Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Angiopoietin-2: A Key to Understanding Sepsis and Its Pulmonary Sequelae?

Sepsis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality especially in the older individual. In the US alone, sepsis occurs in approximately 750,000 individuals per year and ranks as the tenth leading cause of death. A major complication of sepsis is organ failure, with the lung being one of the first organs to fail. Moreover, sepsis is the most common risk factor for Acute Lung Injury (ALI) and approximately 50% of individuals with sepsis subsequently develop ALI. Despite its importance, the pathophysiology of sepsis remains unclear. Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) is a component of pathways involved in endothelial survival and maintenance of a quiescent state of the vascular system. The functional significance of Ang-2 remains to be fully elucidated, but the evidence thus far suggests that it may be key to a better understanding of the vascular dysfunction and associated organ failure that are so devastating in sepsis. However, the assessment of the cellular release of Ang-2 is not without difficulty. In this brief review, we discuss the relevance of Ang-2 to the endothelial dysfunction associated with the severe inflammatory response in sepsis, and why Ang-2 may not be just a biomarker, but may play a critical role in the pathology. In addition, we discuss some of the reasons why particular sepsis models may present confusing data with respect to Ang-2 involvement.
An Integrated Strategy Framework (ISF) for Combining Porter's 5-Forces, Diamond, PESTEL, and SWOT Analysis

INTRODUCTION Porter's Five-Forces, Porter's Diamond, PESTEL, the 6th-Forths, and Humphrey's SWOT analysis are among the most important and popular concepts taught in business schools around the world. A new integrated strategy framework (ISF) combines all major concepts. PURPOSE Porter's Five-Forces, Porter's Diamond, PESTEL, the 6th-Forths, and Humphrey's SWOT analysis are among the most important and popular concepts taught in business schools around the world. A new integrated strategy framework (ISF) now combines all of these major concepts. DESIGN An alignment of the previous models is used to cancel, combine and unify previous nodes to build a more comprehensive and compatible logical strategy landscape with a star topology of industry structure to derive competitive advantage via holistic and weighted network analysis at its hub. FINDINGS The models could be simplified into an integrated strategy framework, which may assist in a more systematic final assessment and consolidation of all sub-models into strategic decision-making. ORIGINALITY The new ISF model is the next logical step to visualize a combination of all major analytical competitiveness models, which is required for all final strategic decision making and enables a more holistic qualitative and quantitative strategy analysis and better prepares for in-depth analysis.
Islamic Applications of Automatic Question-Answering

search engine aims to retrieve full documents whereas a question answering system aims to extract the exact answer. A question answering system involves the process of accepting a NL (Natural Language) question, analyzing, and processing to match against a knowledge base to generate the right answer from documents for users. For the Holy Quran this involves accepting the NL question and processing it to retrieve the right verse or verses from our Quran knowledge base. Question answering systems can use two types of algorithms: rule based techniques and/or AI (Artificial Intelligence) based techniques. Question Answering systems have three main components: question classification, information retrieval and answer extraction. We present a rule-based system for the Holy Quran that retrieves the right verse(s) from the Holy Quran instead of generating NL answers. We use a java program to extract the answer from a MS-Access database which contains our knowledge base for our Quran question answering system. We find that the system gives better results for the question after improving the system by removing stop words.
STRONTIUM ISOTOPE STRATIGRAPHY OF CRETACEOUS SEDIMENTS AT SITES 1183 AND 1186 , ONTONG JAVA PLATEAU 1

Strontium isotope stratigraphy of the Cretaceous sections recovered in Holes 1183A and 1186A generally matches trends expected from the seawater Sr isotope curve. Combined with biostratigraphic data, the 87Sr/86Sr measurements provide a good chronostratigraphic framework for these holes. In the mid-Cretaceous where the seawater Sr isotopic curve changes direction several times, biostratigraphy removes ambiguity in interpreting 87Sr/86Sr values. Furthermore, 87Sr/86Sr values refine the interpretation of several mid-Cretaceous unconformities suggested by nannofossil biostratigraphy. For the Campanian–Maastrichtian sediments in both holes, ages predicted from Sr isotope stratigraphy are as much as 2.5 m.y. younger than those from nannofossil stratigraphy. This offset likely results from differences in the way that ages are calibrated to nannofossil datums and the seawater Sr isotopic curve. Numerous Sr isotope values are high for their stratigraphic position, suggesting incorporation of excess 87Sr presumably derived from terrigenous clays. Other Sr isotope values suggest minor errors in the estimated ages of nannofossil datums. 1Bralower, T.J., Fullagar, P.D. , McCay, T.A. , MacLeod, K.G. , Bergen, J., and Zapata, E. , 2004. Strontium isotope stratigraphy of Cretaceous sediments at Sites 1183 and 1186, Ontong Java Plateau. In Fitton, J.G. , Mahoney, J.J., Wallace, P.J., and Saunders, A.D. (Eds.), Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 192, 1–19 [Online]. Available from World Wide Web: <http://www-odp.tamu. edu/ publications/192_SR/VOLUME/ CHAPTERS/106.PDF>. [Cited YYYYMM-DD] 2Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, 503 Deike Building, University Park PA 16802, USA. bralower@geosc.psu. edu 3Department of Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Campus Box 3315, Mitchell Hall, Room 107, Chapel Hill NC 27599-3315, USA. 4Department of Geological Sciences, University of Missouri, 101 Geology Building, Columbia MO 65211-1380, USA. 5British Petroleum, 501 Westlake Park Boulevard, Houston TX 77079, USA. 6Department of Geology, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. Initial receipt: 29 April 2003 Acceptance: 13 January 2004 Web publication: 17 March 2004 Ms 192SR-106 T.J. BRALOWER, ET AL. STRONTIUM ISOTOPE STRATIGRAPHY 2
The phylogenetic relationships of whale-fall vesicomyid clams based on mitochondrial COI DNA sequences

Whale skeletons on the deep-sea floor provide sulfide-rich habitats that may act as stepping stones for the dispersal of animals dependent on chemoautotrophic production. However, the phylogenetic relationships between the faunas of whale falls, hydrothermal vents and colds seeps are not fully evaluated. To examine vesicomyid phylogenetic relationships, we collected 10 vesicomyid clams from 2 whale falls on the California margin, one at 1240 m in the Santa Catalina Basin and one at 960 m on the slope west of San Nicolas Island. We then compared DNA sequences for a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene from the whale-skeleton clams to those from other clam populations in this taxonomically difficult family. Seven adult whale-fall vesicomyids clustered with clams identified as Vesicomya gigas, a species also found near hydrothermal vents in Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California) and Middle Valley (Juan de Fuca Ridge). A single small whale-fall individual clustered with clams identified as Calyptogena kilmeri, a species found at cold seeps in Guaymas Basin, Monterey Bay, and along the Oregon Subduction Zone. A single small whale-fall clam clustered with Calyptogena elongata, a species found in anoxic California basins. Finally, a single adult clam was difficult to assign to any previously examined species group and could represent a new species in the 'gigas/kilmeri' cryptic species complex. With the inclusion of these vesicomyids, whale falls are known to share a total of 16 species with the faunas of deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps.
A case study of peer-rater differences in Hong Kong

Assessing student performance in higher education has never been easy. Pedagogy to engage students in learning and make them own their learning has become increasingly popular. The paradigm of teaching has switched from teacher-centered to student-centered. Likewise, students? involvement in assessments (self- and peer-assessments) is becoming more common. Self- and peer-assessment have widely been researched and evidenced in enhancing and motivating student learning. Differences in assessment results between peers and instructor have been found insignificant. However, differences among peers have not been studied much. The purpose of this paper is to investigate differences among peer raters. Do friends rate more leniently and not-so-friendly peers rate more stringently? Data were collected from a business communication course delivered at a Hong Kong private higher education institute for fall 2013. The course had 108 students in 3 sections, and 28 groups were formed to work on a case study. Students were required to orally present their case studies. Presentation was graded by both peer-rater groups and the instructor. For inter-rater differences, 22 of the 28 groups were rated significantly differently (P
Passive and specific targeting of lymph nodes: the influence of the administration route

Abstract Patients diagnosed with an advanced-stage cancer present a dismal prognosis due to the presence of metastases. From the primary tumor, the cancer cells are disseminated via lymphatic circulation; metastases develop initially in lymph nodes. Therefore, the targeting of lymph nodes needs to be improved in the design of future chemotherapy, and one way to ensure this targeting is by using the subcutaneous (SC) route. Using lipid nanocapsules (LNCs) (40 nm and fluorescently-labeled with DiD) as nanocarriers, a correlation between the SC injection site (behind the neck, the right and left flanks, and above the tail) for LNC administration and specific lymph node accumulation (left and right cervical, axillary and inguinal lymph nodes) was achieved for Sprague-Dawley rats. The pharmacokinetic and biodistribution profiles confirmed the absence of LNCs in systemic circulation after SC administration due to the optimal size of the LNCs. With appropriate SC administration, LNCs can accumulate in specific lymph nodes, whereas IV administration led to a weak accumulation of LNCs in all lymph nodes. Specific accumulation followed the lymph flow: bottom-up from the lower to upper limbs and top down from the head, with two lymph circulation partitions: right upper limb and the rest. Administration above the tail presented high inguinal and axillary lymph node accumulation whereas weak accumulation was observed after administration behind the neck. LNCs administered in the left flank only accumulated in the left inguinal and axillary lymph nodes, whereas left and right inguinal and axillary lymph nodes presented accumulation after administration in the right flank. Cervical lymph nodes, in the opposite direction of lymph flow, were never targeted after SC administration, whatever the injection site.
Heart Beat Monitoring and GPS Tracking based on Internet of Things

This research proposed a web-based monitoring system that can help to view heart beat rate of a person while tracking his locations in real time. By using Heart Pulse Sensor and GPS Module connected to Arduino Microcontroller, the system collects data and transmits them to a remote server. We use GSM/GPRS Module as the network unity to send collected data over Internet. A supervisor through a web page, monitors heart beat rate and view locations on Google Map. The system can help to resolve health emergencies. In this way, it simultaneously improves the quality of care through constant attention.
Comparison between automated analysis of zooplankton using ZooImage and traditional methodology

The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the ZooImage image analysis system for taxonomic classification of zooplankton samples. For this purpose, automated analysis with the ZooImage software was compared with traditional analysis, using zooplankton samples collected in the Iceland Sea in July 2006. When compared with the traditional methodology, ZooImage was able to classify zooplankton into main taxonomic entities (size classes and families or genera in some cases), while being less successful in identifying the zooplankton into species. Other important information, that is difficult and time consuming to obtain by traditional methods such as biomass and size distributions are, however, easily obtained with ZooImage. The automated analysis takes much less time than the traditional methods. While the study confirms that ZooImage is a promising tool for rapidly analysing zooplankton samples, it is also clear that the traditional approach will be needed in future investigations, particularly studies addressing zooplankton community structure, development and life history.
Some Agronomic and Chemical Traits of Blue Aleurone and Purple Pericarp Wheat (Triticum L.)

Thirteen diverse anthocyanin pigmented wheat genotypes originating from different countries were investigated for agronomic and chemical traits. The results showed significant variation among wheat genotypes in yield and grain physical characteristics. Released cultivars were superior in grain yield, but other genetic resources exceeded the cultivars in regard to test weight, grain mass, or seed plumpness. In case of phytochemical content both genotypic and environmental effects were important for the observed variations. The total phenolic content varied from 120 to 177 mg ferulic acid equivalent per 100 g dry weight; total anthocyanin content from 3.4 to 75.2 ppm cyanidin glucoside equivalent; yellow pigment content from 2.6 and 7.6 ppm beta-carotene equivalent; protein content from 11.3 to 19.1%. The study demonstrated that Ethiopian wheats are a source of high levels of anthocyanins and protein content.
Supply Chain Integration and Workplace Values in Jordan

Medicine is a basic good of the health system, but it accounts for a high amount of the healthcare costs and thus needs excellent control and management. Jordan seeks to regulate the circulation of this good in various ways. This descriptive study was conducted to reveal the extent of the understanding of the importance of supply chain integration (SCI) among the supply chain workers (SCWs) and its effects on workplace values (WVs) in drugstores. The study concluded that there is a medium level of awareness of these factors. This study used a questionnaire to collect the data and SPSS v.18 to analyze the data. This study stressed the importance of using SCI and improving WVs to improve and regulate the pharmaceutical sector. Keywords : supply chain integration, workplace values, pharmaceutical sector, supply chain workers, Jordan.
Why Students Cheat: A Conceptual Framework of Personal, Contextual, and Situational Factors

The authors present an extensive summary of significant factors associated with college student cheating. They compared these findings to a synthesis of the authors’ own research findings from empirical studies based on a large national sample of college students. Overall, the authors found student characteristics and pre-college experiences (e.g., gender, age, family financial background, self-control, life purpose), individual college experiences and peer environment (extracurricular involvement, favorable perception of cheating environment), organizational context (student perception of faculty’s actions towards academic cheating) are all significant factors associated with academic cheating. More importantly, student academic preparation, extracurricular activities, attitude toward cheating, and perceived opportunities to cheat all served as important mediating variables between lack of self-control and academic misconduct. Implications about research and practice and directions for future research were presented at the end of the chapter.
Les crocodiles marins du Jurassique normand. Étude et restauration de fossiles et épreuves en plâtre conservés au Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle

Dans le cadre de notre memoire de fin d’etudes, nous avons travaille sur des fossiles et des epreuves en plâtre confies par le Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle. L'etude et la restauration de ces objets ont ete l'occasion de nous confronter a des problematiques et a des types d'objets differents. La composition chimique des specimens a pu etre ainsi precisee, et la presence de pyrite dans l'un des fossiles a conditionne nos methodes d'intervention. La prise d’empreinte sur le demi-crâne a ete l'occasion d’aborder le moulage dans un cadre scientifique et didactique avec la realisation d’une restitution du rostre.
TEACHING MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING: A DISCUSSION ON PEDAGOGY

This paper discusses about the toughness of managerial accounting to university students explaining the causes and suggesting ways to alleviate the difficulties faced by students. The main focus of this paper is pedagogy on the part of faculty with the purpose of improving it by stimulating students’ interest and their eventual participation in the class. In this context, the use and limitations of computer-assisted system in class rooms is also evaluated in contrast to traditional chalk and talk method of teaching. It also looks at the problem faced by managerial accounting students at English-media instruction institutions in EFL countries like Thailand. Finally, a number of recommendations to improve teaching of managerial accounting on the part of pedagogy are presented by the writer.
Epigenetic memory effects in forest trees: a victory of “Michurinian biology”?

Abstract The study reviews trait inheritance, which is in contradiction with the rules of Mendelian genetics, and which was object of controversies among biologists (sometimes with grave political consequences) in the USSR and Sovietcontrolled countries in the 1930s-1960s. “Carryover” or “memory” effects of the climate, to which maternal trees are exposed during seed development, on phenological behavior and other adaptively relevant traits of their offspring in conifers are mentioned; similar effects are associated with the germination and early growth environment. Molecular mechanisms underlying these effects include covalent modifications of DNA or DNA-associated proteins (cytosine methylation, various types of histone modifications), micro-RNAs and small interfering RNAs. Tools for the identification of these modifications are reviewed with a focus on cytosine methylation, along with an overview of the hitherto knowledge on the occurrence of DNA modifications in forest trees. The practical implications of epigenetic inheritance in forest trees are discussed with the focus on the adaptation to climate change and legislation on forest reproductive materials.
Induction of Apoptosis in Human Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cells by a Semi- Synthetic Derivative

drug is a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin, traditionally used for its antimalarial. However, up to now, its anticancer mechanism against diff erent types of tumors is not known. Objectives: The most important purposes of the present research was fi rstly investigating induction of apoptosis on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells by the drug and, in the second place, introducing its possible mechanism of action. Materials and Methods: The MTT assay was used to investigate the inhibitory eff ect of artesunate on growth of breast cancer MCF-7 cells. For this aim, diff erent concentrations of artesunate were used to treat the cells and fl ow cytometry assay was done followed by annexin V-FITC/PI staining. The activities of caspase-3, -8 and -9 were then determined by relative assay kits. Results: Based on the results from MTT assay, it was found that artesunate could signifi cantly inhibit the growth of MCF-7 cells in a doseand time-dependent manner. On the other hand, the fl ow cytometry fi ndings showed that the anti-proliferative activity of artesunate on MCF-7 cells is due to apoptosis. Besides, caspase colorimetric assays revealed a signifi cant rise in cellular levels of the initiators (caspase-8 and -9) and eff ector (caspase-3) in the cells treated by artesunate. Conclusions: According to our results, it could be concluded that artesunate could inhibit the growth of MCF-7 breast cancer cells through induction of apoptosis by intrinsic and extrinsic caspase-dependent pathways. Therefore, we claim that artesunate could be introduced as a suitable candidate for the treatment of the breast cancer.
Foreign training in Jordan’s international hotel chains: a quantitative investigation

This paper draws on the perceptions of middle managers to identify what determines upper management’s decision in International Hotel Chains (IHC) to invest in out-of-country training (OCT). A model employing the presence of relationships between ‘attitudes’, ‘benefits and usefulness’, ‘barriers’ and ‘IHC’s decision’ to invest in OCT, was proposed and examined. A total of 261 middle managers from international hotel chains in Jordan were approached using a structured survey. Confirmatory factor analysis validated the dimensions for each construct. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the relationships among the four constructs of the study. The results showed direct relationship between attitudes and benefits/usefulness to IHC’s decision to invest in OCT, and demonstrated the mediating role of attitudes in the inverse relationship between barriers and IHC’s decision to invest in OCT.
The impact of market knowledge on the innovation process of Slovenian firms

In this study, we address three research questions: (1) What does make the innovation process successful? (2) Which strategic orientations support the innovation process? (3) What is the linkage between success factors influencing innovation process and strategic orientation of firms? The results of two studies carried out in Slovenian firms were applied to find the answers. In the first study, the answers on the 75-item questionnaire obtained from 82 non-service Slovenian firms for their successful and unsuccessful new products were applied to reveal the most important success factors which influenced the innovation process of Slovenian firms. In the second study, the answers on the 47-item questionnaire obtained by 214 Slovenian non-service firms were analyzed with structural equation modeling to find the relations among culture, entrepreneurship and market orientation as well as their direct or indirect impact on the firm's innovativeness and competitive advantage. The results conclude that activities of innovation process that generate, disseminate or apply market knowledge have been the most important factors that have differentiated between successful and unsuccessful Slovenian new products. On the other hand, we could not confirm market orientation of Slovenian firms. The results of both studies confirmed the strong linkage between available market knowledge and firm's market orientation. Because this study concentrates on both innovation process and the firm's strategic orientation, its results can provide important references in developing firm's environment facilitating radical innovations especially in the transition firms.