Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Academically ambitious and relevant higher education research: the legacy of the Consortium of Higher Education Researchers

The Consortium of Higher Education Researchers (CHER) was founded in 1988 to stimulate international communication and collaboration of higher education researchers. A need was felt to offset the isolation of the small numbers of scholars in this area of expertise in many countries, as well as the isolation of individual disciplines addressing higher education, as well as to form a platform that might enhance the theoretical basis and the quality of research activities. CHER was expected to contribute to the identity of higher education researchers vis-à-vis a fuzzy mix of higher education experts. Last but not least one hoped for increasing comparative research in higher education. A ‘light’ network approach was advocated from the beginning in order to absorb new themes and members at ease. The majority of higher education researchers active in CHER are Europeans, though academics from other continents play a visible role. CHER was quite successful in pursuing its initial goals, but higher education researcher continue in most countries to be a small academic community facing problems of being publicly heard outside academia amidst evaluators, policy analysts, consultants and others claiming to be ‘experts’ on higher education.
Hirudin reduces tissue factor expression in neointima after balloon injury in rabbit femoral and porcine coronary arteries.

BACKGROUND Tissue factor (TF) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that, after binding to factor VII/VIIa, initiates the extrinsic coagulation pathway, resulting in thrombin generation and its sequelae. Thrombin has been shown to induce TF mRNA in endothelium, monocytes, and smooth muscle cells, further perpetuating the thrombogenic cycle. This study was designed to determine the effect of specific inhibition of thrombin by recombinant hirudin (r-hirudin) on TF distribution after balloon angioplasty in the cholesterol-fed rabbit femoral artery and porcine coronary artery models. METHODS AND RESULTS Thirty-five femoral arteries from 32 cholesterol-fed New Zealand White rabbits and 84 coronary arteries from 55 Yorkshire-Albino swine were studied by use of a recently developed in situ method of TF localization based on digoxigenin labeling of recombinant factor VIIa (Dig-VIIa), with correlative studies of TF immunoreactivity by use of anti-rabbit (AP-1) or anti-human (sTF) antibodies. At sites of balloon angioplasty in rabbit femoral or pig coronary arteries (double or single injury), TF-antibody and Dig-VIIa staining were noted in association with endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and foam cells and within the fibrous tissue matrix primarily of the adventitia and neointima. Staining was significantly greater after balloon angioplasty than in vessels that had not undergone angioplasty but was similar after single and double balloon injury. Animals treated with r-hirudin (rabbits, 1 mg/kg bolus plus 2-hour infusion; pigs, 1 mg/kg bolus plus 0.7 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) infusion for 14 days with implantable pump) had diminished TF-antibody and Dig-VIIa staining 28 days after balloon angioplasty compared with controls (bolus heparin only). This effect was more prominent on the neointima and was more striking in the porcine than the rabbit model. CONCLUSIONS TF expression, persistent 1 month after balloon angioplasty in rabbit femoral arteries and porcine coronary arteries, is attenuated by specific thrombin inhibition with hirudin. These results suggest that thrombin inhibition, in addition to its effect on acute thrombus formation and its effect on luminal narrowing by plaque in experimental animals, may result in a prolonged reduction in thrombogenicity of the restenotic plaque through this effect on TF expression.
Load balancing and the power of preventive probing

Consider a randomized load balancing problem consisting of a large number n of server sites each equipped with K servers. Under the greedy policy, clients randomly probe a site to check whether there is still a server available. If not, d -- 1 other sites are probed and the task is assigned to the site with the fewest number of busy servers. If all the servers are also busy in each of these d -- 1 sites, the task is lost. This short paper analyzes a set of policies, i.e., (L, d) policies, that will occasionally probe additional sites even when there is still a server available at the site that was probed first. Using mean field methods, we show that these policies, that preventively probe other sites, can achieve the same loss probability while requiring a lower overall probe rate.
Characterization of the Nucleoside Triphosphatase Activity of Poliovirus Protein 2C Reveals a Mechanism by Which Guanidine Inhibits Poliovirus Replication*

The highly conserved non-structural protein 2C of picornaviruses is involved in viral genome replication and encapsidation and in the rearrangement of intracellular structures. 2C binds RNA, has nucleoside triphosphatase activity, and shares three motifs with superfamily III helicases. Motifs “A” and “B” are involved in nucleotide triphosphate (NTP) binding and hydrolysis, whereas a function for motif “C” has not yet been demonstrated. Poliovirus RNA replication is inhibited by millimolar concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl). Resistance and dependence to GdnHCl map to 2C. To characterize the nucleoside triphosphatase activity of 2C, we purified poliovirus recombinant 2C fused to glutathioneS-transferase (GST-2C) from Escherichia coli. GST-2C hydrolyzed ATP with a K m of 0.7 mm. Other NTPs, including GTP, competed with ATP for binding to 2C but were poor substrates for hydrolysis. Mutation of conserved residues in motif A and B abolished ATPase activity, as did mutation of the conserved asparagine residue in motif C, an observation indicating the involvement of this motif in ATP hydrolysis. GdnHCl at millimolar concentrations inhibited ATP hydrolysis. Mutations in 2C that confer poliovirus resistant to or dependent on GdnHCl increased the tolerance to GdnHCl up to 100-fold.
Identification of GAD65 AA 114-122 reactive 'memory-like' NK cells in newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetic patients by HLA-class I pentamers

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, in which pancreatic β cells are destroyed by autoreactive T cells in genetically predisposed individuals. Serum beta cell autoantibody specificities have represented the mainstay for classifying diabetes as autoimmune-mediated and for stratifying risk in first-degree relatives. In recent years, approaches were attempted to solve the difficult issue of detecting rare antigen-specific autoreactive T cells and their significance to etiopathogenesis such as the use of the MHC multimer technology. This tool allowed the specific detection of increased percentages of GAD65 autoreactive T cells by means of HLA A*02:01 GAD65 AA 114–122 pentamers in newly diagnosed diabetics. Here we provide evidence that GAD65 AA 114–122 pentamers can depict a GAD65 AA114-122 peptide expandable population of functionally and phenotypically skewed, preliminary characterized CD3-CD8dullCD56+ ‘memory-like’ NK cells in PBMC of newly diagnosed diabetics. Our data suggest that the NK cell subset could bind the HLA class I GAD65 AA 114–122 pentamer through ILT2 inhibitory receptor. CD107a expression revealed increased degranulation of CD3-CD8dullCD56+ NK cells in GAD65 AA 114–122 and FLU peptide expanded peripheral blood mononuclear cells of diabetics following GAD65 AA 114–122 peptide HLA A*02:01 presentation in respect to the unpulsed condition. CD107a expression was enriched in ILT2 positive NK cells. As opposite to basal conditions where similar percentages of CD3-CD56+ILT2+ cells were detected in diabetics and controls, CD3-CD56+CD107a+ and CD3-CD56+ILT2+CD107a+ cells were significantly increased in T1D PBMC either GAD65 AA 114–122 or FLU peptides stimulated after co-culture with GAD65 AA 114–122 pulsed APCs. As control, healthy donor NK cells showed similar degranulation against both GAD65 AA 114–122 pulsed and unpulsed APCs. The pathogenetic significance of the CD3-CD8dullCD56+ ‘memory-like NK cell subset’ with increased response upon secondary challenge in diabetics remains to be elucidated.
Academic Fit: Is the Right School the Best School or is the Best School the Right School?

The purpose of the current study was to examine the academic consequences of attending an institution that is not considered an academic fit for a student. The results from the current study show that more able students perform better in college in terms of first-year GPA and retention to their second year regardless of the institution they attend. Additionally, after controlling for ability, students attending more selective institutions perform better in college. However, the results do not support an academic fit effect above and beyond individual and school effects. The results have implications for higher education admission policies. Specifically, institutions that want to maximize the percentage of admitted students that are successful and return for their second year should not minimize the academic qualifications of the applicants. They should not be worried about selecting “overqualified” applicants, who they believe may be bored or not challenged enough at their institution, as these students earn higher college first-year GPAs and are more likely to return for their second year. On the other hand, students who are not academically qualified are more likely to earn lower grades and leave the institution.
Quantifying the Relationship Between Perceived Consequences of ADHD Medication and Its Usage

Objective: To address a major barrier of medication noncompliance for individuals with ADHD, the authors present the ADHD Medication Attitude Scale (AMAS) with initial psychometric analyses and discriminant validity data. Method: The AMAS was posted on ADHD websites, along with questions about demographics and medication usage over a 6-month period. A total of 356 ADHD respondents qualified for data analysis (160 males, 196 females, mean age = 18.58, years range = 13-62 years, SD = 6.07). Results: Factor analysis revealed two factors: one indicating positive and the other indicating negative attitude toward medication. The final refined 22-item scale demonstrated good reliability (α =.83). More positive and less negative attitude factor scores, as well as age (older than 19 years), independently predicted respondents’ self-report of taking medication, χ2 (1, N = 248) = 38.95, p < . 001. Conclusion: The AMAS is a psychometrically sound means of assessing attitudes toward ADHD medication, which significantly relate to self-reported medication usage.
Scaling up antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected children in Côte d'Ivoire: determinants of survival and loss to programme.

OBJECTIVE To investigate deaths and losses to follow-up in a programme designed to scale up antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-infected children in Côte d'Ivoire. METHODS Between 2004 and 2007, HIV-exposed children at 19 centres were offered free HIV serum tests (polymerase chain reaction tests in those aged < 18 months) and ART. Computerized monitoring was used to determine: (i) the number of confirmed HIV infections, (ii) losses to the programme (i.e. death or loss to follow-up) before ART, (iii) mortality and loss-to-programme rates during 12 months of ART, and (iv) determinants of mortality and losses to the programme. FINDINGS The analysis included 3876 ART-naïve children. Of the 1766 with HIV-1 infections (17% aged < 18 months), 124 (7.0%) died, 52 (2.9%) left the programme, 354 (20%) were lost to follow-up before ART, 259 (15%) remained in care without ART, and 977 (55%) started ART (median age: 63 months). The overall mortality rate during ART was significantly higher in the first 3 months than in months 4-12: 32.8 and 6.9 per 100 child-years of follow-up, respectively. Loss-to-programme rates were roughly double mortality rates and followed the same trend with duration of ART. Independent predictors of 12-month mortality on ART were pre-ART weight-for-age z-score < -2, percentage of CD4+ T lymphocytes < 10, World Health Organization HIV/AIDS clinical stage 3 or 4, and blood haemoglobin < 8 g/dl. CONCLUSION The large-scale programme to scale up paediatric ART in Côte d'Ivoire was effective. However, ART was often given too late, and early mortality and losses to programme before and just after ART initiation were major problems.
An Adaptive Notch Filter Based Solution for the suppression of Narrow Band Interference in a Wide Band Receiver

The problem of narrow band interference, while receiving broadband signals is a major design issue in the design of any Electromagnetic Compatible Electronic Warfare receiver. The narrow band interference may evolve from different other systems such as a cellular frequency signal, an Air Traffic Control (ATC) radar signal from a nearby airport, or a spurious signal generated from the system hardware itself or any other narrow band signal which falls into the pass band of EW receivers frequency of operation. If these interferences are not suppressed, it leads to the performance degradation of the EW system. The present paper gives a very novel solution to suppress these multiple narrowband interferences using an adaptive digital notch filter bank. I. Introduction In today's digital world, the Electromagnetic (EM) spectrum is so crowded that the traditional layer between Communication and Non Communication (for e.g., Radar) segments is gradually diminishing. Generally, radar band is 0.5-18 GHz, but today radar EM spectrum is extending both sides i.e. below 500MHz and also above 18GHz and also the communication band is extending in to the radar band. Due to this increase in the Radar signal density, the present day Electronics Warfare (EW) scenario has become complex, leading to erroneous parameter measurement with present EW Receivers. These days many narrow band interference signals such as the cellular frequency signals and many other spurious signals from the other hardware components or systems are also interfering with the operation of wide band radar warning receivers, which makes the receivers even more difficult to make the correct parameters measurement of the target Radar signals. So it is the important necessity and need of the today receivers to suppress these narrowband interferences[2]. To arrive at a solution to this problem, we need to have a Filter either to notch or completely suppress this narrowband cellular interference coming in the Radar Frequency Range. Because the radar frequency band is very high, designing a filter having a bandwidth in the range of GHz is also very difficult with the present day technology. Also, the designed filter needs to have a very good linear phase characteristic over the filter's band of operation. Keeping in view the above constraints in mind, the proposed new adaptive digital notch filter bank is designed. The following section explains the design methodology, uses and effectiveness of the above filter bank in suppressing the unwanted narrowband spot interferences. The filter implemented …
Asymptotic Limits of Negative Group Delay in Active Resonator-Based Distributed Circuits

In this paper the asymptotic limits of negative group delay (NGD) phenomena in multi-stage RLC resonator-based circuits are discussed. A NGD-bandwidth-product limit is derived as a function of the number of stages and the out-of-band gain, which is independent of the circuit topology and can include active gain compensation. The limit is verified experimentally at microwave frequencies using a gain-compensated NGD circuit employing a parallel RLC resonator in the feedback path of a high-frequency op-amp. It is shown that, in the asymptotic limit, the NGD-bandwidth-product is proportional to the square root of the number of stages, and also to the square root of the logarithm of the out-of-band gain. The relation between the time-domain transient amplitude and the out-of-band gain is analyzed for finite-duration modulated signals, indicating an exponential increase in transient amplitudes with the square of NGD. Analysis shows that any attempt to increase the NGD of a finite-duration modulating waveform, by cascading more stages, is thwarted by the transients.
Injuries to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVES To determine differences between hospital admitted injuries to children with preinjury attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and injuries to those with no preinjury conditions (NO). DESIGN Comparative analysis, excluding fatalities, of ADHD patients (n = 240) to NO patients (n = 21 902), 5 through 14 years of age. OUTCOME MEASURES Demographics, injury characteristics, length of stay, admission to the intensive care unit, surgical intervention, disability, and disposition at discharge. DATA SOURCE Retrospective review of charts submitted by more than 70 hospitals participating in the National Pediatric Trauma Registry between October 1988 and April 1996. RESULTS Compared with the NO children, the children with ADHD were more likely to be boys (87.9% vs 66.5%), to be injured as pedestrians (27.5% vs 18.3%) or bicyclists (17.1% vs 13.8%), and to inflict injury to themselves (1.3% vs 0.1%). They were more likely to sustain injuries to multiple body regions (57.1% vs 43%), to sustain head injuries (53% vs 41%), and to be severely injured as measured by the Injury Severity Score (12.5% vs 5.4%) and the Glasgow Coma Scale (7.5% vs 3.4%). The ADHD mean length of stay was 6.2 days versus 5.4 in the NO group. In both groups, 40% had surgery, but the ADHD children were admitted more frequently to the intensive care unit (37.1% vs 24.1%). The injury led to disability in 53% of the children with ADHD vs 48% of the NO children. Children with ADHD with any disability were twice as likely to be discharged to rehabilitation/extended care than were the NO children. CONCLUSIONS Injured children with ADHD are more likely to sustain severe injuries than are children without ADHD. More research is needed to identify prevention efforts specifically targeted at this population.
Culture and Consumption: A Theoretical Account of the Structure and Movement of the Cultural Meaning of Consumer Goods

Cultural meaning in a consumer society moves ceaselessly from one location to another. In the usual trajectory, cultural meaning moves first from the culturally constituted world to consumer goods and then from these goods to the individual consumer. Several instruments are responsible for this movement: advertising, the fashion system, and four consumption rituals. This article analyzes the movement of cultural meaning theoretically, showing both where cultural meaning is resident in the contemporary North American consumer system and the means by which this meaning is transferred from one location in this system to another.
Activation of Endothelial Toll-Like Receptor 3 Impairs Endothelial Function

Rationale: Endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis are chronic inflammatory diseases characterized by activation of the innate and acquired immune system. Specialized protein receptors of the innate immune system recognize products of microorganisms and endogenous ligands such as nucleic acids. Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), for example, detects long double-stranded RNA and is abundantly expressed in endothelial cells. Whether innate immunity contributes to atherogenic mechanisms in endothelial cells is poorly understood. Objective: We sought to determine the effects of TLR3 activation in endothelial cells. Methods and Results: We first investigated whether stimulation of TLR3 influences endothelial biology in mice. Intravenous injection of polyinosine polycytidylic acid, a synthetic double-stranded RNA analog and TLR3 ligand, impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation, increased vascular production of reactive oxygen species, and reduced reendothelialization after carotid artery injury in wild-type mice compared with controls but had no effect in TLR3−/− animals. TLR3 stimulation not only induced endothelial dysfunction but also enhanced the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in apolipoprotein E–deficient mice. In vitro incubation of endothelial cells with polyinosine polycytidylic acid induced production of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-8 and interferon-&ggr;–induced protein 10, increased formation of reactive oxygen species, diminished proliferation, and increased apoptosis, which suggests that endothelial cells are able to directly detect and respond to TLR3 ligands. Neutralization of interleukin-8 and interferon-&ggr;–induced protein 10 antagonizes the observed negative effects of polyinosine polycytidylic acid. We found elevated levels of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in polyinosine polycytidylic acid–treated mice, although they displayed increased endothelial dysfunction. Stimulation of TLR3 in cultured endothelial progenitor cells, however, led to increased formation of reactive oxygen species, increased apoptosis, and reduced migration. Injection of endothelial progenitor cells that had been incubated with polyinosine polycytidylic acid ex vivo hindered reendothelialization after carotid artery injury. Therefore, endothelial progenitor cell function was affected by TLR3 stimulation. Finally, apolipoprotein E–deficient/TLR3-deficient mice exhibited improved endothelial function compared with apolipoprotein E–deficient/TLR3+/+ littermates. Conclusions: Immunorecognition of long double-stranded RNA by endothelial cells may be an important mechanism involved in endothelial cell activation and development of endothelial dysfunction.
Digital Image Watermarking Against Desynchronization Attacks

Fast and massive dissemination of image data across the Internet imposes great challenges of protecting images against illegal access and unauthorized reproduction. Image watermarking provides a powerful solution for intellectual protection. This paper presents a new feature-based image watermarking scheme which is robust to desynchronization attacks. The Harris –Laplace detector is used to extract the robust feature points, which can survive various signal processing and affine transformation. A local characteristic region (LCR), is constructed based on the scale-space representation of an image is considered for watermarking. At each LCR, the digital watermark is embedded, by modulating the magnitudes of Discrete Cosine Transform coefficients. The performance of watermark detection is computed based on the correlation coefficient. The correlation coefficient is computed between the embedded watermark bits and the detected bits. The results show that the proposed scheme is invisible and robust against various attacks which include common signals processing and desynchronization attacks.
Hermite-Hadamard type inequalities for logarithmically B-preinvex functions

In this paper, we introduce the notion of logarithmically B-preinvex functions and establish certain new Hermite-Hadamard type inequalities for the functions whose derivatives in absolute value are logarithmically B-preinvex. Our results generalize several known results for the classes of logarithmically preinvex functions. Some estimates for the left and right hand side of the Hermite-Hadamard inequality are also obtained for a new class of differentiable logarithmically α-preinvex functions. c ©2016 All rights reserved.