Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantity and quality assessment of DNA extracted from saliva and blood.

BACKGROUND Saliva has been suggested as an attractive resource for evaluating physiological and pathological conditions in humans. This study aims to evaluate saliva sampling as an alternative to blood sampling for molecular testing. METHODS We compared the yield, purity, and performance of DNA isolated from blood to that isolated from saliva using the non-invasive collection kit (Oragene DNA OG500 and OG575 kit). Saliva DNA was extracted by manual purification and QIAamp DNA mini kit. Blood DNA was isolated by salt-precipitation and DNAzol reagent. We also evaluated the quality of saliva DNA by PCR-based analysis. RESULTS We found that the DNA yield from saliva (7.8 microg/0.5 mL saliva sample) from the manual purification method was comparable to the DNA yield from blood by the salt precipitation method (7.4 ug/0.5 mL blood sample). DNA extracted from saliva and blood were both of high purity (A260/280 > 1.70). Genotype results (PCR-RFLP and direct sequencing) for all sets of blood-saliva DNA samples were in 100% concordance. CONCLUSIONS Saliva samples, when extracted by the manual purification method, provide a similar amount of human DNA as compared to the amount obtained from blood. Saliva is a viable alternative DNA source for genotyping studies.
Selective intracellular retention of virally induced NKG2D ligands by the human cytomegalovirus UL16 glycoprotein

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has evolved a multitude of molecular mechanisms to evade the antiviral immune defense of the host. Recently, using soluble recombinant molecules, the HCMV UL16 glycoprotein was shown to interact with some ligands of the activating immunoreceptor NKG2D and, therefore, may also function as a viral immunomodulator. However, the role of UL16 during the course of HCMV infection remained unclear. Here, we demonstrate that HCMV infection of fibroblasts induces expression of all known NKG2D ligands (NKG2DL). However, solely MICA and ULBP3 reach the cellular surface to engage NKG2D, whereas MICB, ULBP1 and ULBP2 are selectively retained in the endoplasmic reticulum by UL16. UL16‐mediated reduction of NKG2DL cell surface density diminished NK cytotoxicity. Thus, UL16 functions by capturing activating ligands for cytotoxic lymphocytes that are synthesized in response to HCMV infection.
A Re-examination of the Incubator Hypothesis: A Case Study of Greater Leicester

Although the inner city has traditionally been regarded as a 'nursery' for the birth and growth of new manufacturing firms, recent research has tended to refute this 'incubator' hypothesis. In this paper it is argued that such research has been based on an unsatisfactory methodology. An alternative approach is adopted in a case study of the location of new industrial companies in Greater Leicester between 1957 and 1970. The results provide considerable support for the incubator hypothesis, while indicating that pockets of nineteenth-century development within the present urban periphery also perform a nursery function.
A sectoral efficiency analysis of the Amman Stock Exchange

Market efficiency is tested for across the four sectors of the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE). Using daily sectoral indexes between 1992 and 2004 and a variance ratio and runs tests, it is found that the random walk and weak form efficiency hypotheses are rejected for all sectors. Furthermore, it is found that returns fit a mean-reverting process which may suggest abnormally high volatility, overinflated stock prices, and frequent market corrections from a bubble effect. This also indicates that investments in all sectors of the ASE may be very risky in the short run.
Determinants of Long-term Growth: New Results Applying Roboust Estimation and Extreme Bounds

Two important problems exist in cross-country growth studies: outliers and model uncertainty. Employing Sala-i-Martin’s (1997a,b) data set, we first use robust estimation and analyze to what extent outliers influence OLS regressions. We then use both OLS and robust estimation techniques in applying the Extreme Bounds Analysis (EBA) to deal with the problem of model uncertainty. We find that the use of robust estimation affects the list of variables that are significant determinants of economic growth. Also the magnitude of the impact of these variables differs sometimes under the various approaches.
Oil Exploration under Climate Treaties

Abstract In this paper we focus on how an international climate treaty will influence the exploration of oil in non-OPEC countries. We present a numerical intertemporal global equilibrium model for the fossil fuel markets. The international oil market is modelled with a cartel (OPEC) and a competitive fringe on the supply side, following a Nash–Cournot approach. An initial resource base for oil is given in the non-OPEC region. However, the resource base changes over time due to depletion, exploration, and discovery. When studying the effects of different climate treaties on oil exploration, two contrasting incentives apply. If an international carbon tax is introduced, the producer price of oil will drop compared to the reference case. This gives an incentive to reduce oil production and exploration. However, the oil price may increase less rapidly over time, which gives an incentive to expedite production and exploration. In fact, in the case of a rising carbon tax we find the last incentive to be the strongest, which means that an international climate treaty may increase oil exploration in non-OPEC countries for the coming decades and reduce OPEC's market share.
Ridge Waveguide Coupled Stripline Resonator Filters and Multiplexers

Strip line resonator bandpass filters with evanescent-mode coupling sections by ridge waveguides are introduced in this paper. Such filters have very compact cross sections, which makes them suitable choices for some integrated systems having cross section constraints. Low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology can be employed to build such filters for PCB systems. It is also possible to manufacture them in air-filled metallic structures. Two filter design examples by mode matching method (MMM) are given in this paper. Stepped impedance line resonators are used in one example to improve the spurious. The presented filters can also be applied for multiplexer applications using stripline junctions. One diplexer design example for LTCC application is presented to show the feasibility
Receiving Social Assistance in Germany: Risk and Duration

Although receiving social assistance is a dynamic process, analyses of such processes tend to be static. This is particularly so in Germany where there is no empirical data base for studying processes of poverty and receipt of social assistance, except for the Bremen Longitudinal Social Assistance Sample (LSA). This article draws on the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) to complement analyses of the dynamics of poverty undertaken by the authors on the basis of the LSA.
Anticoagulation in hospitalized patients with renal insufficiency: a comparison of bleeding rates with unfractionated heparin vs enoxaparin.

OBJECTIVES To compare the rates of bleeding complications in patients with renal insufficiency who receive anticoagulation therapy with the full therapeutic dose, unfractionated heparin (UFH), or with twice-daily enoxaparin. SETTING A 325-bed community teaching hospital. STUDY TYPE Retrospective cohort study. METHODS The medical records of all patients with renal insufficiency who received anticoagulation therapy with UFH or enoxaparin during a 13-month period were reviewed for the occurrence of major and minor bleeding. Incidence rates were computed per 1,000-person days of anticoagulation therapy. Comparisons were made across categories of renal insufficiency and other potential confounders. RESULTS A total of 620 patients with estimated glomerular filtration rates of < 60 mL/min were studied. Of these, 331 received anticoagulation therapy with UFH, 250 with enoxaparin, and 39 with both (not simultaneously). The major bleeding rates were 26.3 per 1,000 person-days for UFH and 20.7 per 1,000 person-days for enoxaparin. Major bleeding complications were similarly increased for both UFH and enoxaparin therapy across categories of worsening renal insufficiency. Patients with severe renal insufficiency while receiving enoxaparin had a 154% excess incidence of minor bleeding compared to those receiving UFH (incidence ratio, 2.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 6.36). Worsening renal insufficiency, female gender, and prolonged duration of anticoagulation therapy emerged as the main determinants for bleeding complications. CONCLUSION Both the twice-daily enoxaparin and UFH regimens are associated with comparable increases in major bleeding complications in patients with renal dysfunction receiving full-dose anticoagulation therapy. Both agents should be used with caution in anticoagulation therapy for patients with renal insufficiency.
Horizontal gene transfer of a genetic island encoding a type III secretion system distributed in Vibrio cholerae

Twelve Vibrio cholerae isolates with genes for a type III secretion system (T3SS) were detected among 110 environmental and 14 clinical isolates. T3SS‐related genes were distributed among the various serogroups and pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis of NotI‐digested genomes showed genetic diversity in these strains. However, the restriction fragment length polymorphism profiles of the T3SS‐related genes had similar patterns. Additionally, naturally competent T3SS‐negative V. cholerae incorporated the ca. 47 kb gene cluster of T3SS, which had been integrated into a site on the chromosome by recombination. Therefore, it is suggested that horizontal gene transfer of T3SS‐related genes occurs among V. cholerae in natural ecosystems.
Damping low frequency oscillations using online Adaptive NeuroFuzzy Type-2 based STATCOM

The reactive power compensation using shunt FACTS controllers also regulates the voltage of bus at which the shunt controller is installed. Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM), one of the shunt FACTS controllers, is a well-known controller used for this purpose, however, this article investigates its behavior for damping power system oscillations by application of a novel direct adaptive NeuroFuzzy Type2 (ANFT2) based nonlinear control scheme, for damping low frequency inter-area oscillations, using STATCOM. The proposed control scheme exploits the excellent estimation property of Type2 membership functions for modeling uncertainties in the system. The parameters of the proposed control scheme are updated online without using any offline training data which in turn minimizes the memory requirements, computational complexity and latency maintaining the performance of the system. The performance of the proposed control system is tested for various faults and operating conditions on multi-machine test system using nonlinear time domain simulations. Finally, the comparative analysis of ANT2 with Adaptive NeuroFuzzy Type-1 (ANFT1) control and without control is presented to validate the efficiency of proposed control system. The simulation results reveal that the proposed control scheme significantly improves the damping performance in transient and steady-state regions.
Online Privacy and the Disclosure of Cookie Use: Effects on Consumer Trust and Anticipated Patronage

The use of Internet cookies by visited Web sites and third-party firms has been criticized by consumer advocates, policy makers, and even marketers themselves as a potential threat to consumer privacy. However, surprisingly little research has examined how the interactive effects of the disclosure and practice of cookie use as a method of nonconsensual identification might influence online users’ affect or behavior. The current research addresses this lack of research by presenting the results of three studies. Study 1, a longitudinal examination of the online environment from 2000 to 2007, finds that both cookie use and disclosure have increased, but the covert use of cookies is still a concern. Study 2 finds that consumers’ negative reactions to cookie use are significantly reduced by a priori cookie disclosure by the visited Web site. Study 3 shows that consumers’ online experience and desire for privacy act as additional moderators of reactions to cookie use. The author examines the implications of the three studies from the perspectives of research, management, and public policy.
Quantitative Stability of DNA after Extended Storage of Clinical Specimens as Determined by Real-Time PCR

ABSTRACT Viral DNA stored for extended periods can be amplified by PCR. However, it is unknown whether stored specimens give accurate quantitative results by newer real-time PCR techniques. We therefore compared herpes simplex virus DNA levels in specimens before and after 16 months of storage. The levels of viral DNA remained stable whether the DNA was stored as purified DNA or unextracted DNA in a whole specimen.
GPU accelerated computation of radar cross sections with multiple excitations

A challenge very often presented to an electromagnetic (EM) expert is to perform EM simulation in order to obtain precise radar cross section (RCS) characterization of some structure. We present results for calculating RCS with large number of excitations (up to 30 000) using method of moments with higher order basis functions and GPU accelerated out-of-core solver, on one desktop computer.
Something Funny Happened on the Way to Reform Success: The Case of Budget Reform Implementation in Ghana

Abstract The current article discusses experience with budgeting and financial management reforms in Ghana and is particularly focused on the development of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) between 1998 and 2002. Evidence shows that this reform began well but faltered after an initial period of progress. A number of factors are referenced in trying to explain why reform implementation was derailed, including reform ownership and political will, organizational integration and organizational incentives, and strategic capacity. All of these factors are commonly presented as influences on reform implementation. The Ghanaian experience provides detail as to how such influences could work. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions or perspectives of the Overseas Development Institute or the World Bank.
3C laboratory ultrasound: A new method for measuring elastic anisotropy of rocks

Summary We propose a new method for measuring velocities and polarizations of the compressional and shear waves. The method consists of measuring time dependent displacement of a particular point on the sample surface in three independent directions by a laser Doppler interferometer. The high accuracy of these measurements makes the determination of the polarization straightforward, and thus the identification the type of the waves unambiguous. These measurements can be used to estimate the stiffness tensor of anisotropic rock samples.
Separation of recollision mechanisms in nonsequential strong field double ionization of Ar: the role of excitation tunneling.

Vector momentum distributions of two electrons created in double ionization of Ar by 25 fs, 0.25 PW/cm(2) laser pulses at 795 nm have been measured using a "reaction microscope. " At this intensity, where nonsequential ionization dominates, distinct correlation patterns are observed in the two-electron momentum distributions. A kinematical analysis of these spectra within the classical "recollision model" revealed an (e,2e)-like process and excitation with subsequent tunneling of the second electron as two different ionization mechanisms. This allows a qualitative separation of the two mechanisms demonstrating that excitation-tunneling is the dominant contribution to the total double ionization yield.
MHC Class II-Bound Self Peptides from Autoimmune MRL/lpr Mice Reveal Potential T Cell Epitopes for Autoantibody Production in Murine Systemic Lupus Erythematosus1

The systemic lupus erythematosus-like syndrome in MRL/lpr mice involves high-titered IgG autoantibodies, particularly antinuclear Abs that target histones, DNA, and RNA particles. Although T cell help is required for the generation of antinuclear Abs, the epitopes recognized by such helper T cells are unknown. To address this question, we isolated and sequenced self peptides bound by MHC class II molecules from MRL/lpr mice. We identified a number of peptides that are not seen in similar preparations from nonautoimmune C3H animals. The “abnormal” peptide donors include histone, a protein component of a small nuclear ribonucleoprotein, ribosomal proteins, and RNA processing enzymes. We postulate that the peptides from these donors are T cell epitopes required for the generation of the most frequent antinuclear Abs specificities seen in MRL/lpr mice.
A survey of indirect cost estimating in practice

This paper presents the findings of an investigation into the current practices of estimating the indirect costs involved in tendering for construction work. It shows the results of a survey of current practices and attitudes in seven firms towards the quantification and allocation of general overheads, risk contingencies and profit in a tender. The survey indicates that the methods used are highly subjective and are based on past experience. Quantitative methods involving statistics and probability, even though advocated, are rarely used. This suggests that future methods adopted in a computerized estimating environment should reflect the subjective nature of the process and should be simple enough to be applied.
Detection of human orthopoxvirus infections and differentiation of smallpox virus with real‐time PCR

We developed a real‐time PCR protocol to detect orthopoxviruses (OPVs) from different clinical specimens and to separate variola virus from other OPVs. In our protocol, we used automated nucleic acid extraction system together with real‐time PCR to create a simple, safe and fast procedure to obtain an initial result. The sensitivity was better by using designed hybridization probes as compared to SYBR green I for detection. The detection limit ranged from 13 to 1,300 copies per 20 µl reaction volume depending on the sample type. The PCR detected all OPVs pathogenic to human (variola, cowpox, monkeypox, vaccinia) as well as camelpox and ectromelia viruses. Amplification of variola virus sequences could be distinguished from other OPVs by melting curve analysis. We also demonstrated the applicability of the assay in human cases of cowpox and vaccinia virus infections. J. Med. Virol. 81:146–152, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Immunotoxicity of acrylamide in female BALB/c mice.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the immunotoxicity of acrylamide (ACR) in female BALB/c mice. METHODS A total of 200 female mice weighing 18-22 g were randomly divided into four clusters based on body weight, and each weight-based cluster included five groups (10 mice per group): negative control, positive control (cyclophosphamide), low, intermediate, and high dose ACR groups, and all the groups were administered ACR by gavage for 30 days. At the end of the study, the immunotoxicological effects of the ACR were evaluated through immunopathology, humoral immunity, cellular immunity, and non-specific immunity. RESULTS The terminal body weight, spleen and thymus weights, lymphocyte counts in the ACR-H group were decreased, pathological changes were observed in lymph glands, thymus and spleen. %T cells in blood lymphocytes were significantly increased in all ACR-treated groups, and a significant reduction of % natural killer(NK) cells and increase of %Th cells were observed in the ACR-H group. interleukin-6(IL-6), Concanavalin A(ConA)-induced splenocyte proliferation and serum half hemolysis value (HC50) were also significantly suppressed in the ACR-H group. CONCLUSION ACR elicited an inhibitory effect on cellular and humoral immunity of mice after 30 day feeding.
Role of Src‐family kinases in formation and trafficking of macropinosomes

Src‐family kinases that localize to the cytoplasmic side of cellular membranes through lipid modification play a role in signaling events including membrane trafficking. Macropinocytosis is an endocytic process for solute uptake by large vesicles called macropinosomes. Although macropinosomes can be visualized following uptake of fluorescent macromolecules, little is known about the dynamics of macropinosomes in living cells. Here, we show that constitutive c‐Src expression generates macropinosomes in a kinase‐dependent manner. Live‐cell imaging of GFP‐tagged c‐Src (Src‐GFP) reveals that c‐Src associates with macropinosomes via its N‐terminus continuously from their generation at membrane ruffles, through their centripetal trafficking, to fusion with late endosomes and lysosomes. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) of Src‐GFP shows that Src‐GFP is rapidly recruited to macropinosomal membranes from the plasma membrane and intracellular organelles through vesicle transport even in the presence of a protein synthesis inhibitor. Furthermore, using a HeLa cell line overexpressing inducible c‐Src, we show that following stimulation with epidermal growth factor (EGF), high levels of c‐Src kinase activity promote formation of macropinosomes associated with the lysosomal compartment. Unlike c‐Src, Lyn and Fyn, which are palmitoylated Src kinases, only minimally induce macropinosomes, although a Lyn mutant in which the palmitoylation site is mutated efficiently induces macropinocytosis. We conclude that kinase activity of nonpalmitoylated Src kinases including c‐Src may play an important role in the biogenesis and trafficking of macropinosomes. J. Cell. Physiol. 211: 220–232, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The impact of empowering leadership for KMS adoption

Purpose – While the prior research suggests that leadership has important influences on IT acceptance and use, there has been little empirical investigation that identifies the specific managerial behaviors associated with adoption success. This study attempts to address this issue by exploring the influence of empowering leadership on knowledge management system (KMS) adoption through its effects on task‐technology fit and compatibility.Design/methodology/approach – To test the proposed research model, data were collected through a questionnaire survey sent to IT managers of 500 large companies in Taiwan.Findings – The results show that empowering leadership has an indirect effect on KMS usage. Empowering leadership was positively related to both task‐technology fit and compatibility, which in turn were both positively related to usage of KMS.Research limitations/implications – There are two limitations to this study, requiring further examination and additional research. First, the sample was drawn from.