Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Thin NIPAM Gel Cassette Dosimeter for Photon-Beam Radiotherapy

The response of thin polymer gel cassettes (called NIPAM gels) to ionizing radiation was investigated in this study. The NIPAM gels were prepared from gelatin, N-isopropyl acrylamide, tetrakis (hydroxymethyl) phosphoniumchloride, and N,N′-methylene-bis-acrylamide. Gel cassettes were irradiated in a phantom using a linear accelerator, and the polymerization morphology of irradiated NIPAM gel was characterized using scanning electron microscopy. The dose-response sensitivity of the NIPAM gels was evaluated using the differences in optical densities. The optical densities were obtained using a computer-controlled CCD camera that was connected to a planar illumination source for acquisition of optical transmission images. The central axis depth dose profiles of the phantom were extracted, and a comparison with ionization chamber measurements demonstrated similarities in profiles. The sensitivity, linearity of the response, accuracy, and reproducibility of the polymer gel cassettes were acceptable. However, the profiles of the half-blocked field irradiation showed no significant dispersion in the visible region. This study also extensively investigated the spatial stability of the NIPAM gel. The results showed that the gel cassette response remains stable for up to three months after irradiation.
Phase separation in a t-J model.

We study a simple extension of the Heisenberg model which is abstracted from the large-U limit of the Hubbard Hamiltonian and includes charge fluctuations. An attempt is made to elucidate some basic features of the T = 0 phase diagram within a suitable 1/N expansion. We find that the ferromagnetic boundary dictated by a naive application of the Nagaoka, theorem is actually incorrect because of an instability induced by phase separation. We derive what we believe to be the correct ferromagnetic boundary for sufficiently high dimension, and provide a detailed description of the ensuing phase separation. We also find that a uniform canted antiferromangetic state is stable over a nontrivial region of the phase diagram. Potential implications of these results for the physics of the original Hubbard model are discussed briefly.
Perceived Individual Collaboration Know-How Development Through Information Technology-Enabled Contextualization: Evidence from Distributed Teams

In today's global market environment, enterprises are increasingly turning to use of distributed teams to leverage their resources and address diverse markets. Individual members of structurally diverse distributed teams need to develop their collaboration know-how to work effectively with others on their team. The lack of face-to-face cues creates challenges in developing the collaboration know-how--challenges that can be overcome by communicating not just content, but also context. We derive a theoretical model from Te'eni's (2001) cognitive-affective model of communication to elaborate how information technology (IT) can support an individual's communication of context to develop collaboration know-how. Two hundred and sixty-three individuals working in structurally diverse distributed teams using a variety of virtual workspace technologies to support their communication needs were surveyed to test the model. Results indicate that when individuals perceive their task as nonroutine, there is a positive relationship between an individual's perceived degree of IT support for communicating context information and his collaboration know-how development. However, when individuals perceive their task as routine, partial IT support for contextualization is associated with lower levels of collaboration know-how development. This finding is attributed to individuals' misunderstanding of the conveyed context, or their struggling to utilize the context conveyed with partial IT support, making a routine task more prone to misunderstanding and leaving the user worse than if she had no IT support for contextualization. We end the paper by drawing theoretical and practical implications based on these findings.
Personal Attributes as Predictors of Interpersonal Conflict Handling Strategies

The study examined the relationship of personal attributes (predictors) with interpersonal conflict handling strategies. Data were gathered from 225 middle and lower level managers through a questionnaire. Five conflict handling styles were extracted through varimax rotated factor analysis. Integrating and dominating were the most and least preferred styles for handling conflict with both superiors and subordinates. Need for power, achievement, and independence predicted the use of dominating, integrating, and obliging styles in both contexts. Power and achievement predicted use of obliging and dominating with subordinates. Achievement determined the avoiding and compromising styles with superiors; and independence predicted the use of integrating with subordinates and dominating with superiors.
The UCLA Young Autism Project: A Reply to Gresham and MacMillan

Gresham and MacMillan's (1997) article contains numerous misunderstandings about the UCLA Young Autism Project (Lovaas, 1987) and, more generally, about early intervention for children with autism. Thus, it hinders parents and professionals from selecting appropriate services for these children. We identify the misunderstandings in the article and describe recent work on replicating and disseminating the UCLA Project.
Key issues and challenges in estimating the impact and cost-effectiveness of quadrivalent influenza vaccination

Evidence has shown that quadrivalent influenza vaccines containing all four subtypes are safe and immunogenic. However, to date there have been few published studies exploring the population-level clinical and economic impact of quadrivalent compared to trivalent influenza vaccines. Economic evaluation studies need to be conducted in order to inform country-level decision making about whether (and how to) introduce and replace the current trivalent influenza vaccines with quadrivalent influenza vaccination programs. Several key issues associated with estimating the clinical and economic impact of the trivalent versus quadrivalent vaccines are discussed in this article, particularly the complexities involved in estimating the incremental preventable disease and economic burden. Other factors, such as the indirect (herd) protection from quadrivalent influenza vaccination and the timing of the replacement of trivalent influenza vaccination programs are also discussed.
Identification of Injury Specific Proteins in a Cell Culture Model of Traumatic Brain Injury

The complicated secondary molecular and cellular mechanisms following traumatic brain injury (TBI) are still not fully understood. In the present study, we have used mass spectrometry to identify injury specific proteins in an in vitro model of TBI. A standardized injury was induced by scalpel cuts through a mixed cell culture of astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and neurons. Twenty-four hours after the injury, cell culture medium and whole-cell fractions were collected for analysis. We found 53 medium proteins and 46 cell fraction proteins that were specifically expressed after injury and the known function of these proteins was elucidated by an extensive literature survey. By using time-lapse microscopy and immunostainings we could link a large proportion of the proteins to specific cellular processes that occur in response to trauma; including cell death, proliferation, lamellipodia formation, axonal regeneration, actin remodeling, migration and inflammation. A high percentage of the proteins uniquely expressed in the medium after injury were actin-related proteins, which normally are situated intracellularly. We show that two of these, ezrin and moesin, are expressed by astrocytes both in the cell culture model and in mouse brain subjected to experimental TBI. Interestingly, we found many inflammation-related proteins, despite the fact that cells were present in the culture. This study contributes with important knowledge about the cellular responses after trauma and identifies several potential cell-specific biomarkers.
Plasma bicarbonate and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: Several biomarkers of metabolic acidosis, including lower plasma bicarbonate and higher anion gap, have been associated with greater insulin resistance in cross-sectional studies. We sought to examine whether lower plasma bicarbonate is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a prospective study. Methods: We conducted a prospective, nested case–control study within the Nurses’ Health Study. Plasma bicarbonate was measured in 630 women who did not have type 2 diabetes mellitus at the time of blood draw in 1989–1990 but developed type 2 diabetes mellitus during 10 years of follow-up. Controls were matched according to age, ethnic background, fasting status and date of blood draw. We used logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for diabetes by category of baseline plasma bicarbonate. Results: After adjustment for matching factors, body mass index, plasma creatinine level and history of hypertension, women with plasma bicarbonate above the median level had lower odds of diabetes (OR 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.60–0.96) compared with women below the median level. Those in the second (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.67–1.25), third (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.51–0.97) and fourth (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.54–1.05) quartiles of plasma bicarbonate had lower odds of diabetes compared with those in the lowest quartile (p for trend = 0.04). Further adjustment for C-reactive protein did not alter these findings. Interpretation: Higher plasma bicarbonate levels were associated with lower odds of incident type 2 diabetes mellitus among women in the Nurses’ Health Study. Further studies are needed to confirm this finding in different populations and to elucidate the mechanism for this relation.
Three Steps of Neural Stem Cells Development in Gerbil Dentate Gyrus after Transient Ischemia

The stage of neurogenesis can be divided into three steps: proliferation, migration, and differentiation. To elucidate detailed relations between these three steps after ischemia, the authors evaluated the three steps in the adult gerbil dentate gyrus (DG) after 5 minutes of transient global ischemia using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), highly polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM), and neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) as markers for proliferation, migration, and differentiation, respectively. Bromodeoxyuridine-labeled cells increased approximately sevenfold, and PSA-NCAM–positive cells increased approximately threefold in the subgranular zone (SGZ) with a peak 10 days after ischemia. Bromodeoxyuridine-labeled cells with PSA-NCAM expression were first detected both in the SGZ and the granule cell layer (GCL) 20 days after ischemia and gradually decreased after that, whereas BrdU-labeled cells with NeuN gradually increased in the GCL until 60 days after ischemia. A few BrdU-labeled cells with GFAP expression were detected in DG after ischemia; no PSA-NCAM–positive cells with GFAP expression were detected, but the radial processes of glial cells were partly in contact with PSA-NCAM–positive cell bodies and dendrites. These results suggest that neural stem cell proliferation begins at the SGZ, and that the cells then migrate into the GCL and differentiate mainly into neuronal cells. The majority of these three steps finished in 2 months after transient global ischemia.
A Descriptive Study of Telementoring among Students, Subject Matter Experts, and Teachers: Message Flow and Function Patterns

AbstractThis descriptive study of the online communications of 10 teams of SMEs, classroom teachers, and K–12 students focused on the functions, frequency, and flow of e-mail messages exchanged in the context of curriculum-based projects. All correspondence among team members was automatically logged and then analyzed over time. Categories for message function were based on a previously published taxonomy but emerged as data analysis progressed into 21 specific classifications. Results indicated that: (1) SMEs and teachers “talked” more online, respectively, than students, even though students’ inquiry was the focus of each online project; (2) participants’ roles as expert, teacher, or student were associated with greater and lesser frequencies of certain message function types; (3) requests or reports directly related to curriculum content comprised a surprisingly small portion of total message functions identified; and (4) when viewed longitudinally, “reporting” and “requesting” functions followed very .
Notch signaling is involved in expression of thyrocyte differentiation markers and is down-regulated in thyroid tumors.

CONTEXT Notch genes encode receptors for a signaling pathway that regulates cell growth and differentiation in various contexts, but the role of Notch signaling in thyroid follicular cells has never been fully published. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to characterize the expression of Notch pathway components in thyroid follicular cells and Notch signaling activities in normal and transformed thyrocytes. DESIGN/SETTING AND PATIENTS: Expression of Notch pathway components and key markers of thyrocyte differentiation was analyzed in murine and human thyroid tissues (normal and tumoral) by quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. The effects of Notch overexpression in human thyroid cancer cells and FTRL-5 cells were explored with analysis of gene expression, proliferation assays, and experiments involving transfection of a luciferase reporter construct containing human NIS promoter regions. RESULTS Notch receptors are expressed during the development of murine thyrocytes, and their expression levels parallel those of thyroid differentiation markers. Notch signaling characterized also normal adult thyrocytes and is regulated by TSH. Notch pathway components are variably expressed in human normal thyroid tissue and thyroid tumors, but expression levels are clearly reduced in undifferentiated tumors. Overexpression of Notch-1 in thyroid cancer cells restores differentiation, reduces cell growth rates, and stimulates NIS expression via a direct action on the NIS promoter. CONCLUSION Notch signaling is involved in the determination of thyroid cell fate and is a direct regulator of thyroid-specific gene expression. Its deregulation may contribute to the loss of differentiation associated with thyroid tumorigenesis.
Incoming First-Shot for Non-Diffuse Global Illumination

This paper presents a method that can replace the small and medium size lightsources by their effect in nondiffuse global illumination algorithms. Incoming first-shot is a generalization of a preprocessing technique called the first-shot that was developed for speeding up global diffuse radiosity algorithms. Alternatively, it can also be approached as a generalization of the direct-lightsource computation involved in gathering type methods. In order to reduce the prohibitive memory requirements of the original first-shot when it is applied to non-diffuse scenes in a direct manner, the proposed new method computes and stores only the incoming radiance generated by the lightsources and the reflected radiance is obtained from the incoming radiance on the fly taking into account the local BRDF. Since the radiance function of the reflection is smoother and flatter than the original lightsource function, this replacement makes the integrand of the rendering equation have significantly smaller variation, which can speed up global illumination algorithms. The paper also discusses how the first-shot technique can be built into a stochastic iteration algorithm using ray-bundles, and provides run-time statistics.
Reconstructing glacier-based climates of LGM Europe and Russia – Part 1: Numerical modelling and validation methods

Abstract. The mountain environments of mid-latitude Europe and Arctic Russia contain widespread evidence of Late-Quaternary glaciers that have been attributed to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). This glacial-geological record has yet to be used to quantitatively reconstruct the LGM climate of these regions. Here we describe a simple glacier-climate model that can be used to derive regional temperature and precipitation information from a known glacier distribution. The model was tested against the present day distribution of glaciers in Europe. The model is capable of adequately predicting the spatial distribution, snowline and equilibrium line altitude climate of glaciers in the Alps, Scandinavia, Caucasus and Pyrenees Mountains. This verification demonstrated that the model can be used to investigate former climates such as the LGM. Reconstructions of LGM climates from proxy evidence are an important method of assessing retrospective general circulation model (GCM) simulations. LGM palaeoclimate reconstructions from glacial-geological evidence would be of particular benefit to investigations in Europe and Russia, where to date only fossil pollen data have been used to assess continental-scale GCM simulations.
Using experience sampling methodology in organizational behavior.

Summary Experience sampling methodology and daily diary (ESM/DD) research elicits repeated reports of immediate or very recent experiences from the same sample of people for several days or weeks. Experience sampling and diary methods were almost unheard of in organizational research 15 years ago, but the past decade has seen a rapid rise in their use. These methods are helpful in studying dynamic within-person processes involving affect, behavior, interpersonal interactions, work events, and other transient workplace phenomena over time. Assessing cross-level effects of traits or other stable features on within-person processes and reactivity is also possible with ESM/DD data. We provide an introduction to issues in designing and carrying out an ESM/DD study, including data collection choices and schedules, measures, technology, training and motivation of participants, and analysis of multilevel data. We offer best practice recommendations and refer readers to further resources for additional detail on conducting and analyzing ESM/DD research. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Links between Plant and Rhizoplane Bacterial Communities in Grassland Soils, Characterized Using Molecular Techniques

ABSTRACT Molecular analysis of grassland rhizosphere soil has demonstrated complex and diverse bacterial communities, with resultant difficulties in detecting links between plant and bacterial communities. These studies have, however, analyzed “bulk” rhizosphere soil, rather than rhizoplane communities, which interact most closely with plants through utilization of root exudates. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that plant species was a major driver for bacterial rhizoplane community composition on individual plant roots. DNA extracted from individual roots was used to determine plant identity, by analysis of the plastid tRNA leucine (trnL) UAA gene intron, and plant-related bacterial communities. Bacterial communities were characterized by analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes using two fingerprinting methods: terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Links between plant and bacterial rhizoplane communities could not be detected by visual examination of T-RFLP patterns or DGGE banding profiles. Statistical analysis of fingerprint patterns did not reveal a relationship between bacterial community composition and plant species but did demonstrate an influence of plant community composition. The data also indicated that topography and other, uncharacterized, environmental factors are important in driving bacterial community composition in grassland soils. T-RFLP had greater potential resolving power than DGGE, but findings from the two methods were not significantly different.
Corporate environmental reporting: A test of legitimacy theory

This paper analyses the link between the importance, as stated by reporters, of specific factors in the decision to disclose environmental information and actual reporting practices. Through a mail survey, chief finance officers (CFOs) of selected Australian companies rated the perceived importance of specific factors in the decision to disclose environmental information. Environmental disclosure within respondents’ annual reports were reviewed and an analysis was undertaken to determine if relationships existed between actual reporting practices and ratings of importance assigned to various factors. The results indicate some significant correlations between the perceived importance of a number of factors and environmental reporting practices. The results of the analysis provide limited support for legitimacy theory as an explanatory link between identified influential factors in management’s decision process and actual environmental disclosure.
O cuidado humanizado sob a percepção dos enfermeiros Humanized care in the nurses perception’s

A humanizacao e um movimento crescente com diferentes sentidos e de disseminada presenca. A preocupacao em humanizar esses cuidados alcancou as Unidades de Terapia Intensiva (UTI), na qual a humanizacao do cuidado e uma necessidade que exige repensar sobre o modo como tem sido empregada. Compreender o significado da assistencia humanizada sob a otica dos enfermeiros de um hospital em Minas Gerais. Estudo qualitativo descritivo com abordagem fenomenologica, realizado com 8 enfermeiros. Utilizou-se, como cenario, hospital particular de medio porte no interior de Minas Gerais, Brasil. As entrevistas foram conduzidas por uma questao norteadora: qual o significado da humanizacao na assistencia para voce? Apos analises dos relatos, surgiram questoes que foram reunidas nas seguintes tematicas: cuidado; familia e profissionais da saude. Verificou-se uma preocupacao em resgatar a essencia da humanizacao no dia a dia, a fim de sensibilizar e conscientizar os profissionais e todas as pessoas envolvidos no cuidado ao paciente.
Mechanisms of Neocortical Long-Term Potentiation and Long-Term Depression in the Freely Behaving Rat.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD) are activity-dependent changes in synaptic strength that model how the brain might store memories. The mechanisms of LTP and LTD have been studied extensively in the hippocampus because the hippocampus is critical for memory storage. The neocortex is also believed to be critical for the long-term storage of memories, but less work on LTP and LTD has been done in the neocortex. Furthermore, the majority of neocortical LTP and LTD studies have been carried out in artifical brain-slice preparations. The experiments presented in this thesis test some mechanisms of LTP and LTD in the neocortex of the awake, freely behaving rat. In the hippocampus and anesthetized neocortex, simultaneous stimulation of a 'strong' and a 'weak' input pathway can induce LTP in the weak pathway (even though stimulation of the weak pathway alone does not induce LTP). However, the results presented here show that in the neocortex of awake, freely behaving animals, simultaneous activation of strong and weak input pathways does not induce LTP in the weak pathway. In fact, under these conditions, an LTD is induced in the weak pathway. However, under these conditions, LTP induction was facilitated in the strong pathway. Associative LTD has also been shown in the hippocampus following anticorrelated activity delivered to two input pathways. The associative LTD in the hippocampus is larger than either homosynaptic or heterosynaptic LTD. The results presented here