Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and Construction of a Versatile Synthetic Network for Bistable Gene Expression in Mammalian Systems

We constructed and modeled a novel synthetic network which may be able to exhibit bistable expression of a reporter gene in mammalian cells. This network is based on an aptamer-fused short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) directed against a single mRNA encoding both a EGFP reporter gene and the repressor tTR-KRAB, which, in turn, represses transcription of the shRNA. The activity of the shRNA can be controlled by an inducer molecule (theophylline) which prevents the aptamer-fused shRNA to be properly processed. Repression of the tTR-KRAB can be relieved by treatment with doxycyline. This reciprocal negative feed-back loop can exhibit a bistable response, as shown through the mathematical analysis performed here. Specifically, the network can be controlled to induce sustained expression of a shRNA, or the reporter gene, with a transient input of two different inducer molecules.
Bone density around titanium implants may benefit from smoking cessation: a histologic study in rats.

PURPOSE This study tested the hypothesis that interruption of cigarette smoke inhalation (CSI) would reverse its impact on bone quality around implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty-nine rats were assigned to 1 of 4 groups. Group 1 (n = 16) was the control group; group 2 experienced CSI for the duration of the study (150 days); group 3 experienced CSI for 83 days prior to implant placement, until 7 days prior to implant placement, when CSI ceased; and for group 4, CSI exposure was temporarily halted from 7 days before implantation to 21 days afterward. Bone density (the proportion of mineralized bone in a 500-microm-wide zone lateral to the implant) was calculated for each specimen (mean +/- SD). RESULTS In the cortical bone, a slight difference in bone density was noted between the groups (97.66% +/- 3.69% for group 1, 98.30% +/- 0.95% for group 2, 98.83% +/- 0.73% for group 3, and 98.11% +/- 1.14 for group 4; P > .05). In contrast, continuous exposure to cigarette smoke (group 2) significantly decreased density in the cancellous bone in comparison to the other groups (25.69% +/- 9.41% for group 1, 18.08% +/- 6.0% for group 2, 25.46% +/- 5.42 for group 3, and 26.20% +/- 6.77% for group 4; P < .05), with no significant differences between groups 1, 3, and 4 (P > .05). DISCUSSION The results support the concept that the effects of cigarette consumption on dental implants may be reversible, and therefore suggest that smokers may realize satisfactory outcomes if they cease smoking, even temporarily. CONCLUSION In conclusion, smoking may affect bone quality around titanium implants in cancellous bone, and cessation could result in a return toward to the levels of the control group.
The relationship between internal audit and foreign direct investment

ABSTRACT This paper explores the influence of certain internal audit (IA) characteristics on the likelihood that FDI will be attracted. In making its investigation, the study uses data from the IIA CBOK database, and the World Bank database for 152 countries for the period 2012–2016. Ordinary least square methodology is used for analysis purposes, and the finding is that increases in FDI inflows result from effective IA. In particular, the most influential characteristic of IA in this respect is IA independence and competence, a finding which is valuable to academics and policy-makers who are keen to identify the drivers of FDI.
Moving object detection using genetic algorithm for traffic surveillance

The objective of paper is to review the video segmentation and moving object detection methods, organize them into different categories. Object detection and tracking is a stimulating problem. The object identification can identify a moving object and discard unwanted candidate area which does not include an interesting object. The techniques used for the general video segmentation for traffic surveillance using genetic dynamic saliency map (GDSM) and background subtraction. Here combine Genetic Dynamic saliency map (GDSM) and Background subtraction is used for identifies moving object and the maximum distance moved by the object in given group of frames. Experimental results show that the traffic surveillance system can detect moving object.
A Spatial Decision Support System Framework for the Evaluation of Biomass Energy Production Locations: Case Study in the Regional Unit of Drama, Greece

Renewable Energy Sources are expected to play a very important role in energy production in the following years. They constitute an energy production methodology which, if properly enabled, can ensure energy sufficiency as well as the protection of the environment. Energy production from biomass in particular is a very common method, which exploits a variety of resources (wood and wood waste, agricultural crops and their by-products after cultivation, animal wastes, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and food processing wastes) for the production of energy. This paper presents a Spatial Decision Support System, which enables managers to locate the most suitable areas for biomass power plant installation. For doing this, fuzzy logic and fuzzy membership functions are used for the creation of criteria layers and suitability maps. In this paper, we use a Multicriteria Decision Analysis methodology (Analytical Hierarchy Process) combined with fuzzy system elements for the determination of the weight coefficients of the participating criteria. Then, based on the combination of fuzzy logic and theAnalytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a final proposal is created thatdivides the area into four categories regarding their suitability forsupporting a biomass energy production power plant. For the two optimal locations, the biomass is also calculated.The framework is applied to theRegional Unit of Drama, which is situated in Northern Greece and is very well known for the area’s forest and agricultural production.
Role of Chemokines and Formyl Peptides in Pneumococcal Pneumonia-Induced Monocyte/Macrophage Recruitment2

Host-derived chemoattractant factors are suggested to play crucial roles in leukocyte recruitment elicited by inflammatory stimuli in vitro and in vivo. However, in the case of acute bacterial infections, pathogen-derived chemoattractant factors are also present, and it has not yet been clarified how cross-talk between chemoattractant receptors orchestrates diapedesis of leukocytes in this context of complex chemoattractant arrays. To investigate the role of chemokine (host-derived) and formyl peptide (pathogen-derived) chemoattractants in leukocyte extravasation in life-threatening infectious diseases, we used a mouse model of pneumococcal pneumonia. We found an increase in mRNA expression of eight chemokines (RANTES, macrophage-inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, MIP-1β, MIP-2, IP-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, T cell activation 3, and KC) within the lungs during the course of infection. KC and MIP-2 protein expression closely preceded pulmonary neutrophil recruitment, whereas MCP-1 protein production coincided more closely than MIP-1α with the kinetics of macrophage infiltration. In situ hybridization of MCP-1 mRNA suggested that MCP-1 expression started at peribronchovascular regions and expanded to alveoli-facing epithelial cells and infiltrated macrophages. Interestingly, administration of a neutralizing Ab against MCP-1, RANTES, or MIP-1α alone did not prevent macrophage infiltration into infected alveoli, whereas combination of the three Abs significantly reduced macrophage infiltration without affecting neutrophil recruitment. The use of an antagonist to N-formyl peptides, N-t-Boc-Phe-d-Leu-Phe-d-Leu-Phe, reduced both macrophages and neutrophils significantly. These data demonstrate that a complex chemokine network is activated in response to pulmonary pneumococcal infection, and also suggest an important role for fMLP receptor in monocyte/macrophage recruitment in that model.
Climbing bean as a solution to increase productivity in land-constrained environments: Evidence from Rwanda

Climbing bean is a potential solution to increase the agricultural sector productivity and sustainability. Using nationally representative bean-producing household data collected in Rwanda, this study identifies factors that influence the decision to switch from cultivating bush to climbing bean and quantifies the impact of climbing bean adoption on yield. About 50% of bean-producing households grow climbing bean, a substantial increase over the past 15 years. Elevation, population pressure, and drought shocks are important drivers of climbing bean adoption. Adoption of climbing bean increases yield by 23% among adopters and has the potential to increase yield by 48% for non-adopters. Findings from this study provide important information for the development of agricultural policies and programs in Rwanda and elsewhere.
Behavioural economics, consumer behaviour and consumer policy: state of the art

Abstract Counter to the traditional assumption of neoclassical economics that individuals are rational Homo oeconomici that always seek to maximize their utility and follow their ‘true’ preferences, research in behavioural economics has demonstrated that people's judgements and decisions are often subject to systematic biases and heuristics, and are strongly dependent on the context of the decision. In this article, we briefly review the transition of research from neoclassical economics to behavioural economics, and discuss how the latter has influenced research in consumer behaviour and consumer policy. In particular, we discuss the impacts of key principles such as status quo bias, the endowment effect, mental accounting and the sunk-cost effect, other heuristics and biases related to availability, salience, the anchoring effect and simplicity rules, as well as the effects of other supposedly irrelevant factors such as music, temperature and physical markers on consumers’ decisions. These principles not only add significantly to research on consumer behaviour – they also offer readily available practical implications for consumer policy to nudge behaviour in beneficial directions in consumption domains including financial decision making, product choice, healthy eating and sustainable consumption.
Acceptance by swine and rats of corn amended with trichothecenes

Swine and rats demonstrated the same response factor (i.e., the average amount of corn amended with trichothecenes consumed by animals per the average amount of uncontaminated corn consumed by animals) for consumption of corn amended with 40 ppm of either T-2 toxin or diacetoxyscirpenol Rat response factor for corn containing 40 ppm of vomitoxin was 1.8 times more than corn containing either T-2 toxin or diacetoxyscirpenol at 40 ppm. For the corn containing 40 ppm of vomitoxin, swine response factor was 1.8 times greater than rat response factor.
FINANCIAL INCLUSION, POVERTY, AND INCOME INEQUALITY

This paper extends the existing literature on financial inclusion by analyzing the factors affecting financial inclusion and assessing the impact of financial inclusion on poverty and income inequality in the world and Asia. We construct a new financial inclusion indicators to assess various macroeconomic and country-specific factors affecting the degree of financial inclusion for 176 economies, including 37 of which from developing Asia. We test the impact of financial inclusion, along with other control variables, on poverty and income inequality. We do so for full sample of countries and then for developing Asia sample to access which factors are relevant for full sample and for developing Asia specifically. The estimation results show that per capita income, rule of law, and demographic characteristics significantly affect financial inclusion for both world and Asia samples. However, primary education completion and literacy significantly increases financial inclusion only in the full sample, not for the Asian sample. The findings also indicate that financial inclusion is significantly correlated with lower poverty and income inequality levels for the full sample. For developing Asia, however, there appears to be no link between financial inclusion and income inequality.
Asymmetry During Maximal Sprint Performance in 11- to 16-Year-Old Boys.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to examine the influence of age and maturation upon magnitude of asymmetry in the force, stiffness and the spatiotemporal determinants of maximal sprint speed in a large cohort of boys. METHODS 344 boys between the ages of 11 and 16 years completed an anthropometric assessment and a 35 m sprint test, during which sprint performance was recorded via a ground-level optical measurement system. Maximal sprint velocity, as well as asymmetry in spatiotemporal variables, modeled force and stiffness data were established for each participant. For analysis, participants were grouped into chronological age, maturation and percentile groups. RESULTS The range of mean asymmetry across age groups and variables was 2.3-12.6%. The magnitude of asymmetry in all the sprint variables was not significantly different across age and maturation groups (p > .05), except relative leg stiffness (p < .05). No strong relationships between asymmetry in sprint variables and maximal sprint velocity were evident (rs < .39). CONCLUSION These results provide a novel benchmark for the expected magnitude of asymmetry in a large cohort of uninjured boys during maximal sprint performance. Asymmetry in sprint performance is largely unaffected by age or maturation and no strong relationships exist between the magnitude of asymmetry and maximal sprint velocity.
Hepatic farnesoid X receptor protein level and circulating fibroblast growth factor 19 concentration in children with NAFLD

Treatment with the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist obeticholic acid is ineffective in some patients with non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) but the explanation is uncertain. We investigated hepatic FXR expression, and measurements of fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) and bile acids (BAs) in children with NAFLD to investigate relationships with NASH.
A Case-Control Study of Diet in Newly Diagnosed NIDDM in the Wanigela People of Papua New Guinea

OBJECTIVE To study the association between diet and newly diagnosed NIDDM in the Wanigela people of Papua New Guinea, a population with an extraordinary susceptibility for NIDDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We performed a case-control study of Wanigela people from an urban settlement (Koki). Case patients (n = 145) were asymptomatic subjects in whom NIDDM was newly diagnosed using a 2-h 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. Control subjects with glucose tolerance (n = 140) were group-matched on the basis of age and sex. A detailed food frequency questionnaire was used to determine energy and nutrient intakes. Nutrient intakes were compared directly and after calculation of residuals to correct for energy intake. Odds ratios for NIDDM were computed in relation to total energy and specific nutrient intakes, adjusting for age, sex, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and physical activity. RESULTS There were no differences between case patients and control subjects in mean values of total energy-adjusted nutrient intakes. In logistic regression models, neither total energy nor any specific nutrients were associated with increased risk of NIDDM. When models were repeated with nutrients categorized by textiles, there were marginally significant associations with intakes of fiber (positive) and cholesterol, protein, and sugar (negative). CONCLUSIONS This study does not support the hypothesis that saturated fat is an independent risk factor for NIDDM. The weak associations of intakes of fiber and cholesterol with newly diagnosed NIDDM were in the opposite directions to those expected and are probably due to chance. Relative homogeneity of diet within a community, such as that found in Koki, makes it difficult to demonstrate risk factor-disease associations. However, changes in diet and reduced levels of physical activity accompanying urbanization undoubtedly contribute to the high prevalence of obesity observed in this community, and hence diet is likely to contribute to NIDDM risk at least by indirect means.
Do Citizens Prefer Affluent Representatives? Evidence from a Survey Experiment In Switzerland

Most representatives in democratic legislatures are vastly better off than the citizens they are elected to represent. This raises the question of why it is that legislatures in democratic countries are so systematically run by the affluent. One answer to this question could be that voters prefer to elect affluent rather than less affluent candidates. In this paper, we report on the results of a candidate choice experiment conducted among Swiss citizens. We presented respondents in our experiment with pairs of hypothetical candidates to the lower chamber of parliament and asked which of the two they would prefer to elect as their representative. The results of our experiment show that citizens in Switzerland prefer to elect candidates with lower rather than higher salaries. This casts doubt on the idea that voters are responsible for the shortage of less affluent officeholders in democratic legislatures.
Validity and Reliability of the Behavioural Assessment Tool for Cognition and Higher Function (BATCH) in Neuropsychiatric Patients

Objective: Patients with mental health disorders frequently have difficulties with their cognitive functioning. Assessment of cognition in this population can be complicated by psychiatric symptomatology, making standard written and verbal assessment methods difficult. In these situations, observations by nursing and allied staff of patients’ routine activities provide an important source of information about cognitive ability. The Behavioural Assessment Tool for Cognition and Higher Function (BATCH) was developed to record observations of patients’ daily functioning under subheadings that reflect cognitive domains. Its capacity to provide a measure of cognitive function through observational means was assessed in a neuropsychiatric unit. Method: A consecutive sample of 76 adult neuropsychiatry inpatients were assessed over 6 months using BATCH. BATCH measures the frequency of given behaviours grouped under 10 functional and cognitive domains: orientation, attention/concentration, personal responsibility, volition, adaptation, problem-solving/judgement, executive function, memory, language, and visuospatial function. Data from routine standardized cognitive (Mini-Mental Status Examination, MMSE; Neuropsychiatry Unit Cognitive Screening Tool, NUCOG), psychiatric (Neuropsychiatric Inventory; Health of the Nation Outcome Scale) and functional (Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale; Barthel Index) instruments were collected to determine the relative contribution of cognitive function to scores on the BATCH. Results: A strong correlation was found between total BATCH scores and total NUCOG and MMSE scores. BATCH and NUCOG subdomains correlated significantly in all subscales. BATCH demonstrated very high internal consistency. Linear regression analysis showed that the strongest determinant of BATCH scores was cognitive function as measured on the NUCOG. A significant subscale×group effect showed lower BATCH scores in memory, orientation, attention, executive function and language in dementia sufferers compared to psychiatric and neurological patient groups. Conclusion: BATCH scores correlated strongly with pencil-and-paper measures of cognitive function. BATCH provides clinicians with a means of assessing cognitive function through behavioural observation, thus enabling assessment of patients with behavioural disturbance or severe psychopathology. This tool has practical application for adult and aged clients across all observational mental health settings.
A Qualitative Investigation of Physical Therapists' Experiences and Feelings of Managing Patients With Nonspecific Low Back Pain

Background Physical therapists' management of patients with nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP) has been found to be associated with their beliefs and attitudes toward NSLBP, as well as with guideline recommendations. Greater knowledge of physical therapists' experiences and feelings of treating patients with NSLBP may help to explain these associations and increase our understanding of some of the challenges physical therapists face when treating patients with NSLBP in clinical practice. Objectives The objective of this study was to understand more about how the personal experiences and feelings of physical therapists might influence their decision making when treating patients with NSLBP. Design This was a qualitative study using a phenomenological hermeneutical approach and practitioner-as-researcher model. Methods Eleven semistructured interviews with physical therapists were conducted and analyzed using the hermeneutical circle to identify key themes relating to their experiences and feelings in treating patients with NSLBP. Results Three linked themes emerged: (1) physical therapists believe that NSLBP has an underlying mechanical and recurring nature, (2) physical therapists' attitude toward managing NSLBP is to empower patients to exercise and self-manage their pain and functional problems, and (3) physical therapists experience feelings of tension between the advice and treatment they feel is best for their patient and the patient's own beliefs and attitudes. Conclusions The experiences and feelings of physical therapists treating patients with NSLBP include conflict among their pain beliefs, attitudes, and working partnerships with patients. Treatment decisions may be influenced when physical therapists modify their beliefs and attitudes to reduce this sense of conflict. Improving physical therapist communication skills may help decrease feelings of conflict, enhance working relationships, and encourage a more consistent approach toward patients with NSLBP.
Optimal utilization of microgrids supplemented with battery energy storage systems in grid support applications

This paper proposes a control scheme which minimizes the operating cost of a grid connected micro-grid supplemented by battery energy storage system (BESS). What distinguishes approach presented here from conventional strategies is that not only the price of electricity is considered in the formulation of the total operating cost but an additional item that takes into account inevitable battery degradation. The speed of degradation depends on battery technology and its mission profile and this effect demands for eventual replacement of the stack. Therefore it can be mapped in additional operating cost. By modeling battery degradation as a function of depth of discharge (DoD) and discharge rate and translating incremental loss of capacity in each cycle into associated cost, objective function has been defined and solved using GAMS. Simulation results are presented to verify the proposed approach.