Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Introduction: comparing race and labour in South Africa and The United States

A few years back, George Fredrickson, the pioneer and doyen of US and South African comparative history, chided ‘American labor historians’ for their failure, as he saw it, to produce book-length cross-national studies that interrogated the different ways in which class conflict was culturally conditioned. This collection of papers is, in part, a response; but only in part. In particular, it is a compilation of articles, rather than a single study, which is perhaps a point in its favour. Indeed, Fredrickson’s own major works are essentially collections of discrete compositions, each one differently focused yet working together to help isolate ‘independent variables that account for national difference’. Moreover, producing an anthology has allowed us to draw on the specialist knowledge and varied perspectives of seven scholars. Only three of these can be considered ‘American labor historians’; the other four have their principal roots in South African history. While culturally conditioned conflict is one theme explored in this collection, authors have been attracted by a wide range of problems related to the dynamic interplay of class and race. Later, we suggest some ways in which their accounts have reshaped our own thinking about the variables that account for difference, and also similarity, between the two societies. While the work of the first generation of comparativists working on South Africa and the United States – particularly Fredrickson, Stanley Greenberg and John Cell – has been inspirational, we hope that this collection will be read alongside other recent works as part of a new wave in the comparative study of the two countries. The scholarship of this second generation, dating from the mid-1990s, is marked by a number of considerations. First, and most obviously, there has been a broadening of enquiry into new areas: subjugation, culture, religion, the environment, and now labour. Second, by producing more narrowly-focused work based, to a considerable degree, on primary research, it has been possible to mitigate
Outcomes of microincision vitrectomy surgery with internal limiting membrane peeling for macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion

Purpose To evaluate the anatomic and functional effect of microincision vitrectomy surgery (MIVS) with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling for macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Methods The medical records of 101 eyes of 101 patients who had undergone MIVS with ILM peeling for macular edema secondary to BRVO were studied. Patients were classified into ischemic and non-ischemic BRVO based on angiograph. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central foveal thickness (CFT), determined by spectral domain optical coherence tomography, were evaluated at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Results Preoperative mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) BCVA ± standard deviation (SD) was 0.52±0.43 and mean CFT ± SD was 489.4±224.9 μm. Postoperative mean BCVA ± SD values were 0.41±0.35, 0.35±0.41, 0.29±0.36, and 0.25±0.41, and mean CFT values were 370.1±148.9, 327.5±157.5, 310.9±154.9, and 274.4±135.3 μm at 1, 3, 6, 12 months, respectively. The mean BCVA was significantly improved at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively (all P<0.05), and the mean CFT was significantly decreased at all postoperative follow-up time points (all P<0.05). At the 12-month postoperative evaluation, BCVA had improved by 0.2 logMAR units in 50 eyes (60.0%) with ischemic BRVO and in nine eyes (50.0%) with non-ischemic BRVO. Six eyes (6.0%) experienced recurrence or persistence of macular edema at 12 months postoperatively. Conclusion MIVS with ILM peeling for macular edema secondary to BRVO is effective in improving visual acuity and foveal morphology with low recurrence of macular edema.
Offloads in Rugby Union: Northern and Southern Hemisphere International Teams

The aim of this study was to explore the use of offloads by northern and southern hemisphere international teams within rugby union. A total of 491 offloads were analysed from 26 international rugby union matches. The matches that were analysed were sampled from four international series’: the 2012 Autumn International Series; the 2013 Autumn International Series; the 2013 Six Nations and the 2013 Rugby Championship. The northern hemisphere teams consisted of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The southern hemisphere teams consisted of Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The southern hemisphere teams performed significantly more offloads during the 26 games compared to the northern hemisphere teams (U = 216.00, p = 0.02, r = -0.31). The southern hemisphere teams scored significantly more tries from the offloads performed compared to the northern hemisphere teams (U = 206.50, p = 0.01, r = -0.36) The findings suggest that southern hemisphere international teams are using the offload as an attacking strategy more effectively to score tries than northern hemisphere international teams. Future research into offloads should consider the tactics applied by the defensive team, the impact of environmental conditions and the channels of the pitch where offloads are performed.
Complement-dependent cytotoxicity induced by therapeutic antibodies in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is dictated by target antigen expression levels and augmented by loss of membrane-bound complement inhibitors

Abstract To optimally utilize therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) understanding their mechanisms of action and the factors influencing these mechanisms is required. We show strong correlations between target antigen expression levels and sensitivity to complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) induced by rituximab, ofatumumab, or alemtuzumab in a panel of cell lines derived from primary B-ALL cells and in primary B-ALL samples. Simultaneous loss of expression of membrane-bound complement regulatory proteins (mCRP) CD55 and CD59 due to glycophosphatidylinositol-anchor deficiency, significantly increased sensitivity to CDC. Accordingly, induced increase in CD55 or CD59 expression protected cells against CDC. The extent of protection co-depended on antigen expression and antibody concentration. In contrast, natural variation in mCRP expression could not be used as a single factor to predict sensitivity to CDC. In conclusion, sensitivity of B-ALL cells to CDC was predominantly determined by antibody concentration and target antigen expression.
Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought.

______________________________________________________________ I LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ________________________________________________ V GENERAL INTRODUCTION _______________________________________________ 1 The vestibular system __________________________________________________ 1 The peripheral vestibular system 1 The multisensory central vestibular network 3 Vestibular stimulation methods and their neural correlates ___________________ 6 Caloric vestibular stimulation 6 Galvanic vestibular stimulation 7 Short tone burst (“Clicks”) vestibular stimulation 8 Magnetic vestibular stimulation 8 Summary of the neural correlates for vestibular stimulations 9 The state of knowledge with respect to the cortical vestibular network _________ 10 Open questions 10 Aim of the thesis ______________________________________________________ 12 The effects of aging on the vestibular network 12 The effects of strong magnetic fields on resting state networks 12 CUMULATIVE THESIS ___________________________________________________ 14 Age-related decline in functional connectivity of the vestibular cortical network 15 Abstract 15 Author contribution 16 Magnetic vestibular stimulation modulates default mode network fluctuations __ 17 Abstract 17 Author contribution 18 GENERAL DISCUSSION __________________________________________________ 19 Purpose of this thesis __________________________________________________ 19 Summary of the studies performed ______________________________________ 19 Summary of the main results and conclusions of our two studies 20 Does aging impact vestibular research results? ____________________________ 22 Aging of peripheral and central vestibular structures 22 What approach is necessary for detecting aging effects? 23 Does functional connectivity represent a “reservoir of resilience”? 24
Effect of Prostaglandin E1 Analogue TFC 612 on Diabetic Neuropathy in Streptozocin-Induced Diabetic Rats Comparison With Aldose Reductase Inhibitor ONO 2235

The effect of a newly developed oral agent, prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) analogue TFC 612, on diabetic neuropathy was studied by giving it for 6 wk to streptozocin-induced diabetic rats that had been diabetic for 3 mo and was compared with the effects of aldose reductase inhibitor ONO 2235. Although both compounds improved decreased motor nerve conduction velocity, the effect of TFC 612 continued during the 6 wk of treatment, whereas that of ONO 2235 became weaker from wk 4. The abnormality in sciatic nerve sorbitol and myo-inositol levels was reversed with ONO 2235, whereas it was unchanged with TFC 612. With the laser Doppler flowmetry technique, a decrease in the sciatic nerve blood flow in diabetic rats was shown to improve with both compounds, but TFC 612 had a greater effect than ONO 2235, and the increased lactate level of the diabetic nerve was corrected with both compounds, suggesting that both may be associated with the amelioration of ischemia in the diabetic endoneurium. Both TFC 612 and ONO 2235 partially but significantly normalized decreased fiber size in diabetic rats. On the other hand, TFC 612 completely normalized the dilated lumen area in diabetic rats, whereas ONO 2235 did not. These results suggest that the PGE, analogue TFC 612 has a significant effect on diabetic neuropathy, possibly via vasotropic action, and may be a potent compound for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy.
Multifunctionality of Mediasphere in Problematization of Social Contradictions

The article analyzes the functions and dysfunctions of mass media in modern society, states the communicative essence of problematization of the contradictions existing in society. The main purpose of the article is to analyze the functions of Media communications concerning socially significant problems that reflect the contradictions existing in the society. As a part of the structural and functional analysis, we have come to the conclusion that the problematization of social contradictions is considered as the result of interactions between individual and collective social subjects, taking place in the social environment that has a systemic character. The authors identified nine basic functions of modern media sphere in the construction of socially significant problems. Keywords: social problems, mass media, social structures, social interests, social contradictions, communications. JEL Classifications: Z13
Treatment of Schizophrenia

The clinician is deeply concerned with the difficulties of selecting a treatment method that will accomplish the goals which he wishes to achieve for a particular patient with specific symptoms and characteristics in a particular treatment setting, knowing that it is unlikely that any one single treatment will be universally and equally effective in all situations. The research investigator should attempt to help him by furnishing objective evidence as to the specific efficacies and limitations of methods of treatment in common use under the conditions that prevail where large numbers of patients are treated—in public mental hospitals. Adequate comparative information obtained under controlled experimental conditions is essential not only to therapists but also to patients and their families and to those responsible for the support and administration of treatment centres.
Optimal Auction Design

This paper considers the problem faced by a seller who has a single object to sell to one of several possible buyers, when the seller has imperfect information about how much the buyers might be willing to pay for the object. The seller's problem is to design an auction game which has a Nash equilibrium giving him the highest possible expected utility. Optimal auctions are derived in this paper for a wide class of auction design problems.
Active versus Passive: Receiver Model Transforms for Diffusive Molecular Communication

This paper presents an analytical comparison of active and passive receiver models in diffusive molecular communication. In the active model, molecules are absorbed when they collide with the receiver surface. In the passive model, the receiver is a virtual boundary that does not affect molecule behavior. Two approaches are presented to derive transforms between the receiver signals. As an example, two models for an unbounded diffusion-only molecular communication system with a spherical receiver are unified. As time increases in the three-dimensional system, the transform functions have constant scaling factors, such that the receiver models are effectively equivalent. Methods are presented to enable the transformation of stochastic simulations, which are used to verify the transforms and demonstrate that transforming the simulation of a passive receiver can be more efficient and more accurate than the direct simulation of an absorbing receiver.
Student Attitudes Towards Computers Before And After Taking An Introductory AIS Course

Computer attitudes are measured before students take an introductory AIS course. Attitudes are positive, regardless of gender or traditional vs. non-traditional student status. No difference is noted by gender, but non-traditional students have more positive attitudes. Prior computer experience appears to explain these findings. Attitudes are measured again at semester end. Attitudes either remain the same or slightly improve for respective subgroups studied. Little if any gender difference exists, but the gap by student status is slightly greater. Impact of findings on AIS education is discussed.
National culture and higher education as pre-determining factors of student entrepreneurship

Our purpose is to assess the influence of national culture and higher education on entrepreneurship among students and fresh graduates. The aim was to determine whether the grouping of students based on certain personality traits (most of which are connected to culture) is effective at predicting entrepreneurial intention and whether entrepreneurial training over the course of their studies significantly influences their entrepreneurial intention and capability. A hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis generated four student typologies: mediocre, goal-oriented, withdrawn and opportunistic. Both the personality and academic profile-based groupings showed a weak, but significant effect on entrepreneurial intention; however, the second method had a slightly higher statistical relevance. The results also showed that receiving entrepreneurial training over the course of university enrolment is a determining factor when choosing an entrepreneurial career and that national culture likely has a moderating influence over the relationship between feasibility and intention to become an entrepreneur.
A case-control study of menstrual factors in relation to breast cancer risk in African-American women.

Menstrual characteristics may serve as surrogate measures of endogenous estrogen and may be related to breast cancer risk. No previous studies have systematically investigated menstrual factors in relation to the disease in African-American women. This case-control study is aimed to assess the relationship between menstrual factors and breast cancer in African-American women. Cases were 304 African-American women, aged 20-64 living in three Tennessee counties, diagnosed with breast cancer between 1995 and 1998. Controls were selected through random-digit dialing and frequency matched to cases (n=305). Phone interviews were conducted on menstrual factors--age at menarche, time to regularity, cycle length, flow length, age at menopause--and other risk factors. Logistic regression showed that compared to women with short cycle length (<28 days), women with average cycle length > or =28 had decreased risk of breast cancer (odds ratio (OR)=0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.38-0.94). Dose-response analyses showed decreasing risk with longer cycle length. Results by menopausal status revealed an inverse relationship was shown only in postmenopausal women. No significant associations were observed for other menstrual factors. Findings suggest that cycle length has an inverse association with breast cancer in African-American women that may primarily exist for post-menopausal tumors.
Effect of increased axial field of view on the performance of a volume PET scanner

The performance of the PENN-PET (positron emission tomography) 240H scanner from UGM Medical Systems is tested and compared to the prototype PENN-PET scanner built at the University of Pennsylvania. The UGM PENN-PET scanner consists of six continuous position-sensitive NaI(Tl) detectors, which results in a 50-cm transverse field-of-view and a 12.8-cm axial field-of-view. The fine spatial sampling in the axial direction allows the data to be sorted into as many as 64 transverse planes, each 2-mm thick. A large axial acceptance angle, without interplane septa, results in a high sensitivity, with a low scatter and random fraction, due to the use of a narrow photopeak energy window. Emphasis is placed on those performance measurements that illustrate the special characteristics of a volume imaging scanner and how they change as the axial length is increased. <<ETX>>
Antagonistic effects of c‐myc and Epstein‐Barr virus latent genes on the phenotype of human B cells

Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) immortalized cells and Burkitt lymphoma cells have a completely different growth pattern and phenotype. EBV immortalized cells express a set of 11 viral genes to accommodate B cell activation and proliferation, whereas EBV‐positive Burkitt lymphoma cells highly express the c‐myc oncogene that is activated through translocation into 1 of the immunoglobulin loci and EBNA1 as the only viral protein. We have developed a primary human B cell line conditionally immortalized by Epstein‐Barr virus in which the viral gene program responsible for the induction of proliferation can be switched on and off by the addition or withdrawal of estrogen (cell line EREB2‐5). Starting from this cell line we have generated 2 daughter cell lines that proliferate in a c‐myc dependent fashion, 1 with a highly active exogenous c‐myc gene (cell line A1) and 1 with a regulatable c‐myc gene that can be switched on by withdrawal and switched off by addition of tetracycline (cell line P493‐6). The comparison of the 3 cell lines has allowed us to dissect the contribution of c‐myc and EBV genes to the regulation of the growth pattern and expression of cell surface molecules. We show that MYC and EBNA2 (and their respective target genes) have opposing effects on the expression of several surface markers involved in B cell activation. We show that MYC contributes to the phenotype of Burkitt lymphoma cells by upregulating CD10 and CD38 and downregulating activation markers. The phenotype of the cells is determined on one hand by the absence of the viral gene products EBNA2 and LMP1 that mediate the phenotype of activated lymphoblasts and to a lesser extent by an active contribution of the c‐myc gene. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of Acute and Antecedent Hypoglycemia on Endothelial Function and Markers of Atherothrombotic Balance in Healthy Humans

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of single and repeated episodes of clamped hypoglycemia on fibrinolytic balance, proinflammatory biomarkers, proatherothrombotic mechanisms, and endothelial function. Twenty healthy individuals (12 male and 8 female) were studied during separate 2-day randomized protocols. Day 1 consisted of either two 2-h hyperinsulinemic (812 ± 50 pmol/L)-euglycemic (5 ± 0.1 mmol/L) or hyperinsulinemic (812 ± 50 pmol/L)-hypoglycemic (2.9 ± 0.1 mmol/L) clamps. Day 2 consisted of a single 2-h hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic clamp. Two-dimensional Doppler ultrasound was used to determine brachial arterial endothelial function. Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, E-selectin, P-selectin, TAT (thrombin/antithrombin complex), tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6 responses were increased (P < 0.05) during single or repeated hypoglycemia compared with euglycemia. Endogenous and exogenous nitric oxide (NO)-mediated vasodilation were both impaired by repeated hypoglycemia. Neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses were also blunted by repeated hypoglycemia (P < 0.05). In summary, acute moderate hypoglycemia impairs fibrinolytic balance; increases proinflammatory responses, platelet activation, and coagulation biomarkers; and reduces NO-mediated endothelial function in healthy individuals. Repeated episodes of hypoglycemia further impair vascular function by additionally reducing exogenously NO-mediated endothelial function and increasing coagulation biomarkers. We conclude that despite reduced neuroendocrine and ANS responses, antecedent hypoglycemia results in greater endothelial dysfunction and an increased proatherothrombotic state compared with a single acute episode of hypoglycemia.
A New Look at the Semantics and Pragmatics of Numerically Quantified Noun Phrases

This paper presents some arguments against a unilateral account of numerically quantified noun phrases (NQNPs) and for a bilateral account of such expressions. It is proposed that where NQNP give rise to at least readings, this is the result of one of the two forms of pragmatic reasoning. To that end, the paper develops an independently motivated account of specificity and existential closure involving diagonalization.
Functions of the ORF9-to-ORF12 Gene Cluster in Varicella-Zoster Virus Replication and in the Pathogenesis of Skin Infection

ABSTRACT The gene cluster composed of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) open reading frame 9 (ORF9) to ORF12 encodes four putative tegument proteins and is highly conserved in most alphaherpesviruses. In these experiments, the genes within this cluster were deleted from the VZV parent Oka (POKA) individually or in combination, and the consequences for VZV replication were evaluated with cultured cells in vitro and with human skin xenografts in SCID mice in vivo. As has been reported for ORF10, ORF11 and ORF12 were dispensable for VZV replication in melanoma and human embryonic fibroblast cells. In contrast, deletion of ORF9 was incompatible with the recovery of infectious virus. ORF9 localized to the virion tegument and formed complexes with glycoprotein E, which is an essential protein, in VZV-infected cells. Recombinants lacking ORF10 and ORF11 (POKAΔ10/11), ORF11 and ORF12 (POKAΔ11/12), or ORF10, ORF11 and ORF12 (POKAΔ10/11/12) were viable in cultured cells. Their growth kinetics did not differ from those of POKA, and nucleocapsid formation and virion assembly were not disrupted. In addition, these deletion mutants showed no differences compared to POKA in infectivity levels for primary human tonsil T cells. Deletion of ORF12 had no effect on skin infection, whereas replication of POKAΔ11, POKAΔ10/11, and POKAΔ11/12 was severely reduced, and no virus was recovered from skin xenografts inoculated with POKAΔ10/11/12. These results indicate that with the exception of ORF9, the individual genes within the ORF9-to-ORF12 gene cluster are dispensable and can be deleted simultaneously without any apparent effect on VZV replication in vitro but that the ORF10-to-ORF12 cluster is essential for VZV virulence in skin in vivo.