Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of estradiol in the nuclear entry of ER α

Discussions on receptors involved in estrogen action(Stanišić et al,2010) have so far focused on the two major forms of “classical” estrogen receptors, the estrogen receptor ┙ (ER ┙) and estrogen receptor ┚ (ER ┚). Both are DNA binding as well as hormone binding forms, with distinct, well-characterized functional domains. The differences between the two have mainly been in their respective molecular masses and shapes and in the target genes with which they interacted. I have been involved in research in estrogen action for 4 decades and more. Since the focus of my work was chiefly on non-conventional estrogen receptors and receptor associated proteins, often the progress made was felt by me as slow.Nevertheless,it is my sincere belief that what has been unveiled in this direction over the years have not gone unproductive. The two proteins that have been identified in this context, one a non DNA binding estrogen receptor and the other a transcription factor that dimerises with this receptor in the nucleus, have pointed towards the existence of a unique system of receptor in estrogen action. For the first time ever, it has become clear that there is a form of estrogen receptor whose primary functional role is in post transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that include splicing, nucleocytoplasmic transport of RNA and finally, the translation of mRNA. Also, deeper insights into the functional biology of the transcription factor have unfolded certain experimental data hitherto unknown in the literature on steroid hormone action. What is being discussed in this chapter deals exclusively with these two proteins, one a plasma membrane localized estrogen receptor which moves into the nucleus to involve itself in gene regulatory events and the other a transcription factor with a parallel functional role in mitochondrial steroidogenesis
An Energy Efficient ECG Signal Processor Detecting Cardiovascular Diseases on Smartphone

A novel disease diagnostic algorithm for ECG signal processing based on forward search is implemented in Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) for cardiovascular disease diagnosis on smartphone. An ASIC is fabricated using 130-nm CMOS low leakage process technology. The area of our PQRST ASIC is 1.21 mm2. The energy dissipation of PQRST ASIC is 96 pJ with a supply voltage of 0.9 V. The outputs from the ASIC are fed to an Android application that generates diagnostic report and can be sent to a cardiologist via email. The ASIC and Android application are verified for the detection of bundle branch block, hypertrophy, arrhythmia and myocardial infarction using Physionet PTB diagnostic ECG database. The failed detection rate is 0.69%, 0.69%, 0.34% and 1.72% for bundle branch block, hypertrophy, arrhythmia and myocardial infarction respectively. The AV block is detected in all the three patients in the Physionet St. Petersburg arrhythmia database. Our proposed ASIC together with our Android application is the most suitable for an energy efficient wearable cardiovascular disease detection system.
A longitudinal investigation of the role of violence prevention climate in exposure to workplace physical violence and verbal abuse

ABSTRACT The temporal direction of the relationships between violence prevention climate and both physical violence and verbal abuse was investigated in a longitudinal study of newly graduated registered nurses. A sample of 126 nurses, recruited into the study while students, completed similar surveys at approximately 6 and 12 months after graduation that assessed violence prevention climate, physical violence, verbal abuse exposure, and strains of anger, anxiety, depression, and physical symptoms. Results showed that high values of Time 1 climate were associated with less likelihood of violence and abuse at Time 2 when prior exposure to violence and abuse was controlled. Furthermore, repeated measures multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) results suggested that being exposed to violence or abuse did not affect perceptions of climate. Both climate and violence exposure were correlated with some strains both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, but repeated measures MANOVAs failed to find evidence that exposure to violence or abuse would result in an increase in strain over time. It is concluded that the direction of effects is from climate to violence/abuse but not the reverse, and that climate should be a target for interventions designed to keep employees safe from both forms of mistreatment.
Visualization of Calendar Data

Since many centuries, calendars are used to organize appointments, events and tasks. In this thesis interaction and visualization techniques for calendar data are presented, which do not only support the organization and analysis, but also facilitate and improve them. The basis of the solution is a 3D heightfield visualization, which displays the workloads of time slots over periods of time in a compact manner. Thereon, interaction and visualization techniques are used to investigate the data set for regularities and irregularities. The comparison of data sets while planning events is just as important as the integration of fuzzy tasks into one’s schedule and their manipulation. The visualization and exploration process is completed by statistical representations showing trends and patterns. The use of these techniques and the combination of them are presented with the help of real examples.
Self-assembly of Au nano-islands with tuneable organized disorder for highly sensitive SERS

A thermophoretically driven Au aerosol deposition process is used for the self-assembly of thin films consisting of plasmonic nano-islands (NIs) with a controllable and highly reproducible degree of disorder resulting in long-range periodicity with self-similar properties and stochastically distributed hot-spots, benefitting their applications as SERS substrates.
AN UNSUPERVISED MULTISCALE APPROACH FOR THE DYNAMIC CONTOUR-BASED BOUNDARY DETECTION ISSUE IN ULTRASOUND IMAGERY

We present a new multiscale approach for deformable contour optimization. The method relies on a multigrid minimization method and a coarse-to-fine relaxation algorithm. This approach consists in minimizing a cascade of optimization problems of reduced complexity. Contrary to classical multi-resolution algorithms, no reduction of image is applied. The family of defined energy functions are derived from the original (full resolution) objective function, ensuring that the same function is handled at each scale and that the energy decreases at each step of the minimization process. The efficiency and the speed of this approach is demonstrated in the difficult context of the boundary detection of anatomical structures in ultrasound imagery.
Patient perspectives on health, health needs, and health care services in a rural Irish community: a qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION There is evidence that living in a rural environment confers certain health advantages in terms of health and wellbeing. However, there is limited knowledge of patients' perspectives on determinants of health in rural areas. The aim of the present study was to explore determinants of health, health needs, and healthcare services in a rural community in the west of Ireland. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were carried out on a purposeful sample of 12 participants who presented to a community medical centre during a designated 14 day period in May 2010. The often interwoven conceptual themes identified during analysis of the data included 'community', 'environment', 'familiarity', 'accessibility', and 'expectations'. RESULTS The advantages of living in a rural environment included the strong sense of community, the benefits of the natural environment, familiarity, and a general sense of satisfaction in life. Issues of geographical inaccessibility and availability of affordable food were highlighted as disadvantages. In addition, hesitation was expressed about confiding mental health issues to medical professionals. CONCLUSIONS The rural environment and sense of community with its associated strong social networks were identified as key determinants of good mental and physical health. However, the inaccessibility to mental health care and reluctance to seek help for mental health issues remain a significant problem in rural areas. In considering priorities for health, greater effort and resources are required to increase public awareness and change attitudes to mental health issues.
Pathways of Distinction Analysis: A New Technique for Multi–SNP Analysis of GWAS Data

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become increasingly common due to advances in technology and have permitted the identification of differences in single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) alleles that are associated with diseases. However, while typical GWAS analysis techniques treat markers individually, complex diseases (cancers, diabetes, and Alzheimers, amongst others) are unlikely to have a single causative gene. Thus, there is a pressing need for multi–SNP analysis methods that can reveal system-level differences in cases and controls. Here, we present a novel multi–SNP GWAS analysis method called Pathways of Distinction Analysis (PoDA). The method uses GWAS data and known pathway–gene and gene–SNP associations to identify pathways that permit, ideally, the distinction of cases from controls. The technique is based upon the hypothesis that, if a pathway is related to disease risk, cases will appear more similar to other cases than to controls (or vice versa) for the SNPs associated with that pathway. By systematically applying the method to all pathways of potential interest, we can identify those for which the hypothesis holds true, i.e., pathways containing SNPs for which the samples exhibit greater within-class similarity than across classes. Importantly, PoDA improves on existing single–SNP and SNP–set enrichment analyses, in that it does not require the SNPs in a pathway to exhibit independent main effects. This permits PoDA to reveal pathways in which epistatic interactions drive risk. In this paper, we detail the PoDA method and apply it to two GWAS: one of breast cancer and the other of liver cancer. The results obtained strongly suggest that there exist pathway-wide genomic differences that contribute to disease susceptibility. PoDA thus provides an analytical tool that is complementary to existing techniques and has the power to enrich our understanding of disease genomics at the systems-level.
Effects of Dietary Fish Oil on the Depletion of Carcinogenic PAH-DNA Adduct Levels in the Liver of B6C3F1 Mouse

Many carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their metabolites can bind covalently to DNA. Carcinogen-DNA adducts may lead to mutations in critical genes, eventually leading to cancer. In this study we report that fish oil (FO) blocks the formation of DNA adducts by detoxification of PAHs. B6C3F1 male mice were fed a FO or corn oil (CO) diet for 30 days. The animals were then treated with seven carcinogenic PAHs including benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) with one of two doses via a single intraperitoneal injection. Animals were terminated at 1, 3, or 7 d after treatment. The levels of DNA adducts were analyzed by the 32P-postlabeling assay. Our results showed that the levels of total hepatic DNA adducts were significantly decreased in FO groups compared to CO groups with an exception of low PAH dose at 3 d (P = 0.067). Total adduct levels in the high dose PAH groups were 41.36±6.48 (Mean±SEM) and 78.72±8.03 in 109 nucleotides (P = 0.011), respectively, for the FO and CO groups at 7 d. Animals treated with the low dose (2.5 fold lower) PAHs displayed similar trends. Total adduct levels were 12.21±2.33 in the FO group and 24.07±1.99 in the CO group, P = 0.008. BPDE-dG adduct values at 7 d after treatment of high dose PAHs were 32.34±1.94 (CO group) and 21.82±3.37 (FO group) in 109 nucleotides with P value being 0.035. Low dose groups showed similar trends for BPDE-dG adduct in the two diet groups. FO significantly enhanced gene expression of Cyp1a1 in both the high and low dose PAH groups. Gstt1 at low dose of PAHs showed high levels in FO compared to CO groups with P values being 0.014. Histological observations indicated that FO played a hepatoprotective role during the early stages. Our results suggest that FO has a potential to be developed as a cancer chemopreventive agent.
On Landau’s Eigenvalue Theorem and Information Cut-Sets

A variation of Landau's eigenvalue theorem describing the phase transition of the eigenvalues of a time-frequency limiting, self adjoint operator is presented. The total number of degrees of freedom of square-integrable, multidimensional, bandlimited functions is defined in terms of Kolmogorov's n -width and computed in some limiting regimes, where the original theorem cannot be directly applied. Results are used to characterize up to order the total amount of information that can be transported in time and space by multiple-scattered electromagnetic waves, rigorously addressing a question originally posed in the early works of Toraldo di Francia and Gabor. Applications in the context of wireless communication and electromagnetic sensing are discussed.
In-Network Quality Optimization for Adaptive Video Streaming Services

HTTP adaptive streaming (HAS) services allow the quality of streaming video to be automatically adapted by the client application in face of network and device dynamics. Due to their advantages compared to traditional techniques, HAS-based protocols are widely used for over-the-top (OTT) video streaming. However, they are yet to be adopted in managed environments, such as ISP networks. A major obstacle is the purely client-driven design of current HAS approaches, which leads to excessive quality oscillations, suboptimal behavior, and the inability to enforce management policies. Moreover, the provider has no control over the quality that is provided, which is essential when offering a managed service. This article tackles these challenges and facilitates the adoption of HAS in managed networks. Specifically, several centralized and distributed algorithms and heuristics are proposed that allow nodes inside the network to steer the HAS client's quality selection process. The algorithms are able to enforce management policies by limiting the set of available qualities for specific clients. Additionally, simulation results show that by coordinating the quality selection process across multiple clients, the proposed algorithms significantly reduce quality oscillations by a factor of five and increase the average delivered video quality by at least 14%.
Greed and grievance in civil war

While economic agendas have been shown to be an important factor in shaping civil wars, there are several problems with prominent explanations centring on rebel ‘greed’, notably those put forward by Paul Collier. Among these are: the way proxies for ‘greed’ and ‘grievance’ have been used; the lack of attention to links between ‘greed’ and ‘grievance’; and the lack of attention to ‘greed’ among elements associated with counter-insurgencies. Why has Collier's analysis proven so popular, despite its flaws? I suggest that it represents an attractive over-simplification with a scientific aura. It achieves a degree of simplicity by excluding many of the most important features of civil wars, even to the extent of asserting that there is no point in asking rebels about their motivations. Furthermore, it is often politically convenient in that it tends to exclude a number of western governments—and (sometimes favoured) governments in poorer countries—from serious scrutiny. By contrast, the emphasis placed by Frances Stewart and her associates on the role of economic and political inequalities between groups offers a more nuanced understanding of how civil wars are caused and shaped, an understanding that is better able to take account of the nature of grievances and of the role of abusive government-affiliated actors in generating grievances.
5-(Chloromethyl)quinolin-8-yl acetate

The title compound, C12H10ClNO2, crystallizes with two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit; these are approximate mirror images of each other. In each molecule, the chloromethyl and acetate groups lie on the same side of the quinoline ring system, with dihedral angles between the ring plane and the plane of the acetate group of 82.0 (1) and −79.2 (1)°. The C—C—C—Cl torsion angles for the chloromethyl groups of the two molecules are 80.9 (2) and −83.1 (2)°.
Mixed messages, partial pictures? Discourses under construction in CCTV’s Africa Live compared with the BBC

Does the news element of the Africa Live program broadcast by CCTV News represent an alternative to influential Western global news agendas? The Chinese state broadcaster promised “African news from an African viewpoint” when it launched the program in 2012 from its new broadcast center in Nairobi featuring African reporters and presenters. However, ultimate editorial control resides in CCTV’s headquarters in Beijing. In 2014, in a comparison with BBC World News TV’s Focus on Africa program – also launched in 2012 with similar ambitions and a similar parent broadcaster outside Africa – Africa Live’s news bulletins underwent quantitative content analysis. Qualitative comparative multi-modal discourse analysis was applied to selected news events. The early results from this continuing project indicate substantial differences in the way the two broadcasters set about their goal of delivering an “African story”. Although Africa Live did indeed show signs of developing an alternative to the “Western gaze”, which reduces Africa to a litany of conflicts and famines, Chinese subject matter and Chinese interests had a disproportionate effect on its editorial agenda.
Effects of feeding on thermoregulatory behaviours and gut blood flow in white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) using biotelemetry in combination with standard techniques

SUMMARY The effects of thermoregulatory behaviours on gut blood flow in white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus before and after feeding was studied using a blood flow biotelemetry system in combination with a temperature preference chamber. This is the first study to look at cardiovascular responses to feeding in white sturgeon, and also the first time behavioural tests in fish have been combined with recordings of cardiac output, heart rate, cardiac stroke volume and gut blood flow. The results showed strong correlations between gut blood flow and temperature choice after feeding (R2=0.88±0.03, 6–8 h postprandially and R2=0.89±0.04, 8–10 h postprandially) but not prior to feeding (R2=0.11±0.05). Feeding did not affect the actual temperature preference (18.4±0.7°C before feeding, 18.1±0.7°C, 6–8 h postprandially and 17.5±0.5°C, 8–10 h postprandially). Fish instrumented with a blood flow biotelemetry device, and allowed to move freely in the water, had a significantly lower resting heart rate (37.3±0.26 beats min–1) compared with the control group that was traditionally instrumented with transit-time blood flow probes and kept in a confined area in accordance with the standard procedure (43.2±2.1 beats min–1). This study shows, for the first time in fish, the correlation between body temperature and gut blood flow during behavioural thermoregulation.
Acute effects of static and dynamic stretching on hamstring eccentric isokinetic strength and unilateral hamstring to quadriceps strength ratios

Abstract The main purposes of this study were to investigate the acute effects of static and dynamic lower limb stretching routines: (a) on peak torque, total external work and joint angle at peak torque of the hamstrings during maximal eccentric isokinetic leg flexion; (b) on unilateral hamstring to quadriceps (H/Q) strength ratios; as well as (c) to determine whether static and dynamic routines elicit similar responses. A total of 49 active adults completed the following intervention protocols in a randomised order on separate days: (a) non-stretching (control condition), (b) static stretching, and (c) dynamic stretching. After the stretching or control intervention, eccentric isokinetic peak torque, the angle of peak torque and total external work were assessed with participants prone at 1.04 and 3.14 rad · s−1. Unilateral strength ratios of the knee were also recorded. Measures were compared via a fully-within-groups factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA). There were no main effects for eccentric isokinetic peak torque, angle of peak torque, total external work and unilateral H/Q strength ratios. The results suggest that dynamic and static stretching has no influence on eccentric strength profile and unilateral H/Q strength ratios and hence both forms of stretching do not reduce these two primary risk factors for muscle injury.
A re-consideration of the taxonomic status of Nebria lacustris Casey (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Nebriini) based on multiple datasets – a single species or a species complex?

Abstract This study gathered evidence from principal component analysis (PCA) of morphometric data and molecular analyses of nucleotide sequence data for four nuclear genes (28S, TpI, CAD1, and Wg) and two mitochondrial genes (COI and 16S), using parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods. This evidence was combined with morphological and chorological data to re-evaluate the taxonomic status of Nebria lacustris Casey sensu lato. PCA demonstrated that both body size and one conspicuous aspect of pronotal shape vary simultaneously with elevation, latitude, and longitude and served to distinguish populations from the southern Appalachian highlands, south of the French Broad, from all other populations. Molecular analyses revealed surprisingly low overall genetic diversity within Nebria lacustris sensu lato, with only 0.39% of 4605 bp varied in the concatenated dataset. Evaluation of patterns observed in morphological and genetic variation and distribution led to the following taxonomic conclusions: (1) Nebria lacustris Casey and Nebria bellorum Kavanaugh should be considered distinct species, which is a NEW STATUS for Nebria bellorum. (2) No other distinct taxonomic subunits could be distinguished with the evidence at hand, but samples from northeastern Iowa, in part of the region known as the “Driftless Zone”, have unique genetic markers for two genes that hint at descent from a local population surviving at least the last glacial advance. (3) No morphometric or molecular evidence supports taxonomic distinction between lowland populations on the shores of Lake Champlain and upland populations in the adjacent Green Mountains of Vermont, despite evident size and pronotal shape differences between many of their members.
Schema Mapping Using Hybrid Ripple-Down Rules

Schema mapping is essential to manage schema heterogeneity among different sources. Schema mapping can be conducted by using machine learning algorithms or by knowledge engineering approaches. These two approaches have advantages and disadvantages. The machine learning approaches can learn their model using the data, but they are static, so they cannot be modified to reflect the domain data changes. Inversely, the knowledge engineering approaches need domain experts, but they can be modified by reflecting the domain data changes. In order to exploit the advantages of both approaches and reduce the limitations, we propose a hybrid approach, called Hybrid-RDR, which combines a machine learning algorithm with ripple-down rules (RDR), an incremental knowledge engineering approach. A model is constructed by a decision tree algorithm and then it is extended by adding rules incrementally. This approach achieves higher performance in terms of precision, recall and F-measure compared to the machine learning algorithm. This significantly reduces the effort for classifying the related schemas one by one by manually creating rules and it is possible to modify the knowledge base by adding rules without creating model again if decision tree gives wrong classifications whenever the schema data changes over time.