Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Overexpression of Wlds or Nmnat2 in mauthner cells by single‐cell electroporation delays axon degeneration in live zebrafish

Axon degeneration is supposed to be a therapeutic target for treating neurodegenerative diseases. Mauthner cells (M‐cells) are ideal for studying axons in vivo because of their limited numbers, large size, and long axons. In this study, we labeled M‐cells by single‐cell electroporation with plasmids expressing DsRed2 or EGFP. Injury‐induced axon degeneration in labeled M‐cell was imaged under a confocal microscope, and we found that the Mauthner axons started to degenerate about 24 hr after lesion. The WldS protein containing full‐length Nmnat1 is well‐known for its axon‐protective function in many systems. Overexpression of WldS in M‐cells also greatly delayed axon degeneration in live zebrafish. Nmnat2 is the only Nmnat highly expressed in brain. Here we demonstrated that overexpression of Nmnat2 in M‐cells significantly delayed axon degeneration in vivo, and disruption of the NAD synthesis activity of Nmnat2 markedly attenuated its axon‐protective function. All these data show that injury‐induced axon degeneration of M‐cell has a mechanism similar to that in mammalians and would be a valuable model for studying axon degeneration in vivo. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Self-oriented forgiveness and other-oriented forgiveness: Shaping high-quality exchange relationships

Abstract We examine the effects of two distinct forgiveness motives, self-oriented and other-oriented, on relationship quality within supervisor–subordinate relationships. We provide empirical evidence that both forgiveness motives are positively associated with leader–member exchange and differentially associated with interpersonal citizenship behavior and suggest that previous forgiveness research may be incomplete. We demonstrate that high-quality leader–member relationships and interpersonal citizenship behavior can be enhanced by self-oriented forgiveness motive and other-oriented forgiveness motive. We further show that the association between forgiveness motive and leader–member exchange can be strengthened by one’s disposition, such that proactive personality strengthens the influence of self-oriented forgiveness motive on leader–member exchange and empathic concern strengthens the influence of other-oriented forgiveness motive on leader–member exchange. This manuscript aims to empirically examine two key pathways to forgiveness: one driven by self-orientation and the other driven by other-orientation.
The Z Generation

Abstract The author of this article seeks to define various circumstances that make a generation. The author points out the characteristics of new generations focusing on the so-called Z generation. As a literature teacher, she mentions personal examples to make the article alive. Her aim is to prove that it is important to take the new habits and specifics of teenagers into account in order to teach more efficiently.
Antimicrobial Effects of Chlorhexidine in Orthodontic Patients

Adresa za dopisivanje Hrvoje Jurić Sveučilište u Zagrebu Stomatološki fakultet Zavod za pedodonciju Tel. +385 / 1/ 4802 132 Faks. +385/ 1/ 4802 159 juric@sfzg.hr Sažetak Svrha: Svrha ove pokusne studije jest utvrditi djeluje li 1-postotni klorheksidinski i 1postotni timolni lak (Cervitec®) na razinu mutans-streptokoka (SM-a) i laktobacila (LB-a) kod pacijenata s fiksnim ortodontskim napravama. Materijal i metode: U istraživanju je sudjelovalo dvanaest ljudi. Sudionici su imali intenzivni tretman klorheksidinski lak nanošen im je tri puta tijekom tjedan dana. Uzorci sline iz kojih se utvrđivala količina bakterija, uzeti su prije prve aplikacije klorheksidina te mjesec i dva mjeseca nakon nje. Rezultati: Mjesec dana nakon terapije razina SM-a i LB-a smanjila se kod šest pacijenata s visokom razinom tih bakterija prije početka liječenja. Kod onih s niskom razinom SM-a i LB-a (šest ispitanika) prije nanošenja preparata, nije bilo znatnih promjena. Dva mjeseca nakon terapije razina bakterija počela je ponovno rasti. ZakljuËak: To upućuje na to da preparat djeluje neko vrijeme, a zatim je potrebno ponoviti terapiju. Ključne riječi Streptococus mutans; Lactobacillus; ortodontske naprave; klorheksidin; timol; lak; antimikrobna sredstva 1 Student Stomatološkog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu Dental student University of Zagreb, Croatia 2 Zavod za endodonciju i restaurativnu stomatologiju Stomatološkog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu Department of Endodontics and Restorative Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia Zavod za pedodonciju Stomatološkog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu Department of Pedodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia 4 Zavod za ortodonciju Stomatološkog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu Department of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia
China's Outward Direct Investment and Its Oil Quest*

We investigate the empirical determinants of China’s outward direct investment (ODI) in conventional oil producing countries. Using China’s approved ODI data and a new ODI data set in the OECD-IMF standard, we find that China’s ODI seeks foreign markets and is averse to political risks. Interestingly, corruption attracts investments from China. We also find that China’s reliance on imported oil pushes and the “going global” policy promotes China’s ODI to quest for more foreign oil. A host country’s energy output does not affect its probability of receiving China’s investment. However, after China decides to invest, it tends to invest more in oil countries with a relatively high level of energy output. Subject to the different investment strategies that China implements, the behavior of China’s ODI in the Middle East, Africa, and other oil producing countries is different. While China’s ODI has put more weight on Africa and other oil nations, it has reduced its degree of reliance on the Middle East area. Nevertheless, the Middle East remains China’s main source of imported oil. JEL Classification: F21, F36, O53
Look-ahead Intra-Task Voltage Scheduling Using Data Flow Information

Intra-task voltage scheduling (IntraDVS), which adjusts the supply voltage within an individual task boundary, is an effective technique for developing low-power applications. In IntraDVS, slack times are estimated by analyzing program’s control flow information. In this paper, we propose an optimization technique for IntraDVS using data flow information. The proposed algorithm improves the energy efficiency by moving the voltage scaling points to earlier instructions based on the analysis results of program’s data flow. The experimental results using an MPEG-4 encoder program show that the proposed algorithm reduces the energy consumption by 40-45% over the original IntraDVS algorithm.
Towards Detecting Target Link Flooding Attack

A new class of target link flooding attacks (LFA) can cut off the Internet connections of a target area without being detected because they employ legitimate flows to congest selected links. Although new mechanisms for defending against LFA have been proposed, the deployment issues limit their usages since they require modifying routers. In this paper, we propose LinkScope, a novel system that employs both the end-to-end and the hop-by-hop network measurement techniques to capture abnormal path performance degradation for detecting LFA and then correlate the performance data and traceroute data to infer the target links or areas. Although the idea is simple, we tackle a number of challenging issues, such as conducting large-scale Internet measurement through noncooperative measurement, assessing the performance on asymmetric Internet paths, and detecting LFA. We have implemented LinkScope with 7174 lines of C codes and the extensive evaluation in a testbed and the Internet show that LinkScope can quickly detect LFA with high accuracy and low false positive rate.
Examining the Adequacy of Students' Priors and Teacher's Role in Attention to Critical Features in Designing for Productive Failure

This paper describes two classroom-based studies that examine the productive failure learning design from the following perspectives: (i) the adequacy of students’ prior knowledge, and (ii) the necessity of teacher-led discernability of critical conceptual features. The entire investigation, set in the domain of monohybrid inheritance, involved 138 ninth and tenth grade science students. In the first study, students were either provided or not provided with monohybrid inheritance pre-requisites for their complex problem-solving activity. The second study compared a teacher-led with a student-led comparison and contrast during the consolidation phase. Findings of the first study suggested that students may not have adequate priors to generate representations and solution methods that explore multi-level conceptions. Findings of the second study suggested that teacher involvement in the compare-and-contrast may be beneficial for better knowledge assembly.
Psychopathology and Treatment Seeking of Parents of Children in Treatment for Psychiatric Problems

In a given year about one-quarter of American adults have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder, yet less than half of these individuals seek treatment. Therefore, it is important to examine this disparity in treatment seeking more closely, especially for parents with mental health problems who can both increase the risk of psychiatric disorders in their children and reduce the efficacy of their children’s treatment. The current study examined the extent and type of psychopathology among parents bringing their children to a psychiatric clinic, and assessed their treatment utilization in relation to parent sex, age, employment status, insurance, and attitudes toward treatment. Results showed that 40% of these parents endorsed symptom levels on the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) that were at least one standard deviation above the normative mean. Higher BSI total scores were significantly correlated with being female, lower education, being disabled (i.e., unable to work), and having TennCare health insurance. Of the 229 parents with high BSI scores, 43.2% were not receiving treatment; these parents were significantly younger, had less positive attitudes about treatment seeking than those in treatment, were more likely to be employed than not employed, and tended not to have any form of health insurance. This study represents an important step in determining the barriers for treatment seeking among this population. Suggestions for overcoming barriers to treatment seeking with the goal of reducing mental health problems in parents are discussed. [Psychology 296B - Honors Thesis - Professor Saylor]
Theta Phase Classification of Interneurons in the Hippocampal Formation of Freely Moving Rats

Earlier work on freely moving rats classified neurons in Ammon's horn as pyramidal cells (including place cells) or interneurons (previously called “theta cells”) based on temporal discharge correlates and waveform configurations, but the anatomical and biochemical diversity of interneurons suggests they may have other distinguishing characteristics. To explore this possibility, we made extracellular recordings as rats foraged for food in an open space, used accepted criteria to identify interneurons, and found two additional categorization methods. First, interneurons were separated into theta-modulated and theta-independent groups using spike autocorrelograms. Second, theta-modulated interneurons were further separated into four groups by the phase of the ∼8 Hz theta rhythm at which firing was most rapid. These phase groups resemble the four phase peak groups of five anatomically identified interneuron types (two with the same preferred phase) recorded during the slow (∼4 Hz) theta rhythm in urethane-anesthetized rats. We suggest that the similar number of peak phase groups in walking rats and urethane-anesthetized rats and the partial agreement between peak phase values reflect a similar organization of theta rhythm in both states, so that the discharge properties of anatomically identified interneurons can be described in freely moving rats. Interestingly, the average spatial firing precision of the interneuron classes does not differ significantly, suggesting that the strong location-specific firing of place cells may be due to segregated high- and low-precision interneuron ensembles rather than to one or more dedicated high-precision classes.
Pedestrian Detection Optimization Based on Random Filtering

The large number of surveillance cameras available nowadays in strategic points of major cities provides a safe environment. However, the huge amount of data provided by the cameras prevents the manual processing requiring the application of automated methods. Among such methods, pedestrian detection plays an important role in reducing the amount of data by locating only the regions of interest for further processing regarding activities being performed by agents in the scene. However, pedestrian detection methods currently available are unable to process such large amount of data in real time. Therefore, optimization techniques have to be employed to allow real-time detection even when large volumes of data need to be processed. Focusing on optimization, this work proposes a novel approach that performs a random filtering in the image to discard a large number of detection windows quickly allowing a reduction in the computational cost. Keywords-pedestrian detection optimization; random filtering; visual surveillance;
Herbal tea in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of a native herbal tea in patients with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN Randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind study. SETTING The Metabolic Centre at the University of Alberta Hospitals. SUBJECTS Forty volunteers with type 2 diabetes. INTERVENTIONS After a 1 month "run-in" period, subjects drank 250 mL/d of either the herbal tea or a placebo tea for 10 days, and were followed up for a further 4 weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES A responder analysis defined as a 10% change in mean blood glucose levels based on 4 capillary glucose readings daily. Secondary end points included changes in HbA1c, fructosamine and response to a meal challenge using Ensure. RESULTS The responder analysis showed no benefit from the herbal tea. Fructosamine levels before and after tea therapy decreased significantly in both study groups. Mean HbA1c levels and incremental areas under the glucose curve (AUC) in the meal challenge did not change in either study group. These data were reanalysed in hyperglycemic subjects with HbA1c levels greater than 120% of normal. The responder analysis and HbA1c levels did not change in either group. Mean (and standard deviation) fructosamine levels, before and after tea therapy, were significantly lower in the herbal tea group than in the placebo tea group (361 [98] versus 338 [100] micromol/L, p < 0.01 compared with 338 [60] versus 323 [49] micromol/L, p = 0.08). In the hyperglycemic subgroup the mean AUC during the meal challenge, before versus after tea therapy, was 776 (369) versus 639 (331) mmol/L (p = 0.22) in the herbal tea group and 433 (125) versus 420 (173) mmol/L (p = 0.90) in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS Although the responder analysis failed to show an effect of the herbal tea, the data suggest there may be a short-term benefit from the tea in subjects with poor glycemic control.
Bank Concentration and Crises

The authors study the impact of bank concentration, regulations, and national institutions on the likelihood of suffering a systemic banking crisis. Using data on 79 countries over the period 1980-97, they find that crises are less likely (1) in more concentrated banking systems, (2) in countries with fewer regulatory restrictions on bank competition and activities, and (3) in economies with better institutions, that is, institutions that encourage competition and support private property rights.
The emergence of use of a rake-like tool: a longitudinal study in human infants

We describe the results of a longitudinal study on five infants from age 12 to 20 months, presented with an out of reach toy and a rake-like tool within reach. Five conditions of spatial relationship between toy and rake were tested. Outcomes and types of behavior were analyzed. There were successes observed around 12 months in the condition of spatial contiguity between rake and toy, but these could not be interpreted as corresponding to full understanding of the use of the rake. At this age and for the following months, in the conditions involving spatial separation between rake and toy, infants' strategies fluctuated between paying attention to the toy only, exploring the rake for its own sake, and connecting rake and toy but with no apparent attempt to bring the toy closer. Only between 16 and 20 months did infants fairly suddenly start to intentionally try to bring the toy closer with the tool: at this stage the infants also became able to learn from their failures and to correct their actions, as well as to benefit from demonstration from an adult. We examine the individual differences in the pattern of change in behaviors leading to tool use in the five infants, and find no increase in any one type of behavior that systematically precedes success. We conclude that sudden success at 18 months probably corresponds to the coming together of a variety of capacities.
THE EFFECT OF ANTICIPATION GUIDE STRATEGY ON THE ELEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION OF SMAN 3 PEKANBARU

Abstract: This pre-experimental research aimed to find out the significant effect of Anticipation Guide Strategy to the eleventh grade studens’ reading comprehension of SMAN 3 Pekanbaru. More than 50% students of SMAN 3 Pekanbaru often face some problems in comprehending the text caused by some factors such as: lack of background knowledge, lack of vocabulary, the technique in teaching reading comprehension, and students’ background knowledge which has not been activated. To overcome the problems, the writer used Anticipation Guide Strategy in teaching and learning process. The population was the eleventh grade students of SMAN 3 Pekanbaru, while the sample class was XI IPS 2. The writer used cluster sampling technique to decide the sample and the instrument of this research was test in the form of multiple choice. The test included five aspects of reading comprehension which are; main idea, inference, reference, factual information, and vocabulary, and three aspects of narrative text which are; generic structure, purpose, and language features. The students’ reading comprehension scores were analyzed using t-test formula. The writer used the level of significance at 0.05 (5%). After being calculated, the value of t-observed was 6.549, whereas the value of t-table on the df (degree of freedom) 33 was 2.021. Therefore, the alternative hypothesis that there is a significant effect of Anticipation Guide Strategy on students’ reading comprehension of SMAN 3 Pekanbaru was accepted and its null hypothesis was rejected. In conclusion, using Anticipation Guide Strategy has a significant effect on students’ reading comprehension of SMAN 3 Pekanbaru. Keywords: Anticipation Guide Strategy, Reading Comprehension2
Empowerment in Coalitions Targeting Underage Drinking: Differential Effects of Organizational Characteristics for Volunteers and Staff

Social work has adopted the Grand Challenge to reduce and prevent alcohol misuse and related consequences. This study extends previous research through a macro examination of distinct roles within coalitions implementing prevention strategies targeting underage alcohol use. The purpose was to determine whether hypothesized relationships among organizational characteristics, empowerment variables, and perceived effectiveness differed for 2 subgroups (i.e., volunteers and paid staff). The sample was comprised of 357 survey participants affiliated with a statewide substance abuse initiative. Structural equation modeling was used to examine hypothesized relationships between study variables and found differences among subgroups. Results can inform organizational processes within coalitions that focus on engaging different groups to have a stronger impact on community issues, such as substance use consequences.
Room for Improvement in Conducting and Reporting Non-Inferiority Randomized Controlled Trials on Drugs: A Systematic Review

Background A non-inferiority (NI) trial is intended to show that the effect of a new treatment is not worse than the comparator. We conducted a review to identify how NI trials were conducted and reported, and whether the standard requirements from the guidelines were followed. Methodology and Principal Findings From 300 randomly selected articles on NI trials registered in PubMed at 5 February 2009, we included 227 NI articles that referred to 232 trials. We excluded studies on bioequivalence, trials on healthy volunteers, non-drug trials, and articles of which the full-text version could not be retrieved. A large proportion of trials (34.0%) did not use blinding. The NI margin was reported in 97.8% of the trials, but only 45.7% of the trials reported the method to determine the margin. Most of the trials used either intention to treat (ITT) (34.9%) or per-protocol (PP) analysis (19.4%), while 41.8% of the trials used both methods. Less than 10% of the trials included a placebo arm to confirm the efficacy of the new drug and active comparator against placebo, and less than 5.0% were reporting the similarity of the current trial with the previous comparator's trials. In general, no difference was seen in the quality of reporting before and after the release of the CONSORT statement extension 2006 or between the high-impact and low-impact journals. Conclusion The conduct and reporting of NI trials can be improved, particularly in terms of maximizing the use of blinding, the use of both ITT and PP analysis, reporting the similarity with the previous comparator's trials to guarantee a valid constancy assumption, and most importantly reporting the method to determine the NI margin.
Comparative cytogenetics in Cyclopogon (Orchidaceae)

A cytotaxonomical description of Cyclopogon (Spiranthinae, Orchidaceae) is carried out through a deep karyotype analysis of four species from NE Argentina. Distinctive karyotype parameters concerning the chromosomes number, morphology, size and symmetry and the genome size associate to each taxon. Cyclopogon calophyllus (2n = 2x =28; 18m + 10sm), C. congestus (2n = 2x = 32; 26m + 6sm), C. elatus (2n = 2x = 28; 18m + 10sm) and C. oliganthus (2n = 4x = 64; 40m + 24sm) possess symmetrical karyotypes (i-mean = 40.01–42.84; A1 = 0.24–032; r>2 = 0.06–0.29) and excluding C. congestus (A2 = 0.26; R = 2.62) unimodality is the rule (A2 = 0.12–0.20; R = 1.73–1.92). Diploid taxa show a terminal macrosatellite in the m pair no. 2 (large arm) and share a comparable mean chromosome length (ca. 2.75 μm) and genome size (ca. 40 μm), superior to the tetraploid C. oliganthus (ca. 2 and 32 μm, respectively). The novel data added to preceding cytological, morphological and molecular approaches involving Cyclopogon and those related taxa of Spiranthinae largely based on x = 23 support the hypothesis that the unusual 2n and the karyotype morphology of Cyclopogon is an evolutionary advance within Spiranthinae with a basic reduction to x = 14 or 16 by chromosome fusions. A polyploid-dysploid series added to dibasic hybridization explain the extant 2n diversity though a paleopolyploid series on x = 7–8 is also possible.
Smooth compactness of self-shrinkers

We prove a smooth compactness theorem for the space of embedded self-shrinkers in $\RR^3$. Since self-shrinkers model singularities in mean curvature flow, this theorem can be thought of as a compactness result for the space of all singularities and it plays an important role in studying generic mean curvature flow.