Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Echinococcus multilocularis and Echinococcus granulosus hydatid fluid proteome provides molecular strategies for specialized host-parasite interactions

Alveolar and cystic echinococcoses, caused by the metacestodes of Echinococcus multilocularis and E. granulosus, are prevalent in several regions and invoke deleterious zoonotic helminthiases. Hydatid fluid (HF), which contains proteinaceous and non-proteinaceous secretions of the parasite- and host-derived components, critically affects the host-parasite interplay and disease progression. We conducted HF proteome profiling of fully mature E. multilocularis vesicle (nine months postinfection) and E. granulosus cyst (stage 2). We identified 120 and 153 proteins, respectively, in each fluid. Fifty-six and 84 proteins represented distinct species; 44 and 66 were parasites, and 12 and 18 were host-derived proteins. The five major parasite protein populations, which included antigen B isoforms, metabolic enzymes, proteases and inhibitors, extracellular matrix molecules (ECMs), and developmental proteins, were abundantly distributed in both fluids and also exclusively in one sample or the other. Carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes were enriched in E. granulosus HF. In the E. multilocularis HF, proteins that constitute ECMs, which might facilitate adhesion and cytogenesis, were highly expressed. Those molecules had physical and functional relationships along with their biochemical properties through protein-protein interaction networks. Twelve host-derived proteins were largely segregated to serum components. The major proteins commonly and uniquely detected in these HFs and their symbiotic interactome relationships might reflect their biological roles in similar but distinct modes of maturation, invasion, and the longevity of the parasites in the hosts.
OBSTETRIC CASE REPORTS

Radioactive iodine (iodine-131) is concentrated by the thyroid gland and in most centres is the treatment of choice in patients with hyperthyroidism over the age of 40 years. Radioactive iodine is absolutely contraindicated in pregnancy because the fetal thyroid gland is capable of concentrating the radioisotope after the 12th-week of gestation. This would risk causing fetal hypothyroidism and possible subsequent impaired intellectual and motor function. As the age threshold for the use of iodine-131 therapy is lowered, it is becoming more common to offer this treatment modality to patients in their 20s and 30s. Unless there is exclusion of pregnancy at the time of iodine-131 treatment there is a real risk of inadvertent inactivation of the fetal thyroid.
Together in Bad Times? Connectedness and Spillovers in Recession and Boom

Is connectedness across countries dependent on the state of the economy? We answer this question by applying the Diebold‐Yilmaz index in a non‐linear framework. Via a Threshold VAR model, we measure the connectedness of industrial production, inflation and financial variables for seven advanced economies. We find that global connectedness is sizable and business cycle dependent. Specifically, our results suggest that higher values are recorded during recessions. Financial and nominal connectedness display different dynamics relative to the connectedness in industrial production. We also show that negative shocks cause a bigger increase in global connectedness compared to their positive counterparts. In addition, while Europe appears to be vulnerable to shocks originated in USA and Japan, the US is unaffected by shocks occurring elsewhere. Results are robust to an alternative state‐dependent modelling of the parameters and our model fit outperforms both the linear VAR and the Smooth Transition VAR.
A Unified Modeling Framework for Life and Non-Life Insurance

In this paper we propose for the first time a unified framework suitable for modeling both life and non-life insurance market, with nontrivial dependence with the financial market. We introduce a direct modeling approach, which generalizes the reduced-form framework for credit risk and life insurance. We apply these results for pricing insurance products in hybrid markets by taking into account the role of inflation under the benchmark approach. This framework offers at the same time a general and flexible structure, as well as explicit and treatable pricing formula.
Estrogen Receptor (cid:1) -mediated Silencing of Caveolin Gene Expression in Neuronal Cells*

Estrogen receptors (ER (cid:1) /ER (cid:2) ) are expressed in neuronal cells and exhibit a variety of activities in the cen- tral nervous system. ER activity is regulated in a ligand-dependent manner and by co-regulatory factors. Caveolin-1 is a recently identified co-activator of ER (cid:1) mediating the ligand-independent activation of this ste- roid receptor. Here the influence of ERs on caveolin expression in human neuroblastoma SK-N-MC cells as well as in rodent brain was investigated. We found that ectopic expression of ER (cid:1) in SK-N-MC cells (SK-ER (cid:1) ) leads to a ligand-independent transcriptional suppres- sion of caveolin-1/-2 genes. This suppression is specifi-cally mediated by ER (cid:1) and not ER (cid:2) because ER (cid:2) counteracts the observed caveolin-silencing process. Interestingly, decreased caveolin expression in SK-ER (cid:1) is accompanied by changes in the methylation pattern of caveolin promoters. The analysis of selected promoter regions of the human caveolin-1 gene showed that cer- tain CpG dinucleotides were hypermethylated in SK-ER (cid:1) cells, whereas the same sites were unmethylated in control, ER (cid:2) -, and ER (cid:1) / (cid:2) co-expressing SK-N-MC cells. of 10 m M dNTPs (peqLAB), 0.5 (cid:3) l of 15 pmol sense and antisense primers, and 0.5 units of DNA Taq polymerase (Invitrogen). The sequences of PCR primers for the amplification of caveolin-1 cDNA were 5 (cid:3) -GACTTTGAA-GATGTGATTGC-3 (cid:3) (sense) and 5 (cid:3) -AGATGGAATAGACACGGCTG-3 (cid:3) (antisense). This primer pair amplified a 254-bp product, corresponding to a part of exon 3 within the human caveolin-1 cDNA. Caveolin-2 cDNA was amplified with use of the sense primer 5 (cid:3) -GACGTACAGCTCT-TCATGGAC-3 (cid:3) and antisense primer 5 (cid:3) -GGCTGACAGAAGAGAAG- CATC-3 (cid:3) , resulting in a 446-bp PCR product. The following primers were used for the detection of ER (cid:1) transcripts: sense 5 (cid:3) -AGATCTTC- GACATGCTGCTG-3 (cid:3) and antisense 5 (cid:3) -CACTTCATGCTGTACAGATG-3 (cid:3) , this primer set amplified a 323-bp product within the ER (cid:1) steroid binding domain. The primer pair 5 (cid:3) -GAGGCCTCCATGATGATGTC-3 (cid:3) (sense) and 5 (cid:3) -TCTCCAGCAGCAGGTCAT-AC-3 (cid:3) (antisense) was used for detection of ER (cid:2) mRNA and generated a 611-bp product corresponding to a part of the ER (cid:2) steroid binding domain. Primers for (cid:2) -actin were used as control for the quantity of the RNA used. The (cid:2) -actin-specific primers amplified a 275-bp product and were composed of the following sequences: 5 (cid:3) -CTACAATGAGCTGCGTGTGGC-3
Proposing a new type of CAPTCHA: Character Collage

Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) is a test, mostly used in web applications to verify that the user is human rather than an automated machine. However, with the advances in technology, this security mechanism is being challenged everyday through the use of different Artificial Intelligence (AI) based techniques. Hence, research is still being carried out in this area, to try to design a fool proof method. This paper proposes a new type of CAPTCHA, Character-Collage; a method which exploits the strengths of the unbroken CAPTCHAs as well as the weaknesses of current computer vision technology.
Secure uniform random number extraction via incoherent strategies

To guarantee the security of uniform random numbers generated by a quantum random number generator, we study secure extraction of uniform random numbers when the environment of a given quantum state is controlled by the third party, the eavesdropper. Here we restrict our operations to incoherent strategies that are composed of the measurement on the computational basis and incoherent operations (or incoherence-preserving operations). We show that the maximum secure extraction rate is equal to the relative entropy of coherence. By contrast, the coherence of formation gives the extraction rate when a certain constraint is imposed on eavesdropper's operations. The condition under which the two extraction rates coincide is then determined. Furthermore, we find that the exponential decreasing rate of the leaked information is characterized by R\'{e}nyi relative entropies of coherence. These results clarify the power of incoherent strategies in random number generation, and can be applied to guarantee the quality of random numbers generated by a quantum random number generator.
Big data opportunities for accounting and finance practice and research

We examine the research opportunities for the use of ‘big data’ in accounting and finance. The purpose of the study is to present a snapshot of big data academic research in information systems, accounting and finance, and to highlight areas for further research in accounting and finance. The research question addressed in this work is: What are the major themes in existing research in big data and where are the resulting gaps in the accounting and finance literature? An analysis is presented of 47 accounting, finance and information systems journals from 2007–2016. We identify and sample the relevant literature to derive a taxonomy of themes. These themes are presented as a conceptual matrix in which the themes from the taxonomy are used as concepts, and the matrix identifies where they appear, and where there are potential areas for further research. Prior research in big data in accounting, finance and information systems falls into six themes. The six under‐researched areas of big data in accounting and finance are risk and security, data visualisation and predictive analytics, data management and data quality. Increased research in these areas will lead to improvements in industry practices, and opportunities for cross‐disciplinary research.
Microsatellite Instability Caused by hMLH1 Promoter Methylation Increases with Tumor Progression in Right-Sided Sporadic Colorectal Cancer

Objective: A subset of sporadic colorectal cancers (SCRCs) exhibits microsatellite instability (MSI). Most MSI in SCRCs is caused by hMLH1 inactivation due to promoter methylation. However, the role of MSI in the progression of SCRCs remains unclear. Methods: Thirty-two intramucosal cancers and 63 cancers with submucosal invasion were assigned to group 1 (early-stage cancer), and 30 Dukes’ B and 26 Dukes’ C cancers to group 2 (advanced-stage cancer). hMLH1 promoter methylation status was determined by methylation-specific PCR. MSI was determined using five markers. hMLH1 expression was determined immunohistochemically. Results: MSI was found in 1 of 95 (1.1%) tumors in group 1, compared with 4 of 56 (7.1%) tumors in group 2. In right-sided tumors, the overall frequency of hMLH1-methylation-positive tumors in group 1 was not significantly different from that in group 2 (17 of 43, 39.5%, vs. 9 of 23, 39.1%). In right-sided tumors with hMLH1 promoter methylation, the frequency of MSI-positive tumors in group 1 was significantly lower than that in group 2 (1 of 17, 5.9%, vs. 4 of 9, 44.4%, p = 0.0081). Conclusion: The frequency of MSI caused by hMLH1 promoter methylation increases with tumor progression in right-sided SCRCs.
Content based focus measure for robust auto-focusing of microscopy in biomedical applications

Auto-focusing is one of the key issues in motorized biological microscopes as it strongly affects the quality of the microscopic images. Auto-focusing is a difficult problem because the size of biological objects is as small as a few micrometers, and the problem is even more challenging when the density of the image content is low. In this paper, we propose a content based focus measure for guiding automatic search of the optimal focal plane with different image content densities. The proposed method adaptively assigns different weights to pixels based on the image content in the focus measure computation. Larger weights are assigned to pixels that represent interested objects, while smaller weights are given to debris and background pixels. Experimental investigation has been conducted to demonstrate superior performance of the proposed method over existing methods.
A culinary hub in the global city: diasporic Asian foodscapes across Scarborough, Canada

Abstract This article examines the role of late twentieth-century transnational migrants to Canada in transforming Scarborough into a culinary hub with global and Asian resonances—a place where dense affective, sensory, social, cultural, and economic networks of foodways overlap and combine to create place-specific diasporic sensescapes. The primary research questions are: How does such an Asian culinary hub emerge and function in the transnational and diasporic setting of a contemporary global city and how do citizens’ negotiations of its mobile foodways constitute the hub, and act as its archive? To locate answers for these questions, the authors engaged with long-term collaborative research among academics, students, and community stakeholders connected to the Culinaria Research Centre of the University of Toronto.
Public Opinion on Motor Vehicle–Related Injury Prevention Policies: A Systematic Review of a Decade of Research

Objective: Legislation is an effective strategy for reducing road-related fatalities and injuries. Public opinion can be an impetus for passing new laws and can affect the success of their implementation, but little is known about the current state of public opinion toward existing and proposed road-related policies in the United States. This review describes the scope and results of research on public support for state- and local-level evidence-based motor vehicle– and bicycle-related policies. We identify gaps in our understanding of public support for these policies. Methods: Published U.S. literature and all reports from the NHTSA from the past decade (2003–2012) were searched for data on opinions about existing or proposed policies related to motor vehicle or bicycle injury prevention. Twenty-six studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. In all, studies reported public opinion about 7 injury prevention topic areas: all-terrain vehicles (n = 1), automated enforcement with red light and speed cameras (n = 5), distracted driving (n = 4), drinking and driving (n = 5), graduated driver licensing (n = 7), helmets (n = 7), and seat belts (n = 4). Twenty-three studies focused only on one topic, and 3 sought public opinion about multiple topic areas. Results: The studies revealed generally high levels of support for injury prevention policies in all topic areas. Fifteen studies collected information from national samples, and only 7 studies reported data from the state (n = 5) or local (n = 2) level. Conclusions: There is a relatively small evidence base on public opinion related to motor vehicle– and bicycle-related evidence-based policies; even less is less known for state- or county-specific policies. The findings of this review suggest that the public's opinion toward injury prevention legislation is generally favorable. This information can be used to communicate with the media and policy makers to reinforce the need for effective policy solutions to continuing motor vehicle injury problems. More research is needed to understand the perspectives of those who do not hold favorable opinions, to understand opinions toward local or state-level policies, and to monitor trends in public opinion over time. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Traffic Injury Prevention to view the supplemental file.
Tax Incentives for Research and Development and Their Use in Tax Planning

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of various aspects of R&D tax incentives. It explains the economic justification behind the state support of research and development and summarizes its main types. In addition, it gives an overview of the existing R&D tax incentives in Europe and provides a thorough review of the empirical literature on the outcomes of fiscal incentives. Furthermore, the Devereux and Griffith model is used to determine the effective tax burden of multinational firms that reside in countries which implement R&D tax support and countries which do not. The model is developed further following Spengel and Elschner (2010) and Evers et al. (2015) to reflect a potential use of R&D tax incentives by multinational firms for tax planning. The hypothesis developed in the model is tested in an empirical estimation, where we employ the OECD data on international co-operation in patents. According to our main findings, there are at least two reasons why input-oriented R&D tax incentives, such as tax credits and tax super-deductions, constitute a more suitable instrument for fostering research and development than the output-oriented incentives, such as IP Boxes. First, there is robust evidence found in the empirical literature which shows the positive effect introducing input-oriented tax incentives has on a firm’s innovative activity, whereas studies on output-oriented tax incentives are not able to support this argument. Secondly, according to our theoretical and empirical analyses, output-oriented R&D tax incentives may be used by multinationals for tax planning as opposed to their intended use of fostering research and development.
Revision of Marphysa de Quatrefages, 1865 and some species of Nicidion Kinberg, 1865 with the erection of a new genus (Polychaeta: Eunicidae) from the Grand Caribbean.

Nine species of Marphysa from the Grand Caribbean Region are recognized and described based on the type and non-type specimens. One species is formally described as new: M. emiliae n. sp. , and one is re-established as a valid species: M. fragilis Treadwell, 1911. The diagnosis of Nicidion Kinberg, 1865 is restricted based on novel features of the maxillary apparatus. Nicidion angeli (Carrera-Parra & Salazar-Vallejo, 1998) is redescribed, and two species that previously belonged to Marphysa, are transferred to Nicidion: N. longula (Ehlers, 1887) n. comb. and N. obtusa (Verrill, 1900) n. comb. A new genus Treadwellphysa n. gen. is proposed to include those species having a newly described type of chaetae named spinifalcigers (exhibiting a mixture of falciger and spiniger blades), the base of maxillae II with a small elevation, and the ventral cirri with swollen base as transverse welt with short digitiform tip. Treadwellphysa n. gen. includes a new species, T. yucatanensis n. sp. and three other species previously included in Marphysa: T. amadae (Fauchald, 1977) n. comb. , T. languida (Treadwell, 1921) n. comb. , and T. veracruzensis (de León-González & Díaz-Castañeda, 2006) n. comb. Some morphological features are evaluated to clarify their variability with respect to specimen size. A key to Eunicidae genera, and keys to species of Marphysa and Treadwellphysa n. gen. from the Grand Caribbean region are given.
Tail Risk in a Retail Payments System

Abstract In this paper, we study a credit risk (collateral) management scheme for the Canadian retail payment system designed to cover the exposure of a defaulting member. We estimate ex ante the size of a collateral pool large enough to cover exposure for a historical worst-case default scenario. The parameters of the distribution of the maxima are estimated using two main statistical approaches based on extreme value models: Block-Maxima for different window lengths (daily, weekly and monthly) and Peak-over-Threshold. Our statistical model implies that the largest daily net debit position across participants exceeds roughly $1.5 billion once a year. Despite relying on extreme-value theory, the out of sample forecasts may still underestimate an actual exposure given the absence of observed data on defaults and financial stress in Canada. Our results are informative for optimal collateral management and system design of pre-funded retail-payment schemes.
Rapid communication: the first microsatellite DNA marker for marble trout, BFRO 001.

1Authors would like to thank D. Jesenšek, the head of the Hatchery Tolmin, for excellent cooperation. 2To whom correspondence should be addressed. Received December 16, 1996. Accepted March 17, 1997. Figure 1. Twelve alleles representing 16 different genotypes. Lanes 1 to 2: brown trout from the Ohrid lake; lanes 3 to 10: the Danubian and Atlantic brown trout; lane 11: hybrid between marble and brown trout; lanes 12 to 16: marble trout. Allele sizes in base pairs are indicated on the margins. Rapid Communication: The First Microsatellite DNA Marker for Marble Trout, BFRO 0011
Outcome of thyrotoxicosis treatment with 3 different modalities.

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of 3 different treatment modalities for thyrotoxicosis and a comparison of their cost effectiveness. METHODS The case records of 100 patients treated for thyrotoxicosis at King Khalid National Guard Hospital in Jeddah were reviewed, during the period January 1992 through to January 2000. Their various treatments and responses were recorded as well as their thyriometabolic status, one year following the last treatment. The treatment consisted of an average of 9 months of antithyroid medication, thyroidectomy or treatment with radioactive iodide. Cure was defined as a patient being euthyroid or hypothyroid for a minimum period of at least one year. Cost-effectiveness was calculated as the total cost of treating the patient in a specific treatment modality, divided by those who were considered to be cured. RESULTS For the remainder, the cost could not be definitively determined. The mean age was 41+/- 15.7 years, with female to male ratio of 6:1. Grave's disease was the underlying cause in 76% of cases, toxic multinodular goiter in 13% and toxic nodule in 1%. Ninety-one patients, who were treated with anti-thyroid medication for an average of 9 months, had a success rate of 11%. The success rate with surgery was 54.5%, while of 68 patients treated with radioactive iodide 65 (96%) were cured. Radioactive iodide was the most cost effective modality of treatment costing 1700 Saudi Riyals, followed by surgery at 40,000 Saudi Riyals. Medical treatment was the most expensive at 135,000 Saudi Riyals per cure. CONCLUSION A treatment of thyrotoxicosis with radioactive iodine is much more efficacious than medical or surgical modalities. Furthermore, it is by far the most cost effective and has no harmful effects.
A Ricardian Analysis of the Impact of Climate Change on Italian Agriculture

This research investigates the potential impact of warming on Italian agriculture. Using a detailed dataset of 16,000 farms across Italy, the study examines likely warming impacts in different regions and for different sectors of Italian agriculture. The study finds that farm net revenues are very sensitive to seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation. Livestock and crop farms have different responses to climate as do rain-fed farms and irrigated farms. The overall results suggest mild consequences from marginal changes in climate but increasingly harmful effects from more severe climate scenarios.