Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motivation and needs for technology use in old age

Technology use in old age is influenced by a variety of factors such as technology generation, education, socioeconomic status, cognitive abilities and attitudes. Furthermore, motivation to use technology in later life is an important issue for a better understanding of technology acceptance. A prevalent approach to explain technology use is the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Limitations of TAM appear when transferring earlier results to old age, as shown in the short review of the literature. An extended TAM version with health and psychological needs and motivation strategies is presented.
The Fetal Hypothalamus Has the Potential to Generate Cells with a Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Phenotype

Background Neurospheres (NS) are colonies of neural stem and precursor cells capable of differentiating into the central nervous system (CNS) cell lineages upon appropriate culture conditions: neurons, and glial cells. NS were originally derived from the embryonic and adult mouse striatum subventricular zone. More recently, experimental evidence substantiated the isolation of NS from almost any region of the CNS, including the hypothalamus. Methodology/Findings Here we report a protocol that enables to generate large quantities of NS from both fetal and adult rat hypothalami. We found that either FGF-2 or EGF were capable of inducing NS formation from fetal hypothalamic cultures, but that only FGF-2 is effective in the adult cultures. The hypothalamic-derived NS are capable of differentiating into neurons and glial cells and most notably, as demonstrated by immunocytochemical detection with a specific anti-GnRH antibody, the fetal cultures contain cells that exhibit a GnRH phenotype upon differentiation. Conclusions/Significance This in vitro model should be useful to study the molecular mechanisms involved in GnRH neuronal differentiation.
Eccentricity and Fluting in Young-Growth Western Hemlock in Oregon

Stem irregularities can influence estimates of tree and stand attributes, efficiency of manufacturing processes, and quality of wood products. Eccentricity and fluting were characterized in young, managed western hemlock stands in the Oregon Coast Range. Sixty-one trees were selected from pure western hemlock stands across a range of age, site, and densities. The trees were felled and disks were removed from breast height, base of live crown, and various percentage-of-height locations along the bole. Indices of out-of roundness (OOR), pith-off-center (POC), and fluting severity (fluting index) were computed, flutes were counted, and depth of deepest flute was measured on each disk. These variables were related to relative tree height, tree diameter, and several stand- and tree-level attributes. The lower portions of stems tended to be more out-of-round and have a higher degree of off-centered piths than upper stem heights. Basal and breast-height disks had a higher number of flutes, deeper flutes, and higher fluting severity compared to disks from upper stem positions. Tree size (diameter at 4.5 ft) was only weakly correlated with OOR and uncorrelated with POC, but strongly correlated with more flutes, deeper flutes, and higher fluting severity. OOR and POC were not significantly correlated with any other tree or stand attributes. The fluting variables were positively correlated with stand age and overall tree growth rate and negatively correlated with trees/ac. Thus, silvicultural practices that result in more rapid growth, wider spacing, and longer rotations are likely to result in more extensive fluting but will have little or no effect on stem eccentricity. West. J. Appl. For.18(4):221-228.
Developing students' referencing skills: a matter of plagiarism, punishment and morality or of learning to write critically?

Just as plagiarism is viewed poorly in the academic community, so is plagiarism viewed poorly in student writing, with a range of sanctions and penalties applying for not displaying academic integrity. Yet learning to cite effectively to progress one's argument, position or understandings is a skill that takes time to develop and hone. This paper examines the skills underlying effective use of citation and the problems students have in citing effectively. It compares these to the messages that beginning students receive about citation through a focus on academic integrity, plagiarism and punishment. It examines the prevalence of plagiarism and the development of citation skills in student writing when the teaching focuses instead on developing critical writing abilities through the skillful selection, use and acknowledgement of sources.
All-trans-retinoic Acid Reduces BACE1 Expression under Inflammatory Conditions via Modulation of Nuclear Factor κB (NFκB) Signaling*

Background: BACE1 is the rate-limiting enzyme in the cleavage of amyloid precursor protein to Aβ peptides. Results: Retinoic acid blocks the BACE1 gene up-regulation during inflammation via the inhibition of NFκB. Conclusion: Retinoic acid suppresses aspects of neuroinflammation in rodent models of Alzheimer disease including elevated BACE1 transcription. Significance: Retinoids may have an important role in limiting progression of Alzheimer disease. Insulin resistance and neuroinflammation have emerged as two likely key contributors in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD), especially in those sporadic AD cases compromised by diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition and its associated inflammatory response are hallmarks in sporadic AD brains. Elevated expression and activity of β-secretase 1 (BACE1), the rate-limiting enzyme responsible for the β-cleavage of amyloid precursor proteins to Aβ peptides, are also observed in sporadic AD brains. Previous studies have suggested that there is therapeutic potential for retinoic acid in treating neurodegeneration based on decreased Aβ. Here we discovered that BACE1 expression is elevated in the brains of both Tg2576 transgenic mice and mice on high fat diets. These conditions are associated with a neuroinflammatory response. We found that administration of all-trans-retinoic acid (atRA) down-regulated the expression of BACE1 in the brains of Tg2576 mice and in mice fed a high fat diet. Moreover, in LPS-treated mice and cultured neurons, BACE1 expression was repressed by the addition of atRA, correlating with the anti-inflammatory efficacy of atRA. Mutations of the NFκB binding site in BACE1 promoter abolished the suppressive effect of atRA. Furthermore, atRA disrupted LPS-induced nuclear translocation of NFκB and its binding to BACE1 promoter as well as promoting the recruitment of the corepressor NCoR. Our findings indicate that atRA represses BACE1 gene expression under inflammatory conditions via the modulation of NFκB signaling.
Glutamate Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Cerebellar Degenerations: Clinical, Biochemical and Molecular Genetic Aspects

ABSTRACT: Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), an enzyme central to glutamate metabolism, is significantly reduced in patients with heterogenous neurological disorders characterized by multiple system atrophy (MSA) and predominant involvement of the cerebellum and its connections. In human brain, GDH exists in multiple isoforms differing in their isoelectric point and molecular mass. These are differentially reduced in quantity and altered in catalytic activity in patients with clinically distinct forms of MSA, thus suggesting that these GDH isoproteins are under different genetic control. Dysregulation of glutamate metabolism occurs in patients with GDH deficiency and is thought to mediate the disease’s neurodegeneration via neuroexcitotoxic mechanisms. This possibility is supported by additional data showing that glutamate binding sites are significantly decreased in cerebellar tissue obtained at autopsy from MSA patients. At the molecular biological level, several cDNAs specific for human GDH have been isolated recently and cloned. Northern blot analysis of various human tissues, including brain, has revealed the presence of multiple GDH-specific mRNAs. In addition, multiple GDH-specific genes are present in humans and these data are consistent with the possibility that the various GDH isoproteins are encoded by different genes. These advances have laid the groundwork for characterizing the human GDH genes and their products in health and disease.
Issues and trends in teacher education in international perspective

Abstract Many education systems worldwide have undergone major reforms over the last two decades or more. Educational reform cannot take place without major consequences for teacher education. This article focuses on the way teacher education has responded to education reform in two countries, namely the United States of America and England. In the former, the reform efforts were widespread but each endeavour was guided by different priorities. In particular, the trend towards Professional Development Schools has been viewed as encouraging but ultimately their success must be measured by longitudinal research over a period of time. In England the reform movement can be described as a shift towards school-based training of teachers with schools as the lead partners in educating novice teachers. The experience of these countries has particular relevance for the South African education system. It shows that what is needed is a revitalisation of research on teacher education. Successful teacher education institutions and programmes share distinct features, inter alia, a clear shared vision of good teaching, well-defined standards of practice and performance, intensively supervised practical experiences, and strong relationships between training institutions and reformminded local schools.
FGS MPEG-4 Video Streaming with Constant-Quality Rate Adaptation, Prioritized Packetization and Di erentiated Forward

A video streaming solution with the ner granular scalable (FGS) MPEG-4 stream delivered over prioritized networks is investigated in this work. An optimal truncation strategy for constant-quality rate adaptation is rst presented by embedding the rate-distortion (R-D) information based on a piecewise linear R-D model. Then, the video stream is prioritized for di erentiated dropping and forwarding, where rate adaptation is dynamically performed to meet the time-varying available bandwidth. It is shown that, although the prioritized stream bene ts from the prioritized network, its gain is heavily dependent on how well video source and network priorities match each other. All key components, including FGS encoding, rate adaptation and packetization, error resiliency decoding and di erentiated forwarding, are seamlessly integrated into one framework. By focusing on the end-to-end quality, we set both source and network parameters properly to achieve a superior performance of FGS video streaming.
The social hierarchy in albino mice.

Daily observations of the social behavior of more than 300 male and approximately 150 female white mice, arranged in 85 groups of various sizes and composition, yielded the following results: 1. Fighting was very common among males, but relatively rare among females or between the sexes. 2. The most common type of social order found among the males was exclusive domination of the group by one individual. Occasionally several other distinct kinds of hierarchies were recognized. 3. Permanence of a given order lasted from a few days to several months. 4. The amount and severity of fighting varied considerably in different groups and in the same pen at different times. 5. Among adult males little or no correlation was apparent between the social order and such factors as weight, age, and reaction to females. 6. Blinding did not seriously interfere with the fighting behavior, while castration seemed to decrease the pugnacious tendencies of some, but not all males. 7. Fighting began among males on the average at the age of 50 days and either gradually or abruptly gave rise to a definite hierarchy.
Equitable access to HCV care in HIV-HCV co-infection can be achieved despite barriers to health care provision

Language barrier, race, immigration status, mental health illness, substance abuse and socioeconomic status are often not considered when evaluating hepatitis C virus (HCV) sustained virological response (SVR) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The influence of these factors on HCV work-up, treatment initiation and SVR were assessed in an HIV–HCV coinfected population and compared to patients with HCV mono-infection. The setting was a publicly funded, urban-based, multidisciplinary viral hepatitis clinic. A clinical database was utilized to identify HIV and HCV consults between June 2000 and June 2007. Measures of access to HCV care (ie, liver biopsy and HCV antiviral initiation) and SVR as a function of the above variables were evaluated and compared between patients with HIV–HCV and HCV. HIV–HCV co-infected (n = 106) and HCV mono-infected (n = 802) patients were evaluated. HIV–HCV patients were more often white (94% versus 84%) and male (87% versus 69%). Bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis on biopsy was more frequent in HIV–HCV (37% versus 22%; P = 0.03). HIV infection itself did not influence access to biopsy (50% versus 52%) or treatment initiation (39% versus 38%). Race, language barrier, immigration status, injection drug history and socioeconomic status did not influence access to biopsy or treatment. SVR was 54% in HCV and 30% in HIV–HCV (P = 0.003). Genotype and HIV were the only evaluated variables to predict SVR. Within the context of a socialized, multidisciplinary clinic, HIV–HCV co-infected patients received similar access to HCV work-up and care as HCV mono-infected patients. SVR is diminished in HIV–HCV co-infection independent of language barrier, race, immigration status, or socioeconomic status.
Structural, Functional, and Evolutionary Analysis of the Unusually Large Stilbene Synthase Gene Family in Grapevine1[W]

Stilbenes are a small family of phenylpropanoids produced in a number of unrelated plant species, including grapevine (Vitis vinifera). In addition to their participation in defense mechanisms in plants, stilbenes, such as resveratrol, display important pharmacological properties and are postulated to be involved in the health benefits associated with a moderate consumption of red wine. Stilbene synthases (STSs), which catalyze the biosynthesis of the stilbene backbone, seem to have evolved from chalcone synthases (CHSs) several times independently in stilbene-producing plants. STS genes usually form small families of two to five closely related paralogs. By contrast, the sequence of grapevine reference genome (cv PN40024) has revealed an unusually large STS gene family. Here, we combine molecular evolution and structural and functional analyses to investigate further the high number of STS genes in grapevine. Our reannotation of the STS and CHS gene families yielded 48 STS genes, including at least 32 potentially functional ones. Functional characterization of nine genes representing most of the STS gene family diversity clearly indicated that these genes do encode for proteins with STS activity. Evolutionary analysis of the STS gene family revealed that both STS and CHS evolution are dominated by purifying selection, with no evidence for strong selection for new functions among STS genes. However, we found a few sites under different selection pressures in CHS and STS sequences, whose potential functional consequences are discussed using a structural model of a typical STS from grapevine that we developed.
Relational demography in supervisor- subordinate dyads: Impact on subordinate job satisfaction, burnout, and perceived procedural justice

Summary Although research has shown that demographic dissimilarity within groups is negatively associated with organizational attachment-orientated variables, few studies have investigated its relations with other job-related variables. Focusing on relational demographics within the context of superior-subordinate dyads, associations between relational demographic characteristics and subordinate job attitudes and perceptions were examined using polynomial regression. Relational race was found to correlate with perceptions of procedural justice and job satisfaction, but not job burnout. The implications of these findings for future relational demographic research are discussed. 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. J. Organiz. Behav. 18: 351-362 (1997)
Structural Relationships among E-learners' Sense of Presence, Usage, Flow, Satisfaction, and Persistence

This study aimed to investigate the structural relationships among teaching presence, cognitive presence, usage, learning flow, satisfaction, and learning persistence in corporate e-learners. The research participants were 462 e-learners registered for cyber-lectures through an electronics company in South Korea. The extrinsic variables were sense of teaching presence, sense of cognitive presence, and usage. According to structural equation modeling, each of these variables and flow significantly affected satisfaction. Although sense of teaching presence and satisfaction significantly affected sense of cognitive presence, usage and flow did not significantly affect learning persistence. Accordingly, we established a corrected model after removing insignificant paths and investigated again. We confirmed that learning flow significantly intermediated among sense of teaching presence, sense of cognitive presence, and satisfaction but not between usage and satisfaction. In addition, satisfaction intermediated among sense of teaching presence, sense of cognitive presence, usage, flow, and learning persistence. These findings demonstrate the importance of sense of teaching presence, sense of cognitive presence, and usage for e-learners. We expect that the results will contribute to the formation and improvement of fundamental learning strategies for successful e-learning.
Differential Impact of Monsoon and Large Amplitude Internal Waves on Coral Reef Development in the Andaman Sea

The Andaman Sea and other macrotidal semi-enclosed tropical seas feature large amplitude internal waves (LAIW). Although LAIW induce strong fluctuations i.e. of temperature, pH, and nutrients, their influence on reef development is so far unknown. A better-known source of disturbance is the monsoon affecting corals due to turbulent mixing and sedimentation. Because in the Andaman Sea both, LAIW and monsoon, act from the same westerly direction their relative contribution to reef development is difficult to discern. Here, we explore the framework development in a number of offshore island locations subjected to differential LAIW- and SW-monsoon impact to address this open question. Cumulative negative temperature anomalies – a proxy for LAIW impact – explained a higher percentage of the variability in coral reef framework height, than sedimentation rates which resulted mainly from the monsoon. Temperature anomalies and sediment grain size provided the best correlation with framework height suggesting that so far neglected subsurface processes (LAIW) play a significant role in shaping coral reefs.
New Strategies for Overcoming Limitations of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Immune Modulation

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have rapidly been applied in a broad field of immune-mediated disorders since the first successful clinical use of MSCs for treatment of graft-versus-host disease. Despite the lack of supporting data, expectations that MSCs could potentially treat most inflammatory conditions led to rushed application and development of commercialized products. Today, both pre-clinical and clinical studies present mixed results for MSC therapy and the discrepancy between expected and actual efficacy of MSCs in various diseases has evoked a sense of discouragement. Therefore, we believe that MSC therapy may now be at a critical milestone for re-evaluation and re-consideration. In this review, we summarize the current status of MSC-based clinical trials and focus on the discrepancy between expected and actual outcome of MSC therapy from bench to bedside. Importantly, we discuss the underlying limitations of MSCs and suggest a new guideline for MSC therapy in hopes of improving their therapeutic efficacy.
Role of suture material and technique of closure in wound outcome following laparotomy for peritonitis.

BACKGROUND There are no accepted guidelines for the closure of laparotomy incisions in patients of peritonitis. As these patients differ from the patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery, the same recommendations for closure may not be applicable in both groups. AIM To compare wound outcome parameters following closure of the laparotomy incision with absorbable and non-absorbable suture material using the continuous and interrupted techniques in patients of peritonitis. METHOD A single blinded randomised controlled trial using Polygalactin-910 and Polypropylene, number 1 sutures, to close midline vertical incisions, placed in continuous and interrupted manner, was performed on 174 patients. Patients were randomised into four groups: Group A (Polygalactin-910 continuous suturing, n=40), B (Polygalactin-910 interrupted suturing, n=47), C (Polypropylene continuous suturing, n=45) and D (Polypropylene interrupted suturing, n=42). The incidence of wound infection, dehiscence, suture sinus formation and incisional hernia was recorded. Patients were followed up for a period of four years. Statistical analysis involved the chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. A 'p' value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS The study included 139 male and 35 female patients between the ages of 10 and 75 years. The incidence of wound infection (p=0.656), dehiscence (p=0.997), and incisional hernia (p=0.930) at 3 months and four years (p= 0.910) was not statistically significant. There was no sinus formation in groups A and B, however 2 patients of group C and 6 patients of group D did develop suture sinus (p=0.003). CONCLUSION Suture material and technique of closure does not influence wound outcome in patients of peritonitis except for a significantly lower incidence of sinus formation when non-absorbable sutures are used.