Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular mechanisms and pathogenetic role of BCL 6 deregulation in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas — clinical and therapeutic implications

BCL6 is the most frequently deregulated oncogene in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common lymphoma in adults. BCL6 gene was first cloned from recurring chromosomal translocations involving 3q27. BCL6 encodes a member of the BTB/POZ zinc finger family of transcriptional repressors. Upon dimerization, BCL6 recruits distinct sets of corepressors that mediate its biological activity. BCL6 expression in B-cells is required for formation of germinal centers (GC). Within the GC, BCL6 controls the expression of multiple genes that increase the tolerance to the physiological DNA breaks required for immunoglobulin affinity maturation, regulate cell cycle progression, B-cell activation and differentiation. Downregulation of BCL6 is required for B-cells to undergo further differentiation to memory cells or plasma cells. Constitutive expression of BCL6 due to structural or functional abnormalities in humans and mice inhibits B-cell differentiation and fosters acquisition of additional lesions, leading to DLBCL. For these reasons, BCL6 represents a rational therapeutic target in DLBCL with deregulated expression of this oncogene and reliant on its continuous activity. Dissection of molecular structure-function relationships of the BCL6 protein allowed to design molecules specifically targeting this transcription factor and blocking its function. Herein, we review recent advances in understanding the role of BCL6 in lymphomagenesis and approaches to its therapeutic targeting.
The bone of the liver ( The hepcidin story contd ) Le « squelette du foie » du foie

Iron is an essential trace element in mammalian metabolism. Body iron stores require a tight regulation to avoid detrimental effects due to iron excess or to iron deficiency. Iron losses being not adaptable, iron balance is controlled only through intestinal iron absorption which is regulated by the hepatic peptide hepcidin. Hepcidin synthesis is controlled by several genes including the HFE, hemojuvelin and transferrin receptor 2 genes. Mutations in these genes lead to a phenotype of hemochromatosis. Recently, the bone morphogenetic protein 6 was shown to be the key endogenous ligand involved in the cascade regulating hepcidin synthesis. © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
NUMERICAL SOLUTION OF TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY ON MHD FREE CONVECTION FLOW WITH JOULE HEATING ALONG A VERTICAL WAVY SURFACE

Temperature dependent thermal conductivity on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) free convective flow of viscous incompressible fluid with Joule heating along a uniformly heated vertical wavy surface has been investigated numerically. The governing nonlinear boundary layer equations are mapped into a domain of a vertical flat plate and solved by an implicit finite difference method known as Keller-box scheme. The skin friction coefficient, the rate of heat transfer in terms of local Nusselt number, the stream lines and the isotherms are reported for different parameter combinations. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/jme.v44i1. 19497
The Effects of Strategic Is on Firm Performance: An Empirical Study of the Three-Way Interaction Investigation of Turbulent Scenario

The purpose of this article is to explore how the domains of turbulence scenario moderate the relationship between strategic information systems (IS) and firm performance (FP). This research conducts a quantitative survey-based study with partial least squares (PLS) technique employing a sample of 196 firms from different industries located in Brazil that operate under an uncertain environment during an economic crisis. The findings confirm the existence of strong effects in the relationship between strategic IS and firm performance. Essentially, this research further finds that this relationship (strategic IS -> FP) is particularly pronounced in uncertain hostile environments and in cases where GDP is strongly negative by three-way interaction. Thus, the research results helped organizations and managers understand SIS value in the strategy-as-practice approach to Brazilian environmental uncertainty.
Radar observations of intense orographic precipitation associated with typhoon Xangsane (2000)

Abstract With measurements from two ground-based Doppler radars located in northern Taiwan, this study documents the detailed aspects of intense orographic precipitation associated with Typhoon Xangsane (2000) as it moved northward immediately off the eastern coast of Taiwan, bringing strong low-level northeasterly to north-northeasterly winds impinging on the mountainous northern coast. With relatively good, persistent coverage of radar echoes on both inland and upstream regions, this particular event provides a unique description of the orographic precipitation and its relationship with orographic geometry, strong upstream oncoming flow, and the precipitation inherently associated with typhoon circulations. In this case, the heaviest precipitation was observed to occur primarily over two coastal mountain barriers: Mount Da-Tun (DT) and the Nangang-Keelung Range (NKR). Barrier DT is an approximately 3D mountain barrier, and the NKR, adjacent to the southeast of DT, is a relatively lower, narrower 2D moun.
Monitoring derivation of the quantum linear Boltzmann equation

We show how the effective equation of motion for a distinguished quantum particle in an ideal gas environment can be obtained by means of the monitoring approach introduced by Hornberger [EPL 77, 50007 (2007)]. The resulting Lindblad master equation accounts for the quantum effects of the scattering dynamics in a nonperturbative fashion and it describes decoherence and dissipation in a unified framework. It incorporates various established equations as limiting cases and reduces to the classical linear Boltzmann equation once the state is diagonal in momentum.
The Study of Cosmic Ray Tomography Using Multiple Scattering of Muons for Imaging of High-Z Materials

Muon tomography is developing as a promising system to detect high-Z (atomic number) material for ensuring homeland security. In the present work, three kinds of spatial locations of materials which are made of aluminum, iron, lead and uranium are simulated with GEANT4 codes, which are horizontal, diagonal and vertical objects, respectively. Two statistical algorithms are used with MATLAB software to reconstruct the image of detected objects, which are the Point of Closet Approach (PoCA) and Maximum Likelihood Scattering-Expectation Maximization iterative algorithm (MLS-EM), respectively. Two analysis methods are used to evaluate the quality of reconstruction image, which are the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) and the localization ROC (LROC) curves, respectively. The reconstructed results show that, compared with PoCA algorithm, MLS-EM can achieve a better image quality in both edge preserving and noise reduction. And according to the analysis of ROC (LROC) curves, it shows that MLS-EM algorithm can discriminate and exclude the presence and location of high-Z object with a high efficiency, which is more flexible with an different EM algorithm employed than prior work. Furthermore the MLS-EM iterative algorithm will be modified and ran in parallel executive way for improving the reconstruction speed.
How Good are Attack Trees for Modelling Advanced Cyber Threats

In this paper we present a study of the usefulness of attack trees for the modelling of advanced cyber threats. The study consisted of a case study where three cyber threats were modelled using attack trees and a judgement study where two cyber security experts were exposed to the attack tree models. We conclude that attack trees are not necessarily the best choice for modelling of advanced cyber threats.
Raising Awareness of Career Goals of Insurance Agents : A Case Study of Choomthong 24K26, AIA Company.

This article is a summary of key study done on a group of AIA insurance agents (Choomthong 24K26). It focused on raising awareness of career goals of insurance agents. The study was based on three main factors; performance, excellence and self-development. The respondents of this study were 33 AIA agents who were selected according to their overall performance. Two main methods were used to collect data: interview and questionnaire. Data gathered through questionnaires were collected twice during the study period, firstly before ODI and secondly, after ODI while interview was only done after the ODI phase. There were various theories which aided in understanding the key factors behind the study. These were; whole brain, AIDA model, Ice-berg, Self-mastery model, Kurt Lewin’s theory of change, Kotter’s eight stages of change and lastly which was selected to guide in the ODI process was AI (Appreciative Inquiry). These theories gave an understanding on how the performance, self-development and excellence of an individual can be improved. Data analysis was done through the use of mean, standard deviation and the Wilcoxon matched-pair signed rank test. The alternative hypothesis for the study was that there is an impact of ODI on the performance, excellence and self-development of insurance agents. It was evident from the comparison of Pre and Post-ODI result of the data analysis that there was an improvement in the career goals of insurance thus the alternative hypothesis was accepted. Keywords: performance, excellence, self-development, individual development plan, career path setting, competency, recruitment.
Testing and Simulation of a Thermoacoustic Transducer Prototype

Thermoacoustic transduction is the transformation of thermal energy fluctuations into sound. Devices fabricated by appropriate materials utilise such a mechanism in order to achieve acoustic wave generation by direct application of an electrical audio signal and without the use of any moving components. A thermoacoustic transducer causes local vibration of air molecules resulting in a proportional pressure change. The present work studies an implementation of this alternative audio transduction technique for a prototype developed on silicon wafer. Measurements of the performance of this hybrid solid state device are presented and compared to the theoretical principles of its operation which are evaluated via simulations.
Decision Support The Pearson system of utility functions

This paper describes a parametric family of utility functions for decision analysis. The parameterization embeds the HARA class in a four-parameter representation for the risk aversion function. The resulting utility functions can have only four shapes: concave, convex, S-shaped, and reverse S-shaped. This makes the family suited for both expected utility and prospect theory. The paper also describes an alternative technique to estimate the four parameters from elicited utilities, which is simpler than standard fitting by minimization of the mean quadratic error. 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
More on HIV-associated Kaposi's sarcoma.

Our data suggest that persistent Kaposi’s sarcoma despite apparently effective antiretroviral therapy is not a rare, isolated, or recent phenomenon, as suggested by Maurer and colleagues in their letter to the editor (Sept. 27 issue). 1 On the contrary, our findings indicate that since the introduction of effective antiretroviral therapy, many patients with AIDS-associated Kaposi’s sarcoma have CD4 counts above the level typically associated with susceptibility to opportunistic diseases. Furthermore, although effective HIV suppression has been correlated with regression of Kaposi’s sarcoma after antiretroviral therapy,2 a substantial proportion of our patients had undetectable HIV viral loads.
Use and reporting of Bayesian methods for primary data analysis in epidemiological research : a systematic review

Background The objective of this systematic review is to investigate the use of Bayesian data analysis in epidemiology in the past decade, and particularly to evaluate the quality of research papers reporting the results of these analyses. Methods Complete volumes of five major epidemiological journals in the period 2005-2015 were searched via Pubmed. In addition we performed an extensive within-manuscript search using a specialized Java application. Details of reporting on Bayesian statistics were examined in original research papers with primary Bayesian data analyses. Results The number of studies in which Bayesian techniques were used for primary data analysis remain constant over the years. Though many authors presented thorough descriptions of the analyses they performed and the results they obtained, several reports presented incomplete method sections, and even some incomplete results sections. Especially, information on the process of prior elicitation, specification and evaluation was often lacking. Conclusions Though available guidance papers concerned with reporting of Bayesian analyses emphasize the importance of transparent prior specification, the results obtained in this systematic review show that these guidance papers are often not used. Additional efforts should be made to increase the awareness of the existence and importance of these checklists in order to overcome the controversy with respect to the use of Bayesian techniques. The reporting quality in epidemiological literature could be improved by updating existing guidelines on the reporting of frequentist analyses to address issues that are important for Bayesian data analyses. M AN US CR IP T AC CE PT ED ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Bayesian methods for primary data analysis in epidemiological research: a systematic review 3 What is new? • For the reviewed epidemiological journals the number of studies in which Bayesian analyses were used remain constant over the years. • Often information on the process of prior elicitation, specification and evaluation was lacking from research reports. • Several guidance papers have recently been published on transparent reporting of research results. Our review indicates that adherence to these guidelines seems particularly urgent for Bayesian data analyses, as controversy around their implementation often relates to the choice of prior distributions. • The reporting quality of papers in epidemiological journals could be improved by updating existing guidelines on reporting to specifically address issues that are relevant for both frequentist and Bayesian data analyses.
Regional resilience across Europe: On urbanisation and the initial impact of the Great Recession

Using a novel data set for 207 European regions from 22 different countries, we analyse the relevance of urbanisation for the short-term resilience to a major shock. We take the Great Recession, the economic and financial crisis that started in 2008, as our shock and analyse how the European NUTS 2 regions differ in their short-run resilience in the aftermath to the crisis in terms of unemployment and real GDP per capita. We find that the degree and nature of regional urbanisation is important for resilience. EU regions with a relatively large share of the population in commuting areas are relatively more resilient. In addition, regions with a large output share in medium-high tech industries were also less affected by the crisis.
MGAUM—Towards a Mobile Government Adoption and Utilization Model: The Case of Saudi Arabia

This paper presents a proposal for a mobile government adoption and utilization model (MGAUM), which is a framework designed to increase the adoption rate of m-government services in Saudi Arabia. Recent advances in mobile technologies such are Mobile compatibilities, The development of wireless communication, mobile applications and devices are enabling governments to deliver services in new ways to citizens more efficiently and economically. In the last decade, many governments around the globe are utilizing these advances effectively to develop their next generation of e-government services. However, a low adoption rate of m-government services by citizens is a common problem in Arabian countries, including Saudi Arabia. Yet, to our knowledge, very little research has been conducted focused on understanding the factors that influence citizen adoption of these m-government services in this part of the world. A set of social, cultural and technological factors have been identified in the literature, which has led to the formulation of associated research questions and hypotheses. These hypotheses will be tested on Saudi citizens using questionnaires and interview methods based around the technology acceptance model. A key objective of the MGAUM framework is to investigate and understand Saudi citizens perception towards adoption and utilization of m-government services.
Multiple comparison of ganglion cell complex parameters in both groups OCT parameters in subjects with a positive family history for glaucoma

Submitted: 29 June 2016 Revised: 3 December 2016 Accepted for publication: 22 December 2016 Purpose: The aim was to compare the optical coherence tomographic (OCT) parameters of subjects with and without a family history of glaucoma to determine whether positive family history has an impact on retinal nerve fibre layer and ganglion cell complex analyses. Methods: Forty eyes of 40 normal subjects with a proven positive family history (firstdegree relatives) for primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) (study group) and agematched 40 eyes of 40 control subjects without a family history for glaucoma (control group) were enrolled. Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness and macular ganglion cell complex thickness were measured with spectral domain OCT and results were compared between both groups. Results: In the study group, retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in all quadrants except the superior quadrant was a statistically significant decrease when compared to the control group (p = 0.707 for the superior quadrant, p < 0.05 for other retinal nerve fibre layer parameters; analysis of variance [ANOVA]). Furthermore, ganglion cell complex in all quadrants except the inferotemporal quadrant was a statistically significantly thinner in the study group, when compared with the controls (p = 0.196 for the inferotemporal quadrant, p < 0.05 for ganglion cell complex parameters; ANOVA). Conclusions: In individuals who have a history of POAG in their first-degree relatives, OCT parameters including retinal nerve fibre layer and ganglion cell complex are significantly lower than the subjects without a family history. Retinal nerve fibre layer and ganglion cell complex thinning were detected in normal-looking discs. The importance of these findings remains uncertain. Prospective, controlled clinical trials with longer follow up are necessary to understand, whether or not those changes are an early indicator of glaucoma.
Changes in Visitors' Environmental Focus during an Appreciative Recreation Experience

Abstract Recreation that involves learning about nature, or viewing, observing, studying, identifying, or photographing nature may be termed appreciative recreation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the on-site phase of an appreciative recreation experience and, specifically, to identify how time spent in a nature-based environment influences the environmental focus of participants. The researchers collected data from visitors (adjusted N = 158) at Congaree National Park using a version of the Experiential Sampling Method. Data analysis consisted of a Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Multi-Level Modeling. The researchers concluded that time spent at the park does have a significant influence on an appreciative recreation experience and that there are three phases of the experience: preparation, immersion, and separation.
VARIABLES INFLUENCING THE USE OF DERIVATIVES IN SOUTH AFRICA – THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CONCEPTUAL MODEL

This paper, which is the first in a two-part series, sets out the development of a conceptual model on the variables influencing investors’ decisions to use derivatives in their portfolios. Investor-specific variables include: the investor’s needs, goals and return expectations, the investor’s knowledge of financial markets, familiarity with different asset classes including derivative instruments, and the investor’s level of wealth and level of risk tolerance. Market-specific variables include: the level of volatility, standardisation, regulation and liquidity in a market, the level of information available on derivatives, the transparency of price determination, taxes, brokerage costs and product availability.
Stock Volatility Consequences when Using the Equity Method in ParentCompany

This paper contributes to the recent literature on the information transparency and its impact on stock price volatility. Some authors claim that more disclosure might reduce volatility of the stock price. Since 2005 the use of IFRS is mandatory for listed companies in the EU. In some countries, like Demark, corporate law allows the use of the Equity Method in separate financial statements to measure investments in subsidiaries, which is contrary to IFRS. Lately, IFRS has re-allowed the use of the Equity Method (probably to be approved by the EU soon). This study investigates the stock volatility consequences of using the Equity Method so far in Denmark. We had collected all Danish non-financial and non-insurance companies disclosing consolidated Group and Parent company financial statements. Also, we selected volatility measures by use of the ORBIS-database, and analyses it all together. Our tests showed lower level of volatility for the Equity Method using group of companies compared to the non-Equity method using group of companies, also after controlling for differences in industries and transparency levels in the two groups’ companies. Regression analyses confirmed the tendency that Equity Method and lower volatility follows each other. However, we did not find evidence that the specific account “Reserve for net Revaluations under the Equity Method” should be a significant part of the relation. It seems that most important for the size of the volatility is the difference between consolidated Group Equity and Parent Equity. However, whether a smaller difference stems from a relatively high part of group income being realized in parent’s financial statements, or whether it stems from relatively high part of group income being recognized in subsidiaries by use of the Equity Method seems not to be important.
A new methodology for assessing the impact of water pricing scenarios: case study of small-scale irrigation schemes in South-Africa

Worldwide growing water scarcity has increased the call for economic instruments to stimulate rational water use in agriculture. In addition cost-recovery is now widely accepted as a cornerstone of sustainable water management. As a consequence now in developing countries, where currently agricultural water use is often still heavily subsidized, a tendency exists of introducing water-pricing as a policy to achieve more sustainable water use. The exact impact of water pricing policies on irrigation water use or on the farmers’ production system is however mostly unknown. A new two-stage methodology that allows estimating at the farm level the effects of introducing or raising a water price on the agricultural production process and water demand is introduced in this study. The first stage comprises the construction of a technical efficiency frontier and the calculation of the technical and allocative efficiency levels of each farm. This representation of the technology is used in the second stage in a profit maximization model. As an example the method is applied to the case of small-scale irrigators in South Africa. It is shown that water demand of farmers is quite responsive even to small changes in the water price. Moreover, the introduction of a water price is shown to significantly decrease farm profit. This appears to be mainly a problem for the poorer farmers.