Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fibroblast protein profile analysis highlights the role of oxidative stress and vitamin K recycling in the pathogenesis of pseudoxanthoma elasticum

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a genetic disorder associated to mutations in the ABCC6 gene; however, the pathogenetic mechanisms leading to elastic fibre calcifications and to clinical manifestations are still unknown. Dermal fibroblasts, directly involved in the production of the extracellular milieu, have been isolated from healthy subjects and from patients affected by PXE, cultured in vitro and characterized for their ability to produce reactive oxygen species, for structural and functional properties of their cell membranes, for changes in their protein profile. Data demonstrate that oxidative stress has profound and endurable consequences on PXE fibroblast phenotype being responsible for: reduced levels of global DNA methylation, increased amount of carbonylated proteins and of lipid peroxidation products, altered structural properties of cell membranes, modified protein expression. Data shed new light on the pathogenetic pathways in PXE, by identifying a network of proteins affecting elastic fibre calcification through inefficient vitamin K recycling, and highlight the role of differentially expressed proteins as targets for validating the efficacy of future therapeutic strategies aiming to delay and/or revert the pathologic phenotype of PXE fibroblasts. Moreover, data open new perspectives for investigating PXE‐like phenotypes in the absence of ABCC6 mutations.
Reading-Directed or Not?

direct the pupil's reading by providing questions. The pupil uses the questions as a guide for comprehension of the material to be read. Russell (1), Harris (2), Dechant (3), and Smith (4) all recommend directed reading to improve reading comprehension in the elementary grades. Several studies indicate that directed reading, in which questions to be answered are placed before the reading material, is beneficial to the reading performance of college students and adults (5, 6). Yet, in an extensive review of the literature, this investigator found no published study which shows that directed reading improves the reading comprehension of elementary-school children.
A Method for Categorization of Scene through Subscene Recognition using Prototypes

The conventional scene categorization methods ignore spatial information within a scene and are not able to discern categories that share similar subscenes but different in layout; or categories that are ambiguous by nature. To address this issue, in this paper a method is proposed to incorporate subscene attributes within global descriptions to improve categorization performance, especially in ambiguity cases. This is done by encoding subscenes with layout prototypes that capture the geometric essence of scenes more accurately and flexibly. The proposed method improves categorization accuracy. the proposed method can detect and evaluate ambiguity images more accurately.In this paper, scene categorization method is proposed by including subscene attributes to global descriptors. The use of prototypes is proposed to model the geometric configuration of subscenes. These prototypes are more accurate at capturing the layout and simple in training compared to the shape element-based approaches. Incorporating subscene descriptors can enhance the scene categorization result. Having been capable to detect ambiguity, the proposed method offers better understanding of the scene.
Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) Buccal Mucosa Tissue as a Source of Multipotent Progenitor Cells

Since the first mammal was cloned, the idea of using this technique to help endangered species has aroused considerable interest. However, several issues limit this possibility, including the relatively low success rate at every stage of the cloning process, and the dearth of usable tissues from these rare animals. iPS cells have been produced from cells from a number of rare mammalian species and this is the method of choice for strategies to improve cloning efficiency and create new gametes by directed differentiation. Nevertheless information about other stem cell/progenitor capabilities of cells from endangered species could prove important for future conservation approaches and adds to the knowledge base about cellular material that can be extremely limited. Multipotent progenitor cells, termed skin-derived precursor (SKP) cells, can be isolated directly from mammalian skin dermis, and human cheek tissue has also been shown to be a good source of SKP-like cells. Recently we showed that structures identical to SKPs termed m-SKPs could be obtained from monolayer/ two dimensional (2D) skin fibroblast cultures. Here we aimed to isolate m-SKPs from cultured cells of three endangered species; giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca); red panda (Ailurus fulgens); and Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica). m-SKP-like spheres were formed from the giant panda buccal mucosa fibroblasts; whereas dermal fibroblast (DF) cells cultured from abdominal skin of the other two species were unable to generate spheres. Under specific differentiation culture conditions giant panda spheres expressed neural, Schwann, adipogenic and osteogenic cell markers. Furthermore, these buccal mucosa derived spheres were shown to maintain expression of SKP markers: nestin, versican, fibronectin, and P75 and switch on expression of the stem cell marker ABCG2. These results demonstrate that giant panda cheek skin can be a useful source of m-SKP multipotent progenitors. At present lack of sample numbers means that we can only postulate why we were unable to obtain m-SKPs from the lion and red panda cultures. However the giant panda observations point to the value of archiving cells from rare species, and the possibilities for later progenitor cell derivation.
Chronic Cocaine Self-Administration Upregulates the Norepinephrine Transporter and Alters Functional Activity in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis of the Rhesus Monkey

The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is in a key position to influence the integration of motivational and visceral functions, receiving inputs from limbic regions, including the amygdala, and sending projections to areas central to reward processing, including the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens. The BNST also possesses a high density of noradrenergic fibers. The purpose of the present studies was to characterize the effects of cocaine self-administration on the regulation of norepinephrine transporter (NET) distribution and functional activity in the BNST of rhesus monkeys in the initial (5 d) or chronic (100 d) phases of cocaine self-administration. NET binding site densities in the BNST were assessed with quantitative in vitro receptor autoradiography using [3H]nisoxetine, and rates of local cerebral glucose utilization in the BNST were measured in the same monkeys using the 2-[14C]deoxyglucose method. Chronic exposure to cocaine self-administration resulted in significantly higher NET binding site densities (up to 52% relative to controls) throughout the BNST. Furthermore, cerebral metabolism was depressed significantly in a time-dependent manner with larger decreases after 100 d of cocaine self-administration. These data represent the first report of significant changes in the regulation of the NET resulting from cocaine exposure in primates. Furthermore, given the role of the BNST in cocaine withdrawal and stress-related reinstatement of self-administration, the changes reported here may provide a substrate for these phenomena.
Toward an Understanding of the Emotional and Behavioral Reactions to Stalking

Using data from the Supplemental Victimization Survey and relying on theoretical direction provided by Agnew’s general strain theory, we examine whether specific types of stalking experiences trigger specific types of negative emotional states and whether specific negative emotional states are in turn associated with specific types of noncriminal coping mechanisms. We find that while several of the stalking experiences trigger a variety of negative emotional states, other stalking experiences do not exhibit any association with negative emotions. We also uncover that negative emotional states in response to strain can trigger legitimate coping mechanisms. One notable finding that emerged from our results is that feeling annoyed/angry is significantly associated with noncriminal coping strategies. The policy implications of our findings are also discussed.
Student conceptions of learning and their use of self-regulated learning strategies : a cross-cultural comparison.

This study examines differences between Australian and Japanese secondary school students' conceptions of learning and their use of self-regulated learning strategies. Australian students have a narrow, school-based view of learning. The Japanese students view learning from a much broader perspective. For them, learning is not only related to what happens at school, it is also seen as a lifelong, experiential process leading to personal fulfillment. However, in spite of these differences in learning conceptualizations, the strategies used by students in a Western learning context are similar to those used by Japanese students. A conception of learning as understanding is associated with a greater total use of strategies for both Australian and Japanese students.
Colonial images in global times: consumer interpretations of Africa and Africans in advertising

I draw on 93 consumer interpretations of advertising images to suggest how North American consumer perceptions of Africa are linked to socio‐historical facilities that support ideological notions of inferior African “otherness. ” I seek to make salient the unacknowledged denial of colonial discourses’ import into contemporary reproduction of African inferior otherness, toward revealing the durability of the racial divide rooted in colonial history and ideology. I find that discourses on Africa are attached to colonial tropes of savagery, exotica and rhetoric of benevolence. The related consumer tensions and ambiguities fund powerful ideological work that perpetuates colonialism in globalization. I conclude that although the physical instruments of brutality associated with imperialism are no longer in direct use, these colonial instruments live on in contemporary advertising and related discourses.
Observations of Interstellar Carbon Compounds

Infrared absorption and emission features observed spectroscopically in our Galaxy allow to probe the composition of solid dust grains, their evolution and thus follow the cycling of matter in the Galaxy. Many observables do reveal the presence of large amounts of carbonaceous particles in space, other than the PAH-like emission lines. The carbonaceous materials observed include amorphous carbons, diamondoids showing in emission for a few specific sources, and the recently detected fullerenes. An important hydrogenated amorphous carbon component (HAC or a-C:H), traced by the 2940 cm-1 structured absorption feature is observed against Galactic background sources. Since the discovery of this feature in the early eighties (Allen ), the observation of a-C:H has been extended to the mid-infrared by space observatories, giving insight into additional associated features. They are also observed in external galaxies, showing the ubiquitous nature of these components. We will focus on astronomical observations of organic matter other than PAHs, amorphous carbons and associated laboratory dust analogues relevant to astrophysical applications.
Combinatorial Laplacian Image Cloning

Seamless image cloning has become one of the most important editing operation for photomontage. Recent coordinate-based methods have lessened considerably the computational cost of image cloning, thus enabling interactive applications. However, those techniques still bear severe limitations as to concavities and dynamic shape deformation. In this paper we present novel methodology for image cloning that turns out to be highly efficient in terms of computational times while still being more flexible than existing techniques. Our approach builds on combinatorial Laplacian and fast Cholesky factorization to ensure interactive image manipulation, handling holes, concavities, and dynamic deformations during the cloning process. The provided experimental results show that the proposed technique outperforms existing methods in requisites such as accuracy and flexibility.
Learning the Relationship Between High and Low Resolution Images in Kernel Space for Face Super Resolution

This paper proposes a new nonlinear face super resolution algorithm to address an important issue in face recognition from surveillance video namely, recognition of low resolution face image with nonlinear variations. The proposed method learns the nonlinear relationship between low resolution face image and high resolution face image in (nonlinear) kernel feature space. Moreover, the discriminative term can be easily included in the proposed framework. Experimental results on CMU-PIE and FRGC v2.0 databases show that proposed method outperforms existing methods as well as the recognition based on high resolution images.
Specific Read-Only Data Management for Memory System Optimization

This paper proposes a new way of managing the cache by exploiting the difference of behavior in the memory system between read-only data and read-write data. A division of the existing cache-based memory hierarchy is proposed in order to create a dedicated data path for read-only data. In order to justify this approach, an analysis performed on a set of benchmarks shows that read-only data count for significant part of the working set and are less reused than read-write data. A transparent solution is proposed based on specific compilation support to separate automatically the memory accesses of read-only data at L1-level. This organization exploits the properties of the different sub-workloads in order to increase the overall data locality and data reuse. Simulated in a multicore environment, the evaluation of the new memory organization shows reduction of L1 misses up to 28.5%. Moreover, the messages issued on the interconnection network can be reduced up to 14.7% without any penalty on the performance.
Understanding Women’s Lived Experiences With Infertility: Five Short Stories

The following five representations are part of a collection of stories written about women’s lived experiences with infertility in North America, a pronatalist society. Within a pronatalist society, women struggling with infertility face profound social and political pressure to define themselves as unsuccessful childbearing objects. The collection of stories included in this text is about the various meanings the women made, the constructions they developed, and the experiences they encountered with infertility. The use of short stories was selected to give voice to women’s experiences with infertility and to assert that knowing and knowledge about infertility must begin with those who have experienced these struggles. Moreover, the use of narratives draws on earlier work published in this journal and contributes to the dialogue of alternative forms of representation fostered by Qualitative Inquiry.
Serial step learning of cognitive sequences

Tasks that require performing a series of cognitive steps may vary (a) in the goal structures they imply and (b) in the relationships among the inputs and outputs of component steps. In 3 experiments the authors tested the role of these characteristics in determining the benefits of practicing with a consistent sequence of component steps. When subjects solved simple mathematical equations by using either a hierarchical or a flat goal structure, the results showed a benefit of a consistent sequence in both goal structure conditions. In another experiment, the main manipulation was whether the component steps were cascaded, requiring the output of a step to be used as input to a subsequent step
On the representation of wideband images using permutations for lossless coding

We introduce a novel method for representing and coding wideband signals using permutations. The signal samples are first sorted, and then encoded using differential pulse code modulation. We show that our method is optimal for DPCM coding and develop a novel algorithm for encoding the permutation information efficiently. We show that the new algorithm achieves coding gains over Huffman coding.
A CMOS-compatible lamb wave resonator for liquid properties sensing

Lamb wave sensor for liquid properties sensing is superior to other acoustic wave sensors, because of the high sensitivity and low attenuation. Researchers mainly focus on the delay line based Lamb wave sensor. Such kind of Lamb wave sensor suffers from issues of poor quality factor, stability and reproducibility. Lamb wave resonator which provides a compact and rugged solution, however, lacks of study. In this work we develop a Lamb wave resonator and study its liquid sensing performance. A high quality factor of 1909 and linear frequency response to the square root of viscosity-density product of the liquid are achieved.
Comparing leisure as a subjective experience with the Chinese experience of rùmí

Abstract The objective of this exploratory study was to examine if, in Chinese culture, there is a phenomenon comparable with the Western concept of leisure as a subjective experience. A literature review identified a number of properties that are often associated with leisure as a subjective experience and related types of experiences (e.g., flow, absorption). Using an informed etic approach, these properties were compared with those occurring during experiences described by 40 Chinese study participants as being rùmí (i.e., interesting, absorbing). Results suggest that the Chinese experience of rùmí is comparable with the Western concept of leisure as a subjective experience, although post experientia differences do exist. Suppositions concerning what this finding may mean for leisure studies are provided and future research recommendations are discussed.
Lagrangian flows for vector fields with gradient given by a singular integral

We prove quantitative estimates on flows of ordinary differential equations with vector field with gradient given by a singular integral of an L1 function. Such estimates allow to prove existence, uniqueness, quantitative stability and compactness for the flow, going beyond the BV theory. We illustrate the related well-posedness theory of Lagrangian solutions to the continuity and transport equations.
Public intellectuals vs. new public management: the defeat of public engagement in higher education

Much is written apropos a rationalization for public engagement in science and technology (PEST). Less copious is a literature that considers PEST in a broader form and operationalized in the specific environment of higher education and the impact of its undertaking on the working lives of academics. This paper considers the status of public engagement in higher education (PE-HE) in the UK and the deliberations of academics, distinguished for their PE-HE activity, regarding the (im)possibility of PE-HE as an integrated and valued component of research practice and culture. This ‘state-of-the-art’ review situates a diagnosis of PE-HE being at odds with, if not defeated by, the organizational structure and institutional priorities of UK universities.
Analysis of Underlying Causes of Inter-expert Disagreement in Retinopathy of Prematurity Diagnosis

Summary Objective: Inter-expert variability in image-based clinical diagnosis has been demonstrated in many diseases including retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which is a disease affecting low birth weight infants and is a major cause of childhood blindness. In order to better understand the underlying causes of variability among experts, we propose a method to quantify the variability of expert decisions and analyze the relationship between expert diagnoses and features computed from the images. Identification of these features is relevant for development of computer-based decision support systems and educational systems in ROP, and these methods may be applicable to other diseases where inter-expert variability is observed. Methods: The experiments were carried out on a dataset of 34 retinal images, each with diagnoses provided independently by 22 experts. Analysis was performed using concepts of Mutual Information (MI) and Kernel Density Estimation. A large set of structural features (a total of 66) were extracted from retinal images. Feature selection was utilized to identify the most important features that correlated to actual clinical decisions by the 22 study experts. The best three features for each observer were selected by an exhaustive search on all possible feature subsets and considering joint MI as a relevance criterion. We also compared our results with the results of Cohen’s Kappa [36] as an inter-rater reliability measure. Results: The results demonstrate that a group of observers (17 among 22) decide consistently with each other. Mean and second central moment of arteriolar tortuosity is among the reasons of disagreement between this group and the rest of the observers, meaning that the group of experts consider amount of tortuosity as well as the variation of tortuosity in the image. Conclusion: Given a set of image-based features, the proposed analysis method can identify critical image-based features that lead to expert agreement and disagreement in diagnosis of ROP. Although tree-based features and various statistics such as central moment are not popular in the literature, our results suggest that they are important for diagnosis.
Faculty Performance: Suggestions for the Refinement of the Concept and Its Measurement.

The purpose of this article is to explore the conceptual and measurement issues that are essential to achieving a better understanding of faculty performance in colleges and universities. This analysis will employ the approach presented by Scott and Shortell [37] in their review of the organizational performance of health care organizations. Their approach is based on a consideration of four conceptual issues (theoretical definition of performance, level of analysis, constituencies, and time) and four measurement processes (selecting properties, selecting standards, selecting indicators, and comparing performance to standards). In the following sections of this article each of these eight issues is discussed in relation to current procedures used for faculty performance evaluation in higher education. Finally, the implications of this analysis for the management of faculty performance are discussed.