Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Amentoflavone Inhibits Metastatic Potential Through Suppression of ERK/NF-κB Activation in Osteosarcoma U2OS Cells.

AIM The study goal was to investigate effect of amentoflavone on nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)-modulated metastatic mechanism in osteosarcoma U2OS cells. U2OS cells were treated with amentoflavone, NF-κB inhibitor, protein kinase B (PKB or AKT) inhibitor or mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor. Change of cell viability, NF-κB activation, expression of metastasis-associated proteins, signal transduction, and cell migration and invasion were evaluated by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, NF-κB reporter gene assay, western blotting, and cell migration and invasion assays. The results demonstrated that inhibition of activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) was a key point for suppression of NF-κB-modulated metastatic mechanism. Amentoflavone significantly inhibited NF-κB activation, ERK phosphorylation, expression of metastasis-associated proteins, and cell migration and invasion. Our findings indicate that amentoflavone reduces metastatic potential through suppression of ERK and NF-κB activation in osteosarcoma U2OS cells.
fleQ, the Gene Encoding the Major Flagellar Regulator of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Is σ70 Dependent and Is Downregulated by Vfr, a Homolog of Escherichia coli Cyclic AMP Receptor Protein

ABSTRACT The flagellar transcriptional regulator FleQ appears to be the highest-level regulator in the hierarchical regulatory cascade of flagellar biogenesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Except for the posttranslational downregulation of FleQ activity by FleN, an antiactivator, not much is known about the regulation of the fleQ gene or its gene product. Some FleQ homologs in other bacterial species either are positively regulated by another regulator (e.g., CtrA, the master regulator regulating FlbD in Caulobacter crescentus) or are expressed from a σ70-dependent promoter (e.g., FlgR of Helicobacter pylori). In this study we demonstrated that Vfr, an Escherichia coli CRP homolog known to function as an activator for various genes, including lasR, regA, and toxA, in P. aeruginosa, is capable of repressing fleQ transcription by binding to its consensus sequence in the fleQ promoter. In a DNase I footprint assay, purified Vfr protected the sequence 5′-AATTGACTAATCGTTCACATTTG-3′. When this putative Vfr binding site in the fleQ promoter was mutated, Vfr was unable to bind the fleQ promoter fragment and did not repress fleQ transcription effectively. Primer extension analysis of the fleQ transcript revealed two transcriptional start sites, t1 and t2, that map within the Vfr binding site. A putative −10 region (TAAAAT) for the t2 transcript, with a five-of-six match with the E. coli σ70 binding consensus, overlaps with one end of the Vfr binding site. A 4-bp mutation and an 8-bp mutation in this −10 region markedly reduced the activity of the fleQ promoter. The same mutations led to the disappearance of the 203-nucleotide fleQ transcript in an in vitro transcription assay. Vfr probably represses fleQ transcription by binding to the Vfr binding site in the fleQ promoter and preventing the sigma factor from binding to the −10 region to initiate transcription.
Escalation therapy with bortezomib, dexamethasone and bendamustine for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma

In order to improve remission rates without causing undue toxicity, we treated 50 patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma according to an institutional sequential treatment algorithm. Bortezomib was given as monotherapy (1.3 mg/m2 on day 1 + 4 + 8 + 11) followed by the addition of dexamethasone in a first (40 mg on day 1 + 4 + 8 + 11) and bendamustine (50 – 100 mg/m2 on day 1 + 8) in a second escalation step for patients with less than a minor response. Bortezomib monotherapy was sufficient in 23 (46%) patients, treatment escalation with dexamethasone was necessary in 20 (40%) patients and 7 (14%) patients needed triple combination therapy. Overall response rate was 84% while toxicity was manageable. Median time to progression and overall survival were 8 and 20 months, respectively. In conclusion, this treatment algorithm resulted in responses in the majority of heavily pre-treated patients while at the same time restricting the toxicity of triple combination therapy to only 14% of non-responding patients.
Awareness of Whale Conservation Status and Whaling Policy in the US—A Preliminary Study on American Youth

ABSTRACT In 2008, a preliminary study was conducted to provide information on awareness of cetacean (whale, dolphin and porpoise) conservation issues and the US government's policy on whaling, in a test group of US university students (n = 230). When given a list of whale species, 39% of the participants incorrectly thought that the humpback whale was the most threatened whale species (blue whale: 24.8%; northern minke whale: 20.9%; gray whale: 10.4%). Only 4.8% correctly chose the North Pacific right whale from the list. Only 23.5% of respondents stated that they had heard of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the international body with responsibility for the management of whale species. However, most of those who were aware of the IWC could correctly state its function. The respondents were also asked what they believed the policy was of the US government with respect to hunting whales: 40% believed that the US government was opposed to all whale hunting; 32.2% stated that only aboriginal whaling was supported; 23.5% stated that the US government supported sustainable commercial whaling; and 3.9% believed it supported all forms of commercial whaling. A lack of awareness of the conservation status of whales and the US policy towards whaling suggests that greater outreach to the public, particularly 18–26-year-olds, about the conservation status of whale species is required, by environmental groups and agencies.
Empowering Middle Managers to be Transformational Leaders

The article describes a field study of a large-scale management development program designed to stimulate middle managerial change. The development of a change typology suggests that middle managers are capable of making both transformational and transactional change targeted at themselves, their work unit, and their organization. Those with low levels of self-esteem, job affect, and social support tended to limit their efforts to changing themselves and thus had little impact on the organization. In contrast, individuals with high levels of self-esteem, job affect, and social support were more likely to make transformational changes. Thus the analyses suggest that individual mind-set prior to attending the program moderates the type of change undertaken by the middle managers. The most surprising finding is that those middle managers who were plateaued were most likely to make the most radical changes. The findings have implications for change mastery as well as resistance to change.
Firearm Use, Injury, and Lethality in Assaultive Violence

This article extends the study of race and ethnicity and violence by examining ethnic differences in firearm use, injury, and lethality in assaultive violence (homicide and aggravated assault) in the multiethnic city of Miami. Specifically, the article compares Latinos relative to non-Latino Blacks and non-Latino Whites. Controlling for the effects of other victim, offender, and incident characteristics, logistic and multinomial logistic regression analyses indicate that firearm use has large and similar effects on event lethality for Latino and non-Latino Black offenders but no significant effect for non-Latino Whites. However, Latino, Black, and White attackers are equally likely to use a gun in violent encounters. The authors discuss the implications of these ethnic patterns in terms of prevailing conceptions of firearm violence.
A $Ka$-Band FMCW Radar Front-End With Adaptive Leakage Cancellation

Monostatic frequency modulation continuous wave radars that use one antenna to simultaneously transmit and receive can result in compact and lightweight synthetic aperture radar systems. One of the greatest challenges in designing a continuous-wave monostatic radar is realizing enough isolation between the transmitter and the receiver. A novel real-time digital signal processing scheme is proposed to cancel the transmitter leakage at the receiver front-end and to achieve high isolation. With the digital implementation, the proposed scheme shows a much more precise control of the leakage cancellation when compared to conventional analog implementations. The dc-offset problem in analog mixers that affects the cancellation performance is eliminated. A radar test bed at 26 GHz has been built and tested in several radar modes. The measurement shows a leakage suppression of more than 30 dB over a 1.7-GHz sweeping bandwidth
Owning Your Emotions: Reactions to Expressions of Self- versus Other-Attributed Positive and Negative Emotions

This investigation tested the notion that speakers should own their emotions by using I-messages rather than You-messages when conveying their feelings. In Study 1, hypothetical self-attributed (I) emotion messages were compared to other-attributed (You) messages, with an I-You message added in Study 2. In both studies, the effect of both positive and negative emotion statements on perceived politeness, effectiveness, and emotional reactions were assessed. No differences were found in reactions to the message forms for negative emotions, but both studies provided evidence for differences in respondents' reaction to positive emotional expressions. These results suggest a self-serving bias; recipients do not distinguish between ways of phrasing negative emotions expressed to them, but apparently appreciate being given credit for speakers' positive emotions. Implications for therapists, communication consultants, and practitioners are discussed.
Developing Leaders for Decision Making Under Stress: Wildland Firefighters in the South Canyon Fire and Its Aftermath

To identify the sources of ineffective leadership decisions, we focus on ten decisions made by a leader of a wildland firefighter crew during the fatal South Canyon fire of July 5–6, 1996. The decisions of team leaders in fire zones are unusually clear-cut and consequential for the goals of the enterprise, but they are not unlike decisions faced by managers of most organizations. We suggest that three factors—underpreparation, acute stress, and ambiguous authority—can result in suboptimal decisions by team leaders on a fireline. Through detailed evaluation of the team leader's ten most consequential decisions in the South Canyon fire, we conclude that five were relatively optimal for the triple objectives of safety, speed, and suppression, but five others proved suboptimal. Much of their suboptimality is traced to the fact that the team leader was undertrained for leadership decision making, faced intense stress, and operated without clear authority. In the wake of this firefighting disaster—14 men and wo.
Self-Determination

Self-determination should be a central organizing concept in postsecondary programs for all students with disabilities, including those with learning disabilities. The importance of self-determination is supported by numerous studies, including one by Sarver (2000), who found a significant relationship between the grade point averages of students with learning disabilities and their levels of self-determination. Interviews with students about postsecondary environments demonstrate that specific environmental factors and personality markers are important to postsecondary success. Characteristics of environments that support self-determination are discussed within the context of postsecondary education settings. These characteristics include self-determined role models, self-determination skill instruction, opportunities for choice, positive communication patterns and relationships, and availability of supports. Universal Design for Instruction, a new paradigm for college students with learning disabilities, fosters self-determination by offering students productive opportunities for learning.
Twelve tips for facilitating Millennials’ learning

Background: The current, so-called “Millennial” generation of learners is frequently characterized as having deep understanding of, and appreciation for, technology and social connectedness. This generation of learners has also been molded by a unique set of cultural influences that are essential for medical educators to consider in all aspects of their teaching, including curriculum design, student assessment, and interactions between faculty and learners. Aim: The following tips outline an approach to facilitating learning of our current generation of medical trainees. Method: The method is based on the available literature and the authors’ experiences with Millennial Learners in medical training. Results: The 12 tips provide detailed approaches and specific strategies for understanding and engaging Millennial Learners and enhancing their learning. Conclusion: With an increased understanding of the characteristics of the current generation of medical trainees, faculty will be better able to facilitate learning and optimize interactions with Millennial Learners.
Changes in plasma melatonin levels and pineal organ melatonin synthesis following acclimation of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to different water salinities

Melatonin has been suggested to play a role in fish osmoregulation, and in salmonids has been related to the timing of adaptive mechanisms during smolting. It has been described that acclimation to different environmental salinities alters levels of circulating melatonin in a number of fish species, including rainbow trout. However, nothing is known regarding salinity effects on melatonin synthesis in the pineal organ, which is the main source of rhythmically produced and secreted melatonin in blood. In the present study we have evaluated, in rainbow trout, the effects of acclimation to different salinities on day and night plasma melatonin values and pineal organ melatonin synthesis. Groups of freshwater (FW)-adapted rainbow trout were placed in tanks with four different levels of water salinity (FW, 6, 12, 18 p.p.t.; parts per thousand) and maintained for 6 h or 5 days. Melatonin content in plasma and pineal organs, as well as the pineal content of serotonin (5-HT) and its main oxidative metabolite (5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid; 5-HIAA) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. In addition, day–night changes in pineal organ arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT2) activity and aanat2 gene expression were studied. Plasma osmolalities were found to be higher in rainbow trout exposed to all salinity levels compared with the control FW groups. A salinity-dependent increase in melatonin content was found in both plasma and pineal organs. This effect was observed during the night, and was related to an increase in aanat2 mRNA abundance and AANAT2 enzyme activity, both of which also occurred during the day. Also, the levels of indoles (5-HT, 5-HIAA) in the pineal organ were negatively affected by increasing water salinity, which seems to be related to the higher recruitment of 5-HT as a substrate for the increased melatonin synthesis. A stimulatory effect of salinity on pineal aanat2 mRNA expression was also identified. These results indicate that increased external salinity promotes melatonin synthesis in the pineal organ of rainbow trout by enhancing synthesis of AANAT protein independently of its regulation by light. The possibility that pineal melatonin is a target for hormones involved in the response of fish to osmotic challenge is discussed, as well as the potential role of melatonin in the timing of osmoregulatory processes.
A gentle occupation: unravelling the Dutch approach in Iraq, 2003–2005

This article examines the so-called ‘Dutch approach’ to conducting stabilisation operations. The term is mostly used in relation to the mission carried out by the Netherlands armed forces in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province from 2006 to 2010, but actually originates in the Iraqi province of Al Muthanna. Here, a 1350-strong battle group operated from July 2003 until March 2005 as part of the US-led coalition, after which the Dutch forces left Iraq relatively unscathed and self-confident of their ability in dealing with this type of conflict. On the basis of archival research and interviews, the authors unravel the ‘Dutch approach’ in southern Iraq by tracing its roots and by examining the Dutch operation in the context of the American and British experiences. They argue that despite predominantly effective tactical reflexes and an overall adequately broad interpretation by battle group commanders of a too narrowly defined political mandate, stability in Al Muthanna was conditions-driven rather than the result of a unique and effective approach. The term ‘Dutch approach’ turned out to be a convenient fabrication which, after the relatively successful mission in Al Muthanna, became increasingly politicised in the run-up to a dangerous new operation in southern Afghanistan.
The power of one? Conditions which challenge managerial professional development practices

This paper draws upon Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, capital and field to better understand and appreciate the conditions which encouraged the productive professional development (PD) practices of one very capable teacher working in a secondary school in the British Midlands. Rather than celebrating this teacher's practices and perspective as evidence of the capacity of the heroic individual to overcome sometimes adverse circumstances, this paper reveals how the experiences of this teacher can be understood as an instance of the socially situated self, engaged by and engaging in an alternative politics to that associated with more managerial conceptions of teacher learning. This research calls for a cautious approach to those renderings of educational practice which construe the creative potential of the habitus, without sufficient regard for the actual conditions which contribute towards this creativity. In this way, this paper is presented not as an example of how one teacher overcame significant barriers to substantive learning practices – as a morality tale for other, individual educators to emulate – but as a provocation to suggest how some teachers' access to professional/community resources helps them sustain a clear focus on substantive learning.
Bayesian Methods for Adaptive Models Thesis by Second Edition Bayesian Methods for Adaptive Models

ii Acknowledgements During the last three years, my work has beneeted greatly from discussions with where I learnt the nal tools needed for this research. I hope that the ideas in this dissertation will only be used towards peaceful ends. This is the second edition of my thesis. Some typographical errors have been corrected, and a small number of clariications of the text have been made. The postscript les for this document may be obtained by anonymous ftp from Abstract The Bayesian framework for model comparison and regularisation is demonstrated by studying interpolation and classiication problems modelled with both linear and non{linear models. This framework quantitatively embodies`Occam's razor'. Over{complex and under{ regularised models are automatically inferred to be less probable, even though their exi-bility allows them to t the data better. When applied tòneural networks', the Bayesian framework makes possible (1) objective comparison of solutions using alternative network architectures; (2) objective stopping rules for network pruning or growing procedures; (3) objective choice of type of weight decay terms (or regularisers); (4) on{line techniques for optimising weight decay (or regularisation constant) magnitude; (5) a measure of the eeective number of well{determined parameters in a model; (6) quantiied estimates of the error bars on network parameters and on network output. In the case of classiication models, it is shown that the careful incorporation of error bar information into a classiier's predictions yields improved performance. Comparisons of the inferences of the Bayesian framework with more traditional cross{ validation methods help detect poor underlying assumptions in learning models. The relationship of the Bayesian learning framework tòactive learning' is examined. Objective functions are discussed which measure the expected informativeness of candidate data measurements, in the context of both interpolation and classiication problems. The concepts and methods described in this thesis are quite general and will be applicable to other data modelling problems whether they involve regression, classiication or density estimation. iv CONTENTS
Inferences about members of kinds: The generics hypothesis

People routinely make inferences based on kind membership. For example, if you were told that a particular kind of animal is a tiger, then you would likely infer that it has stripes. Under what conditions are people willing to infer that a member of a given kind has a property? Two hypotheses were examined. The base rate or prevalence hypothesis holds that people rely only on their knowledge of the statistical frequency of a property among its kind to infer whether a member has that property. An alternative is the generics hypothesis, which states that people are influenced by their belief that the relevant generic generalization is true. In other words, if people agree to the generalization, “ducks lay eggs”, then they should be willing to make the inference that an arbitrary individual duck lays eggs, despite their knowledge that the majority of ducks do not lay eggs (i.e., juveniles, males, and infertile females). We present data that support the second hypothesis. Rather than being driven solely by beliefs about prevalence, agreement to the relevant generic predicted performance on an inference task beyond estimated prevalence or cue validity. These findings suggest that models of categorization that are based solely on statistical or simple probabilistic principles are incomplete. They also provide support for the idea that generics articulate core conceptual beliefs that guide our interactions with the world.
An evaluation of early and late stage attentional processing of positive and negative information in dysphoria

Depressive disorders may be characterised by hyperattention toward negative information, hypoattention toward positive information, or a combination of both processing biases. In two studies, a dot-probe task was utilised to better ascertain the specific direction and time-course of these biases. In both studies, the dysphoric group showed significantly less attentional allocation toward positive stimuli than the non-dysphoric group. In study two, the dysphoric group also showed greater attentional allocation toward depression-specific stimuli. Importantly, the bias toward depression-specific stimuli, and the bias away from positive stimuli, were uncorrelated with each other. It may be that both biases can act as sufficient, but not necessary, characteristics of dysphoric processing. An additional possibility is that the relative level of each bias type may best characterise dysphoric processing. Each of these possibilities is discussed in turn.