Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The response of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) to androgen-induced proliferation in the androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cell line, LNCaP

The mechanisms by which androgens stimulate proliferation of prostate cancer cells are poorly understood. It has been proposed that androgen stimulation may induce the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase system in prostate cancer cells and lead to cellular proliferation. We attempted to evaluate the role of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway in the stimulation by androgens of prostate cancer cell proliferation. Androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cell line (LNCaP) cells plated on sterile glass coverslips were treated with 10−8 M dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or epidermal growth factor (EGF) (10 ng/ml) for periods ranging from 1 min to 96 h. The proliferative index of the cells, evaluated by immunoperoxidase staining of cells with an antibody to Ki-67, was increased at least two-fold at all time points from 5 min to 48 h following exposure to either DHT or EGF. Immunohistochemical evaluation of ERK1/2 and pERK (activated ERK) demonstrated high levels of ERK1/2 in untreated LNCaP cells, while pERK was expressed at much lower levels. Following treatment with DHT, no change in staining intensity for either ERK1/2 or pERK was observed, while treatment with EGF resulted in no change in ERK1/2, but significantly increased cytoplasmic staining for pERK at all time points beyond 2 min. These results were confirmed by Western blot analysis of ERK1/2 and pERK expression in these cell lines following treatment with DHT or EGF. Our findings suggest that the proliferative response of prostate cancer cells to androgens, unlike the proliferative response to EGF, is not mediated by the activation of ERK1/2, and that currently undefined pathways other than those involving ERK1/2 are involved.
Employment Concentrations in Los Angeles, 1980–2000

Are contemporary metropolitan regions becoming more dispersed? There are theoretical arguments for both concentration and dispersal. The purpose of our research is to establish an empirical base that can help us to understand the evolution of metropolitan spatial structure. Using data for the Los Angeles region from 1980, 1990, and 2000, we identify employment centers and describe spatial trends in the pattern of employment inside and outside these centers. We find: (1) a remarkable degree of stability in the system of centers; (2) an increase in the average distance of jobs from the traditional core; (3) the emergence and growth of employment centers; (4) the rapid growth of dispersed employment in outer suburbs. These trends appear to defy simple models of urban evolution and call for a more nuanced portrayal of contemporary regions and the dynamics underlying spatial organization.
The role of fairness in users’ assessments of first‐time fees for a public recreation service

User response to first‐time fees for public leisure services is not well understood. Although it is believed that fees decrease recreation participation, there is only mixed support for this assumption within the leisure literature. An emerging literature suggests that perceptions of fairness may play a critical role in determining client response to fees. A mail survey conducted among 1,405 visitors to public recreational day‐use areas across the United States suggests the presence of two client types. The first type has paid fees in the past and seems relatively less troubled by the prospect of doing so again in the future. In all cases, this group is more willing to pay fees and to pay higher fee levels than is its counterpart. The second client type typically has not paid fees for favored public leisure services and its members resent even the implication that they may be asked to do so. They assert that fees are unfair and that they feel victimized through the introduction of fees. User resentment is.
Semi-Automatic Tracking of the Diaphragm Contour in X-Ray Image Sequences: Preliminary Results

A semi-automatic method is described for tracking the contour of the diaphragm in lateral X-ray image sequences. It is part of a method being developed to quantify diaphragm function non-invasively. Initialization is achieved by interactive segmentation of the diaphragm contour and identification of landmarks. The method relies on modelling the contour using an augmented active contour model incorporating anatomical constraints. The contour is then tracked iteratively across successive frames using reduced-search space dynamic programming. The method has been tested on several image sequences and preliminary results are promising with an 85.3 % tracking accuracy for one such sequence.
Automated Generation of Test Suites for Error Analysis of Concept Recognition Systems

We present an architecture and implementation of a system that builds structured test suites for concept recognition systems. The system applies provided test case definitions to a target concept vocabulary, to generate test cases organised according to those definitions. Test case definitions capture particular characteristics, or produce regular transformations, of concept terms. The test suites produced by the system enable detailed, systematic, error analysis of the performance of concept recognition systems.
Aberrations of varied line-space grazing incidence gratings in converging light beams.

Analytic calculations are presented which describe aberrations of the in-plane and off-plane varied line-space grating designs we recently proposed [ Appl. Opt.22, 3921 ( 1983)]. Ray traces confirming these results to within typical accuracies of 10% are illustrated for several examples. Spectral field aberrations are calculated for convenient focal surfaces, and optimal field curvatures are calculated and ray traced. An improvement of the off-plane fan grating is proposed, where the angular spacings of the grooves are varied to achieve a large decrease in grating aberrations. However it is shown that, in conical diffraction, the net resolution can also be dominated by a diminished dispersive power compared to in-plane grating mounts. Curved groove in-plane grating designs are ray traced, revealing no substantial degradation in imaging performance by restricting such curves to concentric circles. However, it is also shown that the general case of hyperbolic grooves can be fabricated by use of visible or UV holography, with small residual aberrations. We designate this new class of holographic gratings as Type V. Misalignment aberrations of high resolution in-plane gratings, for the in situ cases of off-axis illumination, grating and detector displacements, and grating rotational misalignment, are calculated and found to be generally small.
Identification of compounds in heavy fuel oil that are chronically toxic to rainbow trout embryos by effects‐driven chemical fractionation

The present study isolated and identified compounds in heavy fuel oil 7102 (HFO 7102) that are bioavailable and chronically toxic to rainbow trout embryos (Oncorhynchus mykiss). An effects‐driven chemical fractionation combined the chemical separation of oil with toxicity testing and chemical analyses of each fraction to identify the major classes of compounds associated with embryo toxicity. Toxicity was assessed with 2 exposure methods, a high‐energy chemical dispersion of oil in water, which included oil droplets in test solutions, and water accommodated fractions which were produced by oiled gravel desorption columns, and which did not contain visible oil droplets. Fractions of HFO with high concentrations of naphthalenes, alkanes, asphaltenes, and resins were nontoxic to embryos over the range of concentrations tested. In contrast, fractions enriched with 3‐ to 4‐ringed alkyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were embryotoxic, consistent with published studies of crude oils and individual alkyl PAHs. The rank order of fraction toxicity did not vary between the exposure methods and was consistent with their PAH content; fractions with higher–molecular weight alkyl PAHs were the most toxic. Exposure of juvenile trout to most fractions of HFO induced higher activities of cytochrome P450 enzymes, with a rank order of potency that varied with exposure method and differed somewhat from that of embryotoxicity. Induction reflected the bioavailability of PAHs but did not accurately predict embryotoxicity. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:825–835. © 2013 SETAC
The perceived slant of visual surfaces-optical and geographical.

One of the properties of a visual surface along with hardness, distance, and color-with-illumination, is that of slant. This term must be understood to include not-slanted as well as slanted; in other words the variable consists of opposite qualities having zero slant as a norm. There is evidence that optical slant, so-called, is determined by stimulation. When vision is monocular and the head is motionless, this quality seems to depend on the gradient of the density of the "texture" of the retinal image (1). The experiment which appeared to demonstrate this psychophysical correspondence , however, is defective in that the procedure failed to isolate the quality of optical slant from a congruent quality of geographical slant which accompanied it. This failure should be amended if possible. Moreover the two kinds of slant need to be denned and their relevance to space-perception discussed. Consider first the impression of slant embodied in the face of an object—a bounded surface, or a segment of an array of surfaces. It can be studied in the following situation. The 0 sits in an ordinary room with his gaze horizontally straight ahead and fixates the center of a surface such as a sheet of textured cardboard. This surface is then rotated by E around a horizontal axis, either forward or back-1 The experimental study here reported was carried out by Janet Crum Cornsweet under the general supervision of the senior author. The experiment was planned with the assistance of Howard Gruber. The research is part of a project carried out under Contract AF 41(128)-42 between Cornell University and the USAF School of Aviation Medicine. ward. The quality of slant will increase as rotation increases, either ceil-ingwise or floorwise, until just after reaching the greatest possible slant the surface suddenly becomes an edge (3). Putting aside the question of change in shape, this situation provides variation in slant without variation in distance or any of the other qualities of a surface. It also shows that the quality of slant has an upper absolute threshold at the point where the surface becomes parallel to the line of sight. It should be noted, however, that in this experiment the inclination of the surface to the line of sight is so arranged as to have the same value as its inclination to the physical horizontal. Consider next the impressions of slant embodied in a continuous plane surface filling most of …
Multiple groESL Operons Are Not Key Targets of RpoH1 and RpoH2 in Sinorhizobium meliloti

ABSTRACT Among the rhizobia that establish nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots of host plants, many contain multiple copies of genes encoding the sigma factor RpoH and the chaperone GroEL/GroES. In Sinorhizobium meliloti there are two rpoH genes, four groESL operons, and one groEL gene. rpoH1 mutants are defective for growth at high temperature and form ineffective nodules, rpoH1 rpoH2 double mutants are unable to form nodules, and groESL1 mutants form ineffective nodules. To explore the roles of RpoH1 and RpoH2, we identified mutants that suppress both the growth and nodulation defects. These mutants do not suppress the nitrogen fixation defect. This implies that the functions of RpoH1 during growth and RpoH1/RpoH2 during the initiation of symbiosis are similar but that there is a different function of RpoH1 needed later during symbiosis. We showed that, unlike in Escherichia coli, overexpression of groESL is not sufficient to bypass any of the RpoH defects. Under free-living conditions, we determined that RpoH2 does not control expression of the groE genes, and RpoH1 only controls expression of groESL5. Finally, we completed the series of groE mutants by constructing groESL3 and groEL4 mutants and demonstrated that they do not display symbiotic defects. Therefore, the only groESL operon required by itself for symbiosis is groESL1. Taken together, these results suggest that GroEL/GroES production alone cannot explain the requirements for RpoH1 and RpoH2 in S. meliloti and that there must be other crucial targets.
The relationship of mean platelet volume with the risk and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases

To the Editor: We have read with great interest the article entitled ‘The relationship of mean platelet volume with the risk and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases’ by Vizioli et al. which is published in your journal (1). In this review, authors suggested that larger platelets are more reactive; thus they are associated with a shortened bleeding time and increased thromboxane B2 plasma levels, and MPV could be considered as an indicator of platelet function. In 2006, we reported our study that aim to investigate the relationship between platelet indices and optical platelet aggregation responses in healthy adults and if present, to evaluate predictive value of platelet indices on aggregation responses (2). This study was carried out on a total of 31 healthy adults, 17 men and 14 women, whose ages ranging from 20 to 42 (mean ± SD: 28.26 ± 6.36 years). Platelet parameters, including platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width and plateletcrit were determined in platelet rich plasma using Abbott Cell-Dyn 4000. Platelet aggregation was induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) (5 lm), collagen (2.0 lg ⁄ ml) and epinephrine (10 lm). Optical aggregation was performed using a turbidometric method (Chrono-log Corporation, Model 560-Ca, Havertown, PA, USA) according to the protocol of Sigma Diagnostics, procedure no.885. Platelet aggregation was performed by using Sigma platelet aggregating reagents (Sigma Diagnostic Corporation, St. Louis, USA, Code No 885 ⁄ A. For ADP: 885 ⁄ 3, for collagen: 885 ⁄ 1, and for epinephrine: 885 ⁄ 5). The correlations with platelet aggregation responses and platelet indices were investigated with simple correlation and regression analysis. We could not find any correlation between MPV values and platelet aggregation results in our study. On conclusion, results of our study performed on healthy adults did not support the suggestion that MPV could be used as an indicator of platelet function as Vizioli et al. stated in their review. Although our study contained important data, this study was performed in a very controlled population. Studies searching how the platelet indices compare with platelet function in the presence of risk factors such as obesity and diabetes, and in the presence of coronary and cerebrovascular diseases could provide important clues in understanding these data.
International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior

Unlike many other books in the field that simply compare managers working at home in their various cultures, International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior describes the approaches of successful managers in interacting with people from a wide range of cultures, including from Asia, Africa, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, and people from both North and South America.
Facilitating mathematics learning for students with upper extremity disabilities using touch-input system

Abstract Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of using tablet device as user interface for students with upper extremity disabilities to input mathematics efficiently into computer. Methods: A touch-input system using tablet device as user interface was proposed to assist these students to write mathematics. User-switchable and context-specific keyboard layouts were designed to streamline the input process. The system could be integrated with conventional computer systems only with minor software setup. A two-week pre–post test study involving five participants was conducted to evaluate the performance of the system and collect user feedback. Results: The mathematics input efficiency of the participants was found to improve during the experiment sessions. In particular, their performance in entering trigonometric expressions by using the touch-input system was significantly better than that by using conventional mathematics editing software with keyboard and mouse. The participants rated the touch-input system positively and were confident that they could operate at ease with more practice. Conclusions: The proposed touch-input system provides a convenient way for the students with hand impairment to write mathematics and has the potential to facilitate their mathematics learning. Implications for Rehabilitation Students with upper extremity disabilities often face barriers to learning mathematics which is largely based on handwriting. Conventional computer user interfaces are inefficient for them to input mathematics into computer. A touch-input system with context-specific and user-switchable keyboard layouts was designed to improve the efficiency of mathematics input. Experimental results and user feedback suggested that the system has the potential to facilitate mathematics learning for the students.
Collaboration for Success in Young Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury

Aim. The aim of this study was to explore self-efficacy and success in young adult survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and provide the opportunity for participants to communicate their perceptions, thoughts, emotions, and concerns. Background. Many of those affected by TBI are young adults who are establishing their social and work lives. Young adults face challenges and choices that are pivotal in establishing a course for their lifetime. Self-efficacy theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. The TBI Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and General Self-Efficacy Scale were used to measure self-efficacy, and the Glasgow Outcomes Scale-Extended was used to measure outcomes after TBI and situate qualitative data in the context of known scales of measurement. Methods. The research was approached as a collective instrumental case study delving deeply into the complexity of each case, using ethnographic methods, in the milieu of a collaborative orientation. Ethnographic methods directed attention to the everyday lives and contexts of the participants. Triangulation with established quantitative instruments
Effects of training social competence in children: A meta-analysis of recent evaluation studies

Presents a meta-analytical review of 49 studies, from 1981 to 1990, on the effect of social competence training (SCT) on 3- to 15-year-olds. Main issues were (a) effectiveness in relation to program type and client characteristics as well as outcome criteria, (b) differential effects, (c) types of long-term effect, and (d) a comparison to other meta-analyses in the field, Results showed that SCT was moderately effective. However, effect sizes were lower than in previous studies. There were specific, characteristic effects for various types of program and on various client groups. Two main problems were identified: First, significant effect sizes were found only when direct goal criteria (e.g., social-cognitive skills) were evaluated, whereas there were few effects on broader constructs (e.g., social adjustment). Second, long-term effects were weak. We concluded that further primary studies are needed on the generalization and maintenance of change.
AUTOMATIC DETECTION OF HEDGES AND ORCHARDS USING VERY HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION IMAGERY

: Automatic mapping and monitoring of agricultural landscapes using remotely sensed imagery has been an important research problem. This paper describes our work on developing automatic methods for the detection of target landscape features in very high spatial resolution images. The target objects of interest consist of hedges that are linear strips of woody vegetation and orchards that are composed of regular plantation of individual trees. We employ spectral, textural, and shape information in a multi-scale framework for automatic detection of these objects. Extensive experiments show that the proposed algorithms provide good localization of the target objects in a wide range of landscapes with very different characteristics.
Behavioral Correlates of Preschool Sociometric Status and the Prediction of Teacher Ratings of Behavior in Kindergarten

Examined longitudinally the relations among measures of peer sociometric status and social behavior in preschool and teacher ratings in kindergarten for a group of children originally selected from three diverse day-care settings. The results demonstrated that social preference and alternative status were significantly related to social behavior and were predictive of teacher ratings obtained during kindergarten. Social behavior also strongly predicted kindergarten teacher ratings.
Acting prosocially reduces retaliation: Effects of prosocial video games on aggressive behavior

Past research has provided abundant evidence that exposure to violent video games increases aggression and aggression-related variables. In contrast, little is known whether and why video game exposure may also decrease aggressive behavior. In fact, two experiments revealed that playing a prosocial (relative to a neutral) video game reduces aggressive behavior. Mediational analyses showed that differences in both aggressive cognition and aggressive affect underlie the effect of type of video game on aggressive behavior. These findings are in line with assumptions of the General Learning Model and point to the importance of the cognitive and affective routes in predicting how aggressive behavior is affected by exposure to video games. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An automatic physical access control system based on hand vein biometric identification

In consideration of an increasing demand to adopt the biometric technology to minimize potential security risks, the paper presents a consumer-level biometric system for automatic physical access control. Through development of a near infrared imaging device for biometric acquisition of dorsal hand vein patterns and computation efficient image processing methods, the proposed system is shown to possess a range of desirable operation characteristics for real-world use, which include reliable in identification, convenient to use, high in security, fast in response, low in cost, and simple for installation.
Against Structure: A Critique of Morphogenetic Social Theory

This article criticises the ontology of Margaret Archer's morphogenetic social theory, arguing that the concept of autonomous social structure on which she bases this social theory is contradictory. Against the ontological contradictions of Archer's work, the article tries to re-habilitate the interpretive tradition which Archer dismisses, showing that only this tradition provides a logically coherent and methodologically useful social ontology, which consists only of individuals and their social relations.