Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cheaper electricity or a better river? Estimating fluvial ecosystem value in Southern France

In the next years, France will renew a consistent share of hydroelectric concessions, among which we find those insisting on the Aspe and its tributaries (for a total of almost 100 MW). Beauty contests will take place, where bidders will present offers for technical and environmental improvements, as well as a revenue sharing percentage for Local Authorities. This framework generates a potential trade-off between revenue-sharing and environmental improvement. Our work investigates this trade-off by means of a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to estimate people's preferences. The experiment has been conducted on a representative sample living in the Aspe valley. In our DCE, we translate the revenue sharing in an immediate rebate in the electricity bill. Respondents could choose higher rebates and lower ecosystem improvements or lower (or no) rebate and higher ecosystem amelioration. According to the experiment results, the highest total willingness to pay (WTP) is above € 144 per household and per year. Moreover, people's marginal WTP for a satisfactory fish stock reaches 250 €/year, that is three times the maximum rebate that was offered. Finally, all environmental attributes are considered as significant and worth a monetary effort. Therefore, hydroelectric concession bidders should give clear priority to environmental aspects.
Distinct Regulation of Transmitter Release at the Drosophila NMJ by Different Isoforms of nemy

Synaptic transmission is highly plastic and subject to regulation by a wide variety of neuromodulators and neuropeptides. In the present study, we have examined the role of isoforms of the cytochrome b561 homologue called no extended memory (nemy) in regulation of synaptic strength and plasticity at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) of third instar larvae in Drosophila. Specifically, we generated two independent excisions of nemy that differentially affect the expression of nemy isoforms. We show that the nemy 45 excision, which specifically reduces the expression of the longest splice form of nemy, leads to an increase in stimulus evoked transmitter release and altered synaptic plasticity at the NMJ. Conversely, the nemy 26.2 excision, which appears to reduce the expression of all splice forms except the longest splice isoform, shows a reduction in stimulus evoked transmitter release, and enhanced synaptic plasticity. We further show that nemy 45 mutants have reduced levels of amidated peptides similar to that observed in peptidyl-glycine hydryoxylating mono-oxygenase (PHM) mutants. In contrast, nemy 26.2 mutants show no defects in peptide amidation but rather display a decrease in Tyramine β hydroxylase activity (TβH). Taken together, these results show non-redundant roles for the different nemy isoforms and shed light on the complex regulation of neuromodulators.
Superclusters of galaxies from the 2dF redshift survey - II. Comparison with simulations

We investigate properties of superclusters of galaxies found on the basis of the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey, and compare them with properties of superclusters from the Millennium Simulation.We study the dependence of various characteristics of superclusters on their distance from the observer, on their total luminosity, and on their multiplicity. The multiplicity is defined by the number of Density Field (DF) clusters in superclusters. Using the multiplicity we divide superclusters into four richness classes: poor, medium, rich and extremely rich.We show that superclusters are asymmetrical and have multi-branching filamentary structure, with the degree of asymmetry and filamentarity being higher for the more luminous and richer superclusters. The comparison of real superclusters with Millennium superclusters shows that most properties of simulated superclusters agree very well with real data, the main differences being in the luminosity and multiplicity distributions.
Public servants want to make a difference

New Zealand public servants are generally satisfied with their jobs and want to make a difference to society, although they have mixed feelings about their organisations. To understand this discrepancy between what they feel about their jobs and what they feel about their employers, this article – the second of two analysing the results of a survey of almost 16,000 PSA members in 2013– looks at respondents’ characteristics, attitudes and experiences in the workplace.
Combined linear/directional interpolation for spatial error concealment

In this work a spatial error concealment based upon a combined linear/directional interpolation is presented. In the proposed method a simple gradient algorithm is used to determine whether an edge is presented in a lost block or not, and the combined interpolation using the surrounding pixels of the lost block is then employed to restore the lost data. Experimental results reveal that a significant improvement over other interpolation methods can be achieved especially in the area of significant edges and texture.
Glial Cell Line-derived Neurotrophic Factor Regulation of Genes Essential for Self-renewal of Mouse Spermatogonial Stem Cells Is Dependent on Src Family Kinase Signaling*

Self-renewal and differentiation by spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) is the foundation for continual spermatogenesis. SSC self-renewal is dependent on glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF); however, intracellular mechanisms stimulated by GDNF in SSCs are unknown. To investigate these mechanisms we utilized a culture system that maintains a mouse undifferentiated germ cell population enriched for self-renewing SSCs. In these cultures mRNA for the transcription factors Bcl6b, Erm, and Lhx1 are up-regulated by GDNF and decreased in its absence. The expression of all three molecules was further identified in undifferentiated spermatogonia in vivo. Using small interfering RNA to reduce expression and transplantation to quantify stem cell numbers, Bcl6b, Erm, and Lhx1 were shown to be important for SSC maintenance in vitro. Next, GDNF was shown to activate both Akt and Src family kinase (SFK) signaling in SSCs, and culture of SSCs with inhibitors to Akt or SFKs followed by transplantation analysis showed significant impairment of SSC maintenance in vitro. Apoptosis analysis revealed a significant increase in the percentage of apoptotic cells when Akt, but not SFK, signaling was impaired, indicating that multiple signaling pathways are responsible for SSC self-renewal and survival. Biochemical and gene expression experiments revealed that GDNF up-regulated expression of Bcl6b, Erm, and Lhx1 transcripts is dependent on SFK signaling. Overall, these data demonstrate that GDNF up-regulation of Bcl6b, Erm, and Lhx1 expression through SFK signaling is a key component of the intracellular mechanism for SSC self-renewal.
Diagnostic Value of Convex Probe Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration in Mediastinal Tuberculous Lymphadenitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has been widely used in the diagnosis of mediastinal lymphadenopathies. Here, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the diagnostic value of EBUS-TBNA in mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenopathy (TBLA). Material/Methods PubMed, EMBASE, and Sinoced were systematically searched for articles published in English or Chinese that reported the diagnostic yield of EBUS-TBNA in mediastinal TBLA. The quality of studies was assessed using the QualSyst tool. Using 95% confidence intervals (CI), the diagnostic yields of EBUS-TBNA were calculated for the individual studies, and the results were then pooled using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity and publication bias were also assessed. Results A total of 14 studies, consisting of 684 patients with mediastinal TBLA, were finally included. The pooled diagnostic yield of EBUS-TBNA for mediastinal TBLA was 80% (95% CI: 74–86%). Significant heterogeneity (I2=77.9%) and significant publication bias were detected (Begg’s test p=0.05 and Egger’s test p=0.02). From subgroup analyses, significant differences in the diagnostic yield of EBUS-TBNA were associated with Asian vs. European (UK) studies, retrospective vs. prospective studies, those employing rapid on-site cytological evaluation vs. not, those employing different anesthetic types, and those employing smear vs. culture. However, microbiological examination and the number of lymph node passes did not have a significant effect on the diagnostic yield of EBUS-TBNA. Fifteen minor complications for EBUS-TBNA were reported. Conclusions EBUS-TBNA appears to be an efficacious and safe procedure and should be used as an initial diagnostic tool for mediastinal TBLA.
OPTIMIZING THE USE OF DISTILLER GRAIN FOR DAIRY-BEEF PRODUCTION

SUMMARY Optimizing the use of distiller grain (DG) is becoming increasingly important as ethanol production increases. Dairy-beef production is a system that has the potential to use large amounts of DG. Threehundred and twenty Holstein steers (420.7 + 71.5 lbs initial wt.) were fed finishing diets at the University of Illinois Beef Research Unit. Forty pens were each randomly assigned to ten treatments with eight calves per pen. Ten dietary treatments of various DG levels were randomly assigned to 4 different pens. The calves were fed ad libitum and the cattle were weighed in 28-day intervals. After 112 days, both treatments 7 and 8 along with 9 and 10 were switched to represent the change from 20% to 37.5% and from 37.5% to 20% for both wet distiller grain (WDG) and dry distiller grain (DDG) (DM basis). Implants were administered twice during the course of the trial. Fecal samples were collected on a per pen basis, sub sampled, and then analyzed for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S). Cattle were then weighed at 270 d and sent to Packerland (Green Bay, WI) to be harvested. Effects of dietary treatment were analyzed using the GLM procedure of SAS. Orthogonal contrasts were used for the control versus DG diets, DDG versus WDG, and diet change from 20 to 37.5% DG versus 37.5 to 20% DG (represented in treatments 7 through 10). Linear and quadratic contrasts were also used for the level of DDG and WDG. Performance values for average daily gain (ADG), dry matter intake (DMI), and feed efficiency expressed in feed:gain (F:G) were evaluated for the growing period (112 d) and for the entire trial (270 d). Steers fed all treatments performed well and the use of DG showed the potential to improve profitability. Steers had a significant linear decrease in ADG with an increasing level of WDG diets (P=.0202) and steers which shifted from high DG to (37.5%) low DG (20%) had significantly lower ADG than steers switched from low DG (20%) to high DG (37.5%) (P=.0035). There was a significant quadratic effect on DMI with increasing WDG (P<.0001). Steers fed 25% WDG ate more DM than those fed 0% or 50% WDG. There was a linear increase in F:G as the level of DDG increased (P=.0266). Steers had a quadratic response in F:G with WDG levels (P=.0296). Steers fed 50% WDG were the most efficient (5.68 F:G). WDG diets were significantly more efficient when contrasted against DDG diets (P=.0009). There was a linear increase in both P and S levels in the feces with increasing DDG (P<.0001, <.0001) and a quadratic effect for WDG treatments (P=.0403, 0356). When harvested, steers fed DG had a higher dressing percent (DP) than control (P=.03). The most profitable diets were determined by the relative price of corn and DG. When DDG was priced at $110/ton and WDG $100 with $2.50/bushel corn, low levels (12.5-25%) tended to be most profitable. When DDG were priced at $90/ton and WDG at $80/ton with $2.50/bushel corn, the 25-37.5% diets tended to be most profitable.
The Dilemmas of Statebuilding: Confronting the Contradictions of Postwar Peace Operations.

Introduction: Understanding the Contradictions of Postwar Statebuilding Roland Paris and Timothy Sisk Part 1: Domestic and International Context 1. The Peacebuilder's Contract: How External Statebuilding Reinforces Weak Statehood Michael Barnett and Christoph Zuercher 2. Understanding the "Coordination Problem" in Postwar Statebuilding Roland Paris Part 2: Security 3. Foreign Militaries, Sustainable Institutions, and Postwar Statebuilding David Edelstein 4. Making Peacemakers out of Spoilers: International Organizations, Private Military Training, and Statebuilding After War Deborah Avant Part 3: Political Economy 5. Trajectories of Accumulation through War and Peace Cristopher Cramer 6. The Superficiality of Statebuilding in Cambodia: Patronage and Clientelism as Enduring Forms of Politics David Roberts Part 4: Institutional Design 7. Constitutional Choices and Statebuilding in Postconflict Countries Kirsti Samuels 8. Pathways of the Political: Electoral Processes after Civil War Timothy Sisk Part 5: Autonomy and Dependence 9. The Dangers of a Tight Embrace: Externally Assisted Statebuilding in Afghanistan Astri Suhrke 10. Dilemmas of Promoting Local Ownership: The Case of Postwar Kosovo Jens Narten Part 6: Reflections and Conclusions 11. A New Generation of Statebuilding Scholarship: Reflections on This Volume Miles Kahler 12. Confronting the Contradictions Timothy D. Sisk and Roland Paris
Research on Business Process Management Framework Based on BPEL

Web Service is a revolution technology on internet. It is changing the way of interaction of the web form information-oriented to service-oriented. Thus there comes a new kinds of business process, called web service business process. At the same time, with the complexity of the business environment, many enterprises pay more and more attention to the process management.BPEL-based process component methodology is widely supported. In this paper, research on “Research on Business Process Management Framework based on BPEL” is discussed. At first, there search on protocol foundations and key techniques of WS-BPEL (web service business process execution language) are made. A BPEL-based business process management system architecture is presented, and then the BPEL process execution is analyzed with an example. At last, the existent problems of WS-BPEL is listed and the potential research direction is pointed out.
Curcumin-Targeting Pericellular Serine Protease Matriptase Role in Suppression of Prostate Cancer Cell Invasion, Tumor Growth, and Metastasis

Curcumin has been shown to possess potent chemopreventive and antitumor effects on prostate cancer. However, the molecular mechanism involved in curcumin's ability to suppress prostate cancer cell invasion, tumor growth, and metastasis is not yet well understood. In this study, we have shown that curcumin can suppress epidermal growth factor (EGF)- stimulated and heregulin-stimulated PC-3 cell invasion, as well as androgen-induced LNCaP cell invasion. Curcumin treatment significantly resulted in reduced matrix metalloproteinase 9 activity and downregulation of cellular matriptase, a membrane-anchored serine protease with oncogenic roles in tumor formation and invasion. Our data further show that curcumin is able to inhibit the induction effects of androgens and EGF on matriptase activation, as well as to reduce the activated levels of matriptase after its overexpression, thus suggesting that curcumin may interrupt diverse signal pathways to block the protease. Furthermore, the reduction of activated matriptase in cells by curcumin was also partly due to curcumin's effect on promoting the shedding of matriptase into an extracellular environment, but not via altering matriptase gene expression. In addition, curcumin significantly suppressed the invasive ability of prostate cancer cells induced by matriptase overexpression. In xenograft model, curcumin not only inhibits prostate cancer tumor growth and metastasis but also downregulates matriptase activity in vivo. Overall, the data indicate that curcumin exhibits a suppressive effect on prostate cancer cell invasion, tumor growth, and metastasis, at least in part via downregulating matriptase function. Cancer Prev Res; 6(5); 495–505. ©2013 AACR.
A stable linear adaptive controller applied to a pneumatic actuator system

This paper presents a stable linear adaptive control scheme for the position control of a pneumatic actuator system. The proposed controller does not require the experimental identification of the mass flow rate, which is really a novelty in the field of such applications. The controller synthesis is based on an uncertain non-affine nonlinear model of the pneumatic system. Firstly, the existence of an ideal controller which can achieve position control objectives is demonstrated using the implicit function theory. Nevertheless, even if the actuator model is well-known, this ideal controller cannot be known and computed. The aim of the proposed approach is to construct this unknown ideal controller using a simple linear controller with a stable adaptation mechanism. The stability of the closed-loop system is studied by using a Lyapunov approach. Finally, simulation results are provided to show the capabilities of the presented control method.
An information management system concept for food recycling

An information management system concept with a web interface is proposed for integrating food recycling chain managements. The recycling problem is much discussed in various markets such as food, containers and packaging products, home appliances, construction materials, and automobiles. Although the word "recycling" is used over the different recycling field, the characteristic and the legislation of the recycling object are different in each field. It is necessary to understand the feature of requirements for information management systems to carry out an efficient, available recycling in each recycling field. In this paper, the requirements in the above recycling fields are compared and characteristic requirements especially for food recycling are extracted. And an information management system concept corresponding to these demands is proposed. This system has an integrative management interface which is designed to be opened to retail shops or recycling manufactures through a Web interface. Recycling information is stored in a database of the system directly through the recycling works and is used to get control over daily works, quality management of recycled feed materials, or to make reports to corresponding recycling law. Thus efficient and inexpensive information management for the recycled items can be realized
How many system architectures?

Developers often call an embedded system's hardware architecture a platform. The idea is that you select a hardware platform, then write software to fit onto it. Matters are, however, more complicated. The platform provides the computing resources required to run the embedded application, and the decisions about what hardware should go into the platform often depend on what sort of software you want to run. It is predicted that constant pressure on the cost and power consumption of embedded systems will continue to spawn a diversity of uniprocessor and multiprocessor platforms.
The Impact of Computational Error on the Volatility Smile

It is well-known that the market prices of options produce implied volatilities that inexplicably vary by exercise price in a pattern often referred to as the volatility smile. This paper shows that not only do market prices produce volatility smiles, but so do model prices. This result occurs because of root finding algorithms, tolerance assumptions, numerical precisions, and quotation finiteness. Moreover, some assumptions result in patterns that resemble the smirks, and skews sometimes observed in market data. Consistent with empirical observations, the effects are greater the shorter the expiration. Elimination of these patterns is virtually impossible on a practical level, and even second-best results can be obtained only if options are traded with quadruple precision pricing and machine precision tolerance is assumed. We conclude that while alternative explanations for the smile can be true, prices generated under perfect conditions cannot even eliminate these smile, smirk, and skew patterns.
Persistent Immune Activation in CVID and the Role of IVIg in Its Suppression

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is one of the most common and clinically important primary immune deficiencies. CVID patients have poor humoral immunity, resulting in recurrent infections of the gastrointestinal and upper respiratory tracts, as well as increased incidence of some forms of cancers and autoimmune diseases. The treatment for CVID is IgG replacement, often given as intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg). IVIg consists of monomeric IgG purified from pooled plasma from healthy donors and is used to treat an increasing number of conditions including autoimmune diseases. In the case of CVID, IVIg has mainly been seen as reconstitution therapy, providing patients with pathogen-specific antibodies. Recent evidence shows that IVIg has diverse effects on the immune system of CVID patients, and one important component is that IVIg alleviates the state of chronic immune activation. In this review, we will discuss causes and consequences of persistent immune activation in CVID, possible underlying mechanisms for how IVIg treatment reduces immune activation, and implications for our understanding of primary as well as acquired immune deficiencies.
Colorectal-cancer incidence and mortality with screening flexible sigmoidoscopy.

BACKGROUND The benefits of endoscopic testing for colorectal-cancer screening are uncertain. We evaluated the effect of screening with flexible sigmoidoscopy on colorectal-cancer incidence and mortality. METHODS From 1993 through 2001, we randomly assigned 154,900 men and women 55 to 74 years of age either to screening with flexible sigmoidoscopy, with a repeat screening at 3 or 5 years, or to usual care. Cases of colorectal cancer and deaths from the disease were ascertained. RESULTS Of the 77,445 participants randomly assigned to screening (intervention group), 83.5% underwent baseline flexible sigmoidoscopy and 54.0% were screened at 3 or 5 years. The incidence of colorectal cancer after a median follow-up of 11.9 years was 11.9 cases per 10,000 person-years in the intervention group (1012 cases), as compared with 15.2 cases per 10,000 person-years in the usual-care group (1287 cases), which represents a 21% reduction (relative risk, 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72 to 0.85; P<0.001). Significant reductions were observed in the incidence of both distal colorectal cancer (479 cases in the intervention group vs. 669 cases in the usual-care group; relative risk, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.64 to 0.80; P<0.001) and proximal colorectal cancer (512 cases vs. 595 cases; relative risk, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.97; P=0.01). There were 2.9 deaths from colorectal cancer per 10,000 person-years in the intervention group (252 deaths), as compared with 3.9 per 10,000 person-years in the usual-care group (341 deaths), which represents a 26% reduction (relative risk, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.63 to 0.87; P<0.001). Mortality from distal colorectal cancer was reduced by 50% (87 deaths in the intervention group vs. 175 in the usual-care group; relative risk, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.64; P<0.001); mortality from proximal colorectal cancer was unaffected (143 and 147 deaths, respectively; relative risk, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.77 to 1.22; P=0.81). CONCLUSIONS Screening with flexible sigmoidoscopy was associated with a significant decrease in colorectal-cancer incidence (in both the distal and proximal colon) and mortality (distal colon only). (Funded by the National Cancer Institute; PLCO ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00002540.).