Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An improved method for the collagen gel contraction assay

SummaryThe collagen gel contraction (CGC) assay is used frequently to study the cell-mediated reorganization of the extracellular matrix. In a typical CGC assay, cells embedded in a disk-shaped lattice (gel) of native type I collagen fibers compress the fibers and, consequently, reduce the diameter of the collagen disk within h or d. The degree to which the collagen is contracted is usually quantified by measurement of the diameter or the area of the disk. During CGC assays, friction or adhesion (or both) between gels and their culture containers can cause gels to be incompletely contracted or to acquire distorted shapes. Such occurrences degrade the reproducibility and reliability of measurements of gel dimensions. To address these problems, we developed an oil-supported collagen retraction (OSCR) assay that creates an environment of low friction and adhesion around the contracting collagen gel. The OSCR assay is accomplished with simple equipment and is easily performed, sensitive, and consistently yields fully contracted gels with minimal distortion.
Evaluating the impact of IT on pupils' achievements

It is proposed than any large scale investigation of this multi-faceted phenomena requires a range of methodologies and data types. The ImpacT study, an evaluation of pupils' achievements, teachers' practices, and schools' policies and resources, was conducted with 2300 pupils from 87 classrooms in primary and secondary schools in England and Wales. The work focussed on the school subjects of mathematics, science, geography, and English, and extends the research base to include longitudinal effects within subjects, cross-subject considerations of classroom use of IT, and the provision and use of hardware and software resources. Results from the component parts of the work were integrated to address the main theme(s). Overall indications were that in particular circumstances the use of IT had a highly positive impact on children's achievement, but this was not without substantial demands on teachers and schools.
Employment success of graduates: Relationships to biographical factors and job-seeking behaviours

In the field of graduate recruitment, there have been relatively few studies of the relationship between candidate attributes and decisions taken by graduate recruiters. Campion (1978) in America and Wingrove, Glendinning and Herriot (1984) in the U.K. have investigated pre-selection decisions based on application form data. Campion found that, out of 9 predictors, only grade point average and fraternity or sorority membership successfully discriminated between accepted and rejected forms. Wingrove et al. (1984) used a much larger number of variables and, while predictors varied both with the individual and the type of organization, educational achievement, work experience and leisure activities generally predicted success in pre-selection. As far as success at the interview itself is concerned, Keenan (1979) found that academic performance was significantly associated with success, but social class background was not. Keenan (1978, 1982) also reported tha graduates who were high on the personality traits of Machiavellianism and Intolerance of Ambiguity performed relatively poorly in selection interviews. In both of these studies the dependent variable was the interviewers' estimates of likely progress following an initial interview, rather than final employment outcomes. As far as the latter is concerned, the authors were only able to find one study of relevance in the literature. Carroll (1966) investigated the job seeking success of business studies graduates. Out of 19 predictors investigated, only appearance (relative handsomeness) and having had experience of office work were associated with success. The study reported here attempted to identify predictors of success in obtaining employment in a cross-section of graduates. Previous work summarized above indicated that biographical information (such as academic success and leisure activities) ought to be included as predictors. It seemed intuitively likely that the
Understanding the pathways to purpose: Examining personality and well-being correlates across adulthood

Although finding a purpose is almost universally accepted as a developmental achievement, relatively little research has sought to understand the potential means by which individuals do so. Using a newly developed measure, the current studies examined the personality and well-being profiles of individuals who reported following any of three different pathways to purpose: (1) proactive engagement, (2) reaction to significant life events, or (3) social learning. Across both emerging adult (n = 179) and adult (n = 307) samples, we demonstrated that individuals along these three pathways differ in theoretically meaningful ways. For instance, proactively engaged individuals report greater agency and openness to experience, while individuals who found a purpose primarily through reactive means are less likely to be exploring their life aims. Engagement with any pathway though coincided with greater well-being, due to the fact that following these paths may lead to a sense of purpose in life.
Highly Energy-Efficient SRAM With Hierarchical Bit Line Charge-Sharing Method Using Non-Selected Bit Line Charges

Low voltage SRAM at a near-threshold voltage has two major sources of power waste: excess bit line swing due to the random variation of transistors and dynamic power consumption of the bit line swing of non-selected columns. In order to overcome these waste power consumption issues and achieve the highest energy-efficient operation of low voltage SRAM, the new CSHBL technique and CCC techniques, which is the improved version of the CSHBL, have been proposed. An SRAM fabricated using 65 nm technology adopting the CSHBL achieved an energy consumption of 26.4 pJ/Access/Mbit, and that of 13.8 pJ/Acess/Mbit is achieved by the SRAM macro that adopted CCC with 40 nm technology. This energy consumption is lower than values in previous works.
Antecedents of older workers' motives for continuing to work

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify demographic and work‐related antecedents of the motives that influence the decision of older workers to remain in the workforce.Design/methodology/approach – A cross‐sectional study was conducted with three groups of respondents aged 50‐70 years: those in their career job (n=395); those employed in a bridge job (n=195); and those who were self‐employed (n=174). Findings – In general, the demographic variables (age, gender, marital status) predicted the financial motive for continuing to work whereas the work‐related variables (work centrality, career satisfaction, and perceived contribution/perceived reward of owning one's own business) predicted the work fulfillment and generativity motives. However, the pattern of relationships differed across the three groups of older workers.Research limitations/implications – The three groups could not be directly compared because of differences in some of the measures. Only one variable, work centrality, was a signif.
The Influence of Roles, Advocacy, and Adaptation to the Accounting Decision Environment

ABSTRACT: Decision makers often adapt strategies to specific task and context variables by balancing the need to make good decisions with the need to minimize cognitive effort. However, decision makers must have the requisite knowledge, based on training, to choose the most appropriate strategy. We extend the judgment and decision making literature by experimentally examining how training in specific professional roles (tax and audit) influences advocacy attitudes, and how the elements of the decision environment interact with these attitudes to influence accountants’ judgments. Results indicate that attitudes are moderated by the requirements of the specific decision environment. Specifically, judgments of accounting professionals in a tax decision environment closely mirror their attitudes, whereas in an audit decision environment, this relationship is significantly weaker, indicative of a moderating effect of the decision environment. Supplemental analysis indicates that tax professionals are more like.
The Effect of Acculturation on Ethnic Consumers’ Decision-Making Styles: An Empirical Analysis of Hispanic Consumers

ABSTRACT This study examines the effect of acculturation on ethnic consumers’ decision-making styles (CDMS) and posits that the extent of acculturation is manifested in their approaches to shopping. Specifically, it explores how the two dimensions of acculturation, ethnic identification and host culture identification, are associated with eight CDMS measured by Sproles and Kendall's (1986) Consumer Style Inventory. It also investigates the differences among four acculturation modes: assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization with respect to CDMS. Results from a sample of 318 U.S. Hispanic consumers indicate that ethnic identification and host culture identification predict different shopping orientations. Of the four acculturation modes, the separation group scored significantly higher than the other three groups with respect to brand consciousness, confusion due to overchoice, and habitual orientations. Results are explained in the context of consumers’ extent of confidence or uncertainty when navigating the host marketplace. Implications are discussed for segmentation, marketing, brand communication, as well as consumer policy making to effectively address the needs of ethnic consumers.
The Role of Contrast Categories in Natural Language Concepts

In this paper, seven experiments are described in which the effect of contrast categories on the within-category structure of superordinate and basic level natural language concepts was studied. Intension-based and extension-based predictors originating from both the target category and a contrast category were used to predict typicality ratings and response times in two different speeded categorization tasks. Virtually no evidence for contrast category effects was found in any of the experiments. These findings contrast with what one would expect based on results reported by Rosch and Mervis (1975) and on many exemplar models, in which a contrast category effect is explicitly assumed.
Application of HPLC in Disposition Study of A14-125I-Labeled Insulin in Mice

To describe quantitatively the in vivo distribution and elimination of insulin, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation was applied to the pharmacokinetic study of human insulin labeled with 125I at tyrosine A14 (A14-125I-insulin) as a tracer. Intact A14-125I-insulin levels were determined by HPLC and trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitation in plasma and various tissues after its intravenous bolus injection into mice. TCA precipitation consistently overestimated the intactness of A14-125I-insulin compared with HPLC, possibly due to the presence of both a TCA-precipitable intermediate degradation product of labeled insulin found in HPLC elution profiles and reported high-molecular-weight forms of labeled insulin in plasma. Thus, TCA precipitation gave a considerably lower total plasma clearance (Cltot) value than HPLC. The half-life of A14-125I-insulin was prolonged by a simultaneous injection of 8 U/kg unlabeled insulin, and labeled insulin behaved similarly to [14C]inulin (an extracellular fluid marker). The concentration time profiles of HPLC-separated labeled insulin in plasma were analyzed by a noncompartmental moment method, and both Cltot and steady-state apparent volume distribution (VDSS) of A14-125I-insulin were considerably decreased by unlabeled insulin coadministration. In particular, VDSS of labeled insulin decreased by 79%, similar to that of inulin (181 ml/kg), suggesting that the nonspecific binding of labeled insulin to tissues was so small that VD88 of labeled insulin was reduced to the extracellular fluid volume (∼20% of the body weight) when its receptor binding was blocked effectively by unlabeled insulin. This observation, together with the 63% reduction of CI,tot by unlabeled insulin coadministration, demonstrated that saturable, receptor-mediated processes of distribution and elimination are essentially involved in the pharmacokinetics of HPLC-separated A14-125I-insulin.
Maid in the USA

Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Intersection of Biography and History: My Intellectual Journey 2. Women's Work Is Never Done 3. Gender and Class in Domestic Work 4. Domestic Service and Women of Colour in the United States 5. Bonds of Sisterhood - Bonds of Oppression 6. The Struggle to Transform Domestic Labour 7. The Housework Dilemma After-word Notes Bibliography Index
The Nation-State and Violence

Introduction. 1. State, Society and Modern History. 2. The Traditional State: Domination and Military Power. 3. The Traditional State: Bureaucracy, Class, Ideology. 4. The Absolutist State and the Nation--State. 5. Capitalism, Industrialism and Social Transformation. 6. Capitalism and the State: From Absolutism to the Nation--State. 7. Administrative Power, Internal Pacification. 8. Class, Sovereignty and Citizenship. 9. Capitalist Development and the Industrialization of War. 10. Nation--States in the Global State System. 11. Modernity, Totalitarianism and Critical Theory. Notes. Bibliography. Index.
Design and Use of the Microsoft Excel Solver

In designing the spreadsheet optimizer that is bundled with Microsoft Excel, we and Microsoft made certain choices in designing its user interface, model processing, and solution algorithms for linear, nonlinear, and integer programs. We describe some of the common pitfalls users encounter and remedies available in the latest version of Microsoft Excel. The Solver has many applications and great impact in industry and education.
Spatial effects in hospital expenditures: A district level analysis

We use spatial econometric methods to analyse spillovers in hospital expenditures across Health Districts of the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy). We estimate spatial models that allow for global spillovers and distinguish between the expenditures associated with potentially inappropriate hospitalizations and those associated with complex medical procedures. We also investigate the relative contribution of geographical and institutional proximity in explaining spatial dependence, by explicitly modelling different connectivity structures and exploiting them to build alternative spatial weight matrices. We find that interactions largely differ between types of expenditures, with positive spatial effects for potentially inappropriate admissions, the effect being generally not significant for high-complexity expenditure. Relying on the estimated direct and indirect effects, we also test for the presence of spatial spillovers across districts. Finally, the paper draws policy implications for the public health planner.
Security Evaluation of Pattern Classifiers under Attack

Pattern classification systems are commonly used in adversarial applications, like biometric authentication, network intrusion detection, and spam filtering, in which data can be purposely manipulated by humans to undermine their operation. As this adversarial scenario is not taken into account by classical design methods, pattern classification systems may exhibit vulnerabilities, whose exploitation may severely affect their performance, and consequently limit their practical utility. Extending pattern classification theory and design methods to adversarial settings is thus a novel and very relevant research direction, which has not yet been pursued in a systematic way. In this paper, we address one of the main open issues: evaluating at design phase the security of pattern classifiers, namely, the performance degradation under potential attacks they may incur during operation. We propose a framework for empirical evaluation of classifier security that formalizes and generalizes the main ideas proposed in the literature, and give examples of its use in three real applications. Reported results show that security evaluation can provide a more complete understanding of the classifier's behavior in adversarial environments, and lead to better design choices.
Risk, conflict between parents and child adjustment in families experiencing persistent poverty in India

Abstract The study examines the effect of inter-parent marital conflict and other poverty-related risk factors on psychosocial adjustment of adolescents in families experiencing persistent poverty, on a sample of 245 rural intact families of Northwest India. The Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus 1979) was used to measure marital conflict in selected families. Psychosocial adjustment of adolescents was assessed from mother ratings on the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Edelbrock 1991). Inter-parent discord was significantly associated with all forms of conduct disorders among their children; however, it was weakly correlated to internalising behavior and moderately associated with externalised symptoms. Both gender groups were vulnerable if they came from conflicted homes, but the risk was even greater when the parent who engaged in verbally or physically aggressive behavior was of the opposite sex. Families’ multiple risk status showed significant correlation with both internal and external categories of behavioral problems in adolescents at-risk. Regression analysis indicated that wife’s verbal aggression and her age at child birth were the most damaging risk variables for adolescent adjustment. Wives’ verbal aggression was more detrimental for adolescent adjustment than husbands’ aggression. Differences in vulnerable and resilient adolescents’ exposure to risk factors showed that vulnerable adolescents exhibiting externalised symptoms were exposed to higher marital conflict, fathers’ alcohol abuse, and low status occupations. The adolescents experiencing a few risk factors were at lower risk for poor outcomes than their peers experiencing more stressors.
Clothing semiotics and the social construction of power relations

Henry David Thoreau once said: “It is an interesting question how far men would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes”. Indeed, clothes do much more than meet our physical and physiological needs. Clothes convey meanings in society beyond the superficial, enacting and even creating power relations between people. Considering the indispensability of clothes in our lives and the empowering, or disempowering, effects of clothes, this paper seeks to provide a framework with which clothing semiotics may be meaningfully explored and discussed.
Pandemic influenza and pediatric intensive care*

Objective: To assess the adequacy of preparedness planning for an influenza pandemic by modeling the pediatric surge capacity of healthcare facility and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) requirements over time. Governments and Public Health authorities have planned preparedness activities and training for a flu pandemic. PICU facilities will be the limiting factor in healthcare provision for children but detailed analyses for needs and demands in PICU care have not been published. Design: Based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization estimates and published models of the expected evolution of pandemic flu, we modeled the pediatric surge capacity of healthcare facility and PICU requirements over time. Various scenarios with different assumptions were explored. We compared these demands with estimates of maximal PICU capacity factoring in healthcare worker absenteeism as well as reported and more realistic estimates derived from semistructured telephone interviews with key stakeholders in ICUs in the study area. Setting: All hospitals and intensive care facilities in the Northern Region in The Netherlands with near 1.7 million inhabitants, of whom approximately 25% is <18 yrs. Measurements and Main Results: Using well-established modeling techniques, evidence-based medicine, and incorporating estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization, we show that PICU capacity may suffice during an influenza pandemic. Even during the peak of the pandemic, most children requiring PICU admission may be served, even those who have nonflu-related conditions, provided that robust indications and decision rules are maintained, both for admission, as well as continuation (or discontinuation) of life support. Conclusions: We recommend that a model, with assumptions that can be adapted with new information obtained during early stages of the pandemic that is evolving, be an integral part of a preparedness plan for a pandemic influenza with new human transmissible agent like influenza A virus.
Hematologic and clinical chemistry effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in laboratory animals.

Chlorodibenzo-p-dioxins, especially 2,3,7,8tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), are among the most toxic compounds known. These compounds are found as contaminants of technical chlorophenols and their derivatives. A variety of pathologic condition have been associated with the ingestion of products containing chlorodibenzo-p-dioxins. Toxic fat, the cause of chick edema disease (1, 2) and a variety of pathologic manifestations in monkeys (3), has been found to contain chlor3dibenzo-p-dioxins, among which is TCDD (4, 5). TCDD has been implicated in a variety of other toxicoses, including outbreaks of chloracne in chemical workers (6), hepatonecrosis in rabbits (6), and hepatonecrosis and thymic atrophy in rats (7). However, only in the studies in which monkeys were fed toxic fat (3) and in which rats were given TCDD orally (7, 8) were substantial clinical pathologic analyses performed. Toxic fat caused in the monkeys, among other lesions, anemia, leukopenia and hypoproteinemia. The hypoproteinemia was primarily due to decreased serum albumin concentration. The blood urea nitrogen
SHORT-DURATION FOCAL PATTERN GRID MACULAR PHOTOCOAGULATION FOR DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA: Four-Month Outcomes

Purpose: To evaluate the visual acuity (VA) and optical coherence tomography thickness results of short-duration pattern scanning laser macular photocoagulation in the treatment of clinically significant macular edema because of diabetes. Methods: Consecutive retrospective analysis of VA and optical coherence tomographic data from eyes treated in a modified Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study style using a short-duration pattern scanning laser. Results: A total of 100 eyes from 70 patients met study criteria. All subjects were treated with the same PASCAL (pattern scanning laser) photocoagulation unit. Parameters varied according to media and pigmentation status, but typical settings were 100-μm spot size, 10-millisecond pulse duration, 225-mW power, and 29 J/cm2 fluence to give a pale but visible lesion. At 4 months posttreatment, there was an average improvement in VA of 0.060 logMAR (an improvement from 20/45 to 20/40, or approximately 3 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters; P = 0.0007) and a reduction of central optical coherence tomographic thickness of 40 μm and 37 μm (spectral domain and time domain optical coherence tomography groups, respectively), both of which were statistically significant (P = 0.0049 and 0.012, respectively). Conclusion: Short-duration PASCAL macular photocoagulation has a biological treatment effect at 4 months for the treatment of clinically significant macular edema. While caution must be used when converting between different VA measurement methods and when using literature-based controls, the observed VA improvement seems equivalent to 3 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters. These findings are similar to the recently published results from the diabetic retinopathy clinical research network cohort. PASCAL laser photocoagulation for clinically significant macular edema appears safe and effective in the short term and may have significant long-term advantages.