Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protective effects of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate on UVA-induced damage in ARPE19 cells

Purpose Oxidative injury to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) has been proposed to play a contributing role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is believed to cause the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may cause oxidative damage to RPE cells. Studies have shown that (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an abundant and active component in green tea, can protect several cell types from oxidative stress. It may be useful in the prevention of early AMD. Methods To determine whether EGCG protects RPE cells from UVA-induced damage, we used a cell viability assay to determine the viability of UVA-treated cells. Intracellular H2O2 levels were measured by flow cytometry. Western blotting was used to detect UVA-induced signaling pathways. Results The results indicated that EGCG inhibits UVA-induced RPE cell death. In addition, intracellular H2O2 generation in RPE cells irradiated by UVA was inhibited by EGCG in a concentration-dependent manner. EGCG also inhibited UVA-induced extracullar signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-jun-NH2 terminal kinase (JNK) activation in RPE cells while a higher concentration of EGCG had an inhibitory effect on UVA-induced p38 activation. Finally, we investigated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in RPE cells exposed to UVA radiation, and EGCG was found to also have inhibited UVA-induced COX-2 expression. Conclusions Taken together, our results demonstrate that EGCG inhibits UVA-induced H2O2 production, mitogen-activating protein kinase activation, and expression of COX-2. Moreover, it enhances RPE cell survival after UVA exposure. This suggests EGCG is effective in preventing UVA-induced damage in RPE cells and may be suitable for further developments as a chemoprotective factor for the primary prevention of early AMD.
Graphene: Piecing it Together

Graphene has a multitude of striking properties that make it an exceedingly attractive material for various applications, many of which will emerge over the next decade. However, one of the most promising applications lie in exploiting its peculiar electronic properties which are governed by its electrons obeying a linear dispersion relation. This leads to the observation of half integer quantum hall effect and the absence of localization. The latter is attractive for graphene‐based field effect transistors. However, if graphene is to be the material for future electronics, then significant hurdles need to be surmounted, namely, it needs to be mass produced in an economically viable manner and be of high crystalline quality with no or virtually no defects or grains boundaries. Moreover, it will need to be processable with atomic precision. Hence, the future of graphene as a material for electronic based devices will depend heavily on our ability to piece graphene together as a single crystal and define its edges with atomic precision. In this progress report, the properties of graphene that make it so attractive as a material for electronics is introduced to the reader. The focus then centers on current synthesis strategies for graphene and their weaknesses in terms of electronics applications are highlighted.
Trifid nasopalatine canal: case report of a rare anatomical variation and its surgical implications

The nasopalatine canal is a long slender structure present in the midline of the anterior maxilla that connects the palate to the floor of the nasal cavity. The nasopalatine canal contains the nasopalatine nerve, the terminal branch of the nasopalatine artery, fibrous connective tissue, adipose tissue, and minor salivary glands. The purpose of this article was to report a case of a trifid nasopalatine canal detected by cone beam computed tomography prior to dental implant placement. A 47-year-old female patient was submitted to cone beam computed tomography. Axial and sagittal sections revealed a trifurcation of the nasopalatine canal. Each canal was separated from the other by bony septa and extended independently from the floor of the nasal cavity to the incisive foramen in the remnant of the alveolar process in the anterior region of the maxilla. Cone beam computed tomography has permitted better visualization of the details and anatomical variations of the nasopalatine canal. Detailed knowledge of variations in the shape, number and size of the nasopalatine canal is fundamental for surgical procedures, such as local anesthesia in the anterior maxillary region and placement of dental implants, in order to prevent damage to important arteries and nerves.
Charisma and the Archetypes of Leadership

The following contribution attempts to develop a charisma model in the context of business organizations, based on a social-cognitive information processing approach in the perception of leadership. It tries to operationalize charisma, departing from prototypical attributes that are inherent in the cognitive category of leadership. In contrast to the 'New Leadership Approach', we depart from a 'polymorphous phenotype' of charisma. This position is derived from the concept of charisma as Max Weber understands it. Based on the concept of 'archetypes' of leadership, four different phenotypes are then defined: the hero ('heroic charisma'), the father ('paternalistic charisma'), the saviour ('missionary charisma') and the king ('majestic charisma'). The main idea of this model is the correlation that is brought out clearly between charisma and stigma, and thus also the idea that both 'hyper-representativity' and 'anti-representativity' as well as 'social dramatization' and 'social reversion' can occasion the allocation of charisma.
Poor horse traders: large mammals trade survival for reproduction during the process of feralization

We investigated density dependence on the demographic parameters of a population of Camargue horses (Equus caballus), individually monitored and unmanaged for eight years. We also analysed the contributions of individual demographic parameters to changes in the population growth rates. The decrease in resources caused a loss of body condition. Adult male survival was not affected, but the survival of foals and adult females decreased with increasing density. Prime-aged females maintained high reproductive performance at high density, and their survival decreased. The higher survival of adult males compared with females at high density presumably results from higher investment in reproduction by mares. The high fecundity in prime-aged females, even when at high density, may result from artificial selection for high reproductive performance, which is known to have occurred in all the major domestic ungulates. Other studies suggest that feral ungulates including cattle and sheep, as these horses, respond differently from wild ungulates to increases in density, by trading adult survival for reproduction. As a consequence, populations of feral animals should oscillate more strongly than their wild counterparts, since they should be both more invasive (as they breed faster), and more sensitive to harsh environmental conditions (as the population growth rate of long-lived species is consistently more sensitive to a given proportional change in adult survival than to the same change in any other vital rate). If this principle proves to be general, it has important implications for management of populations of feral ungulates.
Integrated Digital and Analog Microfluidics by EWOD and LDEP

EWOD (electrowetting-on-dielectric) and LDEP (liquid dielectrophoresis) are investigated to provide digital and analog microfluidic functions on an integrated chip respectively. By altering the frequency of the applied voltage and the surrounding medium of a EWOD device, we found that when using oil as surrounding medium and applying an AC signal 100 kHz, liquid column would be drawn and follow the thin connecting lines of the EWOD driving electrodes instead of remaining on top of the center of the EWOD driving electrodes. This new phenomenon is described in this paper and is regarded as a LDEP effect. Three fundamental tools for integrated digital and analog microfluidics are developed, including a digital-to-analog converter, an analog-to-digital converter, and a valve. Combining EWOD and LDEP effects, liquids can be pumped on a virtual channel (analog microfluidics), defined by energized thin LDEP electrode lines, continuously from liquid reservoir or from a digitized droplet (digital microfluidics). On the contrary, liquids on LDEP electrodes (analog microfluidics) can also be pumped on a EWOD electrode and be digitized in droplet forms with precise volumes (digital microfluidics). EWOD and LDEP can be selectively programmed on a single chip, making integrated digital and analog microfluidics a reality
ELT: the native speaker's burden?

The assumption underlying such claims seems to be that more English or more ELT can only be for the good of the learners in question. But this is highly questionable as a general principle in educational language planning. It is a dubious assumption in relation to many specific issues, such as the current vogue in continental Europe to start foreign languages earlier in the primary school; or English being projected as a panacea for the ills of Eastern Europe (according to Douglas Hurd in the spring of 1990, it is British Government policy to replace Russian by English as the first foreign language throughout Eastern and Central Europe); or the continued dominant role of English in southern countries which are in educational and social crisis (Mateene, 1985; Ngugi, 1986; Hawes and Coombe, 1986).
The Second Child: Family Transition and Adjustment

PART ONE: THE PROBLEM A Systems View of the Family The Family in Transition PART TWO: THE METHOD The Families and Our Methods for Studying Them PART THREE: THE FINDINGS Parental Stress and its Mediation Through Support Networks Parental Redefinition of Roles The 'Who Does What? ' Index Firstborn Adjustment and Parent-Child Relations During the Transition Period Summary and Discussion
A fast path planning algorithm for robot navigation with limited visibility

This paper presents a new algorithm to the motion planning problem for a mobile robot in a local environment. The algorithm uses the step-by-step approach to move the robot along the line that joins the starting point and the goal point. When an obstacle is met the algorithm assigns a value to each one of the eight surrounding points that surround the current point then the robot moves to the point that has the minimum value. Each obstacle point is assigned a relatively large value, while the value assigned to a non-obstacle point is the algebraic sum of the horizontal and the vertical distances from the goal point. The proposed algorithm completely eliminates the local minima problem, which is exhibited in most artificial-potential based methods, and most important it eliminates the "flat-regions" problem. The proposed algorithm is superior to other algorithms because of its low-computational cost besides simplicity. It also outperforms the blind-follow based algorithms. Simulation results demonstrates the validity and the potential of the proposed algorithm.
Order-n correction for regular languages

A method is presented for calculating a string <italic>B</italic>, belonging to a given regular language <italic>L</italic>, which is “nearest” (in number of edit operations) to a given input string <italic>α</italic>. <italic>B</italic> is viewed as a reasonable “correction” for the possibly erroneous string <italic>α</italic>, where <italic>α</italic> was originally intended to be a string of <italic>L</italic>. The calculation of <italic>B</italic> by the method presented requires time proportional to |<italic>α</italic>|, the number of characters in <italic>α</italic>. The method should find applications in information retrieval, artificial intelligence, and spelling correction systems.
Improving the Coordination Efficiency of Multiple AUV Operations Using Prediction of Intent

This research addresses the problem of coordinating multiple autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) operations. A mission executive has been created that uses multi-agent technology to control and coordinate multiple AUVs in communication deficient environments. By incorporating a simple broadcast communication system in conjunction with real time vehicle prediction this architecture can handle the limitations inherent in underwater operations and intelligently control multiple vehicles. In this research efficiency is evaluated and then compared to the current state of the art in multiple AUV control.
Respiratory hospital admissions and summertime haze air pollution in Toronto, Ontario: consideration of the role of acid aerosols.

A study of air pollution and daily hospital admissions for respiratory causes was conducted in Toronto, Ontario. Fine aerosol (da < 2.5 microns) samples were collected daily at a central city site during July and August 1986, 1987, and 1988 and were subsequently extracted and analyzed for daily particulate phase aerosol strong acidity (H+) and sulfates (SO4 =). Daily counts of respiratory admissions to 22 acute care hospitals and daily meteorological and environmental data (e.g. ozone [O3], total suspended particulate matter [TSP], and thoracic particle mass [PM10] were also obtained. Regression analyses indicated that only the O3, H+, and SO4 = associations with respiratory and asthma admissions remained consistently significant after controlling for temperature. Even after excluding days with maximum 1-hr O3 > 120 ppb, O3 was still strongly significant. In the various model specifications considered, the relative particle metric strengths of association with admissions were generally H+ > SO4 = > FP > PM10 > TSP, indicating that particle size and composition are of central importance in defining the adverse human health effects of particulate matter. On average, summertime haze air pollution was associated with 24% of all respiratory admissions (21% with O3, 3% with H+). On peak pollution days, however, aerosol acidity yielded the highest relative risk estimates (e.g., RR = 1.5 at 391 nmole/m3 H+), and summertime haze was associated with roughly half of all respiratory admissions.
GPU-based refraction and caustics rendering on depth textures

This paper presents a new technique for realtime rendering refraction and caustics effects. The algorithm can directly render complex objects represented by polygonal meshes without any precalculation, and allows the objects to be deformed dynamically through user interactions. Also, caustic patterns are rendered in the depth texture space. We accurately trace the photons' path and calculate the energy carried by the photons. As a result the caustic patterns are calculated without post-processing and temporal filtering over neighboring frames. Our technique can handle both the convex objects and concave objects, for the convex objects, the ray-convex-surface intersection is calculated by using a binary search algorithm; for the concave objects, the ray-concave-surface intersection is done by a linear search followed by a binary-search refinement step. The caustics can be also rendered for non-uniform deformation of both refractive object and receiver surface, allowing the interactive change of light and camera in terms of position and direction.
The effects of social support, life events, and demographic factors on depression among Maori and Europeans in New Zealand rural, town, and urban environments.

Little empirical research has been done in New Zealand into factors associated with depression. In all reviewed studies of depression conducted in the United States, towns have not been examined separately from rural districts and cities. A sample of 342 New Zealand adolescents and adults completed a questionnaire constructed by Bell, LeRoy, and Stephenson (1982) to measure depression, social support, stressful life events, and demographic factors. A three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) demonstrated significant interaction effects of ethnicity and recent life events on depression, but social support did not significantly affect depression nor interact with life events to ameliorate the effects of life events on depression. Maori experiencing few life events had higher depression than Europeans with few events. A five-way ANOVA with the effects of area, sex, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic staus (SES) on depression showed significant main effects for sex, age, and SES. Area interacted significantly with ethnicity and age. Compared to similar groups in the rural district and the city, Maori and young people in town had significantly higher mean depression scores. Maori reported significantly more depressive symptoms and stressful life events than Europeans in the town but not in the rural or urban environments. Young adults had the highest mean depression score, and the oldest group the lowest, both in the rural area. Results are discussed with reference to the rural, town, and urban environments in New Zealand, and to possible reasons for the weakness of the effect of social support on depression. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Impact of pretransplant anti-HLA antibodies on outcomes in lung transplant candidates.

RATIONALE The prevalence of anti-HLA antibodies in lung transplant candidates and their impact on waitlist and transplant outcomes is not known. OBJECTIVES We examined the prevalence of pretransplant anti-HLA antibodies at varying thresholds and evaluated their impact on outcomes before and after lung transplantation. METHODS We performed a single-center retrospective cohort study including all patients listed for lung transplantation between January 2008 and August 2012. Per protocol, transplant candidates were assessed by solid phase LABscreen mixed Class I and II and LABscreen Single Antigen assays. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Among 224 patients, 34% had anti-HLA antibodies at mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) greater than or equal to 3,000 (group III), and 24% had antibodies at MFI 1,000 to 3,000 (group II). Ninety percent of the patients with pretransplant anti-HLA antibodies had class I antibodies, whereas only seven patients developed class II alone. Patients in group III were less likely to receive transplants than patients without any anti-HLA antibodies (group I) (45.5 vs. 67.7%, P = 0.005). Wait time to transplant was longer in group III than group I, although this difference did not meet statistical significance, and waitlist mortality was similar. Among transplant recipients, antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) was more frequent in group III than in group II (20% vs. 0%, P = 0.01) or group I (6.3%, P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The presence of anti-HLA antibodies at the high MFI threshold (>3,000) was associated with lower transplant rate and higher rates of AMR. Screening for anti-HLA antibodies using the 3,000 MFI threshold may be important in managing transplant candidates and recipients.
Germany's New Environmental Liability Act: Strict Liability for Facilities Causing Pollution

The Federal Republic of Germany has enacted a new civil liability law. The Environmental Liability Act of 1990 provides a civil damages remedy for wrongful death, personal injury, or property damage caused by an environmental impact Under the ELA, operators of certain named facilities are strictly liable for emissions causing such injuries. Thus, the ELA supplements the several remedies already available against polluters under prior legislation. New in the ELA is a single statutory scheme of strict liability for damage stemming from impact on all three elements — water, soil, and air.
Experimental Analysis of Sample-Based Maps for Long-Term SLAM

This paper presents a system for long-term SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) by mobile service robots and its experimental evaluation in a real dynamic environment. To deal with the stability-plasticity dilemma (the trade-off between adaptation to new patterns and preservation of old patterns), the environment is represented by multiple timescales simultaneously (five in our experiments). A sample-based representation is proposed, where older memories fade at different rates depending on the timescale and robust statistics are used to interpret the samples. The dynamics of this representation are analyzed in a five-week experiment, measuring the relative influence of short- and long-term memories over time and further demonstrating the robustness of the approach.
An exact maternal‐fetal genotype incompatibility (MFG) test

The maternal‐fetal genotype incompatibility (MFG) test can be used for a variety of genetic applications concerning disease risk in offspring including testing for the presence of alleles that act directly through offspring genotypes (child allelic effects), alleles that act through maternal genotypes (maternal allelic effects), or maternal‐fetal genotype incompatibilities. The log‐linear version of the MFG model divides the genotype data into many cells, where each cell represents one of the possible mother, father, and child genotype combinations. Currently, tests of hypotheses about different allelic effects are accomplished by an asymptotic MFG test, but it is unknown if this is appropriate under conditions that produce small cell counts. In this report, we develop an exact MFG test that is based on the permutation distribution of cell counts. We determine by simulation the type I error and power of both the exact MFG test and the asymptotic MFG test for four different biologically relevant scenarios: a test of child allelic effects in the presence of maternal allelic effects, a test of maternal allelic effects in the presence of child allelic effects, and tests of maternal‐fetal genotype incompatibility with and without child allelic effects. These simulations show that, in general, the exact test is slightly conservative whereas the asymptotic test is slightly anti‐conservative. However, the asymptotic MFG test produces significantly inflated type I error rates under conditions with extreme null allele frequencies and sample sizes of 75, 100, and 150. Under these conditions, the exact test is clearly preferred over the asymptotic test. Under all other conditions that we tested, the user can safely choose either the exact test or the asymptotic test. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Mixed Methodology Analysis of Co-Teacher Assessments

A mixed methodology approach was used to study the relationship between general and special educators who were co-teaching. On two co-teacher assessment instruments, sums of ratings from special educators and general elementary and secondary educators in an urban multicultural school district in the southeastern USA were similar to those obtained from a sample of early childhood specialists and early childhood educators co-teaching in Hawaii. The highest rated items on the two assessment instruments were similar in content. Interviews and observations with a subset of survey respondents corroborated the survey items. Overall, the follow-up interviews and observations corroborated and instantiated the co-teacher ratings on the survey items. Implications for teacher education are discussed.