Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calcium movement and membrane potential changes in the early phase of neutrophil activation by phorbol myristate acetate: a study with ion- selective electrodes

To quantitate calcium movements and membrane potential changes in stimulated neutrophils, we have measured net fluxes of Ca2+ and of the lipophilic cation tetraphenyl phosphonium by a very sensitive ion- selective electrode system. Activation of neutrophils by 3 X 10(-8) M phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate induces a release of approximately 20% of total cell calcium, with an initial lag period of less than 10 s. The Ca2+ outflux is markedly reduced in ATP-depleted cells and in the presence of a calmodulin inhibitor, thereby suggesting that it occurs by activation of the ATP-driven Ca2+ pump of the neutrophil plasmalemma. Activation of neutrophils also induces a transiently increased exchange of medium 45Ca with cell calcium, which is measurable a few seconds after cell exposure to the stimulant and peaks at approximately 40 s. Stimulation of neutrophils after attainment of steady-state accumulation of tetraphenyl phosphonium (resting potential of -67 mV) results in a marked depolarization, with a lag period of approximately 60 s. The rate and extent of depolarization are reduced by 40 and 65%, respectively, in a low Na+ medium but are not modified by an inhibitor of anion exchange across membranes. A high-K+ medium depolarizes neutrophils without either modifying their resting oxidative metabolism or impairing stimulability by the phorbol ester. Phorbol 12-myristate, which also exhibits no effect on the oxidative metabolism of neutrophils, does not induce Ca2+ extrusion and membrane potential changes. The causal relationship between Ca2+ mobilization, membrane potential changes and activation of neutrophil functions is discussed.
Effective teamworking: can functional flexibility act as an enhancing factor? An Australian case study

– Two of the most sought after properties in today's dynamic and competitive manufacturing environment are labour flexibility and effective teamworking. This is due in no small part to the growth of modern manufacturing philosophies which strongly advocate the need for both teamwork and flexibility. This paper aims to explore the impact of two labour flexibility strategies (functional flexibility and intra‐cell flexibility) on teamwork in a cellular manufacturing environment. , – Using a revised input/process/output (IPO) team effectiveness model a questionnaire was designed and a case study undertaken at a large Australian manufacturer. The knowledge, skills, and ability (KSAs) gained from job rotation (flexibility) was quantitatively tested against team processes and team performance. , – It was found that functional flexibility had an overall stronger, significant effect on the five team processes tested (communication, conflict resolution, problem solving, goals and performance, tasks and planning) than did intra‐cell flexibility. In regards to output (team performance) functional flexibility performed better in areas such as customer delivery, inventory holdings and quality, while intra‐cell flexibility performed better in the area of absenteeism. An inconclusive result was obtained for the fifth output measure, efficiency rate. , – The study was conducted at a single organisation, which limits the generalisation of the outcomes, therefore broader research on the area is recommended. , – The study provides evidence that the individual benefits of both functional flexibility and teamworking may be enhanced while being practised concurrently. With labour flexibility and teamwork being key factors in most modern organisations, the practical implications are much wider than the field of manufacturing. , – Individually, the literature offers much on teamworking and flexibility but studies exploring the combined effects of these two important elements are rare, especially in the field of manufacturing. The present paper fills some of the gaps
Evaluating regulatory and market frameworks for energy storage deployment in electricity grids with high renewable energy penetration

Investment volumes in renewable energies in Germany are far ahead of the necessary infrastructure to integrate them into both the electricity market and the grid. For storages and other technologies offering flexibilities the current regulatory framework and the market design in Germany remain a barrier for upcoming investments. In this paper regulatory barriers for an economically efficient energy storage deployment are presented and evaluated using a generic optimization model for a multifunctional operation of storage technologies on electricity markets capable to consider different market and regulatory design changes. Due to the rising significance of grid restrictions for the integration of intermittent resources and upcoming new innovative storage technologies on distribution grid level, the electricity grid was integrated into the model. Such an approach enables a quantitative analysis of interaction between market operation and grid congestion. This is shown using a 110kV high-voltage grid in the North of Germany as a representative congested grid with ongoing curtailments due to high wind energy penetration. Storage technologies - and also other measures as demand-side and generation management - will need a flexible market and a sophisticated regulatory design in order to significantly add value to the future energy system.
Students’ perception of teacher’s knowledge of subject matter and reading comprehension performance of SS 3 students in Cross River State, Nigeria

The study used the ex post facto design to find out the influence of student’s perception of teacher’s knowledge of the subject matter on the Senior Secondary Three (SS 3) students’ performance in reading comprehension. Questionnaires reading comprehension test were used in eliciting data. The data were subsequently analysed using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The sample consisted of 1500 SS3 students of the 2007/2008 academic session randomly selected from 30 secondary schools in Cross River State. The findings indicated that there is a significant influence of students’ perception of teachers’ knowledge of subject matter as perceived by students on reading comprehension performance of SS3 students.
An examination of the relations between hippocampal long‐term potentiation, kindling, afterdischarge, and place learning in the water maze

Two approaches were used to study the relations between the acquisition of place learning in the Morris water maze and long‐term potentiation (LTP), kindling, and afterdischarge (AD). In the first, the possibility of behavioral LTP in the dentate gyrus field potential evoked by stimulation of the perforant path was evaluated in rats that showed robust place learning in the water maze. There was no effect of place learning on the field potential, and field potential measures did not correlate with place learning acquisition measures. In the second approach, the effect of bilateral saturation of LTP on subsequent place learning in the water maze task, begun within 5 minutes of the last LTP session, was evaluated. The effect of kindled seizures evoked bilaterally from the perforant path, or of a single unilateral AD, on acquisition of the water maze task (begun within 10 minutes) were also evaluated. Bilateral LTP saturation did not affect place learning, and the bilateral LTP group learned as readily as controls. In contrast, the kindled and AD groups were severely impaired in their performance of the place learning task. A second day of training in the water maze without any further electrical stimulation indicated that these groups had acquired considerable information on the first day of maze training and were not distinguishable from controls on the second day of training. This indicated that the deficit in these groups on the first day of training was temporary and likely resulted from a temporary perturbation of normal brain function due to the seizures. The results indicate that bilateral saturation of LTP in the dentate gyrus does not affect place learning in the water maze. They also indicate that recent hippocampal seizures, but not kindling, disrupt place learning in this task.
On The Identification of Utility and Attention Based on Discrete-Continuous Choice

Models of consumer decision making often condition on attention to the different offers or alternatives to choose from. However, in many environments offers not only compete through their utility but also for the attention of decision makers. In this case, it is important to distinguish between attention and utility - it makes a difference whether an offering is overlooked, or rejected conditional on awareness - for optimal marketing control and empirical measures of competition. We show how discrete-continuous choices, in contrast to multinomial choices, facilitate the empirical distinction between attention and utility, and more generally the identification of two-stage decision models. In our illustrative application we analyze choices from simulated store shelves. We find that the number of facings of a brand on the shelf influence attention to, but not utility from the brand. We then formulate a parametric model that identifies attention based considerations sets and document clearly misleading inferences from a model that ignores attention and motivates choices from utility only.
Visual recognition memory: a predictor of later cognitive functioning in preterms.

A number of preterms who had participated in a study of visual recognition memory when they were 6 months of age were seen at older ages to assess the predictive validity of the early visual measures for cognitive outcome. The Bayley scales were administered at 6, 12, and 24 months, the Stanford-Binet at 34 and 40 months, and the WISC-R at 6 years. Novelty scores, which reflect the relative amount of time infants look at new compared to familiar stimuli, constituted the measure of infant visual processing. These scores, obtained by averaging over performance on the 3 or 4 problems administered at 6 months of age, were consistently and significantly related to cognitive measures from 24 months to 6 years, with correlations ranging from r = . 53 to r = . 66. Parental education, which was unrelated to novelty scores, bore a strong relationship to outcome beginning at 24 months. Although both measures contributed uniquely to the variance in cognitive outcome at 24 months and 6 years, visual novelty scores made a stronger contribution than did parental education. Neither 6- nor 12-month Bayley scores, nor various perinatal variables, were related to outcome.
Pancreatic Resections for Solid or Cystic Pancreatic Masses in Children

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the diagnosis and management of solid pancreatic neoplasm in children and the type of surgical treatment, focusing on short- and long-term outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all children who had undergone pancreatic resection for suspicion of pancreatic tumor in Kremlin Bicêtre Hospital, Paris, between 1986 and 2008. We studied the symptoms at diagnosis, the type of surgery, and the short- and long-term morbidity and mortality. Results: Of 18 patients identified, there were 7 pseudopapillary tumors, 3 neuroblastomas, 2 rhabdomyosarcomas, 1 acinar cell carcinoma, 1 endocrine cell carcinoma, 1 renal angiomyolipoma, and 3 pancreatic cysts. Symptoms at diagnosis were abdominal trauma, abdominal mass, and jaundice. Operative procedures were duodenopancreatectomy (11), mid-pancreatic resections (2), splenopancreatectomy (2), distal pancreatectomy (1), and tumorectomy (2). There were no deaths related to surgery. The postoperative morbidity rate was 45%, including 2 cases of fistula (11%) occurring after a mid-pancreatic resection and a pancreaticoduodenectomy. The median follow-up was 4.2 years (range 2–11). There was no diabetes mellitus, but there was 1 case of fat diet intolerance requiring pancreatic enzyme substitution. All of the children had a growth curve within normal limits. Conclusions: In this experience, pancreatic resections have proven to be a safe and efficient procedure, with low long-term morbidity, for the treatment of tumoral and selected nontumoral pancreatic masses.
Mechanistic Studies for Synthesis of Bis(indolyl)methanes: Pd-Catalyzed C–H Activation of Indole–Carboxylic Acids with Benzyl Alcohols in Water

A method for synthesis without protecting groups of bis(indolyl)methanes by the (η3-benzyl)palladium system generated from a palladium catalyst and benzyl alcohol in water is developed. This domino protocol involves C3–H bond activation/benzylation of indole–carboxylic acids and benzylic C–H functionalization. Mechanistic studies indicate that the (η3-benzyl)palladium(II) complex, which is formed via oxidative addition of benzyl alcohol 2 to a Pd(0) species, activates the C–H bond at the C3-position of indole 1. Notably, water plays an important role in our catalytic system for sp3 C–O bond activation and stabilization of OH− by hydration for the smooth generation of the activated Pd(II) cation species, as well as for nucleophilic attack of indoles to hydrated benzyl alcohols.
Effect of six flavonoids on proliferation of hepatic stellate cells in vitro.

AIM To study the effects of six flavonoids (fisetin, quercetin, apigenin, phloretin, hesperetin, and chalcone) on proliferation of hepatic stellate cell (HSC-T6 cells). METHODS Cell proliferation was measured by crystal violet staining assay. RESULTS Fisetin, quercetin, apigenin, phloretin, hesperetin, chalcone (6.25-50 mumol.L-1) inhibited the proliferation of HSC-T6 cells stimulated by serum, macrophage conditioned medium (MCM) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in a concentration-dependent manner. In the MCM-stimulated proliferation experiment, their IC50 were 21.48, 18.52, 19.75, 22.32, 30.32, and 30.85 mumol.L-1, respectively. In the PDGF-stimulated proliferation experiment, their IC50 were 9.47, 9.48, 9.25, 12.25, 25.22, and 30.40 mumol.L-1, respectively. CONCLUSION The six flavonoids inhibited the proliferation of hepatic stellate cells.
Development of an AA size energy transducer with micro resonators

This paper presents the preliminary design and experimental results of a standard AA size vibration-induced micro energy transducer which is integrated with a power-management circuit. The generator is a spring mass system which uses laser-micromachined copper springs to convert mechanical energy into electrical power by Faraday's Law of Induction. A power-management circuit is used to step up the AC output and act as a reservoir to store the electrical energy generated. Our goal is for the generator to provide 3 V DC output with low input mechanical frequencies, and to produce enough power for low-power wireless applications. Potential applications for this micro power generator to serve as a power supply for infrared transmission and radio frequency transmission was proved to be possible with input frequencies below 100 Hz and amplitudes be 250 microns.
Expression of nitric oxide synthase in pleomorphic adenomas of the parotid.

The actions of nitric oxide (NO) in the pathology of solid tumours are complicated and many are poorly understood because NO has both inhibitory and tumour-promoting activities. In the current study we aimed to find out immunohistochemically whether the expression of both the inducible (iNOS) and endothelial (eNOS) forms of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS) were changed in pleomorphic adenomas of the parotid compared with normal salivary tissue. There was a significant difference in staining for iNOS between the tumour and normal salivary tissue, with tumour epithelial cells being stained in 29 cases of the 30 cases studied (P< 0.0001). The luminal cells of the salivary ducts also stained, but not the normal salivary tissue. Immunohistochemistry for the eNOS isoenzyme showed moderate staining of the tumour epithelium in only three specimens. There was also mild staining in the salivary duct cells of the normal glandular tissue and in endothelium of blood vessels in both tumour and normal glandular tissue in the same 29 cases.
Nonstationary Nonlinear Discrete Model of a Coupled-Cavity Traveling-Wave-Tube Amplifier

A nonstationary nonlinear model for numerical simulation of a coupled-cavity traveling-wave tube is described. The model is based on the nonstationary discrete theory of excitation of a periodic waveguide structure, when it is supposed that the beam-wave interaction takes place only inside the cavity gaps separated by drift spaces. Such an approach allows one to consider properly the dispersion of the slow-wave structure (SWS) and to simulate processes at any point inside the SWS passband, including interaction near cutoff and even beyond the passband. Results of numerical simulations of amplification in small-signal and large-signal regimes are presented. Self-excitation processes near cutoff frequency are studied. In particular, drive-induced self-excitation that takes place only in the presence of a sufficiently strong driving signal is discussed.
A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion

In this controversial book, Randy Thornhill and Craig Palmer use evolutionary biology to explain the causes of rape and to recommend new approaches to its prevention. According to Thornhill and Palmer, evolved adaptation of some sort gives rise to rape; the main evolutionary question is whether rape is an adaptation itself or a by-product of other adaptations. Regardless of the answer, Thornhill and Palmer note, rape circumvents a central feature of women's reproductive strategy: mate choice. This is a primary reason why rape is devastating to its victims, especially young women. Thornhill and Palmer address, and claim to demolish scientifically, many myths about rape bred by social science theory over the past twenty-five years. The popular contention that rapists are not motivated by sexual desire is, they argue, scientifically inaccurate. Although they argue that rape is biological, Thornhill and Palmer do not view it as inevitable. Their recommendations for rape prevention include teaching young males not to rape, punishing rape more severely, and studying the effectiveness of "chemical castration. " They also recommend that young women consider the biological causes of rape when making decisions about dress, appearance, and social activities. Rape could cease to exist, they argue, only in a society knowledgeable about its evolutionary causes. The book includes a useful summary of evolutionary theory and a comparison of evolutionary biology's and social science's explanations of human behavior. The authors argue for the greater explanatory power and practical usefulness of evolutionary biology. The book is sure to stir up discussion both on the specific topic of rape and on the larger issues of how we understand and influence human behavior.
whoVIS: Visualizing Editor Interactions and Dynamics in Collaborative Writing Over Time

The visualization of editor interaction dynamics and provenance of content in revisioned, collaboratively written documents has the potential to allow for more transparency and intuitive understanding of the intricate mechanisms inherent to collective content production. Although approaches exist to build editor interactions from individual word changes in Wikipedia articles, they do not allow to inquire into individual interactions, and have yet to be implemented as usable end-user tools. We thus present whoVIS, a web tool to mine and visualize editor interactions in Wikipedia over time. whoVIS integrates novel features with existing methods, tailoring them to the use case of understanding intra-article disagreement between editors. Using real Wikipedia examples, our system demonstrates the combination of various visualization techniques to identify different social dynamics and explore the evolution of an article that would be particularly hard for end-users to investigate otherwise.
Molecular Basis of the Supercoil Deficit Induced by the Mini-F Plasmid Partition Complex*

Formation of a partition complex on plasmid F by binding of SopB protein to the sopC centromere is the first step in the partition process that ensures stability of F in dividing cells. Establishment of the complex enables nonspecific binding of SopB to neighboring DNA, which extends the partition complex and provokes reduction of negative supercoiling of the plasmid. This reduction is believed to reflect winding of DNA into positive supercoils about SopB to create a nucleoprotein structure of probable importance to partition. We have searched for evidence that SopB alters plasmid topology. Permutation analysis indicated only modest bending of linear DNA fragments, and in vivo DNase I footprinting revealed no enhanced cleavages indicating curvature. In vitro, SopB binding left no topological trace in relaxed-circular DNA treated with topoisomerase I or in nicked circles closed by ligase. In vivo, novobiocin-mediated inhibition of DNA gyrase relaxed a plasmid carrying the partition complex but left no residue of positive supercoils. Hence, SopB does not reduce plasmid supercoiling directly. We did observe that SopB partly prevented removal of negative supercoils from plasmid DNA by topoisomerase I and partly prevented ligation of nicked circles, indicating that it acts as a physical obstacle. The supercoil deficit is thus better explained as SopB recoating of just-replicated DNA, which shelters it from gyrase and from topological changes in SopB-free DNA. This topological simplicity distinguishes the Sop partition complex from other complexes described.
Sosyal Bilgiler Öğretmen Adaylarının Alan Sınavına Yönelik Görüşlerinin İncelenmesi

Bu arastirmanin amaci; ogretmen adaylarinin 2013 yilindan itibaren uygulamaya konulan alan sinavina yonelik ogretmen adaylarinin goruslerinin incelenmesidir. Arastirmada ortaya cikan bulgular yeni sistemdeki eksiklikleri tespit edilmesi yonunden onem arz etmektedir. Arastirmada, nitel arastirma desenlerinden durum calismasi kullanilmistir. Arastirmada katilimcilar; amacli ornekleme (Patton, 2014) yontemlerinden homojen ornekleme yontemi kullanilarak belirlenmistir. Arastirma Sivas ili Cumhuriyet Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi Sosyal Bilgiler Ogretmenligi 4. sinif ogrencileri ile gerceklestirilmistir. Calisma grubu egitim fakultesi ogrencisi olan 3’u erkek 3’u bayan olmak uzere 6 kisiden olusmaktadir. Arastirmanin veri toplama araci Yari Yapilandirilmis Mulakat Formu’dur. Arastirma surecinde tum mulakatlar ses kayit cihaziyla kayit altina alinmistir. Arastirma kapsaminda 140 dakikalik mulakat yapilmis, ses kayitlari herhangi bir elemeye tabi tutulmadan, ham veri olarak Microsoft Word programina aktarilmistir. Arastirmada her bir transkript, satir-satir analiz yaklasimi kullanilarak analiz edilmistir. Mulakat verilerinin yorumlanmasi surecinde enduktif betimsel analiz, icerik analizi ve surekli karsilastirma teknigi kullanilmistir. Verilerin analizi sonucu: 1. alan sinavina ve icerigine yonelik bulgular ve 2. alan sinavinin gecerlik ve guvenirligine yonelik bulgular olmak uzere iki tema belirlenmistir. Anahtar Kelimeler: alan sinavi, kpss, oabt, ogretmen secimi, ogretmen atamalari.