Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of transfected mutant beta-actin genes: alterations of cell morphology and evidence for autoregulation in actin pools

Two different mutant human beta-actin genes have been introduced into normal diploid human (KD) fibroblasts and their immortalized derivative cell line, HuT-12, to assess the impact of an abnormal cytoskeletal protein on cellular phenotypes such as morphology, growth characteristics, and properties relating to the neoplastic phenotype. A mutant beta-actin containing a single mutation (Gly-244----Asp-244) was stable and was incorporated into cytoskeletal stress fibers. Transfected KD cells which expressed the stable mutant beta-actin in excess of normal beta-actin were morphologically altered. In contrast, a second mutant beta-actin gene containing two additional mutations (Gly-36----Glu-36 and Glu-83----Asp-83, as well as Gly-244----Asp-244) did not alter cell morphology when expressed at high levels in transfected cells, but the protein was labile and did not accumulate in stress fibers. In both KD and HuT-12 cells, endogenous beta- and gamma-actin decreased in response to high-level expression of the stable mutant beta-actin, in a manner consistent with autoregulatory feedback of actin concentrations. Since the percent decreases in the endogenous beta- and gamma-actins were equal, the ratio of net beta-actin (mutant plus normal) to gamma-actin was significantly increased in the transfected cells. Antisera capable of distinguishing the mutant from the normal epitope revealed that the mutant beta-actin accumulated in stress fibers but did not participate in the formation of the actin filament-rich perinuclear network. These observations suggest that different intracellular locations differentially incorporate actin into cytoskeletal microfilaments. The dramatic impact on cell morphology and on beta-actin/gamma-actin ratios in the transfected diploid KD cells may be related to the acquisition of some of the characteristics of cells that underwent the neoplastic transformation event that originally led to the appearance of the beta-actin mutations.
Processes and patterns of responsiveness to the world of work in higher education institutions.

The thesis took the general question of responsive curriculum development which meets both the needs of work and those of the academy as its starting point. The rationale for the topic flows out of education policy and societal pressures worldwide which are calling for an ever greater responsiveness from higher education to the workplace in the twenty-first century. Responsiveness to work requires collaborative and integrative work between communities of academic and non-academic practitioners. Differences between knowledge and practices at work and within the academy are broadly acknowledged in the literature, yet the ensuing nature and complexity of interactions between these two communities in curriculum design on the ground is poorly understood. A key point is to recognize that integration as such cannot be the goal; the differences remain, but have to turned into productive collaboration and joint development, for example, of a curriculum.
The use of MR B+1 imaging for validation of FDTD electromagnetic simulations of human anatomies

In this study, MR B+1 imaging is employed to experimentally verify the validity of FDTD simulations of electromagnetic field patterns in human anatomies. Measurements and FDTD simulations of the B+1 field induced by a 3 T MR body coil in a human corpse were performed. It was found that MR B+1 imaging is a sensitive method to measure the radiofrequency (RF) magnetic field inside a human anatomy with a precision of approximately 3.5%. A good correlation was found between the B+1 measurements and FDTD simulations. The measured B+1 pattern for a human pelvis consisted of a global, diagonal modulation pattern plus local B+1 heterogeneties. It is believed that these local B+1 field variations are the result of peaks in the induced electric currents, which could not be resolved by the FDTD simulations on a 5 mm3 simulation grid. The findings from this study demonstrate that B+1 imaging is a valuable experimental technique to gain more knowledge about the dielectric interaction of RF fields with the human anatomy. For more information on this article, see medicalphysicsweb.org
Dehydroepiandrosterone protects against oxidative stress‐induced endothelial dysfunction in ovariectomized rats

Non‐technical summary It is well known that cardiovascular disease is more frequent in postmenopausal than in premenopausal women. Moreover, it has been shown that dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a steroid hormone secreted by adrenal glands, reduces during ageing. Its reduced plasma level has been related to increased prevalence of obesity, insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. We show that DHEA treatment in ovariectomized rats, an experimental model of menopause, reduces blood pressure and improves vascular function. Furthermore, DHEA reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS), correcting the reduced protein expression of Cu/Zn‐SOD, an antioxidant protein, and increased protein expression of NADPH oxidase, a pro‐oxidant protein. This work shows the potential effect of DHEA upon correction of endothelial dysfunction observed on oestrogen deprivation.
A multi-scale modeling approach for systems of systems architectures

Modeling correct software-intensive Systems of Systems architectures is a challenging research direction that can be mastered by providing appropriate modeling abstractions. For this purpose, we provide an iterative modeling solution for a multi-scale description of software architectures. We provide a visual notation extending the graphical UML notations to represent structural as well as behavioral features of software architectures. We define a step-wise iterative process from a coarse-grain to a fine-grain description. The intermediate iterations provide a description with a given abstraction that allow the validation to be conducted significantly while remaining tractable w.r. t. complexity. The iterative process involves both system-independent structural features ensuring the model correctness, and system-specific features related to the expected behavior of the modeled domain. We implement the resulting models describing structural and behavioral properties using the Eclipse platform. To experiment our approach, we deal with an SoS dedicated to the Emergency Response and Crisis Management System(ERCMS).
Epidemiological investigation of school-related injuries in Koprivnica County, Croatia.

AIM To assess the prevalence of injuries in elementary schools and determine specific risk groups of school-age children. METHODS According to the 1991 census, there were 6,398 children between 7 and 14 years of age in the study area of the former Koprivnica district. During the 1992-1997 period, 354 children were injured in school. The registration of injured children was performed via structured questionnaires filled out at the emergency clinic and outpatient surgical clinic of the General Hospital in Koprivnica. The mechanism of accident and activities preceding it were categorized according to the Nordic Medico-Statistical Committee classification. Chi-square test was used to determine groups of school children at specific risk and a classification tree was made on the basis of minimum entropy values for age, sex, activity, and mechanism of injury. RESULTS The highest injury rate of was recorded in 12-year-olds (21.7%). Upper extremities were most common site of injury (52.8%), whereas the most common type of injury was contusion (45.2%). The rate of head injuries was 3.2 times higher in younger (aged 7-10) children, whereas the rate of sports injuries was 3.5-fold higher in older (aged 11-14) children (p=0.001). Entropy classification revealed younger school-age children to be at the highest risk of contusion due to a blow from a ball, an object, or contact during sports activities. CONCLUSION In Koprivnica County, most school-related injuries occurred during sport activities (42%) and play during recess (55%), with specific differences in age and sex.
Competing Visions of Liberalism: Theoretical Underpinnings of the Bill of Rights Debate in Australia.

When the bill of rights debate is evaluated in terms of the different traditions within liberal constitutionalism, it becomes evident that the debate is about more than the best means for securing civil liberties, it articulates a profound tension between differing notions of rights and competing versions of liberal constitutionalism. From this theoretical perspective, the Australian reluctance to entrench rights reveals the strength of the dominant constitutionalism characterised by a parliamentarianism influenced by Mill and Dicey. It also highlights the character of the competing traditions, especially those of natural rights and human rights elaborated by Locke and Kant. The extent to which it is possible to say that there is now a confluence of these traditions, and the political and theoretical implications of such changes, are explored in the light of the bill of rights debate in Australia.
Vitamin D insufficiency and cognitive impairment in Asians: a multi‐ethnic population‐based study and meta‐analysis

The relationship between vitamin D insufficiency and cognitive impairment remains equivocal in Asians. We examined the association between circulating 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentration and cognitive performance in a large multi‐ethnic Singaporean population‐based study. We also conducted a meta‐analysis of 25OHD concentrations amongst cognitively impaired older adults in Asia.
Multiprofessional education in the medical curriculum

The aim of this project was to design a programme for the students at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) which has long fostered multiprofessional education, and encourages development of positive attitudes and skills related to collaboration with other health professionals. This should be characterized by mutual respect and understanding and should also provide students with insight into the various professional roles and competencies involved in collaboration within the health care system. A multi‐professional training ward, and since January 1996 a student‐manned training ward, has been in operation at the Department of Orthopaedics, University Hospital, Linköping. The care, treatment and rehabilitation of patients is performed by students from all the education programmes at the FHS. While the supervisers are medically responsible, they generally only observe and provide guidance without taking too much active part in the practical work. The students are recruited during one of their last two semesters when they have attained fairly good insight into their future professional roles. Experience thus far has shown that a training ward seems to be a very efficient way of improving the ability to work as a team with real patients, and is an inspiring and efficient means for obtaining these skills which, in turn, are essential in future professional work. This paper reports the implementation and first experiences of the training ward. A detailed evaluation of the effects of an educational ward, taking into account the opinions and attitudes of students, teachers and patients, is in progress.
Is There Anybody Out There? The Eects of Legislators' Communication with their Constituents.

Are legislators responsive to their constituents in their public communication? To what extent are they able to shape voters’ preferences, as expressed by the issues they discuss? We address this twofold question with an analysis of all tweets sent by U.S. Members of Congress and a random sample of their followers from January to August 2013. Using a Latent Dirichlet Allocation model, we extract topics that represent the diversity of issues that legislators and ordinary citizens discuss on this social networking site. Then, we exploit variation in the distribution of topics over time to test whether Members of Congress lead or follow their constituents in their selection of issues to discuss, employing a Granger-causality framework. We nd that legislators are more responsive to politically interested constituents and co-partisans, particularly on issues owned by each party.
Internal Control Weaknesses, Family Ownership and the Cost of Debt: Evidence from the Tunisian Stock Exchange

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effect of internal control weaknesses (ICW) and family ownership on the cost of debt in the Tunisian setting. We document that ICW and family ownership are positively associated with the cost of debt. When testing for the moderating effect of family ownership on the association between ICW and the cost of debt, we document that the positive effect of ICW on the cost of debt is more pronounced under high family ownership in the Tunisian setting. Furthermore, the positive and significant association between ICW and the cost of debt is more prevailing for firms audited by non-Big 4 auditors and industrial companies. These findings may have policy implications for Tunisian policymakers with respect to the establishment of internal control standards.
In Vivo Abdominal Magnetic Resonance Elastography for the Assessment of Portal Hypertension Before and After Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Implantation

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) and in vivo viscoelasticity of the liver and spleen before and after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) implantation. Materials and MethodsTen patients with portal hypertension were examined twice by 3-dimensional multifrequency magnetic resonance elastography as well as prior and subsequent TIPS intervention; HVPG was also measured during TIPS placement. Five harmonic vibrations (25–60 Hz) were transferred to the abdominal region and recorded for the reconstruction of 2 viscoelastic constants, |G*| and &phgr;, corresponding to the magnitude and the phase angle of the complex shear modulus G* of the liver and spleen. ResultsAll patients had cirrhosis, yielding high |G*| values in the liver (8.34 ± 2.18 kPa) and spleen (8.44 ± 1.36kPa). In both organs, a decrease of |G*| after TIPS placement was observed (liver: 8.34 ± 2.18kPa vs 7.02 ± 1.46 kPa, P = 0.01; spleen: 8.44 ± 1.36 kPa vs 7.06 ± 1.32 kPa, P = 0.01), whereas &phgr; was insensitive to TIPS. Relative changes in |G*| of the spleen were correlated with the relative change of HVPG (R2 = 0.659, P = 0.013). ConclusionsThe observed linear correlation between spleen viscoelasticity HVPG raises the prospect of an image-based noninvasive assessment of portal pressure by magnetic resonance elastography in the follow-up of TIPS placements.
Transit passengers’ behavioural intentions: the influence of service quality and customer satisfaction

ABSTRACT Knowing passengers’ behavioural intentions to use transit service can be a useful support for transit managers and marketers who can define the most convenient strategies to satisfy existing passengers and attract new ones. We retain that analysing passengers’ intentions to continue to use transit services in the future together with relevant concepts such as service quality and customer satisfaction is fundamental to understand passengers’ behaviour. For this reason, in this paper we propose a structural equation model for investigating on the relationship among some aspects influencing passengers’ behavioural intentions towards the use of transit services. The light rail transit (LRT) of Seville (Spain) offers the transit service supporting our work. We collected through an ad-hoc survey the opinions of the passengers about the used LRT system and transit system in general, and we propose a methodology to explain how passengers’ opinions influence their intentions to use the LRT again. Among the interesting findings from the model, we observe that behavioural intentions are mostly affected by passengers’ judgements about LRT service quality and their satisfaction with the service. Moreover, not only direct but indirect effects on behavioural intentions are derived, determining an accurate conclusion about the relationships of the other concepts with LRT’ users behavioural intentions.
Stability and Immunization Analysis of a Malware Spread Model Over Scale-Free Networks

The spreading dynamics and control of infectious agents primarily depend on the connectivity properties of underlying networks. Here, we investigate the stability of a susceptible- infected-susceptible epidemic model incorporated with multiple infection stages and propagation vectors to mimic malware behavior over scale-free communication networks. In particular, we derive the basic reproductive ratio (R0) and provide results for stability analysis at infection-free and infection-chronic equilibrium points. Based on R0, the effectiveness of four prevailing immunization strategies as countermeasures is studied and compared. The outperformance of proportional and targeted immunization is justified via numerical results.
The Impact of Foreign Exchange Rates on International Travel: The Case of South Korea

The study examines long-run equilibrium relationships and Granger causal relationships between changes in foreign exchange rates and changes in inbound tourism demand and outbound tourism demand in South Korea. The study employs monthly time series data from January 1990 to September 2010 (249 observations). The paper examines the long-run equilibrium relationship using cointegration techniques and Granger causality with vector error correction methods. Test results indicate there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between the variables. In terms of directional causality, test results indicate that a change in exchange rates causes a change in outbound tourism demand although it does not cause a change in tourist arrivals to the country. In other words, for international travel the impact of tourism price competitiveness seems to have been moderated.
Fair Trade in Sustainable Development. The Potential for Fair Trade Market Growth in Poland

The paper presents the concept of Fair Trade, which is considered an alternative to conventional trade, and becomes increasingly popular in the Western countries. In addition, some results of empirical research, conveyed in Poland and aimed at diagnosis and assessment of Fairtrade products market, are provided. Fair trade is analysed not only in the broad theoretical context which shows its contribution to sustainable development and relation to corporate social responsibility, but also in the framework of supply chains management. The benefits from the Fairtrade label, including transaction costs reduction are indicated. The assumption is that to achieve them, consumer acceptance of the idea and willingness to buy Fairtrade products are necessary. The empirical research was focused on answering the question whether a market niche for Fairtrade goods exists in Poland and how to develop it by the means of communication tools. The market niche, although very small, has been identified and described. It is apparent that, in order to develop it, a public policy, aimed at raising the awareness of Fair Trade idea, is necessary as well as marketing activities like social marketing Internet campaigns and better and more prominently products display.
Rockfall Mitigation Measures in Open Pit Mines. Case Study Quarry Wall Stabilisation and Protection Works at Mandai

Very often the situation is presented in which the instability causes landslides of rocky blocks in areas that get in the access path of access to the orebody, which is almost impossible to stabilize. Then there is no more way out than to allow the rockfall to occur, of course, looking for possible solutions for their containment and / or reduction, as the fragments that generally fall can reach high speeds and kinetic energy, which makes the phenomenon extremely dangerous and complex to face. Mining operations are increasingly faced with achieving the operational safety ideal of zero harm, while at the same time increasing productivity. The implementation of approved mitigation measures against rockfall in opencast mines is becoming very common, due to the fast installation and cost-effectiveness of such measures. According to the guidelines for rockfall barriers, mines can rely on the approval issued by the EOTA (European Organisation for Technical Assessment). Liability insurance is issued by the suppliers, who guarantee the function of their rockfall barrier systems. In many cases the pit design can be optimized by increasing the slope inclination or reducing the berm width. The solution at Mandai Quarry located at Mandai District in the northern part of Singapore, will be presented in this paper, as a case study.
Eliminating Duplicate Forwarding in Wireless Opportunistic Routing

Opportunistic routing is a wireless multi-hop routing approach that allows each packet to be relayed through any node that overhears the transmission. In this letter, we propose a method for avoiding duplicate forwarding in opportunistic routing. The proposed technique enables forwarding nodes to control relaying at their neighbors on a per-packet basis using a small amount of information piggybacked on packets. Our simulation results show that DFOR achieves higher throughput than existing relevant protocols by reducing unnecessary transmissions.
Immunosuppression in primary liver and colon tumor induction with N-hydroxy-N-2-fluorenylacetamide and azoxymethane.

The question was examined as to whether immunosuppression in a rat model system would affect the carcinogenic processes leading to tumors in the liver and the large bowel. The protocols were designed to detect an increased incidence or a shorter latent period stemming from a change in immune status. Groups of rats were given injections prior to initiation of the carcinogen regimen and continuously thereafter with a purified gamma fraction of antilymphocytic serum (ALG). Appropriate controls received the gamma fraction of normal rabbit serum or 0.9% NaCl solution. Permanence of skin allografts showed that ALG was an effective immunosuppressive treatment. For liver cancer induction, rats were fed 120 ppm N-hydroxy-N-2-fluorenylacetamide in the diet for 16 weeks, then were continued on control diet. The animals given ALG developed liver tumors at a rate similar to that of controls. For cancer of the large bowel, rats received a single s.c. dose of 7.5 mg azoxymethane per kg per week for 16 weeks and were then held on control diet. With an identical ALG treatment, there were fewer intestinal tumors in the early part of the treatment, because of the important early development of liver angiosarcoma, not seen in control rats given injections of 0.9% NaCl solution. At a later time, the incidence of intestinal cancer was similar in rats on ALG or on 0.9% NaCl solution. Thus, immunosuppression had little effect on the rate of liver tumor formation with a liver carcinogen. Also, ALG led to the precocious development of liver angiosarcomas, but failed to affect intestinal cancer induction in animals given azoxymethane.