Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oral administration of cholera toxin B-insulin conjugates protects NOD mice from autoimmune diabetes by inducing CD4+ regulatory T-cells.

Restoration of peripheral tolerance to target autoantigens during autoimmune diseases has met with several limitations because of the limited efficacy of this approach in an already immune host. To optimize the induction of tolerance, we have shown that feeding insulin conjugated to cholera toxin B-subunit (CTB), a potent mucosal adjuvant, reduced by 5,000 the amounts of antigen necessary for delaying diabetes onset in NOD mice. To analyze these protective mechanisms, we have performed cotransfer experiments using splenocytes from young females fed once with 10 microg of CTB-insulin, mixed with diabetogenic T-cells, and intravenously injected into irradiated syngeneic male recipients. We demonstrated that the delayed onset of diabetes relied on CD4+ T-cells. We studied the cytokine production from plate-bound anti-CD3-stimulated cells. Higher interleukin (IL)-4 amounts were observed in both splenocytes and pancreatic lymph node (PLN) cell cultures from CTB-insulin-fed mice as soon as 4 h after the feeding. An increase in the levels of transforming growth factor-beta was seen after 24 h only in the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN). In both of these organs, a reduction of gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma) production occurred after CTB-insulin treatment, at 24 h in the PLN and at 7 days in the MLN. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated an increase in the level of IL-4 and a reduction in IFN-gamma transcripts in the PLN of mice treated orally with CTB-insulin and of the recipients of regulatory T-cells. Using different strains of congenic NOD mice at the Thy1 locus, we showed that protection was associated with the accumulation of T-cells from CTB-insulin-fed mice in the lymph nodes from draining sites containing functional islets, i.e., the PLN in normal mice and the renal lymph nodes after a syngeneic islet graft under the kidney capsule of streptozotocin-treated mice. Taken together, our results clearly indicate that oral administration of CTB-insulin conjugates in NOD mice produced a shift from a T-helper type 1 to a type 2 profile with the induction of antigen-specific regulatory CD4+ T-cells in the vicinity of the mucosal barrier and close to the inflamed islets.
Factors affecting bank credit risk: An empirical insight

Credit risk impedes the growth of bankâ€™s performance and position which isÂ largely influenced by a number of factors that should be taken consideration andÂ minimized. The objective of the study is to illustrate the inclusion of valid causesÂ of selecting best model with regard to statistical significance. The study conductedÂ on panel data consisting of 322 observations with 22 commercial banks and 15Â consecutive years. The study finds that profitability, capital and bank size areÂ inversely associated with bank credit risk whereas net interest margin andÂ inefficiency have positive effect. Moreover consecutive addition of each variableÂ is in charge of constructing the accurate model considering the variation andÂ goodness of fit value in the respective model. However, no evidence is found inÂ support of macroeconomic variables used in the model. Last not the least, theÂ sensitivity of the model test argued in favor of baseline model which establishedÂ the cause and effect relationship in a logical manner.JEL classification numbers: C23Keywords: Quantitative research, Panel data, Credit Risk, Bank, Bangladesh.
The development of phone duration model in speech synthesis in the Serbian language

Having in mind the importance of segmental duration from the perceptual point of view, the possibility of automatic prediction of natural duration of phones is essential for achieving the naturalness of synthetic speech. In this paper various machine learning techniques were used for phone duration modeling of the Serbian language. In this paper different phone duration models for the Serbian language using linear regression, tree-based algorithms and meta-learning algorithms such as additive regression, bagging and stacking algorithm are presented. Phone duration models have been developed for the full phoneme set of the Serbian language as well as for vowels and consonants separately. A large speech corpus and a feature set of 21 parameters describing phones and their contexts were used for segmental duration prediction. These features have been extracted from the large speech database for the Serbian language. The phone duration model obtained using additive regression method outperformed the other models developed for the Serbian language which are also presented in this paper. The results obtained for the full phoneme set as well as for consonants and vowels are comparable with or even outperform those reported in the literature for Czech, Greek, English, Lithuanian, Korean, Turkish and Indian languages Hindi and Telugu.
Tax revenue, expenditure, and economic growth: An analysis of long-run relationships

Focusing on investigation of “long-term” relationship between tax revenue, expenditure, and economic growth, this paper employs Granger causality test and finds that the linkage between tax revenue and spending is a bi-directional causal correlation. Furthermore, applying Persyn & Westerlund’s (2008) co-integration test allows for corroboration of existence of long-run cointegration linkages among outcome of economy and the three variables. In addition, by adopting two-step system generalized method of moments (SGMM) for a dynamic panel of 82 developed and developing countries during 16-year period: (2000 2015), this research demonstrates that the impact of tax revenue and spending are substantial and ambiguous, depending on different groups of economies.
Smart IoT Gateway For Heterogeneous Devices Interoperability

The Internet of things (IoT) will interconnect a huge amount of devices, leading to a new way of interaction in the physical and virtual world, inspired by the idea of ubiquity, where all the objects around us, such as: sensors, automobiles, refrigerators, thermostats, industrial robots, tablets, smartphones, etc. could be connected anytime and anywhere. However, one of the main challenges that faces IoT is the high degree of heterogeneity in terms of communication capabilities of the devices, protocols, technologies or hardware. We focus on the implementation of a new Smart IoT Gateway designed to allow interconnection and interoperability between heterogeneous devices in the IoT. The proposed gateway offers significant advantages: (i) it enables connectivity of different protocols and traditional communication technologies (Ethernet) and wireless (ZigBee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi); (ii) it uses a flexible protocol that translates all the data obtained from the different sensors into a uniform format, performing the analysis of the data obtained from the environment-based-rules related to the different types of sensors; (iii) it uses a lightweight and optimal protocol on the use of devices with limited resources for delivering information environment; and (iv) it provides local data storage for later use and analysis. Our proof of concept demonstrates the performance and capacity of the proposed Smart IoT Gateway is related with Active and Healthy Aging (AHA).
The value of complement measurements in the assessment of lupus activity.

The complement system was studied prospectively in 29 patients, predominantly renal (25), with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to examine the value of complement assays in the distinction between active and inactive disease. Disease activity was evaluated primarily by clinical, biochemical and histological parameters which were obtained at the time of assessment. Fourteen patients had active disease, as assessed by clinical and laboratory criteria. C1q, C4, C4a, C2, C3, C3a, C5, total haemolytic activity (CH50) and complement inhibitors were measured in each patient. The ratios of C4a:C4 and C3a:C3 were also calculated. Values for all components except C5 were different between control subjects and active patients while only CH50 was different between inactive patients and controls. All parameters except C4a:C4 and C5 were different between active and inactive patients. There was a highly significant difference in the number of active patients with reduced levels of C2, C3 and C3a:C3 compared to inactive patients (i.e. p less than 0.001) whereas lesser or no difference was observed for other parameters. The concentration of complement inhibitors was elevated in both groups. We conclude that, among readily available complement parameters, C2 and C3 provide the best assessment of disease activity in patients with SLE.
Demographic change and income tax revenues – results from a large microsimulation model for Germany

Similarly to many other European countries, Germany has experienced a considerable demographic shift since the 1970s: higher life expectancy and diminishing birth rates, only partly balanced by immigration, have led to an altered population structure with an increasing share of elderly people. In the next decades, population aging in Germany will accelerate and also induce a decline of the total population. These demographic changes can be expected to have a profound impact on the governmental budget. While shifts in public expenditures have been forecasted regularly since 2005, the revenue side has received less attention to date. We study the long-term (2015–2060) shifts in income tax revenues induced by demographic change. Our aim is to quantify possible fiscal effects of demographic change using microsimulation and to identify elements of the income tax code particularly affected. We find the expected demographic changes to have a clear negative impact on income tax revenues. Population aging increases the impact of various deductibility rules on total income tax revenues, in particular the impact of the deductibility of old-age and health insurance provisions. The impact of the deductibility of exceptional expenses such as expenses for caregiving also increases, but remains small overall. Due to expected increases in real incomes, however, demographic change does not imply an absolute drop in income tax revenues in the next decades.
Impact of Chronic Kidney Disease on Risk for Vascular Events.

BACKGROUND Chronic kidney disease (CKD) accounts for a significant proportion of the morbidity and mortality in the United States. CKD is defined as glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <60ml/min/1.73m2 or clear evidence of renal damage from biopsy. All-cause cardiovascular risk increases with decreasing GFR. Clinically, detection of CKD is through changes in creatinine clearance which estimates GFR, an indicator of kidney function. We reviewed conventional and nonconventional cardiovascular risk factors associated with CKD. Clinically, we reviewed the status of statins as a treatment option for CKD-induced dyslipidemia. OBJECTIVE CKD has dramatic consequences on cardiovascular risk profile due to a complex pathophysiologic response to declining kidney function. In this review, we explored new, more accurate methods of detecting decreasing kidney function, discerned risk factors for the development of cardiovascular events, and examined the controversial use of statins for renoprotection. RESULTS Detection of declining renal function by monitoring creatinine has been the clinical gold standard, but it substantially fluctuates with muscle mass, sex, and ethnicity. Newer methods using cystatin C have been at the forefront as the next substance that will be used for detection of CKD. Traditional and non-traditional risk factors contribute to the cardiovascular risk profile of patients with declining renal function. Statins, along with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB)s, have been used for renoprotection, but evidence shows only modest benefits in non-dialysis patients. CONCLUSION Cardio-renal interaction involves multiple risk factors that contribute significantly to the CKD-induced development of accelerated atherosclerosis, an inflammatory state that causes cardiovascular events.
Estimating Scene-Oriented Pseudo Depth With Pictorial Depth Cues

Estimating depth information from a single image has recently attracted great attention in 3D-TV applications, such as 2D-to-3D conversion owing to an insufficient supply of 3-D contents. In this paper, we present a new framework for estimating depth from a single image via scene classification techniques. Our goal is to produce perceptually reasonable depth for human viewers; we refer to this as pesudo depth estimation. Since the human visual system highly relies on structural information and salient objects in understanding scenes, we propose a framework that combines two depth maps: initial pseudo depth map (PDM) and focus depth map. We use machine learning based scene classification to classify the image into one of two classes, namely, object-view and non-object-view. The initial PDM is estimated by segmenting salient objects (in the case of object-view) and by analyzing scene structures (in the case of non-object-view). The focus blur is locally measured to improve the initial PDM. Two depth maps are combined, and a simple filtering method is employed to generate the final PDM. Simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms other state-of-the-art approaches for depth estimation in 2D-to-3D conversion, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Furthermore, we discuss how the proposed method can effectively be extended to image sequences by employing depth propagation techniques.
Malnutrition among Junior Secondary School Students in Lagos-State,Nigeria: A Consequence of Parental Socio-Economic Condition

Objective: The road to good health is through good food which depends on the socio-economic condition of the giver of the food. Numerous studies had been conducted on the causes of child malnutrition among children less than 5 years that of children between 8 and 16 years with keen interest on the socioeconomic context of the giver has not been well documented. Methodology: This lacuna is what this paper filled. Cross-sectional household survey was used for the study. 322 respondents were selected using a multi stage cluster sampling design. A well-structured pretested questionnaire was used to elicit the socio-demographic data from the respondents, while the respondents’ nutritional status was calculated using the Body Mass Index (B.M.I) method. Results: Chi-square and bivariate logistics regression were used to test the hypotheses. The study discovered that parental education and parental income were the fundamental factors affecting child malnutrition in the study location. Conclusion: Hence, government should ensure that education is made compulsory and affordable to everyone. Also, the menace of poverty should be adequately addressed.
Fecal indicator bacteria persistence under natural conditions in an ice-covered river

Total coliform (TC), fecal coliform (FC), and fecal streptococcus (FS) survival characteristics, under natural conditions at 0 degrees C in an ice-covered river, were examined during February and March 1975. The membrane filter (MF) technique was used throughout the study, and the multiple-tube (MPN) method was used in parallel on three preselected days for comparative recovery of these bacteria. Survival was studied at seven sample stations downstream from all domestic pollution sources in a 317-km reach of the river having 7.1 days mean flow time (range of 6.0 to 9.1 days). The mean indicator bacteria densities decreased continuously at successive stations in this reach and, after adjustment for dilution, the most rapid die-off was found to occur during the first 1.9 days, followed by a slower decrease. After 7.1 days, the relative survival was TC less than FC less than FS, with 8.4%, 15.7%, and 32.8% of the initial populations remaining viable, respectively. These rates are higher than previously reported and suggest that the highest survival rates for these bacteria in receiving streams can be expected at 0 degree C under ice cover. Additionally, the FC-FS ratio was greater than 5 at all stations, indicating that this ratio may be useable for determining the source of fecal pollution in receiving streams for greater than 7 days flow time at low water temperatures. The MPN and MF methods gave comparable results for the TC and FS at all seven sample stations, with both the direct and verified MF counts within the 95% confidence limits of the respective MPNs in most samples, but generally lower than the MPN index. Although FC recovery on membrane filters was comparable results at stations near the pollution source. However, the results became more comparable with increasing flow time. The results of this study indicate that heat shock is a major factor in suppression of the FC counts on the membrane filters at 44.5 degree C. Heat shock may be minimized by extended incubation at 35 degrees C before exposure to the higher temperature.
Smooth breaks and nonlinear mean reversion in real interest parity: Evidence from East Asian countries

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore the empirical validity of the real interest rate parity (RIP) hypothesis for East Asian countries using Japan as the base country. To this end, we employ the recently proposed unit root tests of Christopoulos and Leon-Ledesma that account for both multiple smooth structural breaks of unknown form and nonlinear mean reversion in the series. Our empirical results uncover overwhelming evidences in favor of the RIP hypothesis for the whole countries in our sample. More specifically, through a Fourier approximation, it is observed that all real interest rate differentials display a mean-reverting behavior around an infrequently smooth-breaking mean, with the breaks being in accordance with the financial reforms and economic crises witnessed by the countries. Moreover, the degree of mean reversion appears to vary nonlinearly with the size of real interest rate appreciations and depreciations.
Zebrafish Cx35: Cloning and characterization of a gap junction gene highly expressed in the retina

The vertebrate connexin gene family encodes protein subunits of gap junction channels, which provide a route for direct intercellular communication. Consequently, gap junctions play a vital role in many developmental and homeostatic processes. Aberrant functioning of gap junctions is implicated in many human diseases. Zebrafish are an ideal vertebrate model to study development of the visual system as they produce transparent embryos that develop rapidly, thereby facilitating morphological and behavioral testing. In this study, zebrafish connexin35 has been cloned from a P1 artificial chromosome (PAC) library. Sequence analysis shows a high degree of similarity to the Cx35/36 orthologous group, which are expressed primarily in nervous tissue, including the retina. The gene encodes a 304‐amino acid protein with a predicted molecular weight of approximately 35 kDa. Injection of zebrafish Cx35 RNA into paired Xenopus oocytes elicited intercellular electrical coupling with weak voltage sensitivity. In development, Cx35 is first detectable by Northern analysis and RT‐PCR, at 2 days post‐fertilization (2 dpf), and in the adult it is expressed in the brain and retina. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the Cx35 protein is expressed in two sublaminae of the inner plexiform layer of the adult retina. A similar pattern was seen in the 4 and 5 dpf retina, but no labeling was detected in the retina of earlier embryos. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cognitive cooperative relaying

Previous works about spectrum sharing in licensed band are all based on a default assumption that the secondary users are equipped with cognitive radios, which enable them to accomplish the spectrum sensing and the ensuing spectrum access. Unfortunately, current wireless communication devices generally lack any functionality of cognition. It is rather challenging to enable such wireless devices to share spectrum with licensed primary systems. As a promising solution, in this paper, we propose a scheme called cognitive cooperative relaying, which introduces a kind of intermediate node, i.e., the cognitive relay, who senses the spectrum activity instead of the secondary user and then opportunistically relays the primary or secondary signal so that the transmission rate of the primary link will keep constant, while that of the secondary link will be maximized. The key feature of the proposed scheme is that, the cognitive relay serves as not only an opportunistic relay for either the primary or secondary transmission pair, but also the Spectrum Policy Server. Simulation results show that, in terms of achievable rate of the secondary user, the proposed spectrum sharing scheme significantly outperforms the conventional one where the secondary user is configured with cognitive radio, which validates a new way of spectrum sharing for current wireless system.
Lung overexpansion increases pulmonary microvascular protein permeability in young lambs.

To study the effects of inflation pressure and tidal volume (VT) on protein permeability in the neonatal pulmonary microcirculation, we measured lung vascular pressures, blood flow, lymph flow (QL), and concentrations of protein in lymph (L) and plasma (P) of 22 chronically catheterized lambs that received mechanical ventilation at various peak inflation pressures (PIP) and VT. Nine lambs were ventilated initially with a PIP of 19 +/- 1 cmH2O and a VT of 10 +/- 1 ml/kg for 2-4 h (base line), after which we overexpanded their lungs with a PIP of 58 +/- 3 cmH2O and a VT of 48 +/- 4 ml/kg for 4-8 h. QL increased from 2.1 +/- 0.4 to 13.9 +/- 5.0 ml/h. L/P did not change, but the ratio of albumin to globulin in lymph relative to the same ratio in plasma decreased, indicating altered protein sieving in the pulmonary microcirculation. Seven other lambs were mechanically ventilated for 2-4 h at a PIP of 34 +/- 1 cmH2O and a VT of 23 +/- 2 ml/kg (base line), after which their chest and abdomen were bound so that PIP increased to 54 +/- 1 cmH2O for 4-6 h without a change in VT. QL decreased on average from 2.8 +/- 0.6 to 1.9 +/- 0.3 ml/h (P = 0.08), and L/P was unchanged. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
From Father to Son: 1.5- and Second-Generation Korean Argentines and Ethnic Entrepreneurship in the Argentine Garment Industry

Unlike second-generation Koreans in the USA or other developed countries, who generally rejected the small-business preferences of their parents, pursued professional careers and achieved mainstream-oriented mobility, succeeding generations of Korean Argentines have continued to choose work within the garment industry. Based on ethnographic research conducted in Argentina in 2014, this study discusses why young Korean Argentines opt for these career paths and how such a choice reflects the particular migration experiences and settlement history of Koreans in Argentina. While the economic and practical merits of inheriting family-owned businesses have been major drivers in the career decisions of younger Korean Argentines, their settlement and lives are also structurally shaped, as they are embedded in and subject to shifting socioeconomic variables stemming from the wider social, economic, and political conditions of the host society.
Ontogeny of the area centralis in the cat

Previous studies have shown that after embryonic day 50 (E50) the kitten retina undergoes a relatively rapid period of maturation that begins at the area centralis and spreads toward the retinal periphery. The mechanism controlling this pattern is unknown. One possibility is that the area centralis is the most developmentally advanced region of retina from the earliest stages of eyecup formation. The present study tests this hypothesis.