Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Arab Spring: A Case Study of Egyptian Revolution 2011

Egyptian Revolution, also known as Arab Spring or Arab Uprising, was a shock for international community because Egypt has been seen as one of the strongest military state in North Africa region. Experts and observers even suggested that this revolution is the biggest event since the Cold War. No one ever saw this coming; yet, the Revolution happened, and it succeeded to topple President Hosni Mubarak from power. Indeed, prior to the revolution, there are factors that became the preliminary incidents as well as problems that led to the revolution, and most of these factors came from within the country. Nevertheless, this revolution has given idea to other states with repressive regime in the North Africa region, which started the ‘domino effect’ in Middle East and North Africa region. As for Egyptians, though successfullnes of the revolution brought positive outcome for them, the negative result also followed as well as responses from international community. The objective of this paper is to examine the Egyptian Revolution that led to the end of Hosni Mubarak regime. Keywords : Arab Spring; Egyptian Revolution; President Hosni Mubarak; ‘domino effect’; Middle East and North Africa region.
Effects of α-D-Glucosylglycerol on the in Vitro Digestion of Disaccharides by Rat Intestinal Enzymes

α-D-Glucosylglycerol (GG) is a mixture of 2-O-α-D-glucosylglycerol (GG-II), (2R)-1-O-α-D-glucosyl-glycerol (R-GG-I) and (2S)-1-O-α-D-glucosylglycerol (S-GG-I). GG has been found to be slightly hydrolyzed in vitro only by rat intestinal enzymes, but hardly at all by other digestive juices. GG suppressed the hydrolysis of maltose, sucrose and isomaltose by rat intestinal enzymes because the amount of glucose in the digestion of a mixture of GG and disaccharide was less than the sum of that in each individual digestion. The consumption of GG was suppressed by isomaltose, but promoted by maltose, with the hydrolysis of GG being suppressed. Sucrose appeared to suppress only the consumption of S-GG-I, suggesting that S-GG-I was hydrolyzed by the active site of sucrase in a sucrase-isomaltase complex. Transglucosylation seems to have occurred more frequently in the individual digestion of maltose and isomaltose than in that of GG and sucrose. GG seemed to promote transglucosylation in the presence of maltose, to suppress it with sucrose, and to delay it with isomaltose.
Ordered Orthogonal Matching Pursuit

Compressed Sensing deals with recovering sparse signals from a relatively small number of linear measurements. Several algorithms exists for data recovery from the compressed measurements, particularly appealing among these is the greedy approach known as Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP). In this paper, we propose a modified OMP based algorithm called Ordered Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (Ordered OMP). Ordered OMP is conceptually simpler and provides an improved performance when compared to OMP.
New Approach to Estimating VIX Truncation Errors Using Corridor Variance Swaps

The original VIX index (now called VXO) uses 8 at the money calls and puts to measure implied volatility for the S&P 100 Index at a 30-day maturity. The new VIX formula uses all out of the money calls and puts to implement a formula that, in principle, requires options with strike prices that span the full range of possible stock prices at expiration. No actual market lists strike prices over such a wide range. Even for options on a highly active and liquid index like the S&P 500, the most remote tails of the risk neutral density will be missing. Coverage of the tails can be very asymmetrical and it can vary quite a lot from period to period. The coverage in less active emerging markets is distinctly worse. Liu and Wu propose a way to estimate the resulting truncation error using corridor variance swaps. In the course of deriving it, they develop a new approach to pricing corridor variance swaps. Comparing estimates of the truncation error for the S&P 500 versus the Chinese ETF50, they find it is about 0.1 vol points for the S&P but 2.61 vol points in the Chinese market. Results are also reported for Mexico, Korea, India and Russia and show that in some cases significant truncation is present on one or both tails.
Employment Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities: Evidence from Matched Pair Testing

ING AND INDEXING For a full list of databases in which this journal is indexed, please visit http://ondiversity.com/journals/collection. RESEARCH NETWORK MEMBERSHIP Authors in The International Journal of Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations: Annual Review are members of the Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations Research Network or a thematically related Research Network. Members receive access to journal content. To find out more, please visit http://ondiversity.com/about/become-a-member.
Same but Different: 9‐Month‐Old Infants at Average and High Risk for Autism Look at the Same Facial Features but Process Them Using Different Brain Mechanisms

The study examined whether 9‐month‐old infants at average vs. high risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) process facial features (eyes, mouth) differently and whether such differences are related to infants' social and communicative skills. Eye tracking and visual event‐related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in 35 infants (20 average‐risk typical infants, 15 high‐risk siblings of children with ASD) while they viewed photographs of a smiling unfamiliar female face. On 30% of the trials, the eyes or the mouth of that face was replaced with corresponding features from a different female. There were no group differences in the number, duration, or distribution of fixations, and all infants looked at the eyes and mouth regions equally. However, increased attention to the mouth was associated with weaker receptive communication skills and increased attention to the eyes correlated with better interpersonal skills. ERP results revealed that all infants detected eye and mouth changes but did so using different brain mechanisms. Changes in facial features were associated with changes in activity of the face perception mechanisms (N290) for the average‐risk group but not for the high‐risk infants. For all infants, correlations between ERP and eye‐tracking measures indicated that larger and faster ERPs to feature changes were associated with fewer fixations on the irrelevant regions of stimuli. The size and latency of the ERP responses also correlated with parental reports of receptive and expressive communication skills, suggesting that differences in brain processing of human faces are associated with individual differences in social‐communicative behaviors. Autism Res 2012, 5: 253–266. © 2012 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
FISH analysis of 15 chromosomes in human day 4 and 5 preimplantation embryos: the added value of extended aneuploidy detection

Screening for an increased number of chromosomes may improve the detection of abnormal embryos and thus contribute to the capability of preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) to detect the embryo(s) for transfer in IVF with the best chance for a healthy child. Good‐quality day 4 and 5 embryos were analyzed after cryopreservation for the nine chromosomes mostly recommended for screening (13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 21, 22, X and Y), next to six additional chromosomes which are less well studied in this context (1, 2, 7, 6, 10 and 17).
Characterization of the Receptor-Ligand Pathways Important for Entry and Survival of Francisella tularensis in Human Macrophages

ABSTRACT Inhalational pneumonic tularemia, caused by Francisella tularensis, is lethal in humans. F. tularensis is phagocytosed by macrophages followed by escape from phagosomes into the cytoplasm. Little is known of the phagocytic mechanisms for Francisella, particularly as they relate to the lung and alveolar macrophages. Here we examined receptors on primary human monocytes and macrophages which mediate the phagocytosis and intracellular survival of F. novicida. F. novicida association with monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) was greater than with monocytes. Bacteria were readily ingested, as shown by electron microscopy. Bacterial association was significantly increased in fresh serum and only partially decreased in heat-inactivated serum. A role for both complement receptor 3 (CR3) and Fcγ receptors in uptake was supported by studies using a CR3-expressing cell line and by down-modulation of Fcγ receptors on MDM, respectively. Consistent with Fcγ receptor involvement, antibody in nonimmune human serum was detected on the surface of Francisella. In the absence of serum opsonins, competitive inhibition of mannose receptor (MR) activity on MDM with mannan decreased the association of F. novicida and opsonization of F. novicida with lung collectin surfactant protein A (SP-A) increased bacterial association and intracellular survival. This study demonstrates that human macrophages phagocytose more Francisella than monocytes with contributions from CR3, Fcγ receptors, the MR, and SP-A present in lung alveoli.
The process of entrepreneurial action at the base of the pyramid in developing countries: a case of vegetable farmers in Benin

Abstract The assumption that entrepreneurship is a critical factor in expanding employment, creating wealth and contributing to poverty alleviation at the base of the pyramid (BoP) in developing countries has led to the development of many initiatives to strengthen the entrepreneurial activities of poor people. Despite the fact that entrepreneurship is seen as a strategy in combatting poverty, the process that leads to entrepreneurial action in a BoP context is still unclear. In this paper, we illustrate the possibilities a multi-layered perspective offers to understand the complexity of entrepreneurship in poverty settings. Based on five focus group discussions and 36 in-depth interviews with vegetable farmers in Benin, we examined the entrepreneurship of poor people. We learned that entrepreneurial action is the nexus of individual and exogenous factors in complex relationships. Based on this, we elaborate on the characteristics of the process model of entrepreneurial action. We provide a process-based view of entrepreneurship at the BoP, suggesting a need for consistency between individual, behavioural strategies and contextual elements. We discuss the implications of our findings for BoP practice and provide a framing perspective that we hope will encourage a greater focus on the complexity of entrepreneurship phenomenon.
Interaction of Huntington Disease Protein with Transcriptional Activator Sp1

ABSTRACT Polyglutamine expansion causes Huntington disease (HD) and at least seven other neurodegenerative diseases. In HD, N-terminal fragments of huntingtin with an expanded glutamine tract are able to aggregate and accumulate in the nucleus. Although intranuclear huntingtin affects the expression of numerous genes, the mechanism of this nuclear effect is unknown. Here we report that huntingtin interacts with Sp1, a transcription factor that binds to GC-rich elements in certain promoters and activates transcription of the corresponding genes. In vitro binding and immunoprecipitation assays show that polyglutamine expansion enhances the interaction of N-terminal huntingtin with Sp1. In HD transgenic mice (R6/2) that express N-terminal-mutant huntingtin, Sp1 binds to the soluble form of mutant huntingtin but not to aggregated huntingtin. Mutant huntingtin inhibits the binding of nuclear Sp1 to the promoter of nerve growth factor receptor and suppresses its transcriptional activity in cultured cells. Overexpression of Sp1 reduces the cellular toxicity and neuritic extension defects caused by intranuclear mutant huntingtin. These findings suggest that the soluble form of mutant huntingtin in the nucleus may cause cellular dysfunction by binding to Sp1 and thus reducing the expression of Sp1-regulated genes.
Intervention to improve psychological functioning for newly diagnosed patients with cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To test the effects of a computer-based nursing intervention designed to provide patients and family caregivers with concrete, objective information on symptom management; provide education about disease and treatment; coordinate medical resources; and provide emotional support and counseling. DESIGN Two-site, randomized clinical trial. SETTINGS A large, urban, midwestern, tertiary-cancer center and a community-based cancer center in a medium-sized midwestern city. SAMPLE 109 patients newly diagnosed with breast, colon, or lung cancer who were receiving chemotherapy; 54 received standard care, and 55 participated in the intervention group. METHODS Outcome data were collected via structured telephone interviews at three time points: baseline, midway through the intervention, and one month postintervention. The intervention consisting of nine visits, five in person and four by telephone, was conducted over 18 weeks by advanced practice oncology nurses. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Psychosocial functioning, anxiety, and depression. FINDINGS Patients who received the intervention had significantly less depression between baseline and the midway point, as well as less anxiety and greater improvement in the role-emotional and mental health subscales of the Medical Outcomes Study 36 Short Form. CONCLUSIONS Cancer-care nursing interventions can decrease psychosocial morbidity and improve quality of life for newly diagnosed patients with cancer undergoing treatment. Additional research is needed to understand who benefited most from the intervention. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING This nurse-directed intervention resulted in improved mental health for patients; however, physical subscales were not changed. Further work is needed to determine why depression and mental health were affected yet physical health and symptoms did not differ between groups. Results support the important role of nurses in addressing mental health issues in patients and families experiencing cancer.
Board diversity, corporate governance, corporate performance, and executive pay

Departing from previous studies, this paper investigates the impact of corporate board diversity on corporate performance and executive pay within the context of Middle East and North African countries. Our sample includes a balanced panel of 600 firm‐year observations, consisting of 100 individual firms drawn from five Middle Eastern countries (Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab of Emirates) over the 2009–2014 period. The findings are three‐fold. First, board diversity, as measured by director gender and nationality, has a positive effect on corporate financial performance. Second, the relationship between board diversity and corporate performance is stronger in better governed firms than their poorly governed counterparts. Finally, board diversity, as measured by director gender, ethnicity, and nationality, enhances the pay‐for‐performance sensitivity but not the actual executive pay. Our results suggest that decisions about board diversity are not merely influenced by moral values; they arise because of the cost–benefit considerations of what diversity can bring to the firm. The findings are robust to controlling for different alternatives of board diversity measures, corporate governance proxies, corporate outcomes, and types of endogeneities.
DCG‐IV Selectively Attenuates Rapidly Triggered NMDA‐induced Neurotoxicity in Cortical Neurons

Molecular cloning has revealed the existence of at least eight subtypes of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). We examined the effect of (2S, 1′R, 2′R, 3′R)‐2‐(2, 3‐dicarboxycyclopropyl)glycine (DCG‐IV), a selective agonist of the mGluR 2/3 subtype, on excitotoxicity in mouse cortical cell cultures. Addition of DCG‐IV to the exposure medium partially attenuated the rapidly triggered excitotoxic death induced by a 5 min exposure to 200 μM NMDA. This neuroprotective effect was reversed by coapplication of α‐methyl‐4‐carboxyphenylglycine (MCPG), an antagonist of mGluRs, by pertussis toxin pretreatment and also by preincubation with dibutyryl cAMP, a stable analogue of cAMP. These results suggest that the activation of mGluR 2/3 is neuroprotective in our system. However, DCG‐IV did not attenuate the slowly triggered neuronal death induced by 24 h exposure to low concentrations of NMDA, α‐amino‐1, 3‐cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid (AMPA) or kainate. The failure of DCG‐IV to block slowly triggered NMDA neurotoxicity is likely due to weak NMDA agonist activity, as demonstrated in whole‐cell recording.
Validation of the School-age Assessment of Attachment in a short-term longitudinal study

This study tested the validity of the School-aged Assessment of Attachment (SAA) in terms of matches from the well-validated Preschool Assessment of Attachment (PAA) to the SAA 6 months later. It also addressed validity in terms of mental health services and measures of stress, depression and anxiety. Hypotheses: Children’s SAA classifications were predicted to match their 6 months’ previous PAA classifications and indicators of maternal, child and family stress. The study used a two-group comparative design, involving normative and clinical children and their mothers. Method: The participants were 50 children between 5.5 and 5.9 years of age. Each child participated with his or her mother in a PAA, and then 6 months later each child responded to the SAA story cards as well as self-report assessments of stress, anxiety and depression. Results: Concordance of A, B, C and A/C attachment classifications was found between the PAA and SAA in 34 of 48 children. There was a strong relation between referral status (clinical or normative) and both PAA and SAA attachment classifications. In every non-matching case, a normative child had an attachment classification indicative of risk, indicating that the direction of errors was false positives as opposed to false negatives. Conclusions: This evidence supports the validity and clinical utility of the SAA.
Cation Interdependency in Acute Stressor States

Abstract:Acute stressor states are inextricably linked to neurohormonal activation which includes the adrenergic nervous system. Consequent elevations in circulating epinephrine and norepinephrine unmask an interdependency that exists between K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+. Catecholamines, for example, regulate the large number of Mg2+-dependent Na/K ATPase pumps present in skeletal muscle. A hyperadrenergic state accounts for a sudden translocation of K+ into muscle and rapid appearance of hypokalemia. In the myocardium, catecholamines promote Mg2+ efflux from cardiomyocytes, whereas intracellular Ca2+ influx and overloading account for the induction of oxidative stress and necrosis of these cells with leakage of their contents, including troponins. Accordingly, acute stressor states can be accompanied by nonischemic elevations in serum troponins, together with the concordant appearance of hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia and ionized hypocalcemia, causing a delay in myocardial repolarization and electrocardiographic QTc prolongation raising the propensity for arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. In this review, we focus on the interdependency between K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ which are clinically relevant to acute stressor states.
Chemotoxicity recovery of mitochondria in non‐Hodgkin lymphoma resulting in minimal residual disease

The mechanisms responsible for resistant disease or recurrence of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in children cover a wide spectrum from drug resistance to genetic mutations. A unique mechanism suggesting the role of mitochondria as the key energy source is studied following a clinical observation where pediatric Burkitt lymphoma (BL) specimens from patients on therapy were found to have increased copies of mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) in specimens which were shown to be positive for minimal residual disease and/or persistent disease (MRD/PD). This study hypothesized that the mitochondria play an important role in a cell's recovery from toxicity via a compensatory increase in mtDNA.
Frontiers of Macrofinancial Linkages

The Great Financial Crisis of 2007-09 confirmed the vital importance of advancing our understanding of macrofinancial linkages, the two-way interactions between the real economy and the financial sector. The crisis was a bitter reminder of how sharp fluctuations in asset prices, credit and capital flows can have dramatic impact on the financial positions of households, corporations and sovereign nations. As fluctuations were amplified, the global financial system was brought to the brink of collapse and the deepest contraction in world output in more than half a century followed. Moreover, unprecedented challenges for fiscal, monetary and financial regulatory policies resulted. The crisis revived an old debate in the economics profession about the importance of macrofinancial linkages. Some argue that the crisis was a painful reminder of our limited knowledge of these linkages. Others claim that the profession had already made substantial progress in understanding them but that there was too much emphasis on narrow approaches and modelling choices. Yet, most also recognise that the absence of a unifying framework to study these two-way interactions has limited the practical applications of existing knowledge and impeded the formulation of policies. With these observations in mind, this paper presents a systematic review of the rapidly expanding literature on macrofinancial linkages. It first surveys the literature on the linkages between asset prices and macroeconomic outcomes. It then reviews the literature on the macroeconomic implications of financial imperfections. It also examines the global dimensions of macrofinancial linkages and documents the main stylized facts about the linkages between the real economy and the financial sector. The topic of macrofinancial linkages promises to remain an exciting area of research, given the many open questions and significant policy interest. The paper concludes with a discussion of possible directions for future research, stressing the need for richer theoretical models, more robust empirical work and better quality data so as to advance knowledge and help guide policymakers going forward.