bargaining power will not work toward our expectations.
Determination of genetic damage and urinary metabolites in fuel filling station attendants

Fuel (diesel and petrol) constitutes a complex mixture of volatile flammable liquid hydrocarbons among them benzene (BZ), toluene (TOL), and xylene (XYL) are considered to be the most hazardous, predominantly BZ because of its carcinogenic potency. Exposure to these compounds may have an impact on the health of the exposed subjects. Hence, genotoxicity and quantitative analysis of these compounds was performed in blood and urine samples of 200 workers exposed to fuel in filling stations and compared to controls. The level of genetic damage was determined by micronucleus test (MNT) in buccal epithelial cells (BEC) and chromosomal aberrations (CA) assay in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of fuel filling station attendants (FFSA) and compared to a matched control group. Urine analysis for BZ and its metabolites, phenol (Ph), trans, trans‐Muconic Acid (t, t‐MA), and S‐Phenyl Mercapturic Acid (S‐PMA) was done in all the study subjects. The results of our study revealed that exposure to BTX in petrol vapors induced a statistically significant increase in the frequency of micronuclei (MN) and CA in the exposed subjects than in controls (P < 0.05). There was a significant rise in the levels of urinary BZ, Ph, t, t‐MA, and S‐PMA in the exposed subjects. Our study highlights the significance of MNT, CA, and urinary metabolites as potential biological exposure indices of genetic damage in FFSA. This study suggests the need for regular monitoring of FFSA for possible exposure to BTX as a precautionary and preventive step to minimize exposure and reduce the associated health risks. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
PHOTODISSOCIATION OF THE DIACETYLENE DIMER AND IMPLICATIONS FOR HYDROCARBON GROWTH IN TITAN'S ATMOSPHERE

The surface of Titan is obscured by multiple aerosol layers whose composition and formation mechanism have remained poorly understood. These organic haze layers are believed to arise from photolysis and electron impact triggered chemistry in the dense nitrogen (N2) and methane (CH4) atmosphere involving highly unsaturated hydrocarbon molecules such as acetylene (HCCH), diacetylene (HCCCCH), and triacetylene (HCCCCCCH). Here we show via laboratory studies combined with electronic structure calculations that the photodissociation of the diacetylene dimer ((HCCCCH)2) readily initiates atomic hydrogen loss and atomic hydrogen transfer reactions forming two prototypes of resonantly stabilized free radicals, C4H3 and C8H3, respectively. These structures represent hydrogenated polyynes which can neither be synthesized via traditional photodissociation pathways of the monomer nor via hydrogen addition to the polyynes. The photodissociation dynamics of mixed dimers involving acetylene, diacetylene, and even triacetylene present a novel, hitherto overlooked reaction class and show the potential to synthesize more complex, resonantly stabilized free radicals considered to be major building blocks to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Titan's low-temperature atmosphere.
Preliminary Investigation of the Relationship between Religion and Psychological Distress in Black Women

Analysis of the relationship for 114 black women (a 15% sample) between religion, measured by the Integration Scale of the Personal Religiosity Inventory, and psychological distress, measured by the Langner Symptom Survey, an epidemiological measure with a valid cut-off score to identify individuals in distress, yielded statistically significant and clinically meaningful information for high and low religious groups (ns = 42 and 13). A low level of religion was associated with significant mental distress while a high level of religion was associated with adjustment scores that did not reflect psychological distress
Employability of offshore service sector workers in the Philippines: opportunities for upward labour mobility or dead-end jobs?

Critical concerns have been raised about the quality of employment in the offshore service sector in developing countries, suggesting that many activities have an inherent paradox of highly educated workers performing low-skilled jobs. Based on empirical data collected in the offshore service sector in Baguio City (the Philippines), this article analyses the knowledge and skills acquisition of workers using the concepts of employability and generic skills. The article demonstrates that offshore service sector work is part of a longer-term career planning of workers and an opportunity for strengthening their employability on the global labour market. The early stage of development of the offshore service sector provides workers with opportunities for local upward labour mobility. The article argues that the sector should be looked at from an employee-based perspective that emphasizes their employability and generic skills acquisition in order to understand the longer-term benefits of the sector for developing countries.
Peak Oxygen Uptake Prediction From a Moderate, Perceptually Regulated, 1-km Treadmill Walk in Male Cardiac Patients

PURPOSE: To determine whether a moderate 1-km treadmill walking test (1KTWT) could be used to predict peak oxygen uptake ( O2peak) in patients with cardiovascular disease. METHODS: One hundred seventy-eight male patients, aged 38 to 83 years, completed a O2peak treadmill test and a 1KTWT using a self-regulated intensity of 11 to 13 of 20 on the Borg scale. Multivariable regression analysis was used to develop equations for predicting O2peak in a development group (n = 110), both for subjects prescribed and not prescribed a &bgr;-blocking agent (BB/NBB, 66/44). These equations were then applied to a cross-validation and reproducibility group (n = 68, BB/NBB, 37/31), who completed the protocol twice within 2 weeks. RESULTS: Analysis from 1KTWT in the development group showed that age, body mass index, walking speed, and heart rate were the most potent predictors of O2peak. Measured and predicted O2peak were not significantly different, and were strongly associated among both the NBB (r = 0.81, P < .0001) and BB (r = 0.69, P < .0001) groups, with a mean residual of approximately 1.0 mL·kg−1·min−1. When applied to the cross-validation and reproducibility group, the equations similarly yielded strong associations (r = 0.64, P < 0.001 and r = 0.71, P < 0.001 for the NBB and BB groups, respectively), with no significantly differences between measured and predicted O2peak. Mean test-retest differences for measured and predicted O2peak were between 0.1 and −0.5 mL·kg−1·min−1. CONCLUSIONS: Equations developed from the 1KTWT accurately predicted O2peak in patients with cardiovascular disease. The model may represent a valid, low cost, and simple tool for indirect estimations of cardiorespiratory fitness in an outpatient setting.
Ten-Year Changes in Fusional Vergence, Phoria, and Nearpoint of Convergence in Myopic Children

Purpose. To identify longitudinal changes in fusional vergence ranges and their relationship to other clinical measures in young myopic subjects. Methods. Measurements were collected annually for 10 years on 114 subjects from the University of Houston Correction of Myopia Evaluation Trial cohort. Subject age was 7 to 13 years at year 1 of follow-up. Measurements included refractive error, distance and near phoria, interpupillary distance (IPD), prism bar fusional vergence ranges, and nearpoint of convergence (NPC). Multilevel modeling was used to determine baseline and rate of change for fusional vergence ranges and the impact of phoria, IPD, and NPC on these measures. Results. Year 1 mean distance base-out (BO) break was 20 prism diopters (pd) and decreased 5.6 pd over 10 years (p < 0.001). Mean near BO break was 30 pd at year 1 and decreased 9.4 pd over 10 years (p < 0.001). Greater esophoria was significantly related to greater BO break (p < 0.02) and receded NPC was significantly related to lower magnitude BO break at near (p < 0.001). Distance IPD increased 3 mm over 10 years (p < 0.001) but was unrelated to the magnitude of the BO ranges (p > 0.2). Mean distance base-in (BI) break was 7 pd at year 1 and increased 0.5 pd in 10 years (p = 0.04). Mean near BI break was 13 pd at year 1 and did not significantly change. Mean distance phoria was 0.1 pd exophoria at year 1 and did not change, whereas near phoria was 2.4 pd esophoria at year 1 and became more exophoric (4 pd in 10 years, p < 0.001). Conclusions. These results suggest that for myopic children convergence ranges decrease for both distance and near viewing during the school years as near phoria becomes more exophoric. These findings could have clinical implications given that compensating convergence ranges decrease as near phoria becomes more divergent.
Monetary Policy under Downward Nominal Wage Rigidity

We develop a New Keynesian model with staggered price and wage setting where downward nominal wage rigidity (DNWR) arises endogenously through the wage bargaining institutions. It is shown that the optimal (discretionary) monetary policy response to changing economic conditions then becomes asymmetric. Interestingly, in our baseline model we find that the welfare loss is actually slightly smaller in an economy with DNWR. This is due to that DNWR is not an additional constraint on the monetary policy problem. Instead, it is a constraint that changes the choice set and opens up for potential welfare gains due to lower wage variability. Another finding is that the Taylor rule provides a fairly good approximation of optimal policy under DNWR. In contrast, this result does not hold in the unconstrained case. In fact, under the Taylor rule, agents would clearly prefer an economy with DNWR before an unconstrained economy ex ante.
Learning difficulties experienced by students in a course on formal languages and automata theory

Students taking courses on formal languages and automata theory (FLAT) usually do not find these courses interesting and experience difficulty in grasping the different concepts. While there has been a vast amount of research into methodologies to assist students to conceptualize FLAT topics, there has been no research into the actual learning difficulties experienced by students with the different topics. This paper reports on the findings of a study conducted to identify these learning difficulties for some of the FLAT topics.
Attribute-Based Group Homomorphic Encryption and Additively Homomorphic IBE

Group Homomorphic Encryption (GHE), formally deﬁned by Armknecht, Katzenbeisser and Peter, is a public-key encryption primitive where the decryption algorithm is a group homomorphism. Hence it suports homomorphic evaluation of a single algebraic operation such as modular addition or modular multiplication. Most classical homomorphic encryption schemes such as as Goldwasser-Micali and Paillier are instances of GHE. In this work, we extend GHE to the attribute-based setting. We introduce and formally deﬁne the notion of Attribute-Based GHE (ABGHE) and explore its properties. Our main result is the construction of an Identity-Based Encryption (IBE) scheme supporting homomorphic addition modulo a poly-sized prime e , which is an instance of ABGHE. Our construction builds upon the IBE scheme of Boneh, LaVigne and Sabin (BLS). BLS relies on a hash function that maps identities to e th residues. However there is no known way to securely instantiate such a function. Our construction extends BLS so that it can use a hash function that can be securely instantiated. We prove our scheme IND - ID - CPA secure under the (slightly modiﬁed) e th residuosity assumption in the random oracle model and show that it supports a (modular) additive homomorphism. By using multiple instances of the scheme with distinct primes and leveraging the Chinese Remainder Theorem, we can support homomorphic addition modulo a “large” (i.e. superpolynomial) integer, the ﬁrst such IBE scheme. We also show that our scheme for e > 2 is anonymous assuming the hardness of deciding solvability of a special system of multivariate polynomial equations. Finally, we deﬁne a primitive for attribute-based group homomorphisms in the multi-key setting, introduce an important security property and present a generic construction of the primitive meeting this security property.
Evolutionarily conserved and functionally important residues in the I- CeuI homing endonuclease

Two approaches were used to discern critical amino acid residues for the function of the I- Ceu I homing endonuclease: sequence comparison of subfamilies of homologous proteins and genetic selection. The first approach revealed residues potentially involved in catalysis and DNA recognition. Because I- Ceu I is lethal in Escherichia coli , enzyme variants not perturbing cell viability were readily selected from an expression library. A collection of 49 variants with single amino acid substitutions at 37 positions was assembled. Most of these positions are clustered within or around the LAGLI-DADG dodecapeptide and the TQH sequence, two motifs found in all protein subfamilies examined. The Km and kcat values of the wild-type and nine variant enzymes synthesized in vitro were determined. Three variants, including one showing a substitution of the glutamine residue in the TQH motif, revealed no detectable endonuclease activity; five others showed reduced activity compared to the wild-type enzyme; whereas the remaining variant cleaved the top strand about three times more efficiently than the wild-type. Our results not only confirm recent reports indicating that amino acids in the LAGLI-DADG dodecapeptide are functionally critical, but they also suggest that some residues outside this motif directly participate in catalysis.
Improving Food Security Classification of Households With Children

We examine the extent to which the household food security classification methods currently used by the US Department of Agriculture may bias comparisons of food security between households with and without children and between households with children of different ages. An alternative method for classifying households with children as to their food security status is described that removes the source of those biases by considering the food security of adults and children based on separate measures. Using data from the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements from 2001 to 2011, the analysis suggests that the current methods may have overstated the prevalence of food insecurity and understated the prevalence of very low food security in households with children vis-à-vis households without children. The extent to which very low food security may have been understated increased during and following the economic downturn of 2008.
Alternative Contexts of Political Behavior: Churches, Neighborhoods, and Individuals

This paper examines the political consequences that arise due to multiple and simultaneous bases of social experience. Two alternative contexts--those of neighborhoods and churches--provide an empirical setting for the effort; and the analysis focuses on two different political attitudes--policy preferences regarding abortion and partisan self-identification. Several questions are addressed: In what manner are the alternative contexts of politics different and in what manner are they similar? To what extent are churches and neighborhoods reinforcing in the political messages they convey, and to what extent do they serve as independent bases of social experience? How do individual differences and individual discretion mediate and deflect the impact of these alternative sources of political influence?
ICDAR 2013 Competition on Book Structure Extraction

This paper summarizes the 3rd Book Structure Extraction competition that was run at the ICDAR 2013. Its goal is to evaluate and compare automatic techniques for deriving structure information from digitized books, which could then be used to aid navigation inside the books. More specifically, the task that participants are faced with is to construct hyper linked tables of contents for a collection of 1,000 digitized books. This paper reviews the setup of the competition, the book collection used in the task, and the measures used for the evaluation. The main novelty of the 2013 competition is that we were able to rely on an external provider for the ground truthing phase, hence granting the consistency of the evaluation. In addition, this permitted to nearly double the number of annotated books from the 1,040 books annotated in 2009 and 2011 to over 2,000 books. The paper further presents the result performance of the 6 participating research teams, and briefly summarizes their approaches.
The macroeconomic effects of UK tax, regulation and R&D subsidies: testing endogenous growth hypotheses in an open economy DSGE Model

This thesis investigates whether government policy had a causal impact on UK output and productivity growth between 1970 and 2009. Two policy-driven growth hypotheses are considered: first that productivity growth is systematically determined by the tax and regulatory environment in which firms start up and operate, and second that productivity is determined by direct subsidies to business RD the agents optimality conditions imply a reduced form linear relationship between policy and short-run productivity growth. Each model is tested by an Indirect Inference Wald Test, a simulation-based test which formally compares the data generated from the model with the observed data, using an unrestricted auxiliary model; the method has good power against general miss -speciation. Identi�fication is assured for the DSGE model by the rational expectations restrictions; therefore the direction of causation in the model is unambiguously from policy to productivity. Both models are also estimated by Indirect Inference. Estimation results show that the tax and regulatory policy environment did have a causal effect on productivity and output in the 1970-2009 period, when policy is proxied by an index combining top marginal income tax rates and a labour market regulation indicator. The results are robust to changes in this proxy. Likewise, the hypothesis that productivity is driven by direct subsidies to business R&D is upheld in a 1981-2010 sample, though the results are weaker. This study offers unambiguous empirical evidence that temporary changes in policies underpinning the business environment can have long-lasting effects on economic growth.