Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accelerating Secondary Education for Girls : Focusing on Access and Retention APril 2014

Educating girls has enormous social and economic returns and has been identified as a primary means toward national development on all fronts. With relative success in universalization of primary education (Millennium Development Goal #2), there is a serious effort to bring similar national and international commitments toward completion of secondary education for girls. Such efforts would address related international goals such as Millennium Development Goal #3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women, Target 3A: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all level of education no later than 2015.
Grb2 functions at the top of the T-cell antigen receptor–induced tyrosine kinase cascade to control thymic selection

Grb2 is an adaptor molecule that mediates Ras-MAPK activation induced by various receptors. Here we show that conditional ablation of Grb2 in thymocytes severely impairs both thymic positive and negative selections. Strikingly, the mutation attenuates T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) proximal signaling, including tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple signaling proteins and Ca2+ influx. The defective TCR signaling can be attributed to a marked impairment in Lck activation. Ectopic expression of a mutant Grb2 composed of the central SH2 and the C-terminal SH3 domains in Grb2−/− thymocytes fully restores thymocyte development. Thus, Grb2 plays a pivotal role in both thymic positive and negative selection. It amplifies TCR signaling at the top end of the tyrosine phosphorylation cascade via a scaffolding function.
An adjustable power management for optimal power saving in LTE terminal baseband modem

Long term evolution (LTE) of 3GPP provides high bandwidth for data transfer. In the viewpoint of the LTE terminal baseband modem chip, these high data rates require more complex logics and memories than previous baseband modem chips in preceding technologies such as Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA). It may exhaust user equipment (UE)'s battery power quickly. Thus, LTE provides an enhanced discontinuous reception (DRX) to extend the UE's battery lifetime. In this work, we propose an adjustable power management using a hierarchical cascaded power gating (HCPG) and a hierarchical multi-level clock gating (HMLCG) with special regard for DRX framework. The test results from the designed ASIC show that optimal power saving was achieved by using the proposed adjustable power management.
Fire in the Moor: Mesolithic Carbonised Remains in Riverine Deposits at Gleann Mor Barabhais, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland

Abstract This paper presents the results of a palaeoenvironmental investigation of riverine deposits containing charred heathland plant material, recovered during an archaeological survey of Gleann Mor Barabhais, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland. This survey was conducted to identify Mesolithic occupation in the interior of the island and was undertaken as part of a wider project investigating the Mesolithic of the Western Isles. The recovery of carbonised material of Mesolithic date is discussed in light of the long-standing debate on detecting hunter-gatherer impact on environments using palaeoenvironmental records. The findings are compared to regional pollen sequences, where peaks in micro-charcoal levels and associated reductions in arboreal pollen are interpreted as evidence for anthropogenic fire ecology. These have been identified in areas where archaeological evidence for human occupation is absent. It is argued that this site reflects deliberate burning of vegetation by humans, most likely a small hearth, and therefore represents the first direct inferred evidence for the Mesolithic in the interior of the Western Isles.
The importance of extensible database systems for e-commerce

Over the last decade, database system products have been extended to provide support for defining, storing, updating, indexing and retrieving complex data with full transaction semantics. Oracle, IBM, Informix and others have used extensibility technology to build database system extensions for text, image, spatial, audio/video, chemical, genetic and other types of complex data. Currently, we find database systems being deployed in support of e-commerce. In many cases, these e-commerce database applications use only simple SQL data types to represent items such as office supplies, computers, books and CDs. There is also a large and important set of e-commerce applications that employ complex data formats such as EDI, SWIFT and HL7. The database extensibility features initially developed to support text, spatial and similar forms of complex data are now being used to build e-commerce applications. Thus, database extensibility technology is evolving into an important mechanism to enable the development of e-commerce systems.
The Grb2/Mek Pathway Represses Nanog in Murine Embryonic Stem Cells

ABSTRACT The homeobox gene Nanog is a key intrinsic determinant of self renewal in embryonic stem (ES) cells, and its repression leads ES cells to selectively differentiate into primitive endoderm. Although Nanog repression occurs at the outermost layer of ES cell aggregates independent of the leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)/STAT3 pathway, it is largely undetermined what external cues and intracellular signals cause the event. Of interest, addition of the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, sodium vanadate, selectively repressed Nanog transcription without any detectable changes in upstream transcriptional regulators Oct3/4 and Sox2. Furthermore, sodium vanadate induced primitive endoderm differentiation, even in the inner cells of ES cell aggregates. Expression of Gata6 and Zfp42, two putative downstream Nanog effectors, was also increased and decreased by the addition of sodium vanadate, respectively, but these changes were eliminated by exogenous Nanog expression. The effects of sodium vanadate were abrogated by Grb2 deficiency or by the addition of the Mek inhibitor, PD98059. Indeed, PD98059 prevented Nanog repression induced by ES cell aggregation as well. Furthermore, transfection of a constitutive active Mek mutant into ES cells induced Nanog repression and primitive endoderm differentiation. These data indicate that the Grb2/Mek pathway primarily mediates Nanog gene repression upon ES cell differentiation into primitive endoderm.
The Nature of Herpes Zoster: A Long-Term Study and a New Hypothesis

Dr Hope-Simpson presents a study of all cases of herpes zoster occurring in his general practice during a sixteen-year period. The rate was 3·4 per thousand per annum, rising with age, and the distribution of lesions reflected that of the varicella rash. It was found that severity increased with age, but that the condition did not occur in epidemics, and that there was no characteristic seasonal variation. A low prevalence of varicella was usually associated with a high incidence of zoster. Dr Hope-Simpson suggests that herpes zoster is a spontaneous manifestation of varicella infection. Following the primary infection (chickenpox), virus becomes latent in the sensory ganglia, where it can be reactivated from time to time (herpes zoster). Herpes zoster then represents an adaptation enabling varicella virus to survive for long periods, even without a continuous supply of persons susceptible to chickenpox.
From Young Hackers to Crackers

A growing number of scholars state that the Internet presents "some unique opportunities for deviant behavior" Rogers et al, 2006. However, although some researchers have studied this issue, the factors leading teenagers to adopt a web-deviant behavior have received less attention. From this background, the present article sets out to explore the facilitators of cybercrime. The author will explain the diffusion of web-deviant behavior amongst young people through an analysis of the literature while taking into consideration the conceptual model of diffusion of innovation by Greenhalgh et al. 2004.
Cranberry proanthocyanidins modulate reactive oxygen species in Barrett’s and esophageal adenocarcinoma cell lines

BACKGROUND: We recently reported that a cranberry proanthocyanidin rich extract (C-PAC) induces autophagic cell death in apoptotic resistant esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) cells and necrosis in autophagy resistant cells. EAC is characterized by high morbidity and mortality rates supporting development of improved preventive interventions. OBJECTIVE: The current investigation sought to investigate the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the context of C-PAC induced cell death. METHODS: A panel of human esophageal cell lines of EAC or BE (Barrett’s esophagus) origin were treated with C-PAC and assessed for ROS modulation using CellROX® Green reagent and the Amplex Red assay to specifically measure hydrogen peroxide levels. RESULTS: C-PAC significantly increased ROS levels in EAC cells, but significantly reduced ROS levels in CP-C BE cells. Increased hydrogen peroxide levels were also detected in C-PAC treated EAC cells and supernatant; however, hydrogen peroxide levels were significantly increased in medium alone, without cells, suggesting that C-PAC interferes or directly acts on the substrate. Hydrogen peroxide levels did not change in C-PAC treated CP-C BE cells. CONCLUSION: These experiments provide additional mechanistic insight regarding C-PAC induced cancer cell death through modulation of ROS. Additional research is warranted to identify specific ROS species associated with C-PAC exposure.
Altered Regional Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in Internet Game Overusers: A 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Study

ABSTRACT Introduction: Internet game overuse is an emerging disorder and features diminished impulse control and poor reward-processing. In an attempt to understand the neurobiological bases of Internet game overuse, we investigated the differences in regional cerebral glucose metabolism at resting state between young individuals with Internet game overuse and those with normal use using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography study. Methods: Twenty right-handed male participants (9 normal users: 24.7±2.4 years of age, 11 overusers: 23.5±2.9 years of age) participated. A trait measure of impulsivity was also completed after scanning. Results: Internet game overusers showed greater impulsiveness than the normal users and there was a positive correlation between the severity of Internet game overuse and impulsiveness. Imaging data showed that the overusers had increased glucose metabolism in the right middle orbitofrontal gyrus, left caudate nucleus, and right insula, and decreased metabolism in the bilateral postcentral gyrus, left precentrai gyrus, and bilateral occipital regions compared to normal users. Conclusion: Internet game overuse may be associated with abnormal neurobiological mechanisms in the orbitofrontal cortex, striatum, and sensory regions, which are implicated in impulse control, reward processing, and somatic representation of previous experiences. Our results support the idea that Internet game overuse shares psychological and neural mechanisms with other types of impulse control disorders and substance/non-substance-related addiction.
Histochemical dichotomy of extrafusal and intrafusal fibers in an avian slow muscle.

The avian anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) is unique amongst vertebrates since it has been considered to be a true slow (or tonic) skeletal muscle. While the structure and function of the extrafusal fibers in the ALD have been intensively investigated, the intrafusal fibers of its muscle spindles and their relationship to the surrounding extrafusal fibers in this muscle have been virtually neglected. Serial frozen sections of this muscle from normal adult domestic chickens were tested for two separate enzymes: myosin ATPase after preincubations at differing pH (Brooke and Kaiser, '69) and NADH-tetrazolium reductase, a mitochondrial-bound oxidative enzyme. Both enzyme reactions were able to detect two distinct categories of extrafusal fibers in this muscle, as well as two classes of intrafusal fibers in its muscle spindles. Neither of the extrafusal fiber-types reacted like typical fast (or twitch) fibers for myosin ATPase; they did not show a characteristic reversal in their relative staining patterns throughout the alkaline (pH 9.4) to acid (pH 4.6 and 4.3) preincubation range. The majority of fibers (type 1) were significantly larger in their cross-sectional size, consistently stained lightly for ATPase, and showed high NADH-TR activity. They represented about 84% of the total fiber population (n = 3540 ± 75). The other set of extrafusal fibers (type 2) constituted the remaining 16% of the total fiber population. They were smaller in diameter, exhibited high myosin ATPase activity, and reacted less intensely for the oxidative enzyme. The histochemical characteristics of the two kinds of intrafusal fibers were profoundly different from those observed in the extrafusal fibers. Their crosssectional fiber diameters were not significantly different from each other, and they exhibited a reversal in their staining reactions for myosin ATPase following acid preincubation for this enzyme. The results of this study concur with recently published reports of extrafusal fiber heterogeneity in the slow ALD muscle of the chicken. In addition, this work clearly demonstrates a histochemical dichotomy amongst the intrafusal fibers of muscle spindles in this muscle.
Does GnRH Agonist Triggering Control Painful Symptom Scores During Assisted Reproductive Technology? A Retrospective Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the progression of pain symptoms during assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles following administration of GnRH agonist (GnRHa) versus human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) triggering. Design: Observational cohort study. Setting: A tertiary care university hospital in France. Population: Patients who underwent ART programs. Methods: Between January 01, 2014, and June 31, 2014, 122 cycles were allocated to 2 groups: GnRHa triggering with a scheduled differed embryo transfer (n = 57) or hCG triggering with a fresh embryo transfer (n = 70). Pelvic pain scores were evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) with regard to dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, noncyclic pelvic pain, gastrointestinal, and lower urinary tract pain. The total VAS score was defined as the sum of the scores for the various symptoms. Evaluations were carried out twice: during the synchronization treatment prior to ovarian stimulation and during a final evaluation 3 weeks postretrieval. The data were processed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Main Outcome Measures: Trends for total VAS change (ie, final VAS score − synchronization VAS score). Results: For both groups, pain increased during the ART procedure. Trends for the total VAS change revealed that the increase in pain was significantly less in the “GnRHa triggering” group compared to the “hCG triggering” group (3.77 ± 7.73 and 6.50 ± 6.57, P < .05, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression indicated that GnRHa triggering was associated with less of an increase in pain compared to hCG triggering (odds ratio = 0.31, 95% confidence interval 0.13-0.71, P < .05). Conclusion: Compared to hCG, GnRHa triggering limits pain symptom progression in the period immediately after ART.
Innate Immune Signaling Induces IL-7 Production, Early Inflammatory Responses, and Sjögren's-Like Dacryoadenitis in C57BL/6 Mice.

PURPOSE Innate immune signaling elicited by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) induces IL-7 production and early inflammatory responses in the salivary gland and accelerates the development of Sjögren's syndrome (SS)-like sialadenitis. Whether poly I:C can induce similar responses in the lacrimal gland (LAC) has not been characterized. In this study, we examined the early responses and pathologic changes of the LAC tissue in response to poly I:C treatment. METHODS Poly I:C or recombinant human IL-7 was injected intraperitoneally into C57BL/6 mice, and the LAC was harvested at different time points. Expression of chemokines and cytokines in the LAC was measured by RT-PCR, immunofluorescence staining, and immunohistochemistry. Leukocytic infiltration and caspase-3 activation were analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. Serum antinuclear antibody levels were also determined. Tear secretion was measured by phenol red cotton threads. RESULTS Administration of poly I:C induced IL-7 gene expression and protein production in the LAC. Poly I:C also induced the expression of CXCR3 ligands, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, IL-23p19, and TNF-α in the LAC in an IL-7-dependent fashion. Similarly to poly I:C, administration of exogenous IL-7 also up-regulated these proinflammatory mediators. Furthermore, repeated administration of poly I:C to C57BL/6 mice over an 8-day period caused leukocytic infiltration and caspase-3 activation in the LAC, antinuclear antibody production, and impaired tear secretion. CONCLUSIONS Poly I:C induces IL-7 production, early inflammatory responses, and characteristic pathologies of SS-like dacryoadenitis in non-autoimmune-prone C57BL/6 mice. These findings provide new evidence that viral infection-elicited innate immune signaling may be one of the early triggers of SS-like dacryoadenitis.
Investigations regarding variations of material properties and their impact on lifetime prediction for Cu-vias in circuit boards

Copper vias in circuit boards fail working due to cracks caused by fatigue under thermal loading. This irreversible behavior is based on dissipation of plastic energy in the system leading to a steady increase in damage. This energy can be computed by using the finite element method. For improving the lifetime we investigate the material properties of copper and analyze their impact on lifetime prediction.
The Ubiquitous Role of Smartphones in Mobile Health

Emerging technological advances are not only revolutionizing smartphones, but are changing how healthcare is utilized in the United States in conjunction with this mobile technology. Smartphones and their associated devices are now used to process data from a myriad of sources, including mobile health applications, wireless databases and networks, extension and adaptation devices, and patient tracking or monitoring systems. With a wide variety of health data available, data monitoring, collection, and transmission, via mobile technology is being integrated into many healthcare models. This paper reviews the advances in smartphone applications, medical adapters and extension devices that are now available to users, patients and providers alike, and the impact that this access currently has and will continue to have in the healthcare field. We sought to identify smartphone adapters and medical devices that are now smartphone-compatible, and to highlight the implications of their use and implementation in patient care. With a focus on identifying the challenges that this technology currently faces and will continue to encounter, we aim to identify further areas of potential innovation and improvement. Smartphones are shaping the future of medicine and staying at the forefront of these innovations will allow for a better collaboration between healthcare providers and patients in order to provide individualized and high quality care.
Teaching emotional intelligence to intensive care unit nurses and their general health: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND Emotion and how people manage it is an important part of personality that would immensely affect their health. Investigations showed that emotional intelligence is significantly related to and can predict psychological health. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of teaching emotional intelligence to intensive care unit nurses on their general health. METHODS This randomized clinical trial (registered as IRCT201208022812N9) was conducted on 52 of 200 in intensive care unit nurses affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. They were recruited through purposeful convenience sampling and then randomly categorized into two groups. The intervention group members were trained in emotional intelligence. Bar-on emotional intelligence and Goldberg's general health questionnaires were administered to each participant before, immediately after, and one month after the intervention. RESULTS While the mean score of general health for the intervention group decreased from 25.4 before the intervention, to 18.1 immediately after the intervention and to 14.6 one month later, for the control group, it increased from 22.0, to 24.2 and to 26.5, respectively (p<0.001). CONCLUSION Teaching emotional intelligence improved the general health of intensive care unit nurses.
Differential Interaction of Dantrolene, Glafenine, Nalidixic Acid, and Prazosin with Human Organic Anion Transporters 1 and 3

In renal proximal tubule cells, the organic anion transporters 1 and 3 (OAT1 and OAT3) in the basolateral membrane and the multidrug resistance-associated protein 4 (MRP4) in the apical membrane share substrates and co-operate in renal drug secretion. We hypothesized that recently identified MRP4 inhibitors dantrolene, glafenine, nalidixic acid, and prazosin also interact with human OAT1 and/or OAT3 stably transfected in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. These four drugs were tested as possible inhibitors of p-[3H]aminohippurate (PAH) and [14C]glutarate uptake by OAT1, and of [3H]estrone-3-sulfate (ES) uptake by OAT3. In addition, we explored whether these drugs decrease the equilibrium distribution of radiolabeled PAH, glutarate, or ES, an approach intended to indirectly suggest drug/substrate exchange through OAT1 and OAT3. With OAT3, a dose-dependent inhibition of [3H]ES uptake and a downward shift in [3H]ES equilibrium were observed, indicating that all four drugs bind to OAT3 and may possibly be translocated. In contrast, the interaction with OAT1 was more complex. With [14C]glutarate as substrate, all four drugs inhibited uptake but only glafenine and nalidixic acid shifted glutarate equilibrium. Using [3H]PAH as a substrate of OAT1, nalidixic acid inhibited but dantrolene, glafenine, and prazosin stimulated uptake. Nalidixic acid decreased equilibrium content of [3H]PAH, suggesting that it may possibly be exchanged by OAT1. Taken together, OAT1 and OAT3 interact with the MRP4 inhibitors dantrolene, glafenine, nalidixic acid, and prazosin, indicating overlapping specificities. At OAT1, more than one binding site must be assumed to explain substrate and drug-dependent stimulation and inhibition of transport activity.
Weaning Foods: A Review of the Indian Experience

Although breastmilk is adequate to meet the energy and nutrient requirements of an infant up to four to six months of age, thereafter it is insufficient to sustain normal growth and needs to be supplemented with other foods, such as weaning foods. However, the capacity of a weaning diet to meet the protein and energy requirements of infants depends on its nutritional quality as well as its dietary bulk. This review highlights varieties of weaning foods, blend formulations, nutrient requirements, process characteristics, physicochemical parameters, quality evaluation, and other important aspects of developing a weaning food that satisfies all the requirements of the infant during the vulnerable transitional stage. Traditional weaning foods of India are briefly summarized.