Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Activation of the inducible orphan receptor gene nur77 by serum growth factors: dissociation of immediate-early and delayed-early responses

We have characterized the genetic elements that mediate the transcriptional activation of nur77, a growth factor-inducible gene encoding a member of the steroid/thyroid hormone receptor superfamily. Although initially identified as a serum-inducible immediate-early gene with expression kinetics similar to those of c-fos, we found that transcriptional activation of nur77 by serum growth factors in fibroblasts is in fact composed of two components: an immediate-early component, which can occur in the absence of de novo protein synthesis, and a delayed-early component, which is dependent on de novo protein synthesis. The expression of nur77 following serum stimulation reflects the superimposition of immediate-early and delayed-early expression. Immediate-early and delayed-early expression can be dissociated from one another by deletion or base substitution mutations of the nur77 promoter. Immediate-early expression of nur77 is mediated primarily by sequences located between nucleotides -86 and -126 upstream of the transcription start site. This region includes a sequence that resembles but differs from the CArG element found in other serum-inducible promoters. Upstream of the CArG-like element is a potential binding site for a transcription factor of the Ets family; the presence of this site is required for significant transcriptional induction. Delayed-early expression of nur77 is mediated by multiple AP-1-like and GC-rich elements, which can interact with products of immediate-early genes such as Fos/Jun and Zif268, respectively. Furthermore, we show that Zif268 can activate transcription of the nur77 promoter, suggesting that it may play a role in the delayed-early expression of nur77.
High maternal serum ferritin in early pregnancy and risk of spontaneous preterm birth

Previous studies have reported inconsistent associations between maternal serum ferritin concentrations and the risk of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). The aim of the present study was to examine the association between Fe biomarkers, including serum ferritin concentrations, and the risk of total ( < 37 weeks), early ( < 34 weeks) and moderate-to-late (34–36 weeks) sPTB. The study cohort included 2254 women with singleton pregnancies attending first-trimester screening in New South Wales, Australia. sPTB included births following spontaneous labour or preterm premature rupture of the membranes. Serum collected at a mean gestational age of 12·0 (sd 0·9) weeks was analysed for Fe biomarkers, including serum ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein. Multivariate logistic regression analysis evaluated the association between low and high Fe levels and sPTB. Women with elevated serum ferritin concentrations were more likely to be older, nulliparous or have gestational diabetes. The multivariate analysis found increased odds of sPTB for women with elevated ferritin levels defined as >75th percentile ( ≥ 43 μg/l) (OR 1·49, 95 % CI 1·06, 2·10) and >90th percentile ( ≥ 68 μg/l) (OR 1·92, 95 % CI 1·25, 2·96). Increased odds of early and moderate-to-late sPTB were associated with ferritin levels >90th percentile (OR 2·50, 95 % CI 1·32, 4·73) and >75th percentile (OR 1·56, 95 % CI 1·03, 2·37), respectively. No association was found between the risk of sPTB and elevated sTfR levels or Fe deficiency. In conclusion, elevated maternal serum ferritin levels in early pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of sPTB from 34 weeks of gestation. The usefulness of early pregnancy ferritin levels in identifying women at risk of sPTB warrants further investigation.
"Management of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) in eggplant fields"

A three-season field evaluation showed that eggplants (Solanum melongena) are very tolerant to damage caused by the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. Although large numbers of the predacious mites, Neoseiulus fallacis or Phytoseiulus persimilis were released, biological control of the two-spotted spider mite could not be sustained in the field. Based on a preliminary comparison of yield in both sprayed and unsprayed plots and on a three-year qualitative assessment, a tentative action threshold of 600 two-spotted spider mites per leaf would not decrease yield and would reduce the number of acaricide treatments per season. The new acaricide spirodiclofen was effective against the two-spotted spider mite in a preliminary trial.
The Danish case‐control study of cutaneous malignant melanoma. IV. No association with nutritional factors, alcohol, smoking or hair dyes

In a population‐based case‐control study from East Denmark including 474 cases with cutaneous malignant melanoma and 926 controls we evaluated the influence of diet, alcohol, smoking, bathing habits and hair dyes on the risk of this cancer. Patients with lentigo maligna melanoma were not included. We observed no effect of dietary factors on risk of melanoma. No association was found between risk of melanoma and alcohol intake, tobacco smoking, bathing habits or hair dye use.
ROSA+: Um Repositório de Objetos de Aprendizagem com Suporte a Inferência e Regras

ROSA is a Learning Object (LO) repository system with semantic access, which enables the management of LOs. LO is a collection of reusable material used to support learning, characterized by a set of metadata descriptors. LOs are accessed in a contextualized way, determined by semantic associations between them. This paper presents ROSA+, a system extension that aims at deducing additional semantic knowledge through relationships properties and rules. Based on the OWL ontology language, and on the SWRL rule language, ROSA+ is able to perform inferences over an OWL database, retrieving knowledge not explicit in its ontological representation. Resumo. ROSA é um repositório de Objetos de Aprendizagem (LOs) com acesso semântico, que permite o gerenciamento de LOs. LO é uma coleção de material reutilizável, utilizado para dar suporte ao aprendizado, caracterizado por um conjunto de metadados. LOs são acessíveis de forma contextualizada, determinada por associações semânticas entre eles. Este artigo apresenta o ROSA+, uma extensão do sistema que visa deduzir conhecimento semântico através de propriedades de relacionamentos e de regras. Baseado na linguagem de ontologia OWL e na linguagem de regras SWRL, o ROSA+ realiza inferências sobre uma base de dados OWL, recuperando conhecimento não explicitado em sua representação ontológica.
Endothelial dysfunction and hypertension.

The role of the vascular endothelium for hypertension development is not trivial to define. A quiescent healthy endothelium continuously releases potent vasodilators in response to the flowing blood, which have the potential to lower vascular resistance directly. Endothelial dysfunction is a condition comprising not only attenuated endothelium-dependent vasodilatation but also endothelial inflammatory activation.1 Although it is well accepted that endothelial dysfunction is a predictor of atherosclerosis development and future cardiovascular events, its role for hypertension is less well understood. To assume that attenuated endothelial vasodilator release through an increase in peripheral resistance directly translates into hypertension would be naive. Not only that metabolic and local nervous factors have a much stronger effect on local vascular tone but also the renal and central control of blood pressure over-rule local vascular factors in their effect on blood pressure. This is easy to understand because the main objective of circulation control is the maintenance of blood pressure so that each organ separately and individually controls its perfusion through local factors. Systemic blood pressure control, however, is usually preserved in conditions associated with endothelial dysfunction, such as hypercholesterolemia and smoking, even if these may eventually result in hypertension development (Figure 1). In patients with heart failure, blood pressure is usually normal, despite the massive increase in peripheral resistance. Under this condition, low cardiac output and systemic hypoxia contribute to peripheral vasoconstriction. The latter is a consequence of increased sympathetic nerve activation and blunted endothelial NO function.2 Conversely, normalization of endothelial function does not necessarily affect blood pressure. Endothelial-specific deletion of the mineralocorticoid receptor improved endothelial function and attenuated vascular inflammation in aldosterone and deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)/salt-induced vascular dysfunction in mice but did not lower blood pressure.3 Figure 1. Pathways from endothelial dysfunction to hypertension. ROS indicates reactive oxygen species. Interestingly, despite the low …
Optimizing the efficiency of a dc-dc boost converter over 98% by using commercial SiC transistors with switching frequencies from 100 kHz to 1MHz

In this paper an evaluation of Silicon Carbide (SiC) transistors currently available in the commercial market is presented. An experimental performance comparison between SiC JFET, Si MOSFET-SiC JFET cascode configuration and SiC MOSFET used as the main switch for a dc/dc boost converter (150 V/400 V) operating in Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM) is presented. The comparison of the different SiC devices is made in terms of the global boost-converter efficiency. Several experimental results dealing with the switching behavior of these SiC switches at different switching frequencies (from 100 kHz to 1 MHz) have been carried out in order to optimize the efficiency of the converter at different output power (300 W and 600 W). A good performance of all these switches is obtained from the point of view of the efficiency, highlighting the Si MOSFET-SiC JFET cascode behavior at 1MHz with an efficiency of 97.5% at 600 W. In addition, a possible application in the field of solar panels is proposed using the SiC JFET as the main switch. Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM) and DCM are tested at different switching frequencies with an output power of 1 kW and the results obtained are compared to the most widely reported in the bibliography.
NIGERIAN YOUTHS AND SOCIAL MEDIA: HARNESSING THE POTENTIALS FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

One of the breakthroughs in information and communication technology in the 21st century was the discovery and emergence of the new media which have facilitated the creation of the different platforms for social interaction. The potentials of the new media are seamless and boundless in terms of interactions, interrelationships, and information sharing and exchanges. The only limitation to the utilization of the potentials of the platforms is illiteracy in terms of the hardware, software and usage. The question is, to what extent has the Nigerian youths converted the potentials and possibilities of the social media to platforms for networking academic materials for scholarship and academic excellence? The study examined the extent of usage of one of the most popular social media platforms, facebook, by the Nigerian youths in their academic pursuit. It found that about two-thirds of the Nigerian youths that use Facebook platform use it for other reasons than exchange of academic materials. And, recommends that the youths should be encouraged to harness the potentials of the platform for scholarship.
Hubungan Kebiasaan Mengkonsumsi Kopi dengan Tekanan Darah Pada Dewasa Muda

Latar Belakang : Indonesia merupakan salah satu produsen kopi terbesar di dunia, tetapi memiliki nilai konsumsi kopi per kapita yang masih relatif rendah yaitu sekitar 70.000 ton/tahun atau 0,5 kg/orang/tahun. Kopi sering dikaitkan dengan sejumlah faktor risiko penyakit jantung koroner, termasuk meningkatkan tekanan darah dan kadar kolesterol darah karena kopi mempunyai kandungan kalium, polifenol, dan kafein. Kafein memiliki sifat meningkatkan tekanan darah, sedangkan kalium dan Polifenol memiliki sifat menurunkan tekanan darah. Tujuan : Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi hubungan antara kebiasaan mengkonsumsi kopi dengan tekanan darah pada dewasa muda. Metode : Jenis penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah kolerasional dengan desain penelitian cross sectional. Variabel independennya adalah kebiasaan mengkonsumsi kopi dan variabel dependennya adalah tekanan darah. Pengambilan sampel dilakukan di Demak Jaya kelurahan Tembok Dukuh kecamatan Bubutan, Surabaya pada bulan Agustus-September 2017. Besar sampel sejumlah 40 responden yang diambil dengan teknik purposive sampling. Data yang diperoleh dikumpulkan dengan menggunakan lembar kuesioner dan observasi. Klaifikasi skala pengumpulan data ordinal dengan uji statistik yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah korelasi Spearman Rank. Hasil : Hasil uji statistik Spearman Rho p=0.465 (α=0.05), menunjukkan bahwa H1 ditolak, sehingga dapat disimpulkan tidak ada hubungan kebiasaan mengkonsumsi kopi dengan tekanan darah pada dewasa muda di Demak Jaya kelurahan Tembok Dukuh kecamatan Bubutan, surabaya. Kesimpulan : Peningkatan tekanan darah juga dapat disebabkan oleh faktor lain seperti stasus ekonomi, kegemukan, psikososial (stres), merokok, aktivitas fisik, konsumsi alkohol berlebih dan konsumsi garam.
Robust Method of Fabricating Epitaxially Encapsulated MEMS Devices with Large Gaps

This paper presents a novel wafer-level thin-film encapsulation process that allows both narrow and wide trenches, which are necessary for traditional structures such as comb-drives. Fully functional devices with trench widths up to 50 $\mu \text{m}$ are fabricated by employing a vapor phase XeF2 isotropic silicon etch to create large cavities and an epitaxial deposition seal to encapsulate the devices in an ultra-clean, high vacuum environment with no native oxide and humidity. In this paper, we demonstrate the robustness of the proposed fabrication process, as well as the inherent benefits of the high-temperature epitaxial encapsulation process: high quality factor, extreme stability, exceptional aging, and fatigue performance. [2017-0098]
Efficacy and safety of electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy with or without radial endobronchial ultrasound for peripheral lung lesions

Background and Objectives: Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) is a promising new technology to increase the diagnostic yield of peripheral lung and mediastinal lesions. Conventional flexible bronchoscopy has a limited yield in peripheral pulmonary lesions, even in experienced hands. Radial endobronchial ultrasound (r-EBUS) with its real-time imaging capability can help to diagnose peripheral pulmonary lesions. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic yield and safety of ENB with or without r-EBUS for peripheral lung lesions. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in a tertiary medical center, and 56 consecutive patients who were thought to be the best candidates for bronchoscopic biopsies at a multidisciplinary meeting were enrolled. ENB was performed under conscious sedation by using an electromagnetic tracking system with multiplanar reconstruction of previously acquired computed tomography (CT) data. Sampling was performed by biopsy forceps, endobronchial brush, and bronchoalveolar lavage. Results: Fifty-six patients (50 men and 6 women; mean age, 60 ± 9 years) were studied. While an electromagnetic navigation system was used in all patients, r-EBUS was used in 26 of 56 patients. The median diameter of the lesions was 30 mm (interquartile range: 23-44 mm). Mean distance of the lesions from the pleura was 14.9 ± 14.6 mm. Mean procedure time was 20 ± 11.5 min. Mean registration error was 5.8 ± 1.5 mm. Mean navigation error was 1.2 ± 0.5 mm. The diagnostic yield of the procedure was 71.4% for peripheral lesions (non-small cell lung cancer = 23, small cell lung cancer = 3, benign diseases = 14). Pneumothorax occurred in only 1 patient (1.7%). Conclusion: ENB with or without r-EBUS is a safe, efficient, and easily applied method for sampling of peripheral lung lesions, with high diagnostic yield independent of lesion size and location.
Validity evidence based on response processes.

BACKGROUND Validity evidence based on response processes was first introduced explicitly as a source of validity evidence in the latest edition of Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. In this paper, we present the theory, the relationship with other sources of validity evidence, and the methods available for validation studies aimed at obtaining validity evidence about response processes. METHOD A comprehensive review of the literature along with theoretical and practical proposals. RESULTS The articles provides arguments for determining when validity evidence based on response processes is critical for supporting the use of the test for a particular purpose, and examples of how to perform a validation study to obtain such validity evidence. CONCLUSIONS There are methods for obtaining validity evidence based on response processes. Special attention should be paid to validation studies using the cognitive interview method given its features and possibilities. Future research problems pose how to combine data from different methods -qualitative and quantitative-, to develop complete validity arguments that support the use of the test for a particular purpose.
Formation of dTDP-Rhamnose Is Essential for Growth of Mycobacteria

ABSTRACT It was determined that the dTDP-rhamnose synthesis gene, rmlD, could be inactivated in Mycobacterium smegmatis only in the presence of a rescue plasmid carrying functional rmlD. Hence, dTDP-rhamnose biosynthesis is essential for the growth of mycobacteria and the targeting of dTDP-rhamnose synthesis for new tuberculosis drugs is supported.
EFFECT OF NORETHYNODREL ON SPONTANEOUS OVULATION AND FERTILIZATION IN ADULT FEMALE RATS.

Norethynodrel administered to adult female rats in a daily dose of 0\m=. \2mg for a period of 22 days did not consistently inhibit ovulation or lead to refusal of the male. Acceptance of the male, however, was not always synchronized with follicular rupture. Fertilization occurred in animals mating at the correct time with respect to ovulation, although fewer eggs were fertilized than in control rats. There was some indication that the passage of the free ova through the oviduct is
Animal dreams in a long dream series

Animals are found quite often in dreams and speculations about their meaning are manifold. The present study is based on a series of 8,420 dreams of a young male. Overall, animals were present in about 7% of them. Specific waking-life experiences of the dreamer such as living with cats or having had a pet hamster are reflected in his dreams. On the other side, the negative animal contacts with snakes and spiders are not continuous with his waking life and might reflect continuity on an emotional level. In order to confirm this and other hypotheses, studies eliciting the amount of contact to real animals during daytime, media exposure to animals, whether the person is especially fond of specific species, and current emotional issues should be carried out in order to study the effect of these variables on the frequency of animal dreams.
Fast Linearized Augmented Lagrangian Method for Euler’s Elastica Model

Recently, many variational models involving high order derivatives have been widely used in image processing, because they can reduce staircase effects during noise elimination. However, it is very challenging to construct efficient algorithms to obtain the minimizers of original high order functionals. In this paper, we propose a new linearized augmented Lagrangian method for Euler's elastica image denoising model. We detail the procedures of finding the saddle-points of the augmented Lagrangian functional. Instead of solving associated linear systems by FFT or linear iterative methods (e.g., the Gauss-Seidel method), we adopt a linearized strategy to get an iteration sequence so as to reduce computational cost. In addition, we give some simple complexity analysis for the proposed method. Experimental results with comparison to the previous method are supplied to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method, and indicate that such a linearized augmented Lagrangian method is more suitable to deal with large-sized images.
Unusual Antineisserial Activity Expressed by a Systemic Isolate of Neisseria meningitidis. Antimeningococcal Effect and Properties

Antineisserial activity expressed by the systemic Neisseria meningitidis strain 77/79A was studied using the cross-streaking technique. Of 271 meningococcal isolates tested, > 84% were sensitive to this strain. The degree of susceptibility was largely dependent upon the agent characteristics of the individual isolates. Serogroup A sulfonamide-resistant systemic strains and non-groupable sulfonamide-sensitive isolates from healthy carriers were highly sensitive to the antagonistic activity. Among insensitive or weakly sensitive strains, serogroup B sulfonamide-resistant isolates dominated. The activity is of general interest as it also antagonized growth of bacteriocin producers. Colonization by the producer strain might determine the agent characteristics of a surviving population. Group B was predominant among disease-causing strains in Norway at the time when strain 77/79A was isolated. A component was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. It was bacteriostatic and partly resistant to proteolysis by trypsin. Preparations remained active after 30 min at 90 degrees C, but activity was lost after 20 min at 120 degrees C. Nevertheless, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis produced a band by Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining, corresponding to a molecular mass of approximately 52 kDa. Further characterization was limited due to the low levels of active substance produced.
Influence of the macrophage bacterial resistance gene Nramp1 (Slc11a1) on the induction of allergic asthma in the mouse

Based on the hygiene hypothesis that lack of early childhood bacterial infections would favor development of allergic disease, we hypothesize that genes controlling antibacterial resistance may be important as well. We, therefore, studied whether Nramp1 alleles that determine resistance (Nramp1r) or susceptibility (Nramp1s) to intracellular bacteria at the macrophage level affect sensitivity to induction of allergic asthma. Nramp1s and congenic Nramp1r mice were sensitized with ovalbumin/alum on days 0 and 14 and challenged with ovalbumin or saline aerosols on days 42, 45, and 48. On day 49, airway responsiveness was assessed, blood was withdrawn, and lung lavage was performed. We demonstrated that ovalbumin sensitization and challenge of Nramp1s and Nramp1r mice caused comparable airway hyperreactivity and airway eosinophilia and a similar increase in serum levels of ovalbumin‐specific IgG1 and IgG2a. Ovalbumin challenge, however, induced significantly lower serum levels of total and ovalbumin‐specific IgE and significantly lower mast cell degranulation in Nramp1r mice as compared with Nramp1s mice. In addition, ovalbumin challenge of Nramp1r mice led to significantly less release of Th2 cytokines into the airways. Results show that Nramp1 can affect the development of allergy but not the development of airway hyperresponsiveness in the mouse.