Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Iron and zinc deficiencies in China: existing problems and possible solutions

Micronutrient deficiencies affect the health and development of the population of China as well as its socia] and economic development. Iron and zinc deficiencies are quite prevalent, while insufficient intake and poor bioavailability are the major causes. Phytate is be! ieved to bc a potent inhibitor. Feasible, cost-effective and sustainable intervention programs to combat iron and zinc deficiencies need to be identified and developed.
Marburg Virus Angola Infection of Rhesus Macaques: Pathogenesis and Treatment with Recombinant Nematode Anticoagulant Protein c2

Abstract Background. The procoagulant tissue factor (TF) is thought to play a role in the coagulation disorders that characterize filoviral infections. In this study, we evaluated the pathogenesis of lethal infection with the Angola strain of Marburg virus (MARV-Ang) in rhesus macaques and tested the efficacy of recombinant nematode anticoagulant protein c2 (rNAPc2), an inhibitor of TF/factor VIIa, as a potential treatment. Methods. Twelve rhesus macaques were challenged with a high dose (1000 pfu) of MARV-Ang. Six macaques were treated with rNAPc2, and 6 macaques served as control animals. Results. All 6 control animals succumbed to MARV-Ang challenge by day 8 (mean, 7.3 days), whereas 5 of 6 rNAPc2-treated animals died on day 9 and 1 rNAPc2-treated animal survived. The disease course for MARVAng infection appeared to progress more rapidly in rhesus macaques than has been previously reported for other strains of MARV. In contrast to Ebola virus (EBOV) infection in macaques, up-regulation of TF was not as striking, and deposition of fibrin was a less prominent pathologic feature of disease in these animals. Conclusions. These data show that the pathogenicity of MARV-Ang infection appears to be consistent with the apparent increased human virulence attributed to this strain. The apparent reduced efficacy of rNAPc2 against MARV-Ang infection, compared with its efficacy against EBOV infection, appears to be associated with differences in TF induction and fibrin deposition.
Bone regeneration and gene expression in bone defects under healthy and osteoporotic bone conditions using two commercially available bone graft substitutes

Biosilicate® and Bio-Oss® are two commercially available bone substitutes, however, little is known regarding their efficacy in osteoporotic conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the osteogenic properties of both materials, at tissue and molecular level. Thirty-six Wistar rats were submitted to ovariectomy (OVX) for inducing osteoporotic conditions and sham surgery (SHAM) as a control. Bone defects were created in both femurs, which were filled with Biosilicate® or Bio-Oss®, and empty defects were used as control. For the healthy condition both Biosilicate® and Bio-Oss® did not improve bone formation after 4 weeks. Histomorphometric evaluation of osteoporotic bone defects with bone substitutes showed more bone formation, significant for Bio-Oss®. Molecular biological evaluation was performed by gene-expression analysis (Runx-2, ALP, OC, OPG, RANKL). The relative gene expression was increased with Biosilicate® for all genes in OVX rats and for Runx-2, ALP, OC and RANKL in SHAM rats. In contrast, with Bio-Oss®, the relative gene expression of OVX rats was similar for all three groups. For SHAM rats it was increased for Runx-2, ALP, OC and RANKL. Since both materials improved bone regeneration in osteoporotic conditions, our results suggest that bone defects in osteoporotic conditions can be efficiently treated with these two bone substitutes.
Design and electronics commissioning of the physics prototype of a Si-W electromagnetic calorimeter for the International Linear Collider

The CALICE collaboration is studying the design of high performance electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters for future International Linear Collider detectors. For the electromagnetic calorimeter, the current baseline choice is a high granularity sampling calorimeter with tungsten as absorber and silicon detectors as sensitive material. A ``physics prototype'' has been constructed, consisting of thirty sensitive layers. Each layer has an active area of 18 × 18 cm2 and a pad size of 1 × 1 cm2. The absorber thickness totals 24 radiation lengths. It has been exposed in 2006 and 2007 to electron and hadron beams at the DESY and CERN beam test facilities, using a wide range of beam energies and incidence angles. In this paper, the prototype and the data acquisition chain are described and a summary of the data taken in the 2006 beam tests is presented. The methods used to subtract the pedestals and calibrate the detector are detailed. The signal-over-noise ratio has been measured at 7.63±0.01. Some electronics features have been observed; these lead to coherent noise and crosstalk between pads, and also crosstalk between sensitive and passive areas. The performance achieved in terms of uniformity and stability is presented.
Modeling Speaker Proficiency, Comprehensibility, and Perceived Competence in a Language Use Domain

Author(s): Schmidgall, Jonathan Edgar | Advisor(s): Bachman, Lyle F | Abstract: Research suggests that listener perceptions of a speaker's oral language use, or a speaker's comprehensibility, may be influenced by a variety of speaker-, listener-, and context-related factors. Primary speaker factors include aspects of the speaker's proficiency in the target language such as pronunciation and grammatical accuracy, and domain-related skills (e.g., teaching skills). Listener factors include proficiency in the target language, attitudes towards the speaker, familiarity with the speaker's native language or accent, familiarity with the speaker's topic, and familiarity with non-native speakers or speech in general. Finally, a variety of contextual factors may play a role including the norms of interaction or interpretation, speech form and content, and purpose of communication. Although previous research has identified many of these factors, none of the studies reviewed have attempted to integrate many of these factors into a larger conceptual model. Research that has examined the relationships between several of these factors has been limited by small sample sizes, constrained or inauthentic speech samples, and homogenous groups of speakers or listeners.The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among naive listener perceptions of oral language use and speaker, listener, and contextual factors within a single model, using the framework of structural equation modeling. The conceptual model evaluated by this study may be viewed in several different ways: first, as an interactive model of oral language use centered on listener perceptions of the speaker; second, as a model of the relationships among teacher- and student-related factors that influence a teacher's comprehensibility to students in an academic domain.The results of this study support an interactional perspective on oral language use which holds that both speaker- and listener-related factors influence comprehensibility. In this study, comprehensibility was predicted by speaker-related factors including components of oral proficiency and teaching effectiveness, and listener-related factors such as perceptions of the speaker's personality, attitude towards the speaker, and interest in the speaker's topic. The results have practical implications for language teaching and education policy, and emphasize an important consideration for oral proficiency assessments in this domain: providing sufficient information about "real world" constructs to make appropriate decisions.
Sequence-dependent sliding kinetics of p53

Proper timing of gene expression requires that transcription factors (TFs) efficiently locate and bind their target sites within a genome. Theoretical studies have long proposed that one-dimensional sliding along DNA while simultaneously reading its sequence can accelerate TF’s location of target sites. Sliding by prokaryotic and eukaryotic TFs were subsequently observed. More recent theoretical investigations have argued that simultaneous reading and sliding is not possible for TFs without their possessing at least two DNA-binding modes. The tumor suppressor p53 has been shown to slide on DNA, and recent experiments have offered structural and single molecule support for a two-mode model for the protein. If the model is applicable to p53, then the requirement that TFs be able to read while sliding implies that noncognate sites will affect p53’s mobility on DNA, which will thus be generally sequence-dependent. Here, we confirm this prediction with single-molecule microscopy measurements of p53’s local diffusivity on noncognate DNA. We show how a two-mode model accurately predicts the variation in local diffusivity, while a single-mode model does not. We further determine that the best model of sequence-specific binding energy includes terms for “hemi-specific” binding, with one dimer of tetrameric p53 binding specifically to a half-site and the other binding nonspecifically to noncognate DNA. Our work provides evidence that the recognition by p53 of its targets and the timing thereof can depend on its noncognate binding properties and its ability to change between multiple modes of binding, in addition to the much better-studied effects of cognate-site binding.
Extracellular cytolysis by activated macrophages and granulocytes. I. Pharmacologic triggering of effector cells and the release of hydrogen peroxide

Lymphoma cells were rapidly lysed by activated macrophages and granulocytes in the presence of PMA. Release of 51Cr from lymphoma cells correlated closely with their destruction as viewed by scanning electron microscopy, and with reduction in the number of trypan blue- excluding cells. The standard assay involved 51 Cr release measured at 4.5 h, but injury appeared to be complete in 1 h. Of eight different types of effector cells tested, only those releasing abundant H2O2 in response to PMA were effective, that, is BCG-, C. parvum-, or casein- activated macrophages, or thioglycollate-elicited granulocytes. Normal macrophages, J774 cells, or macrophages elicited with thioglycollate broth or proteose-peptone were ineffective. BCG-activated macrophages and granulocytes caused 50% specific release of 51Cr from P388 lymphoma cells at E:T ratios between 1.4 and 4.5, and from mouse erythrocytes at E:T ratios of 0.017 to 0.025. 10 types of target cells varied widely in their susceptibility to lysis by reagent H2O2, with one-half maximal lysis occurring at H2O2 concentrations ranging from 3.63 X 10(-6) M to 3.85 X 10(-5) M. Effector cells were expected to generate approximately that much H2O2 during the period of injury. Susceptibility of the target cells to lysis by PMA-triggered granulocytes correlated closely with their sensitivity to H2O2 (r = 0.98). The membrane-active agents LPS and digitonin, which did not trigger H2O2 release, did not trigger cytotoxicity. The dose-response curve for triggering of H2O2 release by PMA was identical to that for triggering cytotoxicity. These results provided strong circumstantial evidence for the importance of H2O2 in extracellular cytolysis by activated macrophages and granulocytes when pharmacologically triggered.
The origination and optimization of Si/SiO2 interface roughness and its effect on CMOS performance

As CMOS device dimensions scale down to 100 nm and beyond, the interface roughness between Si and SiO/sub 2/ has become critical to device performance and reliability. Si/SiO/sub 2/ interface roughness degrades channel mobility decreasing drive currents. The authors have used atomic force microscopy to study surface roughness in the processing of 0.16 /spl mu/m CMOS integrated circuits. All of the process steps that could potentially affect the interface roughness have been studied. The results show that oxidation is the major contributor to the interface roughness. The rms roughness is found to be linearly dependent on oxide thickness. Transistors with Si/SiO/sub 2/ interface rms roughness that has been reduced from 1.6 to 1.1 /spl Aring/ by reducing oxide thicknesses show improved device drive currents. This technique for interfacial smoothing and device performance improvement has the advantage of being easily implemented in today's technology.
WHY PEOPLE STAY: USING JOB EMBEDDEDNESS TO PREDICT VOLUNTARY TURNOVER

A new construct, entitled “job embeddedness,” is introduced. It includes individuals' (1) links to other people, teams, and groups, (2) perceptions of their fit with job, organization, and community, and (3) what they say they would have to sacrifice if they left their jobs. We developed a measure of job embeddedness with two samples. The results show that job embeddedness predicts the key outcomes of both intent to leave and 'voluntary turnover' and explains significant incremental variance over and above job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job alternatives, and job search.
Hypersexuality and Recidivism among Sexual Offenders

Hypersexuality is a dimensional indicator of sexual interest and behavior and typically includes the frequency, intensity, and time consumed by sexual activity. Hypersexuality has been identified as a psychologically meaningful risk factor for sexual offending. In fact, a relatively high proportion of sexual offenders report hypersexual behavior and this construct seems to be associated with re-offending in these men. The purpose of the present longitudinal investigation was to examine the rate of an objective, behavioral indicator of hypersexuality (Total Sexual Outlet) among 586 adult male sexual offenders and to determine the predictive utility of Total Sexual Outlet utilizing one of the longest follow-up periods used with sexual offenders (up to 20 years). Results indicated that approximately 12% of men met the clinical criterion for hypersexuality and that the presence of this construct was significantly associated with long-term sexual and violent recidivism. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of hypersexuality as an empirically supported risk factor and treatment target among sexual offenders.
Social media, culture and politics in Asia

Contents: Lars Willnat/Annette Aw: Social Media, Culture, and Politics in Asia - Jason Martin: Social Media and Political Participation: Review of the Literature - Lu Wei: Social Media and Political Participation in China - Francis Lee: Hong Kong: Social Media and Political Participation in a "Protest Society" - Tsung-Jen Shih: Social Media and Political Participation in Taiwan - Jihyang Choi/Jae Woong Shim: New Media and Participatory Politics: The Case of South Korea - Toshio Takeshita/Shinichi Saito/Tetsuro Inaba: Social Media and Political Participation in Japan - Ezhar Tamam/Md. Salleh Hassan/Zohair Sabaghpour Azarian: Social Media and Political Participation in Malaysia - Cherian George/Xiaoming Hao/Nainan Wen: Social Media and Political Participation in Singapore - Smith Boonchutima/Shuo Tang: Social Media and Political Participation in Thailand - Usha Raman/Roshni Verghese: India Youth and Social Media: Modes of Engagement? - Lars Willnat: Social Media and Political Participation in Nine Asian Nations.
Perceived Discrimination and Academic Achievement among Latino Adolescents: A Risk and Resiliency Model

Discrimination experiences can act as salient stressors for ethnic minority adolescents by impacting a variety of developmental outcomes in a negative manner. However, the majority of available research on adolescent discrimination experiences has been conducted with African American samples and a paucity of discrimination research exists with Latino adolescents. The current study examined associations among discrimination, self-regulated learning efficacy, and academic achievement for 399 Latino adolescents. Using a risk and resilience theoretical framework, this study examined the potential for discrimination from peers, authority figures, and teachers to function as risk factors for lower self-regulated learning efficacy and lower academic achievement. Self-regulated learning efficacy was examined as a potential generative mechanism, providing a partial explanation for why discrimination experiences might be associated with lower academic achievement. Parental support and monitoring were included as possible protective factors, and adolescent gender (being female) was included as a vulnerability factor.
Costs and Margins in the Retail Supply Chain

Retail goods are an important component of the consumption basket and changes in their prices have had a significant influence on CPI inflation over the past decade, particularly following movements in the exchange rate. To help understand the drivers of inflation for retail goods, this article sets out the major costs and margins involved in supplying retail goods to consumers. Notwithstanding dispersion across different types of goods, on average, around half of the final price of retail items can be attributed to the cost of the goods themselves, with the remaining half covering the gross margins of wholesale and retail firms in the distribution supply chain. The costs incurred by distributors are broadly split between labour and other input costs, with distributors’ profit margins accounting for a little under 10 per cent of the final sale price. These shares have remained relatively stable for at least the past decade.
Angular Momentum Transport by Internal Gravity Waves. I - Pop I Main Sequence Stars

We examine the generation of gravity waves by the surface convection zone of low-mass main sequence stars with solar metallicity. It is found that the total momentum luminosity in waves rises with stellar mass, up to the quasi-disappearance of the convection zone around 6500 K (corresponding to a mass of1.4 M for solar metallicity) where the luminosity dras- tically drops. We calculate the net momentum extraction associated with these waves and explain how the calculated mass dependence helps resolve the enigma of the Li dip in terms of rotational mixing, forming a coherent picture of mixing in all main sequence stars.
Synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotide probes for detecting heat-stable enterotoxin-producing Escherichia coli by DNA colony hybridization

DNA colony hybridization was used to identify and enumerate enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains in foods. The cells were identified and enumerated by using synthetic polynucleotide probes for the heat-stable enterotoxin genes. These 22-base oligonucleotides, made from known nucleotide sequences of the genes for the heat-stable enterotoxins of human and porcine strains of E. coli, contain two mismatches between the two heat-stable enterotoxins. Colonies were replicated from agar medium onto paper filters and lysed with alkali followed by steam; probes were end labeled. After overnight hybridization at 40 degrees C and washing at 50 degrees C, autoradiograms were exposed at -70 degrees C. Results were consistent with suckling-mouse tests for heat-stable enterotoxins. A stronger signal was obtained on paper filters than on nitrocellulose filters. Enterotoxigenic E. coli cells were detected when mixed with a 1,000-fold excess of nonenterotoxigenic E. coli cells. This procedure appears to be more acceptable for routine testing than the use of cloned DNA fragments, labeling by nick translation, and lysing colonies on nitrocellulose filters.
Public Policy, Price Shocks, and Conflict: Price Shocks and Civil War in Developing Countries

Those who study the role of agriculture in the political economy of development focus on government policy choices on the one hand and the impact of price shocks on the other. We argue that the two should be studied together. We find that civil unrest (Granger) causes government policies, pushing governments in poor and medium income countries to shift relative prices in favor of urban consumers. We also find that while civil wars are related to food price shocks, when government policy choices are taken into account, the relationship disappears. We thus learn two things: Policies that placate urban consumers may inflict economic costs on governments, but they confer political benefits. And when estimating the relationship between price shocks and political stability, equations that omit the policy response of governments are misspecified.
Index assignment for progressive transmission of full-search vector quantization

The authors study codeword index assignment to allow for progressive image transmission of fixed rate full-search vector quantization (VQ). They develop three new methods of assigning indices to a vector quantization codebook and formulate these assignments as labels of nodes of a full-search progressive transmission tree. The tree is used to design intermediate codewords for the decoder so that full-search VQ has a successive approximation character. The binary representation for the path through the tree represents the progressive transmission code. The methods of designing the tree that they apply are the generalized Lloyd algorithm, minimum cost perfect matching from optimization theory, and a method of principal component partitioning. Their empirical results show that the final method gives intermediate signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) that are close to those obtained with tree-structured vector quantization, yet they have higher final SNRs.
Electron microscopy of experimental degeneration in the avian optic tectum.

One of the major problems of electron microscopy of the central nervous system is to locate with precision the region involved in the degenerative process in grey or white matter. For this reason, the avian optic tectum was chosen to studythe effects of degeneration of axons and their terminals. Axon section is accomplished simply by unilateral removal of the eye so that the optic nerve afferent fibres to the contralateral hemisphere undergo degeneration (Evans & Hamlyn, 1956). Their trunks are easily located by electron microscopy since they enter the tectum as a superficial layer of myelinated fibres and the terminal ramifications and presynaptic processes are also easily located by reference to a discrete double layer of neuronal perikarya marking the deepest limits of their distribution (Evans & Hamlyn, unpublished; Cowan, Adamson & Powell, 1961). This present work follows naturally from the light-microscopic degeneration studies of Evans & Hamlyn (1956) with the Glees (1946) and Nauta-Gygax (1954) methods. The time courses of the two methods are quite distinct, the Glees method showing rings and clubs, absent from normal tectum, at the 7-11-day stage. At 28-30 days the Glees method is negative, but the Nauta-Gygax picture is fully established. Here electron microscopy has been used to follow these changes in the axons and their presynaptic processes in order to relate them to the different mechanisms of the Glees and Nauta techniques. Few attempts have been made so far to study central nervous degeneration with the electron microscope. De Robertis (1956) has described experimental changes in the ventral acoustic nucleus. Bunge, Bunge & Ris (1960, 1961) have reported on experimental demyelination and remyelination in the spinal cord, the axons remaining apparently unaffected. In this account the simplified classification of the tectal layers used by Cragg, Evans & Hamlyn (1954) modified from van Gehuchten (1892) will be used.