Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevention of Arthritis by Locally Synthesized Recombinant Antibody Neutralizing Complement Component C5

Treatment of patients suffering from chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis with recombinant antibodies is time consuming and fairly expensive and can be associated with side effects due to generalized depletion of the target molecule. We have addressed these issues by developing an alternative approach consisting of the intraarticular injection of a DNA vector encoding for the anti-C5 neutralizing recombinant miniantibody MB12/22. This method allows local production of the antibody in sufficient amount to be effective in preventing joint inflammation in a rat model of antigen-induced arthritis. Injection of the DNA vector in a right knee of normal rats resulted in the production of the minibody detected in the synovial washes by western blot with a strong signal peaking at 3 days after administration. DNA encoding for the minibody was shown for 14 days in the synovial tissue and was undetectable in the controlateral knee and in other organs. The preventive effect of this approach was evaluated in rats receiving a single injection of the vector 3 days before the induction of antigen-induced arthritis and analyzed 3 days later. The treated rats exhibited a lower increase in swelling, associated with a lower number of PMN in the articular washes and reduced deposition of C9 in synovial tissue compared to control rats. These results suggest that treating the inflamed joints with a vector that induces a local production of a neutralizing anti-C5 antibody may represent a useful strategy to inhibit in situ complement activation and to treat patients with monoarthritis. Moreover, this approach may be adopted as a novel therapeutic strategy to prevent monoarthritis as an alternative to local treatment with antibodies commonly used in this form of arthritis, with the advantages of the lower cost and the longer persistence of antibody production.
Intercultural competence among sports and PE teachers. Theoretical foundations and empirical verification

As intercultural competence among young people is one of the educational missions at European schools, teachers should themselves be able to deal constructively with cultural diversity, as well as encouraging and shaping intercultural learning processes in their classes. This article focuses on the intercultural competence of physical education teachers. ‘Intercultural competence’, often used as a ‘container term’, will be theoretically founded in reference to the challenges physical education teachers meet. Based on these theoretical assumptions, a special education course was developed and conducted with physical education teachers to further their intercultural competence. With a mixed-method approach, i.e., a systematic interlocking of qualitative and quantitative data, the efficiency of the course has been empirically proved: knowledge competence and methods competence as sub-competencies of intercultural competence are enhanced while educational beliefs and acculturation attitudes as performance indicators are changed.
Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement in the Exercise of Moral Agency

This research examined the role of mechanisms of moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency. Regulatory self-sanctions can be selectively disengaged from detrimental conduct by converting harmful acts to moral ones through linkage to worthy purposes, obscuring personal causal agency by diffusion and displacement of responsibility, misrepresenting or disregarding the injurious effects inflicted on others, and vilifying the recipients of maltreatment by blaming and dehumanizing them. The study examined the structure and impact of moral disengagement on detrimental conduct and the psychological processes through which it exerts its effects. Path analyses reveal that moral disengagement fosters detrimental conduct by reducing prosocialness and anticipatory self-censure and by promoting cognitive and affective reactions conducive to aggression. The structure of the paths of influence is very similar for interpersonal aggression and delinquent conduct. Although the various mechanisms of moral disengagement operate in concert, moral reconstruals of harmful conduct by linking it to worthy purposes and vilification of victims seem to contribute most heavily to engagement in detrimental activities. Psychological theories of moral agency focus heavily on moral thought to the neglect of moral conduct. The limited attention to moral conduct reflects both the rationalistic bias of many theories of morality (Kohlberg, 1984) and the convenience of investigatory method. It is much easier to examine how people reason about hypothetical moral dilemmas than to study how they behave in difficult life predicaments. People suffer from the wrongs done to them, regardless of how perpetrators might justify their inhumane actions. The regulation of conduct involves much more than moral reasoning. A theory of morality must specify the mechanisms by which people come to live in accordance with moral standards. In social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1991), moral reasoning is translated into actions through self-regulatory mechanisms through which moral agency is exercised. In the course of socialization , moral standards are constructed from information conveyed by direct tuition, evaluative social reactions to one's conduct, and exposure to the selfevaluative standards modeled by others. Once formed, such standards serve as guides and deterrents for action. People regulate their actions by the consequences they apply to them
Deep Sequencing Analyses of Low Density Microbial Communities: Working at the Boundary of Accurate Microbiota Detection

Introduction Accurate analyses of microbiota composition of low-density communities (103–104 bacteria/sample) can be challenging. Background DNA from chemicals and consumables, extraction biases as well as differences in PCR efficiency can significantly interfere with microbiota assessment. This study was aiming to establish protocols for accurate microbiota analysis at low microbial density. Methods To examine possible effects of bacterial density on microbiota analyses we compared microbiota profiles of serial diluted saliva and low (nares, nasopharynx) and high-density (oropharynx) upper airway communities in four healthy individuals. DNA was extracted with four different extraction methods (Epicentre Masterpure, Qiagen DNeasy, Mobio Powersoil and a phenol bead-beating protocol combined with Agowa-Mag-mini). Bacterial DNA recovery was analysed by 16S qPCR and microbiota profiles through GS-FLX-Titanium-Sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons spanning the V5–V7 regions. Results Lower template concentrations significantly impacted microbiota profiling results. With higher dilutions, low abundant species were overrepresented. In samples of <105 bacteria per ml, e.g. DNA <1 pg/µl, microbiota profiling deviated from the original sample and other dilutions showing a significant increase in the taxa Proteobacteria and decrease in Bacteroidetes. In similar low density samples, DNA extraction method determined if DNA levels were below or above 1 pg/µl and, together with lysis preferences per method, had profound impact on microbiota analyses in both relative abundance as well as representation of species. Conclusion This study aimed to interpret microbiota analyses of low-density communities. Bacterial density seemed to interfere with microbiota analyses at < than 106 bacteria per ml or DNA <1 pg/µl. We therefore recommend this threshold for working with low density materials. This study underlines that bias reduction is crucial for adequate profiling of especially low-density bacterial communities.
Effects of Leadership Style on Team Learning.

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the effect of leadership style of a team leader on team‐member learning in organizations, to conceptually extend an initial model of leadership and to empirically examine the new model of ambidextrous leadership in a team context.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative research utilizing the case study method is used for empirical validation.Findings – The leadership style (transformational, transactional, or ambidextrous) adopted by the team leader has an operational effect on the development of learning as a strategic resource within the team, and the organization.Research limitations/implications – Case studies can be criticized for potential lack of rigour. However, we have used multiple cases following replication logic and triangulation to offset this. Further, cases by nature are generalizable to propositions only, not populations. Thus, a valuable springboard is provided for further quantitative investigations.Practical implications – The leadership style ad.
In Vitro Evaluation of Endothelial Cell Loss Using the Neusidl Corneal Inserter

Purpose: To determine the immediate endothelial cell loss (ECL) resulting from insertion of a precut donor button using the Neusidl Corneal Inserter (NCI) and compare it with the previously published ECL resulting from insertion of a folded donor button using non-coapting forceps. Methods: Ten corneas were precut for Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty and trephinated to a diameter of 8.0 mm (n = 5) or 8.5 mm (n = 5). Each tissue was placed onto the platform of a new NCI spatula and inserted into a cadaveric whole globe through a 5.2 mm incision. The tissue was carefully removed and stained with trypan blue and alizarin red to detect damaged endothelium. ECL was estimated using Adobe Photoshop planimetry. Mean ECL was compared with previously reported studies of forceps insertion with a one-sample t test, using SPSS v. 19. Geographic patterns of ECL were also documented. Results: Mean ECL was 15.6% (95% confidence interval, 13.8–17.4). We were unable to detect a difference in ECL compared with previous insertion methods studied (P < 0.001). The pattern of damage from the NCI was different than that previously seen with forceps insertion. Conclusion: Immediate endothelial damage resulting from use of the NCI for insertion of Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty tissue is comparable with that seen with a standard forceps technique, but with a different damage pattern.
Staging the Transitions to Maturity: Youth Theater and the Rites of Passage Through Adolescence

The research project reported in this article began as an investigation into the types of learning experienced by adolescents involved in recreational >-outh theater. However, the initial research soon revealed that a far more complex and fascinating process was occuning than just informal education. In both the ! -outh theaters studied. the central feature of the experience for the adolescents invol\. ed was the creation of effective transition rituals assisting the passage through adolescence. The outcomes of the research provide striking evidence that youth theater has the capacity to pro\. ide essential rites of passage for young people in a contemporary society that fails to identify or celebrate crucial developmental stages in the growth to maturity. The choice of two contrasting youth theaters located in different states ivas a conscious attempt to generate complementaq studies of two groups as different as possible from each other. The Melbourne Youth Theater. based in the Diamond Valley in the north eastern suburbs of Melboume in Australia. is completely funded and managed by its own members. and in the past has concenrrated on providing acting classes and performing large-scale musicals. The membership is exclusively whte, mainly Anglo-Saxon and predominantly middle-class. The play Mille~zrziurn, which was the subject of the study. was the first groupdevised work the company has attempted. All the 19 Melbourne Youth Theater members working on Millen~zium were either employed or studying in tertiaq. institutions. and their ages ranged from 17 to 21. The observation notes and interviews strongly indicate that as a group they used the creation and performance of Miilellrzium as a rite of passage into adulthood. and the majority appeared to be deeply. co-operatively involved in the construction of this ritual. In particular. the female participants appeared to attain their sense of achievement and identity through their close relationships with each other. rather than through the assertion of a separate. independent self or the demonstration of specific. indi\. idual skills. The second company. Brisbane Youth Theater in Queensland. is an externall! funded youth theater that is professionally managed. located in the center of Brisbane City. Its membership is multi-ethnic and the youth theater includes a number of adolescents of Torres Straisht Islander as \yell as teenagers of -4sian and European origin. Brisbane Youth Theater consciously uses drama to explore both
Racial/Ethnic Identity, Congruence with the Social Context, and the Transition to High School

The transition to high school may serve as a race/ethnicity consciousness-raising experience that stimulates the development of one’s racial/ethnic identity depending on newcomers’ racial/ethnic congruence with the student body and staff, as well as their perceived social transactions with the new school. The nature of this development was tested within samples of poor, urban, Black, White, and Latino students (n = 144). Racial/ethnic identity (group-esteem and exploration) and perceived transactions with school (academic hassles, participation, and social support) were assessed at the end of both the year prior to the transition and the transition year. The results suggested that changes over the transition to senior high school served as a race/ethnicity consciousness-raising experience for both Black and European American students but in dramatically different ways.
Screening of Astaxanthin-Hyperproducing Haematococcus pluvialis Using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and Raman Microspectroscopy

Haematococcus pluvialis has promising applications owing to its ability to accumulate astaxanthin under stress conditions. In order to acquire higher astaxanthin productivity from H. pluvialis, it is critical not only to develop efficient mutagenesis techniques, but also to establish rapid and effective screening methods which are highly demanded in current research and application practice. In this work, we therefore attempted to develop a new approach to screening the astaxanthin-hyperproducing strains based on spectroscopic tools. Using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman microspectroscopy, we have achieved rapid and quantitative analysis of the algal cells in terms of astaxanthin, β-carotene, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. In particular, we have found that the ratio of the IR absorption band at 1740 cm−1 to the band at 1156 cm−1 can be utilized for identifying astaxanthin-hyperproducing strains. This work may therefore open a new avenue for developing high-throughput screening methods necessary for the microbial mutant breeding industry.
Use of data assimilation via linear low‐order models for the initialization of El Niño‐Southern Oscillation predictions

The utility of a Kalman filter (KF) for initialization of an intermediate nonlinear coupled model for El Nino-Southern Oscillation prediction is studied via an approximation of the nonlinear coupled model by a system of seasonally dependent linear models. The low-dimensional nature of such an approximation allows one to determine a sequence of “perfect” initial states that start a trajectory segment best fitting the observed data. Defining these perfect initial conditions as “true” states of the model, we compute a priori parameters of the KF and test its ability to produce an estimate of the “truth” superior to the less theoretically sound estimates. We find that in this application such a KF does not produce an estimate outperforming a pure observational projection as an initial condition for the coupled model forecast. The violation of standard KF assumptions on temporal whiteness of observational errors and system noise is identified as the reason for this failure.
Distance-dependent modifiable threshold for action potential back-propagation in hippocampal dendrites.

In hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, action potentials generated in the axon back-propagate in a decremental fashion into the dendritic tree where they affect synaptic integration and synaptic plasticity. The amplitude of back-propagating action potentials (b-APs) is controlled by various biological factors, including membrane potential (Vm). We report that, at any dendritic location (x), the transition from weak (small-amplitude b-APs) to strong (large-amplitude b-APs) back-propagation occurs when Vm crosses a threshold potential, x. When Vm > x, back-propagation is strong (mostly active). Conversely, when Vm < x, back-propagation is weak (mostly passive). x varies linearly with the distance (x) from the soma. Close to the soma, x << resting membrane potential (RMP) and a strong hyperpolarization of the membrane is necessary to switch back-propagation from strong to weak. In the distal dendrites, x >> RMP and a strong depolarization is necessary to switch back-propagation from weak to strong. At approximately 260 micrometer from the soma, 260 approximately RMP, suggesting that in this dendritic region back-propagation starts to switch from strong to weak. x depends on the availability or state of Na+ and K+ channels. Partial blockade or phosphorylation of K+ channels decreases x and thereby increases the portion of the dendritic tree experiencing strong back-propagation. Partial blockade or inactivation of Na+ channels has the opposite effect. We conclude that x is a parameter that captures the onset of the transition from weak to strong back-propagation. Its modification may alter dendritic function under physiological and pathological conditions by changing how far large action potentials back-propagate in the dendritic tree.
Functional TRAIL receptors in monocytes and tumor-associated macrophages: A possible targeting pathway in the tumor microenvironment

Despite the accepted dogma that TRAIL kills only tumor cells and spares normal ones, we show in this study that mononuclear phagocytes are susceptible to recombinant TRAIL via caspase-dependent apoptosis. Human resting monocytes and in vitro-differentiated macrophages expressed substantial levels of the functional TRAIL receptors (TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2), while neutrophils and lymphocytes mostly expressed the non-signaling decoy receptor (TRAIL-R3). Accordingly, exclusively monocytes and macrophages activated caspase-8 and underwent apoptosis upon recombinant TRAIL treatment. TRAIL-Rs were up-regulated by anti-inflammatory agents (IL-10, glucocorticoids) and by natural compounds (Apigenin, Quercetin, Palmitate) and their treatment resulted in increased TRAIL-induced apoptosis. In mice, the only signaling TRAIL-R (DR5) was preferentially expressed by blood monocytes rather than neutrophils or lymphocytes. In both mice and humans, Tumor-Associated Macrophages (TAM) expressed functional TRAIL-R, while resident macrophages in normal tissues did not. As a proof of principle, we treated mice bearing a murine TRAIL-resistant fibrosarcoma with recombinant TRAIL. We observed significant decrease of circulating monocytes and infiltrating TAM, as well as reduced tumor growth and lower metastasis formation. Overall, these findings demonstrate that human and murine monocytes/macrophages are, among leukocytes, uniquely susceptible to TRAIL-mediated killing. This differential susceptibility to TRAIL could be exploited to selectively target macrophages in tumors.
Hypermedia Tools Enhance Learning in ADHD Students

Hypermedia tools are computer-based devices designed to promote learning in educational settings. In comparison to traditional educational instruments, hypermedia tools have the advantage of providing learners with concepts presented through a variety of symbols (written texts, oral narratives, pictures, animations, and sounds) (Mayer, 2005) and of offering learners control over the instructional process by allowing them to choose the preferred sequence along with access contents (Shin, Schallert, & Savenye, 1994). Here, we wish to briefly summarize the findings of our recently published study on this topic (Fabio & Antonietti, 2012). The alleged benefits of hypermedia devices have been supported by several studies (e.g., Mayer, 2003, 2005; Najjar, 1998; Sweller, 1999; Van Merrienboer, 1997). Such benefits have been proven also for students showing learning problems (Hall, Hughes, & Filibert, 2000). As far as this issue is concerned, Maccini, Gagnon, and Hughes (2002) conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on technology-based practices addressed to secondary school students identified as learning disabled. Hypermedia tools appeared to be relevant instruments for educating these kinds of students. However, few studies investigated the relationships between the effectiveness of hypermedia instructional tools and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) although there are several reasons to hypothesize that hypermedia instruments can play a role to overwhelm the difficulties that ADHD students encounter in learning.
Initial Public Offerings Evidence from the British , French and Swedish Property Share Markets

This paper investigates the underpricing and long-run performance of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), using a unique sample consisting of 54 British, French and Swedish property companies, which became publicly listed during the period 1984-1999. Similar to common stock IPOs, the European property share IPOs in our sample outperformed the benchmark on the first day of trading, on average with 2.55%. However, these property share IPOs tend to underperform their benchmark over the twelve-month period subsequent to the initial offering. We also examine explanatory factors such as issue size, the degree of debt financing, ex-ante uncertainty, and the underlying property types of the companies involved. The results are in line with those previously found for common stocks.
A Qualitative Exploration of entrepreneurial Knowledge Transfer

Purpose – This research seeks to explore the transfer and sharing of knowledge in entrepreneurial product development (EPD). Design/methodology/approach – The effects of organizational complexity and of the temporal locus of learning on knowledge sharing are closely examined through a qualitative case study of four projects in a mid‐size manufacturing firm.Findings – Distinguishing between the prior and resulting shared knowledge, this paper uses case studies to establish the importance of learning‐before‐doing over learning‐by‐doing under conditions of entrepreneurial resource constraints.Research limitations/implications – This paper revisits and extends the Hoopes and Postrel knowledge integration framework to include the mediating effects of organizational complexity and timing of learning on EPD performance in technology‐based firms.Practical implications – In order to better capture the impact of knowledge sharing on EPD, the paper also develops a method for measuring knowledge transfer directly in t.