Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Peer Evaluations on Student Reports of Learning in a Team Environment: A Procedural Justice Perspective

Student peer evaluations are a form of student voice. However, research has not determined if the positive outcomes associated with voice in other contexts (e.g., judicial system, workplace) are also present in the student team environment. We collected data from student teams in business schools in the United States and Hong Kong to examine the ways in which peer evaluation influences student teams. Our results indicate that for students working on team projects, peer evaluations have implications for their learning.
Performance Evaluation of Hybrid Cooperation Protocol in IEEE 802.16e

Efficient cooperative communication protocols are viewed as one of the mechanisms for increasing the diversity order, robustness and energy efficiency of a wireless communication system. Innovative concepts such as opportunistic relay cooperative transmission coupled with adaptive transmission may drive to low power consumption while keeping advantage of the diversity gain offered by the adaptive mechanisms. The goal of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of the hybrid cooperation protocols proposed in (Strinati et al., 2007) for wide-band wireless mobile communication systems, such for instance IEEE 802.16e. We modify the hybrid cooperation protocol to take into account the non ideal behavior of the real system in the hybrid cooperation controller criterion. Simulation results show that our proposal improves the average system performance and reduces the average cooperation cost.
Insulin and Metabolic Stress Stimulate Multisite Serine/Threonine Phosphorylation of Insulin Receptor Substrate 1 and Inhibit Tyrosine Phosphorylation*

Background: Metabolic stresses, including hyperinsulinemia, promote insulin resistance. Results: Monoclonal antibodies raised against Ser(P)/Thr(P) residues in IRS1 were used to quantify phosphorylation in response to insulin or agents that model metabolic stress. Conclusion: Similar IRS1 Ser(P)/Thr(P) residues are increased by insulin or metabolic stress, and some correlate significantly with reduced IRS1 tyrosine phosphorylation. Significance: Metabolic stress co-opts insulin-dependent IRS1 phosphorylation to aggravate insulin resistance. IRS1 and IRS2 are key substrates of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase. Mass spectrometry reveals more than 50 phosphorylated IRS1 serine and threonine residues (Ser(P)/Thr(P) residues) in IRS1 from insulin-stimulated cells or human tissues. We investigated a subset of IRS1 Ser(P)/Thr(P) residues using a newly developed panel of 25 phospho-specific monoclonal antibodies (αpS/TmAbIrs1). CHO cells overexpressing the human insulin receptor and rat IRS1 were stimulated with insulin in the absence or presence of inhibitors of the PI3K → Akt → mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) → S6 kinase or MEK pathways. Nearly all IRS1 Ser(P)/Thr(P) residues were stimulated by insulin and significantly suppressed by PI3K inhibition; fewer were suppressed by Akt or mTOR inhibition, and none were suppressed by MEK inhibition. Insulin-stimulated Irs1 tyrosine phosphorylation (Tyr(P)Irs1) was enhanced by inhibition of the PI3K → Akt → mTOR pathway and correlated with decreased Ser(P)-302Irs1, Ser(P)-307Irs1, Ser(P)-318Irs1, Ser(P)-325Irs1, and Ser(P)-346Irs1. Metabolic stress modeled by anisomycin, thapsigargin, or tunicamycin increased many of the same Ser(P)/Thr(P) residues as insulin, some of which (Ser(P)-302Irs1, Ser(P)-307Irs1, and four others) correlated significantly with impaired insulin-stimulated Tyr(P)Irs1. Thus, IRS1 Ser(P)/Thr(P) is an integrated response to insulin stimulation and metabolic stress, which associates with reduced Tyr(P)Irs1 in CHOIR/IRS1 cells.
A review of social and economic performance of agroecology

ABSTRACT Agroecology potentially offers a sustainable path to agricultural development as it integrates ecological principles and social and economic concerns into agri-food systems. While many descriptive studies have documented the experience of farming communities using agroecological approaches, evidence on social and economic indicators of agroecology is poorly documented in a quantitative sense. The present study aims to build a framework and provide a quantitative overview of the effects of adopting selected agroecological practices at the farm level. A literature review has been conducted in order to identify scientific work addressing the contribution of agroecology to a set of socio-economic indicators, which affect human, financial and social assets. Data extracted from 17 peer-reviewed papers were analysed using two techniques: vote counting and general linear mixed-effects models on effect sizes. We found preliminary evidence of agroecology’s positive contribution to improving financial capital. However, data extracted does not provide meaningful information on other capital endowments (human and social). This is mainly due to the fact that there is a lack of data concerning the socio-economic impact of agroecology. In addition, qualitative methods (e.g. Q-methodology) should be integrated into further research in order to capture farmer perspectives.
The in situ up-regulation of chondrocyte interleukin-1-converting enzyme and interleukin-18 levels in experimental osteoarthritis is mediated by nitric oxide.

OBJECTIVE To investigate in situ the relationship between 2 key mediators implicated in osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage: nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin-1-converting enzyme (ICE). Interleukin-18 (IL-18) was also studied and served as reference for the effects of ICE. METHODS An OA model was created in dogs by sectioning (stab wound) the anterior cruciate ligament of the right stifle joint. Three experimental groups were studied: unoperated untreated dogs, operated untreated dogs (OA), and OA dogs treated with oral N-iminoethyl-L-lysine (L-NIL), a specific inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) (10 mg/kg twice a day starting immediately after surgery). At 12 weeks after surgery, cartilage from the femoral condyles and tibial plateaus were processed for immunohistochemistry for ICE, IL-18, and protease inhibitor 9 (PI-9), a natural inhibitor of ICE, followed by morphometric analysis. Cartilage specimens from the femoral condyles of untreated OA dogs were dissected and incubated with specific inhibitors of different signaling pathways likely to be involved in the OA process: SB 202190 (10 microM; a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase [MAPK] inhibitor), PD 98059 (100 microM; a MAPK kinase 1/2 [MEK-1/2] inhibitor), NS-398 (10 ng/ml; a specific cyclooxygenase 2 [COX-2] inhibitor), and L-NIL (50 microM). RESULTS Both ICE and IL-18 were present in situ in the canine cartilage, with a significant increase in the level of these 2 proteins in OA cartilage. In contrast, the level of PI-9 was lower in OA than in normal cartilage (difference not statistically significant). Compared with untreated OA cartilage, oral treatment with L-NIL significantly decreased ICE and IL-18 levels in cartilage from the femoral condyles and tibial plateaus, to values similar to those in normal dogs. L-NIL also increased the PI-9 level in normal dogs compared with OA dogs, reaching statistical significance for femoral condyle cartilage. Interestingly, in vitro experiments demonstrated significant inhibition of ICE levels by p38, MEK-1/2, and COX-2 inhibitors, but not by the iNOS inhibitor. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that in situ in OA cartilage, the stimulation of chondrocytes by NO is at least partly responsible for the up-regulation of ICE and IL-18 synthesis while decreasing the level of the ICE inhibitor PI-9. The ICE level is controlled by the activation of at least 2 MAPK pathways, p38 and MEK-1/2. Interestingly, it appears that ICE synthesis is not regulated by the endogenous production of NO. These data highlight the role played by iNOS in regulating the synthesis of major catabolic factors involved in OA cartilage degradation.
Multiple-Complex Coefficient-Filter-Based Phase-Locked Loop and Synchronization Technique for Three-Phase Grid-Interfaced Converters in Distributed Utility Networks

Synchronization with the utility networks is crucial for operating three-phase grid-interfaced converters. A challenge of synchronization is how to fast and precisely extract the fundamental positive and negative sequences under the distorted and unbalanced conditions. Many phase-locked loop (PLL) and synchronization techniques have been presented in the past decades. Most of them make a tradeoff between the accuracy and dynamic response under severe distorted and unbalanced conditions. In this paper, a multiple-complex coefficient-filter-based PLL is presented, and its unique feature lies in the accurate and rapid extraction of the positive and negative sequence components from the polluted grid voltage, and the harmonic components can also be estimated precisely, which has the potential use for selective compensation in active filter applications. Another advantage of the proposed method is its flexibility for simplifying its structure in some specified conditions. Results of continuous-domain simulations in MATLAB and discrete-domain experiments based on a 32-b fixed-point TMS320F2812 DSP are in good agreement, which confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Scalable purification of the lantibiotic nisin and isolation of chemical/enzymatic cleavage fragments suitable for semi‐synthesis

Herein, we describe a scalable purification of the lantibiotic nisin via an extraction/precipitation approach using a biphasic system, which can be carried out up to 40–80 gram scale. This approach results in an at least tenfold enrichment of commercially available preparations of nisin, which usually contain only 2.5% of the desired peptide, to allow further purification by preparative HPLC. As a follow‐up study, the enriched nisin sample was digested either by trypsin or chymotrypsin, or treated by CNBr, and these reactions were monitored by LC‐MS to identify and characterize the obtained fragments. Two previously unknown cleavage sites have been identified: Asn20–Met21 and Met21–Lys22 for trypsin and chymotrypsin, respectively. Furthermore, a novel and convenient enzymatic approach to isolate the native nisin C‐ring [nisin fragment (13–20)] was uncovered. Finally, by means of preparative HPLC, nisin fragments (1–12), (1–20), (22–34), and (22–31) could be isolated and will be used in a semi‐synthesis approach to elucidate the role of each fragment in the mode of action of nisin as an antimicrobial peptide. Copyright © 2013 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trends in Infectious Disease Mortality, South Korea, 1983–2015

We used national statistics from 1983–2015 to evaluate trends in mortality caused by infectious diseases in South Korea. Age-standardized mortality from infectious disease decreased from 43.5/100,000 population in 1983 to 16.5/100,000 in 1996, and then increased to 44.6/100,000 in 2015. Tuberculosis was the most common cause of death in 1983 and respiratory tract infections in 2015. We observed a significant decline in infant deaths caused by infectious diseases, but mortality in persons age >65 years increased from 135 deaths/100,000 population in 1996 to 307/100,000 in 2015. The relative inequality indices for respiratory tract infections, sepsis, and tuberculosis tended to increase over time. Although substantial progress has been achieved in terms of infant mortality, death rates from infectious disease has not decreased overall. Elderly populations with lower education levels and subgroups susceptible to respiratory infections and sepsis should be the focus of preventive policies.
Evidence for Psychological Refractory Effect in Motor Inhibition for a Dual-Response Go/No-Go Task

Human subjects exhibit difficulty in initiating two independent, discrete responses in close succession, a difficulty known as the ‘psychological refractory effect. ’ It is not yet known whether motor-inhibition processes are under the influence of this effect, as are motor-execution processes. This study examined the temporal changes of subjects' reaction times, interpreted in terms of motor programming for inhibition, in a dual-response Go/No-Go task that required two independent responses in close succession Light subjects performed the task with both a shorter (400 msec.) and a longer interstunulus interval (800 msec). The mean reaction time for the second stimulus (RT2) in the Go response of the 400-msec. condition was significantly longer than that of the 800-msec. condition. For committed error responses during the No-Go trials, the mean RT2 in the 400-msec. condition was longer than that in the 800-msec. condition. The total number of these errors in the 400-msec. condition was significantly greater than that in the 800-msec. condition. These results suggested that both the motor-execution processes and motor-inhibition processes were influenced by the psychological refractory effect.
Toxicological implications of aqueous extract of Bambusa vulgaris leaves in pregnant Dutch rabbits

Aqueous extract of Bambusa vulgaris L. leaves at 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight was investigated for toxic effects in pregnant rabbits. Apparently healthy, female rabbits (Dutch) weighing between 1.62 and 1.70 kg as previously used in our abortifacient study were paired overnight with male rabbits in ratio 2:1 and those that became pregnant were completely randomized into three groups (A-C). Group A (the control), received orally 1.85 mL/kg body weight (3 mL) of distilled water thrice daily on days 1-9 of pregnancy while groups B and C were treated orally with the same volume corresponding to 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight of the extract. Clinical signs of toxicity were not observed in all the animals during the study. The extract did not significantly alter (p > .05) the serum follicle stimulating hormone and total protein content of the pregnant rabbits throughout the exposure period whereas, the concentrations of luteinizing hormone, progesterone, albumin, globulin, urea and calcium decreased in the serum of the rabbits. At 250 mg/kg body weight, the extract increased kidney alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity whereas at 500 mg/kg body weight of the extract, the ALP level was similar to the control group. Liver ALP at all doses, as well as the activity of gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) at 500 mg/kg body weight was reduced. This reduction was accompanied by an increase in serum ALP and GGT at these doses. At 250 mg/kg, the extract increased kidney GGT. Conversely, at 500 mg/ kg, kidney GGT activity decreased. Liver and serum GGT were not altered by the 250 mg/kg. The extract also increased the serum levels of creatinine, uric acid, sodium, potassium and bicarbonate ions as well as total and conjugated bilirubin. In the hepatocytes of extract-treated animals, there was no evidence of necrosis, inflammation, fibrosis and degenerative changes in the central vein and radiating hepatic cords, while the glomerulus and the tubules of the nephrons also remained intact. The alterations in biochemical parameters by the aqueous extract of B. vulgaris leaves suggests adverse effect on the synthetic, secretory, reabsorptive and excretory functions of liver and kidney of the animals. Therefore, the absence of histopathological lesions in the hepatocytes and nephrons implies that histopathological changes are not a sensitive assay for the assessment of tissue damage by the extract.
Clinical utility of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A₂ for cardiovascular disease prediction in a multiethnic cohort of women.

BACKGROUND Findings regarding the association of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A₂ (Lp-PLA2) activity and mass with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been inconsistent, and their role in risk prediction is uncertain. METHODS A case-cohort sample from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI-OS) comprised 1821 CVD cases and a reference subcohort of 1992 women. We used Cox regression models with inverse sampling weights to assess the association of Lp-PLA2 mass and activity with CVD (myocardial infarction, stroke, and CVD mortality). RESULTS Subcohort means were 184.3 mmol/min/mL for Lp-PLA2 activity and 499.2 μg/L for Lp-PLA2 mass, with 99% having mass above 200 μg/L, the clinically recommended cut point. Both activity and mass were positively associated with incident CVD in age- and race/ethnicity-adjusted analyses. Following adjustment according to CVD risk factors, the association with activity became null (hazard ratio = 1.02 for top vs bottom quartile, 95% CI = 0.79-1.33, P for trend = 0.65), but the association with mass remained (hazard ratio = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.45-2.34, P for trend < 0.0001). In contrast to blood pressure, HDL, and hsCRP, reclassification statistics for Lp-PLA2 mass did not suggest improvement for overall CVD after full adjustment. CONCLUSIONS In the WHI-OS Lp-PLA2 mass, but not activity, was independently associated with CVD. However, model fit did not significantly improve with Lp-PLA2 mass, and assay calibration remains a clinical concern.
The Virtual Skeleton Database: An Open Access Repository for Biomedical Research and Collaboration

BACKGROUND Statistical shape models are widely used in biomedical research. They are routinely implemented for automatic image segmentation or object identification in medical images. In these fields, however, the acquisition of the large training datasets, required to develop these models, is usually a time-consuming process. Even after this effort, the collections of datasets are often lost or mishandled resulting in replication of work. OBJECTIVE To solve these problems, the Virtual Skeleton Database (VSD) is proposed as a centralized storage system where the data necessary to build statistical shape models can be stored and shared. METHODS The VSD provides an online repository system tailored to the needs of the medical research community. The processing of the most common image file types, a statistical shape model framework, and an ontology-based search provide the generic tools to store, exchange, and retrieve digital medical datasets. The hosted data are accessible to the community, and collaborative research catalyzes their productivity. RESULTS To illustrate the need for an online repository for medical research, three exemplary projects of the VSD are presented: (1) an international collaboration to achieve improvement in cochlear surgery and implant optimization, (2) a population-based analysis of femoral fracture risk between genders, and (3) an online application developed for the evaluation and comparison of the segmentation of brain tumors. CONCLUSIONS The VSD is a novel system for scientific collaboration for the medical image community with a data-centric concept and semantically driven search option for anatomical structures. The repository has been proven to be a useful tool for collaborative model building, as a resource for biomechanical population studies, or to enhance segmentation algorithms.
Normal fibroblasts promote myodifferentiation of myoblasts from sex‐linked dwarf chicken via up‐regulation of β1 integrin

Fusion of monomyoblasts to form multinucleated myotubes is a prerequisite for skeletal myogenesis, and muscle fibroblast–myoblast interaction plays an important role in the process; however, relative studies are limited. In the current study, SLD (sex‐linked dwarf) chicken, a myogenic deficient model caused by GH (growth hormone)–IGF‐I axis deficiency due to dw gene mutation, was introduced to study effects of fibroblasts on myodifferentiation. Using a membrane insert co‐culture system, we identified that, compared with SLD fibroblasts, normal fibroblasts promoted myogenesis of primary SLD myoblasts by improving their differentiation potential in a paracrine fashion, and this effect was involved in both primary and secondary fusions. This process was also coupled with up‐regulation of β1 integrin, and reduced myogenesis, resulting from siRNA interference demonstrated that β1 integrin was required for the response. Further, in terms of genetic discrepancy between normal and SLD fibroblasts, GH–IGF‐I signalling might play a role in this paracrine control.
Excitatory amino acid receptors in glial progenitor cells: Molecular and functional properties

We have analyzed the molecular and biophysical properties of glutamate‐gated channels in cells of the oligodendrocyte lineage, using both the CG‐4 primary cell line (Louis et al: J. Neurosci. Res. 31:193‐204, 1992a) and oligodendrocyte progenitors purified from the rat cerebral cortex. CG‐4 progenitor cells, as well as primary progenitors, were stained with a specific anti‐GABA antibody. In whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings, rapid perfusion of the agonists L‐glutamate, kainate, and AMPA produced rapidly desensitizing currents in CG‐4 cells. NMDA was ineffective. Both rapidly desensitizing and steady‐state components of responses to kainate were inhibited by the kainate/AMPA receptor antagonist CNQX. Northern blot analysis of total mRNA isolated from CG‐4 cells revealed co‐expression of both AMPA‐ and kainate‐preferring glutamate receptor subunits. The activation of glutamate receptors in CG‐4 cells caused a rapid and transient elevation of mRNAs for the immediate early gene NGFI‐A. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Model validation and rank reduction of covariance matrices in the random regression test-day model in The Netherlands

As of May 2002, the national genetic evaluation for milk, fat and protein yield in The Netherlands is performed with a random regression test-day model. Several authors described test-day models, including many different fixed effects (Emmerling et al., 2000; Lidauer et al., 2000; Schaeffer et al., 2000). De Roos and Pool (2001) described the rank reduction of the genetic and permanent environmental covariance matrices. The aim of this study was to find the fixed effects that should be included in the Dutch test-day model and to analyse the effects of the rank reduction on breeding values of bulls.
Does Multidimensional Service Quality Generate Sustainable Use Intention for Facebook?

: While social networking services (SNS) have led to major economic and social transformations worldwide, it is becoming increasingly important to understand what constitutes the sustainable use of SNS. The current study focuses on Facebook and examines the impact of multidimensional and hierarchical service quality on sustainable use intention. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data that has been collected through online surveys. The results show that all four dimensions of service quality (outcome quality, environment quality, interaction quality, and social quality) have signiﬁcant positive effects on satisfaction. Satisfaction is found to be a reasonable predictor of sustainable use intention and word-of-mouth (WOM) communication, and the inﬂuence of WOM on sustainable use intention is also conﬁrmed. Among all the dimensions, outcome quality and interaction quality inﬂuence WOM most strongly. The ﬁndings from this study bridge a literature gap in the context of SNS by demonstrating how SNS managers can improve service quality, leading to increases in satisfaction, WOM, and sustainable use intention.