Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficient transgene expression system using a cumate-inducible promoter and Cre-loxP recombination in avian cells

Objective Transgenic technology is widely used for industrial applications and basic research. Systems that allow for genetic modification play a crucial role in biotechnology for a number of purposes, including the functional analysis of specific genes and the production of exogenous proteins. In this study, we examined and verified the cumate-inducible transgene expression system in chicken DF1 and quail QM7 cells, as well as loxP element-mediated transgene recombination using Cre recombinase in DF1 cells. Methods After stable transfer of the transgene with piggyBac transposon and transposase, transgene expression was induced by an appropriate concentration of cumate. Additionally, we showed that the transgene can be replaced with additional transgenes by co-transfection with the Cre recombinase expression vector. Results In the cumate-GFP DF1 and QM7 cells, green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression was repressed in the off state in the absence of cumate, and the GFP transgene expression was successfully induced in the presence of cumate. In the cumate-MyoD DF1 cells, MyoD transgene expression was induced by cumate, and the genes controlled by MyoD were upregulated according to the number of days in culture. Additionally, for the translocation experiments, a stable enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)-expressing DF1 cell line transfected with the loxP66-eGFP-loxP71 vector was established, and DsRed-positive and eGFP-negative cells were observed after 14 days of co-transfection with the DsRed transgene and Cre recombinase indicating that the eGFP transgene was excised, and the DsRed transgene was replaced by Cre recombination. Conclusion Transgene induction or replacement cassette systems in avian cells can be applied in functional genomics studies of specific genes and adapted further for efficient generation of transgenic poultry to modulate target gene expression.
Enablers and Constraints to Walking for Older African American and American Indian Women: The Cultural Activity Participation Study

Abstract Walking is a significant physical activity undertaken by a range of women from different ages, economic backgrounds, and family situations. The purpose of this analysis was to examine what conditions enabled walking to occur and what constraints prevented some older African American and American Indian women from walking as a physical activity. A descriptive analysis emerged related to three dimensions: the context of walking, how walking was enabled, and constraints to walking more or achieving greater satisfaction with walking as a physical activity. As more is known about how and why a behavior such as walking occurs, more can be done to raise the physical and mental quality of life for all people, regardless of race or gender.
Modularity and evolution of flower shape: the role of efficiency, development, and spandrels in Erica

Three hypotheses can explain floral modularity: the attraction-reproduction, the efficiency, and the developmental hypotheses. In order to test these hypotheses and understand if pollination specialisation and pollination syndrome influence floral modularity, we focussed on the genus Erica: we gathered 3D data from flowers of species with diverse pollination syndromes via Computed Tomography, and analysed their shape via geometric morphometrics. In order to provide an evolutionary framework for our results we tested the evolutionary mode of floral shape, size, and integration under pollination syndrome regimes, and - for the first time-reconstructed the high-dimensional floral shape of their most recent common ancestor. We demonstrate, for the first time, that the modularity of generalist flowers depends on development and that of specialists is linked to efficiency: in bird syndrome flower, efficiency modules were associated with pollen deposition and receipt, whereas in long-proboscid fly syndrome, they were associated with restricting the access to the floral reward. Only shape PC1 showed selection towards multiple optima, suggesting that PC1 was co-opted by evolution to adapt flowers to novel pollinators. Whole floral shape followed an OU model of evolution, and demonstrated relatively late differentiation. Flower shape modularity thus crucially depends on pollinator specialisation and class.
On design of differentially driven on-chip antennas with harmonic filtering for silicon integrated mm-wave and THz N-push oscillators

This paper reports on design of differentially driven lens-integrated on-chip ring antennas with harmonic filtering for both CMOS and SiGe HBT highly integrated mm-wave and THz N-push oscillators. Two state-of-the-art circuit/ antenna co-design examples of high-power sources are presented: at 288 GHz in 65nm CMOS technology and at 530 GHz in 0. 13μm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The 530 GHz version is additionally extended into a 4×4 array with configurable radiation pattern diversity and capable of providing a total radiated power of up to 1mW.
New Insights into the Role of Sex Steroid Hormones in Pregnancy: Possible Therapeutic Approach by Sex Steroid Hormones for the Treatment of Both Preeclampsia and Preterm Labor

Abstract Fetal peptide hormones are essential for the development of fetus, which increase in accordance with pregnancy term. Concentration of these hormones within the feto-placental unit is normally higher than that of maternal circulation. Since these hormones are biologically active, the leakage of these hormones into the maternal circulation is regulated by degradation activity by placental aminopeptidases, in order to maintain the balance between carriage of pregnancy and onset of labor. Because the concentration of these hormones, being regulated by the amount of endogenous production and by physiological degradation by enzymes in the blood and tissue, the balance between production and degradation is a definitive element for maintaining normal gestation and term delivery. The changes of the balance between fetal angiotensin II (A-II) and vasopressin (AVP) and A-II and AVP degrading enzymes, between aminopeptidase A (APA) and placental leucine aminopeptidase( P-LAP) – in the placenta and maternal blood due to fetal stress such as hypoxia – are the provable causes of preeclampsia or preterm labor. Induction of APA and P-LAP by estradiol benzoate (E2) and progesterone (P) from placenta has been demonstrated. They are involved in the regulation of fetal peptide hormones via placental aminopeptidases in homeostasis of pregnancy. Recently it was shown that both APA and P-LAP could be potentially safe and effective drugs for preeclampsia and preterm labor. The authors’ proposed sex steroid treatment with dose increasing manner by gestational week (sex steroid treatment) for severe preeclampsia and preterm labor could be candidates replacing conventional treatments. In light of lacking safe and effective medication, the proposed sex steroid treatment is worthwhile for the prospective controlled studies for the treatment of both preeclampsia and preterm labor.
Signal detection for vaccine side effects that have not been specified in advance

An information‐theoretic definition of similarity proposed by Dekang Lin in 1998 appears to have attractive properties for identifying medically similar cases in a large database. Examination of similar cases that appear following vaccination may provide a way of detecting previously unexpected associations. A key element here is the inclusion of shared time‐since‐vaccination as a dimension of similarity while considering concordance on many other features. The system is potentially much more sensitive to patterns with multiple features than are very large, high‐dimension contingency tables. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An institutional and network perspective of organisational legitimacy : empirical evidence from China's telecommunications market

This perspective paper combines institutional and industrial network theory to develop a framework for analysing organisational legitimacy. The main subject, Nokia China, is found to be sensitive to network-legitimating initiatives, with consequences that accommodate multiple, conflicting stakeholdersinterests in Chinas politically sensitive and protective telecommunications market. This paper offers new insights into institutional isomorphism that is manifested empirically as incremental conformity to regulative processes, institutional norms and cognitive knowledge and meanings within the environment, thereby extending commonly held views of institutional theory to include organisational legitimacy in industrial networks.
Pediatric paraganglioma: An early manifestation of an adult disease secondary to germline mutations

Paraganglioma (PGL) and phaeochromocytoma (PCC) are chemotherapy and radiation‐resistant neuroendocrine tumors that arise from sympathetic tissue, and rarely occur in children. PCC may be associated with predisposing (germline) conditions like the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2; OMIM 164761), von Hippel‐Lindau syndrome (VHL; OMIM 193300), and rarely neurofibromatosis type 1 syndrome (NF1; OMIM 162200) and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1; OMIM 131100). PGL, on the other hand, may be related to predisposing germline conditions like the familial PGL syndrome and the NF1 syndrome. In adult studies, one of the highest predisposing factors for germline mutation among patients presenting apparently sporadic PCC/PGL was their age at presentation. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of germline mutations among the rare patients presenting with sporadic PGL during childhood.
Comparison of grey scale median (GSM) measurement in ultrasound images of human carotid plaques using two different softwares

Grey scale median (GSM) measured on ultrasound images of carotid plaques has been used for several years now in research to find the vulnerable plaque. Centres have used different software and also different methods for GSM measurement. This has resulted in a wide range of GSM values and cut‐off values for the detection of the vulnerable plaque. The aim of this study was to compare the values obtained with two different softwares, using different standardization methods, for the measurement of GSM on ultrasound images of carotid human plaques. GSM was measured with Adobe Photoshop® and with Artery Measurement System (AMS) on duplex ultrasound images of 100 consecutive medium‐ to large‐sized carotid plaques of the Beta‐blocker Cholesterol‐lowering Asymptomatic Plaque Study (BCAPS). The mean values of GSM were 35·2 ± 19·3 and 55·8 ± 22·5 for Adobe Photoshop® and AMS, respectively. Mean difference was 20·45 (95% CI: 19·17–21·73). Although the absolute values of GSM differed, the agreement between the two measurements was good, correlation coefficient 0·95. A chi‐square test revealed a kappa value of 0·68 when studying quartiles of GSM. The intra‐observer variability was 1·9% for AMS and 2·5% for Adobe Photoshop. The difference between softwares and standardization methods must be taken into consideration when comparing studies. To avoid these problems, researcher should come to a consensus regarding software and standardization method for GSM measurement on ultrasound images of plaque in the arteries.
Do Cognitive and Physical Fatigue Tasks Enhance Pain, Cognitive Fatigue, and Physical Fatigue in People With Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by chronic widespread muscle pain and fatigue. The primary objective of this study was to determine if pain, perceived cognitive fatigue, and perceived physical fatigue were enhanced in participants with fibromyalgia compared to healthy controls during a cognitive fatigue task, a physical fatigue task, and a dual fatigue task.
The Effects of Product Price Uncertainty on the Owner-Managed Firm: Theory and Evidence*

In this paper we extend the theory of the owner-managed firm to incorporate product price uncertainty, and we present an empirical test of the model's predictions. Under product price uncertainty, the trade-off between leisure and profit faced by an owner-manager is combined with the trade-off between surety and risk-bearing faced by an entrepreneur. The firm's owner bears the uninsurable and undiversifiable risk about profit caused by product price uncertainty and, as manager, supplies the firm a unique labor factor. The model predicts that the substitution effect of an increase in risk on the quantity supplied by the firm is negative. The income effect of risk reinforces the substitution effect if the entrepreneur's labor supply has a positive wage elasticity, but runs counter to and could dominate the substitution effect if the wage elasticity of labor supply for the entrepreneur is sufficiently negative. Unlike previous research on price uncertainty and the firm, this paper presents an empirical test of the model's predictions. Using data on physicians in solo practice, our empirical analysis indicates that, although wage elasticities of labor supply for the physician-entrepreneurs are negative, greater risk leads to a reduction in output. These results suggest that the substitution effect is dominant in determining the response to product price uncertainty for the owner-managed firms in our sample. Frank Knight [12] gave prominence to the risk-bearing role of the entrepreneur who, as residual claimant, bears the risk associated with a firm's revenue. Tibor Scitovsky [21] later emphasized a different aspect of entrepreneurial activity, the trade-off confronted by an ownermanager between consumption of leisure and pursuit of profit. Both models of the entrepreneur are relevant to predicting the behavior of an owner-managed firm operating in a risky environment. The entrepreneur in such a firm must choose between consuming leisure and supplying labor which provides an uncertain return, the random residual of revenue net of payments to other factors.
Effect of Employee Demographic Characteristics and Family/Work Conflict on Organizational Commitment Among the Police Officers in Nakuru County, Kenya.

This paper examines the demographic characteristics and related variables on family/work conflict among the Police Officers in Nakuru County, Kenya. The participants were from eight (8) Police Division and a simple random sample of 170 was derived from a total number of 278 Officers. The level of conflict that employees perceive between their working and personal lives on organizational commitment was based on their personal characteristics which included: gender, marital status, age, level of education, tenure and number of hours worked among the police officers. The report suggested that the biographical personal characteristics suggested that those who participated there were more male officers compared to the female gender. The results showed that more female police officers experienced more stress than men which spill into their work due to the multiple roles they play as wives, mothers, care givers, family career as well as employees. The results are discussed in terms of marital status, level of education, tenure of service and numbers of hours worked per day on how they influence organizational commitment among the police officers in Nakuru County, Kenya
Cost-related medication underuse among chronically ill adults: the treatments people forgo, how often, and who is at risk.

OBJECTIVES We sought information about the cost-related underuse of medications-which medications are underused, by whom, and how often. METHODS Chronically ill adults were asked to identify how often they underused prescription medication for 16 health conditions because of the cost. RESULTS Eighteen percent of respondents cut back on medication use owing to cost in the previous year, and 14% used less medication at least monthly. Although rates of underuse varied substantially across treatments, prescription coverage and out-of-pocket costs were determinants of underuse across medication types. CONCLUSIONS Many chronically ill adults frequently cut back on medications owing to cost. Patients are selective about the treatments they forgo. Out-of-pocket costs and inadequate prescription coverage may lead to adherence problems for many important medication types.
Comparison of Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome and Adiponectin in Overweight Bipolar Patients Taking Sodium Valproate and Controls

Objective: Metabolic abnormalities in patients with bipolar disorder may be secondary to obesity, aspects of the disorder or its treatment. To investigate this further, the purpose the present study was to compare insulin resistance, components of the metabolic syndrome and adiponectin levels in a group of overweight bipolar patients taking sodium valproate and a group of non-psychiatric control subjects. Methods: Data were collected from 60 overweight bipolar patients who had experienced clinically significant weight gain thought to be related to sodium valproate treatment and from 60 control subjects without psychiatric illness matched for age, gender, body mass index and ethnicity. Results: The frequency of the metabolic syndrome was high in both groups (50% and 32%, respectively), although not significantly different between groups (p = 0.06). Similar frequencies of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridaemia, hypertension and fasting hyperglycaemia were found in both groups. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were lower in patients (p = 0.006), while adiponectin was unexpectedly higher than in control subjects (9.6±5.9 µg mL−1 vs 7.4±4.3 µg mL−1, p = 0.03). The frequencies of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), the metabolic syndrome and its individual components were not significantly different in patients taking atypical antipsychotic medication and patients not on these medications. Conclusions: Frequencies of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome were similar in bipolar patients taking sodium valproate and matched control subjects, but dyslipidaemia was more frequent. Adiponectin levels were higher in patients. Further research is required to clarify the reasons for these findings.
Design of efficient current fed DC/DC converter for fuel cell applications

In order to use hydrogen fuel cells in domestic applications either as main power supply or backup source, their low DC output voltage has to be matched to the level and frequency of the utility grid AC voltage. Such power converter systems usually consist of a DC-DC converter and a DC-AC inverter. A double inductor step-up push-pull converter is investigated in this paper, presenting simulation and experimental results. The prototype of the investigated converter is elaborated for 1200 W power to match the rated power of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell located in hydrogen fuel cell research laboratory.
Crowd evacuation using multi-agent system with leader-following behaviour

Crowd evacution is a major safety issue in many public places. Efforts have been made to design the best evacuation plans using simulations and modeling of certain evacuation scenarios, in order to help prepare for the actual event. In some scenarios where the majority of evacuees are not familiar with the layout of the building, evacuees most familiar with the layout of the building should be appointed as group leaders. These leaders guide their evacuee group to safety, usually outside the building. This research employs leader-following behaviour, and multi-agent system with Reciprocal Velocity Obstacles (RVO) for navigation, thus creating leader-follower relationship between evacuees. Each evacuees, i.e. follower, tries to navigate to follow their respective group leader to reach their escape point together. Experiment results demonstrate the navigation of hundreds of agents in an evacuation scenario, which shows that the evacuees safely reached the evacuation point between 92.597 to 129.71 seconds.
Antimicrobial potential of egg yolk ovoinhibitor, a multidomain Kazal-like inhibitor of chicken egg.

Chicken egg ovoinhibitor is a multidomain Kazal-type serine protease inhibitor with unknown function. Comparison of expression between different tissues indicated that ovoinhibitor is highly expressed in the magnum and liver followed by the uterus, which secrete egg white, egg yolk, and eggshell precursors, respectively. The results also revealed that ovoinhibitor expression is increased in the liver during sexual maturation followed by a subsequent decrease in mature hens. Ovoinhibitor was purified from the egg yolk plasma from nonfertilized eggs using two consecutive affinity chromatographies and gel filtration. Purified egg yolk ovoinhibitor was shown to inhibit trypsin and subtilisin. It was shown that purified egg yolk ovoinhibitor exhibited antimicrobial activities against Bacillus thuringiensis . The results suggest that this anti-protease plays a significant role in antibacterial egg defense against Bacillus spp. , preventing contamination of table eggs (nonfertilized eggs) and protecting the chick embryo (fertilized eggs).
The Effects of Group Size and Time on the Formation of Online Communities: Evidence From Reddit

These studies examine the influence of group size and the passage of time on two characteristics of online communities: dispersion of participation in group discussions and active member turnover from month to month. We used multilevel analysis to examine the dynamics of user contributions to discussions on Reddit, a popular website that hosts large-group discussions, across 30 groups over 6 years. As groups grow in size, participation becomes more highly concentrated among fewer members while turnover decreases. As time passes, participation becomes more widely dispersed while group member turnover increases. An increase in group member turnover appears to be the result of both a maturation effect (as each group ages, turnover increases) as well as a cohort effect (groups formed at a later date have higher turnover than groups formed earlier). We can conclude from these results that as time progresses and groups become larger, they become less community-like, but in different ways.
ELBAR: efficient load balanced routing scheme for wireless sensor networks with holes

A critical issue in designing efficient routing algorithms for wireless sensor networks (WSN) is dealing with holes which do occur due to several reasons, including cases caused by natural obstacles or disaster suffered areas. Traditional solutions utilize perimeter routing techniques that however lead to traffic concentration on the nodes on the hole boundary, which can make these nodes getting energy exhausted and the hole enlarging, consequently. Several recent proposals attempt to fix this by deploying a special, forbidding area around the hole, which helps to improve path length but still causes significant load unbalancing due to the fixed shape of this forbidding area. We introduce a novel approach in dealing with routing holes where the packet forwarder node notices early enough about the occurrence of a hole in the direction to the destination and hence, can "bend" the path around this hole efficiently. This can be done by deploying a hole aware area around the hole where each node maintains an angle of its view to this hole. We achieve this hole awareness mechanism by using an economical learn-and-disseminate strategy where the nodes on a hole's boundary learn and create a core shape of the hole and then economically disseminate this information piece to the surrounding neighborhood of a controlled size wherein each node then compute and store its hole-view angle. To the best of our knowledge, our proposed routing scheme is the first one that targets and achieves both the two requirements of energy efficiency and load balancing in dealing with the occurrence of holes. Our simulation experiments show that our scheme strongly outperforms several important existing schemes in several performance factors, including route length, efficient use of energy and load balancing.