Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of the 2008 Financial Crisis on the Determinants of Foreign Direct Investments in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): A Panel Data Approach

This article analyzes through a panel data analysis covering the period 1994 to 2016, the effects of the 2008 financial crisis on the determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). From the analysis, it turns out that this crisis has strongly impacted FDI’s determinants in the union. In fact, as consequence, it created a much more infatuation of resource-seeking investors in spite of market-seeking investors. This result shows that those countries can still attract investors even in time of crisis if they have tremendous natural resources, which makes the protection of these resources very important. In addition, we can notice that after the crisis, the stability in the region became an important decisional variable for foreign investors. That points out the importance of promoting a good political governance. Furthermore, the study has also shown that the financial crisis has been a stepping corner for the emergence of a third type of investors in the region (efficiency seeking investors).
Ontology for semantic web using personalization

Semantic web using personalization support to provide relevant search results for searcher. Ontology is an effective method for modelling digital collections and user contexts. User profiling is commonly employed nowadays to enhance usability as well as to support personalization, adaptivity and other user-centric features. This work aims at creating a user profile ontology that incorporates concepts and properties used to model the user profile. So far we create ontology for contents and location based on user profile. The inbuilt ontology helps to avoid the sparecity problem in the web and retrieve the user relevant information.
Performance of moving target parameter estimation using SAR

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) gives not only the opportunity to image targets with high resolution but also to measure their position and velocity. Without acceleration (constant speed), the position and velocity both in range and azimuth can be estimated using a multichannel SAR system. This paper introduces a method to find the lower bound on variance of estimate of position and velocity for targets. The method is based on the assumptions needed for the Craḿer-Rao lower bound (CRLB). The method works for both narrowband (NB) and ultrawideband (UWB) SAR systems. For demonstration, a monostatic single-channel UWB SAR system operating at low frequency is used. Thus, only lower bounds for estimate variance of azimuth, range, and relative speed are derived.
Lack of effect of bezafibrate and fenofibrate on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of repaglinide.

AIMS Gemfibrozil markedly increases the plasma concentrations and blood glucose-lowering effects of repaglinide, but the effects of other fibrates on repaglinide pharmacokinetics are not known. Our aim was to investigate the effects of bezafibrate and fenofibrate on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of repaglinide. METHODS In a randomized, three-phase cross-over study, 12 healthy subjects received 400 mg bezafibrate, 200 mg fenofibrate or placebo once daily for 5 days. On day 5, a single 0.25 mg dose of repaglinide was ingested 1 h after the last pretreatment dose. The concentrations of plasma repaglinide, bezafibrate and fenofibrate and blood glucose were measured up to 7 h postdose. RESULTS During the bezafibrate and fenofibrate phases, the total area under the concentration-time curve [AUC(0, infinity )] of repaglinide was 99% (95% confidence interval of the ratio to the control phase 73, 143%) and 99% (85, 127%) of the corresponding value during the placebo (control) phase, respectively. Bezafibrate and fenofibrate had no significant effect on the peak concentration (Cmax) of repaglinide. The mean half-life of repaglinide was 1.3 h in all phases. The blood glucose-lowering effect of repaglinide was not affected by bezafibrate or fenofibrate. The AUC(0,8 h) values for bezafibrate and fenofibrate varied 3.0-fold and 4.4-fold between individual subjects, respectively. Neither bezafibrate nor fenofibrate affected the pharmacokinetic variables of repaglinide. CONCLUSIONS Bezafibrate and fenofibrate do not affect the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of repaglinide.
Cervical Assessment

The relationship between the clinical state of the cervix and spontaneous onset of labor has long been known. The cervix can be characterized by evaluating five parameters: effacement, dilatation, firmness, position, and level of the presenting part. The relative associations between successful labor induction and these factors appears to vary, with the strongest correlation observed with cervical dilation, whereas the association with cervical station and position is less robust. By its nature, cervical examination is somewhat subjective, but the use of objective criteria and numerical scoring of this information has substantially reduced this source of error. The Bishop score and it variations have been used widely and accepted in clinical practice. Its advantage lies in its simplicity, reproducibility, and predictability in successful inductions. Although criticized for the equal weight given to each of the five elements, none of the modifications to the original score has been shown to improve predictability. Although the Bishop score was initially evaluated only in multiparous women, it has been extended to nulliparous women with an equal degree of predictive value. To date, the Bishop score remains as the best and simplest method available to determine the duration and safety of induced labor.
Generation Ratio Availability Assessment of Electrical Systems for Offshore Wind Farms

An availability index, Generation Ratio Availability (GRA), is proposed to evaluate the electrical system of offshore wind farms (OWF). The GRA is the probability that at least a certain percent of wind power could be transferred to the grid system through the concerned electrical system. The GRA does not depend on the load demand and has weaker correlation with the wind speed in comparison with other reliability indices, such as loss-of-load probability, expected energy not supplied, etc. On the basis of the particular characteristics of the OWFs, the algorithm to compute the GRA is proposed. Comprehensive studies have been conducted to investigate the influence of the network design, component parameters, and wind-speed regimes on the GRA. The analysis presented in this paper is useful for both future wind farm planning and existing OWF evaluation.
Development and Testing of New Screening Method for Keratan Sulfate in Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA

Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (MPS IVA), a progressive lysosomal storage disease, causes skeletal dysplasia through excessive storage of keratan sulfate (KS). We developed an ELISA-sandwich assay that used a MAb specific to KS. Forty-five blood and 59 urine specimens from MPS IVA patients (ages 1–65 y) were analyzed to determine whether KS concentration is a suitable marker for early diagnosis and longitudinal assessment of disease severity. Blood specimens were obtained from patients categorized as phenotypically severe (n = 36) and milder (n = 9). Urine specimens were also analyzed from patients categorized as severe (n = 56) and milder (n = 12), respectively. Blood KS levels (101–1525 ng/mL) in MPS IVA patients were two to eight times higher than those in age-matched controls (15–323 ng/mL). It was found that blood KS level varied with age and clinical severity. Blood KS levels in both MPS IVA and controls peaked between 5 and 10 y of age (mean, 776 versus 234 ng/mL, respectively). Blood levels in severe MPS IVA were 1.5 times higher than in the milder form. In contrast to blood, urine KS levels in both MPS IVA and controls peaked between 1 and 5 y (15.3 versus 0.26 mg/g creatinine), and thereafter declined with age. Urine KS level also varied with age and clinical severity, and the severe MPS IVA phenotype was associated with 6.7 times greater urine KS excretion than the milder one. These findings indicate that the new assay for blood or urine KS may be suitable for early diagnosis and longitudinal assessment of disease severity in MPS IVA.
Reexamination of the elastic properties of emphysematous lungs.

We calculated specific lung elastance (Es,L) as the change of lung elastic recoil pressure (Pel,L) required to produce a given fractional change in lung volume (delta VL/VL,0) as a function of transpulmonary pressure (PL) from published data in normal lungs, and in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency (alpha 1-AD). Es,L, in normal lungs, is the bulk modulus, and was systematically greater than PL.dEs,L/dPL increased with VL.PL at Es,L = 30 cm H2O decreased with age in normal lungs, but Es,L at PL = 8 cm H2O showed no age relationship. In both COPD and alpha 1-AD Es,L and dEs,L/dPL were increased compared to normal lungs. We conclude that Es,L is a curvilinear function of PL in normal lungs, COPD and alpha 1-AD, and is systematically greater than PL. The increase in Es,L and dEs,L/dPL in COPD and alpha 1-AD compared to normals probably represents two distinct abnormalities in the elastic properties of emphysematous lungs: (1) an increase in resting length of alveolar walls accounting for hyperinflation, and (2) a decrease in extensibility of alveolar walls once they become stressed. Using total lung capacity (TLC) as an index of the former and Es,L as an index of the latter, we showed no correlation between either and FEV1. Thus abnormalities in lung elastic properties in emphysema do not account for chronic expiratory flow limitation in emphysema. Furthermore, the increased values of Es,L in emphysema suggest that emphysematous airspaces are poorly ventilated. As they are presumably poorly perfused, emphysema per se may not disturb ventilation perfusion ratios seriously.
Detection of erythromycin resistant methylase gene by the polymerase chain reaction.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol was developed that could specifically amplify a 520-bp region of the erythromycin resistant methylase (ermC) gene sequence. The identity of the PCR-amplified 520-bp DNA was confirmed by HinCII endonuclease restriction digestion, which produced the predicted 440-bp and 80-bp DNA fragments. A 20-mer (alpha-32P) oligonucleotide probe specifically hybridized with these amplified products confirming the specificity and reliability of this diagnostic assay. The assay could detect the ermC gene in bacterial suspensions containing as few as 10(3) cells ml-1. The assay was used to detect the presence of the ermC gene in several Gram-positive bacterial strains identified as Streptococcus sp. , Staphylococcus sp. , Micrococcus sp. , Lactobacillus sp. and Enterococcus sp. , isolated from water samples maintained in experimental animal cages and clinical sources. Only bacteria identified as Staphylococcus sp. were resistant to the antibiotic. Although 17 strains of Staphylococcus sp. isolated from clinical samples were resistant to erythromycin, only seven of these isolates tested positive for the presence of the ermC gene. Of these strains, five were identified as coagulase-positive S. aureus and the rest were identified as coagulase-negative S. epidermidis. The erythromycin resistance in all seven ermC positive isolates was constitutive. The entire diagnostic assay, including template preparation, amplification and electrophoresis can be completed within 6 h.
Mercury uptake by primary cultures of rat renal cortical epithelial cells. I. Effects of cell density, temperature, and metabolic inhibitors.

Factors affecting the renal uptake of inorganic mercury were investigated using primary cultures of rat renal cortical epithelial (RCE) cells under protein- and amino acid-free conditions. The cells were isolated from kidneys of adult rats and cultured. Confluence of culture (cell density), monitored morphologically and by total protein content, was achieved on Day 5. The RCE cells were incubated with 1 microM Hg at 37 degrees C for 30 min, followed by washing with phosphate-buffered saline containing various chelating agents (i.e., EGTA, PEN, DMSA, and BAL) to remove the surface-bound, noninternalized Hg. A substantial portion of Hg was bound to the cell surface. The removal of Hg from these binding sites was dependent on the stability constants of the chelating agents for Hg and lipophilic BAL removed the most Hg. Hg accumulation by the cells was dependent on cell density and decreased as the cell culture became confluent, possibly due to the formation of tight junctions resulting in a majority of the Hg transport occurring through the apical membrane. As measured after BAL washing, metabolic inhibitors, NaF, DNP, and ouabain decreased Hg accumulation by 28% and low temperature (4 degrees C) decreased it by 62%. Dependence of Hg uptake on metabolic energy and temperature suggests that a part of Hg is transported via active transport system. The pronounced decrease of Hg uptake at 4 degrees C indicates that, in addition to active transport, Hg transport also involves simple diffusion, some of which is dependent on membrane fluidity. It is concluded that Hg transport in RCE cells through the apical membrane occurs mainly by diffusion, and to a smaller extent by active transport.
Dependence of paranodal junctional gap width on transverse bands

Mouse mutants with paranodal junctional (PNJ) defects display variable degrees of neurological impairment. In this study we compare control paranodes with those from three mouse mutants that differ with respect to a conspicuous PNJ component, the transverse bands (TBs). We hypothesize that TBs link the apposed junctional membranes together at a fixed distance and thereby determine the width of the junctional gap, which may in turn determine the extent to which nodal action currents can be short‐circuited underneath the myelin sheath. Electron micrographs of aldehyde‐fixed control PNJs, in which TBs are abundant, show a consistent junctional gap of ∼3.5 nm. In Caspr‐null PNJs, which lack TBs entirely, the gap is wider (∼6–7 nm) and more variable. In CST‐null PNJs, which have only occasional TBs, the mean PNJ gap width is comparable to that in Caspr‐null mice. In the shaking mutant, in contrast, which has approximately 60% of the normal complement of TBs, mean PNJ gap width is not significantly different from that in controls. Correspondingly, shaking mice are much less impaired neurologically than either Caspr‐null or CST‐null mice. We conclude that in the absence or gross diminution of TBs, mean PNJ gap width increases significantly and suggest that this difference could underlie some of the neurological impairment seen in those mutants. Surprisingly, even in the absence of TBs, paranodes are to some extent maintained in their usual form, implying that in addition to TBs, other factors govern the formation and maintenance of overall paranodal structure. J. Comp. Neurol. 520:2774–2784, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Novel ELISPOT Assay to Quantify HLA‐Specific B Cells in HLA‐Immunized Individuals

Quantification of the humoral alloimmune response is generally achieved by measuring serum HLA antibodies, which provides no information about the cells involved in the humoral immune response. Therefore, we have developed an HLA‐specific B‐cell ELISPOT assay allowing for quantification of B cells producing HLA antibodies. We used recombinant HLA monomers as target in the ELISPOT assay. Validation was performed with human B‐cell hybridomas producing HLA antibodies. Subsequently, we quantified B cells producing HLA antibodies in HLA‐immunized individuals, non‐HLA‐immunized individuals and transplant patients with serum HLA antibodies. B‐cell hybridomas exclusively formed spots against HLA molecules of corresponding specificity with the sensitivity similar to that found in total IgG ELISPOT assays. HLA‐immunized healthy individuals showed up to 182 HLA‐specific B cells per million total B cells while nonimmunized individuals had none. Patients who were immunized by an HLA‐A2‐mismatched graft had up to 143 HLA‐A2‐specific B cells per million total B cells. In conclusion, we have developed and validated a highly specific and sensitive HLA‐specific B‐cell ELISPOT assay, which needs further validation in a larger series of transplant patients. This technique constitutes a new tool for quantifying humoral immune responses.
AMP-activated protein kinase: new regulation, new roles?

The hydrolysis of ATP drives virtually all of the energy-requiring processes in living cells. A prerequisite of living cells is that the concentration of ATP needs to be maintained at sufficiently high levels to sustain essential cellular functions. In eukaryotic cells, the AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) cascade is one of the systems that have evolved to ensure that energy homoeostasis is maintained. AMPK is activated in response to a fall in ATP, and recent studies have suggested that ADP plays an important role in regulating AMPK. Once activated, AMPK phosphorylates a broad range of downstream targets, resulting in the overall effect of increasing ATP-producing pathways whilst decreasing ATP-utilizing pathways. Disturbances in energy homoeostasis underlie a number of disease states in humans, e.g. Type 2 diabetes, obesity and cancer. Reflecting its key role in energy metabolism, AMPK has emerged as a potential therapeutic target. In the present review we examine the recent progress aimed at understanding the regulation of AMPK and discuss some of the latest developments that have emerged in key areas of human physiology where AMPK is thought to play an important role.
“Inside-Out” Signaling of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate: Therapeutic Targets

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive sphingolipid metabolite involved in many critical cellular processes including proliferation, survival, and migration, as well as angiogenesis and allergic responses. S1P levels inside cells are tightly regulated by the balance between its synthesis by sphingosine kinases and degradation. S1P is interconvertible with ceramide, which is a critical mediator of apoptosis. It has been postulated that the ratio between S1P and ceramide determines cell fate. Activation of sphingosine kinase by a variety of agonists increases intracellular S1P, which in turn can function intracellularly as a second messenger or be secreted out of the cell and act extracellularly by binding to and signaling through S1P receptors in autocrine and/or paracrine manners. Recent studies suggest that this “inside-out” signaling by S1P may play a role in many human diseases, including cancer, atherosclerosis, inflammation, and autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis. In this review we summarize metabolism of S1P, mechanisms of sphingosine kinase activation, and S1P receptors and their downstream signaling pathways and examine relationships to multiple disease processes. In particular, we describe recent preclinical and clinical trials of therapies targeting S1P signaling, including 2-amino-2-propane-1,3-diol hydrochloride (FTY720, fingolimod), S1P receptor agonists, sphingosine kinase inhibitors, and anti-S1P monoclonal antibody.
Propagation of spontaneously actuated pulsive vibration in human heart wall and in vivo viscoelasticity estimation

Though myocardial viscoelasticity is essential in the evaluation of heart diastolic properties, it has never been noninvasively measured in vivo. By the ultrasonic measurement of the myocardial motion, we have already found that some pulsive waves are spontaneously excited by aortic-valve closure (AVC) at end-systole (To). These waves may serve as an ideal source of the intrinsic heart sound caused by AVC. In this study, using a sparse sector scan, in which the beam directions are restricted to about 16, the pulsive waves were measured almost simultaneously at about 160 points set along the heart wall at a sufficiently high frame rate. The consecutive spatial phase distributions, obtained by the Fourier transform of the measured waves, clearly revealed wave propagation along the heart wall for the first time. The propagation time of the wave along the heart wall is very small (namely, several milliseconds) and cannot be measured by conventional equipment. Based on this phenomenon, we developed a means to measure the myocardial viscoelasticity in vivo. In this measurement, the phase velocity of the wave is determined for each frequency component. By comparing the dispersion of the phase velocity with the theoretical one of the Lamb wave (the plate flexural wave), which propagates along the viscoelastic plate (heart wall) immersed in blood, the instantaneous viscoelasticity is determined noninvasively. This is the first report of such noninvasive determination. In in vivo experiments applied to five healthy subjects, propagation of the pulsive wave was clearly visible in all subjects. For the 60-Hz component, the typical propagation speed rapidly decreased from 5 m/s just before the time of AVC (t = To - 8 ms) to 3 m/s at t = To + 10 ms. In the experiments, it was possible to determine the viscosity more precisely than the elasticity. The typical value of elasticity was about 24-30 kPa arid did not change around the time of AVC. The typical transient values of viscosity decreased rapidly from 400 Pa/spl middot/s at t = To - 8 ms to 70 Pa-s at t = To + 10 ms. The measured shear elasticity and viscosity in this study are comparable to those obtained for the human tissues using audio frequency in in vitro experiments reported in the literature.
Activation of Benznidazole by Trypanosomal Type I Nitroreductases Results in Glyoxal Formation

ABSTRACT Benznidazole, a 2-nitroimidazole, is the front-line treatment used against American trypanosomiasis, a parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. Despite nearly 40 years of use, the trypanocidal activity of this prodrug is not fully understood. It has been proposed that benznidazole activation leads to the formation of reductive metabolites that can cause a series of deleterious effects, including DNA damage and thiol depletion. Here, we show that the key step in benznidazole activation involves an NADH-dependent trypanosomal type I nitroreductase. This catalyzes an oxygen-insensitive reaction with the interaction of enzyme, reductant, and prodrug occurring through a ping-pong mechanism. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis of the resultant metabolites identified 4,5-dihydro-4,5-dihydroxyimidazole as the major product of a reductive pathway proceeding through hydroxylamine and hydroxy intermediates. The breakdown of this product released the reactive dialdehyde glyoxal, which, in the presence of guanosine, generated guanosine-glyoxal adducts. These experiments indicate that the reduction of benznidazole by type I nitroreductase activity leads to the formation of highly reactive metabolites and that the expression of this enzyme is key to the trypanocidal properties displayed by the prodrug.
Value of P63 and CK5/6 in distinguishing squamous cell carcinoma from adenocarcinoma in lung fine‐needle aspiration specimens

The current FDA‐approved standard of care for nonsmall cell lung cancer is Carboplastin/Taxol/Avastin based upon an impressive survival benefit; however, patients with squamous carcinoma (SQCC) cannot receive Avastin because of a 30% mortality rate due to fatal hemoptysis.