Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE RATE AND PATTERN OF CLADOGENESIS IN MICROBES

Abstract Theories of macroevolution rarely have been extended to include microbes; however, because microbes represent the most ancient and diverse assemblage of organismal diversity, such oversight limits our understanding of evolutionary history. Our analysis of phylogenetic trees for microbes suggests that macroevolution may differ between prokaryotes and both micro- and macroeukaryotes (mainly plants and animals). Phylogenetic trees inferred for prokaryotes and some microbial eukaryotes conformed to expectations assuming a constant rate of cladogenesis over time and among lineages; nevertheless, microbial eukaryote trees exhibited more variation in rates of cladogenesis than prokaryote trees. We hypothesize that the contrast of macroevolutionary dynamics between prokaryotes and many eukaryotes is due, at least in part, to differences in the prevalence of lateral gene transfer (LGT) between the two groups. Inheritance is predominantly, if not wholly, vertical within eukaryotes, a feature that allows for the emergence and maintenance of heritable variation among lineages. By contrast, frequent LGT in prokaryotes may ameliorate heritable variation in rate of cladogenesis resulting from the emergence of key innovations; thus, the inferred difference in macroevolution might reflect exclusivity of key innovations in eukaryotes and their promiscuous nature in prokaryotes.
An inquiry on Regional Trade Integration and Trade Potentials

Regional trade agreements (RTAs) have surged in a context of stalled multilateral trade negotiations. This doctoral thesis intends to advance scientific knowledge in the field. Thus, thanks to a gravity model theoretical framework, three chapters of applied empirical econometrics analysis have been completed. The first chapter examines the effects of RTAs, the Generalized System of Preference (GSP) and World Trade Organization memberships on bilateral trade flows. I put into practice different econometric specifications and estimation methods, notably Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood (PPML), which is the one that better seems to contend with well-known biases and endogeneity problems. I conduct this research with an international trade gravity model estimated across 153 countries from the year 1980 to 2012.I consistently found a strong positive impact of regional trade agreement RTAs on most specifications and low or non-significant results for WTO membership. The estimates from the PPML method that includes controls for unobserved heterogeneity show non-significant effects of the Generalized System of Preference (GSP) on trade.The second chapter, co-authored with my supervisor Jean-Marc Siroen, explores the effect of heterogeneity of RTAs in the scope of deep integration. We intend to determine if deeper RTAs promote trade more effectively than less ambitious agreements. We make use of two recently available data sets from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Trade Institute (WTI-DESTA) to generate credible indicators of deep integration. Additive and Multiple Correspondence Analysis derived indicators for the depth of the agreements are then computed and their significance is tested in a gravity model. We find that deeper agreements increase trade more than shallow ones, whereas the provisions they included are within or outside of the WTO domain.The third chapter investigates the existence of trade potentials between Colombia and the EU. I obtain in-sample predictions after the estimation of a gravity model with the Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood estimator. I control for unobserved omitted variable bias by the inclusion of exporter and importer time varying fixed effects, and run a series of sensitivity analysis.Untapped trade potentials are found between Colombia and a group of EU countries in both directions of the trade flows. Exports from Colombia have a gap to bridge with Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Sweden. In the other direction, Sweden, Ireland, Finland and Poland have an interesting margin to gain in the Colombian market.
NMDA receptor‐mediated metaplasticity during the induction of long‐term depression by low‐frequency stimulation

Metaplasticity refers to the activity‐dependent modification of the ability of synapses to undergo subsequent synaptic plasticity. Here, we have addressed the question of whether metaplasticity contributes to the induction of long‐term depression (LTD) by low‐frequency stimulation (LFS). The experiments were conducted using standard extracellular recording techniques in stratum radiatum of area CA1 in hippocampal slices made from adult Sprague–Dawley rats. The degree of LTD induction was found to be a nonlinear function of the number of pulses during a 1‐Hz LFS. Little LTD was observed following 600 or 900 pulses, but a significant LTD occurred following 1200 pulses of LFS, whether delivered in one episode, or in two bouts of 600 pulses given 10 min apart. A similar pattern was observed for 3 Hz LFS. The data support the suggestion that pulses occurring early in the LFS train prime synapses for LTD induction, as triggered by later occurring stimuli. The priming effect lasted at least 120 min, when tested by giving two bouts of 1 Hz LFS (600 pulses each) at different intervals. Neither heterosynaptic nor homosynaptic stimulation by itself was sufficient to prime LTD. However, a combination of the stimuli, induced by increased stimulus strength during the LFS, appeared necessary for inducing the effect. An N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist markedly reduced total LTD induction, regardless of whether it was administered during the first or second LFS in a protocol employing two bouts of 600 pulse LFS, 30 min apart. These findings strongly support the hypothesis that NMDA receptor‐dependent metaplasticity processes contribute to the induction of LTD during standard LFS protocols.
Technical Correspondence: On the Utility of Computing Inferences in Data Base Query Systems

As Joshi and Kaplan suspected (point 3), the users of this system did indeed thoroughly understand the data base. This makes quite a difference in thinking about the relative importance of facilities in a natural language query system. In particular, such users tend to check strange answers, so that a reply of "no" , as in their point 4, would p robab ly result in an additional question of " H o w many parcels . "
Regional Brain Atrophy in Patients With Mild Alzheimer's Disease and Delusions

Background and Objective: The pathophysiology and the neurobiology of the behavioral disturbances in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are far from understood. The aim of the study was to assess whether delusional AD patients have a specific pattern of regional brain atrophy. Methods: The setting of the study was the outpatients facility of a memory clinic. Subjects were 41 AD patients with mild dementia severity (Mini-Mental State Exam score of 22 ± 3, range 18 to 27). Delusions were assessed with the pertinent subscale of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Nondelusional (n = 22) AD and delusional (n = 19) AD were defined on the basis of absence (NPI delusions subscale = 0) or presence (NPI delusions subscale = 1 or higher) of delusions. Thirteen (68%) of the delusional patients had isolated theft delusions, and 6 (32%) had theft associated with another paranoid delusion (of jealousy or persecution). None of the patients had misidentifications or other delusions of nonparanoid content. Temporal lobe and frontal lobe atrophy were assessed with linear measures (radial width of the temporal horn, rWTH, and frontal index, FI) taken from computed tomographic films. Temporal and frontal asymmetries were computed as right/left ratio of the rWTH and FI. Results: AD patients without delusions had symmetrical enlargement of both temporal (8.1 ± 3.9 vs. 8.5 ± 4.5) and frontal horns (35.8 ± 4.8 vs. 35.9 ± 4.6). On the contrary, AD with delusions showed temporal horns larger to the right (9.1 ± 3.3 vs. 7.7 ± 3.1, p = .06) and the frontal horn to the left (35.7 ± 4.3 vs. 37.5 ± 4.2, p = .02). This different pattern was confirmed with a gender-adjusted repeated measures analysis of variance model (interaction term between asymmetry and group: F1,38 = 5.5, p = .03). Discussion: AD patients with delusions are characterized by a specific pattern of frontal and temporal asymmetry of brain atrophy, whereas nondelusional patients are symmetric. Because the asymmetry pattern of the delusional patients is similar to the physiological pattern of asymmetry of individuals without dementia, the data indicate that the absence of theft delusions in the mild stage of AD rather than their presence is associated with an abnormal asymmetry pattern.
Multi-strategy tracking based text detection in scene videos

Text detection and tracking in scene videos are important prerequisites for content-based video analysis and retrieval, wearable camera systems and mobile devices augmented reality translators. Here, we present a novel multi-strategy tracking based text detection approach in scene videos. In this approach, a state-of-the-art scene text detection module [1] is first used to detect text in each video frame. Then a multi-strategy text tracking technique is proposed, which uses tracking by detection, spatio-temporal context learning, and linear prediction to predict the candidate text location sequentially, and adaptively integrates and selects the best matching text block from the candidate blocks with a rule-based method. This multi-strategy tracking technique can combine the advantages of the three different tracking techniques and afterwards make remedies to the disadvantages of them. Experiments on a variety of scene videos show that our proposed approach is effective and robust to reduce false alarm and improve the accuracy of detection.
Peer Review of Teaching in Web-based Courses in Nursing

With the explosion of college-level Web-based courses, concern has arisen about the quality of online courses. Peer review of online courses is one method of ensuring that these courses meet the highest standards. Although numerous colleges and universities use peer review for classroom presentations, clinical experiences, and course materials, peer review of an online course may require a different type of expertise. This article describes the process for conducting a peer review of teaching in Web-based courses and explains how documentation of peer review of an online course can be used for faculty development, promotion and tenure decisions, curriculum decisions, and program review.
Vascular Responses to Endothelin-1, Angiotensin-II, and U46619 in Glycerol-Induced Acute Renal Failure

Angiotensin II and endothelin-1, major endogenous vasoconstrictors in acute renal failure (ARF), can modulate the effects of each other. This study aimed to evaluate the interaction between these vasoconstrictors in glycerol-induced ARF by evaluating their effects in the isolated perfused kidney in the presence of their respective antagonists. In ARF, angiotensin II (2.5–25 ng) caused an increase in perfusion pressure. Saralasin, 1 &mgr;M, a nonselective angiotensin receptor antagonist, reduced these responses by 61± 6% (p < 0.05). Surprisingly, SQ29548, 1 &mgr;M, a selective PGH 2 /thromboxane A 2 receptor blocker, also reduced angiotensin II responses (62 ± 4%; p < 0.05). BQ610 1 &mgr;M, an ET A -selective receptor antagonist, was without effect, but BQ788 1 &mgr;M, an ET B -selective antagonist, attenuated the response by 70 ± 4% (p < 0.05). In ARF, in contrast to angiotensin II, vasoconstriction by endothelin-1 (5–25 ng) was diminished. Saralasin further attenuated endothelin-1 response by 65 ± 2% (p < 0.05), whereas SQ29548 was without effect. BQ788 reduced the responses by 67 ± 7% (p < 0.05), whereas BQ610 was without effect (42 ± 30%; p > 0.05). BQ610 and BQ788 combination further reduced vasoconstriction by 89 ± 3% (p < 0.05). Responses to U46619 were not changed in ARF. However, saralasin and BQ788, but not BQ610, attenuated its vasoconstrictor action. We conclude that vascular responses in ARF may be attributed to enhanced responses to angiotensin II through activation of ET B and/or PGH 2 /thromboxane A 2 receptors. We also suggest that the vasoconstrictor response to endothelin-1 in ARF is predominantly ET B receptor-mediated.
Climate change risks on protected areas ecotourism: shocks and stressors perspectives in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania

ABSTRACT Protected areas are increasingly becoming important sites for ecotourism worldwide. Due to the high dependence on climate and natural ecosystems, protected areas ecotourism is, however, considered to be at risk of climate change. This study was conducted between January 2012 and April 2014 in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area with the aim of identifying climate related shocks and stressors and implied effects on ecotourism. Along with this aim, the study assessed ecotourism stakeholders’ awareness and perceptions on climate change in the area. It was found through focus group discussion and semi-structured interview that recurrent droughts, political unrests in a neighbouring country, global terrorism and disease outbreaks have been the key shocks. It was found further that water shortages, vegetation change, biodiversity loss and recurrent livestock and human diseases are the key stressors. Understanding these provides grounds for conducting an in-depth vulnerability assessment and developing adaptation strategies for ecotourism.
Finite-time attitude control of aircrafts based on the extended state observer

This paper considers the finite-time control problem for aircrafts with uncertainty. The dynamic model used here is in terms of Euler angles which can be obtained easily. The extended state observer (ESO) is designed to estimate the lumped uncertainty of the system. Based on this, the finite-time controller is designed by using the backstepping method. It proved that the state of the closed-loop system is bounded and the tracking error converges to a small neighborhood of the origin in a finite time, and the radius of the neighborhood and the settling time can be regulated by tuning the design parameters. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed control methods.
Relations between Volatility and Returns of Exchange Traded Funds of Emerging Markets and of USA

This paper investigates linkages between equity returns and transmission and persistence of volatilities between US and selected key emerging countries during 2012. The data set consists of daily returns of exchange traded funds (ETF) of Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, S. Korea, Turkey and US. The results of the analysis indicate the existence of significant co-movement of returns among all ETFs, as well as transmission and persistence of volatilities of most emerging markets, with the exception of Turkey and Russia, where the volatilities were unaffected by volatilities of other markets. Turkeyi¯s volatility was only transmitted to Indonesia. The findings also indicate that the US market volatility was only transmitted to Indonesia and not to any other market, and the only market whose volatility was transmitted to the US was that of Mexico. The presence of spillovers among stock marketsi¯ return series and persistence of volatilities is indicative of efficiency (or inefficiency) in stock markets, and therefore, is useful to investors interested in diversifying their portfolios.
Randomized Clinical Trial of an Internet-Based Depression Prevention Program for Adolescents (Project CATCH-IT) in Primary Care: 12-Week Outcomes

Objective: The authors sought to evaluate 2 approaches with varying time and complexity in engaging adolescents with an Internet-based preventive intervention for depression in primary care. The authors conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing primary care physician motivational interview (MI, 5–10 minutes) + Internet program versus brief advice (BA, 1–2 minutes) + Internet program. Setting: Adolescent primary care patients in the United States, aged 14 to 21 years. Participants: Eighty-four individuals (40% non-white) at increased risk for depressive disorders (subthreshold depressed mood >3–4 weeks) were randomly assigned to either the MI group (n = 43) or the BA group (n = 40). Main Outcome Measures: Patient Health Questionnaire-Adolescent and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES–D). Results: Both groups substantially engaged the Internet site (MI, 90.7% vs BA 77.5%). For both groups, CES–D-10 scores declined (MI, 24.0 to 17.0, p < .001; BA, 25.2 to 15.5, p < .001). The percentage of those with clinically significant depression symptoms based on CES–D-10 scores declined in both groups from baseline to 12 weeks, (MI, 52% to 12%, p < .001; BA, 50% to 15%, p < .001). The MI group demonstrated declines in self-harm thoughts and hopelessness and was significantly less likely than the BA group to experience a depressive episode (4.65% vs 22.5%, p = .023) or to report hopelessness (MI group of 2% vs 15% for the BA group, p = .044) by 12 weeks. Conclusions: An Internet-based prevention program in primary care is associated with declines in depressed mood and the likelihood of having clinical depression symptom levels in both groups. Motivational interviewing in combination with an Internet behavior change program may reduce the likelihood of experiencing a depressive episode and hopelessness.
Alterations in Tumor DNA Are Related to Short Postoperative Survival in Patients Resected for Pancreatic Carcinoma Aimed at Cure

Objectives Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) are found in more than 85% of patients with pancreatic cancer and with 5-year survival of less than 10%. Effective treatment may be radical surgery, which is hampered by rapid relapse. Therefore, our aim was to compare DNA sequence alterations in patients with short and long survival to evaluate if confirmed DNA alterations predict short postoperative survival. Methods DNA was extracted from tumor tissue from 59 PDAC patients, analyzed for KRAS mutations, and hybridized to 180 K CGH + SNP microarrays and 450 K methylation arrays. Analyses were based on postoperative survival where less than 12 months was considered to be short survival and more than 18 months was considered long survival. Results Ninety-three percent of the patients had KRAS mutations in tumor DNA. Great heterogeneity of whole genome DNA sequence alterations were observed among chromosomes within the patient materials. Specific DNA sequence alterations did not directly predict postoperative survival, although short survivors had significantly more and larger DNA amplifications (P < 0.006). Amplifications on chromosome 11 and 21 and deletions on chromosome 2 predicted short postoperative survival (P < 0.03). DNA methylation was not related to survival. Conclusions Highly variable genetic differences among DNA regions in PDAC tumors were demonstrated. Postoperative short survival was related to tumor sequence DNA alterations on chromosome 2, 11, and 21.
TWIK‐1, a ubiquitous human weakly inward rectifying K+ channel with a novel structure.

A new human weakly inward rectifying K+ channel, TWIK‐1, has been isolated. This channel is 336 amino acids long and has four transmembrane domains. Unlike other mammalian K+ channels, it contains two pore‐forming regions called P domains. Genes encoding structural homologues are present in the genome of Caenorhabditis elegans. TWIK‐1 currents expressed in Xenopus oocytes are time‐independent and present a nearly linear I‐V relationship that saturated for depolarizations positive to O mV in the presence of internal Mg2+. This inward rectification is abolished in the absence of internal Mg2+. TWIK‐1 has a unitary conductance of 34 pS and a kinetic behaviour that is dependent on the membrane potential. In the presence of internal Mg2+, the mean open times are 0.3 and 1.9 ms at −80 and +80 mV, respectively. The channel activity is up‐regulated by activation of protein kinase C and down‐regulated by internal acidification. Both types of regulation are indirect. TWIK‐1 channel activity is blocked by Ba2+(IC50=100 microM), quinine (IC50=50 microM) and quinidine (IC50=95 microM). This channel is of particular interest because its mRNA is widely distributed in human tissues, and is particularly abundant in brain and heart. TWIK‐1 channels are probably involved in the control of background K+ membrane conductances.
Double-gate field emitters with planar carbon-nanoparticle cathodes: simulation studies

Simulation studies for the field electron emission from double-gate emitters with planar cathodes were carried out for various double gate geometries and bias configurations using the finite-element method, Fowler-Nordheim's field emission equation, and the equation of motion. Simulation results clearly demonstrated that simply grounding the second gate adjacent to the grounded cathode was sufficient for the substantial reduction of the main gate current. However, it was found that the details of the double gate geometries, such as lateral dimension of the second gate could influence the electron emission a great deal. A comparison between the experimentally measured emission characteristics and the simulation results was presented for a double gate emitter with a planar carbon-nanoparticle cathode.
Fenomena Market Overreaction di Bursa Efek Indonesia

This research examines the market overreaction in Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2009 to 2013. The population in this research are all of the companies that list in Indonesia Stock Exchange. The sample are stocks which are belonging to active stocks, it is determined by purposive sampling method. Market overreaction are measured by abnormal return and indicated with ACAR loser portfolio outperformed of ACAR winner portfolio. The result on quarterly period, semester period, and year period showed that loser portfolio outperformed winner portfolio. Value of the statistic tasting with one sample t test more than 0,05. This research concluded that there are market overreaction in Indonesia Stock Exchange and it’s not happens constantly
Development of a magnetic resonance elastic microscope system

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a method that can visualize the propagating acoustic strain waves in elastic materials under mechanical excitation. The local quantitative values of shear modulus are derived from the acquired data. The MRE could improve early detection of pathology because it is known that malignant tumors tend to be much harder than normal tissues and most benign tumors. In order to observe tissues such as the early stage of tumors in mouse embryo, spatial resolution of the MRE image is not enough because of hardware limitation of the conventional MRI system. We developed the elasticity measurement system using the MR microscope which spatial resolution is about 200 mm. The external vibration system and MR pulse sequences are developed for an MR elastic microscope. Experiments were performed with homogeneous and heterogeneous agarose gel phantoms. These results suggest the developed MR elastic microscope system makes it possible to generate image that depict distribution of stiffness.
Power allocation with max-min fairness for cognitive radio networks

In this paper, we study power allocation strategy of the cognitive radio (CR) system. In a CR system the user has different channel condition. So, different amount of power resource is required to meets the QoS request. In order to guarantee the fairness of each CR user and limit the interference that is caused by CR users within the range into the level that primary user can tolerate, we proposed a new power allocation scheme. The target is to maximize the minimum signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) among all CR users. This power allocation scheme can be formulated using Geometric Programming (GP). Since GP problem is equivalent to the convex optimization problem, we can obtain the optimal solutions for the allocation scheme. Simulation results shows that proposed scheme can efficiently guarantee the fairness of CR users under the QoS constraint of the primary user.