Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response of granulosa cell gap junctions to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) at ovulation.

Granulosa cell gap junctions in the mammalian follicle are dynamic bimembranous structures which are assembled within apposed plasma membranes of adjacent cells. Once initially formed, these specialized intercellular junctions grow through the insertion of additional elements into the interacting membranes or through the aggregation of smaller patches into large gap junctional plaques. These junctional aggregates may then be removed from the apposed cell surfaces through an endocytotic process which ultimately leads to the digestion of gap junction membrane within the cytoplasm. Several previous investigations suggest that some of these junctional behaviors may be influenced by hormones, and in this study we have examined the response of granulosa cell gap junctions in preovulatory follicles of rats and rabbits to human chorionic-gonadotropin (hCG). Our quantitative ultrastructural studies suggest that an ovulatory dose of hCG brings about a significant net reduction in the amount of gap junction membrane at the cell surface during the period immediately preceding extrusion of the cumulus-oocyte complex from the ruptured follicle. Morphometric analysis and qualitative studies of surface junctions and cytoplasmic vesicles support the view that this reduction occurs through the endocytosis of gap junctions from the cell surface. Furthermore, a scanning study of rabbit follicles also confirmed the thin section studies of previous investigators which demonstrated the disaggregation of granulosa cells at ovulation. These results are discussed with respect to the possible roles gap junctions may play in granulosa cell interactions pertinent to the growth of the oocyte and to the physical release of the oocyte from the follicle as well as its continued meiotic maturation. BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION 25, 1119-1134 (1981)
Helping Teachers Prepare to Work in Restructured Schools

The movement to restructure schools has important implications for preparing teachers to work successfully in these schools. The central elements of restructured schools include decentraliza tion and site-based decision making, the redesign of teacher work, different resource allocation patterns, and improvement in the process of teaching and learning. These characteristics suggest that prospective teachers must have more extensive preparation in organizational theory, human relations, and the politics of education to teach in restructured schools. Prospective teachers also need to acquire knowledge and skill in diverse instructional methods that develop students' motivation to learn and their ability to reflect.
Fourier power, subjective distance, and object categories all provide plausible models of BOLD responses in scene-selective visual areas

Perception of natural visual scenes activates several functional areas in the human brain, including the Parahippocampal Place Area (PPA), Retrosplenial Complex (RSC), and the Occipital Place Area (OPA). It is currently unclear what specific scene-related features are represented in these areas. Previous studies have suggested that PPA, RSC, and/or OPA might represent at least three qualitatively different classes of features: (1) 2D features related to Fourier power; (2) 3D spatial features such as the distance to objects in a scene; or (3) abstract features such as the categories of objects in a scene. To determine which of these hypotheses best describes the visual representation in scene-selective areas, we applied voxel-wise modeling (VM) to BOLD fMRI responses elicited by a set of 1386 images of natural scenes. VM provides an efficient method for testing competing hypotheses by comparing predictions of brain activity based on encoding models that instantiate each hypothesis. Here we evaluated three different encoding models that instantiate each of the three hypotheses listed above. We used linear regression to fit each encoding model to the fMRI data recorded from each voxel, and we evaluated each fit model by estimating the amount of variance it predicted in a withheld portion of the data set. We found that voxel-wise models based on Fourier power or the subjective distance to objects in each scene predicted much of the variance predicted by a model based on object categories. Furthermore, the response variance explained by these three models is largely shared, and the individual models explain little unique variance in responses. Based on an evaluation of previous studies and the data we present here, we conclude that there is currently no good basis to favor any one of the three alternative hypotheses about visual representation in scene-selective areas. We offer suggestions for further studies that may help resolve this issue.
An Algorithm Based on Differential Evolution for Multi-Objective Problems

Abstract: This paper presents a new multi-objective evolu-tionary algorithm based on differential evolution. The pro-posed approach adopts a secondary population in order to re-tain the nondominated solutions found during the evolution-ary process. Additionally, the approach also incorporates theconcept of † -dominance to get a good distribution of the solu-tions retained. The main goal of this work was to keep thefast convergence exhibited by Differential Evolution in globaloptimization when extending this heuristic to multi-objectiveoptimization. We adopted standard test functions and perfor-mance measures reported in the specialized literature to vali-date our proposal. Our results are compared with respect toanother multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on differ-ential evolution (Pareto Differential Evolution) and with respectto two approaches that are representative of the state-of-the-artin the area: the NSGA-II and † -MOEA. I. Introduction Most real world problems involve the simultaneous opti-mization of two or more (often conﬂicting) objectives. Thesolution of such problems (called “multi-objective”) is differ-ent from that of a single-objective optimization problem. Themain difference is that multi-objective optimization problemsnormally have not one but a set of solutions which are allequally good.In the past, a wide variety of evolutionary algorithms (EA’s)have been used to solve multi-objective optimization prob-lems [5]. However, from the several types of EAs available,few researchers have attempted to extend Differential Evo-lution (DE) [25] to solve multi-objective optimization prob-lems. DE has been very successful in the solution of a va-riety of continuous (single-objective) optimization problemsin which it has shown a great robustness and a very fast con-vergence. These are precisely the characteristics of DE thatmake it attractive to extend it to solve multi-objective opti-mization problems.In this paper, we propose a new multi-objective evolution-ary algorithm based on differential evolution. Our approachuses an external archive in which the relaxed form of Paretodominance known as
“Psst … What Do You Think?” The Relationship between Advice Prestige, Type of Advice, and Academic Performance

This study investigates the relationship between classmates seeking out a student for advice (advice prestige) and that student's academic performance. Students’ conversations could inhibit or encourage their academic performance depending on the conversation's topic. Specifically, it is hypothesized that as more classmates report asking a student for general advice, then the student would perform less well. In contrast, it is hypothesized that as more classmates report asking a student for class advice, then the student would perform better. Hypotheses (n =139) were supported. Even after controlling for sex and GPA, less general-advice prestige and higher class-advice prestige relates to higher academic performance.
Use of Total and Unbound Imatinib and Metabolite LC-MS/MS Assay to Understand Individual Responses in CML and GIST Patients

Objectives: Trough total imatinib (t-IM) concentrations have been reported to be associated with therapeutic and toxic responses in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Little is known about the relationships between effects and concentrations of either unbound imatinib (f-IM) or imatinib's major metabolite, N-desmethyl imatinib (NDI). In part, this is because of the lack of a single, validated, well-described clinically useful assay for these measurements. The authors report the development and application of such an assay. Materials and Methods: A single liquid-chromatography tandem-mass-spectrometry assay was used to monitor t-IM, f-IM, and t-NDI concentrations in CML and GIST patients treated at a tertiary German teaching hospital. The assay was also validated for measuring other kinase inhibitors, including t-nilotinib, sunitinib, and erlotinib. Ultrafiltration assays were validated and used to measure f-IM and to compare free fractions to plasma α1-acid glycoprotein concentrations (AGP). Results: The assays were linear over a working range (in micrograms per liter) of 8.4-8370, 8.3-4165, and 1.0-250 and had within- and between-run coefficient of variance of <7%, <12%, and <9% for t-IM, t-NDI, and f-IM, respectively. The f-IM assay was reproducible despite high (25.2%-31.6%) but concentration-independent binding to ultrafiltration devices. Clinically relevant results, such as nondetectable (ND) t-IM (<8.4 μg/L) in non-responders and >1500 μg/L in patients with major toxicity, were found. Of 156 total samples from 68 adult CML patients and 127 total samples from 42 adult GIST, only 48 samples from 22 CML patients and 40 samples from 20 GIST patients were trough samples with adequate dosing and collection information. More than half (27 of 48 CML and 24 of 40 GIST) had t-IM concentrations ≥10% below recommended target concentrations (1002 μg/L for CML and 1100 μg/L for GIST). Concentrations >50% over targets were also found in 6 of 48 CML and 4 of 40 GIST samples. Wide variations in concentrations of t-IM (range, ND to 2973 μg/L), t-NDI (range, ND to 659 μg/L), f-IM (range, 8.3-262 μg/L), and t-IM:f-IM ratios (range, 2.6%-14%) were found both between and within patients. A statistically significant association (Spearman correlation coefficient and P value for all samples, r = 0.290 and P = 0.023; for trough only, r = −0.585 and P = 0.028) was found between AGP and f-IM concentrations but wide interpatient and intrapatient variations made individual predictions unreliable. Conclusions: The liquid-chromatography tandem-mass-spectrometry methods developed provided information useful to understand individual responses to therapy even though necessary sampling and dosing information was often not available. Wide unpredictable variations in t-IM, t-NDI, and f-IM were found. Clinical outcome trials are needed to examine whether f-IM or NDI monitoring can improve the ability to predict individual responses.
On multistage fuzzy neural network modeling

In the past couple of years, there has been increasing interest in the fusion of neural networks and fuzzy logic. Most of the existing fuzzy neural network (FNN) models have been proposed to implement different types of single-stage fuzzy reasoning mechanisms and inevitably they suffer from the dimensionality problem when dealing with complex real-world problems. To address the problem, FNN modeling based on multistage fuzzy reasoning (MSFR) is pursued here and two hierarchical network models, namely incremental type and aggregated type, are introduced. The new models called multistage FNN (MSFNN) model a hierarchical fuzzy rule set that allows the consequence of a rule passed to another as a fact through the intermediate variables. From the stipulated input-output data pairs, they can generate an appropriate fuzzy rule set through structure and parameter learning procedures proposed in this paper. In addition, we have particularly addressed the input selection problem of these two types of multistage network models and proposed two efficient methods for them. The effectiveness of the proposed MSFNN models in handling high-dimensional problems is demonstrated through various numerical simulations.
Israeli Elementary School Students' and Teachers' Attitudes Towards Mainstreaming Children with Disabilities

Abstract The present study examined attitudes of Israeli elementary school students (N = 2845) and their teachers (N = 145) towards children with disabilities and mainstreaming. Correlations were sought between several independent variables, some common to both groups, and others specific to one or the other. No correlations were found between students' and teachers' attitudes towards children with disabilities and towards mainstreaming. Findings indicated that the Israeli students displayed a custodial, patronizing attitude, while the teachers' approach was of a more medical and diagnostic nature. The most significant background variable found to correlate with positive students' attitudes towards their peers with handicaps was previous contact with children with them. The variable of previous contact did not affect teachers' attitudes.
Texture and identification

It is clear that there is an increasing divergence between the concerns and discourse of professional readers of literature and the experience engaged in by natural readers. In particular, natural readers foreground emotional and motivational aspects of literary works, areas which are neglected or poorly handled in the academy. This paper explores the emotionally affecting dimension of how readers identify with literary works. Drawing on cognitive poetic developments within stylistics including text-world theory, a method is proposed that equates empathetic identification with spatial conceptualisation and distance. A short analysis of a very popular poem illustrates how the method can gauge differences between artificial and natural reading.
The Effect of Massage on Lactate Disappearance

Although there have been frequent claims in the popular sports literature about the benefits of massage for the athlete, there is meager scientific evidence documenting the beneficial effects of massage. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of sports massage on lactate disappearance following short-term, exhaustive work. Twenty-two male subjects were randomly allocated to three groups following an exhaustive treadmill run. Group 1 recovered passively, Group 2 recovered while riding a stationary bicycle at 40% &OV0312;O2max, and Group 3 recovered while having their legs massaged. Recovery lasted 20 min for all groups. Blood was sampled and lactate was determined at rest and at 3, 5, 9, 15, and 20 min postexercise. There were no differences among the groups for blood lactate at rest or 3, 5, or 9 min postexercise. The bicycle recovery group had significantly lower lactate levels than the passive recovery group at 15 and 20 min postexercise. It was concluded that (a) massage following exercise did not remove lactate better than passive recovery in a supine position, and (b) massage following exercise did not remove lactate as well as cycling at 40% of &OV0312;O2max.
Family Hardiness and Social Support as Predictors of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

In this study we examined the influence of post-traumatic psychosocial variables on the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The referential framework of the study is based on the integration of the medical model of PTSD contained in the DSM classification system and McCubbin's systemic-orientated psychosocial model of family and social functioning. The research covered 120 subjects — victims of the civil, religious and national conflicts in the territory of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s — divided into two study groups of 60 as a target and a comparison group. All the subjects were Orthodox Serbs. The target group consisted of 60 subjects, patients from the Institute of Psychiatry of the Clinical Centre of Serbia in Belgrade with PTSD of war genesis according to the criteria of the DSM-III-R without previous psychiatric treatment. The comparison group consisted of 60 subjects who had been exposed to the effect of stress agents of catastrophic intensity of war genesis and who had previously not shown any psychiatric disorder or been treated psychiatrically. The research variables were gender, age, marital status, refugee status, war military service, Family Hardiness Index (FHI), Family Inventory of Life Events (FILE) and Social Support Index (SSI). In the equation of logistical regression low family hardiness (FHI), weaker social support (SSI) and positive marital status (on the border of statistical significance) were separated as significant predictors of PTSD. This study confirms the significance of post-traumatic environmental factors as predictors of PTSD.
An integrated toolkit for accurate prediction and analysis of cis-regulatory motifs at a genome scale

MOTIVATION We present an integrated toolkit, BoBro2.0, for prediction and analysis of cis-regulatory motifs. This toolkit can (i) reliably identify statistically significant cis-regulatory motifs at a genome scale; (ii) accurately scan for all motif instances of a query motif in specified genomic regions using a novel method for P-value estimation; (iii) provide highly reliable comparisons and clustering of identified motifs, which takes into consideration the weak signals from the flanking regions of the motifs; and (iv) analyze co-occurring motifs in the regulatory regions. RESULTS We have carried out systematic comparisons between motif predictions using BoBro2.0 and the MEME package. The comparison results on Escherichia coli K12 genome and the human genome show that BoBro2.0 can identify the statistically significant motifs at a genome scale more efficiently, identify motif instances more accurately and get more reliable motif clusters than MEME. In addition, BoBro2.0 provides correlational analyses among the identified motifs to facilitate the inference of joint regulation relationships of transcription factors. AVAILABILITY The source code of the program is freely available for noncommercial uses at http://code.google. com/p/bobro/. CONTACT xyn@bmb.uga. edu SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
A systematic, tool-supported method for conducting literature reviews in information systems

While the importance of literature studies in the IS discipline is well recognized, little attention has been paid to the underlying structure and method of conducting effective literature reviews. Despite the fact that literature is often used to refine the research context and direct the pathways for successful research outcomes, there is very little evidence of the use of resource management tools to support the literature review process. In this paper we want to contribute to advancing the way in which literature studies in Information Systems are conducted, by proposing a systematic, pre-defined and tool-supported method to extract, analyse and report literature. This paper presents how to best identify relevant IS papers to review within a feasible and justifiable scope, how to extract relevant content from identified papers, how to synthesise and analyse the findings of a literature review and what are ways to effectively write and present the results of a literature review. The paper is specifically targeted towards novice IS researchers, who would seek to conduct a systematic detailed literature review in a focused domain. Specific contributions of our method are extensive tool support, the identification of appropriate papers including primary and secondary paper sets and a pre-codification scheme. We use a literature study on shared services as an illustrative example to present the proposed approach.
Chronic vitamin A‐enriched diet feeding induces body weight gain and adiposity in lean and glucose‐intolerant obese rats of WNIN/GR‐Ob strain

What is the central question of this study? Previously, we reported that chronic feeding of a vitamin A‐enriched diet to euglycaemic obese rats (WNIN/Ob) ameliorated obesity. Does this diet exert similar effects even with a different genetic background, i.e. obese rats of the WNIN/GR‐Ob strain with impaired glucose tolerance? What is the main finding and its importance? Vitamin A‐enriched diet aggravated weight gain and adiposity/obesity in both lean and glucose‐intolerant obese rats of the WNIN/GR‐Ob strain. Therefore, the role of genetic factors and their regulation by nutrients in determining health and disease conditions assumes greater significance in experimental and clinical research.
AMOS Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM): Guidelines on Its Application as a Marketing Research Tool

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is increasingly a method of choice for concept and theory development in the social sciences, particularly the marketing discipline. In marketing research there increasingly is a need to assess complex multiple latent constructs and relationships. Second-order constructs can be modeled providing an improved theoretical understanding of relationships as well as parsimony. SEM in particular is well suited to investigating complex relationships among multiple constructs. The two most prevalent SEM based analytical methods are covariance-based SEM (CB-SEM) and variance-based SEM (PLS-SEM). While each technique has advantages and limitations, in this article we focus on CB-SEM with AMOS to illustrate its application in examining the relationships between customer orientation, employee orientation, and firm performance. We also demonstrate how higher-order constructs are useful in modeling both responsive and proactive components of customer and employee orientation.
The Therapeutic Effects of Bevacizumab in Patients with Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravitreal bevacizumab for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). Methods In this retrospective interventional pilot study, 12 eyes of 11 patients with active PCV were treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg) alone or in combination with photodynamic therapy (PDT) depending on the informed patient's choice. Intravitreal bevacizumab was repeated at 6-week intervals until the regression of active lesion was detected on fluorescein angiography (FA) which was done on a regular basis, Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) analyses. Results Intravitreal bevacizumab was given alone in 8 eyes (Group 1) and in combination with PDT in 4 eyes (Group 2). Mean follow-up duration was 17 weeks in group 1 and 15 weeks in group 2 after bevacizumab treatment. The mean number of bevacizumab injections was 2.2 in group 1 and 2.5 in group 2. Mean BCVA improved from 20/63 to 20/40 in group 1 and 20/63 to 20/32 in group 2. Of all eyes, the BCVA improved by ≥2 lines in seven (58%) eyes and resolution of fluid and hemorrhages in clinical examination, an absence of leakage on repeat FAs, or resolved pigment epithelial detachment (PED) and/or subretinal fluid (SRF) on OCT exam was confirmed in 10 (83%) eyes. Partial or complete regression of the polypoidal vessels and interconnecting vessels was reported for most cases at the last follow-up. No significant ocular or systemic side effects were observed in both groups. Conclusions Short-term results indicate that intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg) alone or in combination with PDT is well tolerated and associated with improvement in BCVA and reduced angiographic leakage in most patients. Further evaluation of intravitreal bevacizumab therapy for the treatment of PCV is warranted.