Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Leadership Styles on Teachers’ Professional Development: A Study of a Private School in Dubai

No one can deny that leaders play the main role in the educational system’s success. The aim of the current dissertation is to investigate the different leadership styles of educational leaders in one private school in Dubai. To achieve this mission, the researcher consulted several leadership theories such as Maxwell theory, the transformational leadership theory and the implicit theory in an attempt to thoroughly understand the various leadership styles and their impact on teachers’ performance and hence on the students’ level of achievements. The sample population comprised of 75 participants, 62 of which were teachers and the rest were educational leaders including the principal and the deputy headmaster in Al Salam private school in Dubai. The study depended on mixed methods to analyse and interpret the data. The key findings of the study revealed that most of leaders’ perspectives about their leadership styles were democratic in the sense of valuing their team, flexible in the way that teachers are given freedom in using their own strategies and sharing in decision-making. This finding matches Maxwell’s five levels of leadership as the school reached level five which is the level of great leaders. In addition, most teachers agreed that the transformational leadership style leads to enhanced performance and stressed the importance of the implicit theory that was consulted in this research.
In-situ tem study of highly stable oxygen nanobubbles in quasi-2D liquid system

Present work lies in the fact that we have demonstrated that highly stable oxygen Nano bubbles (NBs) could be generated and stabilized in a liquid environmental transmission electron microscope (LETEM), using an in house fabricated quasi-2D system. The size of the stabilized NBs varies in the range from 10 to 50 nm, its formation occurred via decomposition of 0.025% hydrogen peroxide on Platinum/CNT nanocomposite. The characterization of growth and long-term stability of NBs has been successfully carried out. In our system, the long-term stability of oxygen NB comes from supersaturation of oxygen molecules and compact arranged of NB. We have also developed the theoretical model derived from Henry's law by which we can predict the stability stage of NBs.
Cross‐generational effects of temperature on flight performance, and associated life‐history traits in an insect

Nongenetic parental effects may affect offspring phenotype, and in species with multiple generations per year, these effects may cause life‐history traits to vary over the season. We investigated the effects of parental, offspring developmental and offspring adult temperatures on a suite of life‐history traits in the globally invasive agricultural pest Grapholita molesta. A low parental temperature resulted in female offspring that developed faster at low developmental temperature compared with females whose parents were reared at high temperature. Furthermore, females whose parents were reared at low temperature were heavier and more fecund and had better flight abilities than females whose parents were reared at high temperature. In addition to these cross‐generational effects, females developed at low temperature had similar flight abilities at low and high ambient temperatures, whereas females developed at high temperature had poorer flight abilities at low than at high ambient temperature. Our findings demonstrate a pronounced benefit of low parental temperature on offspring performance, as well as between‐ and within‐generation effects of acclimation to low temperature. In cooler environments, the offspring generation is expected to develop more rapidly than the parental generation and to comprise more fecund and more dispersive females. By producing phenotypes that are adaptive to the conditions inducing them as well as heritable, cross‐generational plasticity can influence the evolutionary trajectory of populations. The potential for short‐term acclimation to low temperature may allow expanding insect populations to better cope with novel environments and may help to explain the spread and establishment of invasive species.
Stress Radiography of the Talocrural and Subtalar Joints∗

The object of this investigation was to determine a possible subtalar component in a group of 33 patients with chronic ankle instability. A group of 10 subjects without ankle/foot symptoms acted as controls. A standardized radiographic assessment of talar and simultaneous subtalar tilt was made. A hinge device to stress the joints and a specific subtalar stress view (Brodén view) were used under fluoroscopic control. Radiographs were made with the feet: (1) in neutral position, (2) after inversion with moderate force until the point of fair restraint (step 1), and (3) after inverting with more force as far as the conditions would allow (step 2). An increase of talar tilt between step 1 and step 2 was only found in feet that were symptomatic. This suggests that this increase is only possible when lateral ligaments are damaged. Further research is necessary to determine whether this finding can serve as a parameter to discriminate between physiological and abnormal talar tilt. A wide range of subtalar motion was found in both symptomatic and asymptomatic feet. With the present method, practically all subtalar joints showed some loss of congruity and medial shift of the calcaneus in relation to the talus. This could not be correlated with ankle instability at the talocrural joint. The consequence of the use of different subtalar stress methods has so far received little attention and is discussed.
Automated Classification and Removal of EEG Artifacts With SVM and Wavelet-ICA

Brain electrical activity recordings by electroencephalography (EEG) are often contaminated with signal artifacts. Procedures for automated removal of EEG artifacts are frequently sought for clinical diagnostics and brain–computer interface applications. In recent years, a combination of independent component analysis (ICA) and discrete wavelet transform has been introduced as standard technique for EEG artifact removal. However, in performing the wavelet-ICA procedure, visual inspection or arbitrary thresholding may be required for identifying artifactual components in the EEG signal. We now propose a novel approach for identifying artifactual components separated by wavelet-ICA using a pretrained support vector machine (SVM). Our method presents a robust and extendable system that enables fully automated identification and removal of artifacts from EEG signals, without applying any arbitrary thresholding. Using test data contaminated by eye blink artifacts, we show that our method performed better in identifying artifactual components than did existing thresholding methods. Furthermore, wavelet-ICA in conjunction with SVM successfully removed target artifacts, while largely retaining the EEG source signals of interest. We propose a set of features including kurtosis, variance, Shannon's entropy, and range of amplitude as training and test data of SVM to identify eye blink artifacts in EEG signals. This combinatorial method is also extendable to accommodate multiple types of artifacts present in multichannel EEG. We envision future research to explore other descriptive features corresponding to other types of artifactual components.
[Palliative care practices in residential facilities for the elderly requiring full-time care].

AIMS The purpose of this study was to assess palliative care practices for residents of Larmont residential facilities for the elderly requiring full-time care (Doubs, France) throughout their stay. METHODS This was a healthcare peer review based on a retrospective clinical audit in compliance with the recommendations of the French Health Authority. The 252-bed Larmont residential care facilities for the elderly is a public institution, attached to the local Hospital. The 72 residents of the Larmont residential care facilities for the elderly who died during 2012 were included in the study. RESULTS Death occurred on the premises for 95.8 percent of residents. The proposal to appoint a support person was recorded in 27.6 percent of audited cases. End-of-life instructions were recorded in 23.2 percent of cases. In 31.8 percent of cases, the medical record referred to a multidisciplinary procedure, which complied with regulations in less than one half of cases. The residents’ pain at the end of their life was insufficiently assessed and managed. A discomfort other than pain was identified in 89.2 percent of cases. CONCLUSIONS This healthcare peer review led to a quality improvement plan focusing on three areas : ensure that medical practices are in line with patients’ rights, anticipate identification of the end of life and improve management of pain and suffering at the end of life.
The Correlation of Vascular Capacity with the Parenchymal Lesions of Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract: Hippocampal capillary and arteriolar measurements showed a significant reduction in capacity with normal aging. Alzheimer's dementia was not associated with any further reduction; in fact regional variations suggested that the zones of Amnion's horn most severely affected by tangles and granulovacuoles retained the best vascular capacity. The arterial system supplying the hippocampus, from the posterior cerebral artery to the series of small hippocampal arteries, was also assessed. Its capacity, as judged by arterial diameters, was similarly found to decrease significantly with age; the arterial diameters of Alzheimer cases were (insignificantly) greater than those of the normal old. Calcarine capillary and arteriolar measurements also indicated a marked reduction of capacity with normal aging, and, as before, in Alzheimer's dementia there was no further significant change. All three phases of the study thus suggest that cerebrovascular capacity in Alzheimer's dementia is at least as good as in the normal old, if not better. Senile (neuritic) plaques with amyloid cores and their relationship to the microvasculature were examined in the calcarine cortex. In both normal old and Alzheimer cases the plaques tended to congregate where capillaries were densest. Their correlation with capillary density was however better in the normal old, raising the question of whether their pathogenesis might differ in the two conditions.
SMC Condensation Centers in Bacillus subtilis Are Dynamic Structures

ABSTRACT SMC and MukB complexes consist of a central SMC dimer and two essential binding partners, ScpA and ScpB (MukE and MukF), and are crucial for correct chromosome compaction and segregation. The complexes form two bipolar assemblies on the chromosome, one in each cell half. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), we provide evidence that the SMC complex has high exchange rates. This depends to a considerable degree on de novo protein synthesis, revealing that the bacterial SMC complex has high on and off rates for binding to the chromosome. A mutation in SMC that affects ATPase activity and results in exaggerated DNA binding in vitro causes a strong segregation defect in vivo and affects the localization of the entire SMC complex, which localizes to many more sites in the cell than under normal conditions. These data indicate that ATP turnover is important for the function of Bacillus subtilis SMC. In contrast, the centromere protein Spo0J and DNA gyrase showed much less exchange between distinct binding sites on the chromosome than that seen with SMC. Binding of Spo0J to the origin regions was rather static and remained partially conserved until the next cell cycle. Our experiments reveal that the SMC complex has a high, condensin-like turnover rate and that an alteration of the ATPase cycle affects SMC function in vivo, while several nucleoid-associated proteins feature limited or slow exchange between different sites on the nucleoid, which may be the basis for epigenetic-like phenomena observed in bacteria.
Intracellular Redox State Determines Whether Nitric Oxide Is Toxic or Protective to Rat Oligodendrocytes in Culture

Abstract : We found that several nitric oxide donors had similar potency in killing mature and immature forms of oligodendrocytes (OLs). Because of the possibility of interaction of nitric oxide with intracellular thiols, we tested the effect of the nitrosonium ion donor S‐nitrosylglutathione (SNOG) in OL cultures in the setting of cystine deprivation, which has been shown to cause intracellular glutathione depletion. Surprisingly, the presence of 200 μM SNOG completely protected OLs against the toxicity of cystine depletion. This protection appeared to be due to nitric oxide, because it could be blocked by hemoglobin and potentiated by inclusion of superoxide dismutase. We tested the effect of three additional NO• donors and found that protection was not seen with diethylamine NONOate, a donor with a half‐life measured in minutes, but was seen with dipropylenetriamine NONOate and diethylaminetriamine NONOate, donors with half‐lives measured in hours. This need for donors with longer half‐lives for the protective effect suggested that NO• was required when intracellular thiol concentrations were falling, a process evolving over hours in medium depleted of cystine. These studies suggest a novel protective role for nitric oxide in oxidative stress injury and raise the possibility that intracerebral nitric oxide production might be a mechanism of defense against oxidative stress injury in OLs.
Non-small cell lung cancer: identifying prognostic imaging biomarkers by leveraging public gene expression microarray data--methods and preliminary results.

PURPOSE To identify prognostic imaging biomarkers in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by means of a radiogenomics strategy that integrates gene expression and medical images in patients for whom survival outcomes are not available by leveraging survival data in public gene expression data sets. MATERIALS AND METHODS A radiogenomics strategy for associating image features with clusters of coexpressed genes (metagenes) was defined. First, a radiogenomics correlation map is created for a pairwise association between image features and metagenes. Next, predictive models of metagenes are built in terms of image features by using sparse linear regression. Similarly, predictive models of image features are built in terms of metagenes. Finally, the prognostic significance of the predicted image features are evaluated in a public gene expression data set with survival outcomes. This radiogenomics strategy was applied to a cohort of 26 patients with NSCLC for whom gene expression and 180 image features from computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET)/CT were available. RESULTS There were 243 statistically significant pairwise correlations between image features and metagenes of NSCLC. Metagenes were predicted in terms of image features with an accuracy of 59%-83%. One hundred fourteen of 180 CT image features and the PET standardized uptake value were predicted in terms of metagenes with an accuracy of 65%-86%. When the predicted image features were mapped to a public gene expression data set with survival outcomes, tumor size, edge shape, and sharpness ranked highest for prognostic significance. CONCLUSION This radiogenomics strategy for identifying imaging biomarkers may enable a more rapid evaluation of novel imaging modalities, thereby accelerating their translation to personalized medicine.
Pharmacokinetics of mycophenolate mofetil and its glucuronide metabolites in healthy volunteers.

UNLABELLED We previously reported that polymorphisms in the UGT2B7 and UGT1A9 genes are associated with significant alteration in the disposition of mycophenolic acid (MPA) in healthy volunteers. AIM This study further evaluates the impact of genetic polymorphisms at the UGT1A1, UGT1A7 and ABCC2 loci. METHODS Genetic analyses of five UGT candidate genes and ABCC2 were completed on 47 healthy subjects who received a single dose of 1.5 g mycophenolate mofetil and completed a 12-h pharmacokinetic profile. RESULTS Multivariate analyses indicate that the ABCC2 -24T promoter polymorphism is associated with a 25% increase in acyl mycophenolic acid phenolic glucuronide level. Subjects with combined ABCC2 -24T and UGT1A9*3 genotypes present a 169% increased exposure to AcMPAG. Homozygosity for UGT1A7 387G/391A (129Lys/131Lys) is associated with a modest but significant 7% reduction in MPA level. When these additional genetic factors are considered in the model, the effects of previously described UGT1A9 and UGT2B7 variations remain significant. No significant effect is observed for UGT1A1*28, UGT1A7 622T/C (Trp208Arg), UGT1A9 -440TC/-331CT, UGT1A9 -118 TA(9/10) and seven other ABCC2 SNPs. CONCLUSION We demonstrate that MPA disposition is a multigenic process, and that additional studies are required to ascertain the relationship between UGT, ABCC2 genotypes and MPA pharmacokinetics in transplant recipients.
Helminth parasites – masters of regulation

Summary: Immune regulation by parasites is a global concept that includes suppression, diversion, and conversion of the host immune response to the benefit of the pathogen. While many microparasites escape immune attack by antigenic variation or sequestration in specialized niches, helminths appear to thrive in exposed extracellular locations, such as the lymphatics, bloodstream, or gastrointestinal tract. We review here the multiple layers of immunoregulation that have now been discovered in helminth infection and discuss both the cellular and the molecular interactions involved. Key events among the host cell population are dominance of the T‐helper 2 cell (Th2) phenotype and the selective loss of effector activity, against a background of regulatory T cells, alternatively activated macrophages, and Th2‐inducing dendritic cells. Increasingly, there is evidence of important effects on other innate cell types, particularly mast cells and eosinophils. The sum effect of these changes to host reactivity is to create an anti‐inflammatory environment, which is most favorable to parasite survival. We hypothesize therefore that parasites have evolved specific molecular strategies to induce this conducive landscape, and we review the foremost candidate immunomodulators released by helminths, including cytokine homologs, protease inhibitors, and an intriguing set of novel products implicated in immune suppression.
Deleted in polyposis 1-like 1 gene (Dp1l1): a novel gene richly expressed in retinal ganglion cells.

PURPOSE To characterize a novel gene, deleted in polyposis 1-like 1 (Dp1l1), which is expressed in the retina. METHODS A systematic screening by subtraction hybridization of the cDNAs from mouse retina and mouse brain was performed to obtain novel genes expressed in the retina. In situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and intracellular localization analyses were performed to investigate the expression patterns of Dp1l1. The chromosomal location of Dp1l1 was determined by radiation hybrid mapping. Bioinformatics was used for homology analysis. RESULTS A novel gene, Dp1l1, was expressed abundantly in the retina. It encodes a 201-amino-acid protein, and the encoded protein is designated mouse TB2-like 1. It is highly homologous to the mouse TB2, which is encoded by deleted in polyposis 1 (Dp1). In situ hybridization and immunohistochemical analyses showed that Dp1l1 mRNA and the TB2-like 1 were localized richly in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). TB2-like 1 was present in the cytoplasm in a punctate pattern. Dp1l1 was mapped to mouse chromosome 10 by radiation hybrid mapping. CONCLUSIONS TB2-like 1 is a membrane protein that belongs to the YOP1/TB2/DP1/HVA22 family, and it probably plays an important role in intracellular membrane trafficking in RGCs, based on the properties of other homologous proteins.
Transient Limb Ischemia Induces Remote Preconditioning and Remote Postconditioning in Humans by a KATP Channel–Dependent Mechanism

Background— Transient limb ischemia administered before a prolonged ischemic insult has systemic protective effects against ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury (remote ischemic preconditioning [RIPC]). It has been demonstrated that protection from IR can be achieved by brief periods of ischemia applied at a remote site during an injurious ischemic event (remote postconditioning [RPostC]). Using an in vivo model of endothelial IR injury, we sought to determine whether RPostC occurred in humans and whether it shared mechanistic similarities with RIPC. Methods and Results— Endothelial function was assessed by flow-mediated dilation before and after IR (20 minutes of arm ischemia followed by reperfusion). RIPC was induced by conditioning cycles of 5 minutes of ischemia and reperfusion on the contralateral arm or leg before IR. For RPostC induction, conditioning cycles were administered during the ischemic phase of IR. Oral glibenclamide was used to determine the dependence of RIPC and RPostC on KATP channels. IR caused a significant reduction in flow-mediated dilation in healthy volunteers (baseline, 9.3±1.2% versus post-IR, 3.3±0.7%; P<0.0001) and patients with atherosclerosis (baseline, 5.5±0.6% versus post-IR, 2.3±0.5%; P<0.01). This reduction was prevented by RIPC (post-IR+RIPC: healthy volunteers, 7.2±0.5% [P<0.0001 versus post-IR]; patients, 4.5±0.3% [P<0.01 versus post-IR]) and RPostC (post-IR+RPostC: 8.0±0.5%; P<0.0001 versus post-IR). The protective effects of RIPC and RPostC were blocked by glibenclamide. Conclusions— This study demonstrates for the first time in humans that RPostC can be induced by transient limb ischemia and is as effective as RIPC in preventing endothelial IR injury. RIPC and RPostC share mechanistic similarities, with protection being dependent on KATP channel activation. These results suggest that remote conditioning stimuli could be protective in patients with acute ischemia about to undergo therapeutic reperfusion.
Characterization and structural modeling of a novel thermostable glycine oxidase from Geobacillus kaustophilus HTA426

Glycine oxidase from Geobacillus kaustophilus HTA426 (GOXK) is a 43 kDa monomer flavoenzyme containing noncovalently bound FAD. The induction of the enzyme resulted in the expression of a fully soluble protein with higher specific activity than those previously reported for GOX from B. subtilis (GOXB). A study of the kinetic properties of this novel GOXK revealed the lowest KM values for most of the substrates analyzed, with the exception of D‐proline which kept a similar value and had the highest Vmax value reported. The Vmax/KM ratio maintained a substrate preference of GOXK for amines of small size, like glycine, sarcosine, N‐ethyl‐glycine, and glycine‐ethyl‐ester. GOXK presented good stability at 60–70°C and in alkaline media (pH 6–9.5). The putative tridimensional structure was modeled by sequence alignment and by comparing the changes between GOXK and GOXB, and the residues that could be responsible for the substrate specificity as well as those essential for the catalytic activity were found. The comparison between the possible topology of GOXK with that of GOXB showed changes at the putative interactions between monomers for the building of the tetrameric oligomerization. Proteins 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.