Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Student’s Perceptions of Learning Mathematics using Flash Animation Secondary School in Indonesia

The purpose of this study was to determine the students perception on the use of animation courseware in math and to reveal how the sample courseware learning mathematical concepts to different change students' views. This research is a case study involving three mathematics students at SMAN 2 Bintan. Data were collected by means of semi-structural interviews. The findings showed that learning by using flash animation is very help students in understanding abstract mathematical significantly. Courseware of mathematics by using flash animation to give you a visualization that links between mathematics and the real world and the interests of understanding mathematical concepts. Analysis of the data indicated that the conventional learning needs to be done to understand the fundamental and flash animation for learning technology can be used as an aid in the understanding of concepts and to enhance the way students think more effectively. Courseware of learning the flash animation has shown a different view to the learning process in the classroom, flash animation is able to analyze the mathematical concepts invent and can provide ideas that connect students with a basic understanding of new knowledge.
Cyclosporin‐A Differentially Affects Apoptosis During In Vivo Rat Thymocyte Maturation

Maturation arrest and interference with selection are two well‐documented effects of cyclosporin‐A (CsA) on the thymus. We recently hypothesized that these effects are related and owing to the reduced T‐cell receptor (TCR)–CD3 complex‐mediated signal transduction in thymocytes upon CsA treatment. In this hypothesis, the maturation arrest is the result of the additional depletion of thymocytes that normally survive by positive selection, whereas the impaired self‐tolerance induction is caused by an increased survival of thymocytes that normally undergo negative selection. In this view, it is anticipated that CsA differentially affects thymocyte apoptosis during in vivo thymocyte maturation. Indeed, we report in this study a strong increase in apoptotic cells in the thymic cortex on in situ analysis. Simultaneously, the number of apoptotic cells had decreased at the cortico‐medullary zone which is held to be the site for negative selection. Rapamycin (Rapa) also interferes with thymocyte maturation by inhibiting cytokine‐driven proliferation. Hence, Rapa preferentially affects the early maturational stages of thymocyte development and is considered not to alter thymocyte selection and subsequent apoptotic events. Indeed, the number of apoptotic events appears not to be altered. However, possibly owing to the decrease in cortical macrophages, the apoptotic cells revealed an atypical enumeration around blood vessels. Taken together, our results favour the hypothesis that the dominant effect of CsA on the thymus is the reduction of the TCR–CD3 complex‐mediated signal transduction in thymocytes upon interaction with stromal cells. Furthermore, the preferential localization of apoptotic cells next to blood vessels upon Rapa administration may indicate that endothelial cells are a back‐up system for the removal of apoptotic cells.
Prognostic value of pretreatment CEA, SCC‐Ag and CA 19–9 levels in sera of patients with non‐small cell lung cancer

The levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), squamous cell associated antigen (SCC-Ag) and carbohydrate antigenic determinant 19–9 (CA 19–9) were assessed in 70 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and in 20 patients with non-malignant lung diseases. Increased levels of CEA and CA 19–9 were observed in 55.7 and 44.2%, respectively, mostly in patients with adenocarcinoma (adeno C; 69.5 and 56.5%). Increased levels of SCC-Ag were observed in 45.7%, first in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (68.6%). Serum CEA, CA 19–9 and SCC-Ag levels were correlated with the postoperative, pathological stage of disease. Positive CEA levels in patients with adeno C were present in 50% of stage 1, 66.6% of stage 2 and 88.8% of stage 3; positive CA 19–9 levels in patients with adeno C were present in 30% of stage 1, 66.6% of stage 2 and 80% of stage 3; positive SCC-Ag levels were present in patients with squamous LC in 50% of stage 1, 83.3% of stage 2 and 73.7% of stage 3. The study proved that preoperative CEA, SCC-Ag and CA 19–9 determination have been shown to be of prognostic value in patients with NSCLC. A high preoperative antigen value suggests a worse prognosis than a lower value.
Nϵ-(Carboxymethyl)lysine Depositions in Intramyocardial Blood Vessels in Human and Rat Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Predictor or Reflection of Infarction?

Objective—Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), such as Nϵ-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), are implicated in vascular disease. We previously reported increased CML accumulation in small intramyocardial blood vessels in diabetes patients. Diabetes patients have an increased risk for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Here, we examined a putative relationship between CML and AMI. Methods and Results—Heart tissue was stained for CML, myeloperoxidase, and E-selectin in AMI patients (n=26), myocarditis patients (n=17), and control patients (n=15). In AMI patients, CML depositions were 3-fold increased compared with controls in the small intramyocardial blood vessels and predominantly colocalized with activated endothelium (E-selectin–positive) both in infarction and noninfarction areas. A trend of increased CML positivity of the intima of epicardial coronary arteries did not reach significance in AMI patients. In the rat heart AMI model, CML depositions were undetectable after 24 hours of reperfusion, but became clearly visible after 5 days of reperfusion. In line with an inflammatory contribution, human myocarditis was also accompanied by accumulation of CML on the endothelium of intramyocardial blood vessels. Conclusions—CML, present predominantly on activated endothelium in small intramyocardial blood vessels in patients with AMI, might reflect an increased risk for AMI rather than being a result of AMI.
Radioimmunoassay of mammalian type C viral proteins. I. Species specific reactions of murine and feline viruses.

A radioimmune precipitation assay (RIPA) for the major internal polypeptide of mammalian type C viruses is described. Gel chromatography and isoelectric focusing resulted in a polypeptide of approximately 30,000 daltons which migrated as a single band in three different dissociating systems as analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This VP3(gs) protein from murine and feline type C viruses has species specific antigenic reactivities which were not altered by chemical iodination. 125I-labeled VP3(gs) was a sensitive probe for antibodies. By employing limiting concentrations of antibody in RIPA, unlabeled murine or feline VP3(gs) antigen could be quantitated by competition with labeled polypeptide. This double antibody VP3(gs) antigen assay was at least 500 times more sensitive than complement-fixation or immunodiffusion and was specific for type C viruses of the homologous species.
Impact of Academic Self Efficacy and Locus of Control on Academic Achievement of high school students

Education plays an important role to promote the fullest individual selfrealization for all persons. Various factors play role in academic achievement. The purpose of the study was to examine whether there is an impact of gender, academic self-efficacy and locus of control on academic achievement. Selfreport survey data were collected from 175 11 standard students between the ages 15-18. The results of 3way ANOVA showed that a significant relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic achievement exists. However, despite supporting past studies, it was found that there was no significant relationship between (1) locus of control and academic achievement and (2) gender and academic achievement. Also the interaction effect of academic self-efficacy, locus of control and gender on academic achievement was not significant. The results of correlation indicated that academic achievement and gender as well as academic self-efficacy and locus of control were positively correlated. There was a negative correlation between academic self-efficacy and academic achievement as well as locus of control and academic achievement.
Coexpression of osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation markers in selected subpopulations of primary human mesenchymal progenitor cells

Knowledge of the basic mechanisms controlling osteogenesis and adipogenesis might provide new insights into the prevention of osteoporosis and age‐related osteopenia. With the help of magnetic cell sorting and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), osteoblastic subpopulations of mesenchymal progenitor cells were characterized. Alkaline phosphatase (AP) negative cells expressed low levels of osteoblastic and adipocytic markers. AP positive cells expressed adipocytic markers more strongly than the AP negative cell populations, thus suggesting that committed osteoblasts exhibit a greater adipogenic potential. AP negative cells differentiated to the mature osteoblastic phenotype, as demonstrated by increased AP‐activity and osteocalcin secretion under standard osteogenic culture conditions. Surprisingly, this was accompanied by increased expression of adipocytic gene markers such as peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ2, lipoprotein lipase and fatty acid binding protein. The induction of adipogenic markers was suppressed by transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) and promoted by bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP‐2). Osteogenic culture conditions including BMP‐2 induced both the formation of mineralized nodules and cytoplasmic lipid vacuoles. Upon immunogold electron microscopic analysis, osteoblastic and adipogenic marker proteins were detectable in the same cell. Our results suggest that osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation in human mesenchymal progenitor cells might not be exclusively reciprocal, but rather, a parallel event until late during osteoblast development. J. Cell. Biochem. 104: 1342–1355, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantitative analysis of three-dimensional biological cells using interferometric microscopy

Live biological cells are three-dimensional microscopic objects that constantly adjust their sizes, shapes and other biophysical features. Wide-field digital interferometry (WFDI) is a holographic technique that is able to record the complex wavefront of the light which has interacted with in-vitro cells in a single camera exposure, where no exogenous contrast agents are required. However, simple quasi-three-dimensional holographic visualization of the cell phase profiles need not be the end of the process. Quantitative analysis should permit extraction of numerical parameters which are useful for cytology or medical diagnosis. Using a transmission-mode setup, the phase profile represents the multiplication between the integral refractive index and the thickness of the sample. These coupled variables may not be distinct when acquiring the phase profiles of dynamic cells. Many morphological parameters which are useful for cell biologists are based on the cell thickness profile rather than on its phase profile. We first overview methods to decouple the cell thickness and its refractive index using the WFDI-based phase profile. Then, we present a whole-cell-imaging approach which is able to extract useful numerical parameters on the cells even in cases where decoupling of cell thickness and refractive index is not possible or desired.
Temporal correlation of pathology and DNA damage with gene expression in a choline‐deficient model of rat liver injury

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the terminal event in chronic liver diseases with repeated cycles of cellular injury and regeneration. Although much is known about the cellular pathogenesis and etiological agents leading to HCC, the molecular events are not well understood. The choline‐deficient (CD) model of rodent HCC involves the consecutive emergence of a fatty liver, apoptosis, compensatory proliferation, fibrosis, and cirrhosis that is markedly similar to the sequence of events typified by human HCC. Moreover, oxidative stress is thought to play a pivotal role in the progression of the disease. Here, we hypothesize that gene expression profiling can temporally mirror the histopathology and oxidative DNA damage observed with this model. We show that clusters of highly co‐regulated genes representing distinct cellular pathways for lipid biosynthesis and metabolism, apoptosis, cell proliferation, and tissue remodeling temporally correlate with the well‐defined sequential emergence of pathological alterations in the progression of liver disease. Additionally, an oxidative stress signature was observed that was corroborated in a time‐dependent manner with increases in oxidized purines and abasic sites in DNA. Collectively, expression patterns were strongly driven by pathology, demonstrating that patterns of gene expression in advanced stages of liver disease are primarily driven by histopathological changes and to a much lesser degree by the original etiological agent. In conclusion, gene expression profiling coupled with the CD model of HCC provides a unique opportunity to unveil the molecular events associated with various stages of liver injury and carcinogenesis and to distinguish between causal and consecutive changes. Supplementary material for this article can be found on the HEPATOLOGYwebsite (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0270‐9139/suppmat/index.html). (HEPATOLOGY 2005;42:1137–1147.)
Iodine quantification with dual-energy CT: phantom study and preliminary experience with renal masses.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to validate the utility of dual-source dual-energy MDCT in quantifying iodine concentration in a phantom and in renal masses. MATERIALS AND METHODS A series of tubes containing solutions of varying iodine concentration were imaged with dual-source dual-energy MDCT. Iodine concentration was calculated and compared with known iodine concentration. Single-phase contrast-enhanced dual-source dual-energy MDCT data on 15 patients with renal lesions then were assessed independently by two readers. Dual-energy postprocessing was used to generate iodine-only images. Regions of interest were placed on the iodine image over the lesion and, as a reference, over the aorta, for recording of iodine concentration in the lesion and in the aorta. Another radiologist determined lesion enhancement by comparing truly unenhanced with contrast-enhanced images. Mixed-model analysis of variance based on ranks was used to compare lesion types (simple cyst, hemorrhagic cyst, enhancing mass) in terms of lesion iodine concentration and lesion-to-aorta iodine ratio. RESULTS In the phantom study, there was excellent correlation between calculated and true iodine concentration (R(2) = 0.998, p < 0.0001). In the patient study, 13 nonenhancing (10 simple and three hyperdense cysts) and eight enhancing renal masses were evaluated in 15 patients. The lesion iodine concentration and lesion-to-aorta iodine ratio in enhancing masses were significantly higher than in hyperdense and simple cysts (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Iodine quantification with dual-source dual-energy MDCT is accurate in a phantom and can be used to determine the presence and concentration of iodine in a renal lesion. Characterization of renal masses may be possible with a single dual-source dual-energy MDCT acquisition without unenhanced images or reliance on a change in attenuation measurements.
Cross‐linking of CD18 primes human neutrophils for activation of the respiratory burst in response to specific stimuli: Implications for adhesion‐dependent physiological responses in neutrophils

Adhesion is known to prime neutrophils for physiological activation in response to cytokines and other stimuli. We have employed the technique of receptor cross‐linking to study the potential role of CD18, the common β‐subunit of the β2‐integrin family of adhesion molecules, in the regulation of the respiratory burst, as measured by luminol‐enhanced chemiluminescence and iodination, in human neutrophils. CD18 cross‐linking primed neutrophils to activate the respiratory burst after stimulation with tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α) (100 units/mL), formyl‐methionyl‐leucyl‐phenylalanine (fMLP) (1 μM), and granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) (1 μg/mL), but not granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) (1 μg/mL), interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) (100 U/mL), or phorbol myristate acetate (100 nM). The maximal rate of chemiluminescence induced by fMLP, TNF‐α, and GM‐CSF was enhanced 8‐, 6‐, and 1.5‐fold, respectively, following CD18 cross‐linking. Priming of the respiratory burst by direct engagement of CD18 was confirmed in neutrophil‐mediated iodination experiments, where iodination induced by TNF‐α, fMLP, and GM‐CSF was increased 15‐, 20‐, and 7‐fold, respectively, by CD18 cross‐linking. Immunoblot experiments demonstrated that TNF‐α‐induced tyrosine phosphorylation was both accelerated and more intense in neutrophils after cross‐linking of CD18. Major tyrosine phosphoprotein products include proteins with approximate molecular masses of 40, 70, and 110 kDa. Genistein (50μM), a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor, reduced the TNF‐α‐stimulated respiratory burst by >80% whether or not CD18 was cross‐linked. These results affirm the importance of CD18 in adhesion‐dependent priming of neutrophil functions and demonstrate that CD18 engagement per se is sufficient to prime neutrophils for cytokine‐induced signal transduction mediated by tyrosine phosphorylation.
Theory of Speculation

The influences which determine the movements of the Stock Exchange are innumerable. Events past, present or even anticipated, often showing no apparent connection with its fluctuations, yet have repercussions on its course. Beside fluctuations from, as it were, natural causes, artificial causes are also involved. The Stock Exchange acts upon itself and its current movement is a function not only of earlier fluctuations, but also of the present market position. The determination of these fluctuations is subject to an infinite number of factors: it is therefore impossible to expect a mathematically exact forecast. Contradictory opinions in regard to these fluctuations are so divided that at the same instant buyers believe the market is rising and sellers that it is falling. Undoubtedly, the Theory of Probability will never be applicable to the movements of quoted prices and the dynamics of the Stock Exchange will never be an exact science. However, it is possible to study mathematically the static state of the market at a given instant, that is to say, to establish the probability law for the price fluctuations that the market admits at this instant. Indeed, while the market does not foresee fluctuations, it considers which of them are more or less probable, and this probability can be evaluated mathematically. Up to the present day, no investigation into a formula for such an expression appears to have been published: that will be the object of this work. I have thought it necessary to recall initially some theoretical notions relating to Stock Exchange operations and to adjoin certain new insights indispensable to our subsequent investigations.
Influence of gate bias on the avalanche ruggedness of SiC power MOSFETs

This paper investigates the effect of negative gate bias voltage (Vgs) on the avalanche breakdown robustness of commercial state-of-the-art silicon carbide (SiC) power MOSFETs. The device's ability to withstand energy dissipation during avalanche regime is a connoting figure of merit for all applications requiring load dumping and/or benefiting from snubber-less converter design. The superior material properties of SiC material means that SiC MOSFETs even at 1200V exhibit significant intrinsic avalanche robustness.
Protein aggregation as an antibiotic design strategy

Taking advantage of the xenobiotic nature of bacterial infections, we tested whether the cytotoxicity of protein aggregation can be targeted to bacterial pathogens without affecting their mammalian hosts. In particular, we examined if peptides encoding aggregation‐prone sequence segments of bacterial proteins can display antimicrobial activity by initiating toxic protein aggregation in bacteria, but not in mammalian cells. Unbiased in vitro screening of aggregating peptide sequences from bacterial genomes lead to the identification of several peptides that are strongly bactericidal against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Upon parenteral administration in vivo, the peptides cured mice from bacterial sepsis without apparent toxic side effects as judged from histological and hematological evaluation. We found that the peptides enter and accumulate in the bacterial cytosol where they cause aggregation of bacterial polypeptides. Although the precise chain of events that leads to cell death remains to be elucidated, the ability to tap into aggregation‐prone sequences of bacterial proteomes to elicit antimicrobial activity represents a rich and unexplored chemical space to be mined in search of novel therapeutic strategies to fight infectious diseases.
Disclosure behaviour and experienced reactions in patients with HIV versus chronic viral hepatitis or diabetes mellitus in Germany

Disclosure is a prerequisite to receive disease-specific social support. However, in the case of a stigmatised disease, it can also lead to discrimination. We aimed to assess disclosure rates of HIV patients and the reactions they encountered in comparison to patients with chronic viral hepatitis or diabetes mellitus and patients' general perception of disease-specific discrimination. We constructed a self-report questionnaire, anonymously assessing the size of the social environment, the persons who had been informed, and the experienced reactions as perceived by the disclosing patients, to be rated on 1–4 point Likert scales. In addition, patients were asked whether they perceive general discrimination in Germany. One hundred and seventy-one patients were asked to participate. Five rejected, thus questionnaires from 83 patients with HIV, 42 patients with chronic viral hepatitis B (n=9) or C (n=33), and 41 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type I n=14, type II n=27) were analysed. Whereas the size of the social environment did not differ, HIV-infected patients were least likely to disclose their disease (60.7%, SD±31.9) to their social environment as compared to patients with chronic viral hepatitis (84.2±23.3%, p<0.0001), or diabetes mellitus (94.4 ±10.3%, p<0.0001), respectively. Within the HIV patient group, the mean disclosure rate was highest to partners (90.9%), followed by the public environment (65.2%), friends (59.4%) and family members (43.8%). HIV patients experienced supportive reactions after 79.3±26.4% of disclosures, which was the case in 91.4±19.6% and 75.7±36.1% of patients with hepatitis or diabetes mellitus, respectively. 69.5% of HIV patients stated to perceive general discrimination in Germany. We conclude that HIV patients had experienced supportive reactions after the majority of disclosures, but the low rate points out that their information strategy had been very selective. Societal discrimination of HIV patients is still an issue and needs to be further addressed.