Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reprogramming of HeLa cells upon DNMT3L overexpression mimics carcinogenesis

Previously we had discovered loss of DNA methylation at the DNMT3L promoter, an enzymatically-inactive DNA methyltransferase, in squamous cell carcinoma of cervix indicating association between cancer and DNMT3L. This study extends this correlation further by identifying the role of DNMT3L in nuclear reprogramming, an event central to the process of carcinogenesis. We show that in cervical cancer cell lines, overexpression of DNMT3L, which functions by regulating the activity of DNMT3A and DNMT3B, increased cellular proliferation and anchorage-independent growth. Importantly, increased DNMT3L expression resulted in changed morphology of cells but this change was gradual and observed only after several passages. Interestingly, confluent cultures of DNMT3L-overexpressing HeLa cell colonies had characteristics of iPS cells. Concomitant with the morphological changes, expression pattern of genes important in nuclear reprogramming, development and cell cycle were observed to have significantly changed. Many imprinted genes, the known targets of DNMT3L, were downregulated. The slow nature of morphological changes and genome-wide nuclear reprogramming observed upon DNMT3L overexpression reinforces its role in carcinogenesis.
Reverse logistics in e‐business

In an Internet direct sales supply chain, the customers buy direct from the manufacturer sacrificing the benefit of physical inspection of the product. This increases the likelihood that customers will have some dissatisfaction with the product and would like to return it. A clearly explained and generous return policy, then, will be welcome by the customers and therefore will enhance demand. From the manufacturer's point of view, this will increase revenue, but will also increase cost due to increased likelihood of return. This paper develops a profit‐maximization model to obtain optimal policies for price and the return policy in terms of certain market reaction parameters. It obtains jointly a number of managerial guidelines for using marketing and operational strategy variables to influence the reaction parameters so as to obtain the maximum benefit from the market. The paper mentions several future research possibilities.
Synthesis and Structural Properties of Bismuth Doped Cobalt Nanoferrites Prepared by Sol-Gel Combustion Method

A series of Bismuth doped Cobalt nanoferrites of chemical composition CoBixFe2-xO4 (where x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 & 0.25) were prepared by sol-gel combustion method and calcinated at 600℃. The structural and morphological studies were carried out by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectra showing the single phase spinal structure. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed a single phase fcc crystal. The crystallite size of all the compositions was calculated using Debye-Scherrer equation and found in the range of 17 to 26 nm. The lattice parameters were found to be decreased as Bi3+ ion doping increases. The surface morphology was studied by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and particle size was confirmed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The EDS plots revealed existence of no extra peaks other than constituents of the taken up composition. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) studies were made in the frequency range 350 - 900 cm-1 and observed two strong absorption peaks. The frequency band is found at 596 cm-1 where as the lower frequency band at 393 cm-1. It is clearly noticed that the two prominent absorption bands were slightly shifted towards higher frequency side with the increase of Bi3+ ion concentration.
The Origins of the International Competitiveness of Firms: The Impact of Location and Ownership in Professional Service Industries

The national origin of the ownership advantages of firms - illustration on advertising agencies in the US, UK and France the impact of home countries on the ownership advantages of firms - examination of the advertising industry ownership advantages and competitiveness - a link tested on advertising agencies in the US, the UK and France the strength and sustainability of the impact of home countries on the competitiveness of firms - a comparative analysis among professional service industries the impact of home versus foreign countries on the competitiveness of forms - a study of Swedish engineering consulting firms FDI and the impact of home countries on the competitiveness of forms - examination of US professional service industries the limitations of the impact of home countries on the competitiveness of firms and the role of individual firms - a comparison between Danish and UK management consulting firms.
The Predictive Power of Financial Blogs

This paper examines the relationships between the investor sentiment of various reputable financial bloggers and market movements. Bullish, bearish and neutral blogger sentiment percentages are taken from the weekly “Blogger Sentiment Poll” of the financial blog Ticker Sense and compared with changes in market prices and market volume of the S&P 500 between the dates of July 10, 2006 and December 21, 2009. The bloggers are very inaccurate, with increases in bullishness raising the probability of market bearishness and increases in bearishness raising the probability of market bullishness over two-week, one-month and 3-month time periods. Disagreement in blogger sentiment is not associated with increased trading volume.
A comparative study of SVM kernel applied to emotion recognition from physiological signals

This paper investigates the performance of support vector machines with linear, cubic and radial basis function (RBF) kernels in the problem of emotion recognition from physiological signals. Five physiological signals: blood volume pulse (BVP), electromyography (EMG), skin conductance (SC), skin temperature (SKT) and respiration (RESP) were selected to extract 30 features for recognition. Support vector machine(SVM) is a new technique for pattern classification, and is used in many applications. Kernel type in the SVM training process, along with feature selection, will significantly impact classification accuracy. Experiments are designed and carried out to find the best SVM kernel among linear, cubic, and RBF for emotions recognition. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method provides very stable and successful emotional classification performance over six emotional states.
Transformation procurement in the Immigration Directorate: applying Sveiby

This paper discusses the case of Procurement Transformation Project of the UK’s Immigration and Nationality Directorate. The paper shows the role of knowledge management in undertaking the project which resulted in introducing a change to the process by which procurement was undertaken in this department. We demonstrate through the case study how knowledge within business processes and the supply chain for procurement can be identified, explicated, and made valuable, through devolving decisions to those at the frontline of the decision-making process. Through utilising local knowledge, and developing competences and learning, with a change in organisational structure and management style, significant savings in procurement were made.
An Anomaly Detection Framework Based on ICA and Bayesian Classification for IaaS Platforms

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) encapsulates computer hardware into a large amount of virtual and manageable instances mainly in the form of virtual machine (VM), and provides rental service for users. Currently, VM anomaly incidents occasionally occur, which leads to performance issues and even downtime. This paper aims at detecting anomalous VMs based on performance metrics data of VMs. Due to the dynamic nature and increasing scale of IaaS, detecting anomalous VMs from voluminous correlated and non-Gaussian monitored performance data is a challenging task. This paper designs an anomaly detection framework to solve this challenge. First, it collects 53 performance metrics to reflect the running state of each VM. The collected performance metrics are testified not to follow the Gaussian distribution. Then, it employs independent components analysis (ICA) instead of principal component analysis (PCA) to extract independent components from collected non-Gaussian performance metric data. For anomaly detection, it employs multi-class Bayesian classification to determine the current state of each VM. To evaluate the performance of the designed detection framework, four types of anomalies are separately or jointly injected into randomly selected VMs in a campus-wide testbed. The experimental results show that ICA-based detection mechanism outperforms PCA-based and LDA-based detection mechanisms in terms of sensitivity and specificity.
Assessment of bone lead during pregnancy: a pilot study.

More than 85% of American children raised in the 1970s had blood lead (BPb) levels >/=10 microg/dL, the level that currently defines childhood Pb poisoning. With exposure and absorption Pb accumulates in bone. Bone Pb release back to blood also occurs, particularly when kinetic rates of bone turnover are elevated. We examined a group of childbearing age, urban African American and Hispanic women to determine whether they had measurable bone Pb and whether bone Pb levels changed during pregnancy. Tibial bone Pb content was assessed sequentially 3 times over 4 months by L-line X-ray fluorescence (LXRF); for pregnant enrollees this occurred during the second and third trimesters and 1-2 months postpartum. LXRF is a noninvasive, low-dose radiation technique that measures superficial cortical bone Pb. Other measures included age, years living in New York City, BPb and a home Pb assessment employing KXRF methodology. Of 53 women evaluated 34 were pregnant. Of these 34, 2 had blood Pb levels >/=10 microg/dL; 2 had bone Pb levels above the minimum detection limit of the instrumentation at the time of enrollment. A case report is presented in which a declining bone Pb level was accompanied by an increase in BPb concentration. We surmise that the prevalence of elevated bone Pb levels will be low in Bronx women despite long-term exposure to leaded paint. However, fetuses of those with elevated bone Pb are at risk of excessive in-utero Pb exposure.
A Neuroimaging Pilot Study of Task Loading and Executive Function Using a Virtual Apartment

Frontal-lobe injuries often adversely affect cognitive functions such as planning and decision making. These are known as executive functions, and they reside largely in the frontal lobes of the brain. In preparation for studies of patients with cognitive deficits, including a large study of Vietnam veterans with frontal-lobe injuries, 3 normal subjects participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) pilot study of cognitive function while using an interactive virtual apartment constructed with computer-game development software. At least 1 day prior to the fMRI scan, subjects were given a passive tour of multiple environments within a virtual world and then allowed to practice navigating through the world using a joystick and touch pad. Within a week they returned for the fMRI study, in which they were given 2 minutes on each of 57 contiguous runs to perform tasks within the virtual apartment that were designed to be increasingly difficult (i.e., task loading). For example, in one of the least difficult runs, they were asked to navigate through a small apartment of 5 rooms and to turn on all of the light switches. In the last and potentially most difficult run, they were asked to find and open all of the closets (4) in the apartment and mentally categorize and count the number of items within the closets. After the data were detrended and filtered, the effects of task performance on brain-activation patterns were computed. There was a statistically significant correlation between subjective rating of task difficulty and pixel intensity in the anterior frontal lobes compatible with highly significant bilateral activation when the more difficult tasks were compared to the less difficult tasks. This study illustrates how virtual environments can be used for more naturalistic studies of executive function, and it provides normative data for later comparison with head-injured patients.
Impact of a Short Period of Pre-Enrichment on Detection and Bacterial Loads of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Screening Specimens

ABSTRACT We compared the impacts of direct plating on a chromogenic medium and of plating after enrichment (4 h and overnight) on the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from 52 patient screening samples. MRSA colony counts for ≈70% of samples after overnight pre-enrichment were >20-fold higher than the counts after the other two treatments. The qualitative differences (sample was MRSA positive/negative) between the results of the direct plating and 4-h pre-enrichment treatments were not significant, indicating no advantage of the latter; however, the number of samples positive for MRSA increased significantly after an overnight sample pre-enrichment (P < 0.005).
Oyster viperin retains direct antiviral activity and its transcription occurs via a signalling pathway involving a heat-stable haemolymph protein.

Little is known about the response of non-model invertebrates, such as oysters, to virus infection. The vertebrate innate immune system detects virus-derived nucleic acids to trigger the type I IFN pathway, leading to the transcription of hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) that exert antiviral functions. Invertebrates were thought to lack the IFN pathway based on the absence of IFN or ISGs encoded in model invertebrate genomes. However, the oyster genome encodes many ISGs, including the well-described antiviral protein viperin. In this study, we characterized oyster viperin and showed that it localizes to caveolin-1 and inhibits dengue virus replication in a heterologous model. In a second set of experiments, we have provided evidence that the haemolymph from poly(I : C)-injected oysters contains a heat-stable, protease-susceptible factor that induces haemocyte transcription of viperin mRNA in conjunction with upregulation of IFN regulatory factor. Collectively, these results support the concept that oysters have antiviral systems that are homologous to the vertebrate IFN pathway.
Reforms in Albanian Agriculture: Assessing a Sector in Transition

Since 1995 agricultural output has stagnated in Albania, despite positive growth early in the reform process of its economic transition. Albania has carried out major reforms across a broad range of agricultural production and marketing. Policy reforms have been supported through an overall well-designed agriculture public investment program. The absence of a functioning financial sector and associated rural financial services is one of the deficiencies in the reform program. Albania is still the poorest country in Europe. To reduce poverty, future public policy and investment in the agriculture and rural sector should support agriculture productivity and growth while maintaining sustainable use of natural resources. Major opportunities in the medium term include: 1) favorable geographic location relative to the European Union; 2) a low wage level; 3) a literate and well educated rural population; 4) resilient private sector initiative in rural areas. Major long-term constraints include: a) limited and fragmented agriculture resource base; b) extremely limited access to capital and hence to capital intensive technology; c) limited entry to export markets; and d) scarce institutional capacity and resources. Opening Albania's agriculture to the world will require public efforts in: 1) the maintenance of a stable incentive framework; 2) support to agriculture productivity; 3) institutional development; 4) rural development; and 5) management of natural resources.
Should New Zealand Adopt Say on Pay?

Around the globe, the latest fashion in corporate governance circles is "Say on Pay," a shareholder vote – sometimes precatory, other times mandatory – on CEO remuneration. Country after country has adopted Say on Pay in response to shareholder disgust over the size of CEO pay packets. Beginning with the U.K., and later followed by the Netherlands, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and the U.S., there has been a widespread acceptance of the shareholder vote on executive pay around the world. In this article, we ask the question: Should New Zealand follow the crowd and adopt Say on Pay, or should it continue down its own path, leaving directors with near total control over executive remuneration levels? Academics are divided over the desirability of Say on Pay – those that believe in strong managerial power are firmly against it, while shareholder activists come out heavily in its favor. The main theoretical arguments revolve around whether: it will tip the balance of power against managers; shareholders are competent to evaluate executive remuneration; third party voting advisors will gain too much power if it is enacted; there will be any reduction in the size, and rate of growth, of CEO pay packets; and it will strengthen the relationship between pay and performance.The experience in the U.K. and the U.S. to date sheds some light on the validity of these arguments. On average, shareholders have voted strongly in favor of executive pay practices at most companies. Say on Pay seems to have had little impact on the size and growth of average CEO pay, but it does appear to have impacted pay practices at poorly performing companies that have unusually high pay. There is a greater level of engagement between shareholders and managers on pay issues at many companies, and firms have become more responsive to negative shareholder Say on Pay votes. Third party voting advisors, such as Institutional Shareholder Services, have become important corporate governance players, whose recommendations have a significant impact on shareholder voting outcomes.In light of these academic arguments, and practical experience in the U.K. and U.S., we believe that New Zealand should carefully consider whether to adopt Say on Pay. We do not view the evidence as compelling the conclusion that Say on Pay is essential, but we can understand why some shareholders might want to see it implemented. However, the existing evidence shows that it is unlikely to have a big effect on current pay practices at most companies in New Zealand if it is adopted.
Two families of optimal identifying codes in binary Hamming spaces

A motivation for identifying codes comes from quality control in multiprocessor systems, that is, we are able, with the aid of these codes, to find faulty processors in such a system. We give a construction of two infinite families of optimal codes, which identify up to two malfunctioning processors in Hamming spaces.
Intraoperative Hypotension and 1-Year Mortality after Noncardiac Surgery

Background:Intraoperative hypotension (IOH) is frequently associated with adverse outcome such as 1-yr mortality. However, there is no consensus on the correct definition of IOH. The authors studied a number of different definitions of IOH, based on blood pressure thresholds and minimal episode durations, and their association with 1-yr mortality after noncardiac surgery. Methods:This cohort study included 1,705 consecutive adult patients who underwent general and vascular surgery. Data on IOH and potentially confounding variables were obtained from electronic record-keeping systems. Mortality data were collected up to 1 yr after surgery. The authors used two different techniques to reduce the influence of confounding variables, multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression modeling and classification and regression tree analysis. Results:The mortality within 1 yr after surgery was 5.2% (88 patients). After adjustment for confounding, the Cox regression analysis did not show an association between IOH and the risk of dying within 1 yr after surgery (hazard ratio around 1.00 with high P values for different definitions of IOH). Additional classification and regression tree analysis identified IOH as a predictor for 1-yr mortality in elderly patients. When the blood pressure threshold for IOH was decreased, the duration of IOH at which this association was found was decreased as well. Conclusions:This observational study showed no causal relation between IOH and 1-yr mortality after noncardiac surgery for any of the definitions of IOH. Nevertheless, additional analysis suggested that for elderly patients, the mortality risk increases when the duration of IOH becomes long enough. The length of this duration depends on the designated blood pressure threshold, suggesting that lower blood pressures are tolerated for shorter durations. The effect of IOH on 1-yr mortality remains debatable, and no firm conclusions on the lowest acceptable intraoperative blood pressures can be drawn from this study.
A Two-Stage Scheduler of Distributed Energy Resources

The paper presents a two-stage scheduler for the optimal scheduling of distributed energy resources (DER) connected to a distribution network. The proposed approach integrates a centralized day-ahead scheduler with an intra-day one. On the one hand, the day-ahead scheduler calculates the active power set points during the following day taking into account both technical and economic objectives and constraints. On the other hand, the intra-day scheduler takes into account the results of the day-ahead one and updates every 15 minutes the DERs set points for the optimization of the network voltage profiles. The paper describes the implementation of the proposed two-stage scheduler algorithm into a computer code based on a JavaScript link between Matlab and EMTP-RV simulation environments and presents the results obtained for the case of a network configuration adapted from the IEEE 34-node test distribution feeder.
High dynamic range images capturing with multi-band camera

The "Natural Vision" [1] project aims at an innovative video and still image communication technology with high fidelity color reproduction capability, based on spectral information. We have researched and developed multi-band cameras and multi-primary displays [2], to break through the limitations of conventional RGB systems. Our goal is to reproduce super-natural images with true color, gloss and texture using visual telecommunication systems.
Attitudes of Israeli Muslims at Risk of Genetic Disorders towards Pregnancy Termination

Objectives: (1) To examine attitudes towards termination of pregnancy (TOP) among high-risk and non-high-risk (for cystic fibrosis) Arab-Muslims, and (2) to examine the effect of an intervention, which among other things related explicitly to TOP. Methods: The study comprised three groups: (1) an intervention group at high risk for CF, which received community genetic counseling; (2) a control group at high risk for CF, and (3) a control group from the general population. The latter two groups were exposed to minimal intervention. Attitudes were measured two or three times during a 1-year period (for the control and intervention groups, respectively). Results: Predictors of an affected fetus being considered a legitimate cause for TOP were religiosity, familiarity with an affected child, and benefits of the test. Predictors of individuals (hypothetically) choosing abortion in the case of an affected fetus were education and age. No change occurred in the attitudes of participants (either experimental or control groups) in the course of 1 year. Conclusions: Other possible intervention options are discussed, and specifically, the advantages of using opinion leaders such as clergy and medical staff.