Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Allyl isothiocyanate induces replication-associated DNA damage response in NSCLC cells and sensitizes to ionizing radiation

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a constituent of many cruciferous vegetables exhibits significant anticancer activities in many cancer models. Our studies provide novel insights into AITC-induced anticancer mechanisms in human A549 and H1299 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. AITC exposure induced replication stress in NSCLC cells as evidenced by γH2AX and FANCD2 foci, ATM/ATR-mediated checkpoint responses and S and G2/M cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, AITC-induced FANCD2 foci displayed co-localization with BrdU foci, indicating stalled or collapsed replication forks in these cells. Although PITC (phenyl isothiocyanate) exhibited concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects, treatment was less effective compared to AITC. Previously, agents that induce cell cycle arrest in S and G2/M phases were shown to sensitize tumor cells to radiation. Similar to these observations, combination therapy involving AITC followed by radiation treatment exhibited increased DDR and cell killing in NSCLC cells compared to single agent treatment. Combination index (CI) analysis revealed synergistic effects at multiple doses of AITC and radiation, resulting in CI values of less than 0.7 at Fa of 0.5 (50% reduction in survival). Collectively, these studies identify an important anticancer mechanism displayed by AITC, and suggest that the combination of AITC and radiation could be an effective therapy for NSCLC.
A Pilot Study of Transformational Leadership and College Counseling Outcomes

ABSTRACT This pilot study explores the relationship between perceived transformational leadership skills of college counselors and outcomes in counseling. College students receiving counseling (n = 46) were given a revised version of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), the Working Alliance Inventory, Short Form (WAI-S), and the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS-34). Results yielded significant relationships between improvement in areas of client functioning and subscales measuring aspects of transformational leadership in counselors as perceived by clients. In addition to significant correlations between alliance and subscales of the MLQ, there were strong negative relationships between social anxiety and management by exception (active); academic distress and idealized influence (behavior); and alcohol use and management by exception (passive).
The development and psychometric properties of the Internet Disorder Scale-Short Form (IDS9-SF)

Previous research has emphasized the need to improve the psychometric assessment of Internet addiction (IA); however, little research has been conducted to address inconsistencies in the instrumentation used for this purpose. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a new instrument to assess IA based on the nine Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) criteria as suggested by the American Psychiatric Association in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and further explore its psychometric properties according to several statistical parameters. A convenience sample of 1,100 participants was recruited from various online forums. Construct validity of the Internet Disorder Scale– Short Form (IDS9-SF) was assessed by means of factorial and nomological validity. Concurrent and criterion validity, as well as reliability were also investigated. At the construct validity level, the results from different analyses confirmed the validity of the scale. Additionally, strong empirical evidence was obtained for the concurrent and criterion validity of the scale. Taken together, these findings support the viability of using the nine IGD criteria as outlined by the APA in the DSM-5 to assess the construct of IA in a parsimonious and uniform fashion.
The Dynamic Range of Bursting in a Model Respiratory Pacemaker Network

A network of excitatory neurons within the pre-Botzinger complex (pre-BotC) of the mammalian brain stem has been found experimentally to generate robust, synchronized population bursts of activity. An experimentally calibrated model for pre-BotC cells yields typical square-wave bursting behavior in the absence of coupling, over a certain parameter range, with quiescence or tonic spiking outside of this range. Previous simulations of this model showed that the introduction of synaptic coupling extends the bursting parameter range significantly and induces complex effects on burst characteristics. In this paper, we use geometric dynamical systems techniques, predominantly a fast/slow decomposition and bifurcation analysis approach, to explain these effects in a two-cell model network. Our analysis yields the novel finding that, over a broad range of synaptic coupling strengths, the network can support two qualitatively distinct forms of synchronized bursting, which we call symmetric and asymmetric bursting, as well as both symmetric and asymmetric tonic spiking. By elucidating the dynamical mechanisms underlying the transitions between these states, we also gain insight into how relevant parameters influence burst duration and interburst intervals. We find that, in the two-cell network with synaptic coupling, the stable family of periodic orbits for the fast subsystem features spike asynchrony within otherwise synchronized bursts and terminates in a saddle-node bifurcation, rather than in a homoclinic bifurcation, over a wide parameter range. As a result, square-wave bursting is replaced by what we call top hat bursting (also known as fold/fold cycle bursting), at least for a broad range of parameter values. Further, spike asynchrony is a key ingredient in shaping the dynamic range of bursting, leading to a significant enhancement in the parameter range over which bursting occurs and an abrupt increase in burst duration as an appropriate parameter is varied.
EVOLUTION OF HEMOGLOBIN IN PRIMATES.

Publisher Summary The invariant replication of the genetic material and the invariant translation of the genetic information into protein structure are conceived as the molecular basis for the maintenance of a species and its distinctness from other species. Selection on the population of organisms within which the mutational alterations occur preserves some and eliminates others. It is a continuous process. This chapter discusses the interplay between molecular and organismal aspects of the evolutionary events through the study of hemoglobin of humans and their primate relatives. Hemoglobin has been modified structurally in the course of evolution. Normal hemoglobins of various species of primates are not identical. Hemoglobin is an ideal protein for studies of molecular evolution. The study of the hemoglobins of the primates should be an unbeatable combination for evolutionary studies.
Associations between White Matter Microstructural Integrity and Cognition in Older Adults with Coronary Artery Disease: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline. Conventional neuroimaging does not fully capture the effect of CAD on cognition. This study uses diffusion tensor imaging to determine whether subtle changes in white matter (WM) microstructural integrity can further predict CAD-associated cognitive impairment. Participants (n=49) were recruited at entry into cardiac rehabilitation. Composite Z-scores were computed for executive function and memory. Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance images were acquired. WM integrity as quantified by fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left parahippocampal cingulum was significantly associated with executive function (F1,44=11.43, p=.002). FA in 10 other WM tracts examined was also associated with executive function but did not survive statistical correction for multiple comparisons. No associations were observed between FA in WM tracts and memory. Subtle WM microstructural changes may contribute to pathophysiological mechanisms of cognitive decline in a population prone to early neural risk for dementia.
Robust H∞ Control for Neutral Uncertain Switched Nonlinear Systems using Multiple Lyapunov Functions

Abstract This paper focuses on the problem of robust H ∞ control for a class of switched nonlinear systems with neutral uncertainties via the multiple Lyapunov function approach. Uncertainties are allowed to appear in channels of state, control input and disturbance input. Conditions for the solvability of the robust H ∞ control problem and design of both switching law and controllers are presented. As an application, a hybrid state feedback strategy is proposed to solve the standard robust H ∞ control problem for nonlinear systems when no single continuous controller is effective.
Using Quality of Family Life Factors to Explore Parents’ Experience of Educational Provision for Children with Developmental Disabilities in Rural Australia

Abstract Australian education service provision includes the delivery of quality educational programmes to rural and remote living children. However, according to their parents, many children with developmental disabilities (such as Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders) who are living in rural country areas in New South Wales (NSW) still do not have access to an acceptable education programme. This study aimed to use quality of life factors via a family quality of life scale to explore 51 parents’ experience of educational service provision for their children with developmental disabilities in rural NSW. The results indicated that successful engagement with the school system is strongly affected by the views, assumptions, expertise and prejudices of teaching and care professionals. Further research into how local educational service providers may assist rural Australian families with a child with IDD in rural and remote locations is warranted.
The Extraordinary “Superthin” Spiral Galaxy UGC 7321. I. Disk Color Gradients and Global Properties from Multiwavelength Observations

We present B- and R-band optical imaging and photometry, Hα narrowband imaging, near-infrared H-band imaging, and H I 21 cm spectroscopy of the nearby (Vh = 407 km s-1), Sd spiral galaxy UGC 7321. UGC 7321 exhibits a remarkably thin stellar disk with no discernible bulge component. The galaxy has a very diffuse, low surface brightness disk, which appears to suffer relatively little internal extinction in spite of its nearly edge-on geometry (i ≈ 88°). If seen face-on, UGC 7321 would have an observed central B-band surface brightness of only ∼23.4 mag arcsec-2. The UGC 7321 disk shows significant B-R color gradients in both the radial and vertical directions: Δ(B-R) ≥ 0.80 mag along the galaxy major axis, and Δ(B-R) as large as 0.45 mag is observed parallel to the galaxy minor axis. These color gradients cannot be explained solely by dust and are indicative of changes in the mix of stellar ages and/or metallicity as a function of both radius and height above the galaxy plane. The outer regions of the UGC 7321 disk are too blue to be explained by low metallicity alone (B-R ≤ 0.6) and must be relatively young. However, the galaxy also contains stellar populations with B-R > 1.1, indicating it is not a young or recently formed galaxy. The disk of UGC 7321 is not a simple exponential but exhibits a light excess at small radii, as well as distinct surface brightness zones. Despite its organized disk structure, many of the global properties of UGC 7321 (MB = -17.0; ℳ = 1.1 × 109; ℳ/LB = 1.1 M⊙/L⊙; W20 = 233 km s-1; hr = 2.1 kpc) are reminiscent of a dwarf galaxy. Together the properties of UGC 7321 imply that it is an underevolved galaxy in both a dynamical and in a star formation sense.
Electroencephalographic Rhythms in Alzheimer's Disease

Physiological brain aging is characterized by synapses loss and neurodegeneration that slowly lead to an age-related decline of cognition. Neural/synaptic redundancy and plastic remodelling of brain networking, also due to mental and physical training, promotes maintenance of brain activity in healthy elderly subjects for everyday life and good social behaviour and intellectual capabilities. However, age is the major risk factor for most common neurodegenerative disorders that impact on cognition, like Alzheimer's disease (AD). Brain electromagnetic activity is a feature of neuronal network function in various brain regions. Modern neurophysiological techniques, such as electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs), are useful tools in the investigation of brain cognitive function in normal and pathological aging with an excellent time resolution. These techniques can index normal and abnormal brain aging analysis of corticocortical connectivity and neuronal synchronization of rhythmic oscillations at various frequencies. The present review suggests that discrimination between physiological and pathological brain aging clearly emerges at the group level, with suggested applications also at the level of single individual. The possibility of combining the use of EEG together with biological/neuropsychological markers and structural/functional imaging is promising for a low-cost, non-invasive, and widely available assessment of groups of individuals at-risk.
Dynamic Factor Models of Consumption, Hours, and Income

This paper addresses two questions. First, what are the key factors that affect a consumer's lifetime budget constraint and how do they evolve over the lifecycle? Second, how do consumers respond to changes in these factors? We examine the permanent income hypothesis and the Keynesian consumption model using a dynamic factor model of consumption, hours, wages, unemployment, and income. We show that a quarterly dynamic factor model with restrictions on the lag structure nay be used with annual panel data to account for the fact that in many micro panel data sets the variables relevant to a study are measured at different time intervals and/or are aggregates for the calendar year. By using several income indicators we are able to extend the panel data studies of Hall and Mishkin and Bernanke to allow for measurement error. We are also able to study the response of income and consumption to some of the factors which determine them. In addition, we study a dynamic factor representation of a joint lifecycle model of consumption and labor supply. We provide estimates of the effect of wages, unemployment, and other income determinants on the marginal utility of income as well as estimates of the substitution effects of wage change on labor supply and consumption.
Chlorogenic Acid Prevents Osteoporosis by Shp2/PI3K/Akt Pathway in Ovariectomized Rats

Cortex Eucommiae is used worldwide in traditional medicine, various constituents of Cortex Eucommiae, such as chlorogenic acid (CGA), has been reported to exert anti-osteoporosis activity in China, but the mechanism about their contribution to the overall activity is limited. The aims of this study were to determine whether chlorogenic acid can prevent estrogen deficiency-induced osteoporosis and to analyze the mechanism of CGA bioactivity. The effect of CGA on estrogen deficiency-induced osteoporosis was performed in vivo. Sixty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly among a sham-operated group and five ovariectomy (OVX) plus treatment subgroups: saline vehicle, 17α-ethinylestradiol (E2), or CGA at 9, 27, or 45 mg/kg/d. The rats’ femoral metaphyses were evaluated by micro-computed tomography (μCT). The mechanism of CGA bioactivity was investigated in vitro. Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were treated with CGA, with or without phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002. BMSCs proliferation and osteoblast differentiation were assessed with 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and alkaline phosphatase, with or without Shp2 interfering RNA (RNAi). The results display that CGA at 27 and 45 mg/kg/day inhibited the decrease of bone mineral density (BMD) that induced by OVX in femur (p< 0.01), significantly promoted the levels of bone turnover markers, and prevented bone volume fraction (BV/TV), connectivity density (CoonD), trabecular number (Tb.N), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) (all p< 0.01) to decrease and prevented the trabecular separation (Tb.Sp), structure model index (SMI)(both p< 0.01) to increase. CGA at 1 or 10 μM enhanced BMSC proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. CGA at 0.1 to 10 μM increased phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) and cyclin D1. These effects were reversed by LY294002. CGA at 1 or 10 μM increased BMSC differentiation to osteoblasts (p< 0.01), Shp2 RNAi suppressed CGA-induced osteoblast differentiation by decreasing Shp2, p-Akt, and cyclin D1. This study found that CGA improved the BMD and trabecular micro-architecture for the OVX-induced osteoporosis. Therefore, CGA might be an effective alternative treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis. CGA promoted proliferation of osteoblast precursors and osteoblastic differentiation of BMSCs via the Shp2/PI3K/Akt/cyclin D1 pathway.
An Examination of the Ascension to and Experiences in the Metropolitan Chief Fire Officer Position: Implications for Leadership, Policy and Practice

Judith Jackson May, Advisor This dissertation is a phenomenological examination of the experiences of nine metropolitan Chief Fire Officers in the ascension to and in the highest leadership position at metropolitan fire departments. An extensive review of literature showed a dearth of literature relative to how individuals ascend to the position and what they experience in the position. Research indicates that there is no widely recognized or shared path of preparation for Chief Fire Officers. Several key concepts emerged from the analysis of the in-depth qualitative interviews with nine participants including, operational training and experience, discovery of leadership and management, developing leadership skills, responsibility and accountability, institutional complexity, and motivation and inspiration. From the six key concepts four overarching themes arose: the unique characteristics of the Chief Fire Officer position; the ability to master technical, human, and conceptual skills; significant developmental leadership experiences; and the importance of self-awareness. The findings of the study revealed implications for policy and practice including the need to develop policies to outline a clear expectation and agreed-upon understanding of the components and complexity of the Chief position; to develop agreed upon practices to support skills mastery at milestone points, such as Lieutenant, Battalion Chief and/or moves to administrative positions, Assistant Chief, and Chief Fire Officer. Finally, the results of this empirical study represent a substantial addition to the existing literature base and provide a deeper and more robust dialogue relative to the ascension of metropolitan Chief Fire Officers.
Rh phenotype prediction by DNA typing and its application to practice

The complexity of the RHD and RHCE genes, which is the greatest of all blood group systems, confounds analysis at the molecular level. RH DNA typing was introduced in 1993 and has been applied to prenatal testing. PCR‐SSP analysis covering multiple polymorphisms was recently introduced for the screening and initial characterization of partial D. Our objective is to summarize the accrued knowledge relevant to the approaches to Rh phenotype prediction by DNA typing, their possible applications beyond research laboratories and their limitations. The procedures, results and problems encountered are highly detailed. It is recommended that DNA typing comprises an analysis of more than one polymorphism. We discuss future directions and propose a piecemeal approach to improve reliability and cost‐efficiency of blood group genotyping that may eventually replace the prevalent serology‐based techniques even for many routine tasks. Transfusion medicine is in the unique position of being able to utilize the most extensive phenotype databases available to check and develop genotyping strategies.
Do More Friends Mean Better Grades? Student Popularity and Academic Achievement

Peer interactions have been argued to play a major role in student academic achievement. Recent work has focused on measuring the structure of peer interactions with the location of the student in their social network and has found a positive relationship between student popularity and academic achievement. Here we ascertain the robustness of previous ﬁndings to controls for endogenous friendship formation. The results indicate that popularity inﬂuences academic achievement positively in the baseline model, a ﬁnding which is consistent with the literature. However, controlling for endogenous friendship formation results in a large drop in the eﬀect of popularity, with a signiﬁcantly negative coeﬃcient in all of the speciﬁcations. These results point to a negative short term eﬀect of social capital accumulation, lending support to the theory that social interactions crowd out activities that improve academic performance.
Harnessing supramolecular peptide nanotechnology in biomedical applications

The harnessing of peptides in biomedical applications is a recent hot topic. This arises mainly from the general biocompatibility of peptides, as well as from the ease of tunability of peptide structure to engineer desired properties. The ease of progression from laboratory testing to clinical trials is evident from the plethora of examples available. In this review, we compare and contrast how three distinct self-assembled peptide nanostructures possess different functions. We have 1) nanofibrils in biomaterials that can interact with cells, 2) nanoparticles that can traverse the bloodstream to deliver its payload and also be bioimaged, and 3) nanotubes that can serve as cross-membrane conduits and as a template for nanowire formation. Through this review, we aim to illustrate how various peptides, in their various self-assembled nanostructures, possess great promise in a wide range of biomedical applications and what more can be expected.
Time-variant doppler frequency estimation and compensation for mobile OFDM systems

In mobile OFDM communication systems, Doppler spread leads to the loss of orthogonality between the sub-carriers, limiting the achievable throughput of the moving transceivers. In this paper, the effect of Doppler spread in Rayleigh fading channels is investigated, and a method of time-variant Doppler frequency estimation and compensation is proposed for mobile OFDM systems. Computer simulation results are included to support our developments