Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alternative Spring Break: Learning through Community Service.

Although college student interest in and commitment to community service is growing, the learning outcomes of student voluntarism are poorly understood. This article examines the experiences of a group of university students who worked in a low-income rural community over their spring break through participation in an "alternative spring break" (ASB). Case study methods are used to explore students' experiences and the influence of such service on students' sense of self, others, and community.
The Novel Pan-PIM Kinase Inhibitor, PIM447, Displays Dual Antimyeloma and Bone-Protective Effects, and Potently Synergizes with Current Standards of Care

Purpose: PIM kinases are a family of serine/threonine kinases recently proposed as therapeutic targets in oncology. In the present work, we have investigated the effects of the novel pan-PIM kinase inhibitor, PIM447, on myeloma cells and myeloma-associated bone disease using different preclinical models. Experimental Design: In vitro/ex vivo cytotoxicity of PIM447 was evaluated on myeloma cell lines and patient samples. Synergistic combinations with standard treatments were analyzed with Calcusyn Software. PIM447 effects on bone cells were assessed on osteogenic and osteoclastogenic cultures. The mechanisms of PIM447 were explored by immunoblotting, qPCR, and immunofluorescence. A murine model of disseminated multiple myeloma was employed for in vivo studies. Results: PIM447 is cytotoxic for myeloma cells due to cell-cycle disruption and induction of apoptosis mediated by a decrease in phospho-Bad (Ser112) and c-Myc levels and the inhibition of mTORC1 pathway. Importantly, PIM447 demonstrates a very strong synergy with different standard treatments such as bortezomib + dexamethasone (combination index, CI = 0.002), lenalidomide + dexamethasone (CI = 0.065), and pomalidomide + dexamethasone (CI = 0.077). PIM447 also inhibits in vitro osteoclast formation and resorption, downregulates key molecules involved in these processes, and partially disrupts the F-actin ring, while increasing osteoblast activity and mineralization. Finally, PIM447 significantly reduced the tumor burden and prevented tumor-associated bone loss in a disseminated murine model of human myeloma. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate dual antitumoral and bone-protective effects of PIM447. This fact, together with the very strong synergy exhibited with standard-of-care treatments, supports the future clinical development of this drug in multiple myeloma. Clin Cancer Res; 23(1); 225–38. ©2016 AACR.
Genetic definition of ras effector elements

The products of ras genes may function as GTP-binding signal transducers, but the nature of their targets is largely unknown. To define genetically the cellular effector(s) of ras in rat fibroblast transformation, somatic variants that suppress the nontransforming phenotype of v-H-ras effector domain mutations were sought. Variant cell lines perturbed in the ras effector pathway were recovered, and the properties of one suggest that the primary target of ras action may be altered. In this cell variant, no single residue in the ras protein effector domain must be wild type to bring about transformation. In parental rat cells, conservative substitutions are tolerated in six of nine residues. Functional interaction with the target may not require a high degree of structural specificity in the ras protein effector domain.
AToM: An Analogical Theory of Mind

Theory of Mind (ToM) is what gives adults the ability to predict other people’s beliefs, desires, and related actions, and has been heavily studied in psychology. When ToM has not yet developed, as in young children, social interaction is difficult. Cognitive systems that interact with people on a regular basis would benefit from having a ToM. In this research summary, I propose a computational model of ToM, Analogical Theory of Mind (AToM), based on Bach’s [2012, 2014] theoretical Structure-Mapping model of ToM. Completed work demonstrates how ToM might be learned under this model. Future steps include a full implementation and test of AToM.
Novel Differences between Two Human Prion Strains Revealed by Two-dimensional Gel Electrophoresis*

The phenotype of human sporadic prion diseases is affected by patient genotype at codon 129 of the prion protein (PrP) gene, the site of a common methionine/valine polymorphism, and by the type of the scrapie PrP (PrPSc), which likely reflects the prion strain. However, two distinct disease phenotypes, identified as sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (M/M2 sCJD) and sporadic fatal insomnia (sFI), share methionine homozygosity at codon 129 and PrPSc type 2. One-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting reveal no difference between the M/M2 sCJD and sFI species of PrPSc in gel mobility and glycoform ratio. In contrast, the two-dimensional immunoblot demonstrates that in M/M2 sCJD the full-length PrPSc form is overrepresented and carries glycans that are different from those present in the PrPScof sFI. Because the altered glycans are detectable only in the PrPSc and not in the normal or cellular PrP (PrPC), they are likely to result from preferential conversion to PrPSc of rare PrPC glycoforms. This is the first evidence that a qualitative difference in glycans contributes to prion diversity.
Dietary Practices, Attitudes, and Physiological Status of Collegiate Freshman Football Players

The purpose of this study was to determine the dietary practices, attitudes, and physiological status of freshman collegiate football players. Thirty-one freshman football players at a National Collegiate Athletic Association division I school completed a self-administered nutrition screening questionnaire designed to determine their dietary practices and attitudes. Fasting blood samples were collected and height and weight were measured. The mean age of these athletes was 18 years. These players reported eating 3.6 times per day and on the average eating out 4.8 times per week. Fast food was the most common choice when eating out (55%). Of these athletes, 42% reported the use of dietary supplements, the most popular one being creatine (36%). Although more than 90% of the athletes recognized the importance of maintaining proper hydration status, greater than 50% believed that protein supplements were necessary for muscle growth and development, protein was the primary source of energy for muscle, and vitamin and mineral supplements increased energy levels. The plasma lipid profiles of the majority (76%) of the athletes were within normal ranges. The data suggest that these athletes may require education about healthy dietary practices and on the proper use of dietary supplements. This is not only important to help improve performance but to lso promote healthy dietary practices in the long term.
IFN‐γ inhibits the proliferation of allergen‐activated T lymphocytes from atopic, asthmatic patients by inducing Fas/FasL‐mediated apoptosis

The defect in interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) production that results in a T helper cell type 2‐dominated response may be responsible for a decrease in the apoptosis of allergen‐activated T cells in asthma. We investigated the effect of recombinant IFN‐γ on proliferation, Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) expression, and apoptosis in allergen‐stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from atopic, asthmatic patients and nonatopic, control subjects. The addition of IFN‐γ at the start of cultures markedly inhibited the proliferative response to a specific allergen in cells from all asthmatic patients, whereas no change was observed in cells from nonatopic, control subjects. IFN‐γ induced an increase in the expression of Fas and FasL by allergen‐stimulated CD4+ T cells from asthmatic patients and caused the apoptosis of these cells. A Fas‐blocking monoclonal antibody prevented the inhibitory effect of IFN‐γ on allergen‐induced proliferation. These results suggest that IFN‐γ inhibits the proliferation of allergen‐stimulated CD4+ T cells from atopic, asthmatic patients by inducing the surface expression of Fas and FasL, which in turn triggers their apoptotic program. The defect in IFN‐γ production involved in the allergic, immune response may therefore be responsible for a decrease in apoptosis of allergen‐activated T lymphocytes in the airways of atopic, asthmatic patients.
FPGA-based real-time simulation of a PSIM model: An indirect matrix converter case study

In this paper, an indirect matrix converter (IMC) which makes directly ac-ac power conversion, is modeled and simulated in real-time to demonstrate the capability of the new link between Opal-RT's eHS (electric Hardware Solver) and the CAD tool PSIM. An automatic methodology for the real-time simulation of power converters from PSIM circuit designs to FPGA is presented and discussed. A time-step of 250 ns is achieved on an FPGA computing engine developing up to 25.6 GFLOPS of processing power. Real-time simulation results are compared against PSIM as an offline validation tool, showing close match between the FPGA-based simulation and the reference.
Ig-binding surface proteins of Streptococcus pyogenes also bind human C4b-binding protein (C4BP), a regulatory component of the complement system.

Streptococcus pyogenes, an important human pathogen, expresses several proteins that interact with the immune system of the host. Among the proteins isolated from different bacterial strains are antiphagocytic M proteins, Ig Fc-binding proteins and exotoxins that act as superantigens. Here we report a novel interaction between S. pyogenes and the human immune system, the ability of most S. pyogenes strains to bind human C4BP (C4b-binding protein), a 570-kDa serum protein that inhibits the classical pathway of complement activation. Molecular analysis of three different streptococcal strains demonstrated that C4BP binds to protein Arp or protein Sir, two Ig-binding cell surface molecules that are members of the M protein family. These bacterial proteins have separate high affinity binding sites for Ig and for C4BP, as demonstrated by inhibition tests and binding assays with purified components. A single streptococcal cell surface molecule, Arp or Sir, therefore combines the abilities to bind Ig and C4BP, two high m.w. components of the immune system. Two bacterial strains expressing Arp or Sir were shown to selectively bind C4BP in whole human serum, suggesting that S. pyogenes also binds C4BP in the infected host. When bound to streptococcal cells, C4BP retained its ability to act as a cofactor in the degradation of C4b by factor I. These results indicate that many strains of S. pyogenes interfere with the classical pathway of complement activation by binding C4BP to the bacterial cell surface.
Hospital bargaining in the wake of management reforms: Hungary and Slovakia compared

This article analyses the impact of new public management on employment relations in public healthcare in Hungary and Slovakia. We argue that hospital corporatization – a process which changed the ownership structure and management of public hospitals without privatization – created an opportunity for institutional change in collective bargaining. However, the interaction between hospital owners and managements, the state and trade unions accounts for the absence of major institutional change. Instead, corporatization helped maintain bargaining coordination in Slovakia and bargaining fragmentation in Hungary.
Asymmetric Competition on Commuter Routes: The Case of Gasoline Pricing

The intensity of competition among firms depends on commuting patterns, as has been noted, because commuters can reach any store located on their route to work without incurring any incremental travel costs. We incorporate this insight into our estimation of a retail gasoline price function for Lexington, Kentucky, by treating each commuter route as a separate market. Competition in these markets, however, displays an asymmetry because all the commuters travel to the Central Business District (CBD). To accommodate this asymmetry, we treat the market segments on each side of a firm as distinct submarkets and include independent variables (number of competitors and submarket length) from each submarket. Both sets of structural variables influence gasoline prices in the expected direction, but the variables representing the submarket near the CBD have significantly stronger effects. Refinements show that a firm's strongest competition comes from sellers of different brands and from its nearest neighbor.
Risk Preferences, Production Risk and Firm Heterogeneity*

A new technique is proposed for deriving the risk preference function under production risk and expected utility of profit maximization. The derivation depends on neither a specific parametric form of the utility function nor any distribution of the error term representing production risk. The proposed risk preference function is flexible enough to test different types of risk behavior and symmetry of the output distribution. Furthermore, our production risk specification allows for inputs with positive and negative marginal risk. The econometric model accommodates production risk, risk preferences and firm heterogeneity simultaneously. Norwegian salmon farming data are used as an application.
Significance of serum levels of vitamin D and some related minerals in breast cancer patients.

UNLABELLED Vitamin D and calcium are involved in a wide range of proliferation, apoptosis and cell signaling activities in the body. Suboptimal concentrations may lead to cancer development. The role of phosphate in cancer metabolism is particularly relevant in breast cancer while, magnesium deficiency favors DNA mutations leading to carcinogenesis. OBJECTIVES To determine serum levels of vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and parathormone in female breast cancer patients and to assess their association with some prognostic factors in breast cancer. DESIGN AND METHODS This study is done on 98 newly diagnosed female breast cancer patients and 49 age matched apparently healthy female volunteers as controls. Serum samples from all patients and controls were subjected to 25-OH Vit D, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and parathormone measurements. RESULTS In the breast cancer group, the median serum levels of 25-OH Vit D were 15 ng/ml, while it was 21 ng/ml in the control group. Levels of 25-OH Vit D and other tested minerals were significantly lower while calcium:magnesium (Ca:Mg) ratio, and calcium:phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio were significantly higher in the breast cancer group. Significant negative correlation was detected between phosphorus and calcium, ionized calcium , calcium magnesium ratio, and calcium phosphorus ratio. CONCLUSION It is not only the deficient levels of Vit D and other related minerals, but the combination of the abnormal levels of all the studied parameters that might contribute to the development of cancer. Further studies with larger number of patient are needed.
Management of a Common Iliac Artery Aneurysm Causing Contralateral Iliac Venous Thrombosis

A 73-year-old male patient was diagnosed with thrombotic obstruction of the left common iliac vein (LCIV). Computed tomography imaging revealed a known -under follow-up- isolated aneurysm of the right common iliac artery that seemed to directly obstruct the LCIV. Given the patient’s renal insufficiency as well as the size and anatomy of the aneurysm, the patient underwent open repair.
Revisiting the European Monetary System Experience: Were Some Members More Equal than Others?

Difficulties in implementing effective liquidity support – to counter speculative attacks – may partly explain why regional exchange rate agreements crawl regional trade integration. Our novel analysis of the European Monetary System confirms that liquidity support was provided under the discretion of the anchor country (Germany), and was indeed asymmetric across member countries and/or periods. In particular, it was less forthcoming (i) to countries further away from Germany (less politically influential there), (ii) to larger countries (interfering more with the Bundesbank's monetary control) and (iii) during periods when German inflation accelerated (and the Bundesbank needed a firmer grip on liquidity).
Stigma as a barrier to recovery: The consequences of stigma for the self-esteem of people with mental illnesses.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine whether stigma affects the self-esteem of persons who have serious mental illnesses or whether stigma has few, if any, effects on self-esteem. METHODS Self-esteem and two aspects of stigma, namely, perceptions of devaluation-discrimination and social withdrawal because of perceived rejection, were assessed among 70 members of a clubhouse program for people with mental illness at baseline and at follow-up six and 24 months later. RESULTS The two measures of perceptions of stigma strongly predicted self-esteem at follow-up when baseline self-esteem, depressive symptoms, demographic characteristics, and diagnosis were controlled for. Participants whose scores on the measures of stigma were at the 90th percentile were seven to nine times as likely as those with scores at the 10th percentile to have low self-esteem at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS The stigma associated with mental illness harms the self-esteem of many people who have serious mental illnesses. An important consequence of reducing stigma would be to improve the self-esteem of people who have mental illnesses.
A CNN-based chip for robot locomotion control

In this paper, the paradigm of emergent computation is applied to locomotion control in legged robots: the locomotion gait is the result of self-organization of a network of locally coupled nonlinear oscillators. This means to adopt the biological paradigm of central pattern generator (CPG), implemented by using cellular neural networks (CNNs). The whole control strategy is hybrid in the sense that the gait generation is accomplished by a fully analog CNN, while a simple logic unit modulates the behavior of the CNN-based CPG, so that the strategy is suitable to eventually include sensory feedback. The design of a VLSI chip implementing the CNN-based CPG and some experimental results on the chip are presented. The chip is designed using a switched-capacitor technique, fundamental to obtain in a simple and direct way some key features of the hybrid control discussed. The experimental results confirm the suitability of the approach.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Outbreak in a Pediatric Oncology Care Unit Caused by an Errant Water Jet Into Contaminated Siphons

We analyzed an outbreak of invasive infections with an exotoxin U positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain within a pediatric oncology care unit. Environmental sampling and molecular characterization of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains led to identification of the outbreak source. An errant water jet into the sink within patient rooms was observed. Optimized outbreak management resulted in an abundance of further Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections within the pediatric oncology care unit.
Strategic Compensation: A Human Resource Management Approach

Preface xix PART I: SETTING THE STAGE FOR STRATEGIC COMPENSATION 1 Chapter 1 Strategic Compensation: A Component of Human Resource Systems 1 Chapter 2 Strategic Compensation in Action: Strategic Analysis and Contextual Factors 34 Chapter 3 Contextual Influences on Compensation Practice 67 PART II: BASES FOR PAY 98 Chapter 4 Traditional Bases for Pay: Seniority and Merit 98 Chapter 5 Incentive Pay 135 Chapter 6 Person-Focused Pay 173 PART III: DESIGNING COMPENSATION SYSTEMS 200 Chapter 7 Building Internally Consistent Compensation Systems 200 Chapter 8 Building Market-Competitive Compensation Systems 243 Chapter 9 Building Pay Structures That Recognize Employee Contributions 280 PART IV: EMPLOYEE BENEFITS 325 Chapter 10 Discretionary Benefits Chapter 11 Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans and Health Insurance Programs Chapter 12 Legally Required Benefits 325 PART V: COMPENSATION CHALLENGES FOR STRATEGIC EMPLOYEE GROUPS 385 Chapter 13 Compensating Executives 415 Chapter 14 Compensating the Flexible Workforce: Contingent Employees and Flexible Work Schedules 446 PART VI: COMPENSATION ISSUES AROUND THE WORLD Chapter 15 Compensating Expatriates 385 Chapter 16 Pay and Benefits Outside the United States Glossary 475 Author Index 491 Subject Index 495
Interaction of lipopolysaccharides and lipid A with complement in rats and its relation to endotoxicity

Uniform salt forms of endotoxic lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and free lipid A showing distinct differences in their anticomplementary activity, as well as a nontoxic LPS, are used in a new approach of studying the role of complement in endotoxin shock. The use of these defined LPS forms led to the identification of two timely, distinct depressions in complement hemolytic activity after administration of endotoxin in rats. An early depression occurred within 10 min after injection, and a late one developed more gradually, with lowest values at 6 to 9 h. The early depression represents a direct interaction of LPS with complement. It was obtained by toxic and nontoxic preparations that exhibit a high molecular weight and anticomplementary activity in vitro. The early depression was not related to the toxic properties of the LPS. The late depression was obtained only with endotoxically active LPS in lethal and 100-fold-lower concentrations, regardless of their molecular weight and of their in vitro anticomplementary activity.
Heterogeneous AdaBoost with Real-time Constraints - Application to the Detection of Pedestrians by Stereovision

This paper presents a learning based method for pedestrians detection, combining appearance and depth map descriptors. Recent works have presented the added value of this combination. We propose two contributions: 1) a comparative study of various depth descriptors including a fast descriptor based on average depth in a sub-window of the tested area and 2) an adaptation of the Adaboost algorithm in order to handle heterogeneous descriptors in terms of computational cost. Our goal is to build a detector balancing detection rate and execution time. We show the relevance of the proposed algorithm on real video data.
Knowledge Collaboration and Proximity

This article addresses the role of proximity for knowledge collaboration between dedicated biotechnology firms (DBFs) and related actors. Innovation projects managed by a selection of eight Swedish DBFs are analysed in detail and classified with regard to their specific knowledge characteristics. Based on this classification, explanations to the relative importance of functional and relational proximity to collaborators are sought.The findings indicate that knowledge collaboration in projects characterized by embodied knowledge are more sensitive to functional proximity than projects characterized by embrained and encoded knowledge. The findings also indicate that even though functional proximity is facilitative, global knowledge collaboration is indispensable for most DBFs. The convenience of local collaboration can never replace the extreme requirements of specialized knowledge, which forces them to seek collaborators on a global arena despite the impediments they face in these situations. Policy resources aimed at promoting bioregions are therefore better used to enhance local resources and to provide conditions for DBFs to link up with global sources of knowledge rather than to boost the formation of `second best' local networks.