Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Porcine induced pluripotent stem cells may bridge the gap between mouse and human iPS

Recently, three independent laboratories reported the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from pig (Sus scrofa). This finding sums to the growing list of species (mouse, human, monkey, and rat, in this order) for which successful reprogramming using exogenous factors has been achieved, and multiple others are possibly forthcoming. But apart from demonstrating the universality of the network identified by Shinya Yamanaka, what makes the porcine model so special? On one side, pigs are an agricultural commodity and have an easy and affordable maintenance compared with nonhuman primates that normally need to be imported. On the other side, resemblance (for example, size of organs) of porcine and human physiology is striking and because pigs are a regular source of food the ethical concerns that still remain in monkeys are not applicable. Besides, the prolonged lifespan of pigs compared with other domestic species can allow exhaustive follow up of side effects after transplantation. Porcine iPSCs may thus fill the gap between the mouse model, which due to its ease is preferred for mechanistic studies, and the first clinical trials using iPSCs in humans. However, although these studies are relevant and have created significant interest they face analogous problems that we discuss herein together with potential new directions. © 2010 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 62(4): 277–282, 2010
Apples to Apples: Learning Semantics of Common Entities Through a Novel Comprehension Task

Understanding common entities and their attributes is a primary requirement for any system that comprehends natural language. In order to enable learning about common entities, we introduce a novel machine comprehension task, GuessTwo: given a short paragraph comparing different aspects of two real-world semantically-similar entities, a system should guess what those entities are. Accomplishing this task requires deep language understanding which enables inference, connecting each comparison paragraph to different levels of knowledge about world entities and their attributes. So far we have crowdsourced a dataset of more than 14K comparison paragraphs comparing entities from a variety of categories such as fruits and animals. We have designed two schemes for evaluation: open-ended, and binary-choice prediction. For benchmarking further progress in the task, we have collected a set of paragraphs as the test set on which human can accomplish the task with an accuracy of 94.2% on open-ended prediction. We have implemented various models for tackling the task, ranging from semantic-driven to neural models. The semantic-driven approach outperforms the neural models, however, the results indicate that the task is very challenging across the models.
The Typewriter Under the Bed: Introducing Digital Humanities through Banned Books and Endangered Knowledge

In 2017, I taught an Introduction to Digital Humanities course for undergraduate students at the University of Toronto. The course’s unifying theme was banned books. What moved me to focus the course in this way was the illegal typewriter that lived under my childhood bed: I grew up in formerly communist Eastern Europe, where typewriters were tightly controlled by the government. Yet my family owned an illegal, unregistered typewriter, hidden under my bed behind the off-season clothes, because they saw the ability to write and disseminate one’s thoughts as a technology of survival.In the Intro to DH course, students explored the intellectual landscape of the digital humanities by thinking about banned books throughout history. They examined early printed books of astronomy; early printed books of the lives of saints; illicitly typewritten and photographed Soviet samizdat; endangered climate change research data rescued by the Internet Archive; and American Library Association data about banned and challenged books for children and young adults. This article reflects on using the lens of banned books and endangered knowledge to focus an Introduction to DH course and encourage students to interrogate critically how a variety of technologies—from codex to printing press to typewriter to the internet—create, transmit, preserve, and repress knowledge and cultural memory.
Refugee or Migrant Crisis? Labels, Perceived Agency, and Sentiment Polarity in Online Discussions

In recent years, increasing attention has been dedicated to the hazardous and volatile situation in the Middle East, a crisis which has pushed many to flee their countries and seek refuge in neighboring countries or in Europe. In describing or discussing these tragic events, labels such as “European migrant crisis” and “European refugee crisis” started being widely used by the media, politicians, and the online world alike. The use of such labels has the potential to dictate the ways in which displaced people are received and perceived. With this study, we investigate label use in social media (specifically YouTube), the emergent patterns of labeling that can cause further disaffection and tension or elicit sympathy, and the sentiments associated with the different labels. Our findings suggest that migration issues are being framed not only through labels characterizing the crisis but also by their describing the individuals themselves. Using topic modeling and sentiment analysis jointly, our study offers valuable insights into the direction of public sentiment and the nature of discussions surrounding this significant societal crisis, as well as the nature of online opinion sharing. We conclude by proposing a four-dimensional model of label interpretation in relation to sentiment—that accounts for perceived agency, economic cost, permanence, and threat, and identifies threat and agency to be most impactful. This perspective reveals important influential aspects of labels and frames that may shape online public opinion and alter attitudes toward those directly affected by the crisis.
Modeling Default Probability via Structural Models of Credit Risk in Context of Emerging Markets

The chapter is focused on the structural models of credit risk introducing basic concepts of risk-neutral world, as well as models and different options for the credit risk quanti -fication. An important part is also the introduction of structural approach for credit risk modeling. Furthermore, the chapter presents basic division of structural models and then presents mathematical derivation of individual apparatuses of models. Among tested models are Merton model, KMV model, Black-Cox model, and Credit Grades model. The practical part is focused on the application of these models under the conditions of local emerging market—Slovakia. Additionally, it pointed out the connection between default probability and credit spreads generated with the use of default mode credit risk models. The main objective is to adjust credit risk model to real market data.
Changing labour market risks in the service economy: Low wages, part-time employment and the trend in working poverty risks in Germany

The article presents an analysis of the development of labour market risks in Germany in light of changing working poverty risks. Low hourly wages and part-time employment are identified as the main demand-side-related mechanisms for household poverty. Their measurement and development are discussed as well as their contribution to trends in working poverty risks. A rise in low wages, especially among part-time employed households, was decisive for the increase in working poverty risks in Germany by 45% between the end of the 1990s and the end of the 2000s. We therefore study these trends more closely in the multivariate analysis. The results show that while low wages are unequally distributed across occupations and industries, shifts in employment between sectors explain only a minor part of the change in low wages. However, they reveal a polarization of low-wage risks by skill-level and sector of employment, on the one hand, and full-time and part-time employees, on the other hand.
Foreign Safe Asset Demand and the Dollar Exchange Rate

We develop a theory that links the U.S. dollar's valuation in FX markets to foreign investors' demand for U.S. safe assets. When the convenience yield that foreign investors derive from holding U.S. safe assets increases, the U.S. dollar immediately appreciates, thus lowering the foreign investors' expected future return from owning U.S. safe assets. The foreign investors' convenience yield can be inferred from the wedge between the yield on safe U.S. Treasury bonds and currency-hedged foreign government bonds, which we call the U.S. Treasury basis. Consistent with the theory, we find that a widening of the U.S. Treasury basis coincides with an immediate appreciation and a subsequent depreciation of the U.S. dollar. Shocks to news about current and future convenience yields accounts for 54.2% of the quarterly innovations in the dollar. Our results lend empirical support to recent theories of exchange rate determination which impute a special role to the U.S. as the world's provider of safe assets and to the dollar, the world's reserve currency.
Simple chemicals can induce maturation and apoptosis of dendritic cells

As is well known in the case of Langerhans cells, dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial role in the initiation of immunity to simple chemicals such as noted in the contact hypersensitivity. Because DCs are scattered in non‐lymphoid organs as immature cells, they must be activated to initiate primary antigen‐specific immune reactions. Therefore, we hypothesized that some simple chemicals must affect the function of DCs. In this paper, we first demonstrated that human monocyte‐derived DCs responded to such simple chemicals as 2,4‐dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), 2,4,6‐trinitrochlorobenzene (TNCB), 2,4‐dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB), NiCl2, MnCl2, CoCl2, SnCl2, and CdSO4 by augmenting their expression of CD86 or human leucocyte antigen‐DR (HLA‐DR), down‐regulating c‐Fms expression or increasing their production of tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α). In addition, the DCs stimulated with the chemicals demonstrated increased allogeneic T‐cell stimulatory function. Next, we found that, among these chemicals, only NiCl2 and CoCl2 induced apoptosis in them. Finally, we examined the effects of these chemicals on CD86 expression by three different macrophage subsets and DCs induced from the cultures of human peripheral blood monocytes in the presence of macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF), M‐CSF + interleukin‐4 (IL‐4), granulocyte–macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF), and GM‐CSF + IL‐4, respectively. Among them, only DCs dramatically augmented their expression of CD86. These observations have revealed unique characteristics of DCs, which convert chemical stimuli to augmentation of their antigen presenting function, although their responses to different chemicals were not necessarily uniform in the phenotypic changes, cytokine production or in the induction of apoptosis.
Resveratrol: A multitargeted agent for age-associated chronic diseases

Extensive research within the last decade has revealed that most chronic illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, neurological diseases, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases exhibit dysregulation of multiple cell signaling pathways that have been linked to inflammation. Thus mono-targeted therapies developed for the last two decades for these diseases have proven to be unsafe, ineffective and expensive. Although fruits and vegetables are regarded to have therapeutic potential against chronic illnesses, neither their active component nor the mechanism of action is well understood. Resveratrol (trans-3, 5, 4'-trihydroxystilbene), a component of grapes, berries, peanuts and other traditional medicines, is one such polyphenol that has been shown to mediate its effects through modulation of many different pathways. This stilbene has been shown to bind to numerous cell-signaling molecules such as multi drug resistance protein, topoisomerase II, aromatase, DNA polymerase, estrogen receptors, tubulin and F1-ATPase. Resveratrol has also been shown to activate various transcription factor (e.g; NF-κB, STAT3, HIF-1α, β-catenin and PPAR-γ), suppress the expression of antiapoptotic gene products (e.g; Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, XIAP and survivin), inhibit protein kinases (e.g; src, PI3K, JNK, and AKT), induce antioxidant enzymes (e,g; catalase, superoxide dismutase and hemoxygenase-1), suppress the expression of inflammatory biomrkers (e.g; TNF, COX-2, iNOS, and CRP), inhibit the expression of angiogenic and metstatic gene products (e.g; MMPs, VEGF, cathepsin D, and ICAM-1), and modulate cell cycle regulatory genes (e.g; p53, Rb, PTEN, cyclins and CDKs). Numerous animal studies have demonstrated that this polyphenol holds promise against numerous age-associated diseases including cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. In view of these studies, resveratrol’s prospects for use in the clinics are rapidly accelerating. Efforts are also underway to improve its activity in vivo through structural modification and reformulation. Ours review describes various targets of resveratrol and their therapeutic potential.
Genetic Association of the Porcine C9 Complement Component with Hemolytic Complement Activity

The complement system is a part of the natural immune regulation mechanism against invading pathogens. Complement activation from three different pathways (classical, lectin, and alternative) leads to the formation of C5-convertase, an enzyme for cleavage of C5 into C5a and C5b, followed by C6, C7, C8, and C9 in membrane attack complex. The C9 is the last complement component of the terminal lytic pathway, which plays an important role in lysis of the target cells depending on its self-polymerization to form transmembrane channels. To address the association of C9 with traits related to disease resistance, the complete porcine C9 cDNA was comparatively sequenced to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in pigs of the breeds Hampshire (HS), Duroc (DU), Berlin miniature pig (BMP), German Landrace (LR), Pietrain (PIE), and Muong Khuong (Vietnamese potbelly pig). Genotyping was performed in 417 F2 animals of a resource population (DUMI: DU×BMP) that were vaccinated with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Aujeszky diseases virus and porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus at 6, 14 and 16 weeks of age, respectively. Two SNPs were detected within the third exon. One of them has an amino acid substitution. The European porcine breeds (LR and PIE) show higher allele frequency of these SNPs than Vietnamese porcine breed (MK). Association of the substitution SNP with hemolytic complement activity indicated statistically significant differences between genotypes in the classical pathway but not in the alternative pathway. The interactions between eight time points of measurement of complement activity before and after vaccinations and genotypes were significantly different. The difference in hemolytic complement activity in the both pathways depends on genotype, kind of vaccine, age and the interaction to the other complement components. These results promote the porcine C9 (pC9) as a candidate gene to improve general animal health in the future.
Towards an improved typology approach to segmenting cultural tourists

This study aims to improve McKercher’s (2002) cultural tourist typology methodology which uses cultural centrality and depth of cultural experience in its framework. Using a sample of Chinese tourists in Macau (n=595) collected via questionnaire surveys, the study confirmed the determination effect of cultural centrality on depth of cultural experience. Subsequently, the study demonstrated an improved approach which eliminates such a determination effect in typology identification. Compared to McKercher’s (2002) approach, the improved typology presents a balanced segmentation of cultural tourists and distinguishes the segments more clearly in their socio-demographic characteristics. The improved typology generated more meaningful practical implications.
Risk factors of lymph node metastases with endometrial carcinoma.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate risk factors for lymph node metastases (LNM) in cases of endometrial cancer (EC). MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective single institution analysis of patients surgically staged for EC at Ankara Oncology Education and Research Hospital from 1996 to 2010 was performed. Roles of prognostic factors, such as age, histological type, grade, depth of myometrial invasion, cervical involvement, peritoneal cytology, and tumor size, in the prediction of LNM were evaluated. Fisher's exact test and logistic regression analysis were used to assess the effects of various factors on LNM. RESULTS LNM was observed in 22 out of 247 patients (8.9%) and was significantly more common in the presence of tumors of higher grade, deep myometrial invasion (DMI), cervical involvement, size>2 cm, and with positive peritoneal cytology. Logistic regression analysis revealed that DMI remained the only independent risk factor for LNM. NPV, PPV, sensitivity, and specificity for satisfying LNM risk were 98.0, 19.5, 86.3, and 65.3%, respectively for DMI. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of LNM is influenced independently by DMI. If data support a conclusion of DMI, LND should be seriously considered.
Insight into the Interactions between Novel Coumarin Derivatives and Human A3 Adenosine Receptors

A study focused on the discovery of new chemical entities based on the 3‐arylcoumarin scaffold was performed with the aim of finding new adenosine receptor (AR) ligands. Thirteen synthesized compounds were evaluated by radioligand binding (A1, A2A, and A3) and adenylyl cyclase activity (A2B) assays in order to study their affinity for the four human AR (hAR) subtypes. Seven of the studied compounds proved to be selective A3AR ligands, with 3‐(4′‐methylphenyl)‐8‐(2‐oxopropoxy)coumarin (12) being the most potent (Ki=634 nM). None of the compounds showed affinity for the A2B receptor, while four compounds were found to be nonselective AR ligands for the other three subtypes. Docking simulations were carried out to identify the hypothetical binding mode and to rationalize the interaction of these types of coumarin derivatives with the binding site of the three ARs to which binding was observed. The results allowed us to conclude that the 3‐arylcoumarin scaffold composes a novel and promising class of A3AR ligands. ADME properties were also calculated, with the results suggesting that these compounds are promising leads for the identification of new drug candidates.
Perceptions of Principal Appraisal: Experience in Australian Lutheran Schools

This study was an investigation into participant perceptions of principal appraisal in Australian Lutheran schools where a national, systematic appraisal process for principals, entitled Principal Appraisal for Development (PAD), has been in place since 2000. The study group for the investigation consisted of fifteen principals, ten chairpersons of school councils and two district directors, all of whom had been involved in the process. The literature review indicated that whilst there was substantive scholarly writing on the purpose and methods of principal appraisal, there was a lack of recorded research on the experience and longer term outcomes of appraisal. Accordingly, the focus of the study was an examination of participant perceptions of the experience and impact of appraisal. The study’s theoretical underpinning was symbolic interactionism and it adopted a qualitative approach to answer the central research question: What are principal and governing council chairperson perceptions of the efficacy of principal appraisal processes in Australian Lutheran schools? Data for the study were gathered through focus group and individual qualitative interviews. In addition, documents associated with the appraisal process were obtained for analysis. The data were then analysed using grounded theory methods, leading to the generation of three theoretical propositions. The first proposition was that the efficacy of principal appraisal depended on the completion of an explicit process that followed six clearly defined and understood steps; the second: that five perceptions of the efficacy of the appraisal process could be identified amongst participants; and the third: that the role played by key players in a spirit of trust in the process and in one another facilitated perceptions of efficacy in the appraisal process. Furthermore, the context in which the process took place, the actual purpose of the process and the nature of responses by participants emerged as key factors in each proposition. In particular, these factors determined whether the appraisal process advanced through the six defined stages required to ensure meaningful, long-term development for the principal, which of the perceptions of efficacy of the process for development was held by participants, and the extent to which trust in one another and in the process was evident.
Modeling of 3-level buck converters in discontinuous conduction mode for stand-by mode power supply

A 3-level buck converter in the discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) is a key circuit for integrated voltage regulators to achieve high efficiency at a light load in the stand-by mode operation of microprocessors. In this paper, fundamental circuit characteristics including the conversion ratio and transfer function are derived for the first time, enabling the design of controllers for 3-level buck converters in the DCM. The derived transfer function is verified by time-domain small-signal-injection simulation. Similar to conventional 2-level buck converters, 3-level buck converters in the DCM have a flrst-order lag transfer function, while 3-level buck converters in the continuous conduction mode (CCM) have a second-order lag transfer function, suggesting that different controllers are required for the DCM and CCM.
Programming Reversibly Self‐Folding Origami with Micropatterned Photo‐Crosslinkable Polymer Trilayers

Self-folding microscale origami patterns are demonstrated in polymer films with control over mountain/valley assignments and fold angles using trilayers of photo-crosslinkable copolymers with a temperature-sensitive hydrogel as the middle layer. The characteristic size scale of the folds W = 30 μm and figure of merit A/ W (2) ≈ 5000, demonstrated here represent substantial advances in the fabrication of self-folding origami.
Ekonometrijski model turističke tražnje u Izraelu

All organizations exist within its own environment. Environment determinates the manner and dynamics of organizational functioning. It also defines the terms and limits of organizational development. This paper shows analysis of the nature of contemporary organizational environment from the aspect of its fundamental parameters. It also exhibits the results of empirical research conducted on a vast number of organizations in Serbia. The objective of this research was to define the nature of organizational environment in Serbia and to determine the environmental factors which influence the functioning of these organizations.