Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is Inflation a Monetary Phenomenon in the East European Economies? – Multifrequency Bayesian Quantile Inference

This paper tries to determine how growth of money supply affects inflation in different time-horizons and under different inflati on levels in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Russia. The research is done by using two innovative methodologies – the wavelet approach and Bayesian q uantile regression. By observing these four countries, we can assess wheth er inflation targeting (IT) plays significant role in curbing inflation, becaus e three Visegrad group countries adopted IT almost two decades ago, while Russ ia tarted to conduct IT relatively recently. Estimated quantiles suggest th a money supply growth does not influence inflation in the Czech Republic and H ungary, whatsoever. We find that money growth impacts inflation in Poland, but very modestly. On the other hand, in the case of Russia, the transmission effec t rom money to inflation is much higher, and it goes around 40% in low infla tion conditions, when M1 aggregate is observed, and around 78% in low inflat ion conditions, when M3 aggregate is analysed. The overall results clearly indicate that the adoption of the IT framework as a disinflation strategy proved to be successful in the Visegrad group countries, since excessive money growth has little or no effect at all on inflation in these countries.
Loss of Hepatic Carcinoembryonic Antigen‐Related Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 Links Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis to Atherosclerosis

Patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis (NAFLD/NASH) commonly develop atherosclerosis through a mechanism that is not well delineated. These diseases are associated with steatosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis. The role of insulin resistance in their pathogenesis remains controversial. Albumin (Alb)Cre+Cc1flox(fl)/fl mice with the liver‐specific null deletion of the carcinoembryonic antigen‐related cell adhesion molecule 1 (Ceacam1; alias Cc1) gene display hyperinsulinemia resulting from impaired insulin clearance followed by hepatic insulin resistance, elevated de novo lipogenesis, and ultimately visceral obesity and systemic insulin resistance. We therefore tested whether this mutation causes NAFLD/NASH and atherosclerosis. To this end, mice were propagated on a low‐density lipoprotein receptor (Ldlr)−/− background and at 4 months of age were fed a high‐cholesterol diet for 2 months. We then assessed the biochemical and histopathologic changes in liver and aortae. Ldlr−/−AlbCre+Cc1fl/fl mice developed chronic hyperinsulinemia with proatherogenic hypercholesterolemia, a robust proinflammatory state associated with visceral obesity, elevated oxidative stress (reduced NO production), and an increase in plasma and tissue endothelin‐1 levels. In parallel, they developed NASH (steatohepatitis, apoptosis, and fibrosis) and atherosclerotic plaque lesions. Mechanistically, hyperinsulinemia caused down‐regulation of the insulin receptor followed by inactivation of the insulin receptor substrate 1–protein kinase B–endothelial NO synthase pathway in aortae, lowering the NO level. This also limited CEACAM1 phosphorylation and its sequestration of Shc‐transforming protein (Shc), activating the Shc–mitogen‐activated protein kinase–nuclear factor kappa B pathway and stimulating endothelin‐1 production. Thus, in the presence of proatherogenic dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinemia and hepatic insulin resistance driven by liver‐specific deletion of Ceacam1 caused metabolic and vascular alterations reminiscent of NASH and atherosclerosis. Conclusion: Altered CEACAM1‐dependent hepatic insulin clearance pathways constitute a molecular link between NASH and atherosclerosis.
Functional Redundancy and Expression Divergence among Gene Duplicates in Yeast

My research mainly focused on the functional redundancy and expression divergence of gene duplicates to address currently unsolved problems. Herein, we employed a method based on GO terms to measure functional overlap between paralogs. We established that functional similarity between duplicate genes is the key determinant of their backup capacity. Later, we also investigated expression divergence. Recent studies suggest that only a small proportion of expression variation can be explained by transcriptional variation between paralogs. Here, the contribution from diverged TFregulations was re-examined and differential promoter chromatin status was also found as an important contributor to expression divergence. To better understand the role of gene duplication in great detail, a case study was performed on the yeast chaperone system, which includes many gene duplicates. Taken together, this study sheds light on the roles of redundancy and divergence in long-term retention of gene duplicates.
Alteration in β-1, 3-glucanases enzyme in Sesamum indicum L. infected with Macrophomina phaseolina

Interaction between plant and a phytopathogens causes the induction of defense system in plant against that pathogen which is regulated by a complex network of different signals, as a result of which they produce a large amount of secondary metabolites i.e., phenolic compounds, PR proteins and other enzymes. Plant β-1,3-glucanases are the major PR proteins and belong to the PR-2 family, which are believed to play an important role in plant defence against the phytopathogens. So this study was carried out to analyze the modification in β-1,3-glucanases specific activity in Sesame ( Sesame indicum L.) plant after the infection with the pathogen [ Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. ] . For the experiment, 7 days and 14 days old Sesame plants were used. The specific activity of β-1,3-glucanases enzyme in infected plants was considerably exceeded in contrast to control plants. The obtained results give important information concerning the plant-pathogen interactions, in the defense response for Sesame improvement programs seeking the adaptation to diverse range of fungal attack along with adverse environmental factors.
Quelles approches pédagogiques sous-tendent les pratiques des futurs enseignants belges francophones ?

L’ancien debat relatif aux approches pedagogiques oppose aujourd’hui les auteurs mettant en evidence l’efficacite de l’enseignement explicite et ceux d’orientation socioconstructiviste, peu d’auteurs se revendiquant d’une approche transmissive. Cet article examine dans quelle mesure les futurs enseignants de differentes institutions de formation de Belgique francophone (hautes ecoles et universites) adherent a ces trois approches. Sur la base d’un questionnaire adapte de celui de Wanlin et Crahay, les resultats indiquent que plus les futurs enseignants du primaire avancent dans leurs etudes, plus ils sont favorables a une approche socioconstructiviste et moins favorables que ceux du secondaire inferieur a une approche transmissive. Les futurs enseignants du secondaire superieur, formes a l’universite, sont le moins favorables a une approche socioconstructiviste. Quant a l’approche explicite, elle est encore peu presente dans la formation initiale des enseignants belges.
Late Pleistocene proboscidean population dynamics in the North American Midcontinent

Understanding megafaunal population dynamics is critical to testing and refining scenarios of how extinctions occurred during the terminal Pleistocene. Large‐scale, collections‐based, chronological and taphonomic analyses of midwestern Proboscidea suggest divergent population histories in mammoths and mastodons after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Although extinction of both taxa occurred in the very late Bølling‐Allerød (B‐A) or early Younger Dryas (YD), Mammuthus is dominant during the LGM with a decreasing presence in the region until extirpation. Mammut americanum however, is absent during the LGM but becomes the dominant taxon during the subsequent B‐A. Trace and physical evidence of large carnivores in post‐LGM proboscidean assemblages is extremely rare, suggesting apex predators had minimal impact on mammoth and mastodon populations at this time. The ultimate mechanism(s) of extinction remain unclear; however, the wide geographical distribution of late Mammut and an increase in the frequency of multi‐animal death assemblages is consistent with a large, destabilized population experiencing periodic boom‐bust cycling at the end of the B‐A. We suggest this pattern is due to the collapse of trophic controls on proboscidean populations prior to the LGM and a subsequent system‐wide shift from top‐down to bottom‐up regulatory mechanisms in Proboscidea.
Effects of cryopreservation conditions on human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and its potential application in cardiac fibrosis / Yong Kar Wey

Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs) hold great potential for clinical application (e.g., regenerative medicine and cell-based therapies) due to their multilineage differentiation ability and paracrine function. To achieve sufficient numbers of hASCs for off-the-shelf-use in an intensive clinical setting (e.g., cardiac fibrosis therapy), hASCs at early passage should be capable of being cryopreserved in the long-term with cell functionality maintained without raising biosafety concerns (e.g., tumourigenesis). The objectives of this study are to evaluate the effects of cryopreservation conditions on hASCs and the potential application of cryopreserved hASCs in cardiac fibrosis. In this study, hASCs were cryopreserved for 3 months using a slow freezing method in various combinations of 3 general used cryoprotective agents (CPAs), including dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), trehalose, and fetal bovine serum (FBS). Following rapid thawing, hASCs cryopreserved in a cryopreservation medium containing DMSO at a reduced concentration without FBS (5% DMSO) were found to maintain high viability and functional properties in terms of differentiation potential (including adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic), proliferation potential, and stemness. Moreover, hASCs cryopreserved in 5% DMSO have a low risk of tumourigenesis, as indicated by normal expression levels of tumour suppressor markers and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), normal telomere length, and normal telomerase activity without significant DNA damage or p53 mutation. In addition, it was found that fresh (non-cryopreserved) hASCs and hASCs cryopreserved in 5% DMSO both display a similar potential to inhibit cardiac myofibroblast differentiation in vitro via paracrine signalling, and thus may decrease the incidence of cardiac fibrosis. In summary, 5% DMSO without FBS may be an ideal CPA for efficient long-term cryopreservation of iv hASCs for clinical applications. Further, long-term cryopreserved hASCs demonstrate their significant therapeutic value in cardiac fibrosis therapy.
A rapid neural network–based state of health estimation scheme for screening of end of life electric vehicle batteries

There is growing interest in recycling and re-use of electric vehicle batteries owing to their growing market share and use of high-value materials such as cobalt and nickel. To inform the subsequent applications at battery end of life, it is necessary to quantify their state of health. This study proposes an estimation scheme for the state of health of high-power lithium-ion batteries based on extraction of parameters from impedance data of 13 Nissan Leaf 2011 battery modules modelled by a modified Randles equivalent circuit model. Using the extracted parameters as predictors for the state of health, a baseline single hidden layer neural network was evaluated by root mean square and peak state of health prediction errors and refined using a Gaussian process optimisation procedure. The optimised neural network predicted state of health with a root mean square error of (1.729 ± 0.147)%, which is shown to be competitive with some of the most performant existing neural network–based state of health estimation schemes, and is expected to outperform the baseline model with ∼50 training samples. The use of equivalent circuit model parameters enables more in-depth analysis of the battery degradation state than many similar neural network–based schemes while maintaining similar accuracy despite a reduced dataset, while there is demonstrated potential for measurement times to be reduced to as little as 30 s with frequency targeting of the impedance measurements.
Visualization of the Salmonella typhimurium pathogenicity island 1 type 3 secretion system in action

Das Typ 3 Sekretionssytem ist eine von Gram negativen pathogenen Bakterien genutzte makromolekulare Maschine. Die in die Membran verankerte nadelformige Sekretionsmaschine schleust Proteine in die Wirtszelle. Mit Hilfe von Cryo Elektronen Mikroskopie und Tomografie konnte die Hauptstruktur des Systems, der Nadelkomplex wahrend eines Sekretionsvorganges erstmals visualisiert werden.
Evolution and community structure of parasites in Galápagos giant tortoises

A central theme in ecology is to understand the distribution and abundance of organisms and the factors influencing these patterns. This thesis investigated the taxonomic identity and biogeography of blood parasites, Amblyomma ticks and gastro-intestinal helminths of Galapagos tortoise, Chelonoidis spp. Blood parasite and ticks were assessed for co-phylogeographic patterns with their tortoise host. The patterns of helminths diversity was examined and whether factor such as host colonization history and local ecology determine their distribution and community composition. Microscope and phylogenetic analysis of 18S rDNA identified the blood parasite as a haemogregarine of the genus Hepatozoon. It was represented by just two haplotypes restricted to the northern volcanoes of Isabela. Thirty-seven tortoise blood samples yielded the same haemogregarine haplotype for Alcedo and Wolf volcanoes, unique to Chelonoidis spp. The only tortoise that was haemogregarine positive from Darwin yielded a different haplotype, related to haemogregarines reported from Galapagos land iguanas. Molecular analysis of the COI gene of Amblyomma ticks revealed 3 different species, one infesting tortoises of Alcedo and Wolf volcanoes, one in tortoises of Santiago and one of tortoises from Pinzon. Galapagos tortoise ticks from Alcedo and Wolf has been described before as A. unsingeri, while tortoise ticks from Santiago and Pinzon have been described as belonging to A. pilosum. The restricted distribution of tortoise haemogregarines impeded testing them for co-phylogeographic patterns. Ticks showed no agreement with the phylogeography of their tortoise host. Coprological and metabarcoding methods revealed the presence of Platyhelminths, Acanthocephala, and Nematoda. Metabarcoding however, exceeded the traditional method in sensitivity for parasite detection and identification. At least seven families of Nematoda were identified with most taxa widespread across the Galapagos archipelago suggesting little effect of host colonisation for the common taxa in their distribution. At least three genera were found only on one or two islands suggesting their potential local acquisition or exclusion. These results are relevant for understanding the diversity and ecology of Chelonoidis spp. parasites, the management andconservation of this reptile and as a model for other wild species.
Patent Mapping in Emerging Countries

Perform a technological prospecting permits the Company to understand what in the future may have as economic assets to their own nation and which technologies will be available in terms of innovation. In this paper, we aimed to construct a panorama with technological indicators through patents focusing mainly in emerging countries that make up the BRIC group. It was sought as obtaining results, variables such as: profiles of patent offices, numbers of intellectual protection applications, patent applications by offices in the applicable countries of forms resident and abroad by family of patents, as well as the technological profiles of these patents, of their inventors and of their investors. With this multicase study, reflections were supported through bibliographic references in scientific articles and international reports, and the extraction of technological data in patents were results of one exploratory verification in the Patent Office of the World Intellectual Property Organization. Taking the general understanding that emerging countries are growing index in intellectual protection records in the issue of patents and there is a general effort from their offices by the motivation to innovation, as well as multinational companies stand out in this segment of intellectual assets.
Extracellular vesicle-derived microRNA biomarkers: goals and pitfalls

Liquid biopsy-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are an auspicious source for transcriptomic biomarker studies. Here, we review the potential of EV microRNAs (miRNAs) biomarkers, exemplary outline commonly used methods to elucidate new biomarker signatures, and pivotally discuss their applicability at present. Keywords: extracellular vesicles, liquid biopsies, transcriptomic biomarkers, microRNAs
Intersexualität und Transgender: Was FrauenärztInnen darüber wissen sollten

D ie se s D ok um en t w ur de z um p er sö nl ic he n G eb ra uc h he ru nt er ge la de n. V er vi el fä lti gu ng n ur m it Z us tim m un g de s V er la ge s. Genderthemen werden aktuell in unserer Gesellschaft öffentlichkeitswirksam und viel diskutiert. Unabhängig davon, ob FrauenärztInnen in ihrer ärztlichen Tätigkeit mit intersexuellen und transsexuellen PatientInnen in Kontakt kommen, besitzt dieses Thema gesamtgesellschaftlich eine hohe Relevanz.
Antibacterial Activity of Chitosan Nanoparticles: A Review

In recent years, nanotechnology has attracted attention in many fields because it has several up-and-coming novel uses. Many researchers have suggested that chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs) and their derivatives are one of the best nanomaterials for delivering antibacterial activity. CS-NPs have a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity, but they manifest different inhibitory efficacy against gram-negative (G−) and gram-positive (G+) bacterial species. The mechanism of antibacterial action is an intricate process that varies between G− and G+ bacteria as a result of the differences in cell wall and cell membrane chemistry. In previous studies, greater antibacterial activity was more evident against G− bacteria than G+ bacteria, whereas in some studies G+ bacteria were more sensitive. Researchers predicted that the varied responses of bacteria are caused by the mixed hydrophilicity and negative charge distribution on the bacterial surface. Moreover, its activity depends on a number of variables including bacterial target (i.e., G− or G+ bacteria) and bacterial growth, as well as its concentration, pH, zeta-potential, molecular weight, and degree of acetylation. Therefore, this review examines current research on the mechanisms and factors affecting antibacterial activity, and application of CS-NPs specifically against animal and plant pathogenic bacteria.
Investigation of antibacterial and anti-cancer activities of Streptomyces sp SRF1 culture filtrate

Purpose : To evaluate the antibacterial activity and cytotoxic effects of Streptomyces sp. SRF1 culture filtrate extract against breast cancer cell line. Methods : The activity of the extract against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was initially screened by an agar-well diffusion method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were measured by broth microdilution method. Time-kill assays were also performed, and extract-induced morphological and ultrastructural changes to bacterial cells were investigated. Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay was performed to determine the cytotoxicity of the extract against the human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7. Results: Antibacterial activity by the extract was detected against four strains of Gram-positive pathogens including one strain of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and 3 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) - with low MIC and MBC values. This activity was bactericidal after 6 h exposure. Morphological alterations were detected on the cell surface of both MSSA and MRSA. The extract also inhibited MCF-7 cell growth with half-maximal concentration (IC50) of 211.67 ± 33.95 μg/mL in 72 h. Conclusions: Streptomyces sp . SRF1 culture filtrate extract exhibits potent antibacterial and anticancer activities and thus, represents a potential source of antibacterial and anticancer drugs. Keywords : Antibacterial activity, Anti-breast cancer, Staphylococcus aureus , Streptomyces sp. SRF1
Effect of defect guided out-of-plane deformations on the mechanical properties of graphene

Abstract In this paper, nanoscale mechanical properties and failure behavior of graphene with Stone-Wales defect concentration were investigated using molecular dynamics simulations with the latest ReaxFFC-2013 potential that can accurately capture bond breakages of graphitic compounds. The choice of interatomic potential plays an essential role in capturing the deformation mechanism accurately. Stable configuration of two-dimensional graphene experiences out-of-plane deformation leading to ripples and wrinkles in graphene. It is observed that the mechanical properties such as Young’s modulus, ultimate tensile strength, and the fracture strain are dependent on the out-of-plane deformation, temperature, defect concentration, defect orientation, defect layout and loading configuration. It is observed that the post transient phase non-homogenous ripples and wrinkles influence the mechanical properties at low and high defect concentrations, respectively.
A Deep Predictive Coding Network for Learning Latent Representations

It has been argued that the brain is a prediction machine that continuously learns how to make better predictions about the stimuli received from the external environment. It builds a model of the world around us and uses this model to infer the external stimulus. Predictive coding has been proposed as a mechanism through which the brain might be able to build such a model of the external environment. However, it is not clear how predictive coding can be used to build deep neural network models of the brain while complying with the architectural constraints imposed by the brain. In this paper, we describe an algorithm to build a deep generative model using predictive coding that can be used to infer latent representations about the stimuli received from external environment. Specifically, we used predictive coding to train a deep neural network on real-world images in a unsupervised learning paradigm. To understand the capacity of the network with regards to modeling the external environment, we studied the latent representations generated by the model on images of objects that are never presented to the model during training. Despite the novel features of these objects the model is able to infer the latent representations for them. Furthermore, the reconstructions of the original images obtained from these latent representations preserve the important details of these objects.