jimnoneill/paper-to-field-training huggingface dataset:
Prospects and opportunities for achieving the MDGs in post-conflict countries: a case study of Sierra Leone and Liberia

Field: Social Sciences (Social Sciences)

In this paper we examine the strategies being employed by post-conflict countries in Africa to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. We argue that to attain these goals, these countries will need to alter the way they undertake development planning. Rather than design strategies to achieve best outcomes with limited resources, reaching the MDGs will require that governments identify what resources are needed in order to meet the agreed ambitious objectives. In post conflict circumstances, as evident in Liberia and Sierra Leone (the two countries we examine), three particular challenges to achieving the goals stand out: a history of economic reversals, extremely weak institutional capacity, and popular distrust of government. We argue that rather than treat these features as a limiting factor on development, they should be integrated within development strategies, by including them among the needs to be met as part of an MDG strategy and by adopting strategies that draw on considerably more ambitious models of consultation, information dissemination and transparency than are presently being employed.
Potential of Natural Killer Cell Enriched Conditioned Media for Skin Care and Anti-Aging

Field: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics (Life Sciences)

Natural killer (NK) cell is a type of immune cell and is known to be particularly responsible for innate immunity such as anti-cancer immunity, defense mechanisms against infections, and secretion of various cytokines and chemokines for increasing recruitment of other immune cells. In this study, we investigated the potentials of NK-enriched lymphocytes (NKEL) conditioned media (CM) on skin care for cosmeceutical compositions. Various cytokines of NKEL CM can improve wound healing through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by increasing KLKs (kallikreins) and reduce metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and MMP-2 to inhibit wrinkle formation. Our results suggest that NKEL CM which has various cytokines promotes up-regulation of cell migration and KLKs and down-regulation of MMP-1 and MMP-2 by stimulating HaCaT keratinocytes migration. Therefore, NKEL CM can be used as a cosmetic composition that can play a role in skin regeneration and anti-aging.
α-Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone and Related Tripeptides: Biochemistry, Antiinflammatory and Protective Effects in Vitro and in Vivo, and Future Perspectives for the Treatment of Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (Life Sciences)

Alpha-MSH is a tridecapeptide derived from proopiomelanocortin. Many studies over the last few years have provided evidence that alpha-MSH has potent protective and antiinflammatory effects. These effects can be elicited via centrally expressed melanocortin receptors that orchestrate descending neurogenic antiinflammatory pathways. alpha-MSH can also exert antiinflammatory and protective effects on cells of the immune system and on peripheral nonimmune cell types expressing melanocortin receptors. At the molecular level, alpha-MSH affects various pathways implicated in regulation of inflammation and protection, i.e., nuclear factor-kappaB activation, expression of adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors, production of proinflammatory cytokines and mediators, IL-10 synthesis, T cell proliferation and activity, inflammatory cell migration, expression of antioxidative enzymes, and apoptosis. The antiinflammatory effects of alpha-MSH have been validated in animal models of experimentally induced fever; irritant and allergic contact dermatitis, vasculitis, and fibrosis; ocular, gastrointestinal, brain, and allergic airway inflammation; and arthritis, but also in models of organ injury. One obstacle limiting the use of alpha-MSH in inflammatory disorders is its pigmentary effect. Due to its preserved antiinflammatory effect but lack of pigmentary action, the C-terminal tripeptide of alpha-MSH, KPV, has been delineated as an alternative for antiinflammatory therapy. KdPT, a derivative of KPV corresponding to amino acids 193-195 of IL-1beta, is also emerging as a tripeptide with antiinflammatory effects. The physiochemical properties and expected low costs of production render both agents suitable for the future treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory skin and bowel disease, fibrosis, allergic and inflammatory lung disease, ocular inflammation, and arthritis.
AN ENHANCED FDTD MODEL FOR COMPLEX LUMPED CIRCUITS

Field: Engineering (Physical Sciences)

One of most difficult challenges in simulating hybrid RF systems by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is to construct the models for active and lumped elements. In this article, by combining the circuit equations with an integral transform, an enhanced FDTD method is proposed to model the hybrid lumped network which consists of nonlinear and high order linear elements with arbitrary connections. Based on this model, an active radiation system is analyzed. And it shows the application extension of the traditional FDTD method.
Mathematical Tools of Mixed Number Algebra

Field: Mathematics (Physical Sciences)

The Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka publishes the results of research in all aspects of Science and Technology. The journal also has a website at http://www.nsf.gov.lk/. 2021 Impact Factor: 0.682The JNSF provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
Captains of War

Field: Social Sciences (Social Sciences)

This article examines the role of history in professional military education (PME) in light of the recent US Joint Chiefs of Staff’s guidance on achieving ‘intellectual overmatch’. Louis Halewood and David Morgan-Owen argue that a narrow approach to the past, underpinned by preconceived notions of ‘relevance’, undermines what ability history has to serve the aims of military education. History need not be ‘applied’ to make it valuable, as its study can provide a broader understanding of warfare. Only by treating history more seriously, and by meaningfully engaging with the legacies of Britain’s own military past, can the discipline contribute to modern PME. ◼.
Rasmussen’s Encephalitis: A Report of a Tunisian Pediatric Case and Literature Review

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare progressive inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. It is characterized by unilateral hemispheric atrophy, pharmacoresistant focal seizures, and progressive neurological deficit. The exact etiopathogenesis still remains unknown. Brain imaging plays an important role in diagnosis and follow-up. Fluctuation of lesions in brain imaging was reported in few cases. Herein, we report an additional pediatric case of Rasmussen encephalitis with fluctuating changes in brain MRI.
Renal Transplantation in the Rat II. In Vitro Perfusion of Rat Kidneys before Transplantation

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

The use of rats in renal preservation studies has many advantages: homogeneity, the availability of inbred strains, low cost, and simplicity of handling. Techniques for renal transplantation in the rat are already established. The present work was performed to standardize the isolated hypothermic perfusion of rat kidneys, using the clearing of blood as a reference point. Reproducibility of isolated perfusion was attained, when the donor rat was anaesthetized with Inactin and pretreated with phenoxybenzamine and heparin. Perfusion was performed with constant flow under controlled temperature conditions, and the perfusion pressure was monitored. Comparative studies of the clearance of blood from the cortex and outer medulla are included in this model. Provided the microsurgical technique is mastered, the rat may be used for studies of renal preservation. The developed technique permits the kidney to be perfused under controlled conditions.
THE ESTIMATORS OF HERITABILITY ON PADDY RICE PLANTS, SOYBEAN PLANTS AND SILKWORMS. : IV. Silkworms.

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Life Sciences)

Several silkworm populations were reared at three locations over two years in order to estimate several kinds of heritabilities of some characters in the F2 populations of four single crosses between four varieties. It was found difficult to gain reliable estimates of silkworm heritability in the small-scale experiments. So-called heritability in the broad sense is estimable with less fluctuation and parent-(biparental)off spring regression gives stationary estimates of heritabilitv in the narrow sense. Some problems as to experimental technique to estimate heritability in silkworms are also discussed.
A filtering polarization conversion electromagnetic surface for simultaneous RCS reduction and transmission

Field: Engineering (Physical Sciences)

A novel bifunctional single-sheet electromagnetic surface is proposed in this paper. To alleviate the mutual coupling of the two functions, an equivalent series circuit for linear-to-linear polarization conversion and an equivalent parallel circuit for filtering property are cascaded. Thanks to the combination of different equivalent circuits and the displacement of the resonating parts of two functions, the proposed electromagnetic surface demonstrates filtering and polarization conversion properties in adjacent frequency bands. When the unit cell is periodically arranged to constitute a finite metasurface, more than 6 dB RCS reduction is obtained from 7.7 GHz to 22.8 GHz. The physical mechanism reveals that the low RCS property of the metasurface is in virtue of both scattering field cancellation and transmission. The simple structure, relatively small cell size and good performance of the metasurface suggest it may be a promising candidate as antenna radome. Moreover, the proposed integration method of different functions in one surface makes the design of multifunctional electromagnetic surface easier and faster.
The effect of pandemic conditions on financial success rankings of BIST SME industrial companies: a different evaluation with the help of comparison of special capabilities of MOORA, MABAC and FUCA methods

Field: Decision Sciences (Social Sciences)

Considering COVID-19 pandemic conditions from an MCDM perspective, the change in the ranking positions of the companies before and during the pandemic conditions has become more critical for many researchers and especially financial decision-makers. In this study, different from other studies, a new methodological procedure was followed. For the first time, an MCDM method was chosen among the alternatives with an objective point of view, and the application was continued. In other words, the final performance evaluation is based on the results of this chosen method. In the first step, the financial performance of companies traded in the BIST SME Industry, which is the application area of the study, was calculated with three different MCDM methods (MOORA, MABAC and FUCA). In the second step, the ranking correlations between the calculated financial performance scores and the stock return in the current period were compared with the Spearman method. Finally, in the third step, based on this indirect objective reference verification result (as it is the most appropriate and successful), the necessary financial analyzes were made with the FUCA method. According to the findings, the FUCA method correlated higher with the stock return before and during the pandemic than the other MCDM methods. According to these results, when a performance comparison is made between before and during pandemic conditions, three changes become prominent: the most successful companies, the companies' overall ranking, and the favourite sectors have entirely changed for the base periods. This innovative procedure has been proposed for the first time in the literature and has been successfully applied.
Analysis of air-corona-treated polypropylene and poly(ethylene terephthalate) films by contact-angle measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Field: Materials Science (Physical Sciences)

Contact-angle measurements in air and water environments and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the surface properties of air-corona-treated polypropylene (PP) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films. Surface properties were examined as a function of the storage time at various temperatures. Corona treatment forms water-soluble, low-molecular-weight oxidized materials on both polymer films. Corona-treated PP and corona-treated PET films have markedly different responses to aging. For corona-treated PP stored at ambient temperatures, only a slight decrease in wettability was observed. This decrease was attributed to the reorientation of oxidized functionalities within the surface region. At elevated storage temperatures, migration of oxidized species out of the surface region occurred under some conditions. For corona-treated PET, extensive migration and reorientation of oxidized groups occurred even at ambient temperatures, leading to significant decreases in wettability and a loss of surface oxidation. The contrasts in the responses of PP and PET to corona treatment are primarily due to differences in the properties of the base polymer resins.
A Combination Native Outer Membrane Vesicle (NOMV) Vaccine to Prevent Meningococcal and Gonococcal Disease

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

The increase in incidence and antibiotic-resistant strains show a need for a broadly protective vaccine to prevent gonorrhea. OMVax has develop a combination vaccine based on native outer membrane vesicles (NOMV) from two Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) and two Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) strains. The strains had the acyl transferase LpxL1 knocked out to increase safety and reduction modifiable protein was also knocked out in the Ng strains. Factor H binding protein (FHbp) mutants with reduced Factor H (FH) binding from subfamilies A and B, respectively, were overexpressed in the Nm strains. The Ng strains individually expressed porin PorB.1a or PorB.1b. Antibodies elicited by the Nm-Ng NOMV vaccine had SBA with human complement against diverse Nm and Ng strains grown in the presence of CMP-NANA, had no significant reduction in SBA compared to the respective individual vaccines, inhibited adhesion to human cervical and vaginal cells by five out of six Ng strains tested, and inhibited Nm and Ng colonization in a transgenic mouse model. In conclusion, the Nm-Ng NOMV vaccine has the potential to protect against disease and inhibit colonization by diverse Nm and Ng strains, which may be an advantage for controlling disease through vaccination, particularly in the adolescent/young adult age group.
Obligatory Role of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase in Ischemic Preconditioning

Field: Neuroscience (Life Sciences)

Sublethal insults can induce a transient tolerance toward subsequent lethal ischemia, a phenomenon termed ischemic preconditioning (IPC). In the myocardium, nitric oxide derived from ‘inducible’ nitric oxide synthase (iNOS or NOS II) plays a critical role in the expression of IPC produced by sublethal ischemia. Here, we investigated whether iNOS is involved in IPC in brain. Ischemic preconditioning was produced in mice by three episodes of 1-min bilateral common carotid artery (BCCA) occlusion, each followed by 5 mins of reperfusion. After 24 h, mice underwent middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion for 20 mins. Intraischemic cerebral blood flow was monitored during both in BCCA and MCA occlusion (MCAO) by laser-Doppler flowmetry. Mice were killed 3 days after MCAO, and infarct volume was determined in thionine-stained sections. Infarct volume was significantly reduced 24 h after IPC (70%; P<0.05). Treatment with the iNOS inhibitor aminoguanidine (400 mg/kg), abolished the IPC-induced protection. Furthermore, IPC failed to induce ischemic tolerance in iNOS-null mice. In wild-type mice, IPC increased the resistance to Ca 2+ -mediated depolarization in isolated brain mitochondria. However, in iNOS-null mice IPC failed to induce such resistance. We conclude that iNOS is required for the full expression of IPC and that such effect is coupled to an increased resistance of mitochondria to injury. Thus, iNOS-derived nitric oxide, in addition to its deleterious effects on the late stages of ischemic brain damage, can also be beneficial by promoting ischemic tolerance through signaling, ultimately resulting in mitochondrial protection.
Analysis of Temperature's Influence on a Digital Displacement Pump's Volumetric Efficiency

Field: Engineering (Physical Sciences)

The focus of the current paper is on a small 18 cm3/rev Digital Displacement Pump (DDP), where it is investigated how temperature influency the pump behaviour and static performance. An experimentally validated model of the DDP is presented, which is the basis for the investigation. From the results it is found that although the temperature highly influences the pump behaviour it is possible to mostly compensate for this by accurately controlling the closing angle of the low pressure valve.
Ab Initio Studies on Proton Affinities of Substituted Furans

Field: Chemistry (Physical Sciences)

The geometry of furan, relevant to the binding of bis-furan lexitropsin that contains this ring to the base pair of minor groove of DNA, is optimized by semiempirical (MNDO) and ab initio (Hartree-Fock) methods. The proton affinity and electronic structure are evaluated at the 6-31G and level of theory for the optimized geometry. The proton affinities are also studied for various substituted furans with the electrondonating and -withdrawing groups to estimate the substituent effect on the proton affinity of furans. It has been found that the electron-donating substituents increase the proton affinity of furan, whereas the electron-withdrawing substituents decrease it. This result can be explained with atomic charge and electron density at oxygen of substituted furans.
Evaluation of Central Valley Spring-Run Chinook Salmon Passage Through Lower Butte Creek Using Hydraulic Modelling Techniques

Field: Environmental Science (Physical Sciences)

River2D was used to develop a hydraulic model of an upstream passage impediment for adult spring-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) on Butte Creek, Tehama County, California. Topographic data were collected by using a total station, survey-grade real-time kinematic global positioning system, and terrestrial light detection and ranging. Stage-discharge relationships were developed at the upstream and downstream ends of the site to use as boundary conditions and to calibrate the 2D model. A pressure transducer was installed at the downstream boundary of the site to provide a time series of flow and water temperatures. Parameters of the hydraulic model were examined to assess upstream passage including minimum thalweg depth along the least width-limiting pathway, velocity, and water surface elevation above and below a jump, and flow partitioning between a split in the main flow paths through the site. The results of the River2D model were used to identify flow levels that met the minimum depth and width thresholds needed for adult spring-run Chinook salmon (SRCS) to migrate upstream through the study reach. A minimum passage depth criterion of 0.27 m was used for adult SRCS. Site-specific passage width criteria were derived from the literature for the study site and ranged from 0.3 to 0.9 m. Model results indicated that a flow of 3.40 cms met the depth criterion and the lower bound of the width criterion. A flow level of 6.8 cms met the depth criterion and the upper bound of the width criterion. Data from the VAKI Riverwatcher fish passage counting device installed just upstream of the study site were related to the stage/passage limiting width and water temperature monitoring data. The monitoring data and results of the predictive modelling will be used by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to recommend flow criteria that protect migrating adult SRCS. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Centrifuge modelling on performance of natural clay barrier with piles

Field: Engineering (Physical Sciences)

In this paper, the performance of natural clay barrier subjected to massive pile constructions is investigated using laboratory scale models on centrifuge. Model grounds comprising mainly either thick barrier of soft clay or stiff clay were made and pile construction, pile lateral loading were simulated besides conducting advective-diffusive transport modelling for very long prototype design period. Two types of pile namely opened end and close end steel piles were used as model piles. Deformation of the ground due to pile deflection under lateral loading and its impact on leakage, resistivity change in a pile vicinity ground due to contaminant movement were also monitored. Assessment of flow and transport around pilling area and pile free area was done on completion of centrifuge test by thorough model excavation, sampling and chemical analysis. Test results reveal that soft ground is strong enough to prevent its deterioration irrespective of the types of pile and their stiffness but stiff ground is susceptible to some amount of deterioration. However the degree of damage can be reduced by using OE piles for stiff ground under appropriate gravitational field. So the stiffness of the ground and its thickness are very important parameters to be considered for safety against possible environmental deterioration due to the mentioned activities.
Evaluating Changes in Cropping Patterns due to the 2003 CAP Reform. An Ex-post Analysis of Different PMP Approaches Considering New Activities

Field: Arts and Humanities (Social Sciences)

There is a growing interest on models able to anticipate farmers' response to agricultural and environmental policy changes. The Positive Mathematical Programming (PMP) method is being extensively used for evaluating the likely impacts of policy interventions. This paper evaluates the capability of three different PMP approaches to forecast changes in cropping patterns due to the 2003 CAP reform: the standard approach (Howitt 1995, Arfini and Paris 1995), the maximum entropy approach (Paris and Howitt 1998) and the Röhm and Dabbert approach (2003). However, neither of those approaches allows for activities non-observed in the base situation. An additional approach is therefore suggested to consider new activities already present in the post-reform situation. These approaches have been tested in an irrigated area of Central Italy. All models have been calibrated to the pre-reform situation and then the 2003 CAP reform has been simulated and model results have been compared with observed cropping patterns. Even if all models calibrate perfectly, response behaviour depends on the selected approach. Compared to the standard approach, the Röhm and Dabbert approach shows a too wide substitution between crops belonging to the same group; and the maximum entropy approach performs better only when prior information is considered. The extended PMP version proposed in this paper depicts a more realistic picture of post reform cropping patterns.