Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hamas in Dire Straits

This Research Note analyses Hamas's standing after it deserted the "Axis of Resistance" and Damascus, positioning itself in the Sunni coalition against the Assad regime in Syria. The unfulfilled promises of the short Muslim Brotherhood reign in Egypt and the enmity of the new military regime in Cairo have seriously hurt Hamas's political, economic and military interests in the Gaza Strip and isolated it regionally. Hamas leaders lately began negotiations to mend fences with Iran, its former sponsor and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah. The situation endangers Hamas's internal cohesion, can push it to a violent outburst against Israel or in support of the embattled Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. However, it also possibly offers a window of opportunity to exploit its weakness, Egypt's good will and Tehran's present restraint in order to advance the laborious Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
Ongoing drug use and outcomes from highly active antiretroviral therapy among injection drug users in a Canadian setting

Background The effect of ongoing illicit drug use on HIV treatment remains controversial, especially in countries where access to HIV treatment for active injection drug users (IDUs) is limited because of presumed non-adherence. We sought to investigate the influence of drug use patterns on adherence to antiretroviral therapy and virological suppression among IDUs. Methods Using generalized estimating equation logistic regression, we explored the effect of abstinence versus ongoing drug use on adherence and virological suppression using data from a community-recruited cohort of IDUs in Vancouver (BC, Canada). Results A total of 381 HIV-positive IDUs were included in this analysis, among whom the median follow-up time was 30 months. In a multivariate model, no relationship was found between abstinence (reference) and active injection (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65–1.17) and non-injection (AOR 0.97, 95% CI 0.67–1.41) drug use with adherence. In sub analyses, ongoing injection drug use was associated with a lower odds of virological suppression in comparison to abstinence (AOR 0.74, 95% CI 0.57–0.97; P=0.026) and both active IDUs and active non-IDUs had lower odds of virological suppression compared with abstinent participants when longer periods of virological suppression were considered. Conclusions Given the absence of a strong relationship between abstinence and ongoing drug use and adherence among HIV-positive IDUs, programmes that restrict antiretrovirals to abstinent individuals should be re-examined. The lower rates of virological suppression associated with ongoing drug use nevertheless highlight the importance of comprehensive systems of care and addiction treatment for active drug users.
OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY AFTER PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY FOR RETINAL DETACHMENT RELATED TO CHOROIDAL COLOBOMA

Purpose: The purpose was to study the anatomical outcome of choroidal coloboma with retinal detachment managed by pars plana vitrectomy with silicone oil tamponade using optical coherence tomography. Methods: Six eyes of six patients with retinal detachment related to choroidal coloboma underwent pars plana vitrectomy with internal tamponade using silicone oil. Pre- and postoperative best-corrected visual acuities, intraocular pressure measurements, and intra- and postoperative complications were obtained. Color fundus photographs and optical coherence tomography images were taken at each follow-up. Results: Patients were observed up to a mean of 14 months (range, 8-18 months). Silicone oil was removed in all eyes. In all patients who had undergone vitrectomy, the retina was completely reattached before and after silicone oil extraction. Postoperatively, best-corrected visual acuities improved in 5 patients and remained unchanged in 1 patient ranging from 20/200 to 20/40 at the last follow-up. Although the retina was reattached in all patients, the optical coherence tomography showed a persistent intercalary membrane detachment in 4 patients (67%). In 1 patient (16%), subclinical retinal detachment that did not increase during the follow-up after silicone oil removal was detected just beyond the margin of the coloboma. Conclusion: After vitrectomy and silicone oil removal, optical coherence tomography showed persistent detachment of the intercalary membrane in most patients. These findings emphasize the importance of sealing the junction between the intercalary membrane and extracolobomatous retina with a laser barrier.
Oxytocin, Empathy and Human Enhancement

This paper considers, firstly, to what extent the administration of oxytocin can augment the capacity of empathy in human beings; and secondly, whether or not such practice ought to be allowed. In relation to the latter, the author develops an argument in favour of this intervention by virtue of its consistency with the belief that, if a therapeutic treatment is to be considered acceptable, it is essential that it maximizes the well-being of those affected and that it does not compromise the autonomy of the patient. Having rejected several objections related to the nature of this intervention, the author finally questions its morality on the basis of a concern with its universalizability.
Prognostic Role of Thymidylate Synthase Polymorphisms in Gastric Cancer Patients Treated with Surgery and Adjuvant Chemotherapy

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic role of thymidylate synthase (TS) polymorphisms in gastric cancer patients treated with radical surgery and fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Experimental Design: Ninety gastric cancer cases were identified among 187 patients previously enrolled in prospective case-control studies for disease susceptibility. Patients were genotyped for a G/C nucleotide change within a triple 28 bp variable number of tandem repeat sequence in the TS 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTR) and a 6 bp deletion in the TS 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR). According to available functional data, patients with 5′-UTR 2R/2R, 2R/3C, 3C/3C genotypes were classified as low TS producers (5′-UTRlow) and patients with 5′-UTR 3G/3G, 3G/3C, 2R/3G genotypes as high TS producers (5′UTRhigh). Patients with 3′-UTR del6/del6 and del6/ins6 genotypes were classified as low TS producers (3′-UTRlow) and patients with 3′-UTR ins6/ins6 genotype as high TS producers (3′-UTRhigh). The prognostic analysis was based on 5′-UTR/3′-UTR combined genotypes. Results: Ten patients (11%) were 5′-UTRhigh/3′-UTRhigh, 36 patients were 5′-UTRhigh/3′-UTRlow, 19 patients were 5′-UTRlow/3′-UTRhigh, and 25 patients were 5′-UTRlow/3′-UTRlow. 5′-UTRlow/3′-UTRlow patients showed the best outcome and the threshold of statistical significance was achieved in the comparison of disease-free survival and overall survival with 5′-UTRhigh/3′-UTRlow patients and 5′-UTRhigh/3′-UTRhigh patients. The presence of at least one high TS expression genotype showed independent adverse prognostic role in multivariate analysis. Conclusions: The prognostic role of TS polymorphisms in gastric cancer deserves further investigation because the adverse effect of high TS expression genotypes may be a relevant information to improve adjuvant chemotherapeutic strategies.
Review of the Electric Propulsion Space Experiment (ESEX) Program (Postprint)

Abstract : The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Electric Propulsion Space Experiment was launched and successfully operated on the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite, demonstrating the compatibility and readiness of high-power electric propulsion. This flight was the culmination of an Air Force technology program to demonstrate the applicability of high-power electric propulsion for satellite applications. A brief history of the program is presented, followed by a description of the flight operations, which successfully demonstrated the critical system components, the arcjet, power processor, and propellant feed system, verifying the interoperability of high-power electric propulsion with satellite operations. The two anomalies experienced during on-orbit operations, and their proposed causes, are also described.
The biology of plasmids.

The the biology of plasmids that we provide for you will be ultimate to give preference. This reading book is your chosen book to accompany you when in your free time, in your lonely. This kind of book can help you to heal the lonely and get or add the inspirations to be more inoperative. Yeah, book as the widow of the world can be very inspiring manners. As here, this book is also created by an inspiring author that can make influences of you to do more.
Ethnic and Gender Trends for Cardiovascular Risk Behaviors in Anglo and Mexican American Children, Ages Four to Seven

Abstract Gender and ethnic trends were examined in 351 Mexican American and Anglo American children between the ages of four and seven. Four physiologic variables, seven observed and reported variables related to diet, and eight observed and reported variables related to physical activity were periodically assessed. Children were observed at home at meal times and at school (or a day care center) at lunch and recess. A linear regression model was used. Of the four physiologic variables, two variables (height and total skinfolds) showed significant ethnic differences, with Mexican American children showing greater skinfolds over time and the tendency to be shorter than Anglo American children. Of the variables related to diet, five of the seven variables showed gender or ethnic differences; percent of calories from fat and food preparation behaviors tended to place Mexican American children at greater risk. When examining physical activity, four of the eight variables showed gender and/or ethnic difference.
The Tal1 Oncoprotein Inhibits E47-mediated Transcription

The Tal1 oncogene is a class II basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor, overexpressed in as much as 60% of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases. Like other class II bHLH proteins, Tal1 can heterodimerize with the class I bHLH proteins, such as E47, and bind to a DNA recognition sequence termed E box. Therefore, it is believed that the oncogenic capacity of Tal1 lies in its ability, as a heterodimer with E47, to activate aberrantly a set of “leukemogenic” genes in T cells. However, compared with E47 homodimers, Tal1/E47 heterodimers are very poor transactivators. Thus the effect of Tal1 is actually to inhibit E47 homodimer activity. Here we propose that the transforming properties of Tal1 are the result of its ability to inhibit E47 activity. We address the mechanism of Tal1 inhibition and demonstrate that Tal1/E47 heterodimers cannot activate transcription because their respective activation domains are incompatible. Furthermore, we present data showing that Tal1 can inhibit E47-mediated activation of the CIP1 gene. Finally, we demonstrate that Tal1 inhibits E47 activity in leukemic T cells.
Intron-derived aberrant splicing of A20 transcript in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE Aberrant splicing is one of the most significant components generating functional diversity in many pathological conditions. The objective of this study was to analyse the mutations or aberrant splicing of A20 transcript, the region encompassing the ovarian tumour (OTU) domain [which is functionally important as an inhibitor of nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation] in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) from RA patients. METHODS Alterations in A20 transcripts were determined through sequence analysis of 10 clones of A20 cDNA in FLSs from each of the five RA patients. The levels of aberrant A20 transcript were measured by quantitative real-time RT-PCR with primers to specifically recognize the inserted introns. The functional role of A20 and its aberrant variants were examined by analysing NF-κB luciferase reporter activity and NF-κB-dependent target gene expression. RESULTS In RA FLSs, we discovered four novel aberrant A20 transcripts, most of which resulted from insertion of partial intron 2, intron 4 and/or deletion of exon 4. In each of these FLSs, sequence analysis revealed that these aberrant insertional sequences were flanked by consensus splice donor and acceptor sequences without nucleotide substitution, suggesting alternative splicing as the likely mutational mechanism. These variants elicited a codon frame shift by creating a premature translational stop codon, and eventually, disruption of the OTU domain (which is functionally important as an inhibitor of NF-κB activation) of A20. The expression level of aberrant A20 transcript was correlated well with persisitently enhanced status of NF-κB signalling, as evident by the phosphorylation of inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB)-α and transcription of NF-κB target genes. CONCLUSION The results suggest that A20 inactivation by the novel aberrant splicing may contribute to RA progression by inducing persistent NF-κB activation.
VTrust: Regaining Trust on Virtual Calls

Virtual function calls are one of the most popular control-flow hijack attack targets. Compilers use a virtual function pointer table, called a VTable, to dynamically dispatch virtual function calls. These VTables are read-only, but pointers to them are not. VTable pointers reside in objects that are writable, allowing attackers to overwrite them. As a result, attackers can divert the control-flow of virtual function calls and launch VTable hijacking attacks. Researchers have proposed several solutions to protect virtual calls. However, they either incur high performance overhead or fail to defeat some VTable hijacking attacks. In this paper, we propose a lightweight defense solution, VTrust, to protect all virtual function calls from VTable hijacking attacks. It consists of two independent layers of defenses: virtual function type enforcement and VTable pointer sanitization. Combined with modern compilers’ default configuration, i.e., placing VTables in read-only memory, VTrust can defeat all VTable hijacking attacks and supports modularity, allowing us to harden applications module by module. We have implemented a prototype on the LLVM compiler framework. Our experiments show that this solution only introduces a low performance overhead, and it defeats real world VTable hijacking attacks.
A RESEARCH STUDY ON MANAGING WORK-LIFE BALANCE

In the last few decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of research devoted to understanding the linkages between work and family and/or personal life. The term ‘Work-life Balance’ was first coined in 1986 in reaction to the unhealthy choices that many Americans were making in favour of the work place, as they opted to neglect family, friends and leisure activities in the pursuit of corporate / work goals. A balanced life is one where we spread our energy and effort - emotional, intellectual, imaginative, spiritual and physical – between key areas of importance. The neglect of one or more areas, or anchor points, may threaten the vitality of the whole. Objectives of the study: To know whether work-life balance / imbalance have an impact on the learning effectiveness of the students To analyze whether the anxiety of getting a job (i.e. perceived employability) affects their learning effectiveness / performance of the students To evaluate whether family expectations / dependency have an impact on the learning effectiveness / performance of the students. METHODOLOGY: The sample for the present study constituted 250 students of both UG & PG from different colleges in Raichur City of Karnataka State, India. The age groups of the sample are between 20-23 years. The respondents were administered with Work-life balance questionnaire constructed by the researchers and the data was obtained. The data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis such as Mean, Regression analysis, Correlation, Chi-square and simple percentage analysis. Work-life balance remains an issue that requires considerable attention from society. The changing nature of the global economy, where organizations expects the employees to operate on a 24/7 schedule and technological advances have made it possible for an employee to be connected at all times, has ushered the work-life balance issue into the forefront of the minds of many, including students. Key Words: Work-Life Balance, Learning, Students, Job, Family, Employment etc.,
Can Where People Vote Influence How They Vote? The Influence of Polling Location Type on Voting Behavior

Can the type of polling place in which people vote (e.g. church, school, or firehouse) influence how they cast their ballot? Results of two studies suggest it can. A field study using Arizona's 2000 general election found that voters were more likely to support raising the state sales tax to support education if they voted in schools, as opposed to other types of polling locations. This effect persisted even when controlling for voters' political views, demographics, and unobservable characteristics of those individuals living near schools. A voting experiment extended these findings to other initiatives (i.e. stem cells) and a case in which people were randomly assigned to different environmental primes (i.e. church-related, school-related or generic building images). The present studies reveal that even in noisy, real-world environments, subtle environmental cues can influence decisions on issues of real consequence.
Untangling Neural Networks with Dual Retrograde Transsynaptic Viral Infection

Using recombinant rabies virus (RV), we developed a dual transsynaptic retrograde tracing technique in the rat central nervous system. Two strains of recombinant RV, injected into two separate loci of the brain, were taken up through axon terminals and carried retrogradely and transsynaptically from neuron to neuron. Each viral strain expresses a unique marker in infected neurons. Therefore, neurons that project transsynaptically to two brain loci can be detected by double-labeling. In this review, we will introduce the advantage of dual viral tracing by recombinant RV, and will also address some potential weaknesses of this technique. Although false negative results may arise due to interference between two strains of RV, the ability of the recombinant RV to visualize the morphology of the infected cell and to infect primates in addition to rodents will make this technique a potential tool to provide new insights into the complex organization of brain networks.
A "Tools for Teachers" Approach for Infusing Social Skills Instruction into Daily Teaching Activities

Students participate in a social community of learners. For children with learning problems, mastering the skills needed to actively participate in this community can be a challenge. How can teachers find time to provide social skills instruction, given the pressures to teach academic subjects first and foremost? This article shows school personnel ways to infuse social skills instruction into their existing instructional activities throughout the school day by: • Integrating social skills and academic instruction. • Amplifying the impact of pre-planned instruction through impromptu responses to naturally occurring social skills problems. • Adding a social skills dimension to the classroom environment and routines. This article introduces and illustrates use of the Social Skills Tools for Teachers, a suite of instructional planning aids available on the web at www.csde. umb.edu/ToolsforTeachers.php. Findings presented show that school personnel have successfully utilized the tools to infuse social skills instruction into daily teaching activities.
Document Expansion Based on WordNet for Robust IR

The use of semantic information to improve IR is a long-standing goal. This paper presents a novel Document Expansion method based on a WordNet-based system to find related concepts and words. Expansion words are indexed separately, and when combined with the regular index, they improve the results in three datasets over a state-of-the-art IR engine. Considering that many IR systems are not robust in the sense that they need careful fine-tuning and optimization of their parameters, we explored some parameter settings. The results show that our method is specially effective for realistic, non-optimal settings, adding robustness to the IR engine. We also explored the effect of document length, and show that our method is specially successful with shorter documents.
Age, identity and materialism: A generational comparison

The current study applied a Social Identity Theory perspective to the consumer behaviour of two generational cohorts: the Baby Boom generation and Generation Y. Four focus groups, totalling 35 participants, were conducted of male and female members of each cohort. It was found that participants did enact age-related social identities in their consumption behaviour. Generation Y participants were found to more readily seek out social comparisons in terms of their possessions and consumer choice than Baby Boomers. Both age cohorts showed a level of materialism, but differences were identified in how this was manifested.
The effect of different grain diets on fecal shedding of Escherichia coli O157:H7 by steers.

Three groups of six yearling steers (three rumen fistulated plus three nonfistulated) fed one of three different grain diets (85% cracked corn, 15% whole cottonseed and 70% barley, or 85% barley) were inoculated with 10(10) CFU of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain 3081, and the presence of the inoculated strain was followed in the rumen fluid and feces for a 10-week period. E. coli O157:H7 was rapidly eliminated from the rumen of the animals on all three diets but persisted in the feces of some animals up to 67 days after inoculation, suggesting that the bovine hindgut is the site of E. coli O157:H7 persistence. A significant difference existed in the levels of E. coli O157:H7 shed by the animals among diets on days 5, 7, 49, and 63 after inoculation (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between the levels shed among diets on days 9 through 42 and on day 67 (P > 0.05). The number of animals that were culture positive for E. coli O157:H7 strain 3081 during the 10-week period was significantly higher for the barley fed group (72 of 114 samplings) as opposed to the corn fed group (44 of 114 samplings) (P < 0.005) and the cottonseed and barley fed group (57 of 114 samplings) (P < 0.05). The fecal pH of the animals fed the corn diet was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than the fecal pH of the animals fed the cottonseed and barley and barley diets, likely resulting in a less suitable environment for E. coli O157:H7 in the hindgut of the corn fed animals. E. coli O157:H7 strain 3081 was present in 3 of 30 (corn, 1 of 10; cottonseed, 1 of 10; barley, 1 of 10) animal drinking water samples, 3 of 30 (corn, 1 of 10; cottonseed, 0 of 10; barley, 2 of 10) water trough biofilm swabs, 5 of 30 (corn, 0 of 10; cottonseed, 2 of 10; barley, 3 of 10) feed samples, and 30 of 30 manure samples taken from the pens during the entire experimental period. Mouth swabs of the steers were also culture positive for E. coli O157:H7 strain 3081 in 30 of 180 samples (corn, 7 of 60; cottonseed, 4 of 60; barley, 19 of 60) taken during the 10-week period. Minimizing environmental dissemination of E. coli O157:H7 in conjunction with diet modification may reduce numbers of E. coli O157:H7-positive cattle.