Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibodies against Apoptotic Cells Present in End-stage Lung Disease Patients Do Not Correlate with Clinical Outcome after Lung Transplantation

Antibodies against HLA and non-HLA are associated with transplantation outcome. Recently, pretransplant serum IgG antibody levels against apoptotic cells were found to correlate with kidney allograft loss. We investigated the presence of these antibodies in lung transplantation (LTx) patients and evaluated the correlation of pre-LTx serum levels of IgG antibodies against apoptotic cells with LTx outcome. These cells included donor lung endothelial cells (ECs) obtained from lung perfusion fluid collected during LTx procedure. Cells were isolated, expanded in vitro, and analyzed as targets for antiapoptotic cell reactivity. Cultured cells exhibited EC morphology and were CD31+, CD13+, and vWF+. End-stage lung disease patients showed elevated serum IgG levels against apoptotic lung EC (p = 0.0018) compared to healthy controls. Interestingly, the levels of circulating antibodies directed against either apoptotic Jurkat cells or apoptotic lung ECs did not correlate, suggesting a target cell specificity. We observed no correlation between chronic or acute rejection and pre-LTx serum levels of antiapoptotic antibodies. Also, these levels did not differ between matched patients developing chronic rejection or not during follow-up or at the time of diagnosis, as they remained as high as prior to transplantation. Thus, circulating levels of antiapoptotic cell antibodies are elevated in end-stage lung disease patients, but our data do not correlate with outcome after LTx.
Awakening employee creativity in organisations

Researchers increasingly note that employees’ creativity is the result of the interplay between various factors in an organizational context and employees’ individual characteristics. However, few studies have thus far addressed the effects of contextual factors on the link between individual predictors and employees’ creativity. In this paper, we argue that one reason for this is a lack of clear theory and frameworks that capture interactional effects on creativity. To address this gap, we propose using the ability-motivation-opportunity (AMO) theory to conceptualize the different interactions that are able to maximize employee creativity. We use the AMO theory to first conceptualize abilityenhancing practices as personal predictors, and motivationand opportunityenhancing practices as contextual predictors. Next, we depict combination and multiplicative models that can explain how motivationand opportunityenhancing practices separately and jointly accentuate the main influences of ability-enhancing practices on creativity. Based on the extant research, we show that the combination model can explain higher levels of creativity and the multiplicative model is able to explain the highest level of creativity.
The differences in perception of police procedures by the Roma and local woman

As recent foreign researches show that the victims of extremistic delict need on average more time to recover from the assault, and that they are less satisfied with the treatment of the police than other victims, the aim of this paper is to find the answer to the question on how differently the women victims from the Roma minority group (N=80) percieve police procedures from local women (N=80), both living in Istria, Republic of Croatia. The obtained indicators can confirm the set hypothesis. It can be concluded that there are differences in perception of police procedures by the Roma and local women, in the sense that the Roma women think that the police often exceed their authority, while local women, more often than the Roma ones, talk about some positive characteristics of police procedures and personal characteristics of police officers. This research represents a step toward the role of female members of the Roma community from objects to subjects of criminal law and social security. The scientific and applicative value of this research’s results are the guidelines which it gives for the creation and implementation of measures for the protection of families, women, children and youths belonging to the Roma minority group of the Istrian County, Republic of Croatia.
Do I Pass to My Friend or The Best Player? The Influence of Psychological Variables on Passing and Performance in Field Hockey

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship of player-passing in field hockey with friendship affiliation, cohesiveness and performance. Indicators measured were; Performance (end of season results), Team A (N = 15) (61%wins) and Team B (N = 12) (27% wins); Cohesiveness was measured using the GEQ (Carron et al, 1985); Playerpassing through notational analysis of match play and friendship affiliation using a socialisation questionnaire. Results suggested that the higher ranked team had greater cohesion and friendship affiliation. The ‘degree to which the team likes the individual’ was shown to have a strong correlation with objective measures of performance. There was a strong relationship between passing and friendship affiliation. Lower ranked team passed most to their ‘perceived best’ player, whereas high ranking team passed to a wider range of players, implying they chose to pass to their ‘best placed’ rather than ‘perceived best’ players. The implications for team sport coaches is to encourage opportunities in training for players to develop positive friendship affiliation to take advantage of its positive influence on player-passing decision-making during match play.
Automatic Speech Recognition Technique for Bangla Words

Automatic recognition of spoken words is one of the most challenging tasks in the field of speech recognition. The difficulty of this task is due to the acoustic similarity of many of the words and their syllabi. Accurate recognition requires the system to perform fine phonetic distinctions. This paper presents a technique for recognizing spoken words in Bangla. In this study we first derive feature from spoken words. This paper presents some technique for recognizing spoken words in Bangla. In this work we use MFCC, LPC, GMM and DTW.
Polarized infrared emission from X-ray binary jets★

Near-infrared (NIR) and optical polarimetric observations of a selection of X-ray binaries are presented. The targets were observed using the Very Large Telescope and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. We detect a significant level (3 sigma) of linear polarization in four sources. The polarization is found to be intrinsic (at the > 3 sigma level) in two sources; GRO J1655-40 (similar to 4-7 per cent in the H and K-s bands during an outburst) and Sco X-1 (similar to 0.1-0.9 per cent in the H and K bands), which is stronger at lower frequencies. This is likely to be the signature of optically thin synchrotron emission from the collimated jets in these systems, whose presence indicates that a partially ordered magnetic field is present at the inner regions of the jets. In Sco X-1, the intrinsic polarization is variable (and sometimes absent) in the H and K bands. In the J band (i.e. at higher frequencies), the polarization is not significantly variable and is consistent with an interstellar origin. The optical light from GX 339-4 is also polarized, but at a level and position angle consistent with scattering by interstellar dust. The other polarized source is SS 433, which has a low level (0.5-0.8 per cent) of J-band polarization, likely due to local scattering. The NIR counterparts of GRO J0422+32, XTE J1118+480, 4U 0614+09 and Aql X-1 (which were all in or near quiescence) have a linear polarization level of < 16 per cent (3 sigma upper limit, some are < 6 per cent). We discuss how such observations may be used to constrain the ordering of the magnetic field close to the base of the jet in such systems.
Delayed treatment of symptomatic breast cancer: the experience from Kaduna, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND A cross-sectional study carried out at a teaching hospital in Kaduna, Nigeria, to investigate the extent and reasons for the delay between onset of symptoms and admission for treatment of symptomatic breast cancer. METHODS The patients had histologically proven breast cancer and had been admitted for treatment. Data were obtained from interviews and patients' clinical and referral records. RESULTS One hundred and eleven consecutive breast cancer patients were interviewed from July 2003 to June 2005. Only 12 (10.8%) could be admitted for treatment within a month of onset of symptoms. Delays were significantly associated with younger patients, elementary or no Western education, and domicile outside the Kaduna metropolitan area. Patients who were referred from, or received initial treatment at, peripheral hospitals had longer delays than those who came for first consultation at the teaching hospital. The proportion of early breast cancer cases (stages I and II) decreased from 45.9% at diagnosis to 25.2% at treatment, as concerns about mastectomy and hospital treatment led a significant number of the patients to temporarily abandon hospital treatment for alternatives, only to return with advanced cancers. The predominant reasons among the 99 patients who had delays of more than a month before admission were: ignorance of the seriousness of a painless breast lump (47.5%), non-acceptance of hospital treatment (46.5%), and preference for traditional treatment (38.4%). A significant number of patients referred from peripheral hospitals had inappropriate surgeries and biopsy management which contributed to the advanced stage on admission. CONCLUSION This study shows that delayed treatment of symptomatic breast cancer at this centre in Nigeria is as much related to the quality of medical care as it is to local beliefs, ignorance of the disease, and lack of acceptance of orthodox treatment.
Fair channel-dependent scheduling in CDMA systems

In this study a scheduling algorithm for CDMA systems is presented which is a trade-off between two extreme ways of scheduling: C/I based and Round-Robin scheduling. The simulation results indeed display that the advantages of both these extremes have been combined in the new algorithm: a good fairness, comparable to that of the Round-Robin scheduling, together with almost the same power gain as reached in the C/I based scheduling.
Increased distractibility by task-irrelevant sound changes in abstinent alcoholics.

BACKGROUND Chronic alcoholism is accompanied by "frontal" neuropsychological deficits that include an inability to maintain focus of attention. This might be associated with pronounced involuntary attention shifting to task-irrelevant stimulus changes and, thereafter, an impaired reorienting to the relevant task. The neural abnormalities that underlie such deficits in alcoholics were explored with event-related potential (ERP) components that disclosed different phases of detection and orienting to stimulus changes. METHODS Twenty consecutive abstinent male alcoholics (DSM-IV) and 20 age-matched male controls (healthy social drinkers) were instructed to discriminate equiprobable 100 and 200 msec tones in a reaction-time task (RT) and to ignore occasional, either slight (7%) or wide (70%), frequency changes (hypothesized to increase RT) during an ERP measurement. RESULTS In the alcoholics, we found pronounced distractibility, evidenced by a RT lag (p < 0.01) caused by deviants, that correlated (Spearman p = 0.5) with a significantly enhanced (p < 0.01) amplitude of mismatch negativity (MMN) to deviants. Significantly increased RT lag for trials subsequent to deviants (slight p < 0.001, wide p < 0.05) in the alcoholics suggested impaired reorienting to the relevant task. The MMN enhancement also predicted poorer hit rates in the alcoholics (Spearman p = 0.6-0.7). Both the MMN enhancement and pronounced distractibility correlated (Spearman p = 0.4) with an early onset of alcoholism. CONCLUSIONS Attentional deficits in the abstinent alcoholics were indicated by the increased distractibility by irrelevant sound changes. The MMN enhancement suggested that this reflects impaired neural inhibition of involuntary attention shifting, being most pronounced in early-onset alcoholics.
Silencing CAPN2 Expression Inhibited Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Cells Proliferation and Invasion via AKT/mTOR Signal Pathway

The mRNA expression of CAPN2 was upregulated in CRPC cells (DU145 and PC3) than that in non-CRPC cells. Silencing CAPN2 expression could inhibit DU145 and PC3 cells proliferation by cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. Knockdown of CPAN2 level suppressed the migration and invasion capacity of CRPC cells by reducing matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 activation, as well as repressing the phosphorylation protein expression of AKT and mTOR. In addition, we found that the expression of CAPN2 was elevated in Pca tissues than that in normal control tissues. Therefore, we showed the important roles of CAPN2 in the development and progression in CRPC cells, suggesting a new therapeutic intervention for treating castration-resistant prostate cancer patients.
Startling Mosaicism of the Y-Chromosome and Tandem Duplication of the SRY and DAZ Genes in Patients with Turner Syndrome

Presence of the human Y-chromosome in females with Turner Syndrome (TS) enhances the risk of development of gonadoblastoma besides causing several other phenotypic abnormalities. In the present study, we have analyzed the Y chromosome in 15 clinically diagnosed Turner Syndrome (TS) patients and detected high level of mosaicisms ranging from 45,XO:46,XY = 100:0% in 4; 45,XO:46,XY:46XX = 4:94:2 in 8; and 45,XO:46,XY:46XX = 50:30:20 cells in 3 TS patients, unlike previous reports showing 5–8% cells with Y- material. Also, no ring, marker or di-centric Y was observed in any of the cases. Of the two TS patients having intact Y chromosome in >85% cells, one was exceptionally tall. Both the patients were positive for SRY, DAZ, CDY1, DBY, UTY and AZFa, b and c specific STSs. Real Time PCR and FISH demonstrated tandem duplication/multiplication of the SRY and DAZ genes. At sequence level, the SRY was normal in 8 TS patients while the remaining 7 showed either absence of this gene or known and novel mutations within and outside of the HMG box. SNV/SFV analysis showed normal four copies of the DAZ genes in these 8 patients. All the TS patients showed aplastic uterus with no ovaries and no symptom of gonadoblastoma. Present study demonstrates new types of polymorphisms indicating that no two TS patients have identical genotype-phenotype. Thus, a comprehensive analysis of more number of samples is warranted to uncover consensus on the loci affected, to be able to use them as potential diagnostic markers.
Learning Experiences in Career Exploration and Decision-Making: A Test of the Career Self-Management Model

Title of Thesis: LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN CAREER EXPLORATION AND DECISION-MAKING: A TEST OF THE CAREER SELFMANAGEMENT MODEL Glenn Walter Ireland, Masters of Arts, 2017 Thesis Directed By: Robert Lent, Ph.D., CHSE Department The proposed study had two objectives. First, it refined a recently developed measure of five types of learning experiences that, according to social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent & Brown, 2013), inform self-efficacy and outcome expectations in the domain of career exploration and decision-making. Second, it used the new measure to test hypotheses that (a) career exploration and decisionmaking learning experiences predicted both career decision self-efficacy and outcome expectations, and (b) these learning experiences related to career exploration goals indirectly via self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Data were collected via an online survey from 215 college students in introductory psychology courses. Hypothesized relationships among the learning experiences, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and goals were tested using hierarchical linear regression. Nonparametric bootstrapping was used to test mediation (indirect effects) hypotheses. LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN CAREER EXPLORATION AND DECISIONMAKING: A TEST OF THE CAREER SELF-MANAGEMENT MODEL By Glenn Walter Ireland Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts 2017 Advisory Committee: Robert Lent, Ph.D., Chair Clara Hill, Ph.D. Matt Miller, Ph.D. © Copyright by Glenn Walter Ireland 2017
A comparison of the mood state profiles of winning and losing female athletes

The purpose of the present research was to compare mood states profiles of winning and losing female athletes. The population of the research consisted of all the female participants in the TenthIntercollegiate Tournaments of the medical universities of Iran in Shahrekord City. The sample includes 69 student athletes from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Two questionnaires were used to collect data: a demographics questionnaire and Profile of Mood States (POMS). Paired t-test was applied at 95% confidence interval to examine the reliability of the questionnaire and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was applied to examine the normality of the data. The datawas described in tables and graphs and the hypotheses were tested using independent t-test and paired t-test. The results showed that there were 7 karatekas, 4 tennis players, 10 track-and-field athletes, 5 chess players, 5 badminton players, 12 basketball players, 7 shooters, 12 volleyball players, and 7 swimmers among the sample and their age ranged from 20 to 30. The results also showed that there is a significant difference between the mood state profiles of winning and losing athletes before and after the game. It was also revealed that the mood state profiles of winning athletes are more consistent with Morgan's iceberg profile.
Mechanical Perturbations of the Walking Surface Reveal Unaltered Axial Trunk Stiffness in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients

Introduction Patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) often demonstrate altered timing of thorax rotations in the transverse plane during gait. Increased axial trunk stiffness has been claimed to cause this movement pattern. Objectives The objective of this study was to assess whether axial trunk stiffness is increased in gait in CLBP patients. Methods 15 CLBP patients and 15 healthy controls walked on a treadmill that imposed rotational perturbations in the transverse plane. The effect of these perturbations on transverse pelvis, thorax and trunk (thorax relative to pelvis) rotations was evaluated in terms of residual rotations, i.e., the deviation of these movements from the unperturbed patterns. In view of the heterogeneity of the CLBP group, we additionally performed a subgroup comparison between seven patients and seven controls with maximal between-group contrast for timing of thorax rotations. Results Rotations of the walking surface had a clear effect on transverse pelvis, thorax and trunk rotations in all groups. No significant between-group differences on residual transverse pelvis, thorax and trunk rotations were observed. Conclusion Axial trunk stiffness in gait does not appear to be increased in CLBP. Altered timing of thorax rotations in CLBP does not seem to be a result of increased axial trunk stiffness.
Comparison of Relativistic Iron Line Models

The an alysis of the broad iron line profile in the X-ray spectra of active galactic nuclei and black hole X-ray binaries allows us to constrain the spin parameter of the black hole. We compare the constraints on the spin value for two X-ray sources, MCG-6-30-15 and GX 339-4, with a broad iron line using present relativistic line models in XSPEC — laor and kyrline. The laor model has the spin value set to the extremal value a = 0.9982, while the kyrline model enables direct fitting of the spin parameter. The spin value is constrained mainly by the lower boundary of the broad line, which depends on the inner boundary of the disc emission where the gravitational redshift is maximal. The position of the inner disc boundary is usually identified with the marginally stable orbit which is related to the spin value. In this way the laor model can be used to estimate the spin value. We investigate the consistency of the laor and kyrline models. We find that the spin values evaluated by both models agree within the general uncertainties when applied on the current data. However, the results are apparently distinguishable for higher quality data, such as those simulated for the International X-ray Observatory (IXO) mission. We find that the laor model tends to overestimate the spin value and furthermore, it has insufficient energy resolu- tion which affects the correct determination of the high-energy edge of the broad line.
Linking Ethnic Composition and Performance: Information Integration Between Majority and Minority Members

Often labeled a double-edged sword, diversity can not only trigger social categorization that dampens group cohesion and performance, but it can also increase available information resources and enhance group performance. The ways in which a group integrates information from diverse members play a central role in determining whether and how it can reap benefits from diversity. Guided by research in team diversity and relational demography, we take a diversity-as-disparity approach and focus on the extent of information integration between majority- and minority-status members in a group. Specifically, drawing from social network research, we examine whether majority–minority information brokerage equality mediates the impact of ethnic composition on group performance. Based on data from 540 employees in 34 work groups from a Chinese organization, we find that majority–minority information brokerage equality mediates the impact of ethnic composition on performance but only when group climate is high. We also discuss theoretical and practical implications.
State estimation of Quadruple tank sytesm using non linear estimator

This investigation deals about the estimation of a Quadurple tank system. Estimation process used to measure the difference between the sensor output and estimated output, thus the resultant will show the capability of the system performance for the given input. Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) is one of the estimation technique used for estimating the non-linear system, will estimate the future state of the system and determines the error involved in the system. Also this paper justifies that UKF is worthwhile than the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). Due to various drawbacks that have been noted in the EKF, thus there is a switch over to the UKF which does not linearize the non-linear function and it is free from calculating the Jacobianmatix, taylor series expansion.