Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Machinability of Minor Wooden Species before and after Modification with Thermo-Vacuum Technology

The influence of the thermal modification process on wood machinability was investigated with four minor species of low economic importance. A set of representative experimental samples was machined to the form of disks with sharp and dull tools. The resulting surface quality was visually evaluated by a team of experts according to the American standard procedure ASTM D-1666-87. The objective quantification of the surface quality was also done by means of a three dimensions (3D) surface scanner for the whole range of grain orientations. Visual assessment and 3D surface analysis showed a good agreement in terms of conclusions. The best quality of the wood surface was obtained when machining thermally modified samples. The positive effect of the material modification was apparent when cutting deodar cedar, black pine and black poplar in unfavorable conditions (i.e., against the grain). The difference was much smaller for an easy-machinability specie such as Italian alder. The use of dull tools resulted in the worst surface quality. Thermal modification has shown a very positive effect when machining with dull tools, leading to a relevant increment of the final surface smoothness.
3-(Ammoniomethyl)pyridinium dibromide

In the title salt, C6H10N2 2+·2Br−, the non-H atoms of the 3-methylpyridinium unit of the cation are almost coplanar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0052 Å). In the crystal, the dications and Br anions are linked by a combination of six hydrogen bonds, viz. one Npy—H⋯Br, two C—H⋯Br and three H2N–H⋯Br, into supramolecular layers, parallel to the bc plane, composed of alternating R24(10) and R24(8) loops. Weak π–π interactions between cationic rings with centroid–centroid distances of 3.891 (2) Å are also observed.
Deletion Hotspots in AMACR Promoter CpG Island Are cis-Regulatory Elements Controlling the Gene Expression in the Colon

Alpha-methylacyl-coenzyme A racemase (AMACR) regulates peroxisomal β-oxidation of phytol-derived, branched-chain fatty acids from red meat and dairy products — suspected risk factors for colon carcinoma (CCa). AMACR was first found overexpressed in prostate cancer but not in benign glands and is now an established diagnostic marker for prostate cancer. Aberrant expression of AMACR was recently reported in Cca; however, little is known about how this gene is abnormally activated in cancer. By using a panel of immunostained-laser-capture-microdissected clinical samples comprising the entire colon adenoma–carcinoma sequence, we show that deregulation of AMACR during colon carcinogenesis involves two nonrandom events, resulting in the mutually exclusive existence of double-deletion at CG3 and CG10 and deletion of CG12-16 in a newly identified CpG island within the core promoter of AMACR. The double-deletion at CG3 and CG10 was found to be a somatic lesion. It existed in histologically normal colonic glands and tubular adenomas with low AMACR expression and was absent in villous adenomas and all CCas expressing variable levels of AMACR. In contrast, deletion of CG12-16 was shown to be a constitutional allele with a frequency of 43% in a general population. Its prevalence reached 89% in moderately differentiated CCas strongly expressing AMACR but only existed at 14% in poorly differentiated CCas expressing little or no AMACR. The DNA sequences housing these deletions were found to be putative cis-regulatory elements for Sp1 at CG3 and CG10, and ZNF202 at CG12-16. Chromatin immunoprecipitation, siRNA knockdown, gel shift assay, ectopic expression, and promoter analyses supported the regulation by Sp1 and ZNF202 of AMACR gene expression in an opposite manner. Our findings identified key in vivo events and novel transcription factors responsible for AMACR regulation in CCas and suggested these AMACR deletions may have diagnostic/prognostic value for colon carcinogenesis.
BRCA1 Protein Expression Level and CD44+Phenotype in Breast Cancer Patients

Objective: CD44+/CD24-/low breast cancer cells have tumour-initiating properties with stem cell-like features. Breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) is a tumour suppressor gene that plays a crucial role in DNA repair and maintenance of chromosome stability. The clinicopatho- logical features of breast cancer in BRCA1 mutation carriers suggest that BRCA1 may function as a stem-cell regulator. Materials and Methods: In the present experimental study we examined the expression and localization of the BRCA1 protein and investigated the prognostic value as well as its relationship with the putative cancer stem cell (CSC) marker (CD44) in 156 tumour samples from a well-characterized series of unselected breast carcinomas using immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using SPSS software version 16 (Chicago, IL, USA). Results: In breast tumours, the loss of nuclear expression was detected in 23 cases (15%), whereas cytoplasmic expression of BRCA1 was observed in 133 breast carcinomas (85%). Altered BRCA1 expression was significantly associated with high grade and poor prognosis breast tumours (p=0.006). We further established an inverse significant correlation between BRCA1 expression levels and CD44+ cancer cell phenotype (p=0.02). Conclusion: Loss of BRCA1 expression is a marker of tumour aggressiveness and correlates with CD44+ tumour cell phenotype. Taken together, the present study supports the idea that the loss of BRCA1 results in persistent errors in DNA replication in breast stem cells and provides targets for additional carcinogenic events.
Association for Information Systems AIS Electronic Library ( AISeL ) Wirtschaftsinformatik Proceedings 2011 Wirtschaftsinformatik 2011 Assisted Social Identity Management

The rise of the social web shifts personal identity management to the online world. As a result, personal information is persistently available to all of a user’s contacts without distinguishing between different contexts such as Work and Leisure. Personal information being available to audiences outside the intended context violates contextual integrity and poses a threat to users’ privacy. We argue that a formal description and a conceptualization of the problem scope is required to systematically address current challenges of personal identity management in online social settings. Based thereupon, we propose assisted social identity management to support the user in finding segregated audiences among his contacts as a first step to advance from the current situation and sketch further improvements. We evaluate our approach using real-world data, demonstrating the feasibility of our proposal.
Family involvement in PSE: international schools easing the transition of mobile families

The impact of family mobility from domestic or international moves can be challenging for families. Some families adjust and other families experience crisis. For some families, relocation may be due to a job promotion and transfer, while for other families moving may be due to divorce, loss of employment or other stressful circumstances. Regardless of whether the family perceives relocation as positive or negative, moving places demands on families and consequently families experience varying degrees of transience. This article is based upon a qualitative research study about internationally mobile (IM) families managing relocation and transience and the place of international schooling in that process. 90 semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 45 (IM) families at an international school in southern England. The study included an intervention that consisted of implementing a personal and social education (PSE) programme for families with adolescent children. Family involvement in PSE facilitated parent‐adolescent communication at a critical transitional stage as IM teenagers who grow up ‘on the move’ were experiencing complex emotional and social upheavals in relationships with their peers and their families. Although the focus of this study explored the experiences of a small sample of IM families, there are wider implications from the study. Family mobility presents an opportunity for schools to also work with families who experience domestic moves to ease the transition of children through pastoral care.
Ecologies of Parental Engagement in Urban Education

What we know about parental involvement in schools cuts across two areas: how and why parental involvement is important and the structural barriers that impede parental participation. However, it has been difficult to construct an account of parental involvement, grounded in everyday practice that goes beyond a laundry list of things that good parents do for their children’s education. In this article we make a case for a new data-driven framework for understanding parental engagement in urban elementary schools, the Ecologies of Parental Engagement (EPE) framework. The EPE framework marks a fundamental shift in how we understand parents’ involvement in their children’s education—a shift from focusing primarily on what parents do to engage with their children’s schools and with other actors within those schools, to also considering how parents understand the hows and whys of their engagement, and how this engagement relates more broadly to parents’ experiences and actions both inside and out of the school community. In explaining this framework, we situate parental engagement as a relational phenomenon that relies on activity networks. In doing so, we highlight the crucial importance that both space and capital play in the relative success parents (and teachers) have in engaging parents in the academic venue of urban schooling. Drawing from our understanding of the intersections between space and capital in the worlds of parents and school, we make the argument that parental engagement ought to be thought of as the mediation between space and capital.
Surgical resection strategy and the influence of radicality on outcomes in oesophageal cancer

The optimal surgical approach to tumours of the oesophagus and oesophagogastric junction remains controversial. The principal randomized trial comparing transhiatal (THO) and transthoracic (TTO) oesophagectomy showed no survival difference, but suggested that some subgroups of patients may benefit from the more extended lymphadenectomy typically conducted with TTO.
During Visual Word Recognition, Phonology Is Accessed within 100 ms and May Be Mediated by a Speech Production Code: Evidence from Magnetoencephalography

Debate surrounds the precise cortical location and timing of access to phonological information during visual word recognition. Therefore, using whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG), we investigated the spatiotemporal pattern of brain responses induced by a masked pseudohomophone priming task. Twenty healthy adults read target words that were preceded by one of three kinds of nonword prime: pseudohomophones (e.g., brein–BRAIN), where four of five letters are shared between prime and target, and the pronunciation is the same; matched orthographic controls (e.g., broin–BRAIN), where the same four of five letters are shared between prime and target but pronunciation differs; and unrelated controls (e.g., lopus–BRAIN), where neither letters nor pronunciation are shared between prime and target. All three priming conditions induced activation in the pars opercularis of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFGpo) and the left precentral gyrus (PCG) within 100 ms of target word onset. However, for the critical comparison that reveals a processing difference specific to phonology, we found that the induced pseudohomophone priming response was significantly stronger than the orthographic priming response in left IFG/PCG at ∼100 ms. This spatiotemporal concurrence demonstrates early phonological influences during visual word recognition and is consistent with phonological access being mediated by a speech production code.
A regression framework for learning ranking functions using relative relevance judgments

Effective ranking functions are an essential part of commercial search engines. We focus on developing a regression framework for learning ranking functions for improving relevance of search engines serving diverse streams of user queries. We explore supervised learning methodology from machine learning, and we distinguish two types of relevance judgments used as the training data: 1) absolute relevance judgments arising from explicit labeling of search results; and 2) relative relevance judgments extracted from user click throughs of search results or converted from the absolute relevance judgments. We propose a novel optimization framework emphasizing the use of relative relevance judgments. The main contribution is the development of an algorithm based on regression that can be applied to objective functions involving preference data, i.e., data indicating that a document is more relevant than another with respect to a query. Experimental results are carried out using data sets obtained from a commercial search engine. Our results show significant improvements of our proposed methods over some existing methods.
Soil resources and soil erosion in the Norse settlement area of østerbygden in southern Greenland

Sammendrag Jordbundsundersogelser i nordboernes Osterbygden i Sydgronland viser, at der i perioder er foregaet omfattende jorderosion. Erosionen har isaer ramt de taet bebyggede dele at nordbosamfundet, i indlandet. Detaljerede jordprofilstudier og 14C‐dateringer af storre traekulfragmenter fra forskellige lag i jorden er foretagede, ligesom jordenes erosionsresistens er undersogt. Undersogelserne viser, at de meget let eroderbare jorde har vaeret stabile gennem Holocaen frem til det tidspunkt, hvor nordboerne gjorde landnam i omradet. I nordboperioden (c. 1000–1450) og igen i det 20. arhundrede, hvor den moderne fareavl startede, foregik omfattende og katastrofal jorderosion i storre omrader. Det staerkt erosive klima i samspil med de let eroderbare jorde udloser jorderosion i befaeerdede omrader lang tid for omradets generelle frodighed overbelastes. En manglede analyse af okosystemets egentlige achilleshaael og en fokusering pa en skonnet samlet graesningskapacitet gor det vanskeligt at undga en fremtidig degra.
The science of language

Abstract The study of language is currently fractionated. Theoretical linguistics has largely ignored advances in psycholinguistics, which in turn remains largely unconstrained by advances in neurolinguistics. Moreover, all of these fields generally work in isolation from the study of other cognitive functions. This fractionation has resulted in an enormous loss of useful information, seriously impeding progress in the study of language. To achieve a fully coherent explanation of the representational, processing and biological bases of language, a true science of language will consider and integrate theories and methods from all disciplines of the mind and brain. Here we explore in some detail the utility of this approach in the study of the linguistic distinction between storage and computation, and demonstrate its effectiveness not only in elucidating previously unresolved problems, but also in generating new approaches and insights in the study of language.
Matrix-dependent Tiam1/Rac Signaling in Epithelial Cells Promotes Either Cell–Cell Adhesion or Cell Migration and Is Regulated by Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase

We previously demonstrated that both Tiam1, an activator of Rac, and constitutively active V12Rac promote E-cadherin–mediated cell–cell adhesion in epithelial Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. Moreover, Tiam1 and V12Rac inhibit invasion of Ras-transformed, fibroblastoid MDCK-f3 cells by restoring E-cadherin–mediated cell–cell adhesion. Here we show that the Tiam1/Rac-induced cellular response is dependent on the cell substrate. On fibronectin and laminin 1, Tiam1/Rac signaling inhibits migration of MDCK-f3 cells by restoring E-cadherin–mediated cell– cell adhesion. On different collagens, however, expression of Tiam1 and V12Rac promotes motile behavior, under conditions that prevent formation of E-cadherin adhesions. In nonmotile cells, Tiam1 is present in adherens junctions, whereas Tiam1 localizes to lamellae of migrating cells. The level of Rac activation by Tiam1, as determined by binding to a glutathione-S-transferase– PAK protein, is similar on fibronectin or collagen I, suggesting that rather the localization of the Tiam1/Rac signaling complex determines the substrate-dependent cellular responses. Rac activation by Tiam1 requires PI3-kinase activity. Moreover, Tiam1- but not V12Rac-induced migration as well as E-cadherin–mediated cell– cell adhesion are dependent on PI3-kinase, indicating that PI3-kinase acts upstream of Tiam1 and Rac.
Looking for Evidence‐Based Practice in Reading Comprehension Instruction

The inaugural issue of Topics in Language Disorders included articles by Roth and Perfetti and Pearson and Spiro that reflected the thinking of the time on reading comprehension instruction. In this article, the author reviews the general direction of those contributions in light of current thinking and offers a model for organizing the practices in reading comprehension that have an empirical base for students with reading disabilities. Components addressed include background knowledge, understanding text structures, and strategy use.
Probiotic therapy reduces periodontal tissue destruction and improves the intestinal morphology in rats with ligature-induced periodontitis.

BACKGROUND With increase in the incidence of resistance to antibiotics, probiotics are emerging as a promising adjunctive periodontal therapy. The authors of this study evaluate the influence of probiotic (PROB) supplementation on ligature-induced periodontitis (LIP) and intestinal morphology in rats. METHODS Thirty-two rats were randomly divided into four groups: control (C), LIP, PROB, and LIP/PROB. In groups PROB and LIP/PROB, the PROB was administered orally by addition to the drinking water of the animals for 44 days. In groups LIP and LIP/PROB, the mandibular right first molar of the animals received a cotton ligature that was left in the same position for 14 days. All animals were euthanized 44 days after the start of the PROB supplementation. The jaws were resected and histomorphometric analyses were performed. The measurements included evaluation of attachment loss (AL) and alveolar bone level (ABL) on the distal root of the mandibular first molar. Samples of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were also dissected from each animal to evaluate the villous height (VH) and crypt depth (CD). The data obtained were subjected to statistical analyses (analysis of variance, Tukey; P <0.05). RESULTS Mean values of AL and ABL were significantly higher in group LIP compared with group LIP/PROB (AL: 3.05 ± 0.57 mm and 1.78 ± 0.63 mm, respectively; ABL: 4.21 ± 0.42 mm and 3.38 ± 0.17 mm, respectively). In group LIP/PROB, the mean values of VH and CD of the jejunum were significantly higher than the ones from group LIP (VH: 672.1 ± 83.3 µm and 528.0 ± 51.7 µm, respectively; CD: 463.8 ± 100.9 µm and 269.0 ± 48.4 µm, respectively). CONCLUSIONS It can be concluded that PROB supplementation 1) reduces AL and alveolar bone loss in rats with LIP and 2) can protect the small intestine from reactive changes induced by LIP.
Cosmetologists and Reproductive Outcomes

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that cosmetologists are at increased risk of poor pregnancy outcomes compared with women of the same age who are not cosmetologists. METHODS: Participants were recruited through mass mailing of questionnaires. To be included in the study, respondents to the survey had to be aged between 21 and 55 years and not have had a hysterectomy or oophorectomy. This analysis focused on 350 cosmetologists and 397 women in other occupations who met these inclusion criteria and who reported five or fewer singleton pregnancies. The main outcome measures were miscarriage, stillbirth, the occurrence of maternal health conditions during pregnancy (preeclampsia, high blood pressure, diabetes), hospitalization or physician-ordered bed rest during pregnancy, preterm labor, and premature delivery (before 37 weeks at delivery). RESULTS: There were no statistically significant associations between occupation and the pregnancy outcomes after adjustment for age, race, education, and smoking and alcohol use at the time of pregnancy. A statistically significant association was found between race and low birth weight such that nonwhite women were at increased risk of reporting a low birth weight neonate compared with white women (odds ratio [OR] 3.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.53–7.26). Similarly, current smoking was found to be positively associated with miscarriage (OR 1.53, CI 1.09–2.16) and miscarriage or stillbirth (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.18–2.28). CONCLUSION: Risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes among cosmetologists is not increased compared with women of the same age working in other occupations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II
Checkered Flags and Mediated Friendships: Parasocial Interaction among NASCAR Fans

Parasocial interaction (PSI) involves attraction to and subsequent relationship development with mediated characters. This study examined the nature of PSI in NASCAR fans, the fastest growing sport in the United States. Our findings indicated that PSI among NASCAR fans is a multi-dimensional concept consisting of parasocial enjoyment and parasocial attachment. Furthermore, PSI was linked to increased audience activity (involvement, intentionality and affinity), higher levels of NASCAR fandom, positive perceptions of a favorite driver’s corporate sponsors, sex, NASCAR fandom within ones family, and NASCAR viewing motives. The results of this study examine the strong parasocial bond between fan and driver and may have direct implications for marketers of NASCAR.
Normalization of peripheral thyroid hormone metabolism induced by successful chronic amiodarone treatment in patients with ventricular arrhythmias

Amiodarone, an antiarrhythmic agent, is also known to have important effects on the peripheral metabolism of thyroid hormones; the relationship between these two effects of the drug, however, is not well established. We tested the hypothesis that the antiarrhythmic effect of amiodarone might be mediated by its effect on the metabolism of thyroid hormones. Peripheral thyroid hormone metabolism was investigated using a double‐tracer ([125I]‐T4 and [131I]‐T3) procedure in 10 normal volunteers and 10 euthyroid patients with complex ventricular arrhythmias before and during 6 months‘ amiodarone treatment. The underlying cardiac disease was coronary artery disease in four cases, dilated cardiomyopathy in three and idiopathic arrhythmias in three. In all but one patient with complex ventricular arrhythmias amiodarone treatment resulted in a reduction of ≥ 80% of premature ventricular contractions and complete suppression of episodes of ventricular pairs or ventricular tachycardia. In all cases successful treatment with amiodarone was accompanied by normalization of all kinetic parameters: T4 to T3 conversion ratio and T3/T4 molar ratio of production decreased to mean values of 24.7 ± 17.5% and 0.35 ± 0.22% respectively, whereas T4 production rate increased (mean value 75.9 ± 30.0 nmol day−1 m−2). Our kinetic data indicate that long‐term therapy with amiodarone, when effective in suppressing cardiac arrhythmias, also reduces peripheral T4 to T3 conversion, hence restoring the normal peripheral thyroid hormone metabolic pattern. In conclusion, our study confirms that the antiarrhythmic action of amiodarone may be (at least partially) mediated by its action on thyroid hormone metabolism, and may justify the hypothesis that an altered peripheral metabolism of thyroid hormones may play a role in the pathogenesis of complex ventricular arrhythmias.