Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physiology and pathology of collagen receptors

Just before the transition from pre‐genomic to the post‐genomic era, the two latest members of the mammalian integrin family were identified. These integrins, which were named α10β1 and α11β1, are both collagen receptors and are related. Rather than being twins, they can be regarded as close cousins. They both belong to the subfamily of integrins that contain an I‐domain in the α subunit. This domain is also the part that endows these integrins with the capacity to bind the GFOGER sequence in collagens. In the current review, we summarize and update the current knowledge about the in vitro and in vivo functions of these integrins.
Prevalence of anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders in an urban general medicine practice.

BACKGROUND Most research on the prevalence of mental disorders in primary care has been conducted in practices that serve middle- and upper-income patients. OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of major mental disorders in a primary care practice that serves a predominantly low-income immigrant patient population. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey; criterion standard. SETTING Urban general medicine practice. PARTICIPANTS Systematic sample of consecutive adult patients with scheduled appointments. Of 1266 approached eligible patients, 1007 (80%) participated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES PRIME-MD Patient Health Questionnaire major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, alcohol use disorder, and suicidal ideation; drug use disorder; functional status; work loss; family distress; and mental health treatment. RESULTS Major depression (18. 9%), generalized anxiety (14.8%), panic (8.3%), and substance use (7. 9%) disorders and suicidal ideation (7.1%) were highly prevalent. Many patients had more than 1 disorder (range, 36.3% [substance use disorder] to 76.9% [panic disorder]). In multivariate analyses, each disorder was significantly associated with an increase in impairment after controlling for demographic characteristics, perceived health, and the other disorders. A minority of patients with each disorder (range, 22.5% [substance use disorder] to 46.4% [panic disorder]) reported receiving mental health treatment in the last month. CONCLUSIONS Clinically significant depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicidal ideation are quite common in this practice and associated with significant functional impairment. Primary care practices that serve poor urban immigrant populations have a critical need to provide access to mental health services. Arch Fam Med. 2000;9:876-883
Determinants of children's nutritional status in Kenya: evidence from Demographic and Health Surveys.

This paper uses a pooled sample of the 1998 and 2003 Demographic and Health Survey data sets for Kenya to analyse the determinants of children's nutritional status. We investigate the impact of child, parental, household and community characteristics on children's height and on the probability of stunting. Descriptive and econometric analysis, augmented by policy simulations, is employed to achieve the objectives of the study. In estimation, we control for sample design and possible heterogeneity arising from unobserved community characteristics correlated with children's nutritional status and its determinants. The key findings are that boys suffer more malnutrition than girls, and children of multiple births are more likely to be malnourished than singletons. The results further indicate that maternal education is a more important determinant of children's nutritional status than paternal education. Household assets are also important determinants of children's nutritional status but nutrition improves at a decreasing rate with assets. The use of public health services, more-so modern contraceptives, is also found to be an important determinant of child nutritional status. Policy simulations affirm the potential role of parental, household and community characteristics in reducing long-term malnutrition in Kenya and suggest that the correct policy mix would make a substantial reduction in the current high levels of malnutrition. Our findings suggest that, if Kenya is to achieve her strategic health objectives and millennium development target of reducing the prevalence of malnutrition, strategies for poverty alleviation, promotion of post secondary education for women and provision of basic preventive health care are critical concerns that need to be addressed. Copyright 2009 The author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Centre for the Study of African Economies. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org, Oxford University Press.
Mixed Time-Criticality Process Interferences Characterization on a Multicore Linux System

The increasing interest in the integration of Mixed Criticality Systems (MCS) in Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) platforms leads to an increasing number of challenges. The possibility of sharing computing resources among applications with different time criticalities is a key goal for COTS systems, but still hard to achieve. Classical approaches in real-time systems are not feasible when platform and operating system may introduce unpredictability in the task execution. Moreover, if the system must also meet non-functional requirements (e.g., thermal and power management), dynamic approaches of computing resources allocation are more effective than static ones. Unfortunately, this contributes to increasing the complexity of the scenario. In MCS, the overheads and the unpredictability caused by sharing resources like cache memories have been well studied. However, in some cases we could also consider the operating system itself as a potential source of unexpected and unpredictable latencies, if several running tasks perform system calls. This work aims at proposing a model for the intra-core and inter-core interferences and the analysis of the OS-induced latencies in a Linux real-time system, both essential for the creation of smart and effective run-time resource management policies.
Framing analysis, dramatism and terrorism coverage: politician and press responses to the Madrid airport bombing

The media and terrorism is an area that has attracted researchers’ attention in looking at the strategic dimensions of framing. This paper combines both Entman’s framing theory (and his ‘cascading activation’ model for analysis of framing contests) with a dramatistic approach to rhetoric (the Burkean concepts of the pentad and ratios) to see whether connections can be made that help provide a better understanding of the phenomenon of interactions between politicians’ words and media reactions to those words. Speeches given by the Spanish Prime Minister and the official opposition in reaction to a terrorist attack in Madrid are analysed. Our empirical analysis shows a highly fragmented capacity for cultural resonance, and a ‘two sided context’ with two very different interpretations of the situation. Our findings demonstrate that an appreciation of the dramatistic approach to rhetoric enhances our comprehension of people’s motives for adopting or rejecting the different frames used by leaders (politicians and the media) as they seek to frame issues for a range of purposes. They also suggest that combining approaches from the humanities and the social sciences by emphasizing motives as a key variable for the dynamics of framing contests might open up interesting avenues for research on framing as also on the relations between symbols and actions.
The role of associative strength in children's false memory illusions

The effects of associative strength on rates of 7- and 11-year-old children's true and false memories were examined when category and Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) lists were used to cue the same critical lure. Backward associative strength (BAS) was varied such that the category and DRM lists had the same strength (DRM=category), DRM lists had more BAS (DRM>category), or category lists had more BAS (DRM<category). If BAS drives children's false memories then BAS, not the type of relation across items in a list, should determine false memory production. The results confirmed this prediction using both recall and recognition measures: (1) both true and false memories increased with age, (2) true memory was better for category than DRM lists but there were no differences for false memory, and (3) at all ages, false memories varied predictably with changes in BAS but were unaffected by list-type manipulations. These findings are discussed in the context of models of false memory development.
Pepa Atanassova Immunohistochemical study on the expression of serotonin and 5 HTR 3 in gastrointestinal tract of rat embryos and newborns

Correspondence: Nadya I. Penkova Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Medical University Plovdiv, 15-A, Vasil Aprilov Blvd., 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Tel. : +359 89 8274344 e-mail: nadja_penkova@abv.bg ABSTRACT Serotonin takes part in the regulation of the gastrointestinal motility, secretion and sensitivity. It produces its effects by binding specific receptors thus being one of the important neurotransmitters and signal molecules in the gut. There are different types of specific serotonin receptors, recognized and cloned into seven groups (from 5HT1 to 5HT7) with various subtype numbers. The aim of this work is to determine the presence and localization of immunohistochemical expression of serotonin and serotonin receptor 3 (5-HTR3) in the developing gastrointestinal tract of rats. 20 rat embryos (16 20 day of gestation) and fragments of the stomach and small intestine of 10 one-day-old rats were used for the study. On paraffin sections immunohistochemical reactions for serotonin (primary antibody rabbit polyclonal antibody, Chemicon, USA) and serotonin receptor 5-HTR3 (primary antibody goat polyclonal antibody, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, USA) were carried out using the ABC. Immunohistochemical expression for serotonin and serotonin receptor 3 (5-HTR3) were not detected in the gastrointestinal tract of rat embryos. In the gastrointestinal tract of the oneday-old rats there was positive reaction for serotonin. Serotonin-producing cells were present in the covering epithelium of the villi in the small intestine. They were small in numbers and separately located. The immunhistochemical reaction for 5-HT3 receptors was positivated in the cytoplasm of a great number of smooth muscle cells in both transverse and longitudinal muscle layer of the stomach wall of the newborn rats. Serotonin production and secretion starts after birth and through its 5-HT3 receptors takes part in the regulation of the morphological and functional maturation of the gastrointestinal tract which starts in the embryonal period but continues postnatally.
PCR ( models : ExtraGene 3200 and 9700 ) performance analysis Project

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an easy, economic, convenient and biochemical technology in molecular biology for the amplification of thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence. The method consists of repetitive cycles of three steps: denaturation, hybridization, and polymerase extension, that raising temperature to break hydrogen bonds for formation of the single strand DNAs, then lowering temperature to allow the primers to anneal to the template DNAs, at last increasing temperature to the optimal condition for the Taq DNA polymerase to perform the polymerization. Because that the appropriate temperature and reaction time will be modulated based on the length and the specificity of the primers and the templates, the progresses of the PCR machine evolve the PCR reaction. Presently PCR technology is widely used in DNA cloning for sequencing, DNA-based phylogeny, functional analysis of genes, the diagnosis of hereditary diseases, the identification of genetic fingerprints, and the detection and diagnosis of infectious diseases. This report analyzes and compares two PCR machines: ExtraGene 3200 and 9700, with other brands of PCR machines on the performance of the PCR reaction, such as semiquantitative PCR with serial dilution of the templates or different number of cycles, the touchdown PCR, and the gradient PCR. The last two experiments only apply to the 9700 model. The results show that the 3200 model takes less time than other PCR machine in the completion time. The 9700 model performs as well as other PCR machines in touchdown PCR and gradient PCR, and since the model can set simultaneously in the temperature gradient of 12, to enhance its usefulness.
Market-segment targeting and long-term growth in a tourism-based economy

Academic literature on the relationship between tourism and eco- nomic growth expands steadily. This literature supports the Tourism-Led Growth Hypothesis (TLG). Although it seems obvious that tourism-led growth is possible only if a destination does not experience stagnation in demand, no previous theoretical paper addresses the crucial issue of the compatibility between TLG and the potential occurrence of a stagnation phase in the destination. The aim of this paper is to fill this gap and to provide a framework of tourism-led growth accounting for the possibility of rejuvenation strate- gies. A model of growth for a tourism-based economy is built following Romer (1986). Two theoretical results are obtained. Provided some conditions are satisfied, it is possible to identify a market- segment compatible with sustained growth. A stagnating destination can switch to a new market segment for which the level of welfare is higher in the long-run. The common practice that consists in upgrading the quality of supply to focus on new markets is supported as a suitable practice in order to achieve optimal welfare. Conclusions of the model are tested with real data from two Spanish archipelagos, Canary and Balearic islands. Empirical results points to clear success of the reorientation strategy in the Balearics. The case of Canary islands is controversial since the reorientation strategy was not simultaneously implemented in the territory.
Do African American Students Limit Their Own Academic Achievement

This qualitative, phenomenological study provides insight into the perceptions, beliefs, and experiences that six, twelfth grade students held regarding their experiences from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The purpose of this study was to better understand the experiences they lived and to learn about how these students created racial or ethnic identities. I, (a) gained tangible information from six African American students regarding how they might limit their own academic achievement based upon the experiences they have had with teachers, (b) have brought to the forefront the challenges African American students have creating racial identities and how that development can lead to poor academic achievement, and (c) show the need for more awareness and culturally relevant teaching in schools and pre-service teacher preparation. This study adds to the research regarding the (a) blocked opportunities framework, (b) the attitude achievement paradox, (c) the development of ethnic identities, (d) false empathy, (e) expectations of students by parents and teachers, and (f) the self-fulfilling prophecy by attempting to highlight personal experiences of African American students within a particular school district.
Measuring Risk Preferences in Rural Ethiopia

Risk aversion is generally found to decrease in income. Between countries, comparative findings with students suggest that people in poorer countries are more risk tolerant, potentially giving rise to a risk-income paradox. We test the robustness of this finding by measuring the risk preferences of 500 household heads in the highlands of Ethiopia. We find high degrees of risk tolerance, consistent with the evidence obtained for students using the same tasks. The level of risk tolerance is higher than for student samples in most Western and middle-income countries. We also find risk tolerance to increase in income proxies within our sample, thus completing the paradox.
Down-Regulation of OsEMF2b Caused Semi-sterility Due to Anther and Pollen Development Defects in Rice

Anther and pollen development are crucial processes of plant male reproduction. Although a number of genes involved in these processes have been identified, the regulatory networks of pollen and anther development are still unclear. EMBRYONIC FLOWER 2b (OsEMF2b) is important for rice development. Its biological function in floral organ, flowering time and meristem determinacy have been well-studied, but its role, if only, on male reproduction is still unknown, because null mutants of OsEMF2b barely have anthers. In this study, we identified a weak allele of OsEMF2b, osemf2b-4. The T-DNA insertion was located in the promoter region of OsEMF2b, and OsEMF2b expression was significantly decreased in osemf2b-4. The osemf2b-4 mutant exhibited much more normal anthers than null mutants of OsEMF2b, and also showed defective floret development similar to null mutants. Cytological analysis showed various defects of anther wall and pollen development in osemf2b-4, such as slightly or extremely enlarged tapetum, irregular or normal morphology microspores, and partial or complete sterility. OsEMF2b was highly expressed in tapetum and microspores, and the protein was localized in the nucleus. The expression of 15 genes essential for anther and pollen development was investigated in both WT and osemf2b-4. Fourteen genes including GAMYB was up-regulated, and only PTC1 was down-regulated in osemf2b-4. This suggests that up-regulated GAMYB and down-regulated PTC1 might contribute to the defective anther and pollen development in osemf2b-4. Overall, our work suggests that OsEMF2b plays an essential role during post-meiotic anther and pollen development.
Resonance scattering and absorption of light by a silver circular cylinder with diameter larger than the wavelength

We investigate the resonances in the scattering and absorption of the TE-polarized light on a silver circular cylinder of larger than wavelength radius. Our instrument is the rigorous analytic solution to the plane-wave scattering problem and experimental data of Johnson and Christy for silver's complex permittivity in the visible. We demonstrate that the resonances are well observed at wavelengths between 350 nm and 525 nm if the cylinder circumference does not exceed 40 wavelengths. They can be explained as the resonances on the surface-plasmon-polariton wave running around a lossy negative-dielectric cylinder if its circumference is at least 10 wavelengths of that wave. Besides of that, they keep correspondence to different azimuth orders of the localized surface plasmon modes. This observation bridges the gap between localized and delocalized plasmons, which are two different manifestations of the same physical effect intrinsic for metals in the visible range.
A hybrid PHB–hydroxyapatite composite for biomedical application: production, in vitro and in vivo investigation

Samples of a hybrid composite of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a biodegradable polyester, and hydroxyapatite (HA), with different PHB/HA ratios, have been prepared using mechanical-physical method. Electron microscopy, X-ray structure analysis and differential thermal analysis have been used to investigate the structure and physicochemical properties of the composite, depending on the PHB/HA ratio. The properties of the surface of the HA-loaded composite are significantly different from those of the pure polymer. As the HA percentage in the composite increases, free interface energy, the cohesive force, i.e., the strength of the adhesive bond between the composite surface and the water phase, and surface wettability increase. The HA percentage of the composite does not influence its melting temperature, but affects the temperature for the onset of decomposition: as the HA content increases from 0 to 10% (w/w), T d decreases from 260°C to 225°C. The degree of crystallinity of PHB/HA increases from 77% to 89% with an increase in the HA fraction from 10% to 50%. Functional properties of the composites have been investigated in vitro and in vivo. The best parameters of growth and differentiation of murine marrow osteoblasts are registered on PHB/HA samples containing 10% and 20% HA. In ectopic bone formation assay it has been proven that the hybrid PHB/HA composites can function as scaffolds and that bone tissue develops on their surface and in pores.
Tracking Index Return and Price with Constraints of Transaction Cost and Tracking Error

Index tracking has been widely used in nancial industry for ecient investing, hedging and tracking all kinds of desirable portfolio in general sense. We drew inspiration from Support Vector Machine and formulate several optimiza- tion models using linear, quadratic and mixed-integer programming and dierent penalty functions. Based on these models, we came up with a more realistic model: with the advantages of generating sparsity and accurately tracking, this model also minimize transaction costs in an explicit way. Our empirical results indicate that this model tracks the target index very accurately with minimal costs. And this makes it a very desirable tool in index tracking.
Regulation of heat shock gene transcription in neuronal cells

The heat shock protein (HSP) molecular chaperones are the primary cellular defense against damage to the proteome, initiating refolding of denatured proteins and regulating degradation after severe protein damage. Many neurodegenerative disorders involve aberrant protein folding and protein damage, which accumulates in an age-dependant manner. Ageing is associated with the decrease in activity of the heat shock transcription factors (HSF) that regulate HSP gene transcription. Neuronal cells seem particularly vulnerable in this sense as HSF activity and HSP expression are relatively weak in such cells and motor neurons appear to require input of HSP secreted from adjacent glial cells to maintain adequate molecular chaperone levels. It may be significant that motor neurons have been shown to be the sensitive cells in the ageing of Drosophila and C. elegans and that these organisms may acquire extended lifespans with over-expression of small heat shock proteins and HSF1. HSF1 transcriptional activity has been discussed in neuronal cells, concentrating on the regulation and activity of HSF1 and HSF2 and their role in HSP expression, during neurodegenerative diseases and as mediators of cell survival.