Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Infrastructure, Human Capital Development and Economic Growth in Transitional Countries

Abstract This study investigated the impact of infrastructure and human capital development on economic growth in transitional economies. It also explored whether the interaction between infrastructural and human capital development enhanced economic growth in the transitional economies. Although the literature is awash with studies which investigated the separate impact of infrastructure and human capital development on economic growth, no study that the author is aware of has so far explored whether the interaction between infrastructure and human capital development enhances economic growth. The study mainly used a dynamic panel generalised methods of moments (GMM) approach by Arellano and Bond (1995), a framework that takes into account the dynamic nature of economic growth data and addresses the endogeneity issues normally associated with economic growth regression functions. Panel data analysis approaches such as pooled ordinary least squares (OLS), and fixed and random effects were used for comparison purposes and robustness tests. According to the dynamic GMM framework, the interaction between infrastructure and human capital development improved economic growth in transitional economies, in line with theoretical and empirical predictions. Random effects and pooled OLS show that the interaction between infrastructural and human capital development had a deleterious effect on economic growth, whilst according to the fixed effects approach, the interaction between these two variables had an insignificant positive influence on economic growth in transitional economies. Considering that the results from a dynamic panel GMM are considered to be more accurate due to the approach’s ability to address the endogeneity problem and the dynamic nature of economic growth data, the current study recommends that transitional economies should implement policies that improve human capital development in order to enhance infrastructural development’s ability to influence economic growth. Future studies should investigate not just one (human capital development), but all the conditional factors which must be in place before economic growth advantages triggered by infrastructure development are realised.
Chromatin reprogramming of male somatic cell-derived Xist and Tsix in ES hybrid cells

In mammalian somatic cells, the X chromosome is active in XY males, whereas one X chromosome is inactivated in XX females. On the active male X chromosome, the Xist and Tsix genes are transcribed in undifferentiated cells of pre-implantation embryos (undifferentiated state) and then down-regulated upon cell differentiation (differentiated state). To explore the epigenetic mechanism involved in the on-off switching of Xist and Tsix transcription in the active X chromosome, male somatic cells were hybridized with male embryonic stem (ES) cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis revealed that the Xist gene derived from somatic cells was derepressed, as shown by the advent of two pinpoint signals. This was confirmed by strand-specific RT-PCR of Xist and Tsix genes. To analyze changes in chromatin structure in the promoter regions of Xist and Tsix derived from somatic cells, histone tail modifications were studied by chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis. Histones H3 and H4, which were hypoacetylated in the somatic cells, were hyperacetylated in the hybrid cells, and histone H3 lysine 4, which was hypomethylated in the somatic cells, was hypermethylated in the hybrid cells, indicating that the reactivation of Xist and Tsix was linked with chromatin modifications. In the telomeric region of DXPas34, acetylation of histones H3 and H4 was dependent on reactivation of Xist and Tsix, whereas histone H3 lysine 4 was constitutively methylated independent of the transcriptional activity of those genes. We propose that the chromatin reprogramming is linked with the resetting of the memory found in the process of choosing an active X chromosome.
An Exploratory Study of Resident Burnout and Wellness

Purpose Physicians have a higher rate of burnout compared with the general population, and burnout's origin can be traced to residency training. Little evidence exists documenting the causes of burnout, and there is even less evidence on protective factors. The goal of this exploratory study was to determine which resident-identified stressors are associated with the presence of burnout and which resident-identified wellness factors are associated with the absence of burnout. Method In the fall of 2006, residents from 13 specialties completed a demographics questionnaire, a survey of factors that promote burnout and wellness, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results From a pool of 395 residents, 150 (38%) completed the questionnaires. Of 32 burnout factors, 27 were significantly associated with at least one burnout scale. Pessimism was the only burnout factor associated with all three burnout scales; 11 other burnout factors were associated with at least two burnout scales. Of 29 wellness factors, 25 were significantly associated with at least one burnout scale, indicating a lack of burnout. Use of prescription medications was the only wellness factor associated with all three burnout scales, indicating low burnout. Thirteen other wellness factors were associated with at least two of the scales. Conclusions Significantly more research is needed to further define and measure wellness. Program directors should consider multiple burnout and wellness factors associated with burnout (or its absence) when designing treatment interventions. The aim should be to identify and bolster wellness factors that protect from burnout while minimizing the stressors that cause it.
Changing the Release Kinetics of Gentamicin from Poly(D, L-Lactide) Implant Coatings Using Only One Polymer

Creating orthopedic implants that locally deliver drugs is an appealing approach to induce bone regeneration and prevent or treat infections. In this study, titanium K-wires were coated with poly(D, L-lactide) (PDLLA) solutions with different polymer/solvent/drug ratios to modify the release kinetics of the antibiotic gentamicin. The concentrations of PDLLA ranged from one-fold (100 mg/1.5 mL solvent, 1X) to four-fold (400 mg/1.5 mL solvent, 4X), where the higher concentrations led to the thickening of the drug-loaded coatings and an increase of total coating mass. Coated wires were incubated in PBS buffer at 37°C for up to 32 weeks, and the elution kinetics were analyzed at several time points. Different release profiles were observed: I) a burst release within the first hours for the coatings made out of lower concentrations of PDLLA with higher amounts of gentamicin and II) a sustained release of up to 14 weeks for the different coatings with higher polymer amounts with lower concentrations of gentamicin. Moreover, the amounts of remaining gentamicin on the wires after elution were dependent on the coating composition. Nearly complete gentamicin was released from the 1X PDLLA coatings and approximately one-third with respect to initial gentamicin remained in the 4X coatings. Based on these results, we garnered a better understanding of the parameters that influenced release kinetics in this simple system and described how to realize different release patterns by using only one polymer. Using this knowledge, tailored coated implants that can improve infection prophylaxis or stimulate bone healing may be designed.
A Comparison of Methods for the Estimation of Body Composition in Highly Trained Wheelchair Games Players

Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement in body composition measurements of wheelchair athletes using skinfolds, bio-impedance analysis (BIA) and air displacement plethysmography (ADP) relative to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). A secondary objective was to develop new skinfold prediction equations to estimate %fat for this sample. 30 wheelchair games players were recruited and the body composition outcomes of BIA, ADP, and skinfolds were compared to the DXA outcomes by a paired-samples t-test (systematic bias), intraclass correlation (ICC, relative agreement) and Bland-Altman plots (absolute agreement). Regression models to predict the %fat as measured by DXA by the sum of skinfolds or BIA were calculated. Results showed that the predictions of %fat when using BIA, ADP or skinfolds systematically underestimated the %fat mass as measured by the DXA. All ICC values, except for the measurement of fat (kg) by ADP (ICC=0.702), were below 0.7. New prediction models found the ∑7 skinfolds and calf circumference as the best model to predict %fat (R2=0.84). In conclusion, BIA, ADP and existing skinfolds equations should be used with caution when estimating %fat of wheelchair athletes with substantial body asymmetry, lower body muscular atrophy and upper body muscular development.
A Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract Protects Skeletal Muscle Cells Against Chemically Induced Oxidative Stress by Modulating Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) Expression

Rhodiola rosea is a perennial plant in the Crassulaceae family, recently postulated to exert its adaptogenic functions partially by modulating the expression of molecular factors such as heat shock proteins (HSP). The aim of this study was to analyze the efficacy of a Rhodiola rosea extract (Rhodiolife) in protecting murine skeletal muscle cells (C2C12 myotubes) from chemically induced oxidative stress and to establish whether modulation of HSP70 expression is observed. C2C12 cells treated with Rhodiolife did not experience any loss of viability (p > 0.05) at concentrations of 1–100 µg/mL for up to 24 h. In control cultures, viability decreased 25% following exposure to 2 mM H2O2 (1 h). However, no significant decrease in viability in cells pre‐treated with extract at concentrations as low as 1 µg/mL was observed. HSP70 mRNA levels were up‐regulated two‐fold in cell cultures treated with Rhodiolife (10 µg/mL), and expression was further enhanced by exposure to H2O2 (six‐fold, p < 0.05). HSP70 protein levels were maintained in pre‐treated cell cultures compared to controls but was significantly lower (−50%) in cells lacking treatment exposed to H2O2. The present results indicate that Rhodiolife protects C2C12 myotubes against peroxide‐induced oxidative stress through the modulation of the molecular chaperone HSP70. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimal Trust System Placement in Smart Grid SCADA Networks

The objective of this paper is to propose a trust system placement scheme for smart grid supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) networks. The functionalities of a trust system include firewalling and network intrusion detection. It is capable of monitoring both ingress traffic and egress traffic. In order to minimize the capital expenditure (CAPEX) and the operational expenditure (OPEX), only a selected number of nodes are equipped with trust systems. Those nodes are known as the trust nodes. This paper studies the trust system placement problem from a network topological perspective. It develops a scheme that aims to defend SCADA networks, deploying minimal number of trust nodes. It uses a network segmentation approach to distribute the trust nodes. It considers the minimum spanning tree (MST) as a measure of geographic dispersion. In the segmentation approach, size balancing and geographic dispersion are two main concerns. The segment sizes affect the number of required trust nodes. On the other hand, geographic dispersion affects the response time. The proposed scheme computes trust nodes using linear programming problem (LPP) formulations and local search. Numerical analysis is conducted through case studies for the IEEE test system topologies. It reveals the consistency of performance, better quality of protection, and low computational time. The proposed scheme can be a useful cyber security planning tool for smart grid operators.
Failure Criterion Setting for the Wafer Level Isothermal Electromigration Test

The lifetime prediction has been performed on the Al-Cu metal line using the wafer level isothermal electromigration test. A 8000-Å-thick Al-Cu (0.5%wt Cu) metal line of 800 mm long and 0.4 μmm wide is stacked with a 500 Å Ti/TiN bottom layer and a 400 Å Ti-TiN top layer. The resistance change ratio ΔR/R<sub>i</sub> increases rapidly in the beginning (phase I), reaches a linear rate region (phase II), and finally abruptly increases (phase III). Self-heating, electromigration, and melting occur, respectively, in three phases I, II, and III. The (ΔR/R<sub>i</sub>0) value can be extracted from the ΔR/R<sub>i</sub> vs. stress time curve, which defines the ΔR/R<sub>i</sub> value at the beginning of electromigration and is nearly at ~1% in our cases. The failure criterion is set at 1.2(ΔR/R<sub>i</sub>)0 , which is an important value for lifetime prediction of the metal interconnect. The lifetime derived from the wafer level ISO-EM test is 2.9 times longer than that from the package level EM test.
Subjective Visual Vertical During Eccentric Rotation in Patients With Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Objective: There have been only a few reports of subjective visual vertical (SVV) in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), and each showed slightly different results. SVV measurement during eccentric rotation that stimulated only 1 labyrinth was known to show a considerable improvement in comparison with conventional SVV as a clinical measure of otolith function. But there has not been a report regarding SVV during eccentric rotation in patients with BPPV. We therefore measured SVV during eccentric rotation and investigated the function of utricles in patients with BPPV. Study Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Patients: Twenty-three patients with BPPV. Intervention: Diagnostic procedure. Main Outcome Measures: SVV was measured in 23 patients with BPPV and 20 normal subjects. We compared the SVV values before and during eccentric rotation toward the right and left in both patients with BPPV and the control group. Results: Between BPPV patients and the control group, no difference in the SVV value was observed in pre-eccentric rotation, but significant differences of SVV values were found during eccentric rotation. Conclusion: We identified utricular dysfunction in patients with BPPV during eccentric rotation and suggested that eccentric rotation might be a good method to measure utricular dysfunction.
An open source low-cost alligator-inspired robotic research platform

Taking design inspiration from biological creatures can enable inheriting functional aspects such as locomotion of the target creatures in their robotic counterparts. Bio-inspired robots are particularly useful in dealing with applications involving surveillance, reconnaissance, and environment monitoring. Non-availability of inexpensive robotic platforms causes a barrier in the advancement of this field. This paper reports an open source alligator-inspired quadruped robotic platform which is easy and fast to prototype, open to design iterations and affordable. The reported approach utilizes laser cutting based fabrication and thereby reduces the development time drastically. The main features of the reported open source hardware system comprise of fabrication and assembly plan in the form of dxf files, embedded electrical circuits in the form of circuit diagrams and PCB layouts, and a locomotion control system in the form of software. We believe that such an open source design can accelerate research and development activities in the area of bio-inspired design as the researchers can improvise upon the open source model rather than starting from scratch.
A Stochastic Control Approach to Manage Operational Risk in Power Systems

In this paper, the novel method operational risk managing optimal power flow (ORMOPF), for minimizing the expected cost of power system operation, is proposed. In contrast to previous research in the area, the proposed method does not use a security criterion. Instead the expected cost of operation includes expected costs of system failures. This will lead to more flexible operating limits, giving a more adequate balance between risk and economic benefit of transmission. The method assumes a set of observable system variables such as transfers through specific transmission corridors, system frequency, or distance to a bifurcation surface. Then impulse control is applied to find an optimal strategy for activation of tertiary reserves, based on the values of the observables.
Motivations of volunteers in the Transcribe Sheng project: A grounded theory approach

With an increasing interest in leveraging crowdsourcing in GLAMs (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) projects, there is a growing trend within the digital humanities field to develop various platforms and tools that outsource the traditionally knowledge‐intensive tasks to the mass volunteers. However, such kind of projects usually entail a greater level of time, effort, and intellectual input from the public. In such case, what motivates volunteers remains little studied and poorly understood. To better understand volunteers' motivations and how they may benefit from their participation, we conducted interviews on volunteers in the Transcribe Sheng project, a crowdsourcing project in digital humanities domain in China. Grounded theory is employed to investigate the motivations from the interview data. The preliminary findings show that volunteers are motivated by a complex framework involving external factors, cognitive value, emotional perception, and task driven factors. Based on the qualitative analysis, this study proposes a preliminary theoretical framework to understand volunteers' motivations, which may also yield practical implications on digital humanity practices.
Pragmatic Ability Deficit in Schizophrenia and Associated Theory of Mind and Executive Function

Deficits in pragmatic abilities have frequently been observed in patients with schizophrenia. The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between pragmatic deficits, ToM deficits and executive dysfunctions in schizophrenia. A group of 42 schizophrenic patients and 42 healthy controls were assessed on irony task (one type of pragmatic language), two subcomponents of ToM (cognitive and affective), and three subcomponents of EF (inhibition, updating, and switching). The clinical symptoms in schizophrenia were assessed using the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The schizophrenia group exhibited significant impairments in all above tasks compared to the control group. Correlation results found that irony scores were correlated with the two subcomponents of ToM and two of the three subcomponents of EF (inhibition and updating). The regression analysis revealed that the cognitive ToM and inhibition predicted 9.2% and 29.9% of the variance of irony comprehension in the patient group, and inhibition was the best predictor for performance on irony task. Irony understanding was related to positive symptoms, but not to negative symptoms. The results suggest that the ability to interpret pragmatic language depends on schizophrenic patients’ ability to infer mental states and the ability of inhibition. It provides empirical evidence for a particular target of inhibition for rehabilitation and intervention programs developed for schizophrenic patients.
What is vinculin needed for in platelets?

Summary. Background: Vinculin links integrins to the cell cytoskeleton by virtue of its binding to proteins such as talin and F‐actin. It has been implicated in the transmission of mechanical forces from the extracellular matrix to the cytoskeleton of migrating cells. Vinculin’s function in platelets is unknown. Objective: To determine whether vinculin is required for the functions of platelets and their major integrin, αIIbβ3. Methods: The murine vinculin gene (Vcl) was deleted in the megakaryocyte/platelet lineage by breeding Vcl fl/fl mice with Pf4–Cre mice. Platelet and integrin functions were studied in vivo and ex vivo. Results: Vinculin was undetectable in platelets from Vcl fl/fl Cre+ mice, as determined by immunoblotting and fluorescence microscopy. Vinculin‐deficient megakaryocytes exhibited increased membrane tethers in response to mechanical pulling on αIIbβ3 with laser tweezers, suggesting that vinculin helps to maintain membrane cytoskeleton integrity. Surprisingly, vinculin‐deficient platelets displayed normal agonist‐induced fibrinogen binding to αIIbβ3, aggregation, spreading, actin polymerization/organization, clot retraction and the ability to form a procoagulant surface. Furthermore, vinculin‐deficient platelets adhered to immobilized fibrinogen or collagen normally, under both static and flow conditions. Tail bleeding times were prolonged in 59% of vinculin‐deficient mice. However, these mice exhibited no spontaneous bleeding and they formed occlusive platelet thrombi comparable to those in wild‐type littermates in response to carotid artery injury with FeCl3. Conclusion: Despite promoting membrane cytoskeleton integrity when mechanical force is applied to αIIbβ3, vinculin is not required for the traditional functions of αIIbβ3 or the platelet actin cytoskeleton.
An Adequate Interset Rest Period for Strength Recovery During a Common Isokinetic Test

Abstract Blazquez, IN, Warren, BL, O’Hanlon, AM, and Silvestri, LR. An adequate interset rest period for strength recovery during a common isokinetic test. J Strength Cond Res 27(7): 1981–1987, 2013—Isokinetic testing is used in rehabilitation settings on a regular basis; yet, there is a lack of consistency in rest period usage among protocols. Furthermore, the allotment of rest periods has been arbitrary (e.g., 30, 60, 90 seconds or more). This investigation examines the work:rest ratio as an effective method of standardizing rest periods in isokinetic testing. The purpose of this study was to establish an adequate rest period that would allow reproducibility of strength during a common isokinetic strength test. Twenty-seven healthy college-aged men (age, 23 ± 3.8 years; body weight, 79.54 ± 11.09 kg) were tested on 5 separate occasions: 2 familiarization sessions and 3 experimental sessions. Each subject performed a knee extension/flexion isokinetic strength protocol (Cybex NORM; Lumex, Inc., Ronkonkoma, NY, USA) to determine peak torque by performing 5 maximal reciprocal repetitions at each ascending velocity of 60, 180, and 300°·s−1. Work:rest ratios of 1:3, 1:8, and 1:12 were counterbalanced between sets. A 3 × 3 repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. A significance level of &agr; ⩽ 0.05 was used for all tests. There was no significant difference in either knee extension or knee flexion peak torque when comparing work:rest ratios. These findings suggest that a 1:3 work:rest ratio is sufficient during a common isokinetic strength test.