Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expanded models for the non‐thermal inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes

Previously developed four‐variable response surface models for describing the effects of temperature, pH/lactic acid, sodium chloride and sodium nitrite on the time to achieve a 4‐log, non‐thermal inactivation (t4D) of Listeria monocytogenes in aerobic, acidic environments were expanded to five‐variable models that distinguish the effects of pH and acidulant concentration. A total of 18 new variable combinations were evaluated and the inactivation kinetics data appended onto a consolidation of two data sets from earlier studies. The consolidated data set, which included 315 inactivation curves representing 209 unique combinations of the five variables, was analysed by response surface analysis. The quadratic model without backward elimination regression was selected for further evaluation. Three additional quadratic models were generated using the concentrations of undissociated lactic and/or nitrous acids as variables in place of percentage lactic acid and sodium nitrite concentration. Comparison of predicted t4D values against literature values for various food systems indicated that the models provide reasonable initial estimates of the inactivation of L. monocytogenes. The models based on the concentration of undissociated lactic and nitrous acids support the hypothesis that antimicrobial activity is associated with this form of the compounds. Evaluation of several examples suggests that these models may be useful for predicting the equivalent of the compounds’‘minimal inhibitory concentrations’for accelerating inactivation under various conditions.
Anthrax Biosensor, Protective Antigen Ion Channel Asymmetric Blockade*

The significant threat posed by biological agents (e.g. anthrax, tetanus, botulinum, and diphtheria toxins) (Inglesby, T. V., O'Toole, T., Henderson, D. A., Bartlett, J. G., Ascher, M. S., Eitzen, E., Friedlander, A. M., Gerberding, J., Hauer, J., Hughes, J., McDade, J., Osterholm, M. T., Parker, G., Perl, T. M., Russell, P. K., and Tonat, K. (2002) J. Am. Med. Assoc. 287, 2236-2252) requires innovative technologies and approaches to understand the mechanisms of toxin action and to develop better therapies. Anthrax toxins are formed from three proteins secreted by fully virulent Bacillus anthracis, protective antigen (PA, 83 kDa), lethal factor (LF, 90 kDa), and edema factor (EF, 89 kDa). Here we present electrophysiological measurements demonstrating that full-length LF and EF convert the current-voltage relationship of the heptameric PA63 ion channel from slightly nonlinear to highly rectifying and diode-like at pH 6.6. This effect provides a novel method for characterizing functional toxin interactions. The method confirms that a previously well characterized PA63 monoclonal antibody, which neutralizes anthrax lethal toxin in animals in vivo and in vitro, prevents the binding of LF to the PA63 pore. The technique can also detect the presence of anthrax lethal toxin complex from plasma of infected animals. The latter two results suggest the potential application of PA63 nanopore-based biosensors in anthrax therapeutics and diagnostics.
Behavioral and Psychiatric Comorbidities in Pediatric Epilepsy: Toward an Integrative Model

Summary: It is well recognized that children with epilepsy are at heightened risk for developing behavior problems and psychiatric disorders. Studies identifying factors associated with child behavior were reviewed and findings were placed into two broad categories for review and critique: illness‐related variables and psychosocial variables. Illness‐related variables were seizure frequency and seizure control, type of epilepsy, age of onset, duration of illness, and antiepileptic drugs. Psychosocial variables were reviewed using a family stress framework: stressors, perceptions, adaptive resources, coping, and family adjustment. After the literature on each category is reviewed, an integrated heuristic model that includes key illness‐related and psychosocial variables is presented.
Interactive Visualization Tools to Improve Learning and Teaching in Online Learning Environments

This paper presents two interactive visualization tools for learning management systems LMS in order to improve learning and teaching in online courses. The first tool was developed at the Intelligent Information Systems Laboratory IISLab at the Tampere University of Technology TUT. The tool is used to analyse students' activity from automatically recorded user log data and to build interactive visualizations. They provide valuable insights into the learning process and participation of students in a course offered to teachers and students. The second tool was developed at the Unitelma Sapienza University. It extends navigation and search functionalities in the discussion forum of an LMS with a topic-driven paradigm. The tool analyses forum content and automatically identifies discussion topics. It then enhances the original forum with a topic-driven navigation structure and an interactive search graph. Both tools have been developed as plug-ins for the Moodle LMS, but their analysis processes and techniques can be adopted into any LMS.
Examining the Performance of Closed-End Mutual Funds Under Different States of Pakistani Stock Market

In this study we have analyzed performance of 22 mutual funds listed at Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) during the sample period of 1999 to 2009. The performance of these funds have been analyzed under different states of stock market: Normal, Boom & Recession by using performance measure ratios (Jensen, Sharpe, Treynor and Sortino). In addition funds are ranked according to their performance. The results of this study reveal that overall Pakistani closed-end mutual funds have underperformed in different states of stock market for the sample period 1999-2009. It throws a big question on the performance of these funds managers. The results are worst in case of recession state of stock market. It indicates that fund managers are not performing their job in an efficient way
Parkinson's disease‐related fatigue: A case definition and recommendations for clinical research

Fatigue is one of the most common and disabling symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). Since fatigue was first described as a common feature of PD 20 years ago, little progress has been made in understanding its causes or treatment. Importantly, PD patients attending the 2013 World Parkinson Congress voted fatigue as the leading symptom in need of further research. In response, the Parkinson Disease Foundation and ProjectSpark assembled an international team of experts to create recommendations for clinical research to advance this field. The working group identified several areas in which shared standards would improve research quality and foster progress including terminology, diagnostic criteria, and measurement. Terminology needs to (1) clearly distinguish fatigue from related phenomena (eg, sleepiness, apathy, depression); (2) differentiate subjective fatigue complaints from objective performance fatigability; and (3) specify domains affected by fatigue and causal factors. We propose diagnostic criteria for PD‐related fatigue to guide participant selection for clinical trials and add rigor to mechanistic studies. Recommendations are made for measurement of subjective fatigue complaints, performance fatigability, and neurophysiologic changes. We also suggest areas in which future research is needed to address methodological issues and validate or optimize current practices. Many limitations in current PD‐related fatigue research may be addressed by improving methodological standards, many of which are already being successfully applied in clinical fatigue research in other medical conditions (eg, cancer, multiple sclerosis). © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Age-dependent costs of cowbird parasitism in Yellow Warblers (Setophaga petechia)

Brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater (Boddaert, 1783)) often reduces the reproductive success of their hosts. We examined whether the ability of females to avoid or mitigate the costs of brood parasitism improved with age in a population of Yellow Warblers (Setophaga petechia (L., 1766)) breeding near Revelstoke, British Columbia, between 2004 and 2011. Cowbirds parasitized 18% of Yellow Warbler nesting attempts and females rejected 24% of parasitized nests, principally by deserting the nest and initiating a new breeding attempt. We found no evidence that older females were better at avoiding parasitism or more likely to reject parasitized nests than yearlings. On average, brood parasitism reduced clutch sizes by 0.8 eggs, had no effect on nest success, but reduced the number of young fledged from successful nests by 1.3 offspring. Despite age-related improvement in some measures of breeding performance, the costs of brood parasitism at each period of the breeding cycle did not vary with age. There was, however, some evidence, that brood parasitism reduced the annual productivity (total number of young fledged) of older females less than the annual productivity of yearlings suggesting that the cumulative costs of brood parasitism varied with age.
Rare ATGL haplotypes are associated with increased plasma triglyceride concentrations in the Greenland Inuit

Objectives. To genotype common genetic variants found in the adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) gene and test them for association with cardiovascular disease risk factors in the Greenland Inuit. Study design. Candidate gene association study of discrete and quantitative traits related to cardiovascular health. Methods. ATGL was sequenced in 10 European subjects to identify DNA sequence variants. The identified polymorphisms were subsequently genotyped in a population-based cohort of 1,218 unrelated Greenland Inuit subjects, ascertained from the Greenland Population Study. Genotypes and reconstructed haplotypes were tested for association with cardiovascular disease risk factors using additive, dominant or recessive models, corrected for age, sex and body mass index. Results. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms and one 4-base pair deletion were identified in the European sample and were similarly polymorphic in the Greenland Inuit. Independently, variants were not associated with any cardiovascular traits. However, reconstructed rare ATGL haplotypes were associated with increased plasma triglyceride (TG) concentrations compared to the major haplotype under a dominant model (1.21 ±0.7 mmol/L and 1.11 ±0.6 mmol/L, respectively, p=0.006). Conclusions. Rare ATGL haplotypes are associated with increased plasma TG concentrations in the Greenland Inuit.
Urban Market Gardening and Rodent-Borne Pathogenic Leptospira in Arid Zones: A Case Study in Niamey, Niger

Leptospirosis essentially affects human following contact with rodent urine-contaminated water. As such, it was mainly found associated with rice culture, recreational activities and flooding. This is also the reason why it has mainly been investigated in temperate as well as warm and humid regions, while arid zones have been only very occasionally monitored for this disease. In particular, data for West African countries are extremely scarce. Here, we took advantage of an extensive survey of urban rodents in Niamey, Niger, in order to look for rodent-borne pathogenic Leptospira species presence and distribution across the city. To do so, we used high throughput bacterial 16S-based metabarcoding, lipL32 gene-targeting RT-PCR, rrs gene sequencing and VNTR typing as well as GIS-based multivariate spatial analysis. Our results show that leptospires seem absent from the core city where usual Leptospira reservoir rodent species (namely R. rattus and M. natalensis) are yet abundant. On the contrary, L. kirschneri was detected in Arvicanthis niloticus and Cricetomys gambianus, two rodent species that are restricted to irrigated cultures within the city. Moreover, the VNTR profiles showed that rodent-borne leptospires in Niamey belong to previously undescribed serovars. Altogether, our study points towards the importance of market gardening in maintain and circulation of leptospirosis within Sahelian cities. In Africa, irrigated urban agriculture constitutes a pivotal source of food supply, especially in the context of the ongoing extensive urbanization of the continent. With this in mind, we speculate that leptospirosis may represent a zoonotic disease of concern also in arid regions that would deserve to be more rigorously surveyed, especially in urban agricultural settings.
Region-based algorithms for process mining and synthesis of Petri nets

The theory of regions was introduced in the early nineties as a bridge between state-based and event-based specifications. Since then, much attention has been paid to theoretical extensions of this theory, but less advances have appeared in the application domain. This paper provides contributions in both dimensions: the theory of bisimulation-based synthesis from Cortadella {em et al.} is generalized and adapted to the area of Process Mining. On the application domain, efficient methods and data structures to support the synthesis problem are developed, together with a practical implementation. Experiments reported witness the practicality of the approach described in this paper.
A novel six-band hysteresis control of the packed U cells seven-level converter

In this paper, authors propose a novel six-band hysteresis technique to control the seven level packed U cells (PUC) converter which was first introduced in [1]. This converter combines advantages of the flying capacitor and the cascaded H-bridge topologies. The study of the novel converter allows the establishment of the switches gates signals equations. In case of rectifier operation, the proposed six-band controller is designed to draw a sinusoidal line current (load current in case of inverter operation) with a unity power factor. Harmonics contents of line current (or load current) and rectifier input voltage (or inverter output voltage) are then very reduced which permits the reduction of the rating of active and passive filters resulting on a very high energetic efficiency and a reduced installation cost. The proposed concept was verified by simulations performed in the Matlab Simulink and SimPowerSystem environments.
Effect of Nanostructural Inhomogeneities on the Superconducting Characteristics of  $\hbox{MgB}_{2}$ With Enhanced Grain Connectivity

MgB2-based bulk materials synthesized under 30 MPa-2 GPa pressure demonstrated an enhanced connectivity AF ~50%-98%,as compared tomostother reports (below50%), and a shielding fraction of 75%-100%. The materials inhibit high critical current densities jc, but no strict correlation was found between AF and jc. On the other side, we found correlations between jc and the distribution of nanostructural inhomogeneities such as impurity oxygen in the form of oxygen-enriched Mg-B-O nanolayers or nanoinclusions and its solution in the MgB2 matrix and as well with the amount and size of higher magnesium borides MgBx, x ≥ 4 inclusions. The distribution of boron- and oxygen-enriched (as compared to stoichiometric MgB2) inhomogeneities affects the type of pinning and, thus, jc, and to some extent, it can be regulated by synthesis temperatures and pressures and by Ti addition. Auger spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray with Rietveld refinement were used for structural study.
THE ISLAMIC HOME FINANCING IN MALAYSIA ISTISNA’ BASE ON DEBT: QUALITATIVE APPROACH

Malaysia’s Islamic Finance industry had existed for more than thirty (30) years, continues to grow rapidly supported by conducive environment, comprehensive financial structure, and adopted global regulatory and legal best practices. Today, the Islamic finance industry is considered to be a dynamic industry, which is a competitive alternative to conventional financing. This paper attempts to provide an explanation of the method of Islamic home financing in Malaysia, focus on the Shariah compliant modes on home ownership that are currently exist al-istisna’. These contract is defined as a contract to purchase now and for a definite price. Houses that may be manufactured or constructed later, according to agreed specifications. The house under istisna’ is often not available now. However, will be made later by the contractor. Therefore, the focus to enhance al-istisna’ contract theories into application especially for the housing industry. Istisna’ is rightest comparatively to Bai Bithamin Ajil (bba) and Musyarakah Mutanaqisah (mm). The contract does not given the opportunity in the practice. Problems arise such as incomplete housing issues are able to solve by furthering the application of Istisna’. This study uses a qualitative approach. Currently, in Malaysia the Islamic Banks are exercising the most famous form of house financing bba home financing. Bba has started implementing since 1993.While others practice mm. This concept of home financing has been implemented since 2000. Hence this study analyses Istisna’ as an alternative contract. Thus, Istisna’ is an alternative for Islamic home financing.
Predicting the spatial distribution of Ochlerotatus albifasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) abundance with NOAA imagery

Abstract Ochlerotatus albifasciatus is a vector of western equine encephalomyelitis in Argentina and a nuisance mosquito affecting beef and dairy production. The objective of this study was to analyze whether environmental proxy data derived from 1 km resolution NOAA-AVHRR images could be useful as a rapid tool for locating areas with higher potential for Oc. albifasciatus activity at a regional scale. Training sites for mosquito abundance categories were 3.3×3.3 km polygons over sampling sites. Abundance was classified into two categories according to a proposed threshold for economic losses. Data of channels 1, 2, 4 and 5 were used to calculate five biophysical variables: normalized differences vegetation index (NDVI), land surface temperature, total precipitable water, dew point and vapour saturation deficit. A discriminant analysis correctly classified 100% of the areas predicted to be above or below the economic threshold of 2500 mosquitoes per night of capture, respectively. Components of the NDVI, the total precipitable water and the dew point temperature contributed most to the function value. The results suggest that environmental data derived from AVHRR-NOAA could be useful for rapidly identifying adequate areas for mosquito development or activity.
Arecoline Increases Glycolysis and Modulates pH Regulator Expression in HA22T/VGH Hepatoma Cells, Leading to Increase of Intracellular Ca2+, Reactive Oxygen Species, and Anoikis

Background: Cancer cells proliferate rapidly and are resistant to cell death, relying on aggravated glycolysis to satisfy their increased demand for energy and biosynthetic precursors. However, this process may create unfavorable microenvironments, such as increased acidity, leading to cytotoxicity. Our previous study demonstrated that arecoline induces anoikis of HA22T/VGH hepatoma cells. The present study aimed to examine if arecoline induced anoikis is related to the glycolytic pathway and explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods: HA22T/VGH cells were treated with arecoline and changes in the glycolytic end products lactate and ATP, glycolytic-related gene expression, intracellular and extracellular pH, pH-regulating gene expression, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and mitochondrial membrane potential were examined, relative to untreated cells. Cell viability and morphology were also assessed. Results: Arecoline increased lactate and ATP production through induction of glycolytic genes, including glucose transporter 3 (Glut3), hexokinase 1 (HK1), hexokinase 2 (HK2), and pyruvate kinase (PK). The intracellular pH was not changed, despite increased lactate levels, implying that intracellular H+ was exported out of the cells. mRNA expression of pH regulators including monocarboxylate transporter 1 and 4 (MCT 1 and 4), sodium bicarbonate cotransporter 1 (NBC1), carbonic anhydrases (CA) IX and XII and vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) were down-regulated. Na+/H+ exchanger 1 (NHE1) mRNA levels remained unchanged while Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) was up-regulated and eventually [Ca2+]i was increased. ROS generation was increased and mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased followed by cell detachment and death. Addition of 2-deoxy-d-glucose, a glucose competitor that interferes with glycolysis, attenuated arecoline induction of lactate [Ca2+]i, ROS and cell detachment. Similarly, ROS scavengers could block the effects of arecoline. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that arecoline induced glycolysis and modulated the mRNA expression of pH-regulator genes in HA22T/VGH cells. This phenomenon led to the elevation of [Ca2+]i, ROS generation, and subsequent cell detachment.
Marketing research, market orientation and customer relationship management: a framework and implications for service providers

Purpose – As service organizations continue to expand internationally, the need to be able to understand consumers in faraway places is increasing. Marketing research is a key mechanism through which service companies understand their current as well as potential customers. As service organizations contemplate the global marketplace, there is increasing demand for managers to understand customer behavior in multiple countries. This article aims to discuss the importance of market research information in developing a market orientation and its impact on international service organizations.Design/methodology/approach – Extant literature is reviewed and discussed pertaining to the interrelationships between market research, market orientation and customer relationship management (CRM)‐related issues. Conceptual models are presented to illustrate the interrelationships between these streams of research.Findings – Several anecdotal and case examples are used to illustrate the essential linkages between market .
Excessive Credit and Bank Risk

This paper analyzes whether it is reasonable to base the regulatory measure of countercyclical capital buffer on the credit-to-GDP gap. While the credit gap has been found to be a good predictor for banking crises, it remains ambiguous whether this high probability of financial distress in times of excessive credit is due to an ‘exogenous’ increase in banks’ contribution to systemic risk arising from the economic context or whether banks actively change their behavior by choosing higher asset risk. We find a positive correlation between bank systemic risk and excessive credit that continues to be present once we control for the economic context in terms of asset price booms and the economic perspective. Additionally, we find higher bank asset risk for an increasing credit-to-GDP gap. These results suggest that banks domiciled in credit booming economies actively choose a riskier asset structure rather than suffer solely from increasing systemic risk arising from exogenous factors.