Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Idea Assessment and Selection in Product Innovation : The Empirical Research Results

The process of innovation takes significant resources, and therefore it is of great importance for companies that want to recognize the ideas with high innovation capacity as early as possible, and in a transparent manner, with the least necessary amount of expert knowledge. Current research indicates that companies often carry out the selection of ideas ad hoc or intuitively, and that only a small number of companies have defined the methods for ideas assessment and evaluation. In doing so, such problems as imprecise definition of the variables used in the evaluation process of the capacities of ideas, undefined metrics and interaction variables will arise. In order to determine the practical points of view in this area, a study was conducted in the form of a survey on a representative sample of Croatian companies which have product innovation in their production program. The survey is aimed at determining what motivates companies to innovate, and the ways in which companies carry out the assessment and selection of ideas. Through a thorough study of the literature, a set of variables that are commonly used in the idea capacities assessment for product development have been defined, and the survey tried to establish the practical significance of individual variables for the participants of the process. This paper presents the results of the study.
The Test-Retest Reliability of the Photopic Negative Response (PhNR).

PURPOSE The photopic negative response (PhNR) may be useful as a tool to monitor longitudinal change in retinal ganglion cell (RGC) function. The goal was to assess PhNR test-retest reliability, and to estimate the amount of change between tests that is likely to be statistically significant for an individual test subject. METHODS Photopic electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded from 49 visually normal subjects (mean age, 38.9 years; range, 21-72 years). Signals were acquired using Dawson-Trick-Litzkow (DTL) electrodes in response to red stimulus at four flash energies (0.5, 1, 2.25, 3 cd·s/m2) on a blue background (10 cd/m2). The PhNR amplitude was recorded from prestimulus baseline to trough (BT), prestimulus baseline to fixed time point (BF), and b-wave peak to trough (PT). The ratio of baseline PhNR to b-wave amplitude (BT/b-wave) was calculated. Reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1) and coefficient of repeatability (CoR). RESULTS Flash energy of 1.00 cd·s/m2 produced reliable, well-defined traces. At this stimulus, the a- and b-wave amplitudes were reproduced with moderate reliability (ICC, 0.62; CoR%, 90.0%; and ICC, 0.74; CoR%, 54.3%; respectively). For PhNR, the order from most to least reliable measurement was: PT (ICC, 0.64; CoR%, 59.1%), BT (ICC, 0.40; CoR%, 148.3%), and BF (ICC, 0.22; CoR%, 166.1%). The BT/b-wave did not improve reliability (ICC, 0.37; CoR%, 181.5). CONCLUSION The b-wave peak-to-PhNR trough amplitude produced the most reliable measurement. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE A relatively large magnitude of change in PhNR amplitude is required to make clinical inferences about changes in RGC function. Refinement to the technique of acquisition and/or processing of the PhNR is recommended to improve reliability.
Major depressive disorder in late life: A multifocus perspective on care needs

Background: The effectiveness of late-life depression treatment can be improved by tailoring interventions to patients’ needs. Unmet needs perceived by patients suffering from a severe mental illness, e.g. depression, may have a negative impact on their recovery. Aim: The aim of this study is to gain insight into the needs of outpatients with late-life depression. Method: Ninety-nine outpatients (aged 58–92) receiving treatment for major depressive disorder were recruited from six specialized mental health care facilities in the Netherlands. They were interviewed using the Dutch version of the Camberwell Assessment of Needs for the Elderly (CANE-NL) to identify met and unmet needs. The Montgomery–Äsberg Depression Rating Scale was administered to measure depression severity. Results: Depression severity levels varied from remission (23%), mild (31%), moderate (31%) to severe depression (15%). The average number of needs reported was 8.86, comprising 6.5 met needs and 2.3 unmet needs. Most of the unique variance in depression severity was explained by psychological unmet needs, more in particular by needs representing psychological distress. The environmental, social or physical unmet needs, respectively, showed less or no meaningful predictive value for variance in depression severity. Conclusion: The psychological needs category of the CANE appeared to be the strongest predictor of depression severity. Systematic needs assessment may be considered as a necessary complement to medical examination and a prerequisite for the development of tailored treatment plans for older people with depression.
Changes on protein expression associated with salinity tolerance in Brassica cell cultures

The synthesis of proteins from salt‐tolerant Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis L. subvar. cauliflora (Gars.) DC. (cauliflower) cell cultures is modified in relation to controls in several features. There are nine newly induced polypeptides in tolerant cultures (absent in control conditions). Some of them are only present under low salt levels (85 mM NaCl). Another group seems to be representative of moderate and high salt levels (170 and 255 mM NaCl), and a third group is present in all the salt conditions tested. On the other hand, the synthesis of most of the polypeptides present in control conditions is modified in salt‐tolerant cultures by increasing, decreasing or stopping their synthesis in any of the tested conditions. The relationship between these changes in Brassica and other plant systems is discussed.
Proton-linked D-xylose transport in Escherichia coli

The addition of xylose to energy-depleted cells of Escherichia coli elicited an alkaline pH change which failed to appear in the presence of uncoupling agents. Accumulation of [14C]xylose by energy-replete cells was also inhibited by uncoupling agents, but not by fluoride or arsenate. Subcellular vesicles of E. coli accumulated [14C]xylose provided that ascorbate plus phenazine methosulfate were present for respiration, and this accumulation was inhibited by uncoupling agents or valinomycin. Therefore, the transport of xylose into E. coli appears to be energized by a proton-motive force, rather than by a phosphotransferase or directly energized mechanism. Its specificity for xylose as inducer and substrate and the genetic location of a xylose-H+ transport-negative mutation near mtl showed that the xylose-H+ system is distinct from other proton-linked sugar transport systems of E. coli.
[Perception of stress in the nursing profession: study of the behavior of s-IgA].

AIMS To assess and compare self reported work stressors among emergency (PS) and medicine department (ME) nurses, and to investigate its relation with salivary IgA. METHODS Fifty seven of 93 (61.2%) female PS and ME nurses participated in the study. The Italian version of NIOSH Job Stress Questionnaire was used to measure self perceived stress. ELISA methods were used to determine the salivary IgA. RESULTS The scores of scales such as workload and conflict with co-workers were higher in PS (3.72 and 3.18) than in ME nurses (3.12 and 2.66). PS nurses had lower concentration rates of IgA (mean 123.3 microg/ml) than ME nurses (mean 221.49 microg/ml). Significant inverse correlations were observed between the scores of workload and conflict with co-workers and log IgA (respectively r -0.27 e -0.33, both p < 0.01). CONCLUSION PS nurses showed significantly lower secretion rates of salivary IgA compared to ME nurses. Salivary IgA were inversely correlated with measured self reported work stressors.
The anti-tumor performance of docetaxel liposomes surface-modified with glycyrrhetinic acid

Purpose: Anti-tumor performance of docetaxel liposomes surface-modified with glycyrrhetinic acid (GA-DX-Lip) as a new hepatocytes-targeted delivery vehicle was investigated, unmodified docetaxel liposome (DX-Lip) was chosen as a comparison. Methods: GA-DX-Lip was prepared by film dispersion method. The physicochemical properties were characterized. The cellular uptake mechanism of GA-modified liposomes was studied in hepatocytes and nonparenchymal cells. Pharmacokinetics and the anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo of GA-DX-Lip were investigated. Results: The size of GA-DX-Lip was about 90 nm with negative charge and the entrapment efficiency was more than 95%. GA-modified liposomes had the specific receptor-mediated cellular endocytosis to hepatocytes, and the uptake ratio of hepatocytes to nonparenchymal cells was 2.28 times. The tumor inhibitory ratio of GA-DX-Lip in vitro was 2.03 times of DX-Lip, the T/C of GA-DX-Lip was 20.14%, better than the 33.27% of DX-Lip. There was no obvious difference in pharmacokinetics parameters. Discussion and Conclusion: The preliminary cellular uptake test showed the receptor-mediated endocytosis and enhanced hepatocytes-target for GA-modified liposomes. Compared with the unmodified liposome, GA-DX-Lip possessed better anti-tumor activity and unchanged pharmacokinetic behavior. The present results suggest that the GA-modified liposomes may be a promising delivery system for hepatocytes-target.
Phloroglucinol functions as an intracellular and intercellular chemical messenger influencing gene expression in Pseudomonas protegens.

Bacteria can be both highly communicative and highly competitive in natural habitats and antibiotics are thought to play a role in both of these processes. The soil bacterium Pseudomonas protegens Pf-5 produces a spectrum of antibiotics, two of which, pyoluteorin and 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG), function in intracellular and intercellular communication, both as autoinducers of their own production. Here, we demonstrate that phloroglucinol, an intermediate in DAPG biosynthesis, can serve as an intercellular signal influencing the expression of pyoluteorin biosynthesis genes, the production of pyoluteorin, and inhibition of Pythium ultimum, a phytopathogenic oomycete sensitive to pyoluteorin. Through analysis of RNAseq data sets, we show that phloroglucinol had broad effects on the transcriptome of Pf-5, significantly altering the transcription of more than two hundred genes. The effects of nanomolar versus micromolar concentrations of phloroglucinol differed both quantitatively and qualitatively, influencing the expression of distinct sets of genes or having opposite effects on transcript abundance of certain genes. Therefore, our results support the concept of hormesis, a phenomenon associated with signalling molecules that elicit distinct responses at different concentrations. Phloroglucinol is the first example of an intermediate of antibiotic biosynthesis that functions as a chemical messenger influencing gene expression in P. protegens.
Environment of Tryptophan 57 in Porcine Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase Studied by Time-resolved Fluorescence and Site-directed Mutagenesis¶

Abstract The environment of Trp57, introduced by the mutation of a tyrosine in the dynamic loop of porcine liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), was examined using time-resolved fluorescence and directed mutation. The Trp57 enzyme was studied previously by X-ray crystallography and steady-state fluorescence, the latter revealing an unexpected redshift in the wavelength of maximum fluorescence emission for the R-state conformer. The redshift was attributed to the negative charge of Asp127 in contact with the indole side chain of Trp57. Time-resolved fluorescence experiments here reveal an indole side chain less solvent exposed and more rigid in the R-state, than in the T-state of the enzyme, consistent with X-ray crystal structures. Replacement of Asp127 with an asparagine causes a 6 nm blueshift in the wavelength of maximum fluorescence emission for the R-state conformer, with little effect on the emission maximum of the T-state enzyme. The data here support the direct correspondence between X-ray crystal structures of FBPase and conformational states of the enzyme in solution, and provide a clear example of the influence of microenvironment on the fluorescence properties of tryptophan.
High-resolution simulation and rendering of gaseous phenomena from low-resolution data

Numerical simulations are often used in computer graphics to capture the effects of natural phenomena such as fire, water and smoke. However, simulating large-scale events in this way, with the details needed for feature film, poses serious problems. Grid-based simulations at resolutions sufficient to incorporate small-scale details would be costly and use large amounts of memory, and likewise for particle based techniques. To overcome these problems, a new framework for simulation and rendering of gaseous phenomena is presented in this thesis. It makes use of a combination of different existing concepts for such phenomena to resolve many of the issues in using them separately, and the result is a potent method for high-detailed simulation and rendering at low cost. The developed method utilizes a slice refinement technique, where a coarse particle input is transformed into a set of two-dimensional view-aligned slices, which are simulated at high resolution. These slices are subsequently used in a rendering framework accounting for light scattering behaviors in participating media to achieve a final highly detailed volume rendering outcome. However,the transformations from three to two dimensions and back easily introduces visible artifacts, so a number of techniques have been considered to overcome these problems, where e.g. a turbulence function is used in the final volume density function to break up possible interpolation artifacts.
Valvulography. A test for patency of holter valve shunts.

ONE OF the most common problems in the management of patients with hydrocephalus and persistent subdural effusions is the evaluation of the shunt system to determine its patency. The classical method of determining whether or not a shunt system is patent is to utilize the simple digital or manual pumping technique which at times may not be reliable. A partially malfunctioning valve is almost impossible to evaluate clinically. Another problem which frequently plagues the surgeon is the identification of which end of the obstructive system is at fault. Simple radiographic evaluation of the broken tube occurs too infrequently to be of consistent value. Radioactive material, such as iodinated I131 serum albumin (Risa 131), has been utilized 1-6 to study cerebrospinal flow through shunt systems. Usually this material is injected into the lateral ventricle and its concentration in the blood stream or in the distal limb of the tubing is determined.
Benford's Law for Natural and Synthetic Images

Benford's Law (also known as the First Digit Law) is well known in statistics of natural phenomena. It states that, when dealing with quantities obtained from Nature, the frequency of appearance of each digit in the first significant place is logarithmic. This law has been observed over a broad range of statistical phenomena. In this paper, we will explore its application to image analysis. We will show how light intensities in natural images, under certain constraints, obey this law closely. We will also show how light intensities in synthetic images follow this law whenever they are generated using physically realistic methods, and fail otherwise. Finally, we will study how transformations on the images affect the adjustment to the Law and how the fitting to the law is related to the fitting of the distribution of the raw intensities of the image to a power law.
Tad1p, a yeast tRNA‐specific adenosine deaminase, is related to the mammalian pre‐mRNA editing enzymes ADAR1 and ADAR2

We have identified an RNA‐specific adenosine deaminase (termed Tad1p/scADAT1) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae that selectively converts adenosine at position 37 of eukaryotic tRNAAla to inosine. The activity of purified recombinant Tad1p depends on the conformation of its tRNA substrate and the enzyme was found to be inactive on all other types of RNA tested. Mutant strains in which the TAD1 gene is disrupted are viable but lack Tad1p enzyme activity and their tRNAAla is not modified at position A37. Transformation of the mutant cells with the TAD1 gene restored enzyme activity. Tad1p has significant sequence similarity with the mammalian editing enzymes which act on specific precursor‐mRNAs and on long double‐stranded RNA. These findings suggest an evolutionary link between pre‐mRNA editing and tRNA modification.
Analyse de l'écoulement tridimensionnel et instationnaire dans un compresseur centrifuge à fort taux de pression

Cette etude porte sur un compresseur centrifuge concu par Turbomeca. Son dessin rompt avec les conceptions classiques de compresseur en introduisant une roue mobile a moyeu non axi-symetrique. Une approche experimentale et numerique est proposee pour l'analyse de l'ecoulement dans ce type de configuration. En premier lieu, l'etude montre la capacite du nouveau dessin a modifier la structure d'ecoulement dans la roue mobile. Dans le cas present, l'effet benefique d'une reduction d'intensite tourbillonaire est contre-balance par une augmentation des pertes au carter, par cisaillement. En second lieu, un traitement analytique des resultats experimentaux et numeriques permet de quantifier la contribution purement instationnaire de l'interaction rotor-stator. L'analyse montre en particulier que la modificiation periodique de la structure de choc attachee au diffuseur est a l'origine d'une augmentation sensible des pertes, par comparaison a celles predies par les simulations stationnaires.
Protein Charge Determination

The most popular current method of determining protein valence entails the calculation of net charge from amino acid sequence/composition. However, the inaccuracy of that approach was recognized long before the advent of the protein data banks and computer programs to facilitate its adoption. Capillary zone electrophoresis affords the simplest and most economical procedure for obtaining a reliable estimate of the net charge of a protein in the buffer system of interest. This unit explains the major pitfalls in the calculation of net charge from protein sequence data.
Patients with B cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia have an expanded population of CD4+ perforin expressing T cells enriched for human cytomegalovirus specificity and an effector‐memory phenotype

We have previously shown an expansion of cytotoxic antigen‐experienced CD4+T cells (CTLs) that express perforin (PF) in the peripheral blood of patients with B cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B‐CLL). Increased frequencies of CD4+CTLs have since been attributed to chronic viral infections, particularly, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). The present study examined the involvement of CD4+CTLs in responses to HCMV in B‐CLL, and characterized their differentiation. We studied 36 HCMV seropositive (SP) and seronegative B‐CLL patients and 20 healthy age‐matched individuals. The HCMV reactivity of CD4+PF+ and CD4+PF− cells was determined by interferon‐gamma expression, and expression of CD45RA and CCR7 was assessed by flow cytometry. Fluorescence in‐situ hybridization was used to measure relative telomere lengths. CD4+PF+T cell expansion in B‐CLL patients and controls was strongly associated with HCMV seropositivity. CD4+PF+ compared to CD4+PF− cells from SP B‐CLL patients elicited major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II‐restricted responses to HCMV. CD4+PF+T cells from patients and controls were enriched with highly differentiated T‐effector/memory (CCR7−) and revertant (CCR7−CD45RA+) phenotype. CD4+PF+T cells from B‐CLL patients had shorter telomeres than CD4+PF−T cells, indicating an extensive replicative history. We conclude that persistent exposure to HCMV antigens in SP B‐CLL patients leads to an expansion of the circulating MHC class II‐restricted CD4+PF+T cell population with effector/memory phenotype.
An ontology approach to enhance interoperability for musculoskeletal problems

Musculoskeletal problems are leading causes of disability in adults with high health related costs to the system. Evidence suggests that obscure and inconsistent domain knowledge can create challenges to timely and relevant communication among multidisciplinary care providers in the management of these conditions. The primary objective of this study was to develop, test and evaluate a model and a methodology for creating an ontology in the heterogeneous domain of musculoskeletal and pain related problems. The methodology applied a two-staged approach for enabling interoperability, namely, development of a controlled vocabulary followed by an ontology. The ontology was developed from the knowledge that existed in 100 patient charts and among 8 domain experts. The chronic pain ontology contained 182 classes and over 51 data and 38 object properties. Sixty-seven percent of clinicians agreed on the overall usefulness of the ontology as a boundary object. Goal of this research was to enable better communication among multidisciplinary care providers through an ontology based interoperability.
The quinone reductase gene: a unique estrogen receptor-regulated gene that is activated by antiestrogens.

Antiestrogens are thought to exert most of their beneficial effects in breast cancer by antagonizing the actions of estrogen. We report here that antiestrogens also stimulate the expression of quinone reductase (QR) [NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase, EC 1.6. 99.2], which may provide protective effects against the toxicity and mutagenicity caused by quinones. QR is up-regulated by low concentrations of antiestrogens (trans-hydroxytamoxifen, tamoxifen, and ICI182,780) in estrogen receptor (ER)-containing breast cancer cells, and this increase is suppressed by estrogen via an ER-dependent mechanism. Since regulation of the QR gene, as well as other genes involved in detoxification such as the glutathione S-transferase Ya subunit (GST Ya) gene, is known to be mediated by an electrophile/antioxidant response element (EpRE/ARE), we examined the effects of antiestrogens on a 41-bp electrophile responsive region derived from the GST Ya gene. Transfection of this EpRE-containing region into ER-negative breast cancer cells in the presence or absence of an expression vector for the human ER, as well as mutagenesis studies, revealed that the EpRE-containing construct was activated by antiestrogen to the same extent as by tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), a known activator of EpREs; however, only the stimulation by antiestrogen, and not TBHQ, required ER and was repressed by estradiol, although activation by both inducers mapped to the same 10-bp EpRE consensus sequence. Thus, there appear to be two pathways for QR induction, one that is activated by electrophile inducers such as TBHQ and is ER independent, and a second that is antiestrogen regulated and ER dependent; both pathways act through the EpRE. The anticancer action of antiestrogens may thus derive not only from the already well-known repression of estrogen-stimulated activities but also from the activation of detoxifying enzymes, such as QR, that may contribute to the beneficial antioxidant activity of antiestrogens.