Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cluster analysis of higher-education competitiveness in selected European countries

Abstract The subject of research in this paper is higher-education competitiveness on account of its impact on the enhancement of social and economic competitiveness, as well as on the growth of human capital and creation of social knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to group the selected European countries according to higher-education competitiveness, by means of the hierarchical cluster analysis method, with a special focus on the position of Serbia. Higher-education competitiveness in the chosen countries is analysed by means of three indicators of competitiveness: the ratio of the number of students per number of inhabitants, the number of students per number of employed, as well as the amount of budgetary funds allocated per student. The research results indicate different higher-education competitiveness in the analysed countries and also the fact that, according to this analysis, Serbia is in the group of countries with low competitiveness of higher education.
Stimulatory effects of distinct members of the bone morphogenetic protein family on ligament fibroblasts

Objective: To investigate effects of cartilage derived morphogenetic protein-1 and -2 (CDMP-1, CDMP-2), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-7 and BMP-6 on metabolism of ligament fibroblasts and their osteogenic or chondrogenic differentiation potential. Methods: Ligament fibroblasts were obtained from 3 month old calves, plated as monolayers or micromass cultures, and incubated with or without CDMP-1, CDMP-2, BMP-7, and BMP-6. Expression of the indicated growth factors was assessed by RT-PCR and western immunoblotting. The presence of their respective type I and II receptors, and lineage related markers, was investigated in stimulated and unstimulated cells by RT-PCR and northern blotting. Biosynthesis of matrix proteoglycans was assessed by [35S]sulphate incorporation in monolayers. Alcian blue and toluidine blue staining was done in micromass cultures. Results: CDMP-1, CDMP-2, BMP-7, and BMP-6 were detected on mRNA and on the protein level. Type I and II receptors were endogenously expressed in unstimulated ligament fibroblasts. The growth factors significantly stimulated total proteoglycan synthesis as assessed by [35S]sulphate incorporation. Toluidine blue staining showed cartilage-specific metachromasia in the growth factor treated micromass cultures. Transcription analysis of stimulated ligament fibroblasts demonstrated coexpression of chondrocyte markers but no up regulation of osteogenic markers. Conclusion: CDMP-1, CDMP-2, BMP-7, and BMP-6 and their receptors were expressed in ligament tissue. These growth factors induced matrix synthesis in fibroblasts derived from bovine ligament. The preferential expression of cartilage markers in vitro suggests that CDMP-1, CDMP-2, BMP-7, and BMP-6 have the potential to induce differentiation towards a chondrogenic phenotype in ligament fibroblasts. Thus, fibroblasts from ligaments may serve as a source for chondrogenesis and tissue repair.
A Phase II Trial of Gefitinib (Iressa, ZD1839) in Stage IV and Recurrent Renal Cell Carcinoma

Purpose: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in 75 to 90% of renal cell carcinomas and may play a role in tumor initiation and progression. Gefitinib (Iressa, ZD1839) is a potent, selective EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor. This trial was undertaken to assess the efficacy and toxicity of gefitinib in advanced renal cell carcinoma. Experimental Design: Oral gefitinib, 500 mg once daily, was given continuously. A single-dose reduction to 250 mg daily was allowed for toxicity. The primary end point was response rate (defined as complete remission + partial remission + stable disease). Secondary end points were progression-free survival, overall survival, toxicity, and correlation of response with EGFR status. Results: Twenty-one patients were enrolled on this study, and all are evaluable for response and toxicity. Patient characteristics were median age 61 (range, 35–78 years); 17 males, 4 females; median performance status 0 (range 0–2); median number of prior systemic therapies 1 (range, 0–3). The median and mean number of cycles of therapy received was 3 and 4.7 (range, 1–14+). The best response was stable disease in eight patients (38%). Median progression-free survival was 2.7 months. Median overall survival was 8.3 months. The difference in overall survival was significantly different between patients with progressive disease versus stable disease (6.1 months versus 16+ months; Log-Rank test P value < 0.0001). Three patients required a dose reduction, all for grade 3 diarrhea. There was no apparent correlation between EGFR status and stability of disease or progression of disease. Conclusions: Gefitinib is without significant conventional activity in renal cell carcinoma. The relation of “stable disease” to treatment or to disease-related prognostic heterogeneity remains to be defined.
Morphological response of extending spinal neuritic growth cones to peripheral target tissue

Nerve fibers extend from spinal cord explants of larval frog in an enhanced and directed manner when cocultured with limb mesenchyme target tissue. In order to gain a better understanding of the events involved in target directed neurite extension, a detailed examination of the nerve growth cone was undertaken. The growth cones of spinal neurites that had elongated in the presence or absence of target tissue were examined by light and electron microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that growth cones of cord + limb cultures were elaborate in form with numerous and long filopodia, while those cultured in the absence of the target tissue appeared relatively simple with few, short filopodia. A morphological parallel existed between those growth cones that were cultured without the target and those in cord + limb cultures but which grew from the side of the cord explant away from the mesenchyme tissue. When examined with the transmission electron microscope, growth cones under target influence were organelle‐rich in contrast to target‐deprived growth cones, which lacked the extensive array of vesicles, endoplasmic reticulum, and filaments. When the attachment substratum of polylysine was substituted by collagen, the dramatic differences in growth cones were not realized, although enhanced, oriented growth still occurred in the presence of limb target tissue. It appears that growth cone morphology is a dynamic reflection of the growth effects elicited by a target tissue factor that in turn may be mediated by the nature of the extracellular environment. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Consumer design priorities for upper limb prosthetics

Purpose. To measure consumer satisfaction with upper limb prosthetics and provide an enumerated list of design priorities for future developments. Methods. A self-administered, anonymous survey collected information on participant demographics, history of and goals for prosthesis use, satisfaction, and design priorities. The questionnaire was available online and in paper format and was distributed through healthcare providers, community support groups, and one prosthesis manufacturer; 242 participants of all ages and levels of upper limb absence completed the survey. Results. Rates of rejection for myoelectric hands, passive hands, and body-powered hooks were 39%, 53%, and 50%, respectively. Prosthesis wearers were generally satisfied with their devices while prosthesis rejecters were dissatisfied. Reduced prosthesis weight emerged as the highest priority design concern of consumers. Lower cost ranked within the top five design priorities for adult wearers of all device types. Life-like appearance is a priority for passive/cosmetic prostheses, while improved harness comfort, wrist movement, grip control and strength are required for body-powered devices. Glove durability, lack of sensory feedback, and poor dexterity were also identified as design priorities for electric devices. Conclusions. Design priorities reflect consumer goals for prosthesis use and vary depending on the type of prosthesis used and age. Future design efforts should focus on the development of more light-weight, comfortable prostheses.
Spirochaeta aurantia, a Pigmented, Facultatively Anaerobic Spirochete

A strain of Spirochaeta aurantia was isolated from mud by a procedure involving migration of the organisms through cellulose ester filter discs (0.3-μm pore diameter) onto the surface of culture plates. The helical cells measured 0.3 by 10 to 20 μm during exponential growth. Electron microscopy showed the presence of two subterminally inserted axial fibrils partially overlapping in a 1-2-1 arrangement. An outer envelope, exhibiting a polygonal substructure, was observed. The spirochete grew either aerobically or anaerobically, with aerobic yields of 9.8 × 108 cells per ml and anaerobic yields of 3.0 × 108 cells per ml. The organism used carbohydrates, but not amino acids, as energy sources. Amino acids served as sole nitrogen sources, whereas inorganic ammonium salts did not. The presence of biotin and thiamine in the medium was required for growth. Growing cells fermented maltose mainly to carbon dioxide, hydrogen, ethyl alcohol, and acetic acid. Small amounts of formic and lactic acids, acetoin, and diacetyl were produced. Cells of S. aurantia growing aerobically produced a yellow-orange pigment. Chemical analysis indicated that the pigment was carotenoid in nature, its main component being lycopene or a similar compound. S. aurantia is not closely related to the leptospires, since it lacks both the hemolytic antigen and the hooked ends typical of the latter organisms. Furthermore, the guanine plus cytosine content in the deoxyribonucleic acid of S. aurantia (66.8 moles%) differs drastically from that of leptospires.
Dynamic rules' score adjustment in spam filter using users' feedback

An interactive spam filter is proposed in this paper to reduce misclassification of spam. A set of weighted rules are applied to an email to decide if it's a spam. If a rule is triggered, the weight of it would be added. When the sum score of the total rules triggered is bigger than a threshold, the email would be classified as spam. The scores of rules are achieved by improved genetic algorithm. The improved genetic algorithm is applied to a corpus contains both legitimate spam and emails to get the initial score of each rule. During the filter process, end users' feedback is collected and used to adjust the scores of rules. Because retraining the whole data set is time consuming, the incremental learning algorithm is used to adjust rules' scores. The method is implemented and tested in one of the email servers in Network Research Center of Tsinghua University. The experimental result shows the false positive rate is reduced significantly by adding the user interaction to the spam filter.
Opportunistic spectrum usage and optimal control in heterogeneous wireless networks. (Accès opportuniste au spectre et contrôle optimal dans les réseaux sans fil hétérogènes)

The present dissertation deals with how to use the precious wireless resources that are normally wasted by under-utilization of networks. We have been particularly interested to all resources that can be used in an opportunistic fashion using different technologies. We have designed new schemes for better and more efficient use of wireless systems by providing mathematical frameworks. In this sense, the rest of this dissertation is divided into three parts: The cognitive radio, delay tolerant networks and ad-hoc networks. In the first part, We have been interested in cognitive radio networks, where a cellular service provider can lease a part of its resources to secondary users or virtual providers. Indeed, in one hand we have studied how we can increase the service time of a secondary user in a cognitive radio network. Knowing that primary users have priority among other users all the time, we have proposed two schemes that enhance the QoS of secondary users and manage their handoff. The performance improvement gained by applying such schemes to multiple wireless service providers have been investigated. In the other hand, we were interested to how a virtual provider can determines the optimal amount of bandwidth he has to lease from the spectrum owner. The objective is to design a scheme that achieves an optimal solution for the virtual operator with respect to users strategies. Furthermore, we have elaborated a decision theoretic approach when the provider has partial/complete information on the system state. In the second part, we have chosen delay-tolerant networks as a solution to reduce the pressure on the cell traffic, where mobile users come to use available resources effectively and with a cheaper cost. We have focused on optimal strategy for smartphones in hybrid wireless networks. While using mobile phones, users are subject to fees and consume energy from their limited batteries. Based on the utility of the last message received, users decide whether to activate the mobile device, and if so, which technology to use (WiFi or 3G). We have shown how to cope with such a tradeoff, by devising aging control policies. The goal of an aging control policy is to provide high quality of service while reducing energy consumption and 3G usages, by leveraging WiFi connectivity when available. Whereas the reduction in energy consumption is of interest mainly to subscribers, the i te l-0 09 07 12 0, v er si on 1 20 N ov 2 01 3
Dynamics and interactions between spot and forward freights in the dry bulk shipping market

ABSTRACT Analyzing the interactions between spot and forward freight agreement (FFA) prices in the dry bulk shipping is important as they play a significant role for shipping companies to secure their profits and avoid potential risks in the volatile market. By applying the vector autoregression (VAR) and the vector error correction model (VECM), this paper identifies the long-run and mutual causal relationship between the spot and FFA prices on the BPI T/C and BCI C7 routes. Along with these cointegrating rates, exogenous factors such as the market demand and supply and some economic indices are also recognized as contributing variables for the dynamic movement of the spot and FFA prices. Importantly, the mean-reverting process is justified on both routes with different mechanisms. When the spot and FFA prices deviate from their equilibrium level in the short run, they will be adjusted to their long-run equilibrium more directly and clearly on the BPI T/C route than those on the BCI C7 route. It also indicates that this adjusting power has direction and size asymmetries on both routes. In addition, the impulse analysis indicates that the spot rate is more volatile than its corresponding FFA prices confronting innovations. The results of this study provide a reference to the participants in the dry bulk shipping market on the causes of fluctuation in spot and FFA prices and their interactions, which can be used to promote the risk management in the market.
Early improvement as a predictor of response to amitriptyline and nortriptyline: a comparison of 2 patient samples

Synopsis This study compared serial severity ratings from 2 methodologically similar tricyclic antidepressant studies. Though the groups resembled each other in terms of diagnosis and baseline severity, response patterns were surprisingly different. In particular, early change was highly predictive of outcome in one group but not in the other. The results of response predictor studies must, therefore, be generalized with caution. These data, nevertheless, do allow some guidelines for predicting response from early changes and severity.
Influence of Quercetin in the Temporal Regulation of Redox Homeostasis in Drosophila melanogaster

Numerous biological processes are governed by the biological clock. Studies using Drosophila melanogaster (L.) are valuable that could be of importance for their effective applications on rodent studies. In this study, the beneficial role of quercetin (a flavonoid) on H2O2 induced stress in D. melanogaster was investigated. D. melanogaster flies were divided into four groups (group I – control, group II – H2O2 (acute exposure), group III – quercetin, and group IV – quercetin + H2O2 treated). Negative geotaxis assay, oxidative stress indicators (protein carbonyls, thiobarbituric reactive substances [TBARS]), and antioxidants (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT], glutathione-S-transferase [GST], glutathione peroxidase, and reduced glutathione [GSH]) were measured at 4 h intervals over 24 h and temporal expression of heat shock protein-70 (Hsp70), Upd1 (homolog of IL-6 in Drosophila), and nitric oxide synthase (Nos) was analyzed by Western blotting. Groups II and IV showed altered biochemical rhythms (compared with controls). Decreased mesor values of negative geotaxis, SOD, CAT, GST, and GSH were noticed in H2O2, increased mesor of oxidative stress indicators (TBARS and protein carbonyl content) and a reversibility of the rhythmic characteristics were conspicuous after quercetin treatment. The expression levels of Hsp70, Upd1, and Nos were noticeably maximum at 04:00. Significant elevation of expression by H2O2 was nearly normalized by quercetin treatment. The possible mechanism by which quercetin modulates oxidant–antioxidant imbalance under oxidative stress could be ascribed to the modulation of the rhythmic properties. Our results will be helpful to understand the molecular interlink between circadian rhythm and oxidative stress mechanism.
An epidermal signal regulates Lmx-1 expression and dorsal-ventral pattern during Xenopus limb regeneration.

The results of recent studies have supported the idea that the ability to organize the formation of axes such as the anteroposterior and proximodistal axes corresponds to limb regeneration ability in Xenopus. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which the dorsoventral (D-V) axis of regenerating Xenopus limbs is established and the relationships between D-V patterning and regenerative ability. Transplantation experiments were performed to study which epidermis or mesenchyme is responsible for the D-V patterning in regenerating limbs. Naked mesenchyme of a donor limb was rotated and implanted on a host opposite-side limb stump to make a reversed recombination about the D-V axis. The resultant regenerates had a normal-looking D-V pattern, including Lmx-1 expression, muscle pattern, and joints, in stage 52 recombinants and a reversed D-V pattern in stage 55 recombinants. Further experiments in recombination at stage 52 and stage 55 showed that the epidermal signal is responsible for producing the D-V pattern in the regenerating blastema. These results, together with the finding that Lmx-1 expression is absent in the froglet forelimb blastema, suggest that D-V axis formation is a key step in understanding the loss of regenerative ability.
Transmission dynamics and mechanisms of endemicity of scrapie in the UK sheep population

SUMMARY Scrapie is a fatal neurological disease of sheep which is endemic in the United Kingdom. It is one of the family of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) that includes BSE. In this paper, we developed a micro-simulation model for scrapie in the UK sheep population, incorporating the genetic and structural diversity of the population and infectious contact between flocks through trading. The simulation was fitted to epidemiological data from a range of sources. We found a detection/reporting probability of 16% (95% CI 12–17) for animals dying of scrapie. Prevalence of infected animals in the population was about 0·15%. Infected individuals were found in 9% of flocks overall, rising to 60% in Shetland and 75% in Swaledale flocks. Mean values of R0 for flocks varied with breed from 2·43 (Shetland) to 0·21 (Suffolk). We also examined the possible long-term persistence of scrapie in the UK flock in the absence of any intervention.
Secondary Bacterial Infections Associated with Influenza Pandemics

Lower and upper respiratory infections are the fourth highest cause of global mortality (Lozano et al., 2012). Epidemic and pandemic outbreaks of respiratory infection are a major medical concern, often causing considerable disease and a high death toll, typically over a relatively short period of time. Influenza is a major cause of epidemic and pandemic infection. Bacterial co/secondary infection further increases morbidity and mortality of influenza infection, with Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Staphylococcus aureus reported as the most common causes. With increased antibiotic resistance and vaccine evasion it is important to monitor the epidemiology of pathogens in circulation to inform clinical treatment and development, particularly in the setting of an influenza epidemic/pandemic.
Mountain Dew or mountain don't?: a pilot investigation of caffeine use parameters and relations to depression and anxiety symptoms in 5th- and 10th-grade students.

BACKGROUND Caffeine, the only licit psychoactive drug available to minors, may have a harmful impact on students' health and adjustment, yet little is known about its use or effects on students, especially from a developmental perspective. Caffeine use in 5th- and 10th-grade students was examined in a cross-sectional design, and relations and potential mediators of caffeine use to depression and anxiety symptoms were investigated. METHODS Children (n = 135) and adolescents (n = 79) completed a measure of naturalistic use of caffeinated and noncaffeinated beverages. Furthermore, daily availability, perceived benefits, and stimulating, psychological, and withdrawal effects of caffeinated and noncaffeinated beverages were assessed. Measures of depression and anxiety were also administered. RESULTS Fifth and 10th graders used caffeine frequently. Depression was positively related to caffeine use for both cohorts, though mediated by caffeine withdrawal effects. Surprisingly, anxiety was unrelated to use. Fifth graders reported less daily access to caffeine, but more psychological and stimulating effects of caffeine than 10th graders. CONCLUSIONS Although both children and adolescents experience negative caffeine-related outcomes, intake is seemingly not greatly limited in either cohort. In particular, youth appear vulnerable to increased depressive symptoms with increasing caffeine consumption. Implications for school policy regarding students' caffeine use are discussed.
Hand-hold location and trunk kinematics during box handling

Trunk kinematics variables have been shown to be related to low back injury risk during lifting tasks and it was hypothesised that changes in hand-hold positions could influence trunk kinematics and thereby risk. Fourteen subjects lifted a 5 or 10 kg box using four different hand placement locations (two symmetric and two asymmetric) while their trunk kinematics (position, velocity and acceleration in the sagittal, coronal and transverse planes) were captured using the lumbar motion monitor (LMM). These kinematics data were then used to calculate the probability of high risk group membership (PHRGM) as defined in the LMM risk assessment model. The results showed significant effects of hand placement on trunk kinematics, resulting in significant changes in the PHRGM variable ranging from a low of 20% in a the symmetric low load condition to a high of 38% under the asymmetric, 10 kg condition. Statement of Relevance: Manual materials handlers use a variety of hand-hold positions on boxes during lifting. Where a lifter grabs the box can influence the trunk kinematics during the lifting task and these kinematics have been shown to provide some insight into risk of low back injury. This study documents the trunk postures and kinematics as a function of hand-hold position.