Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LeveL Of DNA DAmAge IN LeAD-expOseD WORkeRs

Lead plays a significant role in modern industry. This metal is related to a broad range of physiological, biochemical and behavioural dysfunctions. The genotoxic effects of lead have been studied both in animals and humans in in vitro systems but results were contradictory. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between DNA damage and occupational exposure to lead in workers. The study population consisted of 62 employees of metalworks exposed to lead in the southern region of Poland. The control group consisted of 26 office workers with no history of occupational exposure to lead. The concentration of lead (PbB) and zincprotoporphyrin (ZPP) in blood samples were measured. The DNA damage was analyzed in blood lymphocytes using alkaline comet assay. The level of DNA damage was determined as the percentage of DNA in the tail, tail length and tail moment. The lead exposure indicators were significantly higher in lead exposed group: PbB about 8.5 times and ZPP 3.3 times. Also, the percentage of DNA in the tail (60.3 ± 14 vs. 37.1 ± 17.6), comet tail length (86.9 ± 15.49 vs. 73.8 ± 19.12) and TM (57.8 ± 17.82 vs. 33.2 ± 19.13) were significantly higher in the study group when compared with the controls; however, the difference between the subgroups was only 5–10%. Years of lead exposure positively correlated with all comet assay parameters (R = 0.21–0.41). Both mean and current PbB and ZPP were correlated with tail DNA % and TM (R = 0.32; R = 0.33; R = 0.24; R = 0.26 and R = 0.34; R = 0.33; R = 0.28 and R = 0.28, respectively). This study shows that occupational exposure to lead is associated with DNA damage and confirmed that comet assay is a rapid, sensitive method suitable for biomonitoring studies. Address for correspondence: Elżbieta Olewińska, Laboratory of Genetic Toxicology, Institute of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, Kościelna 13, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland. E-mail: e.olewinska@imp.sosnowiec. pl key words: lead, comet assay, DNA damage, occupational exposure. Received: 17 December 2009 Accepted: 17 November 2010 Ann Agric environ med 2010, 17, 231–236
Supervisor-Subordinate (Dis)agreement on Ethical Leadership: An Investigation of its Antecedents and Relationship to Organizational Deviance

ABSTRACT: We examine supervisor-subordinate (dis)agreement regarding perceptions of the supervisor’s ethical leadership and its relationship to organizational deviance. We find that, on average, supervisors rate themselves more favorably on ethical leadership compared to how followers rate them. In addition, polynomial regression results reveal that unit-level organizational deviance is higher when there is agreement about lower levels of ethical leadership, and disagreement when supervisors rate themselves higher on ethical leadership than subordinates’ ratings of the supervisors. Finally, drawing on social influence theories, we look at antecedents of (dis)agreement and find that supervisors’ beliefs about themselves (that they were “better-than-average” ethical leaders) and others (their assumptions about whether the morality of their subordinates is malleable or not) are associated with self-other (dis)agreement on ethical leadership.
A Probabilistic Method for Nonlinear Robustness Analysis of F-16 Controllers

This paper presents a new framework for controller robustness verification with respect to F-16 aircraft's closed-loop performance in longitudinal flight. We compare the state regulation performance of a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) and a gain-scheduled linear quadratic regulator (gsLQR), applied to nonlinear open-loop dynamics of F-16, in presence of stochastic initial condition and parametric uncertainties, as well as actuator disturbance. We show that, in presence of initial condition uncertainties alone, both LQR and gsLQR have comparable immediate and asymptotic performances, but the gsLQR exhibits better transient performance at intermediate times. This remains true in the presence of additional actuator disturbance. Also, gsLQR is shown to be more robust than LQR, against parametric uncertainties. The probabilistic framework proposed here, leverages transfer operator based density computation in exact arithmetic and introduces optimal transport theoretic performance validation and verification (V&V) for nonlinear dynamical systems. Numerical results from our proposed method, are in unison with Monte Carlo simulations.
Personnel selection method using Analytic network Process (ANP) and fuzzy concept

Due to complex functionality of the organization, it requires the most competent and skilled personnel to challenge the global trends. To focus such personnel an integrated scientific selection procedure is a must. Analytic thinking approaches are the most suitable methods to address this problem of personnel selection. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is more suitable when the hierarchical levels are independent of each other and Analytic network Process (ANP) is used when there are factors, which are dependent of the other factors in the same hierarchical levels or other levels. The method proposed in this paper successfully models the ambiguity and imprecision associated with the pair wise comparison process and reduces the personal biasness. The model allows many qualitative and qualitative factors and provides the importance level of each criteria/sub-criteria so that the decision maker has the ability to determine which factors are to be given emphasize. All the members of the decision maker have the opportunity to express their judgments and hence participative decision-making is achieved.
Variation in assessment and standard setting practices across UK undergraduate medicine and the need for a benchmark

Objectives The principal aim of this study is to provide an account of variation in UK undergraduate medical assessment styles and corresponding standard setting approaches with a view to highlighting the importance of a UK national licensing exam in recognizing a common standard. Methods Using a secure online survey system, response data were collected during the period 13 - 30 January 2014 from selected specialists in medical education assessment, who served as representatives for their respective medical schools. Results Assessment styles and corresponding choices of standard setting methods vary markedly across UK medical schools. While there is considerable consensus on the application of compensatory approaches, individual schools display their own nuances through use of hybrid assessment and standard setting styles, uptake of less popular standard setting techniques and divided views on norm referencing. Conclusions The extent of variation in assessment and standard setting practices across UK medical schools validates the concern that there is a lack of evidence that UK medical students achieve a common standard on graduation. A national licensing exam is therefore a viable option for benchmarking the performance of all UK undergraduate medical students.
Product Assortment and Individual Decision Processes

Research presented in this article examines the impact of product assortment on individuals' decisions. Four experiments report converging evidence that the impact of assortment is moderated by the degree to which individuals have articulated attribute preferences, whereby individuals with an articulated ideal point are more likely to prefer larger assortments than individuals without articulated preferences. The data further show that choices made from large assortments are associated with more selective, alternative-based, and confirmatory processing for individuals with articulated preferences and more comprehensive, attribute-based, and comparative processing for those without articulated preferences.
Parkin Binds to α/β Tubulin and Increases their Ubiquitination and Degradation

In addition to inhibiting the mitochondrial respiratory chain, toxins known to cause Parkinson's disease (PD), such as 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and rotenone, also strongly depolymerize microtubules and increase tubulin degradation. Microtubules are polymers of tubulin α/β heterodimers, whose correct folding requires coordinated actions of cellular chaperonins and cofactors. Misfolded tubulin monomers are highly toxic and quickly degraded through a hitherto unknown mechanism. Here we report that parkin, a protein–ubiquitin E3 ligase linked to PD, was tightly bound to microtubules in taxol-mediated microtubule coassembly assays. In lysates from the rat brain or transfected human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells, α-tubulin and β-tubulin were strongly coimmunoprecipitated with parkin at 4°C in the presence of colchicine, a condition in which tubulin exits as α/β heterodimers. At the subcellular level, parkin exhibited punctate immunostaining along microtubules in rat brain sections, cultured primary neurons, glial cells, and cell lines. This pattern of subcellular localization was abolished in cells treated with the microtubule-depolymerizing drug colchicine. The binding between parkin and tubulin apparently led to increased ubiquitination and accelerated degradation of α- and β-tubulins in HEK293 cells. Similarly ubiquitinated tubulins were also observed in rat brain lysates. Furthermore, parkin mutants found in PD patients did not ubiquitinate or degrade either tubulin. Taken together, our results show that parkin is a novel tubulin-binding protein, as well as a microtubule-associated protein. Its ability to enhance the ubiquitination and degradation of misfolded tubulins may play a significant role in protecting neurons from toxins that cause PD.
Strengthening Students Mechanics Knowledge through Instructional Videos of Hands-on Activities

The use of hands-on activities has been proven in the past to be effective in teaching pedagogies. Recognizing this need, a first year Mechanics course at the University of Waterloo has already implemented the use of seven hands-on activities. Instructors of the course have found certain time limitations which results in students only participating in two of the seven activities. To continue improving student learning, instructional videos were developed to solve this problem. The techniques used for video development incorporate learning pedagogies to foster deeper learning throughout the viewing experience. These techniques include simulating experiential learning and reflective learning. In each video, a breakdown of the activity building and experimenting process is demonstrated. This is done through people physically interacting with the models as students would in the classroom. Accompanying the demonstration is an illustration of various mistakes students often make during the activities. Errors are discussed, and their outcomes are shown using course concepts to reinforce the appropriate processes. In addition, questions are posed to the viewers throughout each of the videos.
An Uncertainty Principle for Discrete Signals

By use of window functions, time-frequency analysis tools like Short Time Fourier Transform overcome a shortcoming of the Fourier Transform and enable us to study the time- frequency characteristics of signals which exhibit transient os- cillatory behavior. Since the resulting representations depend on the choice of the window functions, it is important to know how they influence the analyses. One crucial question on a window function is how accurate it permits us to analyze the signals in the time and frequency domains. In the continuous domain (for functions defined on the real line), the limit on the accuracy is well-established by the Heisenberg's uncertainty principle when the time-frequency spread is measured in terms of the variance measures. However, for the finite discrete signals (where we consider the Discrete Fourier Transform), the uncertainty relation is not as well understood. Our work fills in some of the gap in the understanding and states uncertainty relation for a subclass of finite discrete signals. Interestingly, the result is a close parallel to that of the continuous domain: the time-frequency spread measure is, in some sense, natural generalization of the variance measure in the continuous domain, the lower bound for the uncertainty is close to that of the continuous domain, and the lower bound is achieved approximately by the 'discrete Gaussians'.
Combinatorics of Genome Rearrangements

From one cell to another, from one individual to another, and from one species to another, the content of DNA molecules is often similar. The organization of these molecules, however, differs dramatically, and the mutations that affect this organization are known as genome rearrangements. Combinatorial methods are used to reconstruct putative rearrangement scenarios in order to explain the evolutionary history of a set of species, often formalizing the evolutionary events that can explain the multiple combinations of observed genomes as combinatorial optimization problems. This book offers the first comprehensive survey of this rapidly expanding application of combinatorial optimization. It can be used as a reference for experienced researchers or as an introductory text for a broader audience. Genome rearrangement problems have proved so interesting from a combinatorial point of view that the field now belongs as much to mathematics as to biology. This book takes a mathematically oriented approach, but provides biological background when necessary. It presents a series of models, beginning with the simplest (which is progressively extended by dropping restrictions), each constructing a genome rearrangement problem. The book also discusses an important generalization of the basic problem known as the median problem, surveys attempts to reconstruct the relationships between genomes with phylogenetic trees, and offers a collection of summaries and appendixes with useful additional information. Computational Molecular Biology series
Comprehension in disciplinary learning: An examination of elementary readers' processing and recall

ABSTRACT The authors explored elementary students' comprehension of informational text in disciplinary learning. Forty on-grade-level readers in Grades 2–5 participated. A priori and emergent coding was used to analyze 120 verbal protocols and 120 oral recalls. Analyses of variance and correlations showed students' processing and recall of procedural text contrasted with their processing and recall of biography or persuasive text. Also, second-grade students did not process informational text as actively or recall informational text as well as third- through fifth-grade students did. An expanded focus on students' comprehension of informational text in disciplinary learning and further study of the relationships among students' text use, text processing and recall, and development are warranted.
Enhancing Collaborative Filtering Music Recommendation by Balancing Exploration and Exploitation

Collaborative filtering (CF) techniques have shown great success in music recommendation applications. However, traditional collaborative-filtering music recommendation algorithms work in a greedy way, invariably recommending songs with the highest predicted user ratings. Such a purely exploitative strategy may result in suboptimal performance over the long term. Using a novel reinforcement learning approach, we introduce exploration into CF and try to balance between exploration and exploitation. In order to learn users’ musical tastes, we use a Bayesian graphical model that takes account of both CF latent factors and recommendation novelty. Moreover, we designed a Bayesian inference algorithm to efficiently estimate the posterior rating distributions. In music recommendation, this is the first attempt to remedy the greedy nature of CF approaches. Results from both simulation experiments and user study show that our proposed approach significantly improves recommendation performance.
Fine-tuning levels of heterologous gene expression in plants by orthogonal variation of the untranslated regions of a nonreplicating transient expression system

A transient expression system based on a deleted version of Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) RNA-2, termed CPMV-HT, in which the sequence to be expressed is positioned between a modified 5′ UTR and the 3′ UTR has been successfully used for the plant-based expression of a wide range of proteins, including heteromultimeric complexes. While previous work has demonstrated that alterations to the sequence of the 5′ UTR can dramatically influence expression levels, the role of the 3′ UTR in enhancing expression has not been determined. In this work, we have examined the effect of different mutations in the 3′UTR of CPMV RNA-2 on expression levels using the reporter protein GFP encoded by the expression vector, pEAQexpress-HT-GFP. The results showed that the presence of a 3′ UTR in the CPMV-HT system is important for achieving maximal expression levels. Removal of the entire 3′ UTR reduced expression to approximately 30% of that obtained in its presence. It was found that the Y-shaped secondary structure formed by nucleotides 125–165 of the 3′ UTR plays a key role in its function; mutations that disrupt this Y-shaped structure have an effect equivalent to the deletion of the entire 3′ UTR. Our results suggest that the Y-shaped secondary structure acts by enhancing mRNA accumulation rather than by having a direct effect on RNA translation. The work described in this paper shows that the 5′ and 3′ UTRs in CPMV-HT act orthogonally and that mutations introduced into them allow fine modulation of protein expression levels.
Modelling spinal circuitry involved in locomotor pattern generation: insights from the effects of afferent stimulation

A computational model of the mammalian spinal cord circuitry incorporating a two‐level central pattern generator (CPG) with separate half‐centre rhythm generator (RG) and pattern formation (PF) networks has been developed from observations obtained during fictive locomotion in decerebrate cats. Sensory afferents have been incorporated in the model to study the effects of afferent stimulation on locomotor phase switching and step cycle period and on the firing patterns of flexor and extensor motoneurones. Here we show that this CPG structure can be integrated with reflex circuits to reproduce the reorganization of group I reflex pathways occurring during locomotion. During the extensor phase of fictive locomotion, activation of extensor muscle group I afferents increases extensor motoneurone activity and prolongs the extensor phase. This extensor phase prolongation may occur with or without a resetting of the locomotor cycle, which (according to the model) depends on the degree to which sensory input affects the RG and PF circuits, respectively. The same stimulation delivered during flexion produces a temporary resetting to extension without changing the timing of following locomotor cycles. The model reproduces this behaviour by suggesting that this sensory input influences the PF network without affecting the RG. The model also suggests that the different effects of flexor muscle nerve afferent stimulation observed experimentally (phase prolongation versus resetting) result from opposing influences of flexor group I and II afferents on the PF and RG circuits controlling the activity of flexor and extensor motoneurones. The results of modelling provide insights into proprioceptive control of locomotion.
Ethnic Diversity: Exploring the Status of Asian-American Public Relations Practitioners in the U.S. #

Using in-depth interview, this study attempted to explore the current status, concerns, barriers and roles of Asian-American public relations practitioners in the United States. The findings of the study show that while many are satisfied with their current careers in public relations, Asian-American practitioners confirmed the existence of racial and gender stereotypes that may challenge full organizational integration. In addition, unsatisfied media relationships and gender issues emerged as prevailing concerns among them. However, they perceived that those barriers are not insur- mountable and can be overcome by "being more prepared," "more educated," "being positive," and "more experienced. "
Philippine Bent-Toed Geckos of the Cyrtodactylus agusanensis Complex: Multilocus Phylogeny, Morphological Diversity, and Descriptions of Three New Species

Abstract We review the taxonomic status of Philippine bent-toed geckos previously referred to Cyrtodactylus agusanensis. We delineate four evolutionary lineages within the C. agusanensis complex from the southeastern islands of the archipelago and describe three of these lineages as new species. The new species and true C. agusanensis are identified by numerous, nonoverlapping morphological characters and by allopatric ranges on separate islands. Our morphology-based taxonomic conclusions are bolstered by biogeographic evidence and marked interspecific divergence between monophyletic groups defined by mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. To compliment these descriptions and enable future taxonomic work on Philippine Cyrtodactylus, we rediagnose and redescribe C. agusanensis. Because the holotype of C. agusanensis was destroyed in World War II, we designate a neotype for this species and restrict its geographic range to north central Mindanao Island. Our phylogenetic estimate suggests that the C. agusanensis complex originated in Mindanao and spread progressively north, diversifying incrementally with colonization of successive islands in a south-to-north pattern of biogeographic expansion and allopatric speciation.
Noninvasive Brain Stimulation for Treatment of Post-Stroke Dysphagia

Considerable effort in recent years has been devoted to investigating neurophysiological changes in the brain after stroke and in developing novel strategies to enhance recovery particularly in the limbs and trunk. In contrast, although dysphagia is a severe complication and can be life threatening in a considerable number of stroke patients, it has not yet received the attention devoted to limb control. In this review, we discuss how introduction of (a) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to test noninvasively the integrity of the cortico-bulbar swallowing system and (b) the plasticity provoking protocols of rTMS and transcranial direct current stimulation have recently stimulated research into dysphagia after stroke and led to new potential avenues for treatment. We discuss the neural control of swallowing and discuss the contributions of TMS to understand how different brain areas are involved in dysphagia. We also consider recent studies using noninvasive brain stimulation to interact with synaptic plasticity in cortex and enhance recovery of dysphagia following stroke. Although further studies are needed, these investigations provide an important starting point to understand the stimulation parameters and patient characteristics that may influence the optimal response to therapeutic noninvasive brain stimulation. These techniques need to be refined further through a multicenter study so that they can become an essential tool that can be used in academic centers of excellence as well as in a general hospital setting.