Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phenomenography: A methodology for information literacy research

The qualitative methodology phenomenography has been successfully used to determine the range of information literacy experiences of defined groups and professions. Phenomenographic method is believed to yield research findings which give a richer and more accurate picture of what information literacy means in practical terms. The archetypal definitions of the limited but interrelated experiences of information literacy that a phenomenographic study provides have been used as a basis of evidence-based information literacy educational interventions (Andretta, 2007). What are the epistemological ideas behind phenomenography and what are the data collection and analysis procedures based on its philosophical underpinnings? The key principles as described in the literature are discussed in this paper, beginning with the early work of Marton (1986). The use of phenomenography to research information literacy experience began with Christine Bruce’s (1997) seminal work. The value of the work of Bruce and her followers have been recently recognized by ACRL (2014).
Silver nanoparticles temporarily retard NO2− production without significantly affecting N2O release by Nitrosomonas europaea

Nitrifying bacteria are highly susceptible to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). However, the effect of sublethal exposure to AgNPs after their release of nitrogenous compounds of environmental concern (e.g., the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide [N2O] and the common water pollutant nitrite [NO2−]) has not been systematically investigated. The present study reports the effect of AgNPs (and potentially released silver ions [Ag+]) on NO2− and N2O production by Nitrosomonas europaea, and on the transcription of the associated genes. The release of NO2− was more negatively affected than the production of N2O. For example, exposure to AgNPs at 0.075 mg/L temporarily enhanced N2O production (by 12%) without affecting nitrite release, whereas higher AgNP concentrations (>0.25 mg/L) inhibited NO2− release (by >12%) but not N2O production. Transcriptomic analyses corroborated these trends; AgNPs at 0.075 mg/L increased the expression of the nitric oxide reductase gene (norQ) associated with N2O production (by 5.3‐fold to 12.8‐fold), whereas both 0.075 mg/L of Ag+ and 0.75 mg/L of AgNPs down‐regulated the ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA2; by 0.08‐fold to 0.15‐fold and 0.32‐fold to 0.64‐fold, respectively), the nitrite reductase gene (nirK; by 0.01‐fold to 0.02‐fold and 0.22‐fold to 0.44‐fold, respectively), and norQ (by 0.11‐fold to 0.15‐fold and 0.32‐fold to 0.57‐fold, respectively). These results suggest that AgNP release to sewage treatment plants and land application of AgNP‐containing biosolids should be minimized because of their potential temporary stimulation of N2O release and interference with nitrification. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:2231–2235. © 2015 SETAC
Low-frequency noise study of Ge p-MOSFETs with HfO2/Al2O3/GeOx gate stack

The low-frequency (LF) Noise of Ge planar pMOSFETs passivated with GeO<sub>x</sub> interfacial layer, followed by a post-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-deposition plasma treatment and fabricated in Ge-on-Si substrates, was analysed in this study. While interface state density values comparable with mid-gap Si/SiO<sub>2</sub> can be achieved it is also important to study the density of border traps in the gate stack by LF noise. It is shown that for the Ge pMOSFETs predominantly 1/f<sup>γ</sup> noise (γ ~1) has been observed. From an analysis of the dependence of the normalized drain current noise PSD or the input-referred voltage noise PSD (S<sub>VG</sub>) it can be concluded that for not too high gate voltages number fluctuations (V<sub>G</sub>~V<sub>T</sub>) and correlated mobility fluctuations (V<sub>G</sub>>V<sub>T</sub>) are causing the flicker noise. From a plot of Svg<sup>1</sup>/<sup>2</sup> versus I<sub>D</sub>/g<sub>m</sub> one can derive the density of border traps (N<sub>bt</sub>) and the scattering coefficient (α<sub>SC</sub>).
A parallel luma-chroma filtering architecture for H.264/AVC deblocking filter

A novel architecture for the H.264/AVC deblocking filter is proposed. It includes three filtering units to filter in parallel the luma and chroma components. Also, a proper two dimensional filtering order for the luma edges and a one-dimensional filtering order for the chroma edges are presented. The architecture achieves 750 MHz in 560 MHz in 90nm and 130 nm, respectively, and requires 76 cycles to filter each MB. Compared to existing architectures, it outperforms them in frequency and throughput, while it is the only one that achieves over 60 Fps in 8K-UHD resolution.
Teriparatide increases bone formation and bone mineral density in adult women with anorexia nervosa.

CONTEXT Anorexia nervosa (AN), a prevalent psychiatric disorder predominantly affecting women, is characterized by self-induced starvation and low body weight. Increased clinical fractures are common, and most women have low bone mineral density (BMD). Previously investigated treatments have led to no or modest increases in BMD in AN. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to investigate the effect of teriparatide (TPT; human PTH[1-34]), an anabolic agent, on low bone mass in women with AN. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS This randomized, placebo-controlled trial at a clinical research center included 21 women with AN: 10 (mean age ± SEM, 47 ± 2.7 years) treated with TPT and 11 (47.1 ± 2.3 years) treated with placebo. INTERVENTIONS TPT (20 μg s.c.) or placebo was administered for 6 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Our primary outcome measure was change in BMD of the spine and hip by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Secondary outcome measures included changes in serum N-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen (P1NP), C-terminal collagen cross-links, sclerostin, and IGF-1 levels. RESULTS At 6 months, spine BMD increased significantly more with TPT (posteroanterior spine, 6.0% ± 1.4%; lateral spine, 10.5% ± 2.5%) compared with placebo (posteroanterior spine, 0.2% ± 0.7%, P < .01; lateral spine, -0.6% ± 1.0%; P < .01). The results remained significant after controlling for baseline body mass index, P1NP, and IGF-1. Changes in femoral neck (P = .4) and total hip (P = 0.8) BMD were comparable in both groups, as were changes in weight. Serum P1NP levels increased after 3 months of TPT treatment and remained at this higher level at 6 months, whereas P1NP levels were unchanged in the placebo group (P = .02). TPT was well-tolerated by all subjects. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that TPT administration increases spine BMD substantially after only 6 months of therapy in women with AN.
360° Video Viewing Dataset in Head-Mounted Virtual Reality

360° videos and Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) are getting increasingly popular. However, streaming 360° videos to HMDs is challenging. This is because only video content in viewers' Field-of-Views (FoVs) is rendered, and thus sending complete 360° videos wastes resources, including network bandwidth, storage space, and processing power. Optimizing the 360° video streaming to HMDs is, however, highly data and viewer dependent, and thus dictates real datasets. However, to our best knowledge, such datasets are not available in the literature. In this paper, we present our datasets of both content data (such as image saliency maps and motion maps derived from 360° videos) and sensor data (such as viewer head positions and orientations derived from HMD sensors). We put extra efforts to align the content and sensor data using the timestamps in the raw log files. The resulting datasets can be used by researchers, engineers, and hobbyists to either optimize existing 360° video streaming applications (like rate-distortion optimization) and novel applications (like crowd-driven camera movements). We believe that our dataset will stimulate more research activities along this exciting new research direction.
Fundamentals of Spacecraft Charging: Spacecraft Interactions with Space Plasmas

As commercial and military spacecraft become more important to the world's economy and defense, and as new scientific and exploratory missions are launched into space, the need for a single comprehensive resource on spacecraft charging becomes increasingly critical. Fundamentals of Spacecraft Charging is the first and only textbook to bring together all the necessary concepts and equations for a complete understanding of the subject. Written by one of the field's leading authorities, this essential reference enables readers to fully grasp the newest ideas and underlying physical mechanisms related to the electrostatic charging of spacecraft in the space environment. Assuming that readers may have little or no background in this area, this complete textbook covers all aspects of the field. The coverage is detailed and thorough, and topics range from secondary and backscattered electrons, spacecraft charging in Maxwellian plasmas, effective mitigation techniques, and potential wells and barriers to operational anomalies, meteors, and neutral gas release. Significant equations are derived from first principles, and abundant examples, exercises, figures, illustrations, and tables are furnished to facilitate comprehension. Fundamentals of Spacecraft Charging is the definitive reference on the physics of spacecraft charging and is suitable for advanced undergraduates, graduate-level students, and professional space researchers. Shu T. Lai is currently a visiting scientist at the Space Propulsion Laboratory, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a senior editor for IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science. He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He was formerly a senior physicist at the Space Weather Center of Excellence, Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts.
Three-dimensional refractive index tomograms and deformability of individual human red blood cells from cord blood of newborn infants and maternal blood

Abstract. Red blood cells (RBCs) from the cord blood of newborn infants have distinctive functions in fetal and infant development. To systematically investigate the biophysical characteristics of individual cord RBCs in newborn infants, a comparative study was performed on RBCs from the cord blood of newborn infants and from adult mothers or nonpregnant women using optical holographic microtomography. Optical measurements of the distributions of the three-dimensional refractive indices and the dynamic membrane fluctuations of individual RBCs were used to investigate the morphological, biochemical, and mechanical properties of cord, maternal, and adult RBCs at the individual cell level. The volume and surface area of the cord RBCs were significantly larger than those of the RBCs from nonpregnant women, and the cord RBCs had more flattened shapes than that of the RBCs in adults. In addition, the hemoglobin (Hb) content in the cord RBCs from newborns was significantly higher. The Hb concentration in the cord RBCs was higher than that in the nonpregnant women or maternal RBCs, but they were within the physiological range of adults. Interestingly, the amplitudes of the dynamic membrane fluctuations in cord RBCs were comparable to those in nonpregnant women and maternal RBCs, suggesting that the deformability of cord RBCs is similar to that of healthy RBCs in adults.
Tracking and erosion resistance of high temperature vulcanizing ATH-free silicone rubber

Traditionally aluminum trihydrate (ATH) is added to high-temperature vulcanized (HTV) silicone rubber for outdoor insulation applications to improve flame retardancy and the electrical tracking and erosion performance. In this work, the flammability of ATH-free HTV silicone rubber formulations were evaluated by the UL94 vertical burning test. The most promising candidates, as well as reference formulations filled with silica or silica/ATH only, were then evaluated by the inclined plane tracking and erosion test at 4.5 kV. The best result was obtained by silicone rubber containing 100 phr silica and 15 phr melamine cyanurate. It was suggested that this was a result of the arc quenching ability of the melamine hence extinguishing the electrical arc. If the filler level was too high, resulting in poor dispersion, the resistance to tracking and erosion was significantly reduced. Thus formulating a HTV silicone rubber with good tracking and erosion resistance is a balance between having a high enough filler content, while still maintaining a good dispersion of the particles in the polymer matrix, as well as good bonding between the particles and the matrix.
Mu opioid receptors are in discrete hippocampal interneuron subpopulations

In the rat hippocampal formation, application of mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonists disinhibits principal cells, promoting excitation‐dependent processes such as epileptogenesis and long‐term potentiation. However, the precise location of MORs in particular inhibitory circuits, has not been determined, and the roles of MORs in endogenous functioning are unclear. To address these issues, the distribution of MOR‐like immunoreactivity (‐li) was examined in several populations of inhibitory hippocampal neurons in the CA1 region using light and electron microscopy. We found that MOR‐li was present in many parvalbumin‐containing basket cells, but absent from cholecystokinin‐labeled basket cells. MOR‐li was also commonly in interneurons containing somatostatin‐li or neuropeptide Y‐li that resembled the “oriens–lacunosum‐moleculare” (O‐LM) interneurons innervating pyramidal cell distal dendrites. Finally, MOR‐li was in some vasoactive intestinal peptide‐ or calretinin‐containing profiles resembling interneurons that primarily innervate other interneurons. These findings indicate that MOR‐containing neurons form a neurochemically and functionally heterogeneous subset of hippocampal GABAergic neurons. MORs are most frequently on interneurons that are specialized to inhibit pyramidal cells, and are on a limited number of interneurons that target other interneurons. Moreover, the distribution of MORs to different neuronal types in several laminae, some relatively far from endogenous opioids, suggests normal functional roles that are different from the actions seen with exogenous agonists such as morphine. Hippocampus 2002;12:119–136. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Isolation and characterization of vascular smooth muscle cell growth promoting factor from bovine ovarian follicular fluid and its cDNA cloning from bovine and human ovary.

A protein possessing vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) growth-promoting activity (VSGP) was purified from bovine ovarian follicular fluid. The purified protein showed a broad band on SDS-PAGE with an apparent molecular mass of 90-100 kDa. The purified protein was characterized by amino acid sequence analysis of its N-terminal and internal peptides. Based on the information of the peptide sequences, bovine ovarian cDNA library was screened and cDNA clones encoding the protein were isolated. Human homolog of the protein was also cloned from human ovarian cDNA library. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that bovine VSGP transcript has a 2421-bp open reading frame, which encodes a protein of 807 amino acid residues. A homology search indicated that bovine and human VSGP are counterparts of rat F-spondin, which has been previously identified as a promoter molecule of neurite extension in rat fetal floor plate. RNA blot analysis showed wide distribution of VSGP/F-spondin transcripts in fetal and adult human tissues. Especially the expression was highest in the adult human ovary. The purified bovine VSGP/F-spondin showed vascular SMC growth promoting activity with an ED(50) value of 10(-8) M. Together with these findings, we demonstrated here that VSGP/F-spondin is a major factor for vascular SMC proliferation in the ovary. In conclusion, our present study provides a distinct and important function of VSGP/F-spondin as a strong VSMC proliferation promoting factor, in addition to the previously proposed function in neuronal system, and also provides insight into mechanisms underlying vascular SMC proliferation during ovarian folliculogenesis.
A yeast small nuclear RNA is required for normal processing of pre‐ribosomal RNA.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, seven snRNAs (snR3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 17) are retained in the nucleus under conditions in which nucleoplasmic RNAs are lost, and may be nucleolar. All of these snRNAs show properties consistent with hydrogen bonding to pre‐ribosomal RNAs; snR5 and 8 with 20S pre‐rRNA, snR3, 4, 10 and 17 with 35S pre‐rRNA and snR9 with 20‐35S RNA. Strains lacking snR10 are impaired in growth and specifically defective in the processing of 35S RNA. Processing is slowed, leading to 35S RNA accumulation and most cleavage occurs, not at the normal sites, but at sites which in wild‐type strains are used for subsequent steps in rRNA maturation.
Economic effects of VAT reforms in Germany

In the tax policy debate, differentiation of value-added taxes (VAT) is often justified by distributional concerns. Our quantitative analysis for Germany indicates that such concerns are misplaced. We find that the abolition of VAT differentiation has only negligible redistributive effects. Instead, reduced VAT rates are found to act as industry-specific subsidies. Whereas the overall welfare effects of pure VAT reforms are very small, a revenue-neutral introduction of a harmonized VAT combined with reductions in the marginal income tax rates or social security contributions turns out to yield substantial welfare gains for all households.
A new lower bound for the period of communication sequences of NCS

Periodic communication sequences based method is an effective static scheduling policy of networked control systems (NCSs) with limited communication. The period of communication sequences plays a vital role in the design of controller and scheduling policy: a large period will significantly increase the computing complexity and reduce the feasibility of finding a suitable controller or an optimal communication sequence. In this paper, a lower bound of the period of communication sequences preserving reachability and observability is given, which is less conservative than the existent result and may save computing in getting the optimal sequence and controller.
Acetylcholine induces cytosolic Ca2+ mobilization in isolated distal colonic crypts from normal and cystic fibrosis mice

In intestinal biopsies from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients acetylcholine fails to elicit a chloride secretion response, and this observation can be explained by a defect in the Ca2+ signalling pathway in CF secretory cells. We tested the hypothesis that in CF intestine, the generation of an intracellular Ca2+ signal upon cholinergic stimulation is absent. A transgenic CF mouse model was used. Electrical measurements on intact jejunum and unstripped colon were performed in Ussing chambers. Intact distal colonic crypts were isolated, and the intracellular Ca2+ concentration was monitored using the Ca2+‐sensitive dye fura‐2. Acetylcholine increased the short‐circuit current generated by wild‐type jejunum and colon, but failed to induce a response in CF tissues. Acetylcholine caused a transient elevation in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration in colonic crypts from both wild‐type and CF mice; the amplitude and timing of the response in CF crypts was indistinguishable from that in wild‐type crypts. The response to acetylcholine was also observed in the absence of extracellular calcium, indicating intracellular stores as the source from which the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration increased. We conclude that the absence of a cholinergically‐induced secretory response in CF intestine is not due to a defect in the generation of a Ca2+ signal in intestinal cells upon cholinergic stimulation.
Antioxidative Compounds from Crotalaria sessiliflora

Seven antioxidative compounds were isolated from the EtOAc extract of the aerial part of C. sessiliflora (Japanese name, tanukimame) by activity-guided fractionation with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Among the isolated compounds, hydroxyeucomic acid showed the strongest free radical-scavenging activity, which was almost identical to that of epigallocatechin gallate, against DPPH. Orientin and isoorientin showed strong anti-peroxidative activities toward linoleic acid and protective effects against the bactericidal action of the tert-butyl peroxyl radical. Their activities were nearly equal to that of epigallocatechin gallate.
Effect of Lithium Chloride Addition on the Electrical Conductivity of Polyvinyl Alcohol Films

In this Study, PVA/ (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1) wt. % LiCl films were prepared by a casting method. The electrical conductivity of the mixed solutions increased with the addition LiCl to pure PVA solution. To demonstrate the effect of LiCl addition on the PVA films chemical bonds, FTIR investigations were held. Polymeric films D.C electrical conductivity had been studies under different temperatures (273373 K. Results showed that DC electrical conductivity increased with increasing LiCl concentration and temperature. It was found that LiCl concentration decreased activation energies of the PVA films.
Immediate‐type hypersensitivity to reactive dyes

Reactive dyes have gained extensive use in recent years. This paper reports four cases of immediate‐type occupational allergy to these compounds. All the patients had had symptoms of asthma and allergic rhinitis, and had been weighing dyes for a minimum of 2 years. The skin prick tests were positive, and nasal and bronchial provocation challenges also produced positive immediate reactions. A high serum titre of specific IgE could be demonstrated for at least one dye by the radioallergosorbent test. The identification of specific IgE shows that the mechanism of the hypersensitivity is immunological, reactive dyes acting probably as haptens.
Biogenesis and Transcriptional Regulation of Long Noncoding RNAs in the Human Immune System

The central dogma of molecular biology states that DNA makes RNA makes protein. Discoveries over the last quarter of a century found that the process of DNA transcription into RNA gives rise to a diverse array of functional RNA species, including genes that code for protein and noncoding RNAs. For decades, the focus has been on understanding how protein-coding genes are regulated to influence protein expression. However, with the completion of the Human Genome Project and follow-up ENCODE data, it is now appreciated that only 2–3% of the genome codes for protein-coding gene exons and that the bulk of the transcribed genome, apart from ribosomal RNAs, is at the level of noncoding RNA genes. In this article, we focus on the biogenesis and regulation of a distinct class of noncoding RNA molecules termed long, noncoding RNAs in the context of the immune system.
Information Systems, Information Sharing, and Communities of Practice

In this paper, we argue that information management and knowledge management share important characteristics and thus face similar challenges. Based on a discussion of information problems observed in a large and technically well-equipped company, we suggest that information management should learn from recent trends in knowledge management. In particular, we discuss how appropriate support of communities of practice could help overcome some of the problems observed.