Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Law as an Instrument for Political Influence over Kosovo's Public Broadcaster

Politics uses its instruments to exert influence over the public media. The main instrument that politics uses is the law – as the grounds which regulate the rapport between the public media and the political power. Examples of the most independent public broadcasters can be found in those countries where politics has adopted and executed such legislation that limits the possibility of politics to exert influence over the main components related to the independence of the public media. In the case of the Radio Television of Kosovo – RTK, politics has failed to follow this practice notwithstanding that RTK has been established based on models of the public broadcasters in countries representing the Democratic-Corporatist and North-Atlantic Models. The political power in Kosovo has used the law as an instrument to exert influence on the two main parameters related to the editorial independence of the broadcaster: the manner of financing and the election of the medium’s Board. The model of influence has not changed in spite of changes made within the RTK’s founding institution or by changes of political forces in power. RTK went through only one five-year spell of pre-payment during which time it underwent the transformation into a company that is financially independent. However, that same period demonstrated that financial independence alone without managerial independence is no guarantee for editorial independence. The consequences of such influence are reflected on the editorial policies and program content, which render this broadcaster that has the legal status “public” into a medium that serves as a “loudspeaker” for the voice of the political power.
Enhanced Killing of Cancer Cells by Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors and Topoisomerase I Inhibitors Reflects Poisoning of Both Enzymes*

Background: PARP inhibitors and topoisomerase I poisons (Top1p) synergize by an unknown mechanism. Results: Although Parp1 deletion fails to increase Top1p sensitivity, transfection with catalytically inactive PARP1 or its isolated DNA binding domain does sensitize. Conclusion: PARP inhibitors poison PARP1 to diminish repair of topoisomerase I-triggered DNA damage. Significance: These results predict that tumors with elevated PARP1 will be particularly sensitive to Top1p/PARP inhibitor combinations. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) plays critical roles in the regulation of DNA repair. Accordingly, small molecule inhibitors of PARP are being developed as agents that could modulate the activity of genotoxic chemotherapy, such as topoisomerase I poisons. In this study we evaluated the ability of the PARP inhibitor veliparib to enhance the cytotoxicity of the topoisomerase I poisons topotecan and camptothecin (CPT). Veliparib increased the cell cycle and cytotoxic effects of topotecan in multiple cell line models. Importantly, this sensitization occurred at veliparib concentrations far below those required to substantially inhibit poly(ADP-ribose) polymer synthesis and at least an order of magnitude lower than those involved in selective killing of homologous recombination-deficient cells. Further studies demonstrated that veliparib enhanced the effects of CPT in wild-type mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) but not Parp1−/− MEFs, confirming that PARP1 is the critical target for this sensitization. Importantly, parental and Parp1−/− MEFs had indistinguishable CPT sensitivities, ruling out models in which PARP1 catalytic activity plays a role in protecting cells from topoisomerase I poisons. To the contrary, cells were sensitized to CPT in a veliparib-independent manner upon transfection with PARP1 E988K, which lacks catalytic activity, or the isolated PARP1 DNA binding domain. These results are consistent with a model in which small molecule inhibitors convert PARP1 into a protein that potentiates the effects of topoisomerase I poisons by binding to damaged DNA and preventing its normal repair.
Functional diversity of non-lethal effects, chemical camouflage, and variation in fish avoidance in colonizing beetles.

Predators play an extremely important role in natural communities. In freshwater systems, fish can dominate sorting both at the colonization and post-colonization stage. Specifically, for many colonizing species, fish can have non-lethal, direct effects that exceed the lethal direct effects of predation. Functionally diverse fish species with a range of predatory capabilities have previously been observed to elicit functionally equivalent responses on oviposition in tree frogs. We tested this hypothesis of functional equivalence of non-lethal effects for four predatory fish species, using naturally colonizing populations of aquatic beetles. Among taxa other than mosquitoes, and with the exception of the chemically camouflaged pirate perch, Aphredoderus sayanus, we provide the first evidence of variation in colonization or oviposition responses to different fish species. Focusing on total abundance, Fundulus chrysotus, a gape-limited, surface-feeding fish, elicited unique responses among colonizing Hydrophilidae, with the exception of the smallest and most abundant taxa, Paracymus, while Dytiscidae responded similarly to all avoided fish. Neither family responded to A. sayanus. Analysis of species richness and multivariate characterization of the beetle assemblages for the four fish species and controls revealed additional variation among the three avoided species and confirmed that chemical camouflage in A. sayanus results in assemblages essentially identical to fishless controls. The origin of this variation in beetle responses to different fish is unknown, but may involve variation in cue sensitivity, different behavioral algorithms, or differential responses to species-specific fish cues. The identity of fish species occupying aquatic habitats is crucial to understanding community structure, as varying strengths of lethal and non-lethal effects, as well as their interaction, create complex landscapes of predator effects and challenge the notion of functional equivalence.
Degradation of diclofop-methyl by pure cultures of bacteria isolated from Manitoban soils.

Pure cultures of Chryseomonas luteola and Sphingomonas paucimobilis isolated from Manitoban soils were able to utilize diclofop-methyl (methyl-2-[4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenoxy] propanoate) as the sole source of carbon and energy. An actively growing culture of C. luteola completely degraded 1.5 micrograms diclofop-methyl.mL-1 to diclofop acid and 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol within 71 h, as determined by gas chromatographic analysis. The accumulation of these metabolites in the growth medium resulted in the cessation of growth, indicating the organism's inability to degrade phenoxyphenol in the presence of diclofop acid. Sphingomonas paucimobilis mineralized 1.5 micrograms diclofop-methyl.mL-1 to diclofop acid within 54 h. A biphasic growth pattern indicated that this organism was capable of degrading diclofop acid to 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol and (or) phenol. Neither of the organisms was able to utilize 2,4-dichlorophenol as the sole source of carbon and energy.
Two DM domain genes, DMY and DMRT1, involved in testicular differentiation and development in the medaka, Oryzias latipes

The recent discovery of the DMY gene (DM domain gene on Y chromosome and one of the DMRT1 family genes) as a key determinant of male development in the medaka (Oryzias latipes) has led to its designation as the prime candidate gene for sex‐determination in this species. This study focused on the sites and pattern of expression of DMY and DMRT1 genes during gonadal differentiation of medaka to further determine their roles in testis development. DMY mRNA and protein are expressed specifically in the somatic cells surrounding primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the early gonadal primordium, before morphological sex differences are seen. However, somatic cells surrounding PGCs never express DMY during the early migratory period. Expression of DMY persists in Sertoli cell lineage cells, from PGC‐supporting cells to Sertoli cells, indicating that only DMY‐positive cells enclose PGCs during mitotic arrest after hatching. DMRT1 is expressed in spermatogonium‐supporting cells after testicular differentiation (20–30 days after hatching), and its expression is much higher than that of DMY in mature testes. In XX sex‐reversed testes, DMRT1 is expressed in the Sertoli cell lineage, similar to the expression of DMY in XY testes. These results suggest strongly that DMY regulates PGC proliferation and differentiation sex‐specifically during early gonadal differentiation of XY individuals and that DMRT1 regulates spermatogonial differentiation. Developmental Dynamics 231:518–526, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Harmonic Stability Assessment for Multiparalleled, Grid-Connected Inverters

This paper investigates the harmonic interactions of current controllers in multiparalleled grid-connected inverters. Potential harmonic instability phenomenon, which features oscillations above the fundamental frequency, is evaluated by the impedance-based stability criterion. The possible reasons of the destabilized inverter with different types of grid impedances are explained by the passivity-based analysis and impedance-based stability criterion. Thereafter, case studies are provided, which shows how the nonpassive grid connected inverters interact with the varying grid impedance due to load changes or by the new connections of other grid-connected inverters. Time domain simulations in the PSCAD/EMTDC environment and experimental results show the corresponding harmonic interaction problems may exist in nowadays power system and the impedance-based stability analysis can be an effective tool to assess those problems.
Ambiguity Function Analysis of Wireless LAN Transmissions for Passive Radar

Wireless transmission is becoming an increasingly widely available source of transmissions for passive radar detection. In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of the ambiguity function (AF) of a range of typical IEEE 802.11 signals obtained during a series of experimental trials. Theoretical analysis has been used to identify the average properties of basic signal types in terms of resolution and sidelobe levels in both the range and Doppler domains. The theoretical model of a range of typical 802.11 transmissions has been verified and range and Doppler resolutions have been investigated for a range of transmission types. It has been found that using Doppler with a suitable integration time can enable detection of typical personnel targets. A number of issues relating to the use of these transmissions have been identified during this study.
Visualization of tourism information using WordNet

In recent years, with the development of the Internet, and the rapidly increasing number of tourism portal sites and blogs, we can obtain a variety of tourist information on the Internet. If we have a specific need, we can obtain the required information through checking the retrieved results one by one. However, in order to see the whole trend of the results, it is necessary to analyze and visualize the document group. In this paper, by storing a set of tourism-related future words in WordNet, which is a concept thesaurus, we proposed a method using information from WordNet to visualize a document group as a conceptual graph. With the structure of a thesaurus, this method enables us to understand the contents of document group at a glance. Furthermore, by comparing the thesaurus structures, which are obtained from different background document groups, we can grasp the differences.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FLUCTUATING ASYMMETRY AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIANCE IN RHESUS MACAQUE SKULLS

Abstract This study measures the correlation between within- and among-individual variance to gain a greater understanding of the relationship of the underlying mechanisms governing developmental stability and canalization. Twenty-six landmarks were digitized in three dimensions from the crania of 228 adult macaques from Cayo Santiago. The phenotypic variance between individuals was measured and divided into its genetic and environmental components using matriline information. Within-individual variance was measured as the fluctuating asymmetry between bilateral landmarks. We found positive and significant correlations between the phenotypic, environmental, and fluctuating asymmetry variances for interlandmark distances. We also found low but significant correspondences between the covariation structures of the three variability components using both Procrustes and interlandmark distance data. Therefore, we find that in macaque skulls traits that exhibit greater levels of asymmetry deviations also exhibit greater levels of environmental variance, and that the covariances of absolute symmetry deviations partly correspond to covariances of mean deviations at the individual level. These results suggest that the underlying processes that determine canalization and developmental stability are at least partly overlapping. However, the low correlations reported here are also evidence for a degree of independence between these variability components.
Self-assembly of synthetic peptides control conformation and optical properties of a zwitterionic polythiophene derivative

The optical transitions of a chiral, three-substituted polythiophene with an amino acid function can be tuned by interactions with synthetic peptides. The addition of a positively charged peptide with a random-coil formation will force the polymer to adopt a nonplanar conformation, and the intensity of the emitted light is increased and blue-shifted. After the addition of a negatively charged peptide with a random-coil conformation, the backbone of the polymer adopts a planar conformation and an aggregation of the polymer chains occurs, seen as a red shift and a decrease of the intensity of the emitted light. By adding the positively charged peptide designed to form a four-helix bundle with the negatively charged peptide, the polymer aggregates are disrupted and the intensity of the emitted light is increased because of separation of the polymer chains. This technique could be used as a platform for making novel sensors and biomolecular switches.
Apigenin and tt-Farnesol with Fluoride Effects on S. mutans Biofilms and Dental Caries

Apigenin (Api) and tt-farnesol (Far) are two naturally occurring agents that affect the development of cariogenic biofilms. Fluoride (F) interferes physicochemically with caries development and also exhibits antibacterial activity. We examined whether the association of Api and Far enhance the anti-caries properties of F by acting cooperatively on the expression of virulence of Streptococcus mutans. The biological effects of each of the agents were greatly enhanced when used in combination with F. In general, biofilms treated with Api and/or Far in combination with F displayed less biomass and fewer insoluble glucans and iodophilic polysaccharides than did those treated with the test agents alone (P < 0.05). The combination of the test agents with F was highly effective in preventing caries development in rats, especially Api+Far+F, and results were comparable with those observed with chlorhexidine + F (positive control). Results from these studies showed that apigenin and tt-farnesol may enhance the cariostatic effectiveness of fluoride.
The traveler's dream come true (satellite personal communication)

An overview is given of the Iridium, satellite-based personal communications system, which will bring cellular telephone service to virtually every point on the globe. Iridium will use low-earth-orbit satellites. Some of the key system-level considerations that have driven the design are highlighted. The services offered by Iridium are described, and some market projections are given. <<ETX>>
Bandpass Sampling in digital coherent receiver with free-running local oscillator laser for phase modulated radio-over-fiber systems

We have experimentally presented a novel radio-over-fiber (RoF) based digital receiver architecture for coherent heterodyne detection. It demonstrates the application of using bandpass sampling in a RoF communications system to overcome the high sampling rate requirement of conventional receivers and front-end hardware dependency. In particular, we modified the uniform bandpass sampling theorem to cope with frequency offset produced by independent free running optical local oscillator. Thereafter, a 40Mbit/s QPSK modulated data signal at 2.4GHz RF carrier frequency is experimentally demonstrated by using phase modulated and digital signal processing aided RoF links.
Hepatocyte caspase‐8 is an essential modulator of steatohepatitis in rodents

In human and murine models of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), increased hepatocyte apoptosis is a critical mechanism contributing to inflammation and fibrogenesis. Caspase 8 (Casp8) is essential for death‐receptor‐mediated apoptosis activity and therefore its modulation might be critical for the pathogenesis of NASH. The aim was to dissect the role of hepatocyte Casp8 in a murine model of steatohepatitis. We generated hepatocyte‐specific Casp8 knockout (Casp8Δhep) mice. Animals were fed with a methionine‐choline‐deficient (MCD) diet. Liver injury was assessed by histopathological analysis, apoptotic death, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), fluorescent‐activated cell sorter (FACS), analysis of liver infiltration and inflammation, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and liver fibrosis. MCD feeding triggered steatosis, hepatic lipid storage, and accumulation of free fatty acid (FFA) in wildtype (WT) livers, which were significantly reduced in Casp8Δhep animals. Additionally, lack of Casp8 expression in hepatocytes reduced the MCD‐dependent increase in apoptosis and decreased expression of proinflammatory cytokines as well as hepatic infiltration. As a consequence, ROS production was lower, leading to a reduction in the progression of liver fibrosis in Casp8Δhep livers. Conclusion: Selective ablation of Casp8 in hepatocytes ameliorates development of NASH by modulating liver injury. Casp8‐directed therapy might be a plausible treatment for patients with steatohepatitis. (HEPATOLOGY 2013;57:2189–2201)
Spatial multiple materials detection in hyperspectral imagery

Nowadays the detection in space environment is definitely a hot spot in the whole world. Developing the technique of multiple materials detection makes great sense. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for spatial multiple materials detection in hyperspectral images. The detection problem is a semi-blind signal extraction problem. As the prior knowledge, the spectra of target materials are known in advance. The proposed detection algorithm, multiple materials detector (MMD), exploits spectral information exclusively to make decisions by considering that the type of each pixel contains the interesting materials or not, which is a semi-blind signal extraction method. With this method, after single time detection of a hyperspectral image, the multiple materials spectra input before could be exactly detected. Compared with classical detection methods, the proposed detection method has three superiorities. Firstly, it functions well when there are various kinds of interesting materials needing to be detected. Secondly, because of using regularization items the algorithm is robust in spectral variability and noise. Lastly, no matter how the interesting materials distribute in the hyperspectral image, it works steadily. Experimental results based on a set of hyperspectral images of Hubble Space Telescope prove the effectiveness of the MMD algorithm.
CXCR2 Is Necessary for the Development and Persistence of Chronic Fungal Asthma in Mice1

The role of CXCR during allergic airway and asthmatic diseases is yet to be fully characterized. Therefore, the present study addressed the role of CXCR2 during Aspergillus fumigatus-induced asthma. Mice deficient in CXCR2 (CXCR2−/−) and wild-type counterparts (CXCR2+/+) were sensitized to A. fumigatus Ags and challenged with A. fumigatus conidia, and the resulting allergic airway disease was monitored for up to 37 days. At days 3 and 7 after conidia, CXCR2−/− mice exhibited significantly greater methacholine-induced airway hyperreactivity than did CXCR2+/+ mice. In contrast, CXCR2-deficient mice exhibited significantly less airway hyperresponsiveness than the wild-type control groups at days 14 and 37 after conidia. At all times after conidia, whole lung levels of IL-4, IL-5, and eotaxin/CC chemokine ligand 11 were significantly lower in CXCR2−/− mice than in the wild-type controls. Eosinophil and T cell, but not neutrophil, recruitment into the airways of A. fumigatus-sensitized CXCR2−/− mice was significantly impaired compared with wild-type controls at all times after the conidia challenge. Whole lung levels of IFN-γ, inflammatory protein-10/CXC ligand (CXCL) 10, and monokine induced by IFN-γ (MIG)/CXCL9 were significantly increased in CXCR2−/− mice compared with CXCR2+/+ mice at various times after conidia. Interestingly, at day 3 after conidia, neutrophil recruitment and airway hyperresponsiveness in CXCR2−/− mice was mediated by inflammatory protein-10/CXCL10 and, to a lesser degree, MIG/CXCL9. Taken together, these data suggest that CXCR2 contributes to the persistence of asthmatic disease due to A. fumigatus.
Multiple Model Adaptive Estimation for open loop unstable plants

This paper addresses the problem of adaptive state and parameter estimation of open loop unstable plants using a multiple model structure. A state estimate is obtained as a probabilistically weighted sum of the estimates produced by a bank of individual observers. Model identification and convergence of the dynamic weights in the Multiple Model Adaptive Estimation (MMAE) for open-loop unstable plants are analyzed and the effect of the control action (by a controller in the loop) is studied. In the present paper we show that the techniques introduced in MMAE for open-loop stable plants and in the absence of control action are applicable to open-loop unstable plants with a stabilizing controller in the loop. A distance-like pseudo norm between the true plant and the identified model is developed and furthermore we show that the model identified is the one that is the closest to the true plant model in the defined norm among all models in the bank. The performance and convergence of the MMAE procedure are illustrated with Monte-Carlo simulation runs using the model of an inverted pendulum installed on a system of masses, springs, and dampers.
Association of depression duration with reduction of global cerebral gray matter volume in female patients with recurrent major depressive disorder.

OBJECTIVE The authors investigated the relationship between depression duration and cerebral gray matter volume in female patients with recurrent major depressive disorder. METHOD Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure intracranial and total brain volumes as well as gray matter and white matter volumes of the cerebrum; frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes; cerebellum; and the lateral and third ventricles in 23 female patients with DSM-IV major depression. RESULTS Correlation and regression analyses showed a significant relationship between total illness duration and cerebral gray matter (including cortical lobe) volume after correction for intracranial volume and age. CONCLUSIONS Depressive states may lead to changes in global cerebral gray matter volume.