Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation into Alternative Energy Sources from Waste Citrus Peel (Orange): Approach to Environmental Protection

An experimental study has been carried out on an alternative source of energy from citrus peel waste. A widely used material, pectin, has been extracted from orange peel (OP) and subsequently converted into ethanol with the use of a bacteria and fungi. Dried peels were split into several particle sizes of 0.075, 0.5, 1.0 and 5 mm. It was noted that OP with 0.75 mm particle size produced pectin of low volume while larger 1.0 mm OP particle size produced a high pectin volume. OP of 802 g was used to produce 1, 770 ml of pectin, this illustrate that citrus fruit (specifically orange) contains pectin in a large quantity. A mixture of E.coli (bacteria) with yeast (fungus), and their individual components were used on pectin obtained. However, it was observed that a mixture of pectin, E.coli & S. cerevisiae, and a combination of sample pectin with E.coli produced an encouraging volume of ethanol as against no ethanol produced when a mixture of sample pectin, yeast and pectin sample only. The amount of energy contained in the gross ethanol produced was 1526.6 btu, this can be combined with purified gasoline so as to attain the optimum energy content that can be used to run an indigenous processing plant for citrus fruit in Nigeria.
The dynamics of electoral politics after the Arab Spring: evidence from Tunisia

ABSTRACT This article uses new survey evidence from Tunisia, conducted shortly after the three first elections following the Arab Spring, to explain dynamics in electoral behaviour. We find that the strongest and most consistent predictors of vote choice were gender, religiosity and attitudes to the role of Islam in public life. Economic attitudes, other socio-demographics and clientelistic motivations were consistently less or not important factors. These findings support the notion of a paramount Islamist-Secular divide, which is distinct from the Western Left-Right divide, in the Arab World. We also find evidence that Tunisian voters underwent a learning process over the course of elections. Overall, we present evidence to suggest that the primacy of the Islamist-secular axis of political conflict is, in accordance with the evidence from other early divides in transitional democracies, elite-driven, and so is likely to decline in importance over time.
Calcium-stimulated disassembly of focal adhesions mediated by an ORP3/IQSec1 complex

Coordinated assembly and disassembly of integrin-mediated focal adhesions (FAs) is essential for cell migration. Many studies have shown that FA disassembly requires Ca2+ influx, however our understanding of this process remains incomplete. Here we show that Ca2+ influx via STIM1/Orai1 calcium channels, which cluster near FAs, leads to activation of the GTPase Arf5 via the Ca2+-activated GEF IQSec1, and that both IQSec1 and Arf5 activation are essential for adhesion disassembly. We further show that IQSec1 forms a complex with the lipid transfer protein ORP3, and that Ca2+ influx triggers PKC-dependent translocation of this complex to ER/plasma membrane contact sites adjacent to FAs. In addition to allosterically activating IQSec1, ORP3 also extracts PI4P from the PM, in exchange for phosphatidylcholine. ORP3-mediated lipid exchange is also important for FA turnover. Together, these findings identify a new pathway that links calcium influx to FA turnover during cell migration.
Phenotypic Associations Among Cell Cycle Genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A long-standing effort in biology is to precisely define and group phenotypes that characterize a biological process, and the genes that underpin them. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other organisms, functional screens have generated rich lists of phenotypes associated with individual genes. However, it is often challenging to identify sets of phenotypes and genes that are most closely associated with a given biological process. Here, we focused on the 166 phenotypes arising from loss-of-function and the 86 phenotypes from gain-of-function mutations in 571 genes currently assigned to cell cycle-related ontologies in S. cerevisiae. To reduce this complexity, we applied unbiased, computational approaches of correspondence analysis to identify a minimum set of phenotypic variables that accounts for as much of the variability in the data as possible. Loss-of-function phenotypes can be reduced to 20 dimensions, while gain-of-function ones to 14 dimensions. We also pinpoint the contributions of phenotypes and genes in each set. The approach we describe not only simplifies the categorization of phenotypes associated with cell cycle progression but can also serve as a discovery tool for gene function.
Étude des facteurs expliquant la survenue d'un événement hémorragique chez des patients âgés sous anticoagulants (AVK ou AOD)

La population vieillissante dans les pays occidentaux, associee a l’augmentation des pathologies cardiovasculaires, a entraine une augmentation de l’usage des anticoagulants au sein de la population. Il est apparu necessaire de faire un etat des lieux des differentes therapeutiques, ainsi que de tenter d’evaluer les differents facteurs de survenue des evenements hemorragiques chez les patients de plus de 65 ans. Methode Pour realiser cette etude, deux groupes de patients de plus de 65 ans ont ete etudies. Le groupe 0, constitue de patients sous anticoagulants oraux avec un evenement hemorragique, et le groupe 1, sous anticoagulants oraux sans evenement hemorragique. Plusieurs facteurs ont ete etudies, tels que les antecedents medicaux, les parametres biologiques, etc. Resultats Les patients ayant certains antecedents (pulmonaires, cardiologiques, etc) sont plus susceptibles de presenter des evenements hemorragiques. De meme, l’association des anticoagulants a certaines classes therapeutiques (antiagregants plaquettaires, IPP, etc) est susceptible d’augmenter le risque hemorragique. Enfin, certains parametres biologiques (anemie, insuffisance renale, etc) entrainent une augmentation du risque d’evenements hemorragiques. Conclusion Ce travail de these nous a permis de mettre en evidence plusieurs facteurs de survenue d’evenements hemorragiques. Il reste necessaire d’evaluer l’impact de ces therapeutiques en terme de morbi-mortalite et d’impact medico-economique et d’etendre cette analyse, aux anticoagulants par voie injectable.
Neuroimaging of the ischaemic penumbra

As ischaemic stroke is no longer considered a fatal or catastrophic disease with no or little therapeutic possibilities, it is indispensable to demonstrate the target for any intervention. This target is the ischaemic penumbra, which is considered to be tissue at risk of undergoing infarction if nothing is done acutely within the time window. This penumbra has varied in its definition over the last few decades but now an operational model based on new magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography techniques has emerged. The proposed model is the diffusion-perfusion mismatch, where the central diffusion lesion represents the infarcted core which is surrounded by an area of diminished perfusion. This model shows progression of the DWI lesion into the periinfarct hypoperfusion and is reversed in case of successful intervention such as thrombolysis.
High Step-Up DC–DC Converter With Zero Voltage Switching and Low Input Current Ripple

A high step-up dc–dc converter is proposed in this article. With magnetic-coupling-based voltage multiplier technique, the proposed converter achieves high voltage gain and low switch voltage stress. Also, due to a boost inductor at the input, continuous input current is obtained, which is beneficial for battery, fuel cell, and photovoltaic applications. Moreover, zero voltage switching of the mosfets is achieved, leading to low switching losses. Furthermore, zero dc bias of the coupled inductor is realized, resulting in small magnetic size and low core losses. The operation principles, performance analysis, and design considerations of the proposed converter are discussed. A prototype with 40-V input and 400-V output has been developed to verify the theoretical analysis.
Nutrition and Health-Management in Dairy Production

The ‘barrel model’ of an organism’s resource allocation pattern represents the basics for feeding regimes in farm practice. Several objections can be raised against the underlying theoretical assumptions, the generalizations derived from them, and the application of the model in practice. The concept particularly neglects the role of glucose and the increased competition for it between lactocytes and immune cells. It also fails to recognize the large variation between and within dairy herds. Lack of success in reducing production diseases calls for a modified approach – one which not only deals appropriately with the large variation between and within the dairy herds but also strives to balance the existing productivity/animal health/financial trade-offs. Instead of following general procedures, nutrient supply and outflow via milk have to be adapted to the individual requirements and health risks. To do so, the percentage of dairy cows affected by production diseases and failing to cope is a key criterion. Benchmarking of production diseases could act as an orientation point for farmers to compare their own position to other farms and thus set realistic target figures. Furthermore, means and measures to achieve goals have to be validated in the context in which they are used.
ZIO-101, a Novel Organic Arsenic, Inhibits Human Myeloma Cell Growth in a SCID-hu Model.

Inorganic arsenics like arsenic trioxide (ATO) are novel anti-cancer drugs active in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and multiple myeloma (MM). ATO induces apoptosis of plasma cells by several mechanisms including down-regulation of BCL-2 expression and inhibition of DNA-binding by NF-κB. The amount of ATO that can be safely given is low because of QTc-prolongation. ZIO-101, a new organic arsenic, is in phase-1/-2 trials. ZIO-101 can be safely given at much higher doses than ATO. We evaluated the in vivo anti-myeloma activity of ZIO-101 in a SCID-hu mouse model of human myeloma. LAGλ-1 was developed from a person with melphalan-resistant and LAGλ-1B from a person with bortezomib-resistant myeloma. Each severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mouse was implanted with a 2–4 mm3 fragment of LAGλ-1B or LAGλ-1 into the left superficial gluteal muscle. Fragments were allowed to grow for 14 d when human IgG was first detectable. ZIO-101 was given IV 1 or 2 times/d using three different schedules: one day/w, 3 days/w or 5 days/w at doses of 50– 200 mg/kg/d. Tumor volume and human IgG were assessed weekly. Doses up to 200 mg/kg were well-tolerated. Anti-myeloma effects were observed in both models at doses of 100 – 200 mg/kg on all 3 schedules. Mice receiving 100 mg/kg twice daily thrice weekly and those receiving 200 mg/kg once weekly showed marked anti-myeloma activity (100 mg/kg, P = 0.03; 200 mg/kg, P = 0.001) and reduced human IgG levels (100 mg/kg, P < 0.001; 200 mg/kg, P = 0.01) compared to controls. We are evaluating ZIO-101 in other SCID-hu models of human myeloma and exploring different doses and schedules of ZIO-101 alone or combined with other anti-myeloma agents. In summary, these data show activity of ZIO-101 in human myeloma in vivo . These studies provide the bases for future clinical trials.
The Combination of Cyclophosphamide, Velcade and Dexamethasone (CVD) Induces High Response Rates with Minimal Toxicity Compared to Velcade Alone (V) and Velcade Plus Dexamethasone (VD).

Bortezomib (Velcade®), as the first-in-class proteasome inhibitor, has shown to be effective for the treatment of relapsed refractory myeloma. Preclinical and/or clinical studies showed improved activity by combining this agent with a number of conventional chemotherapeutic agents, suggesting synergistic effects. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the efficacy and toxicity profile with Velcade alone and in combination with dexamethasone or cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone for patients with multiply relapsed myeloma. 11 patients were treated with Velcade alone, 20 with the combination of Velcade and dexamethasone (VD), and 11 with the regimen comprising Velcade, dexamethasone and cyclophosphamide (CVD). Velcade 1.3mg/m 2 was given as a single bolus IV on days 1, 4, 8 and 11, dexamethasone 40mg po on the day of Velcade injection and the day thereafter, and cyclophosphamide 500 mg po days 1, 8, 15 of a 21 day cycle for a maximum of 9 cycles of treatment. No patient received prophylactic anticoagulation. Toxicity profiles and response were assessed every 3 weeks. There was no statistical difference of baseline characteristics (age, ISS, number of previous lines of treatment) among the three treatment groups (P>0.05). The overall response rates (CR+PR) within the three groups are 30% (V), 47% (VD), and 64% (CVD) respectively. The CR rate of CVD group is impressive at 27% compared to 5% with VD and 0% with V. The median duration of treatment of three groups (V vs VD vs CVD) are 115 days, 98 days and 116 days respectively (P>0.05). Thrombocytopenia and new/worsening peripheral neuropathy are the most common side effects in each group. Although thrombocytopenia and neutropenia occurred in the CVD group (36% and 27% respectively), it was at a similar frequency as in the groups of VD (50% and 15%) and V (64% and 45%). Grade 3 infection rates were also similar at 18%, 30% and 18% (V vs VD vs CVD). Peripheral neuropathy is the most troublesome side effect, and is the main reason for Velcade dose reduction and/or discontinuation in each group (27% V, 45% VD, 54% CVD). 27% of patients within CVD group required dose reduction of cyclophosphamide due to neutropenia. Median follow up is currently too limited to comment on whether the improved CR rate with CVD translates into an improved progression free survival. In conclusion CVD is a well tolerated regimen producing high overall and complete response rates, with no increase in toxicity compared to VD or V alone, and lacks the toxicity associated with Velcade- melphalan combinations.
(Re)Imagining Education for the Immortal Child: Why Theory in Education for Social Justice?

ABSTRACT This article revisits the place of theory in social justice praxis. Using Du Bois’ “Immortal Child,” the author argues efforts for social justice in education are greatly aided by dedicating intellectual energies to the theorization of alternative futures. In particular, political theory has a significant place in critical educational praxis, shaping how we answer what is the purpose of education, a critical question of both Du Bois’ time and our own. The article first explores what political theory is and examples of where political theory arises in educational scholarship. This is followed by an analysis of Du Bois’ Immortal Child and its implications for political theory in education. As a result, the author discusses the place of theory in the field of education, advancing that Du Bois reveals the importance of alternative ways to think about temporality and communality. The author distinguishes between instructional social justice and structural social justice, in relation to theory; and the relationships among shared political projects, transdisciplinarity, and praxis for social justice.
A comprehensive analysis of reduced switch count multilevel inverter

ABSTRACT Multilevel inverters (MLIs) have been recognised to generate the voltage for power quality applications. Presently number of topological improvements have been reported in literature. In higher level stages, it requires increased number of semiconductor devices that make the topology more complex, increases the cost and reduced the reliability of system. Paper discusses the method to reduce the number of switches for increased level of MLIs. It is evident from literature that RSC-MLIs, reduces the requirement of gate circuits, reduction in size and improves the power quality. It has multiple configurations based on topology and control structures. In this study, RSC-MLI configurations have been analysed. Modified selective harmonic elimination technique has been presented to control the magnitude of input DC-link and optimal switching angles.
Resource Clogging Attacks in Mobile Crowd-Sensing: AI-based Modeling, Detection and Mitigation

Mobile Crowdsensing (MCS) has emerged as a ubiquitous solution for data collection from embedded sensors of the smart devices to improve the sensing capacity and reduce the sensing costs in large regions. Due to the ubiquitous nature of MCS, smart devices require cyber protection against adversaries that are becoming smarter with the objective of clogging the resources and spreading misinformation in such a non-dedicated sensing environment. In an MCS setting, one of the various adversary types has the primary goal of keeping participant devices occupied by submitting fake/illegitimate sensing tasks so as to clog the participant resources such as the battery, sensing, storage, and computing. With this in mind, this thesis proposes a systematical study of fake task injection in MCS, including modeling, detection, and mitigation of such resource clogging attacks. We introduce modeling of fake task attacks in MCS intending to clog the server and drain battery energy from mobile devices. We creatively grant mobility to the tasks for more extensive coverage of potential participants and propose two take movement patterns, namely Zone-free Movement (ZFM) model and Zone-limited Movement (ZLM) model. Based on the attack model and task movement patterns, we design task features and create structured simulation settings that can be modified to adapt different research scenarios and research purposes. Since the development of a secure sensing campaign highly depends on the existence of a realistic adversarial model. With this in mind, we apply the self-organizing feature map (SOFM) to maximize the number of impacted participants and recruits according to the user movement pattern of these cities. Our simulation results verify the magnified effect of SOFM-based fake task injection comparing with randomly selected attack regions in terms of more affected recruits and participants, and increased energy consumption in the recruited devices due to the illegitimate task submission. For the sake of a secure MCS platform, we introduce Machine Learning (ML) methods into the MCS server to detect and eliminate the fake tasks, making sure the tasks arrived at the user side are legitimate tasks. In our work, two machine learning algorithms, Random Forest and Gradient Boosting are adopted to train the system to predict the legitimacy of a task, and Gradient Boosting is proven to be a more promising algorithm. We have validated the feasibility of ML in differentiating the legitimacy of tasks in terms of precision, recall, and F1 score. By comparing the energy-consuming, effected recruits, and impacted candidates with and without ML, we convince the efficiency of applying ML to mitigate the effect of fake task injection.
FREE TRADE OR PROTECTIONISM: IMPLEMENTATION OF RATIONAL EXPECTATION POLICY IS A SOLUTION FOR TRANSITION ECONOMIES.

Emerging economies is the best example for transformation of the local economies over time based on the various economic models where information, goods and services, capital freely flow. Where capital spread freely and their movement freely, stimulating the development of transition economies in recent regions. In this article it has been studied different economic policies available in the world economy imply the formation of a single (universal) international economic, legal and cultural information space. Main purpose of the article is explaining comparative analyses of economic models with different development instruments and policies. Relevance of the paper work is increasing international cooperation and partnership of transition economies in different trade unions for supporting sustainable economic prospective in regions. In other words, the phenomenon of globalization goes beyond a purely economic framework and has a noticeable effect on all the main areas of free trade and protectionism which stays controversy of the countries. Author explains theoretical point of view of the foreign trade long term prospective relations for macroeconomic stability in the country.
Psychosocial Risk Factors and Cardiovascular Disease: Epidemiology, Screening, and Treatment Considerations

The recognition that psychosocial risk factors contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease has led to the development of a new field of behavioral cardiology. The initial impetus for this field was studies performed in the 1980s and 1990s that provided epidemiological evidence and a pathophysiological basis for a strong link between a number of psychosocial risk factors and cardiovascular disease, including depression, anxiety, hostility, job stress, and poor social support. In recent years, additional psychosocial risk factors have been identified, including pessimism; other forms of chronic stress, such as childhood abuse and trauma, and the psychological stress that may be associated with chronic medical illness; lack of life purpose; and the syndrome of “vital exhaustion,” which consists of a triad of exhaustion, demoralization, and irritability. New research in the last decade has also established that positive psychosocial factors, such as optimism, positive emotions, a vibrant social life, and a strong sense of life purpose, can have an important health-buffering effect through their favorable influence on health behaviors and promotion of positive physiological functioning. Patients can be screened for psychosocial risk factors in clinical practice through either the use of open-ended questions, which can be integrated into a physician’s standard review of systems, or the use of short questionnaires. Physicians can assist in the treatment of psychosocial risk factors in various ways, such as screening patients for psychological distress and making appropriate referrals when indicated, providing patients with practical lifestyle suggestions, and employing office personnel to teach patients behavioral or psychosocial interventions that can promote a sense of well-being and/or reduce stress.
Abstract CT041: Anti-proliferative response and predictive biomarkers to palbociclib in early breast cancer: The Preoperative Palbociclib (POP) randomized trial

Background: In this monocentric randomized trial we aimed at identifying if short-term preoperative palbociclib treatment is associated with decreased proliferation and early biomarker changes in patients with early breast cancer (EBC) Methods: Untreated EBC patients were randomized 3:1 to oral palbociclib 125mg daily for 14 days until the day before the surgery vs no treatment. FFPE and frozen samples were extracted at baseline and at surgery. Primary objective was antiproliferative response defined as a natural logarithm of Ki67 expression at day 15 below 1. Immunostaining (Ki67, RB, pRB, p16, pAKT, pER), FISH (CCND1) and gene expression (GE) arrays were performed pre- and post-treatment. PIK3CA and AKT1 mutations were assessed pretreatment. Results: 74 patients were randomized in the palbociclib arm and 26 in the control arm. 93% tumors were HR-positive; 8% HER2-positive. Palbociclib treatment led to significantly more patients with antiproliferative response as compared to control (58% vs 10%, p = 0.0003). In addition, mean decrease from baseline in ln(Ki67) was significantly higher at day 15 in the palbociclib arm (p Citation Format: Monica Arnedos, Bianca Cheaib, Mohamed Amine Bayar, Stefan Michiels, Veronique Scott, Julien Adam, Valerie Leroux-Kozal, Virginie Marty, Chafika Mazouni, Benjamin Sarfati, Ivan Bieche, David Gentien, Suzette Delaloge, Magali Lacroix-Triki, Fabrice Andre. Anti-proliferative response and predictive biomarkers to palbociclib in early breast cancer: The Preoperative Palbociclib (POP) randomized trial. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr CT041.