Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flavonoid Apigenin Inhibits Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Response through Multiple Mechanisms in Macrophages

Background Apigenin is a non-toxic natural flavonoid that is abundantly present in common fruits and vegetables. It has been reported that apigenin has various beneficial health effects such as anti-inflammation and chemoprevention. Multiple studies have shown that inflammation is an important risk factor for atherosclerosis, diabetes, sepsis, various liver diseases, and other metabolic diseases. Although it has been long realized that apigenin has anti-inflammatory activities, the underlying functional mechanisms are still not fully understood. Methodology and Principal Findings In the present study, we examined the effect of apigenin on LPS-induced inflammatory response and further elucidated the potential underlying mechanisms in human THP-1-induced macrophages and mouse J774A.1 macrophages. By using the PrimePCR array, we were able to identify the major target genes regulated by apigenin in LPS-mediated immune response. The results indicated that apigenin significantly inhibited LPS-induced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α through modulating multiple intracellular signaling pathways in macrophages. Apigenin inhibited LPS-induced IL-1β production by inhibiting caspase-1 activation through the disruption of the NLRP3 inflammasome assembly. Apigenin also prevented LPS-induced IL-6 and IL-1β production by reducing the mRNA stability via inhibiting ERK1/2 activation. In addition, apigenin significantly inhibited TNF-α and IL-1β-induced activation of NF-κB. Conclusion and Significance Apigenin Inhibits LPS-induced Inflammatory Response through multiple mechanisms in macrophages. These results provided important scientific evidences for the potential application of apigenin as a therapeutic agent for inflammatory diseases.
A Validation of the Component-Based Method for Software Size Estimation

Estimation of software size is a crucial activity among the tasks of software management. Work planning and subsequent estimations of the effort required are made based on the estimate of the size of the software product. Software size can be measured in several ways: lines of code (LOC) is a common measure and is usually one of the independent variables in equations for estimating several methods for estimating the final LOC count of a software system in the early stages. We report the results of the validation of the component-based method (initially proposed by Verner and Tate, 1988) for software sizing. This was done through the analysis of 46 projects involving more than 100,000 LOC of a fourth-generation language. We present several conclusions concerning the predictive capabilities of the method. We observed that the component-based method behaves reasonably, although not as well as expected for "global" methods such as Mark II function points for software size prediction. The main factor observed that affects the performance is the type of component.
Magnetic Fields in Star-forming Molecular Clouds. V. Submillimeter Polarization of the Barnard 1 Dark Cloud

We present 850 μm polarimetry from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope toward several dense cores within the dark cloud Barnard 1 in Perseus. Significant polarized emission is detected from across the mapped area and is not confined to the locations of bright cores. This indicates the presence of aligned grains and hence a component of the magnetic field in the plane of the sky. Polarization vectors detected away from bright cores are strongly aligned at a position angle of ~90° (east of north), while vectors associated with bright cores show alignments of varying orientations. There is no direct correlation between the polarization angles measured in earlier optical polarimetry toward Perseus and the polarized submillimeter thermal emission. Depolarization toward high intensities is exhibited but toward the brightest core reaches a threshold beyond which no further decrease in polarization percentage is measured. The polarized emission data from the interior envelope are compared with previously published OH Zeeman data to estimate the total field strength and orientation under the assumption of a uniform and nonuniform field component in the region. These results are rough estimates only as a result of the single independent detection of Zeeman splitting toward Barnard 1. The uniform field component is thus calculated to be 0 = 31 μG [±(0.52 - 0.01) - 0.86] in the case in which we have assumed the ratio of the dispersion of the line-of-sight field to the field strength to be 0.2.
An Empirical Evaluation of Capture-Recapture Estimators in Software Inspection

Context: Capture-recapture approach has been adopted in software inspection for decades for estimating remaining defects and supporting post-inspection decisions. A number of capture-recapture models and estimators have been borrowed from other disciplines (e.g., Biology and social sciences) and applied in software inspections. These models and estimators were created with different assumptions and the violation to these assumptions may lead to invalid application. Most of the reported empirical evaluations of the capture-recapture models and estimators used relatively small data sets (i.e., Small number of inspectors and/or defects), which leads varying conclusions. Objective: The research reported in this paper aims to better understand this approach for software inspection, and the efficacy of the models and estimators in particular, with large data sets. Method: We carried out an empirical study that evaluated several typical capture-recapture estimators (i.e., M0-ML, Mt-ML, Mt-CH, Mh-CH and Mh-JK). The study employed 57 student inspectors in reviewing software requirement specification and formed 1000 virtual teams at each team size in the post statistic testing. Results: The data analysis indicates that: 1) M0-ML and Mt-ML could not generate accurate estimates even with many inspectors. 2) All estimators suffer high level of failure rate with few inspectors. 3) For a small team, estimator Mh-CH performs the best, while with many inspectors, Mt-CH and Mh-JK perform better regarding the accuracy and the failure rate. Conclusion: Our work reveals that no estimator was superior to others under all situations. With an increased team size, estimates generated by estimator Mt-CH and Mh-JK turn to be more accurate than others. While, M0-ML and Mt-ML are able to offer reference value to support post-inspection because of their convergent underestimates.
Jump and Volatility Risk Premiums Implied by VIX

An estimation method is developed for extracting the latent stochastic volatility from VIX, a volatility index for the SP (2) the jump and volatility risks are priced; (3) the popular square-root stochastic volatility process is a poor model specification irrespective of allowing for price jumps or not. Our simulation study shows that statistical inference is reliable and not materially affected by the approximation used in the VIX index construction.
Genre - Based Approach for Writing Recount Text at MTs "Darul Ulum" Karang Pandan, Pasuruan

Among other skills, writing is often seen as a difficult skill for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. In particular, writing seems to be a difficult subject for the students of MTs. Darul Karangpandan Pasuruan. It could be seen from the result of the preliminary study, which showed that the ability of the eight grade students of MTs. DarulUlumKarangpandan in writing paragraphs was still poor. This research was aimed at improving the students’ ability in writing recount text through Genre-Based Approach (GBA) at eight grade of MTs. Darul Ulum Karangpandan. The research design of this study was action research. The instruments used in this study were interview, observation checklist, and test. The results of the research demonstrate that the students’ mean scores gradually improved from 56.51 in the pre-test to 71.31 in Cycle I and to 77.82 in Cycle II. These achievements prove that the implementation of genre-based approach was successful in improving the students’ ability in writing recount text.
The impact of direct support to R & D and innovation in firms

This paper is part of the Compendium of Evidence on the Effectiveness of Innovation Policy Intervention. It examines the evidence on schemes that aim to promote or enhance the performance of R&D activities within companies. More specifically, in order to avoid overlaps with other reports in this series, coverage is restricted to supply-side measures which provide finance, specifically in the form of grants or loans, to support R&D undertaken by firms alone. Overall, the available evidence on the operation of direct measures seems to focus on a number of outcomes and effects, including rationales, user characteristics, governance aspects, input additionality, output additionality and behavioural additionality effects. This set of outcomes and effects is used to structure the analysis of the evidence. The report notes that the impact of policy intervention exhibits a skewed distribution ? the ? average? success of a programme tends to be based on a small number of successful cases which is accompanied by a long ? tail? of less or non- successful cases, and that most of the studies reviewed consider one point in time and do not examine the longer time frame, thus the persistence of effects arising from the policy interventions was not generally measured. Two further main findings are that much of the academic literature focus on the issues of input and, to a lesser extent, output additionality, whereas policy evaluations tend to focus on the continued relevance of the rationale of intervention and on its implementation performance. The report concludes with a number of key lessons for policy makers.
Comments on Neveu–Schwarz five-branes

We study the theory of NS five-branes in string theory with a smooth non-trivial transverse space. We show that in the limit that the bulk physics decouples, these theories become equivalent to theories with a flat and non-compact transverse space. We present a matrix model description of the type IIA theory on $\IR^9\times S^1$ with NS five-branes located at points on the circle. Consequently, we obtain a description of the dual configuration of Kaluza-Klein monopoles in the type IIB theory.
Oxidative stress involvement in chronic chlorpyrifos-induced hepatocellular injury: Alleviating effect of vitamin C

Introduction: Chlorpyrifos (CPF), a phosphorothionate chlorinated organophosphate (OP) insecticide is widely used in agriculture and public health. Like other OP insecticides, its main mechanism of toxicity is the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) leading to cholinergic syndrome. Since toxicity occurs at doses that do not inhibit AChE or long after its restoration, other mechanisms including the induction of oxidative stress have been widely implicated. The present study was aimed at evaluating the mitigating effect of vitamin C on CPF-induced hepatocellular injury in Wistar rats. Methods: Twenty adult male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups of five animals in each group. The four groups were exposed by gavage to soya oil (2 ml/kg), vitamin C (100 mg/kg), CPF (10.6 mg/kg~1/8th LD50) and vitamin C (100 mg/kg) + CPF (10.6 mg/kg; 30 min later), respectively for 17 weeks. The sera obtained from blood samples collected from the animals were analysed for the levels of total proteins, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), g-glutamyl transferase (GGT) while globulin concentration and albumin/globulin ratio were calculated. The liver homogenate was evaluated for the levels of malonaldehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and histological changes. Results: The study showed that CPF altered the levels of the serum hepatic enzymes, hepatic MDA SOD and CAT, in addition to inducing hepatocellular degeneration. All these parameters were alleviated by pretreatment with vitamin C. Significance: CPF-induced hepatocellular injury which was partly due to oxidative changes was mitigated by vitamin C partly due to its antioxidative activity.
Factors influencing technology use by Mayan women in the digital age

Abstract We explore gender differences in technology use among Mayan-speakers in a rural community in southern Yucatan (Mexico), finding that women had poorer skills and less access to technology than men. Following a diagnosis, information and communication technology (ICT) skills training aimed at closing the digital divide was provided to 68 men and women, with post-test results indicating that while women improved their ICT skills, they continued to score lower than men. Focus group interviews with 24 women identified the main factors perceived to influence their access to and use of technology. Observations and further interviews with 10 of the focus group participants further explored issues related to women’s access to and use of technology. Quantitative data were analyzed using inferential statistics and qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic approach. Recommendations for improving the ICT skills of both men and women are discussed in the context of the Mexican National Development Plan 2013–2018 and the Mexican National Digital Strategy 2013 and are compared with the guidelines of the Yucatan State Development Plan 2012–2018.
Dual Long-Memory, Structural Breaks and the Link Between Turnover and the Range-Based Volatility

This paper investigates the issue of temporal ordering of the range-based volatility and turnover volume in the Korean market for the period 1995-2005. We examine the dynamics of the two variables and their respective uncertainties using a bivariate dual long-memory model. We distinguish volume trading before the Asia financial crisis from trading after the crisis. We find that the apparent long-memory in the variables is quite resistant to the presence of breaks. However, when we take into account structural breaks the order of integration of the conditional variance series decreases considerably. Moreover, the impact of foreign volume on volatility is negative in the pre-crisis period but turns to positive after the crisis. This result is consistent with the view that foreign purchases tend to lower volatility in emerging markets - especially in the first few years after market liberalization when foreigners are buying into local markets - whereas foreign sales increase volatility. Before the crisis there is no causal effect for domestic volume on volatility whereas in the post-crisis period total and domestic volumes affect volatility positively. The former result is in line with the theoretical underpinnings that predict that trading within domestic investor groups does not affect volatility. The latter result is consistent with the theoretical argument that the positive relation between the two variables is driven by the uninformed general public.
Exposure to fox odor inhibits cell proliferation in the hippocampus of adult rats via an adrenal hormone‐dependent mechanism

To determine whether exposure to fox odor alters granule neuron production, we examined proliferating cells and their progeny in the dentate gyrus of adult male rats exposed to trimethyl thiazoline, a component of fox feces. Additionally, to determine whether this effect is adrenal hormone‐mediated, we examined animals exposed to fox odor after bilateral adrenalectomy and replacement with low levels of the endogenous glucocorticoid corticosterone. Stereologic analyses of the number of 5‐bromo‐2′deoxyuridine (BrdU) ‐labeled cells revealed that exposure to fox odor but not other, nonthreatening, odors (mint or orange) rapidly decreased the number of proliferating cells in the dentate gyrus. This effect is dependent on a stress‐induced rise in adrenal hormones; exposure to fox odor resulted in an increase in circulating corticosterone levels and prevention of this increase (by means of adrenalectomy plus low‐dose corticosterone replacement) eliminated the suppression of cell proliferation. Examination at longer survival times revealed that the decrease in the number of new granule cells in fox odor‐exposed animals was transient; a difference was still detectable at 1 week after BrdU labeling but not at 3 weeks. In both fox and sham odor‐exposed animals, many new cells acquired morphologic and biochemical characteristics of mature granule neurons. The majority of these cells expressed a marker of immature granule neurons (TuJ1) by 1 week after BrdU labeling and markers of mature granule neurons (calbindin, NeuN) by 3 weeks after labeling. These findings suggest that stressful experiences rapidly diminish cell proliferation by increasing adrenal hormone levels, resulting in a transient decrease in the number of adult‐generated immature granule neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 437:496–504, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessment Model of Student Field Practice at Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teaching Training in Indonesia: A Reality and Expectation

The assessment model of student field practice is essential to assess the achievement of students’ competence as a prospective teacher. It is also important in Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teaching Training. The objective of this research is to identify the available assessment model in sequence to find causes why do the lecturers find difficulty in assessing the students’ practice and the expected remedies. This research used concurrent mixed method with concurrent triangulation design. Data was collected using questionnaires, focus group discussion, and documentation. Data was analysed in quantitative using descriptive statistic and in qualitative using Miles & Hubberman method. The result shows that in reality, there are many weaknesses in the assessment model. They are seen in several aspects; from validity and reliability aspects, empirical evident is not found; from objective aspect, layout instrument, guideline, and scoring rubric are unclear and not detail; from the systematic aspect, assessment sequence is unstructured; while from practicality aspect, the result is not optimal. The desired expectation is the provision of a simple assessment that is valid, reliable, objective, and easy to understand as well as practical to be used.
Fuel properties of loofah ( Luffa cylindrica L.) biofuel blended with diesel

Fuel properties of loofah oil and its ethyl ester blended with diesel were experimentally determined. Biodiesel blends (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100%) of loofah oil and its ethyl ester by volume with diesel was used. The fuel properties of the biodiesel blends were determined according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. Pure Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) was used as a reference fuel. The viscosity in the blends of loofah oil and its ethyl ester with AGO from B10 to B100 ranged from 4.5 - 43.1 mm2/s. It was observed that the viscosities of 10 - 40% loofah ester-diesel blends fell within limit specified by ASTM standards. The cloud points, the pour points and the flash points increased as the percentage of loofah oil and its ethyl ester increased in the blends. The specific gravity of all the loofah biodiesel blends ranged from 0.863 - 0.89 and fell within limit specified by international standards. The heating values of the loofah biodiesel blends decreased from 42.55 - 28.75 MJ/L. All the loofah biodiesel blends had sulphur contents ranging from 9.16 - 13.2% and lower than that of reference AGO. The ash content of all the biodiesel samples produced from loofah oil ranged from 0.01 - 0.02% and were lower compared to AGO obtained as 0.12. The blends of loofah ethyl ester (LEE) of B10 and B20 were found to have acceptable fuel properties to power compression ignition engines. Key words: Loofah ethyl esters, biodiesel, compression ignition engine, automotive gas oil (AGO).
The neural mechanisms underlying the aging-related enhancement of positive affects: electrophysiological evidences

Background: Previous studies reported that old adults, relative to young adults, showed improvement of emotional stability and increased experiences of positive affects. Methods: In order to better understand the neural underpinnings behind the aging-related enhancement of positive affects, it is necessary to investigate whether old and young adults differ in the threshold of eliciting positive or negative emotional reactions. However, no studies have examined emotional reaction differences between old and young adults by manipulating the intensity of emotional stimuli to date. To clarify this issue, the present study examined the impact of aging on the brain’s susceptibility to affective pictures of varying emotional intensities. We recorded event-related potentials (ERP) for highly negative (HN), mildly negative (MN) and neutral pictures in the negative experimental block; and for highly positive (HP), mildly positive (MP) and neutral pictures in the positive experimental block, when young and old adults were required to count the number of pictures, irrespective of the emotionality of the pictures. Results: Event-related potentials results showed that LPP (late positive potentials) amplitudes were larger for HN and MN stimuli compared to neutral stimuli in young adults, but not in old adults. By contrast, old adults displayed larger LPP amplitudes for HP and MP relative to neutral stimuli, while these effects were absent for young adults. In addition, old adults reported more frequent perception of positive stimuli and less frequent perception of negative stimuli than young adults. The post-experiment stimulus assessment showed more positive ratings of Neutral and MP stimuli, and reduced arousal ratings of HN stimuli in old compared to young adults. Conclusion: These results suggest that old adults are more resistant to the impact of negative stimuli, while they are equipped with enhanced attentional bias for positive stimuli. The implications of these results to the aging-related enhancement of positive affects were discussed.
A conceptualisation of 'psychological access to the Internet' : adolescents, gender and attitudes

This thesis describes the conceptualisation of a construct proposed here as Psychological Access to the Internet and presents the development and testing of an instrument to measure the construct amongst adolescent children in informal voluntary contexts at home and school. The rapid growth and permeation of ICT across UK society, particularly in education, has raised the question of whether previous gender inequities observed in relation to computers will transfer onto new media such as the Internet. This inequity has serious implications for individuals' full social, educational and professional participation. In order to conceptualise the construct fully, exploratory and investigative survey(n= 1 09) studies, followed by an interview study (n=30), researched and identified attributes theorised as contributing toward the overall construct. This was followed by a survey of 729 adolescent children, in which an instrument grounded in the previous studies was tested. The relationship of gender, Internet experience and context of use was examined with regard to measurement of psychological access to the Internet.Examination of the psychometric properties of the instrument established that it successfully demonstrated discriminative validity. Factor analysis identified convergent validity for scale items across three dimensions, suggesting three discrete subscales: Internet Confidence, Personal Relevance of the Internet, and Internet Friendship. A second-order factor analysis found one underlying factor, establishing that the instrument was measuring a global construct, investigated and defined by this thesis as psychological access to the Internet. The findings of the research carried out for this thesis show that gender, experience and context of use are important variables in the measurement of psychological access to the Internet. The continuing relevance of this thesis in light of educational policy in the UK is put forward.