Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The collagenic architecture of human dura mater.

OBJECT Human dura mater is the most external meningeal sheet surrounding the CNS. It provides an efficient protection to intracranial structures and represents the most important site for CSF turnover. Its intrinsic architecture is made up of fibrous tissue including collagenic and elastic fibers that guarantee the maintenance of its biophysical features. The recent technical advances in the repair of dural defects have allowed for the creation of many synthetic and biological grafts. However, no detailed studies on the 3D microscopic disposition of collagenic fibers in dura mater are available. The authors report on the collagenic 3D architecture of normal dura mater highlighting the orientation, disposition in 3 dimensions, and shape of the collagen fibers with respect to the observed layer. METHODS Thirty-two dura mater specimens were collected during cranial decompressive surgical procedures, fixed in 2.5% Karnovsky solution, and digested in 1 N NaOH solution. After a routine procedure, the specimens were observed using a scanning electron microscope. RESULTS The authors distinguished the following 5 layers in the fibrous dura mater of varying thicknesses, orientation, and structures: bone surface, external median, vascular, internal median, and arachnoid layers. CONCLUSIONS The description of the ultrastructural 3D organization of the different layers of dura mater will give us more information for the creation of synthetic grafts that are as similar as possible to normal dura mater. This description will be also related to the study of the neoplastic invasion.
Functional Properties of Microorganisms in Fermented Foods

Fermented foods have unique functional properties imparting some health benefits to consumers due to presence of functional microorganisms, which possess probiotics properties, antimicrobial, antioxidant, peptide production, etc. Health benefits of some global fermented foods are synthesis of nutrients, prevention of cardiovascular disease, prevention of cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, allergic reactions, diabetes, among others. The present paper is aimed to review the information on some functional properties of the microorganisms associated with fermented foods and beverages, and their health-promoting benefits to consumers.
Contemporary Czech Emerging Adults

Similarly to other European countries, in the Czech Republic scholars can identify a developmental stage of emerging adulthood. There has been a lack of studies describing subjective feelings and personal everyday experiences of young Czechs at this age. Results of the quantitative Study 1 indicate that two thirds of respondents experience the present time as the age of feeling in-between. Demographic and social characteristics are related to the subjective developmental status. Psychological characteristics also differentiate: Compared with emerging adults, the adults consider themselves as more emotionally stable, have a clearer idea about their future, and view adult life as more attractive. Qualitative Study 2 aims to specify feelings and experiences of contemporary emerging adults. The respondents especially emphasize the feeling of freedom, which may be viewed in connection with social changes in Czech society. However, often freedom correlates with anxieties and doubts concerning not only individual competencies and possibilities but also others' behavior.
Aging-Aware Energy-Efficient Workload Allocation for Mobile Multimedia Platforms

Multicore platforms are characterized by increasing variability and aging effects that imply heterogeneity in core performance, energy consumption, and reliability. In particular, wear-out effects such as negative-bias-temperature-instability require runtime adaptation of system resource utilization to time-varying and uneven platform degradation, so as to prevent premature chip failure. In this context, task allocation techniques can be used to deal with heterogeneous cores and extend chip lifetime while minimizing energy and preserving quality of service. We propose a new formulation of the task allocation problem for variability affected platforms, which manages per-core utilization to achieve a target lifetime while minimizing energy consumption during the execution of rate-constrained multimedia applications. We devise an adaptive solution that can be applied online and approximates the result of an optimal, offline version. Our allocator has been implemented and tested on real-life functional workloads running on a timing accurate simulator of a next-generation industrial multicore platform. We extensively assess the effectiveness of the online strategy both against the optimal solution and also compared to alternative state-of-the-art policies. The proposed policy outperforms state-of-the-art strategies in terms of lifetime preservation, while saving up to 20 percent of energy consumption without impacting timing constraints.
Institutional processes of organizational culture

Queries into the creation of collective meaning through social processes arise in both organization culture and institutional theory. This paper applies DiMaggio and Powell’s (1983) three isomorphic processes (mimetic, normative and coercive) from institutional theory to re‐think how structural and dynamic aspects of culture become nested, taken‐for‐granted and transmitted. We consider both acquiescence and resistance to isomorphic pressures in an effort to understand cultural persistence and transmission, forms of resistance to culture, change, the role of sub‐cultures and power usage through Oliver’s (1992) de‐institutionalization thesis. Our purpose in applying isomorphic processes to organizational culture is to offer another layer of understanding enhanced by the growing body of research in institutional theory, bridge one division between micro and macro theory and provide some suggestions for future research.
Social Interaction and Contextual Influences On Political Participation

Though individual-level attributes typically dominate models of political participation, many studies have shown that the social context also influences individuals' likelihood of participation. This article considers two questions concerning the impact of the social context on participation. First, it examines whether specific features of individuals' discussion networks (size, politicization, and homogeneity) influence their likelihood of participation. Second, it considers whether social interaction influences only participation that is socially based, as suggested by studies of the effects of aggregate contextual characteristics on participation. The analysis uses data from the 1976 American National Election Study, which is merged with 1970 census data. Social interaction affects participation in both individually based and socially based participation, although not always in the expected direction. Aggregate contextual measures are then used to replicate previous studies that established the distinction between individually based and socially based participation. That similar results are not obtained suggests that this distinction is not valid and that the social context is likely to influence all types of participation.
Anti‐Semitic Attitudes in Europe: A Comparative Perspective

The article uses available survey data to depict the depth and spread of anti-Semitic attitudes across Europe. The main assumption is that European anti-Semitism, both currently and historically, is closely tied to issues and crises of national self-identification; for this reason, social identity theory is employed to study the varying configurations of anti-Semitic prejudice. In most European countries, Jews are a small and socially integrated minority. Attitudes toward them are determined less by concrete experiences of cultural differences, or conflicts over scarce resources, but rather by a perceived threat to the national self-image. This leads to an accentuation of the pertinent prejudices that blame Jews to be responsible for that threat. This perspective brings to light considerable differences between Eastern and Western Europe and the continuing influence of national traditions.
Determining nodes for the Ginzburg-Landau equations of superconductivity

It is shown that a solution of the time-independent Ginzburg-Landau equations of superconductivity is determined completely and exactly by its values at a finite but sufficiently dense set of determining nodes in the domain. If the applied magnetic field is time dependent and asymptotically stationary, the large-time asymptotic behavior of a solution of the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations of superconductivity is determined similarly by its values at a finite set of determining nodes, whose positions may vary with time.
Task-specific minimum Bayes-risk decoding using learned edit distance

This paper extends the minimum Bayes-risk framework to incorporate a loss function specific to the task and the ASR system. The errors are modeled as a noisy channel and the parameters are learned from the data. The resulting loss function is used in the risk criterion for decoding. Experiments on a large vocabulary conversational speech recognition system demonstrate significant gains of about 1% absolute over MAP hypothesis and about 0.6% absolute over untrained loss function. The approach is general enough to be applicable to other sequence recognition problems such as in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and in analysis of biological sequences.
Chemical Synthesis and Biological Activity of The Gelatinase Biosynthesis-Activating Pheromone of Enterococcus faecalis and Its Analogs

An 11-residue peptide lactone, termed the gelatinase biosynthesis-activating pheromone (GBAP), triggers the production of the pathogenicity-related extracellular proteases, gelatinase and serine protease, in Enterococcus faecalis. In this study, we synthesized GBAP and its analogs and examined their gelatinase biosynthesis-inducing activity. This study on the structure-activity relationship shows that a lactone ring was indispensable for the activity.
Temporal Changes in Ebola Transmission in Sierra Leone and Implications for Control Requirements: a Real-time Modelling Study

Background: Between August and November 2014, the incidence of Ebola virus disease (EVD) rose dramatically in several districts of Sierra Leone. As a result, the number of cases exceeded the capacity of Ebola holding and treatment centres. During December, additional beds were introduced, and incidence declined in many areas. We aimed to measure patterns of transmission in different regions, and evaluate whether bed capacity is now sufficient to meet future demand. Methods: We used a mathematical model of EVD infection to estimate how the extent of transmission in the nine worst affected districts of Sierra Leone changed between 10th August 2014 and 18th January 2015. Using the model, we forecast the number of cases that could occur until the end of March 2015, and compared bed requirements with expected future capacity. Results: We found that the reproduction number, R, defined as the average number of secondary cases generated by a typical infectious individual, declined between August and December in all districts. We estimated that R was near the crucial control threshold value of 1 in December. We further estimated that bed capacity has lagged behind demand between August and December for most districts, but as a consequence of the decline in transmission, control measures caught up with the epidemic in early 2015. Conclusions: EVD incidence has exhibited substantial temporal and geographical variation in Sierra Leone, but our results suggest that the epidemic may have now peaked in Sierra Leone, and that current bed capacity appears to be sufficient to keep the epidemic under-control in most districts.
Tertiary Students' Perceptions of their Learning Environments: A New Procedure and Some Outcomes

ABSTRACT The use of student perceptions in improving teaching and learning is briefly reviewed along with an analysis of potential limitations of procedures commonly used to gather those perceptions. An alternative procedure, the Perceptions of Learning Environments Questionnaire (PLEQ), is suggested in an attempt to overcome the limitations. 1249 students from ten schools in five faculties at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane. Australia were given the opportunity, using the semi‐structured but open‐ended format of the PLEQ, to write about events that they felt helped or hindered their learning ('statements')‐ In each case, they were also asked to indicate why ('reasons'). The data were classified into 55 categories of ‘statements’ and 47 categories of ‘reasons’ where each category had a positive and negative dimension. Analysis of the students' views indicate that, for them, effective teaching is relevant, experiential and interactive while ineffective teaching lacks structure, is.
A novel approach emphasising intra-operative superficial margin enhancement of head-neck tumours with narrow-band imaging in transoral robotic surgery

SUMMARY The primary goal of surgical oncology is to obtain a tumour resection with disease-free margins. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for surgical treatment of head-neck cancer is commensurate with standard treatments. However, the likelihood of positive margins after TORS is up to 20.2% in a recent US survey. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and the feasibility of narrow-band imaging (NBI) during TORS in order to improve the ability to achieve disease-free margins during tumour excision. The present study was conducted at the ENT, Head- Neck Surgery and Oral Surgery Unit, Department of Special Surgery, Morgagni Pierantoni Hospital, Azienda USL Romagna. From March 2008 to January 2015, 333 TORS were carried out for malignant and benign diseases. For the present study, we retrospectively evaluated 58 biopsy-proven squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent TORS procedures. Patients were divided into 2 groups: (1) 32 who underwent TORS and intra-operative NBI evaluation (NBI-TORS); (2) 21 who underwent TORS with standard intra-operative white-light imaging (WLITORS). Frozen section analysis of margins on surgical specimens showed a higher rate of negative superficial lateral margins in the NBI-TORS group compared with the WLI-TORS group (87.9% vs. 57.9%, respectively, p = 0.02). The sensitivity and specificity of intra-operative use of NBI, respectively, were 72.5% and 66.7% with a negative predictive value of 87.9%. Tumour margin enhancement provided by NBI associated with magnification and 3-dimensional view of the surgical field might increase the capability to achieve an oncologically-safe resection in challenging anatomical areas where minimal curative resection is strongly recommended for function preservation.
Personalized Medicine and Imaging Serum Interleukin-8 Re fl ects Tumor Burden and Treatment Response across Malignancies of Multiple Tissue Origins

Purpose: Interleukin-8 (IL8) is a chemokine produced by malignant cells of multiple cancer types. It exerts various functions in shaping protumoral vascularization and inflammation/immunity. We evaluated sequential levels of serum IL8 in preclinical tumor models and in patients to assess its ability to estimate
Reconciling the Return Predictability Evidence

Evidence of stock return predictability by financial ratios is still controversial as documented by inconsistent results for in-sample and out-of-sample regressions as well as substantial parameter instability. This paper shows that these seemingly incompatible results can be reconciled if the assumption of a fixed steady state mean of the economy is relaxed. We find strong empirical evidence in support of shifts in the steady state and propose simple methods to adjust financial ratios for such shifts. The forecasting relationship of adjusted price ratios and future returns is statistically significant, stable over time and present in out-of-sample tests. We also show that shifts in the steady state are responsible for parameter instability and poor out-of-sample performance of unadjusted price ratios that is found in the data. Our conclusions hold for a variety of financial ratios and are robust to changes in the econometric technique used to estimate shifts in the steady state.
Contiguous organ resection is safe in patients with retroperitoneal sarcoma: An ACS‐NSQIP analysis

The practice of aggressive contiguous organ resection (COR) of retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) is controversial. We examined rates of 30‐day morbidity and mortality following resection of RPS utilizing data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS‐NSQIP) database.
Attachment to God: Measurement and Dynamics

The present study was conducted to explore the attachment to God construct. A new measure of this construct was developed using the conceptual foundations of attachment theory, comprising four aspects (God as a safe haven, God as a secure base for exploration, seeking/maintaining proximity to God, and responding to separation from God). This measure was examined in terms of its internal properties as well as subjected to validation assessments. In terms of internal properties, the measure demonstrated good item and scale characteristics. Results indicated that God attachment was a unitary construct, even with its different aspects. In terms of validation, God attachment was distinguished from religious belief and practice, and also from father and mother attachments. In terms of links with particular correlates, attachment to God provided for incremental validity (over and above attachment to father and to mother) for optimism.
p21 as a Transcriptional Co-Repressor of S-Phase and Mitotic Control Genes

It has been previously described that p21 functions not only as a CDK inhibitor but also as a transcriptional co-repressor in some systems. To investigate the roles of p21 in transcriptional control, we studied the gene expression changes in two human cell systems. Using a human leukemia cell line (K562) with inducible p21 expression and human primary keratinocytes with adenoviral-mediated p21 expression, we carried out microarray-based gene expression profiling. We found that p21 rapidly and strongly repressed the mRNA levels of a number of genes involved in cell cycle and mitosis. One of the most strongly down-regulated genes was CCNE2 (cyclin E2 gene). Mutational analysis in K562 cells showed that the N-terminal region of p21 is required for repression of gene expression of CCNE2 and other genes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays indicated that p21 was bound to human CCNE2 and other p21-repressed genes gene in the vicinity of the transcription start site. Moreover, p21 repressed human CCNE2 promoter-luciferase constructs in K562 cells. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the CDE motif is present in most of the promoters of the p21-regulated genes. Altogether, the results suggest that p21 exerts a repressive effect on a relevant number of genes controlling S phase and mitosis. Thus, p21 activity as inhibitor of cell cycle progression would be mediated not only by the inhibition of CDKs but also by the transcriptional down-regulation of key genes.
The Moral Dimensions of Teaching

"[The authors] artfully piece together important essays in educational policy and philosophy. The book deals in detail with such issues as teacher professionalization, moral responsibility of public schools, accountability, and ethical codes of practice. Must reading for teachers, administrators, and professors in schools and departments of education. " "--Choice"
Taking into Account User Appropriation and Development to Design Energy Consumption Feedback

This paper reports on a study of the long-term appropriation of home energy displays. We hypothesize that learning underlies the sustained use of these devices and that it is therefore important to consider how user needs and competence develop over time to design engaging and appropriable systems. Our preliminary results show that displays prompt reflexivity about energy issues and, as questions emerge, they need to be addressed by a range of adapted systems (eco-feedback systems, control systems and relational programs).
Self-Initiated Learning

The study verifies in a national probability sample some of the findings of Tough and associates regarding self-initiated and self-planned learning. The in strumentation of this field research survey advances the art a step beyond the in- depth probings of more limited samples and makes available a data base for com parative investigations. About 80% of the American population 18 years and older perceive themselves to be continuing learners, and involvement in self-initiated learning projects is almost as high (76%). The reasons uncovered for planning one's own learning project are new and indicate great emphasis upon setting one's own pace within an individually determined learning style.
The neocortical microcircuit collaboration portal: a resource for rat somatosensory cortex

We have established a multi-constraint, data-driven process to digitally reconstruct, and simulate prototypical neocortical microcircuitry, using sparse experimental data. We applied this process to reconstruct the microcircuitry of the somatosensory cortex in juvenile rat at the cellular and synaptic levels. The resulting reconstruction is broadly consistent with current knowledge about the neocortical microcircuit and provides an array of predictions on its structure and function. To engage the community in exploring, challenging, and refining the reconstruction, we have developed a collaborative, internet-accessible facility-the Neocortical Microcircuit Collaboration portal (NMC portal; https://bbp.epfl.ch/nmc-portal). The NMC portal allows users to access the experimental data used in the reconstruction process, download cellular and synaptic models, and analyze the predicted properties of the microcircuit: six layers, similar to 31,000 neurons, 55 morphological types, 11 electrical types, 207 morpho-electrical types, 1941 unique synaptic connection types between neurons of specific morphological types, predicted properties for the anatomy and physiology of similar to 40 million intrinsic synapses. It also provides data supporting comparison of the anatomy and physiology of the reconstructed microcircuit against results in the literature. The portal aims to catalyzee consensus on the cellular and synaptic organization of neocortical microcircuitry (ion channel, neuron and synapse types and distributions, connectivity, etc.). Community feedback will contribute to refined versions of the reconstruction to be released periodically. We consider that the reconstructions and the simulations they enable represent a major step in the development of in silica neuroscience.
On capacity of deterministic wireless networks under node half-duplexity constraint

In this paper we study the maximum throughput of a single multicast session in wireless networks under a practical constraint that the nodes are half-duplex, i.e. they cannot transmit and receive at the same time. We adapt ¿deterministic channel model¿ proposed recently in for modeling wireless channel interference. The problem of finding the throughput capacity of a single multicast session has been studied analytically based on this channel model in; a cutset bound found and its achievability is proven under the assumption that the wireless nodes are full-duplex. Here, we derive a new cutset bound on the maximum multicast throughput of half-duplex networks and propose a network coding scheme to achieve the cutset bound.
UDP induces intestinal epithelial migration via the P2Y6 receptor

Extracellular nucleotides are released at high concentrations from damaged cells and function through P2 receptor activation. Intestinal epithelial restitution, which is defined as cell migration independent of cell proliferation, is an important initial step in the process of wound healing. In this study, we investigated the role of extracellular nucleotides in intestinal epithelial migratory responses.