Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
International Policy Coordination for Financial Regulation with Politically Influential Banks

s: This paper examines the conditions for effective financial regulatory policy coordination considering the cross-border externalities caused by multinational banks and the political influences exercised by banking sectors. We demonstrate that when the banking sectors are inefficient with higher loan monitoring costs, the regulatory efforts becomes strategic substitutes between financial regulators, and therefore, the financial regulator of each country tends to exert less regulatory efforts with higher incentives to free ride other countries' regulatory efforts. Higher asymmetries of banking sectors' political influences increase the free riding incentives further. Therefore, given strategic substitutability of regulatory policies, the international financial regulatory policy coordination mechanism should be introduced with relatively homogeneous countries with far- sighted policy perspectives. In case banking sectors shows higher efficiency with lower monitoring costs, the regulatory efforts are strategic complements with lower incentives to free-ride. However, over-sensitive responses to other countries' policies tend to cause financial instability with multiple equilibria, and necessitate the introduction of international coordination mechanism even if regulators do not have free riding incentives.
Interference of defective particles in the replication of RNA viruses with satellites

In this project we have investigated a dynamical system describing the dynamics of a standard virus together with its defective interfering particles (DIPs) and a virus satellite. Our model is inspired in the hepatitis B Virus (HBV) - hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) system, which is currently a major health problem. The HDV is a virus satellite that co-infects with HBV. Double infections with HBV-HDV usually involve a greater impact on patients health. Mathematical models on HBV-HDV systems are scarce in the literature, especially under the impact of the DIPs. DIPs are incomplete virus that typically interfere with the replication of the standard virus (HBV). They have been suggested as possible therapeutic agents decreasing standard viruses fitness. Our model, as far as we know, is the first attempt to describe the dynamics of this 3-virus system, with the standard virus being accompanied by the satellite, together with the DIPs synthesised by the standard virus. We have built a mathematical model based on ordinary nonlinear differential equations, modelling the population dynamics of the three virus types under the processes of competition and interference of DIPs. We have computed the equilibrium points, providing the conditions for the extinction and coexistence of the populations. We have identified transcritical bifurcations involving the transition from a satellite-free scenario i.e., coexistence standard virus-DIPS, to the extinction of the three viral types. Our analytic and numerical results focus on the stability of the system giving place to different scenarios which are relevant from a biomedical point of view.
Hips at risk osteoporosis and prevention of hip fractures

Hip fractures are the most serious consequence of osteoporosis, and are one important cause of morbidity and mortality among the elderly. Prophylactic treatment for hip fractures are now available. Early detection of individuals with increased risk for hip fractures is therefor of great interest. A subset of non-institutionalised patients with a first hip fracture (cases;n=l18) and controls (n=263), aged 65-85 years, underwent dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the femoral neck, quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the heel and phalanges and radiographic absorptiometry (RA) of the phalanges. The entire cohort was followed for approximately four years or to death. In women, DXA of the proximal femur and QUS of the heel showed a high predictive value for an incident first hip fracture, adjusted odds ratio (OR) 3.6 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4-5.5) and 3.4 (95%CI 2.2-5.0) respectively. The association was even stronger in men, but only for DXA of the proximal femu,r with an adjusted OR of4.8 (95%CI 2.3-9.9). Bone densitometry at non-weight-bearing sites, QUS and RA of the phalanges did not discriminate female cases from controls, but proved capable of separating male cases from controls. The risk of death was higher in cases than in controls, with a multivariate rate ratio (RR) of 3.4 (95%CI 1.7-7.0). There was no significant association between bone density and mortality. Nursing home residents underwent QUS of the heel and phalanges. Almost all of the female residents and 51% of the male residents were, if the WHO-criterion for osteoporosis was applied, osteoporotic as assessed by heel and finger QUS. The QUS values were approximately 1.5 SD lower than expected for age and gender. In this randomised controlled intervention study we evaluated the effect of external hip protectors in nursing home residents; 302 residents were allocated to wear such protectors and 442 were controls. External hip protectors were found to be effective in preventing hip fractures in nursing home residents, with an adjusted relative risk for hip fracture of 0.33 (CI 0.11 - 1.00).
Disentangling stand and environmental correlates of aboveground biomass in Amazonian forests

Tropical forests contain an important proportion of the carbon stored in terrestrial vegetation, but estimated aboveground biomass (AGB) in tropical forests varies two‐fold, with little consensus on the relative importance of climate, soil and forest structure in explaining spatial patterns. Here, we present analyses from a plot network designed to examine differences among contrasting forest habitats (terra firme, seasonally flooded, and white‐sand forests) that span the gradient of climate and soil conditions of the Amazon basin. We installed 0.5‐ha plots in 74 sites representing the three lowland forest habitats in both Loreto, Peru and French Guiana, and we integrated data describing climate, soil physical and chemical characteristics and stand variables, including local measures of wood specific gravity (WSG). We use a hierarchical model to separate the contributions of stand variables from climate and soil variables in explaining spatial variation in AGB. AGB differed among both habitats and regions, varying from 78 Mg ha−1 in white‐sand forest in Peru to 605 Mg ha−1 in terra firme clay forest of French Guiana. Stand variables including tree size and basal area, and to a lesser extent WSG, were strong predictors of spatial variation in AGB. In contrast, soil and climate variables explained little overall variation in AGB, though they did co‐vary to a limited extent with stand parameters that explained AGB. Our results suggest that positive feedbacks in forest structure and turnover control AGB in Amazonian forests, with richer soils (Peruvian terra firme and all seasonally flooded habitats) supporting smaller trees with lower wood density and moderate soils (French Guianan terra firme) supporting many larger trees with high wood density. The weak direct relationships we observed between soil and climate variables and AGB suggest that the most appropriate approaches to landscape scale modeling of AGB in the Amazon would be based on remote sensing methods to map stand structure.
Empirical methods for the estimation of Southern Ocean CO 2 : support vector and random forest regression

Abstract. The Southern Ocean accounts for 40 % of oceanic CO2 uptake, but the estimates are bound by large uncertainties due to a paucity in observations. Gap-filling empirical methods have been used to good effect to approximate pCO2 from satellite observable variables in other parts of the ocean, but many of these methods are not in agreement in the Southern Ocean. In this study we propose two additional methods that perform well in the Southern Ocean: support vector regression (SVR) and random forest regression (RFR). The methods are used to estimate ΔpCO2 in the Southern Ocean based on SOCAT v3, achieving similar trends to the SOM-FFN method by Landschutzer et al. (2014). Results show that the SOM-FFN and RFR approaches have RMSEs of similar magnitude (14.84 and 16.45 µatm, where 1 atm = 101 325 Pa) where the SVR method has a larger RMSE (24.40 µatm). However, the larger errors for SVR and RFR are, in part, due to an increase in coastal observations from SOCAT v2 to v3, where the SOM-FFN method used v2 data. The success of both SOM-FFN and RFR depends on the ability to adapt to different modes of variability. The SOM-FFN achieves this by having independent regression models for each cluster, while this flexibility is intrinsic to the RFR method. Analyses of the estimates shows that the SVR and RFR's respective sensitivity and robustness to outliers define the outcome significantly. Further analyses on the methods were performed by using a synthetic dataset to assess the following: which method (RFR or SVR) has the best performance? What is the effect of using time, latitude and longitude as proxy variables on ΔpCO2? What is the impact of the sampling bias in the SOCAT v3 dataset on the estimates? We find that while RFR is indeed better than SVR, the ensemble of the two methods outperforms either one, due to complementary strengths and weaknesses of the methods. Results also show that for the RFR and SVR implementations, it is better to include coordinates as proxy variables as RMSE scores are lowered and the phasing of the seasonal cycle is more accurate. Lastly, we show that there is only a weak bias due to undersampling. The synthetic data provide a useful framework to test methods in regions of sparse data coverage and show potential as a useful tool to evaluate methods in future studies.
The Importance of Social Learning in Restoring the Multifunctionality of Rivers and Floodplains

Those involved in floodplain restoration have to cope with historical conflicts between human and ecosystem needs. The topic is of high importance in Europe due to the European Water Framework Directive that requires restoration and/or maintenance of a "good ecological status of aquatic ecosystems. " However, the seeming trade-off between flood protection and floodplain restoration may change due to a shift in the water management paradigm toward more integrated approaches, in contrast to the command and control approach of the past. This shift in paradigm is summarized in the guiding principle for water management in the Netherlands "Living with floods and give room to water" rather than "Fighting against water. " The paper discusses the role of social learning in the transition toward the adaptive management of floodplains and rivers that is required to restore and maintain multifunctional riverine landscapes. In addition to the uncertainties resulting from our limited knowledge about the complex spatiotemporal dynamics of floodplains, we have to take into account the ambiguities that arise as a result of the different perceptions of stakeholders.
Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolutionary Strategy Optimization of Patch Antenna for Wireless Communication

Covariance matrix adaptation evolutionary strategy algorithm is applied to optimize a dielectric loaded microstrip patch antenna. The optimization process performance is enhanced by not considering the symmetrical factor of the antenna structure. The antenna is optimized to work for IEEE 802.11a WLAN 5-6 GHz band. Experimental measurements have also been performed to validate the performance of the proposed antenna.
Effect of ducting on radio occultation measurements: An assessment based on high‐resolution radiosonde soundings

Recent studies have shown that the presence of elevated ducts in the lower atmosphere has an adverse effect on the inversion of GPS radio occultation data. The problem arises because the microwave refractivity within and below an elevated duct is no longer uniquely determined by the bending angle profile. Applying Abel inversion without a priori knowledge of the duct will introduce a negative bias in the retrieved refractivity profile within and below the duct. In this work, high vertical resolution radiosonde data are used to give a quantitative assessment of the characteristics and effects of ducts, including their frequency of occurrences, heights, and thicknesses at different latitudes and seasons. The negative bias from the Abel‐retrieved refractivity profiles resulting from these ducts is also computed. The results give a strong indication that ducting in the lower troposphere is a frequent phenomenon over the tropics and midlatitudes. The ducts are shown to be predominantly caused by sharp changes in the vertical structure of water vapor. The majority of the ducts are found to be below 2 km, with a median duct layer thickness of about 100 m. The negative refractivity bias is shown to be largest below 2 km, with a median value of about 0.5–1% in the tropics and 0.2–0.5% in midlatitudes. The bias is about a factor of 2–3 smaller between 2 to 3 km and is negligible above 4 km.
Inhibition of swarming and some virulence factors expression i n Proteus mirabilis by amikacin in vitro

The effect of amikacin on proteuse mirabilis virulence factors expression were examined. Exposure of bacterial cell to different concentrations of amikacin caused inhibition of swarming ability of P. mirabilis. The expression of virulence factors heamolysin was aiso inhibited by amikacin. It was found that amikacin at concentration 2μ/ml could inhibit swarming activities, the production of urease and haemolysin was not affected by low concentration of amikacin but was inhibited by high concentration of it. These results indicate the impact of amikacin on the virulence factors with P.mirabilis isolate.
Metronomic anti-cancer therapy - an ongoing treatment option for advanced cancer patients

The therapeutic concept of administering agents (cytotoxic/-static,non-cytotoxic and/or targeted drugs) continuously at lower doses - relative to MTDs in the case of cytostatic and cytotoxic drugs or continuously at tolerable doses as in the case of targeted drugs without drug-free breaks over extended periods - known as ‘metronomic therapy’ (MT), is increasingly being recognized as an experimental option for treating cancer. In comparison with MTD-defined chemotherapy (CHT) regimens, metronomic therapy has demonstrated reduced toxicity. More importantly, several phase II trials have shown that metronomic therapies showed anti-cancer activity in different cancer types with different drugs. The mechanistic basis of metronomic therapy using cytotoxic/static drugs is believed to be primarily anti-angiogenic, either by direct killing or inhibiting endothelial cells (ECs) in the tumor vasculature, killing bone-marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells, stimulating the immune system, directly affecting tumor cells through a drug-driven effect as well as specificly inhibiting a target when targeting drugs were used in additional to metronomic therapy. The induction of senescence in cancer is another possible explanation for the principles behind ‘metronomic therapy’.
Testing for Pro-Poorness of Growth, with an Application to Mexico

This paper proposes techniques to test for whether growth has been pro-poor. We first review different definitions of pro-poorness and argue for the use of methods that can generate results that are robust over classes of pro-poor measures and ranges of poverty lines. We then provide statistical procedures that rely on the use of sample data to infer whether growth has been pro-poor in a population. We apply these procedures to Mexican household surveys for the years of 1992, 1998 and 2004. We find strong statistical evidence that Mexican growth has been absolutely anti-poor between 1992 and 1998, absolutely pro-poor between 1998 and 2004 and between 1992 and 2004, and relatively pro-poor between 1992 and 2004 and between 1998 and 2004. The relative assessment of the period between 1992 and 1998 is statistically too weak to lead to a robust evaluation of that period.
Parasitic fungi of phytoplankton: ecological roles and implications for microbial food webs

Microbial parasites typically are characterized by their small size, short generation time, and high rates of reproduction, with a simple life cycle occurring generally within a single host. They are diverse and ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems, comprising viruses, prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Recently, environmental 18S-rDNA surveys of microbial eukaryotes have unveiled major infecting agents in pelagic systems, consisting primarily of chytrids (Chytridiomycota). Chytrids are external eucarpic parasites that infect diverse prokaryotic and eukaryotic algae, primarily diatoms and filamentous species. They produce specialized rhizoidal system within host cells, i.e. the nutrient conveying system for the formation of fruit bodies (sporangia) from which propagules (motile uniflagellated zoospores) are released in the environment. In this review, we summarize the ecological potentials of phytoplankton parasites, and infer the implications for food web dynamics. We focus on chytrids, together with other parasitic eukaryotes, with special emphasis on (i) the role of microparasites in driving the structure of phytoplankton communities, (ii) the role of chytrid zoospores in matter and energy transfer, and (iii) the potential consequences of infections for food web dynamics. We raise the question of genetic potentials from host-parasite interactions, and also of how environmental factors might affect the host-parasite relationships in the pelagic realm.
Analysis of viticulture region climate structure and suitability in New Zealand

Aims: This research analyzes four climate indices derived from gridded, interpolated data to assess New Zealand’s climate structure and variation among wine regions.Methods and results: High resolution gridded data based on 1971-2000 climate normals was used to characterize climate indices depicting viticultural suitability in a geographic information system. The statistical properties of each index were assessed over 21 New Zealand viticulture regions. The results show predominately cool to moderately warm climate suitability in New Zealand, comparable to many European and United States regions. While many viticulture regions have one primary class of suitability, variability of climate within regions can be significant, with some regions containing two to four climate classes, making them suitable for a greater range of cultivars.Conclusion: While the indices depict broad patterns expected over New Zealand, both within and between region variations can be substantial among the indices. However, two indices, Growing Season Average Temperature (GST) and Growing Degree-Days (GDD), are functionally identical, but GST is easier to calculate and overcomes many methodological issues in GDD.Significance and impact of the study: This research provides the basis for evaluating general suitability for viticulture in New Zealand, assists comparisons between viticulture regions in New Zealand and worldwide, and offers growers measures of assessing appropriate cultivars and sites.
Algorithmes d'approximation pour le placement de chaînes de fonctions de services avec des contraintes d'ordre

Le modele des reseaux programmables virtualises permet aux operateurs de telecommunications d'offrir des services reseaux complexes et flexibles. Un service se modelise alors comme une chaine de fonctions reseaux (firewall, compression, controle parental,.) qui doivent etre appliquees sequentiellement a un flot de donnees. Dans cet article, nous etudions le probleme du placement de fonctions de services qui consiste a determiner sur quels nœuds localiser les fonctions afin de satisfaire toutes les demandes de service, de facon a minimiser le cout de deploiement. Nous montrons que le probleme peut etre ramene a un probleme de Set Cover, meme dans le cas de sequences ordonnees de fonctions reseau. Cela nous permet de proposer deux algorithmes d'approximation a facteur logarithmique, ce qui est le meilleur facteur possible. Finalement, nous evaluons les performances de nos algorithmes par simulations. Nous montrons ainsi qu'en pratique, des solutions presque optimales peuvent etre trouvees avec notre approche.
PKC q-mediated ERK 1 / 2 activation involved in radiation-induced cell death in NIH 3 T 3 cells

Protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms play distinct roles in cellular functions. We have previously shown that ionizing radiation activates PKC isoforms (a, y, q, and ~), however, isoform-specific sensitivities to radiation and its exact mechanisms in radiation mediated signal transduction are not fully understood. In this study, we showed that overexpression of PKC isoforms (a, y, q, and ~) increased radiationinduced cell death in NIH3T3 cells and PKCq overexpression was predominantly responsible. In addition, PKCq overexpression increased ERK1/2 activation without altering other MAP-kinases such as p38 MAPK or JNK. Co-transfection of dominant negative PKCq (PKCq-KR) blocked both PKCq-mediated ERK1/2 activation and radiation-induced cell death, while catalytically active PKCq construction augmented these phenomena. When the PKCq overexpressed cells were pretreated with PD98059, MEK inhibitor, radiation-induced cell death was inhibited. Co-transfection of the cells with a mutant of ERK1 or -2 (ERK1-KR or ERK2-KR) also blocked these phenomena, and cotransfection with dominant negative Ras or Raf cDNA revealed that PKCq-mediated ERK1/2 activation was Ras–Raf-dependent. In conclusion, PKCq-mediated ERK1/2 activation was responsible for the radiation-induced cell death. D 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Functional characterization of hyp erpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels in rat pancreatic b cells

Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels regulate pacemaker activity in some cardiac cells and neurons. In the present study, we have identified the presence of HCN channels in pancreatic b-cells. We then examined the functional characterization of these channels in b-cells via modulating HCN channel activity genetically and pharmacologically. Voltage-clamp experiments showed that over-expression of HCN2 in rat b-cells significantly increased HCN current (Ih), whereas expression of dominant-negative HCN2 (HCN2-AYA) completely suppressed endogenous Ih. Compared to control b-cells, overexpression of Ih increased insulin secretion at 2.8 mmol/l glucose. However, suppression of Ih did not affect insulin secretion at both 2.8 and 11.1 mmol/l glucose. Journal of Endocrinology (2009) 203, 45–53 0022–0795/09/0203–045 q 2009 Society for Endocrinology Printed in Great Current-clamp measurements revealed that HCN2 overexpression significantly reduced b-cell membrane input resistance (Rin), and resulted in a less-hyperpolarizing membrane response to the currents injected into the cell. Conversely, dominant negative HCN2-AYA expression led to a substantial increase of Rin, which was associated with a more hyperpolarizing membrane response to the currents injected. Remarkably, under low extracellular potassium conditions (2.5 mmol/l K), suppression of Ih resulted in increased membrane hyperpolarization and decreased insulin secretion. We conclude that Ih in b-cells possess the potential to modulate b-cell membrane potential and insulin secretion under hypokalemic conditions. Journal of Endocrinology (2009) 203, 45–53