Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heat stress and bulkiness of chemical protective clothing impair performance of medical personnel in basic lifesaving tasks

The study examined the impact of chemical protective (CP) clothing on the performance of lifesaving tasks in thermoneutral and cold conditions. Eleven males performed pre-exercise followed by lifesaving tasks wearing either field combat uniform at 21°C (U) or CP clothing at 21°C (CPN) and–;5°C (CPC). The tasks were ventilating a doll (VA) and connecting an intravenous line (IV). Mean skin temperature was significantly higher for CPN compared to U and CPC during pre-exercise, VA and IV. Changes in blood pressure were significantly greater with CP clothing than without during VA and IV. The number of breaths per min (in VA) and time needed for IV increased by 19% (p < 0.05) and 18%, respectively, for CPN compared to U. Due to the cold, the additional increment was 5% and 17%, respectively, for CPC. Wearing of CP clothing in thermoneutral or in cold conditions may not prevent but, especially in the cold, significantly impede the performance of basic medical tasks. The findings of this study showed that performing medical tasks while wearing nuclear, biological and chemical protective clothing is impaired due to significant changes in physiological strain. This suggests that realistic training in local conditions as well as in cold conditions is needed to realise the restrictions due to protective clothing.
Multiple transcription factor binding sites mediate adenovirus E1A transactivation

We studied the response of simple synthetic promoter regions to transactivation by the adenovirus early region 1A (E1A) protein. Binding sites for one or two host cell transcription factors were substituted for the E1B promoter region in reconstructed virus mutants, and the response to E1A transactivation was assayed during the early phase of infection. We found that a single CREB/ATF binding site resulted in a surprisingly strong promoter which responded to E1A. A CREB/ATF binding site placed upstream of the E1B TATA box behaved much like the wild-type E1B promoter, which is composed of a single Sp1 binding site plus a TATA box. A single E2F binding site resulted in an extremely weak promoter which did not respond to E1A, much like a single Sp1 site. Two E2F sites in an inverted orientation with the same spacing as in the adenovirus type 2 E2 early promoter produced a strong, E1A-responsive promoter. Substitution of the E4 TATA box region for the E1B TATA box region produced a promoter about five times stronger than the wild-type E1B promoter in the absence of E1A. However, the E4 TATA box substitution did not respond significantly to E1A transactivation. These results directly demonstrate that many different transcription factor binding sites, including the E1B TATA box, a CREB/ATF binding site, and two E2F sites, can mediate E1A transactivation. Other transcription factor binding sites cannot mediate an E1A response; these other sites include the E4 TATA box, a single Sp1 binding site, and a single E2F binding site. Implications of these findings for the mechanism of E1A transactivation are discussed.
Quisqualate‐induced excitotoxic death of glial cells: Transient vulnerability of cultured astrocytes

The cytotoxic effect of quisqualate, a potent excitatory amino acid (EAA), was examined in purified astrocyte cultures obtained from neonatal rat cerebral cortex and grown in a serum‐free, defined medium (G5). Excitotoxicity was evaluated by phase contrast microscopy and quantified by the measurement of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activity released from the damaged cells into the culture medium. Quisqualate evoked not only osmotic swelling, but also cytotoxic cell death of cultured astrocytes. The vulnerability of cells was restricted to a period between day 4 and 8 in subculture, with a maximal sensitivity on day 7. The present findings indicate that not only neurons, but also glial cells may exhibit excitotoxic vulnerability. The vulnerability to quisqualate appears to be a transient phenomenon, at least in cultured astrocytes.
Salivary Cortisol for Assessment of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Function

Objective: Cortisol is an important hormone/steroid in the regulation of intermediate metabolism and stress. It exists in free (unbound) and protein-bound forms in serum but only in a free form in saliva. The free form is the biologically active one. There is an advanced biofeedback system regulating the cortisol secretion/concentration by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Methods: There are many different methods to collect saliva, either directly from the mouth as an expectorate or indirectly by using swabs, capillary tubes or paper foams. The swab may be cotton-based, synthetic, with or without a plastic sheath. There are different methods for analysis – immunological, radioisotopic, mass fragmentographic and chromatographic. Results: The diurnal variation in salivary cortisol concentrations in healthy school-aged boys and girls are described and show dependence to different degrees of age and sex. Conclusion: Sampling for salivary cortisol determination is a sensitive, specific and pain-free procedure and it is therefore very useful for following healthy and sick children before, during and after pharmacological interventions. Different conditions as time for sampling, interaction with other endogenous and exogenous steroids, and physical and psychological activity interact with the salivary cortisol concentration.
The art of risk management: the crucial role of the global art insurance industry in enabling risk and security

This article investigates the under-researched sphere of insurance. It uses empirical research data to focus on one case study, the London art world, to analyse how the global art insurance industry ‘does’ security and how it enables risk and security to be embraced. Examining how the industry plays a crucial role in the security of art and within the art world itself, the article argues that the global art insurance industry’s role is largely beneficial for the art world because by enabling risk to be embraced through insurance, its pre-crime and post-crime responses, and its influence ‘beyond’ insurance, it emboldens and fuels the dynamic, thriving global art world.
OTT-ISP joint service management: A Customer Lifetime Value based approach

In this work, we propose a QoE-aware collaboration approach between Over-The-Top providers (OTT) and Internet Service Providers (ISP) based on the maximization of the profit by considering the user churn of Most Profitable Customers (MPCs), which are classified in terms of the Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). The contribution of this work is multifold. Firstly, we investigate the different perspectives of ISPs and OTTs regarding QoE management and why they should collaborate. Secondly, we investigate the current ongoing collaboration scenarios in the multimedia industry. Thirdly, we propose the QoE-aware collaboration framework based on the CLV, which includes the interfaces for information sharing between OTTs and ISPs and the use of Content Delivery Networks (CDN) and surrogate servers. Finally, we provide simulation results aiming at demonstrating the higher profit is achieved when collaboration is introduced, by engaging more MPCs with respect to current solutions.
Current-mode reference shifting solution for MDAC-based analog-to-digital converters

This paper presents a current-mode reference shifting solution for MDAC-based ADCs that eliminates the need for external or internal reference voltage buffers, thus improving the energy efficiency and cost of the overall ADC. The solution consists of using an current source connected to the opamp's inputs, where reference shifting occurs by pulling a current through the capacitor in the opamp's feedback loop during the amplification phase, thus, emulating a voltage shift, ΔV = (IΔt)/C. The amount of necessary current, i.e., the biasing of the current source, is controlled by a replica of the converter's stage, which is followed by an integrator and a biasing circuit, all connected in a negative feedback loop. To illustrate the solution's performance, two 10 bit 100 MS/s pipeline ADCs were implemented: one based on the conventional 1.5-bit MDAC and the other based on the proposed circuit. Simulation results show the functionality of the proposed circuit and results for different wirebond inductances prove the stability and performance of the proposed solution.
UHF RFID Temperature Sensor Assisted With Body-Heat Dissipation Energy Harvesting

The number of wireless medical wearables has increased in recent years and is revolutionizing the current healthcare system. However, the state-of-the-art systems still need to be improved, as they are bulky, battery powered, and so require maintenance. On the contrary, battery-free wearables have unlimited lifetimes, are smaller, and are cheaper. This paper describes a design of a battery free wearable system that measures the skin temperature of the human body while at the same time collects energy from body heat. The system is composed of an UHF RFID temperature sensor tag located on the arm of the patient. It is assisted with extra power supply from a power harvesting module that stores the thermal energy dissipated from the neck of the patient. This paper presents the experimental results of the stored thermal energy, and characterizes the module in different conditions, e.g., still, walking indoors, and walking outdoors. Finally, the tag is tested in a fully passive condition and when it is power assisted. Our experimental results show that the communication range of the RFID sensor is improved by 100% when measurements are done every 750 ms and by 75% when measurements are done every 1000 ms when the sensor is assisted with the power harvesting module.
Regulation of immediate early gene expression.

From this brief overview of the regulation of the c-fos promoter, it can be seen that the regulation of early-response genes is a complex affair. Therefore, it is not easy to predict from the upstream sequence of a given early-response gene exactly which elements are responsible for responding to what signals in a given cell type. However, from studies of other early-response genes, it is clear that several of the elements found upstream of c-fos appear frequently and are important in the regulation of other early-response genes. For instance, the zif/268 gene has four separate CArG boxes that are similar to fos. These CArG boxes can function in the serum and TPA response, but interestingly, they are not imbedded in a region of dyad symmetry as in c-fos (Christy and Nathans 1989). Upstream of the c-jun oncogene is an AP-1 site that can modulate the expression and induction of this gene and is responsive to TPA (Angel et al. 1988). Moreover, other studies suggest that cAMP-mediated signals can repress induction of c-jun through this element (de Groot et al. 1991; Mechta et al. 1989). This would explain why in certain circumstances, such as depolarization of PC12 cells or in the striatum in response to cocaine, there is an uncoupling of the induction of c-jun and jun-B. Depolarization induces c-fos and jun-B but not c-jun; however, growth factors such as NGF can induce all three genes in the same cell (Bartel et al. 1989). Upstream of the jun-B gene there does not appear to be an SRE, but there is a new element that can be responsive to both cAMP and phorbol esters (de Groot et al. 1991). Genes such as c-myc, JE, and KC have no consensus SREs upstream, and the regulatory elements responsible for the induction of these genes have not been clearly identified (Rollins et al. 1988). However, there is some evidence from the c-myc gene that the E2F binding sites are important for its regulation by serum (Mudryj et al. 1990; Sacca and Cochran 1990). In addition, there are two SIF sites upstream of the c-myc proto-oncogene (B.H. Cochran and T.E. Hayes, unpublished results). Upstream of the nur-77 gene there are no SREs, but there are four potential calcium/CRE-like elements (Watson and Milbrandt 1989). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A comparison of upper limb amputees and patients with upper limb injuries using the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH)

Purpose: To use the Disability of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (DASH) scale to measure the disability of patients with upper limb amputation(s) and to compare these to other upper limb injuries. Method: All 274 patients over the age of 18 years presenting to Prince Henry Hospital in Sydney over a 4-year time frame were given the DASH assessment tool and asked to complete it under supervision of the Occupational Therapist. Results: Patients with brachial plexus injuries, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and bilateral upper limb amputations demonstrated significantly higher levels of disability to patients with unilateral upper limb amputations. Partial hand amputees reported a higher level of disability than major unilateral upper limb amputees. For the 48 patients who completed pre- and post-treatment assessments, there was a significant improvement in their health status. Conclusions: Further research is required to understand the factors that affect a patient's perceptions of their disability. Perhaps the definitive nature of an amputation and the immediate involvement of highly skilled health professionals serve to assist patients to accept their injury and therefore minimizes the level of disability.
Synapsin II and calcium regulate vesicle docking and the cross‐talk between vesicle pools at the mouse motor terminals

The synapsins, an abundant and highly conserved family of proteins that associate with synaptic vesicles, have been implicated in regulating the synaptic vesicle cycle. However, it has not been determined whether synapsin directly regulates the number of docked vesicles. Here we document that reducing Ca2+ concentration [Ca2+]o in the extracellular medium from 2 to 0.5 mm led to an approximately 40% decrease in both docked and undocked synaptic vesicles in wild‐type nerve terminals of the mouse diaphragm. The same treatment reduced the number of undocked vesicles in nerve terminals derived from synapsin II gene deleted animals, but surprisingly it did not decrease vesicle docking, indicating that synapsin II inhibits docking of synaptic vesicles at reduced [Ca2+]o. In accordance with the morphological findings, at reduced [Ca2+]o synapsin II (−) terminals had a higher rate of quantal neurotransmitter release. Microinjection of a recombinant synapsin II protein into synapsin II (−) terminals reduced vesicular docking and inhibited quantal release, indicating a direct and selective synapsin II effect for regulating vesicle docking and, in turn, quantal release. To understand why [Ca2+]o has a prominent effect on synapsin function, we investigated the effect of [Ca2+]o on the distribution of synaptic vesicles and on the concentration of intraterminal Ca2+. We found that reduced [Ca2+]o conditions produce a decrease in intracellular Ca2+ and overall vesicle depletion. To explore why at these conditions the role of synapsin II in vesicle docking becomes more prominent, we developed a quantitative model of the vesicle cycle, with a two step synapsin action in stabilizing the vesicle store and regulating vesicle docking. The results of the modelling were in a good agreement with the observed dependence of vesicle distribution on synapsin II and calcium deficiency.
Exploring the Importance of Negative Links through the European Parliament Social Graph

In this paper, we study the informative value of negative links in social networks, more specifically signed networks. We first process a selection of networks, generated from the 7th term (2009-2014), that were constructed by considering voting similarities between Members of the European Parliament. We propose a rework of Parallel Iterative Local Search; An algorithm to partition networks by means of solving the Correlation Clustering Problem, which takes in consideration the sign of the edges when generating selecting the communities for each node. Our rework reduces the termination time of the algorithm, and performs a faster exploration of the solution space, by means of limiting the number of iterations in local searches and also imposes a condition for a perturbation to be processed. Our approach reduced the termination required time to around 10% of the original approach, besides being able to reach better results when compared with a selection of community detection algorithms like Infomap and Walktrap, designed to process only positive links.
Synthesis and implementation of fractional-order controllers in a current curcuit of the motor with series excitation

We have synthesized and investigated fractional-order regulators, which provide for a series of technological processes the best indicators for the quality of transient process, specifically DC motors with series excitation. Given the dependence of magnetic flux on the armature current and saturation of the magnetic system, a motor armature circuit turns into a system with significant nonlinear properties under static and dynamic modes. However, it can be described with high accuracy by the transfer function of fractional order. Owing to the appropriate fractional integral-differentiating regulators, it becomes possible to obtain the quality of transient processes that is better than when using classic methods. We have considered standard methods to synthesize the coefficients of regulators and established that such settings result in deterioration of transients due to the saturation of regulators, caused by power supply voltage limitation. Therefore, it has been proposed, for a closed circuit with different structures of fractional regulators, to use a genetic algorithm for determining the optimal values of the coefficients of regulators based on the criterion for the shortest time of first harmonization and minimum overshoot. Experimental study into different structures of regulators has been performed conducted for settings on the module optimum and a fractional order of astatism from 0.35 to 1.5. Based on the results obtained, it can be argued that the best indicators are demonstrated by regulators at astatism 1+μ co , 1.5. The overshoot is then actually less than 2 %. It has been also shown that astatism 1+μ co ensures high-quality of transient processes in the unsaturated zone of magnetic system as well. The research results could be used primarily in the systems of closed control in DC motors with series excitation, as well as with objects in which power laws are observed
Multinationals' Political Strategies on Climate Change

This paper explores the international dimensions of multinationals' corporate political activities, focusing on an international issue - climate change - that is being implemented differently in a range of countries. Analyzing data from FT Global 500 firms, it examines the influence on types and process of multinationals' political strategies, reckoning with institutional contexts and issue saliency. Findings show that the type of political activities can be characterized as an information strategy to influence policymakers towards market-based solutions, not so much withholding action on emission reduction. Moreover, multinationals pursue self-regulation, targeting a broad range of political actors. The process of political strategy is mostly one of collective action. International differences particularly surface in the type of political actors aimed at, with US and Australian firms focusing more on non-government actors (voluntary programs) than European and Japanese firms. Influencing home-country (not host-country) governments is the main component of international political strategy on climate change.
Modulatory effects of Ixora coccinea flower on cyclophosphamide‐induced toxicity in mice

The active fraction of Ixora coccinea flowers showed chemoprotective effects on cyclophosphamide ‐ induced toxicity by increasing the life span of treated mice, preventing body weight loss and maintaining near normal leucocyte and haemoglobin levels compared with cyclophosphamide treated controls. Decreased serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) and serum alkaline phosphatase (SAKP) levels in the Ixora coccinea treated groups indicated protection against hepatic toxicity. The active fraction was identified by phytochemical methods as the triterpenoid, ursolic acid. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Role of Glypicans in Wnt Inhibitory Factor-1 Activity and the Structural Basis of Wif1's Effects on Wnt and Hedgehog Signaling

Proper assignment of cellular fates relies on correct interpretation of Wnt and Hedgehog (Hh) signals. Members of the Wnt Inhibitory Factor-1 (WIF1) family are secreted modulators of these extracellular signaling pathways. Vertebrate WIF1 binds Wnts and inhibits their signaling, but its Drosophila melanogaster ortholog Shifted (Shf) binds Hh and extends the range of Hh activity in the developing D. melanogaster wing. Shf activity is thought to depend on reinforcing interactions between Hh and glypican HSPGs. Using zebrafish embryos and the heterologous system provided by D. melanogaster wing, we report on the contribution of glypican HSPGs to the Wnt-inhibiting activity of zebrafish Wif1 and on the protein domains responsible for the differences in Wif1 and Shf specificity. We show that Wif1 strengthens interactions between Wnt and glypicans, modulating the biphasic action of glypicans towards Wnt inhibition; conversely, glypicans and the glypican-binding “EGF-like” domains of Wif1 are required for Wif1's full Wnt-inhibiting activity. Chimeric constructs between Wif1 and Shf were used to investigate their specificities for Wnt and Hh signaling. Full Wnt inhibition required the “WIF” domain of Wif1, and the HSPG-binding EGF-like domains of either Wif1 or Shf. Full promotion of Hh signaling requires both the EGF-like domains of Shf and the WIF domains of either Wif1 or Shf. That the Wif1 WIF domain can increase the Hh promoting activity of Shf's EGF domains suggests it is capable of interacting with Hh. In fact, full-length Wif1 affected distribution and signaling of Hh in D. melanogaster, albeit weakly, suggesting a possible role for Wif1 as a modulator of vertebrate Hh signaling.
A Methodological Literature Review of Eco-Innovation

Eco-innovation is the name used to characterize the introduction of sustainability into products, services and management practices. There are many works in the eco-innovation area which are mainly literature reviews. However, studies about methodological procedures on eco-innovation are inconsistent or not found, according to Scopus search. The methodological choices of the researchers make are responsible for their articles’ results. Therefore, it is necessary to know what these choices are and whether there is a predominance of some method; since the use of new methods enriches the elaboration of theories and research problems. The purpose of the present study is to provide information on the research methods on the theme of eco-innovation theme and consequently expand the discoveries for the area. The literature review followed the classification system of Jabbour (2013.) The results showed few eco-innovation studies use quantitative and qualitative approaches together, which demonstrates the opportunity for future studies. Also, retrospective studies on eco-innovation are considered as possible avenues in future studies. Regarding the collection methods, there is a high presence of secondary data and the survey served as a predominant source of primary data collection. Primary data collection methods, such as focus group and observation, are opportunities for future eco-innovation studies. The lack of cross-country studies suggests a profound knowledge about possible divergences between countries. The article presents perspectives of eco-innovation to explore the new possibilities of research methods in future studies.