Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study of marrow microenvironment and focal adherences in myelodysplastic syndromes and leukemias

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are regarded as clonal disorders of haematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Recent evidence demonstrates that stromal microenvironment, in addition to HSC defects, plays a particular role via its direct contact with haematopoietic precursor cells (HPC). This thesis aims at evaluating the putative growth deficiencies of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) from MDS individuals compared with normal controls, exploring their adhesion profile, assessing the adhesion process-involved molecular substrates, and establishing correlations with their growth patterns and HPC dysfunctions. Functional assays revealed that MSC from MDS are intrinsically pathological, show a continuous decline of proliferation over a 14-day culture and a reduced clonogenic capacity in the absence of signals from HPC. MSC growth defects significantly correlate with decreased CD44 and CD49e expression. Moreover, stroma-dependent adhesion mechanisms control HPC clonogenic potential and CD49e might be one of the molecules involved in this process. Qualitative and quantitative abnormalities of focal adhesion (FA) proteins paxillin and pFAK [Y397] and of two regulatory proteins, HSP90αβ and p130CAS were identified via immunofluorescence analysis. Paxillin, pFAK [Y397] and HSP90αβ increased expression, besides its stronger nuclear colocalization in MSC from RAEB correlates with a consistent proliferative advantage and has a negative impact on HPC clonogenic capacity. These results open interesting opportunities, e.g. HPC-to-MSC interactions involve FA proteins signalling, and, as FAK is an HSP90αβ-client protein, it may enhance the utility of HSP90αβ inhibitors as adjuvant therapy in MDS
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning in Transitional Waters; the point of view of a microbial ecologist

1 - The study of biodiversity of prokaryotes in transitional waters is hampered by the fact that we do not posses any comprehensive inventories of prokaryotic species. Microbial biodiversity is thus often estimated indirectly by extraction of nucleic acids from the natural environment and by using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences as phylogenetic and taxonomic markers. Experimental microbial ecology has contributed over the years to developing niche-assembly theories of community assemblage and I review some of their major findings. Finally, the aim of establishing a link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is quite recent and has prompted a novel experimental approach that can be applied in microbial ecology. The following observations have been forwarded. 2 - The species richness for prokaryotes is difficult to assess in transitional waters, because of an unclearly defined species concept and because the Bacteriological Code requires living cultures as type strains for taxonomic descriptions; therefore, the number of validly described prokaryote species is still very limited (i.e. currently less than 10,000). 3 - The major emphasis on niche assembly theories in microbial ecology is a consequence of the paradigm "everything is everywhere, but the environment selects" quoted by Baas Becking in 1934. Hence, insights on how competition mechanisms can contribute to sustaining microbial biodiversity in relatively homogeneous model systems have tremendously increased during the last decade. Nevertheless, I argue that coastal lagoons and other transitional waters are environments characterised by strong exchanges with adjacent local microbial communities, where community assemblage may be strongly impacted by dispersal processes. 4 - The study of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is based on quantifying a process rate or a yield (the ecosystem function) as a function of a manipulated biodiversity in an artificial community. A positive relation between biodiversity and ecosystem function has been explained by 1) sampling effect (i.e. a higher biodiversity correlates with a higher chance of providing a home for the most productive species), 2) more efficient resource exploitation for species showing complementary niche differentiation. I argue that synergistic phenomena due to positive interactions among species may also play an important role.
E-commerce Advertising: Does the Traditional Advertising Elements Still Relevant?

The substantial growth of beauty products’ demand from both domestic and export markets has made beauty product become one of the important sectors of economy in Malaysia. On top of continuously introducing new beauty product to the marketplace, advertising of new beauty products is another important mechanize to ensure new product success in the competitive business environment. Recently, e-commerce of beauty product is emerging rapidly in the local marketplace. E-commerce serves as the platform for both online advertising (or namely e-commerce advertising) and online purchase. In addition, the success of e-commerce (which commonly measure in term of customers purchase intention) is very much dependent on the elements of e-commerce advertising. As such the aim for this study is to assess does the traditional advertising elements still stay relevant to e-commerce advertising of beauty product. In conjunction with this, the study explores the relationship between e-commerce advertising elements (which are medium credibility, entertaining celebrities association, quality features of product, advertising frequency, brand image and informativeness) and consumers’ online purchase intention of beauty products in Malaysia. The study is quantitative based, data was collected from 260 females between age of 18 to 25 years. Preliminary data analysis was done to assess the normality and reliability of the data, followed by analysis of correlation via Pearson correlation test. Analysis result from Person correlation suggested within the scope of the population under study, three traditional advertising elements still stay relevant to e-commerce advertising of beauty product, which are brand image, quality features of the product and informativeness of advertising.
Polycaprolactone scaffolds for bone tissue engineering: Effects of a calcium phosphate coating layer on osteogenic cells

Biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds made by fused deposition modeling (FDM) were coated with a layer of calcium phosphate using a biomimetic method and seeded with human bone marrow osteogenic cells. These bioconstructs were cultured in vitro over a period of time and both in vitro and in vivo analyses were carried out in order to investigate the efficacy of the calcium phosphate coating for improving cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation. In vitro analysis using AlamarBlue TM showed that the cells within the coated scaffolds had a higher proliferation rate compared to those in uncoated scaffolds. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was also found to be higher for the coated scaffolds. LIVE=DEAD ® staining showed that more viable cells were present in the coated scaffolds. This was further confirmed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An in vivo biocompatibility study showed no adverse tissue inflammatory response as a result of the coating layer generated. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and wavelength dispersive analysis (WDX) showed that the coating layer was structurally similar to hydroxyapatite. However, more analyses are required to confirm the exact nature of the material phase. This study shows the feasibility of improving the 3D scaffold based approach to bone tissue engineering by introducing an osteoinductive coating layer.
The Relationships Between Achievement Goal, Teacher Instructional Practices and Students’ Academic Achievement

Among the many factors contributing to the students’ competency in learning are students’ motivation and teacher instructional practices. Motivation is the internal state of an individual that arouses, directs and sustains behaviour. Achievement goal theory has been one of the most prominent theories of motivation in educational research for more than 25 years (Senko, Hulleman, & Harackiewicz, 2011). It has been used in order to identify students’ motivation and achievementrelated behaviours. On the other hand, teacher instructional practices are one of the factors that could influence students’ learning (Maulana, Opdenakker & Bosker, 2016). Many studies have described that teaching practices are related to effective classroom learning and students’ outcome (Mercer & DeRosier, 2010). Different experts emphasised that different practices in teaching could efficiently move students forward in their learning. Therefore, this paper explores the relationships between students’ achievement goals and academic achievement and also the possible moderation by teacher instructional practices. As this paper is driven by a concept paper approach, discussions on the findings are based on relevant literature review, which includes discussions on the theories and past research findings. A framework that signifies the possible relationship among the variables is provided.
The effects of ontogenetic maturation in Pinus patula - Part 1: nursery performance

Synopsis The age at which parent or donor hedges reach ontogenetic maturity has frequently been cited as a debilitating factor in the production of conifer cuttings. This point varies between species and prevailing environmental conditions. Among other things, a lack of knowledge of the effects ofhedge maturation in Pinus patula has resulted in reluctance among South African foresters to plant cuttings of this species. Consequently, several trials were established between 2000 and 2003 to investigate the effects of ontogenetic maturation on the performance of P. patula cuttings in the nursery and field. This paper forms the first component of a three-part series and reports on those effects observed in the nursery. The effects ofhedge maturation on field performance and cycling of P. patula hedges as a means of rejuvenation, are reported separately. An analysis of the nursery data indicates that rooting efficiency, root system quality, and stem size and form, all decline with increasing hedge age. A decline in root system quality was particularly apparent and was observed prior to a decline in rooting efficiency.
Financial Performance and Profitability Of Islamic Banking On Economic Growth In Indonesia

Since the enactment of the law No. 21 of 2008 concerning Sharia Banking, the development of the Islamic banking industry in Indonesia increasingly and has an adequate legal basis so that it will encourage growth faster. Recorded total assets of Sharia Commercial Banks and Sharia Business Units continue to increase every year. With the progress of the increasing development, it is expected that the role of the Islamic banking industry in supporting the national economy will be increasingly significant. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of Islamic banking financial performance on economic growth in Indonesia through mediation of profitability. The data which is used to measure Islamic financial performance are Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR), Non Performing Financing (NPF), Financing to Deposit Ratio (FDR), and Operational Costs to Operating Income (BOPO). While the profitability of Islamic banking use data Return On Assets (ROA). The data sourced from Islamic banking financial reports and Indonesian economic growth reports during the 2005 – 2018 periods. This research method uses Path Analyze. The result shows that partially, CAR, NPF, FDR, and BOPO give a negative and not significant direct effect on ROA. But ROA has a posiive and significant direct effect on economic growth in Indonesia.
Science Skepticism Reduced Compliance with COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place Policies in the United States

Physical distancing reduces transmission risks and slows the spread of COVID-19. Local and regional governments in the United States have issued shelter-in-place policies to mandate physical distancing. Yet compliance with these policies is uneven and may be influenced by beliefs about science and topics of scientific consensus. We theorize that individuals skeptical about the human causes of climate change are less likely to comply with physical distancing orders. Using county-day measures of physical distancing derived from cellphone location data, we demonstrate that the proportion of people who stay at home after lockdown policies go into effect is significantly lower in counties with a high concentration of climate change skeptics. These results are consistent when we study how belief in science influences physical distancing across as well as within Democratic and Republican counties. Our findings suggest public health interventions and messaging about risks associated with COVID-19 that take into account local attitudes towards science may be more effective.
Physiological responses of two seaweed biofilter candidates, Gracilariopsis bailiniae Zhang et Xia and Hydropuntia edulis (S Gmelin), to nutrient source and environmental factors.

Two gracilarioid species, Gracilariopsis bailiniae and Hydropuntia edulis, were compared based on their growth under different temperature and salinity levels and nitrogen source and on their photosynthetic responses under different irradiance levels. Results show that growth of Gp. bailiniae was significantly higher than that of H. edulis. Both species were euryhaline and had optimum growth rates at 27 ̊C (16.06 % d ± 0.10 for Gp. bailiniae and 9.53 % d ± 0.62 for H. edulis) under both ammonium and nitrate enrichment. Gracilariopsis bailiniae was able to use both N-forms as a nitrogen source in all temperature and salinity levels tested. Meanwhile, the interactive effect of nitrogen source with temperature was observed for H. edulis with plants grown in nitrate enrichment showing significantly higher growth rates than those in ammonium. Nitrate enrichment also resulted to higher growth rates for H. edulis in all salinity levels tested. Photosynthetic rates of Gp. bailiniae were higher than H. edulis. We also found a two-fold difference between the maximum photosynthetic rate (Pmax) of Gp. bailiniae (12.41 ± 1.81) and that of H. edulis (6.44 ± 0.62). However, photosynthetic efficiency (α) was significantly higher in H. edulis than in Gp. bailiniae while compensation and saturation point irradiance levels were similar in both species.
Maximization of regional probabilities using Optimal Surface Graphs: Application to carotid artery segmentation in MRI

PURPOSE We present a segmentation method that maximizes regional probabilities enclosed by coupled surfaces using an Optimal Surface Graph (OSG) cut approach. This OSG cut determines the globally optimal solution given a graph constructed around an initial surface. While most methods for vessel wall segmentation only use edge information, we show that maximizing regional probabilities using an OSG improves the segmentation results. We applied this to automatically segment the vessel wall of the carotid artery in magnetic resonance images. METHODS First, voxel-wise regional probability maps were obtained using a Support Vector Machine classifier trained on local image features. Then, the OSG segments the regions which maximizes the regional probabilities considering smoothness and topological constraints. RESULTS The method was evaluated on 49 carotid arteries from 30 subjects. The proposed method shows good accuracy with a Dice wall overlap of 74.1 ± 4.3%, and significantly outperforms a published method based on an OSG using only surface information, the obtained segmentations using voxel-wise classification alone, and another published artery wall segmentation method based on a deformable surface model. Intraclass correlations (ICC) with manually measured lumen and wall volumes were similar to those obtained between observers. Finally, we show a good reproducibility of the method with ICC = 0.86 between the volumes measured in scans repeated within a short time interval. CONCLUSIONS In this work, a new segmentation method that uses both an OSG and regional probabilities is presented. The method shows good segmentations of the carotid artery in MRI and outperformed another segmentation method that uses OSG and edge information and the voxel-wise segmentation using the probability maps.
Identical by descent haplotype sharing analysis: application in fine mapping of QTLs for birth weight in commercial lines of Bos taurus.

INTRODUCTION Identification and mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for birth weight in beef cattle have been reported (Davis et al., 1998 ; Stone et al., 1999). Fine mapping of these QTLs will greatly facilitate the identification and cloning of the causative genes. It is expected that individuals within a semi-closed population, such as a commercial line of cattle, may be derived from one or a limited number of founders. Thus, some common haplotypes originating from the common ancestors should carry on and segregate among the individuals of the breeding line, particularly when selection is applied. These common haplotypes may harbor QTLs of interest and make it possible to locate QTLs segregating in the line. We discuss here the application of the identical by descent (IBD) haplotype sharing analysis in fine mapping of QTLs for birth weight in commercial lines of Bos taurus.
Variability of Lutein Content in Peas ( Pisum sativum L.) in Relation to the Variety, Season and Chlorophyll Content

Lutein and β-carotene contents in 32 samples of field peas with green ( ii), yellow (I.) and orange cotyledons (orcorc) were determined. The highest lutein concentration ranging between 0.768 and 1.394 mg/100 g was found in varieties with green cotyledons (median 0.978 mg/100 g). Yellow cotyledons contained lower amount of lutein, median = 0.692 mg/100 g. Big variation in lutein content was found in tested breeding lines with orange cotyledons, only 4 lines showed higher lutein content in comparison with the lowest value found in green cotyledons. Content of β -carotene in field peas with green cotyledons ranged between 0.1-0.2 mg/100 g. Field peas with yellow and orange cotyledons contain β -carotene in 10 times lower concentration. 27 samples of garden peas were tested. Lutein con - tent fluctuated between 0.471 and 1.524 mg/100 g with median = 0.791 mg/100 g. Year-to-year differences in 54% of all repeatedly tested samples shoved coefficient of variation lower than 10%. Coefficient of variation under 20% was found in 96% of repeatedly analysed samples. A strong correlation (r = 0.77, P < 0.01) between lutein and chlorophyll contents was found.
The Invasion Ecology of Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis): Population Dynamics, Interactions and Adaptations

The potentially damaging outcomes of species introductions to areas outside of their natural range are well known, and invasive non-native species are regarded as one of the most significant threats to biodiversity worldwide. Social perceptions of non-native species are open to subjective influence, and in a rapidly changing world the implications of species introductions are becoming less defined. Understanding the ecology of invasions and the human perceptions of them, is therefore fundamentally important for managing all stages of species introductions, relying on a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the invasion process. Invasions can also provide opportunities to study adaptive responses of organisms to novel or changing environments, which in turn can provide insight into mechanistic workings of the invasion process and range expansion. In this study I investigate the ecology of introduced populations of the Common Wall lizard (Podarcis muralis). Using a multidisciplinary approach including population ecology, functional ecology, predictive modelling, social science, and behavioural experiments, I focus on the species’ invasion potential, adaptive responses, and implications for ecological impacts on native lizards in the UK and on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I found that morphological differences between populations were associated with ancestral origins and infer a greater invasion potential for animals of Italian origin over French. Comparison of physical and performance traits, and a broad dietary niche of P. muralis, indicate considerable overlap between P. muralis and native lizards, suggesting high potential for competitive interaction. However, the varied behavioural responses observed towards scent cues in P. muralis and native lizards suggests an interplay between naivety and threat sensitivity may influence interspecific interaction. Models of predicted range expansion suggest P. muralis populations are likely to remain localised, but that potential for secondary translocation is likely to increase with increasing population size, particularly in urban habitats. I also found clear indication that charismatic non-native species such as P. muralis, may have use as model species with which to raise awareness and minimise the subjectivity shaping perceptions of invasive species in general.
Diversity and classification of flowering plants

The culmination of more than fifty years of research by the foremost living expert on plant classification, Diversity and Classification of Flowering Plants is an important contribution to the field of plant taxonomy. In the last decade, the system of classifying plants has been thoroughly revised. Instead of describing every individual family, Takhtajan includes descriptions in keys to families, which he calls "descriptive keys. " The advantage of descriptive keys is that they give both the characteristic features of the families and their differences. The delimitation of families and orders drastically differs from the one accepted by the Englerian school and from the one accepted in Arthur Cronquist's system. Takhtajan favors the smaller, more natural families and orders, which are more coherent and better-defined, where characters are easily grasped, and which are more suitable for information retrieval and phylogenetic studies, including cladistic analysis (because it reduces polymorphic codings).
Runners’ motivation in traditional versus innovative running events

The objective of this master thesis was to determine the different motivations for Dutch runners to participate in traditional versus innovative running events. Traditional running events are running events that have been applied in the same way (in the Netherlands) for decades. Innovative running events are those that are ‘new’ and have a fun factor or are combined with other sports. The research question: ‘What motivates Dutch runners to participate in traditional versus innovative running events’ is answered through qualitative, explorative research. The Achievement Goal Theory and Self Determination Theory are used to generate insight in intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors of Dutch runners. The results have shown that the most important motivations to participate in traditional running events are the challenge, atmosphere, a satisfied feeling, a social aspect and recreation. On the other hand, participants of innovative running events are especially motivated to participate because they enjoy the event, want to participate with friends and they want to achieve the physical challenge. In the end, this means that the majority of participants of both events are intrinsically motivated to participate in running events. However, relating this to running as a sports activity, it could be concluded that participants of traditional running events are intrinsically motivated to go for a run and participants of innovative running events are more extrinsically motivated.