Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Newcastle Disease Virus ( NDV ) Iraqi Strain AD 2141 Induces DNA Damage and FasL in Cancer Cell Lines

The oncolytic viruses are promising form of cancer therapy which is based on the selectively killing of the cancer cells. This study was aimed to investigate the role of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) Iraqi strain AD2141 in apoptosis. Firstly, the virulence of AD2141 was detected in embryonated chicken eggs after 48hrs of infection. It was observed a hemorrhage in the skin of infected embryos that led to death. Then, the ability of this strain for regression cancer cell lines was examined. By using cytotoxicity test, it was found 128 HAU/ml of AD2141 had a potent inhibition against growth of RD and AMN3 after 72hrs of exposure time; the inhibition rate was 86.8% and 86.98% respectively. Moreover, the apoptotic activity of AD2141 was examined by comet assay. A significant induction of DNA damage in cancer cells was determined after 48hrs of exposure time; the average DNA tail length in RD, AMN3, and AMGM was 55.46, 79.1, and 84.4 respectively, and the percentage of apoptosis in treated RD, AMN-3, and AMGM was 78%, 92%, and 94% respectively. Furthermore, the concentration of Journal of Biology and Life Science ISSN 2157-6076 2014, Vol. 5, No. 1 www.macrothink. org/jbls 2 FasL in treated and untreated cells was measured by immunofluoresent technique. FasL was elevated particularly in treated human cancer cell lines, RD and AMGM; it was 62.5pg/ml and 31.25pg/ml respectively. From these results, it can be concluded that NDV Iraqi strain AD2141 is a velogenic type; it caused death in infected chicken embryos. In addition it is an oncolytic virus due to induced apoptosis by damaging DNA and elevating FasL concentration in human cancer cells.
Effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy on Insulin Resistance in Postmenopausal Women

The mean age was 50.6±6.4 (ranged between 37-59) years. The mean pretreatment level of M value was 3.3 ±0.6 mg/kg/min while the same value after 3 months' hormone re­ placement therapy was 4,54 ±0.9 mg/kg/min (p<0.001). The M value, which was the main objective of our study, was in­ creased 28% by HRT (p<0.001). Additionally, HRT caused sig­ nificant decreases in the levels of low density lipoprotein cho­ lesterol (p<0.044), total cholesterol (p<0.016), serum insulin (p<0.022), and an increase in high density cholesterol (p<0.009) level while there were no statistically significant changes in the levels of C-peptide, glycaemia and triglyceride (p>0.05).
Reverse phase HPLC estimation of antioxidants and antimicrobial activities of Clerodendrum colebrookianum Walp

Methanol crude leaf extract and its solvent fraction were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity, total phenolics, total flavonoid and antimicrobial activity. Solvent fractionation was done by liquid-liquid partition with hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water and get fraction of hexane, ethyl acetate, nbutanol and residual water respectively. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Reducing power. For antimicrobial activity, samples were tested for its potent antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria such as Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus, and gram-negative bacteria viz. Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Among the fractions, n-butanol fraction which had the highest polyphenolic content showed an appreciable DPPH radical scavenging activity (EC50 = 43.49 ± 1.95 μg/mL) as compared to the others fractions. The content of gallic acid, rutin, quercetin and kaempferol in extracts were evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Ethyl acetate fraction showed remarkable effect on B. cereus at low concentration MIC, 1.5 mg/ml. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of different types of compound like alkaloids, carbohydrate, phenols and flavonoids and saponin, which might be responsible for antioxidant and antimicrobial activity.
Immunoinformatic prediction about potential novel vaccine in surface antigen fragment protein of Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasmosis is one of the most widespread infections in animals and humans. The Toxoplasma gondii major surface antigen, called SAG1 or p30, is a highly immunogenic protein which has generated great interest as a diagnostic reagent, as a potential subunit vaccine, and for its role in invasion. In this study, the epitopes of Toxoplasma gondii SAG1 were identified using bioinformatics. Through the analysis of the out¬put of both NetCTL and CTLPred, and B-cell epitope prediction, the position of all the epitopes were found and combined in four sequences. The different tasks including, T-cell and B-cell prediction, Antigenicity determination of the conserved peptides, Homology modeling, Allergenicity and epitope conservancy analysis were done on the conserved peptides. We predict that our proposed epitopes would also trigger an immune response in vitro. Immunoinformatic prediction about potential novel vaccine in surface antigen fragment protein of Toxoplasma gondii
Macroeconomic Shocks and the Government Debt Dynamics: An Updated Czech experience

This paper studies how macroeconomic shocks affect the government debt dynamics in a small and highly open economy of the Czech Republic. Applying this modeling approach to the Czech data ranging from 2000 to 2014, the author derive some implications for fiscal policy. The modeling framework includes structural vector autoregression (SVAR) model with debt feedback, estimated using short-term identification restrictions, and non-linear specification of the government debt dynamics. The considered model variables are GDP, inflation, the effective interest rate on government debt, government revenues and expenditures, the exchange rate and government debt. The model estimation is carried out using the Bayesian approach. According to the results, allowing for a non-linear dynamics in the government debt to GDP ratio could imply stronger persistence and higher volatility in the responses of government indebtedness to macroeconomic shocks. Further, the fiscal stance of the Czech Republic seems to be most vulnerable to unexpected depreciation of the Czech crown, discretionary pro-cyclical increases in government expenditures and decrease in government revenues.
Enhancing Tourism Intermediaries with the Data Mining Process

Data mining has received extensive research attention in the tourism industry owing to its benefit for managing large and complex buyer behavior in the industry. For tourism industry, the value of database pertaining to customer relationship management is increasingly addressed. This study examined the application of data mining for customer relationship management in the tourism industry in Taiwan. A qualitative method was employed to explore the perceptions of managers from the travel agencies. The findings suggested a proposed data mining process for travel agencies to develop long-term relationships with customers in the tourism industry.
Ricardian equivalence for sub-national states

The authors test Ricardian equivalence within an endogenous growth model for U.S. states, which have high rates of migration relative to most countries. Results are consistent with both Ricardian equivalence and endogenous growth, despite the relative ease of migration. Increases in productive government expenditures increase long-run real growth by the same amount, for example, whether financed by taxes or bonds. State rules limiting the use of bond financing may play a role in supporting Ricardian equivalence. The study provides the first explicit test of Ricardian equivalence for sub-national states in the context of an endogenous growth model.
Ultrastructural Responses of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) Plants Irrigated by Treated and Untreated Sewage Water

Faba bean (Vicia faba L. cv. ‘Giza 2’) seeds were cultivated in untreated (effluent) and treated (influent) sewage water, while control seeds were cultivated in tap water. The ultrastructure of 9-week old leaves and roots was investigated. The effects of biotic agents (fungal endophyte and/or a fungal pathogen(s)) and heavy metals were also demonstrated. Chloroplasts from plants growing in effluent water exhibited ill-defined thylakoids in a very dense stroma whereas those from plants growing in influent sewage water displayed a normal ultrastructure compared to control stroma. Moreover, transmission electron micrographs showed other effects such as advanced vacuolation, dilated rough-endoplasmic-reticulum cisternae and separation of the plasma membrane from the cell wall. Dense cytoplasm rich in ribosomes and lipids, small vacuoles with electron-dense granules was also observed. The common host reactions to the invading fungus were also investigated. Intracellular penetration of the epidermal, cortical, and mesophyll cells by fungal hyphae was also observed. In addition, the host cell wall had a loosely organized fibrillar appearance at the contact sites with the fungal hyphae. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The use of the risk percentile curve in the analysis of epidemiologic data

Economists and social scientists have used percentilebased curves, e.g., the Lorenz curve, to summarize data from positive random variables, especially skewed data such as income. Measures of interest, e.g., the Gini index of relative inequality, correspond to areas defined by the curves. In this paper we explore the usefulness of risk-percentile and related curves in epidemiology, especially when the exposure data is skewed. These curves are defined and risk measures, e.g. the population attributable risk are related to areas under them for data from either a cohort or a case-control study. Regression spline methods of estimating these curves are used as they do not require a pre-specified risk model. The concepts are illustrated by analyzing data from a cohort study of dietary red meat consumption and all-cause mortality and a case-control study of serum homocysteine level and colorectal cancer. These examples show that the risk percentile curves often are more useful than presenting the risk as a function of the raw exposure data as the later graph is often dominated by the tails when the data is skewed. Furthermore, the risk percentile curve is more informative than the commonly used method of presenting the average risk in categories defined by several fixed percentiles such as quartiles or quintiles. Indeed, the risk averages for these categories can be obtained from the risk-percentile curve.
Ecosystem-level consequences of movement: seasonal variation in the trophic impact of a top predator

Spatio-temporal patterns of species abundance influence the strength of trophic interactions, while movement of individuals helps determine those patterns of abundance. Thus, understanding movement is a basis for quantifying interactions within a food web. In Puget Sound, Washington, USA, the North Pacific spiny dogfish Squalus suckleyi is an abundant top predator with a diverse, generalist diet. Coastal dogfish populations make seasonal north-south migrations, but populations in inland waters are thought to be more resident. In this study, we combined acoustic telemetry and bioenergetics modeling to determine patterns of movement and to quantify seasonal variation in the predatory impact of dogfish in Puget Sound. All tagged dogfish migrated out of Puget Sound in the winter and were absent until the following summer. Individuals that returned to Puget Sound in subsequent years showed consistent timing and duration of residence across years, but these metrics varied across individuals. Incorporating movement data into the bioenergetics model resulted in a 70% decrease in the predatory impact of dogfish in the winter and a 30 % decrease in the summer, compared to a year-round resident Puget Sound population. Incorporating metrics of movement into food web or ecosystem models will increase our understanding of species interactions and will improve our ability to predict changes in food web dynamics under various environmental and management scenarios.
University-Industry Collaboration and Regional Innovation Systems in East Asia: An Overview

University-industry collaboration has had an extensive history (Bower, 1993) and there has been a considerable increase in these types of partnerships in recent years in areas like East Asia (Duggan, 1997; Powers, 2003; Caloghirou et al, 2001; Baldwin and Link, 1998; Mansfield, 1998). Such an increase is believed to be due to a combination of pressures on both universities and industry (Meyer-Krahmer and Schmock, 1998; Santoro, 2000). For universities pressures include rising costs, funding and the growth of new knowledge – these have resulted in resource pressures on universities who have sought relationships with industry to maintain subject area market leadership (Hagen, 2002; Nimtz et al, 1995). For industry pressures include global competition, short product life cycles and technological change (which have transformed their competitive environment) (Ali, 1994; Bettis and Hitt, 1995). Due to societal pressure on universities they are seen as “engines for economic growth” in East Asia rather than their past social remit (Blumenthal, 2003; Cohen et al, 1998). Pressures such as these have led to university-industry collaborations for the enhancement of economic competitiveness and innovation in East Asia (Ankrah, 2007). Within this context Autio and Laamanen (1995) talk about “the ability to recognise technical problems, the ability to develop new concepts and tangible solutions to technical problems, the concepts and tangibles developed to solve technical problems, and the ability to exploit the concepts and tangibles in an effective way” (p. 647). Further to this, knowledge transfer is considered different to technology transfer since knowledge transfer is a wider set of activities than technology transfer (Gopalakrishnan and Santoro, 2004). Technology transfer is viewed as an exchange process by Burati and Penco (2001) where a collaborative venture transpires involving a technology donor and recipient working in ABSTRACT
Fisheye Lens for Image Processing Applications

We have developed a miniature fisheye lens with $190^{\circ}$ field of view operating simultaneously in the visible and the near infrared wavelengths. The modulation transfer function characteristic for the visible wavelength is sufficient for a mega-pixel-grade image sensor. The lens also has a fair resolution in the infrared wavelength region. The calibrated $f-{\theta}$ distortion is less than 5%, and the relative illumination is over 90%. In consequence, a sharp wide-angle image can be obtained which is uniform in brightness over the entire range of field angles. The real image heights for the visible and the near infrared wavelengths have been fitted to polynomial functions of incidence angle with sub-pixel accuracies. Combined with the near equidistance projection scheme of the lens, this lens can be advantageously employed in various image-processing applications requiring a wide-angle lens.
Title Modal Parameter Tuning of an Axisymmetric Resonator via Mass Perturbation Permalink

This paper reports the permanent frequency mismatch reduction of the primary wineglass modes in a planar axisymmetric resonator by strategic mass loading. The resonator consists of a set of concentric rings that are affixed to neighboring rings by a staggered system of spokes. The outer layers of spokes are targets for mass deposition. The paper develops modified ring equations that guide the mass perturbation process and despite the fact that the deposited mass and deposition locations are quantized, it is possible to systematically reduce the frequency difference of the wineglass modes to effective degeneracy such that two modes cannot be distinguished in a frequency response plot. Results on five resonators are reported with nominal wineglass modes near 14 kHz, quality factors of 50 k, and frequency mismatches exceeding 30 Hz in some cases but with post-perturbation mismatches smaller than 80 mHz. Furthermore, it is also shown that the quality factors remain unchanged.
Seed dispersal in six species of terrestrial orchids in Biebrza National Park (NE Poland)

Knowledge about seed dispersal is required to explain problems in ecology, phylogeography, and conservation biology. Even though seed dispersal is a fundamental mechanism to understand problems at different levels of biological organization (individual, population, species, landscape), it remains one of the least recognized processes. Similar to other groups of plants, very little is known regarding patterns and distances of seed dispersal in orchids. Orchid seeds are generally assumed to be widely dispersed by wind because of their small size and low weight. Between 2006 and 2008, we conducted a field study of the distances at which orchid seeds are dispersed, and determined factors affecting dispersal. Investigations included 13 populations of six terrestrial orchid species – Cypripedium calceolus , Cephalanthera rubra , Epipactis helleborine , Goodyera repens , Neottia ovata , and Platanthera bifolia . To evaluate seed dispersal in orchid populations, 8.5-cm Petri dishes (traps) with self-adhesive paper were placed along transects, starting from a group of fruiting plants, which were considered to be the dispersal source. Seeds of the investigated orchid species were dispersed over relatively short distances. There were statistically significant negative correlations between seed density and distance from the fruiting plants. Seeds of species with taller fruiting shoots were dispersed farther than those with shorter ones ( R = 0.68, p < 0.05). We discuss the causes and consequences of the dispersal patterns of orchid seeds.
CONSERVATION LAWS AND HAMILTONIAN STRUCTURE FOR A NONLINEAR INTEGRABLE COUPLINGS OF GUO SOLITON HIERARCHY

In this paper, based on the rudimentary knowledge of the nonlinear integrable couplings, we establish a scheme for constructing nonlinear integrable Hamiltonian couplings of soliton hierarchy. Variational identities over the corresponding loop algebras are used to ofier Hamiltonian structures for the resulting integrable couplings. As an application, we use this method to obtain a nonlinear integrable couplings and Hamiltonian structure of the Guo hierarchy. Finally, we present the conservation laws for the nonlinear integrable couplings of the Guo soliton hierarchy.
CS 674 Project Template-based Parametric Musculoskeletal Surface Fitting

In solving the parametric surface fitting problem, we are given a set of data points or a connected mesh from the object that we are modeling. The desired output is a fair parametric surface which is close to the target data. Here the closeness is defined by the weighted sum of the distances between these two surfaces. The distance can either be the point to point distance or the distance from one point to the surface. Various methods have been investigated for solving data fitting problem. There are basically two approaches to find a parametric surface given data points, interpolation and approximation. While the data is noisy or not dense enough, approximation might give better result than interpolation. Allen et al developed an effective template fitting method based on an energy-minimization framework to fit high resolution templates to 3D scan data [1]. A novel and accurate shape-preserving remeshing algorithm was proposed by Kraevoy and Sheffer, which uses a new mapping function. [2] analyzes the difficulties in surface fitting such as parameterization and smoothness constraints and proposed strategies and a robust algorithm. In this project, a bicubic B-spline surface is fit to the data mesh using a least-square algorithm with smoothness constraints accounting for insufficient data points. A B-spline surface is pre-defined, which approximates the object geometry and represents our knowledge about the target. This initial surface can be used to fit different data meshes, which generates object specific retults. We name it as a template.
Research and Discussions on the Method of Video Tracking on In-depth Learning

In recent years, in-depth learning has developed rapidly, which overturns the idea of algorithm design in the fields of speech recognition, image classification and text comprehension. Because of its strong feature extraction ability, in-depth learning is especially outstanding in the field of image recognition. However, there is not much combination between in-depth learning and video monitoring. Because the depth model has multi-layer network structure and the complexity of algorithm, it is time-consuming to train and update the model, it is difficult to meet the real-time requirement. This paper reviews the development history of in-depth learning, introduces the main models of in-depth learning at home and abroad in recent 10 years, discusses the target tracking algorithm based on in-depth learning, points out the advantages and disadvantages of each algorithm, and finally summarizes the existing problems and prospects in this field.
Addressing stakeholder concerns using the Integrative River Rehabilitation Model ( IRRM )

We have previously reported on a variety of modelling methods and decision support concepts that can assist with various aspects of river rehabilitation planning and management. Here, we bring all of these tools together into an Integrative River Rehabilitation Model (IRRM) that links management actions, through morphological and hydraulic changes, to the final ecological and economic consequences. The IRRM is formulated as a probability network and represents the relevant cause-effect relations among important biotic and abiotic factors, leading to attributes (model endpoints) of concern to river system stakeholders. Together with a model of the stakeholders’ preference structure for different levels of these attributes, the IRRM is intended to provide a comprehensive basis for supporting river rehabilitation decisions. While many opportunities for further model improvement and uncertainty reduction exist, we believe that the present version of the model provides a flexible framework that can be adapted and refined according to local project-specific needs and data availability. We exemplify model application to three large planned or recently completed rehabilitation projects in Switzerland.
What Drives the Patterns of Urban Land Use in a Developing Country? The Role of Transport Infrastructures and Natural Amenities

This paper investigates the determinants of urban land use for the city of Recife, Brazil. Using a microdata of 98,198 individual parcels and a locally weighted multinomial logit, we show that there is considerable local spatial effects, which indicates that parametric approaches may be inadequate in an intra-urban context. Additionally, some general patterns of land use are identified: transport infrastructures (which include main avenues, roadways and subway stations) tend to attract commercial activities, while natural amenities (including the public open areas, the beach and the river) tend to encourage residential development. Finally, it is evidenced that, on average, the probability of unimproved lots is higher in areas near the city historical center and the verticalization is greater in areas near the city center and to the natural amenities.