Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cloning, Stem Cell Research and Some Historic Parallels

The public has not had an equitable distribution of the arguments against using human embryonic cells for stem cell research, whether the stem cells would be obtained from "therapeutic" cloning, or from "spare" embryos. These clones and "spares" are equivalent examples of early embryos. Too many scientists have called for "therapeutic" cloning and for use of the "spare" embryos, without thinking through the several consequences, some of which could be devastating. For example, Humphreys et al. have shown in mice that cloning by nuclear transfer is so inefficient that most clones die. I Those that survive often display growth abnormalities. They also examined the embryonic stem cells and found their genome to be "extremely unstable. " The question then becomes: does this suggest a similar result in human cloning, and one which could be transferred to patients receiving stem cell therapies? Despite this, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and the American Association of Anatomists (AAA), two prominent scientific organizations, advocate their use without ever allowing debate or votes by their membership. A memo of 16 February, 2000 by Robert Yates, then President of AAA, and speaking for the membership, stated that the guidelines for the AAA will "ensure the necessary privacy and dignity of stem cell donors by carefully addressing the ethical issues associated with (stem cell)
Epstein-Barr Virus Regulates c-MYC, Apoptosis, and Tumorigenicity in Burkitt Lymphoma

ABSTRACT Loss of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome from Akata Burkitt lymphoma (BL) cells is coincident with a loss of malignant phenotype, despite the fact that Akata and other EBV-positive BL cells express a restricted set of EBV gene products (type I latency) that are not known to overtly affect cell growth. Here we demonstrate that reestablishment of type I latency in EBV-negative Akata cells restores tumorigenicity and that tumorigenic potential correlates with an increased resistance to apoptosis under growth-limiting conditions. The antiapoptotic effect of EBV was associated with a higher level of Bcl-2 expression and an EBV-dependent decrease in steady-state levels of c-MYC protein. Although the EBV EBNA-1 protein is expressed in all EBV-associated tumors and is reported to have oncogenic potential, enforced expression of EBNA-1 alone in EBV-negative Akata cells failed to restore tumorigenicity or EBV-dependent down-regulation of c-MYC. These data provide direct evidence that EBV contributes to the tumorigenic potential of Burkitt lymphoma and suggest a novel model whereby a restricted latency program of EBV promotes B-cell survival, and thus virus persistence within an immune host, by selectively targeting the expression of c-MYC.
Heparin in the treatment of cerebral malaria.

Cerebral episodes in malaria are considered to be due to thrombin in the cerebral capillaries. Heparin is beneficial in arterial thrombosis, not only on account of its anticoagulating property, but also by virtue of its slight vasodilating effect which promotes collateral circulation. Based on these, a study was undertaken with the objective of finding out the effect of heparin in the treatment of cerebral malaria. Thirty-three cases admitted to the Child Health Department, Medical School, Sam Ratulangi University/Gunung Wenang Hospital, Manado from July /, 1973 until October 31, 1977 were divided into 2 groups: a study group receiving 300 u/kg bw/day of heparin either intramuscularly or intravenously for 3 consecutive days along with antimalarial drugs; and a control group receiving only antimalarial drugs. Thirteen out of 17 patients of the control group succumbed (76.5%) as compared to 2 out of 16 patients of the heparin group (12.5o/o). This study shows that heparin seems to be of real benefit in the treatment of cerebral malaria in children, since not only the mortality rate reduced significantly but the general condition improved rapidly.
Collective Cognition in Action: Accumulation, Interaction, Examination, and Accommodation in the Development and Operation of Group Efficacy Beliefs in the Workplace.

Group efficacy has emerged as an important and significant predictor of group effectiveness. However, most conceptual work on group efficacy fails to capture its complexity. In this article we extend extant theory and develop a more in-depth model of how group efficacy develops and operates within existing groups, including complex moderating factors. We conclude with a discussion of implications and future research concerning motivation in collaborative efforts.
Preventive and therapeutic applications of neutralizing antibodies to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1)

The development of a preventive vaccine to neutralize the highly variable and antigenically diverse human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has been an indomitable goal. The recent discovery of a number of cross-neutralizing and potent monoclonal antibodies from elite neutralizers has provided important insights in this field. Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) are useful in identifying neutralizing epitopes of vaccine utility and for understanding the mechanism of potent and broad cross-neutralization thus providing a modality of preventive and therapeutic value. In this article we review the current understanding on the potential use of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) in their full-length IgG structure, engineered domain antibody or bispecific versions towards preventive and therapeutic applications. The potential implications of NAbs are discussed in the light of the recent developments as key components in vaccination against HIV-1. The development of a vaccine immunogen which elicits bNAbs and confers protective immunity remains a real challenge.
Gendered perceptions of time among parents: family contexts, role demands, and variation in time-stress

The perception of time-stress is investigated among parents using 2005 Canadian General Social Survey data employing the time crunch index, also known as the index of time-stress, as developed in the work of Robinson and Godbey and used extensively as a measure in other national survey data. Multiple theoretical perspectives are employed to investigate effects on time-stress using ordinary least squares regression. Gender perspectives on time-use, including Hochschild and Machung’s account of the female double burden and the second shift, are used to interpret results. Findings suggest that parental time-stress is highly patterned by gender, household characteristics, childcare demand characteristics, and daily time-use. Theoretically, relevant conditional relationships were tested and demonstrate the impact of gender, employment status on time-stress, and interesting variation based on day of week and the age of the youngest child in the household.
An algorithm for two coloring of hypergraphs

Let r > 1 be a (cid:12)x integer. Let H be an arbitrary r -uniform hyper-graph. We give an algorithmic, elementary proof of the fact, that there exists a 2-coloring f : V ( H ) ! f r; b g of V ( H ) with at most 2 1 (cid:0) r (cid:1) jHj monochromatic edges. Our algorithm uses only O ( jHj ) steps. Let m ( n; r ) denote the minimal number of edges of an r -uniform hypergraph on n points, which is not 2-colorable. As an application, we obtain the following bounds for m ( n; r ):
Experimental Evaluation of Nonlinear Feedback and Feedforward Control Schemes for Manipulators

The manipulator trajectory tracking control problem revolves around computing the torques to be applied to achieve accu rate tracking. This problem has been extensively studied in simulations, but real-time results have been lacking in the robotics literature. In this paper, we present the experimental results of the real-time performance of model-based control algorithms. We compare the computed-torque control scheme with the feedforward dynamics compensation scheme. The feedforward scheme compensates for the manipulator dy namics in the feedforward path, whereas the computed-torque scheme uses the dynamics in the feedback loop for lineariza tion and decoupling. The parameters in the dynamics model for the computed-torque and feedforward schemes were esti mated by using an identification algorithm. Our experiments underscore the importance of including the off-diagonal terms of the manipulator inertia matrix in the torque compu tation. This observation is further supported by our analysis of the dynamics equations. The manipulator control schemes have been implemented on the CMU DD arm II with a sam pling period of 2 ms.
Investigating Urban Eighth-Grade Students’ Knowledge of Energy Resources

This study investigated urban eighth-grade students’ knowledge of energy resources and associated issues including energy acquisition, energy generation, storage and transport, and energy consumption and conservation. A 39 multiple-choice-item energy resources knowledge assessment was completed by 1043 eighth-grade students in urban schools in two cities in Pennsylvania, USA. Mean scores for the entire assessment measure indicated low conceptual energy knowledge of the eighth-grade students. Subscale means revealed that student understandings of energy resource acquisition, energy generation, storage and transport, and energy consumption and conservation are not satisfactory. Distractor analysis identified many misunderstandings that eighth-grade students hold with regard to energy resources. Findings revealed that students did not have a sound knowledge and understanding of basic scientific energy resources facts, issues related to energy sources and resources, general trends in the US energy resource supply and use, and the impact energy resource development and use can have on society and the environment. Implications for teacher enactment of energy resources curriculum activities are discussed.
Elder Abuse and Dementia - a Pilot Study

An anonymous postal questionnaire was distributed to 200 members of a voluntary organisation providing information and support for the carers of dementia sufferers. Carers were asked about the possible occurrence of verbal, physical abuse and neglect. Those carers who admitted to any form of abuse were compared with those who did not and risk factors in both carers and patients were analysed to determine risk factors for abuse. Fifty-five per cent of carers admitted to some form of abuse with verbal abuse being the most common form. Verbal abuse was associated with a poor premorbid relationship and social isolation of the carer and was found to be a risk factor for physical abuse. Those carers who had high GHQ scores and who had been caring for longer were more likely to physically abuse the person they cared for. This study supports the hypothesis that various categories of abuse have different correlates.
Improvement of Efficiency Droop in Blue InGaN Light-Emitting Diodes With p-InGaN/GaN Superlattice Last Quantum Barrier

The blue InGaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with specific designs of p-InGaN/GaN superlattice (SL) last quantum barrier are investigated numerically and experimentally. The proposed SL with a graded indium mole fraction from 0% to 5% shows improved efficiency droop and superior optical characteristics in comparison with the conventional LEDs. As indicated by the simulation results, the promotion of hole injection and the reduction of electron leakage play important roles in these improvements. Fabricated LEDs with this specific design exhibit stronger emission intensity, smaller forward voltage, and larger light output power compared to its counterparts.
Emotions in Everyday Social Encounters

Relationships between self-construal and emotion experiences in social interactions were examined in two countries. Participants in Greece (a more collectivist culture) and the United Kingdom (a more individualist culture) described the social interactions they had each day for 7 days using a variant of the Rochester Interaction Record. For UK participants, independent self-construal was positively related to positive affect, whereas for Greek participants, independent self-construal was negatively related to positive affect. There were few relationships between interdependent self-construal and affect in either study. The results point to the interplay of cultural values and individual differences in self-construal and their relationships to people's affective experiences.
La création de partenariats : perspectives et possibilités

Cet article reexamine l'acces au traitement et au soin dans le contexte actuel de compres-I sions budgetaires et de changements dans les soins. Adoptant le point de vue selon lequel le developpement de partenariats avec tous les intervenants en sante mentale est un processus important, les auteures estiment que ce processus n'est pas suffisamment discute. De plus, la creation d'une relation de partenariat avec les personnes souffrant de troubles mentaux est negligee. Les auteures examinent les mecanismes de changement dans les relations a partir du moment ou les soins ont ete transferes des grandes institutions prodiguant l'ensemble des soins aux hopitaux generaux et finalement a la communaute. Elles discutent comment les professionnels, les non-professionnels, les individus souffrant de troubles mentaux et leurs familles ont ete affectes par ces changements en ce qui a trait aux alliances qui ont ete constituees et maintenues. En conclusion, elles examinent deux cas qui illustrent la reconciliation et la non-reconciliation de points de vue divergeants entre partenaires et qui affectent fort probablement les resultats cliniques.
Robust tracking control design and its application to balance a two-wheeled robot steering on a bumpy road

A reinforced adaptive fuzzy sliding-mode controller was developed to track the desired state for a certain class of nonlinear dynamic system. Initially, adaptive fuzzy logic was used to derive the update laws for approximating the uncertain nonlinear functions of a dynamic system. Subsequently, a reinforced adaptive mechanism and sliding-mode control were incorporated into the adaptive fuzzy control scheme. In the reinforced adaptive mechanism, both the model and controller parameters were adjusted simultaneously to attenuate the effects caused by the unmodeled dynamics and disturbances. Performance analysis demonstrated the superiority of the proposed reinforced adaptive law over the conventional direct adaptive scheme regarding faster tracking and convergence of parameters. To verify its effectiveness and extend its application, the proposed reinforced adaptive fuzzy sliding-mode controller was applied to balance a two-wheeled robot steering on a bumpy road. A number of simulations and experiments were performed. In addition, a conventional direct adaptive scheme under the same environment was also performed for comparison. These results demonstrated that the balance performance of a nonlinear dynamic two-wheeled robot improved because of embedding the proposed reinforced adaptive fuzzy sliding-mode controller into the microcontroller.
Transfer of Class 1 Integron-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance Genes from Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli to a Susceptible E. coli K-12 Strain in Storm Water and Bovine Feces

ABSTRACT Transfer of class 1 integron-mediated antibiotic resistance genes has been demonstrated under laboratory conditions. However, there is no information concerning the transfer of these genes in an agricultural environment. The present study sought to determine if integron-mediated streptomycin and sulfisoxazole resistance genes could be transferred from Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains 6-20 (O157:H7) and 7-63 (O111:H8) to the susceptible strain E. coli K-12 MG1655 in bovine feces (pH 5.5, 6.0, or 6.5) and storm water (pH 5, 6, 7, or 8) at 4, 15, and 28°C, which are average seasonal temperatures for winter, spring-fall, and summer, respectively, in the Griffin, GA, area. The results indicated that at 28°C, the integron-mediated antibiotic resistance genes were transferred from both of the STEC donors in bovine feces. Higher conjugation efficiencies were, however, observed in the conjugation experiments involving STEC strain 6-20. In storm water, the resistance genes were transferred only from STEC strain 6-20. Greater numbers of transconjugants were recovered in the conjugation experiments performed with pH 6.5 bovine feces and with pH 7 storm water. Antibiotic susceptibility tests confirmed the transfer of integron-mediated streptomycin resistance and sulfisoxazole resistance, as well as the transfer of non-integron-mediated oxytetracycline resistance and tetracycline resistance in the transconjugant cells. These results suggest that the antibiotic resistance genes in STEC could serve as a source of antibiotic resistance genes disseminated via conjugation to susceptible cells of other E. coli strains in an agricultural environment.
Event recognition in sport programs using low-level motion indices

In this paper we present a semantic video indexing algorithm based on finite-state machines and low-level motion indices extracted from the MPEG compressed bit-stream. The problem of semantic video indexing is actually of great interest due to the wide diffusion of large video databases. In literature we can find many video indexing algorithms, based on various types of low-level features, but the problem of semantic indexing is less studied and surely it is a great challenging one. The proposed algorithm is an example of solution to the problem of finding a semantic relevant event (e.g., scoring of a goal in a soccer game) in case of specific categories of audio-visual programmes. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively detect the presence of goals and other relevant events in sport programs.
Effects of exercise training on anxiety: A meta-analysis

Abstract A meta-analysis was conducted on 40 studies (76 effects) in order to examine exercise training as a method of stress-management treatment for adults. It offered evidence of a low-to-moderate positive effect in anxiety reduction. Exercise training studies that examined change from pre to post-treatment and studies that examined both change over time and between group differences were examined separately. The unbiased weighted average effect sizes were . 45 and . 36, respectively. Thus, exercise training improved anxiety levels an average of . 36 standard deviations over alternative or control conditions. Adults who were more likely to have a stressful lifestyle benefited more from the exercise training than those who did not. Recommendations are made for both practice and research.
Competing Endogenous RNA (ceRNA): a New Class of RNA Working as Mirna Sponges

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are widely known as a class of non-coding RNA (ncRNA), which regulate gene expression, largely at the post-transcriptional level, but rarely also at the transcription level. During the last few years, a new class of ncRNA has been discovered, which counteracts the repressive activity of miRNA, by sequestering miRNA within a cell. These novel ncRNA molecules have been variously described as 'miRNA sponges/decoys', 'target mimics' or 'competing endogenous RNA'. Several reports of the occurrence of these ceRNAs and their role in regulating gene expression were published recently, which are briefly described in this article. These discoveries will keep scientists busy for many years to generate new information.
CaMKIIα interacts with multi-PDZ domain protein MUPP1 in spermatozoa and prevents spontaneous acrosomal exocytosis

The success of acrosomal exocytosis, a complex process with a variety of inter-related steps, relies on the coordinated interaction of participating signaling molecules. Since the acrosome reaction resembles Ca2+-regulated exocytosis in neurons, we investigated whether cognate neuronal binding partners of the multi-PDZ domain protein MUPP1, which recruits molecules that control the initial tethering and/or docking between the acrosomal vesicle and the plasma membrane, are also expressed in spermatozoa, and whether they contribute to the regulation of acrosomal secretion. We observed that CaMKIIα colocalizes with MUPP1 in the acrosomal region of epididymal spermatozoa where the kinase selectively binds to a region encompassing PDZ domains 10-11 of MUPP1. Furthermore, we found that pre-treating mouse spermatozoa with a CaMKII inhibitor that directly blocks the catalytic region of the kinase, as well as a competitive displacement of CaMKIIα from PDZ domains 10-11, led to a significant increase in spontaneous acrosomal exocytosis. Since Ca2+-calmodulin releases CaMKIIα from the PDZ scaffolding protein, MUPP1 represents a central signaling platform to dynamically regulate the assembly and disassembly of binding partners pertinent to acrosomal secretion, thereby precisely adjusting an increase in Ca2+ to synchronized fusion pore formation.
Severe iron deficiency anemia in transgenic mice expressing liver hepcidin

We recently reported the hemochromatosis-like phenotype observed in our Usf2 knockout mice. In these mice, as in murine models of hemochromatosis and patients with hereditary hemochromatosis, iron accumulates in parenchymal cells (in particular, liver and pancreas), whereas the reticuloendothelial system is spared from this iron loading. We suggested that this phenotypic trait could be attributed to the absence, in the Usf2 knockout mice, of a secreted liver-specific peptide, hepcidin. We conjectured that the reverse situation, namely overexpression of hepcidin, might result in phenotypic traits of iron deficiency. This question was addressed by generating transgenic mice expressing hepcidin under the control of the liver-specific transthyretin promoter. We found that the majority of the transgenic mice were born with a pale skin and died within a few hours after birth. These transgenic animals had decreased body iron levels and presented severe microcytic hypochromic anemia. So far, three mosaic transgenic animals have survived. They were unequivocally identified by physical features, including reduced body size, pallor, hairless and crumpled skin. These pleiotropic effects were found to be associated with erythrocyte abnormalities, with marked anisocytosis, poikylocytosis and hypochromia, which are features characteristic of iron-deficiency anemia. These results strongly support the proposed role of hepcidin as a putative iron-regulatory hormone. The animal models devoid of hepcidin (the Usf2 knockout mice) or overexpressing the peptide (the transgenic mice presented in this paper) represent valuable tools for investigating iron homeostasis in vivo and for deciphering the molecular mechanisms of hepcidin action.
Digital Photography and Journals in a Kindergarten-First-Grade Classroom: Toward Meaningful Technology Integration in Early Childhood Education

To explore meaningful and effective technology integration in early childhood education, we investigated how kindergarten–first-grade students created and employed digital photography journals to support social and cognitive reflection. These students used a digital camera to document their daily school activities and created digital photo journals to represent their experiences. Ethnographic video data, field notes, and student journals were examined using a grounded theory approach. Results reveal that when students took pictures, they successfully negotiated their dual roles of photographer and participant in other activities. In the process, the children meaningfully integrated technology into their classroom activities, as well as transformed the nature of the social space surrounding the computer where children created their journals. Furthermore, the journals illustrated children's complex and varied types of cognitive and social reflections. Based on these results, we discuss implications for meaningful technology integration in early childhood education.