Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The opportunity costs of enhancing legume‐based sustainable agricultural intensification practices in Malawi

Determining the value of legumes as soil-fertility amendments can be challenging, yet this information is required to guide public policy and to incentivise prescribed land-management practices such as conservation agriculture. We apply a directional distance function to data from Malawi, to estimate shadow prices for symbiotic nitrogen and the technical efficiency for mixed maize-legume production systems. The shadow prices reflect the trade-off between fertiliser-nitrogen and symbiotic-nitrogen required to achieve a given quantity of output. Our results reveal considerable technical inefficiency in the production system. The estimated shadow prices vary across farms and are, on average, higher than the reference price for commercial nitrogen. Our results suggest that it would be beneficial to redesign the current price-support programs that subsidise chemical fertilisers and indirectly crowd-out organic soil amendments such as legumes.
Optimal rate allocation for multi-sensor distributed estimation

This paper studies the optimal rate allocation (ORA) problem for multi-sensor distributed estimation in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) where a total bit rate constraint is imposed. We adopt the mean-square error (MSE) as the the performance criterion of the designed distributed estimator, and search for the optimal rate allocation scheme through minimizing the upper bound of the designed estimator MSE. We consider the two-sensor case in WSN, and obtain a optimal rate allocation scheme, where the optimal bit rate of each sensor is basically determined by the local signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Simulation results show that the optimal rate allocation scheme improves evidently on the simple uniform rate allocation scheme.
Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen 3C Interacts with and Enhances the Stability of the c-Myc Oncoprotein

ABSTRACT Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was the first human DNA virus to be associated with cancer. Its oncogenic potential was further demonstrated by its ability to transform primary B lymphocytes in vitro. EBV nuclear antigen 3C (EBNA3C) is one of a small subset of latent antigens critical for the transformation of human primary B lymphocytes. Although EBNA3C has been shown to modulate several cellular functions, additional targets involved in cellular transformation remain to be explored. EBNA3C can recruit key components of the SCFSkp2 ubiquitin ligase complex. In this report, we show that EBNA3C residues 130 to 190, previously shown to bind to the SCFSkp2 complex, also can strongly associate with the c-Myc oncoprotein. Additionally, the interaction of EBNA3C with c-Myc was mapped to the region of c-Myc that includes the highly conserved Skp2 binding domain. Skp2 has been shown to regulate c-Myc stability and also has been shown to function as a coactivator of transcription for c-Myc target genes. We now show that the EBV latent oncoprotein EBNA3C can stabilize c-Myc and that the recruitment of both c-Myc and its cofactor Skp2 to c-Myc-dependent promoters can enhance c-Myc-dependent transcription. This same region of EBNA3C also recruits and modulates the activity of retinoblastoma and p27, both major regulators of the mammalian cell cycle. The inclusion of c-Myc in the group of cellular targets modulated by this domain further accentuates the importance of these critical residues of EBNA3C in bypassing the cell cycle checkpoints.
Design of tri-band ENZ SIW sensor for microwave testing of materials in 3G and 4G GSM bands

This paper presents a novel tri-band epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) based microwave sensor for microwave material testing at global system for mobile communications (GSM) bands. The prototype RF sensor is designed, simulated, and tested for the microwave characterization of materials in 3G and 4G frequency bands. The proposed design provides a substantial reduction in the sensor size, and facilitates complex permittivity measurement at multiple frequencies with reasonable sensitivity as compared to the conventional SIW based sensors. The device is fabricated using multiple layers of FR4 substrate, and the RF signal is coupled using SMA connectors which is then tested for various reference samples. The measured data are found to be in good agreement with their reference values thus validating the proposed design methodology.
Evaluation and Referral of Diabetic Eye Disease in the Endocrinology and Primary Care Office Settings.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to identify whether endocrinologists and primary care physicians (PCP) adequately screen for ophthalmic symptoms/signs within office visits and provide timely ophthalmology referrals in patients with diabetes. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients between the ages of 18 years and 80 years with diabetes who underwent an office visit with an endocrinologist or a PCP between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2014, were identified. Demographics, ophthalmic assessments, and referral information were collected. RESULTS A total of 1,250 patient records were reviewed. Providers asked about ophthalmic symptoms/signs in 95.5% and 71% of endocrinology and primary care office encounters, respectively (P < .0001). Past and/or future ophthalmology appointments were verified in 86.1% and 49.7% of patients during endocrinology and PCP visits, respectively (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS Ophthalmic complications from diabetes are not adequately screened, especially within the primary care setting, and further quality improvement measures may improve adherence to recommended screening protocols. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2016;47:930-934. ].
Alterations of amino acids in plasma of lactating cows during the experimental induction of ketosis.

Abstract Amino acids in plasma of 12 cows were determined during 10 days to measure effects of a lowenergy ration and exogenous thyroxine. Cows were fed rations which provided either their energy and protein requirements on Day 0, or only 30% of the energy and 90% of die protein required. A daily dosage of 6.9mg of L-thyroxine (sodium) pentahydrate injected on Days 4 through 7 in combination with the lowenergy ration induced signs of clinical ketosis. The combination of thyroxine injections with a low-energy ration elevated valine, leucine, and isoleucine on Day 5. These were much lower on Day 7. These changes were similar to those of the pattern of glucose in blood. Glutamic acid was highest on Day 6. These changes in amino acids were apparently the result of protein catabolism in response to energy deficiency. Possible causes for the elevation of tiiese amino acids in plasma, and the possibility of these amino acids having triggered a release of insulin are discussed. In addition, some possible metabolic deficiencies are discussed considering commonly established biochemical pathways.
A novel, plasmid-based system for studying gene rearrangements in mammalian cells

We have developed a plasmid-based system for isolating gene rearrangements in mammalian cells by selection for reversion of a promoterless drug resistance gene. pNH4 contains the selectable marker gene neo under the control of the herpes simplex virus, thymidine kinase (tk) promoter and, upstream and in the opposite orientation, a dormant promoterless hygromycin B resistance gene (hph) that can be expressed following rearrangement events. An NIH 3T3 cell line stably transfected with pNH4 that has a spontaneous frequency of generation of Hphr colonies of approximately 10(-8) was isolated. Treatment of this line with ethyl methanesulfonate raised the frequency of Hphr colony formation approximately 100-fold. Approximately 60% (21 of 35) of ethyl methanesulfonate-induced Hphr clones showed rearrangements detectable by Southern blot analysis within a 40-kb region surrounding the integrated construct, including a nonhomologous recombination event and, possibly, a large insertion. Additionally, three Hphr clones showed evidence of gene amplification. Northern (RNA) blot analysis of hph mRNA suggests that the rearrangements may provide a function that allows the tk promoter to initiate transcription off the opposite strand, thus yielding hph transcripts. Cell lines harboring pNH4, or modifications of it, may be valuable for studying recombination mechanisms responsible for the various types of genetic rearrangements found in cancer cells.
The Effect of Calcium Ions on Cell Volume and Motility of Bovine Spermatozoa

Summary Ca2+ was added to a buffered medium containing various combinations of K+, fructose, CN-, ouabain, and BSA. Constant osmolarity, pH, and temperature of the incubation media were maintained. Without K+ in the medium, Ca2+ limited the duration of rapid swelling of spermatozoa by causing early onset of shrinkage to about 90% of initial cell volume. Shrinkage occurred sooner as the Ca2+ level increased, and was associated with a fuzzy microscopic appearance of the sperm cells. Addition of 2.25 to 3.0 mM K+, and to a lesser extent 1.0 mM of fructose, delayed the onset of swelling and subsequent shrinkage associated with Ca2+ alone. This delay also was observed in a variety of media which promoted good sperm motility. BSA was able to counteract the effects of Ca2+, but this was abolished by addition of CN-. Fructose overcame the CN- effect, indicating that the process is energy related. It appears likely that Ca2+ enters the cell only after energy sources are depleted, and its presence there causes structural and permeability changes in spermatozoa.
Financial Structure, Economic Growth and Development

Financial intermediaries and markets can alleviate market frictions through producing information and risk sharing in different ways. In practice, the structure of financial systems can be bank-based or market-based, varying across countries. The influence of financial structure on economic growth is dependent on the overall development of the real economy and institutions. The association is also different during crisis periods and non-crisis periods. Market-based systems tend to have an advantage for financially dependent industries in good times but are a disadvantage in bad times. The recent rapid growth of shadow banking benefits economic growth but also poses additional risks to the financial system and real economy.
Büttiker Probe-Based Modeling of TDDB: Application to Dielectric Breakdown in MTJs and MOS Devices

Dielectric layers are gradually being downscaled in different electronic devices like MOSFETs and magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) with shrinking device sizes. As a result, time dependent dielectric breakdown has become a major issue in such devices. In this paper we propose a generalized way of modeling the stress-induced leakage current (SILC) and postbreakdown current (PBC) due to time dependent wear-out of the dielectric layer. We model the traps formed in dielectric layer using Büttiker probe and incorporate the Büttiker probe self-energies in standard self-consistent nonequilibrium Green’s function formalism in order to determine SILC and PBC. In addition, we have shown the impact of breakdown in the dielectric layer on the spin current and spin filtering characteristics of an MTJ. The proposed model is generic in nature. It can be extended from MTJs and conventional CMOS technology to any other devices with any type of single and multiple layers of dielectric material(s).
Impact of container material on the development of Aedes aegypti larvae at different temperatures.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of dengue generally breeds in intradomestic and peridomestic containers made up of different materials, i.e. plastic, iron, rubber, earthen material etc. The material of container is likely to affect the temperature of water in container with variation in environmental temperature. The present study was aimed to determine the effect of different container materials on larval development of Ae. aegypti at different temperatures. METHODS Newly hatched I instar larvae (2-4 h old) were used in the study and experiments were conducted using three different containers made up of plastic, iron and earthen material. Three replicates for each type of container at 22, 26, 30, 34, 38, 40, and 42°C were placed in environmental chamber for the development of larvae. RESULTS At temperatures >22°C, 50% pupation was completed in earthen pot within 4.3±0.6 to 6.3±0.6 days followed by plastic containers (5±0 to 8±0 days) and iron containers (6±0 to 9±0 days). Developmental time for 50% pupation in the three containers differed significantly (p < 0.05) at all the experimental temperature ranges. A significant variation was found in the temperature of environmental chamber and the temperature of water in three types of containers (p < 0.05). The difference in the temperatures of water in different containers resulted in significant variations in the developmental period of larvae. More than 35°C temperature of water was found inimical for pupal development. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION The results revealed the variation in temperature of water in different types of containers depending on the material of container, affecting duration of larval development. As the larval development was faster in earthen pot as compared to plastic and iron containers, community should be discouraged for storing the water in earthen pots. However, in view of containers of different materials used by the community in different temperature zones in the country, further studies are required for devising area-specific preventive measures for Aedes breeding.
Effects of acute social stress on alcohol consumption in healthy subjects.

BACKGROUND There has been renewed interest in interactions between stress and use of drugs and alcohol. Although there is evidence that stress increases drug use in human drug users and in laboratory animals, the processes by which stress affects drug-motivated behavior are not understood. Here we examined the effects of an acute social stressor (performing a mental arithmetic task in front of an audience) on consumption of ethanol or placebo beverages in healthy social drinkers. METHODS Thirty-seven men and women, ages 21-35, were randomly assigned to a placebo (n = 15) or ethanol group (n = 22). Subjects participated in two sessions, one with stress (Trier Social Stress Test) the other without stress. In each session, immediately after the stress or no-stress period, subjects consumed the first dose (placebo or 0.3 g/kg of ethanol for men or 0.2 g/kg for women). Then, subjects were allowed to choose up to six more beverages (0.1 g/kg each for the ethanol group or placebo beverages for the placebo group). Measures included percentage of beverage consumed, salivary cortisol level, heart rate, blood pressure, and subjective ratings of mood and drug effect. RESULTS Subjects in both the placebo and ethanol groups consumed significantly more of their beverages after stress, compared to no stress. Stress increased anxiety, uneasiness, and produced some stimulant-like effects and, in the ethanol group, it dampened some of the acute subjective effects of ethanol. The direct physiologic and mood effects of the stress were fairly short-lived. CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that acute stress may produce a modest increase in alcohol consumption in healthy, nonproblem social drinkers but that this increase is not directly related to the pharmacological effects of the drug. Nonpharmacological factors may include expectancies, thirst, or nonspecific facilitation of ongoing behaviors.
Risk factors and antibiotic therapy in P. aeruginosa community‐acquired pneumonia

Current guidelines recommend empirical treatment against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients with specific risk factors. However, evidence to support these recommendations is limited. We evaluate the risk factors and the impact of antimicrobial therapy in patients hospitalized with CAP due to P. aeruginosa.
Optimisation et réalisation d'un micro-gyromètre deux axes à poutres vibrantes en silicium

Les travaux presentes ont pour objectif l'optimisation et la realisation d'un gyrometre micro-usine a poutre vibrante sur substrat silicium. Ces travaux s`inscrivent dans la continuite de theses precedemment effectuees a FEMTO-ST et consacrees au developpement d’une structure de gyrometre en etoile. Cette configuration est appropriee a la realisation de mesures de vitesse angulaire dans le plan du substrat. Le contexte de la these est constitue par un projet de recherche proposant une evolution du gyrometre silicium avec passage d`une detection capacitive a une detection optique. C'est pourquoi le memoire propose naturellement un redimensionnement en profondeur du capteur. Ainsi, un nombre important d’etudes par elements finis ont ete realisees pour optimiser la structure vibrante. Cette optimisation nous a permis de respecter le cahier des charges vis-a-vis des frequences d'excitation et de detections, tout en rejetant les modes parasites. Des etudes electromecaniques complementaires ont permis de comprendre en detail les specificites resultant du choix de l’excitation capacitive. Ces travaux ont conduit a l’elaboration d'une structure optimisee, associee a une redefinition des procedes de fabrication en salle blanche. Plusieurs series de capteurs micro-usines ont ainsi pu etre realisees, donnant lieu a des structures exploitables, validant le nouveau design avec son process associe. Le recours a une sonde heterodyne a ensuite permis de mesurer les deplacements hors-plan en fonction du signal d'excitation, validant ainsi le comportement dynamique primaire des structures.
Regulation of Activation and Processing of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) by a Complex Electrostatic Interaction between the Regulatory Domain and Cytoplasmic Loop 3*

Background: NEG2 regulates CFTR gating but the mechanism is unknown. Results: A putative NEG2-CL3 electrostatic attraction, possibly weakened by Arg-764/Arg-766 of the R domain, prohibited CFTR activation. A charge exchange between NEG2 and CL3 caused misprocessing. Conclusion: Electrostatic regulation of CFTR activation and processing may be asymmetric at the CL3-R interface. Significance: The CL3-R interface is optimally designed for multiple regulations of CFTR functions. NEG2, a short C-terminal segment (817–838) of the unique regulatory (R) domain of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel, has been reported to regulate CFTR gating in response to cAMP-dependent R domain phosphorylation. The underlying mechanism, however, is unclear. Here, Lys-946 of cytoplasmic loop 3 (CL3) is proposed as counter-ion of Asp-835, Asp-836, or Glu-838 of NEG2 to prevent the channel activation by PKA. Arg-764 or Arg-766 of the Ser-768 phosphorylation site of the R domain is proposed to promote the channel activation possibly by weakening the putative CL3-NEG2 electrostatic attraction. First, not only D835A, D836A, and E838A but also K946A reduced the PKA-dependent CFTR activation. Second, both K946D and D835R/D836R/E838R mutants were activated by ATP and curcumin to a different extent. Third, R764A and R766A mutants enhanced the PKA-dependent activation. However, it is very exciting that D835R/D836R/E838R and K946D/H950D and H950R exhibited normal channel processing and activity whereas D835R/D836R/E838R/K946D/H950D was fractionally misprocessed and silent in response to forskolin. Further, D836R and E838R played a critical role in the asymmetric electrostatic regulation of CFTR processing, and Ser-768 phosphorylation may not be involved. Thus, a complex interfacial interaction among CL3, NEG2, and the Ser-768 phosphorylation site may be responsible for the asymmetric electrostatic regulation of CFTR activation and processing.
Induction of manic switch by the tumour necrosis factor‐α antagonist infliximab

SERTINDOLE IS AN atypical antipsychotic agent with highaffinity and concomitant moderate-potency blocking effect to the rapid component of the human cardiac delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr), encoded by the human Ether-à-gogo-related (hERG) gene. This property underlies the prolongation of the Q–T interval observed during sertindole administration and may cause life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. We report the case of a 52-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was treated with antipsychotic medication from the age of approximately 40 years old, and who was recently started on sertindole. Sertindole was initiated following serious tardive dyskinesia (TD) caused by his previous medication (quetiapine). After 6 weeks of sertindole treatment (16 mg/day), TD remitted and improvement in his psychotic symptoms was observed. The electrocardiograms (ECG) showed normal Q–T intervals (baseline ECG, QTc = 400 msec; heart rate [HR], 70/min; PR, 180 msec; second ECG [2 weeks later following 8 mg/day of sertindole], QTc = 424 msec; HR, 105/min; PR, 180 msec; third ECG [3 weeks later following 16 mg/day of sertindole], QTc = 413 msec; HR, 100/min; PR, 180 msec; and fourth ECG without further changes). Six months following the initiation of sertindole the patient reported five syncopal episodes without clear prodromal symptoms. The patient recalled two sporadic syncopal episodes in his mid 20s. Electroencephalography (EEG) and brain computed tomography were carried out and were within normal limits. Noninterventional cardiological investigation (echocardiography, stress-test, Holter ECG and head-up tilting test) were normal. During the tilting test, blood pressure changed from 135/ 75 mmHg (baseline) to 130/68 mmHg immediately after tilting, ruling out orthostatic hypotension. Throughout the test, blood pressure and HR range were 15 mmHg and 10 beats per minute, respectively, ruling out vasovagal syncope. Electrophysiological study was negative for sinus node dysfunction and ventricular arrhythmogenesis, but documented an abnormal atrioventricular conduction: (i) H–V interval of 72 (normal values: 35–55 msec); and (ii) Wenckebach point of atrioventricular conduction at an atrial pacing cycle length of 490 msec. Two weeks after the discontinuation of sertindole, H–V was not shortened (70 msec) and based on the current indications for pacemaker implantation and considering the co-morbid psychiatric disease, a pacemaker was implanted and the patient has remained free of symptoms. Since the recurrent syncopal episodes coincided with sertindole administration, sertindole was implicated as a possible triggering factor, unmasking a subclinical defect in the conduction system. This may be attributed to the effect of sertindole on (i) the IKr current and its predominance in the atrioventricular conduction; and (ii) the Purkinje fibers. Clinicians should be aware of this possible effect of the drug.