Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metacognition through Technology and Teaching.

Effective learning merely does not imply manipulation of information, which is integrated into an existing knowledge base, but rather, directing attention to what one has assimilated, understanding relationship between new information and what is already known, understanding the process which facilitated this and being aware that something new has actually been learnt. This article deals with the influence of technology in the development of Meta cognition in learners. At the beginning of any learning activity, students need to list their Pre-requisite knowledge and the knowledge to be constructed. As they delve into their investigation, they will verify, clarify and expand or replace their pre-requisite knowledge with more accurate information. Meta cognition significantly contributes to academic performance and the content may be taught through educational procedures that include provision of Meta cognitive knowledge and facilitate Meta cognitive experiences. This article will help to understand how both Meta cognition and web based instruction play a major role in the new generation instruction strategy.
Safety Analysis Method for Nuclear Power Plant I & C Systems in Requirement Specification Based on Statechart and SCR

In recent years, Instrumentation and Control (I&C) system based on digital computer technology has been widely used throughout industries. These industries such as Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) have safety critical systems. Thus, safety critical system must have sufficient quality to assure a safe and reliable design. In this work, a formal requirement analysis method for Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Instrumentation and Control (I&C) systems is proposed. This method use the Statechart diagram, Software Cost Reduction (SCR) formalism and ISO table newly suggested in this paper for checking the modeled systems formally. The combined method of utilizing Statechart, SCR and ISO table has the advantage of checking the system easily, visually and formally. This method is applied to the Water Level Monitoring System (WLMS). As a result of the formal check, one reachability error is detected.
Identification of a Novel Role for Dematin in Regulating Red Cell Membrane Function by Modulating Spectrin-Actin Interaction*

Background: The role of dematin in regulating red cell membrane mechanical function is not well understood. Results: Dematin facilitates spectrin-actin interaction, and this activity is modulated by PKA phosphorylation of dematin. Conclusion: Dematin binds to spectrin and dynamically regulates red cell membrane mechanical function. Significance: A novel role for dematin in regulating red cell membrane mechanical function has been unraveled. The membrane skeleton plays a central role in maintaining the elasticity and stability of the erythrocyte membrane, two biophysical features critical for optimal functioning and survival of red cells. Many constituent proteins of the membrane skeleton are phosphorylated by various kinases, and phosphorylation of β-spectrin by casein kinase and of protein 4.1R by PKC has been documented to modulate erythrocyte membrane mechanical stability. In this study, we show that activation of endogenous PKA by cAMP decreases membrane mechanical stability and that this effect is mediated primarily by phosphorylation of dematin. Co-sedimentation assay showed that dematin facilitated interaction between spectrin and F-actin, and phosphorylation of dematin by PKA markedly diminished this activity. Quartz crystal microbalance measurement revealed that purified dematin specifically bound the tail region of the spectrin dimer in a saturable manner with a submicromolar affinity. Pulldown assay using recombinant spectrin fragments showed that dematin, but not phospho-dematin, bound to the tail region of the spectrin dimer. These findings imply that dematin contributes to the maintenance of erythrocyte membrane mechanical stability by facilitating spectrin-actin interaction and that phosphorylation of dematin by PKA can modulate these effects. In this study, we have uncovered a novel functional role for dematin in regulating erythrocyte membrane function.
Spectral Analysis of Heart Variability in the Newborn Infant

We investigated the relationship between spectral power and both mean heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV). Spectral power was calculated using digital heart rate recordings from term infants. Regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between low-frequency (LF) sympathetic power and HR, and a negative correlation between high-frequency (HF) parasympathetic power and HR. HRV correlated positively in all regions of the power spectrum. In awake infants, the contribution of HF power to total power (HF/TP) was significantly decreased. LF power tended to be greater, however, this trend was not statistically significant. By following expected autonomic patterns, the findings of this study confirm that spectral analysis provides a noninvasive method for the assessment of autonomic activity influencing the newborn heart. The correlation between spectral power and HRV can serve as an additional tool in the study of autonomic dysfunction.
Comparative In Vitro Appraisal of Piperacillin, Including Its Activity Against Salmonella typhi

Piperacillin was evaluated in vitro against 711 clinical isolates of aerobic and anerobic gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including 76 isolates of Salmonella typhi. Piperacillin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were compared with those of a range of β-lactam, aminoglycoside, and other antimicrobial agents, and inoculum size effects were considered. The relationship between dilution and disk diffusion tests was studied by regression analysis. In addition, piperacillin was assessed in combination with aminoglycoside and other β-lactam drugs. This investigation has confirmed the activity of piperacillin against a broad range of bacteria, including Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae, Neisseria, β-lactamase-negative Haemophilus influenzae, and Staphylococcus aureus as well as enterococci, Bacteroides fragilis, and other anaerobes. All strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were inhibited by ≤32 μg/ml or less, demonstrating again the potential usefulness of piperacillin in the treatment of pseudomonal infections. S. typhi proved susceptible to piperacillin, all isolates being inhibited by 1 μg/ml. Inoculum size experiments showed that inocula of 108 CFU resulted in MICs and MBCs appreciably higher than those resulting from inocula of 106 CFU, and inocula of 102 CFU resulted in MICs and MBCs appreciably lower than those resulting from inocula of 104 CFU. Piperacillin was active against all gentamicin-resistant pseudomonads tested, but not against gentamicin-resistant klebsiellas and enterobacters. Combinations of piperacillin with tobramycin and amikacin were consistently synergistic against Pseudomonas and Serratia isolates. Less consistent results were shown when piperacillin was combined with aminoglycosides or cephalothin against Klebsiella and indole-positive Proteus isolates, although synergy was observed in most cases. Occasional antagonistic reactions were encountered with piperacillin-cephalothin or piperacillin-tobramycin combinations against the latter isolates.
[Epidemiological and histological features of urogenital tumours in Cameroon].

OBJECTIVE The authors review the epidemiological and histological features of urogenital tumours in Cameroon. METHODS The authors conducted a retrospective study over a period of 18 years based on registries and clinical data of patients admitted to the Urology department of Yaoundé Central Hospital. RESULTS A total of 2,371 urogenital tumours were identified, corresponding to 520 prostatic adenocarcinomas, 1,066 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia, 41 testicular tumours (9 seminomatous tumours, 7 non-seminomatous tumours, 18 lymphomas, 4 benign papillomas and 2 rhabdomyosarcomas of the spermatic cord), 169 bladder tumours (25 transitional cell carcinomas, 70 squamous cell carcinomas, 67 adenocarcinomas, 2 lymphomas, 1 sarcoma and 1 benign papilloma), and 136 kidney tumours (20 Wilms tumours, 87 renal cell carcinomas, 6 transitional cell carcinomas, 16 lymphomas, 2 other malignant tumours and 5 adenomas). This survey also revealed 192 epididymal tumours, essentially cysts, 8 squamous cell carcinomas of the penis and 3 adenocarcinomas of the female urethra. Other tumours corresponded to condylomata acuminata. CONCLUSION Urogenital tumours in Cameroon are dominated by prostatic tumours. The urogenital tract can also be the site of endemic Burkitt lymphoma in this country. These tumours are observed in young subjects.
Suicide in nurses.

The worldwide English language literature on suicide in nurses is reviewed in this article. There is evidence from several countries that female nurses are at increased risk of suicide. Very little information is available about the specific causes. Increased risk in nurses has been statistically associated with smoking and negatively related to extent of caffeine consumption. Unlike some other high-risk occupational groups, it is unclear to what extent access to means for suicide contributes to nurses' risk. The methodological issues and specific needs of research concerning suicide in nurses are discussed.
Simplified Model for Estimating the Cross-Polarization Modulation in a Bulk Semiconductor Optical Amplifier

<para> In this study, we propose a simplified model for estimating the cross-polarization modulation in a bulk semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), assuming that the induced birefringence is the main contribution to this nonlinear phenomenon. Using a semi-classical model by sections and the effective index method, we determine the longitudinal distribution of the induced birefringence along the optical waveguide and the total phase shifts experienced by the orthogonal components of the electric field of a data beam. The proposed model is numerically and analytically solved. These results are compared with experimental data, providing good agreement. Particularly, we analyze the angular displacements in the PoincarÉ representation of the polarization state of the data beam propagating simultaneously with a control beam, whose input power was varied from <formula formulatype="inline"><tex>$-$</tex></formula>30 to <formula formulatype="inline"><tex>$+$</tex></formula>2 dBm. The results show a maximum relative error of 13.9% and 13.3% in, respectively, the numerical and analytical solutions. </para>
Pattern recognition, classification and diagnosis of acoustic emission signals in applications for mining

In this work, Acoustic Emission Technique (AET) and Pattern Recognition Technique (PRT) are used in combination for classification of AE signals obtained from two experimental applications in the mining sector. AE signals are collected and used to form features or parameters in order to identify AE events of interest. Signal processing in time domain and in frequency domain are applied to extract these features from the AE signals. The aim of this work is to identify and classify similar AE signals from experimental mining tests. It is achieved by means of using unsupervised and supervised methods of PRT. The main reason for performing these tests at a laboratory scale is to obtain a correlation of the AE signals with each mining process as well as to use the results as a guide for other specific mining applications. Beginning with the formulation of the problem and data acquisition, each step of the pattern recognition process is carried out for classification of the AE signals, namely pre-processing of the data, feature selection and extraction, unsupervised or supervised classification, assessment and interpretation of the results. In the pre-processing of the data, Standard Score Normalization is applied to the input data for further comparisons of AE features. For feature extraction, three algorithms are used, namely Principal Components Analysis (PCA), Linear Discrimination analysis (LDA), and Multidimensional Scaling (MDS). For supervised classification three methods are employed, these are linear Support Vector Machine, non-linear Support Vector Machine and Back-propagation Neural Network. These supervised classifiers are evaluated using classification accuracy. For unsupervised classification, also three classification algorithms are used, namely K-means Clustering, Fuzzy C-Means Clustering and Vector Quantization Clustering. These unsupervised classifiers are evaluated using similarities between clusters by Rand Index (RI). Two experimental applications are studied using the algorithms and the selected AE features. First, AET in a laboratory column flotation cell is used to monitor the bubble activity and bubble size, as a means of improving the efficiency of the column flotation process. Next, in rock cutting, AET and PRT are employed to identify the rocks being cut as a means of automation in the operation of underground mining and tunneling. These experiments were carried out in a laboratory scale, using AE wave measurements to analyze the processes. Pattern Recognition Technique is used in combination with classic and advanced signal processing techniques to characterize the collected AE signals.
Activation of heat shock factor 1 by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate is mediated by its activities as pro-oxidant and thiol modulator.

Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) is known to inhibit NF-kappa B, which plays a critical role(s) as an immediate early mediator of immune and inflammatory responses. Here we show that PDTC induces heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) activation and heat shock protein expression, while other antioxidants such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), n-propylgallate (PG), ascorbic acid (AA), and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) do not. Since PDTC exerts other functions than antioxidant, e.g., a pro-oxidant, metal chelator, and thiol group modulator, we examined which of these activities is responsible for the PDTC-induced HSF1 activation. PDTC-induced HSF1 activation was not prevented by metal chelators, EDTAs, indicating that the metal chelating effect of PDTC is not linked to the HSF1 activation. PDTC increased intracellular GSSG level. In addition, PDTC-induced activation of HSF1 was significantly inhibited by NAC and a thiol-reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT), while it was partially prevented by other antioxidants, AA, BHT, and PG. These results suggest that the activation of HSF1 by PDTC may be due to its activities as pro-oxidant and thiol group modulator rather than anti-oxidant.
The cutaneous disease of saint ubald of gubbio (1084–1160)

Ubald was a Catholic Church Saint (1084 – 1160), born in Gubbio (Umbria, Italy) and died after two years of painful illness; his mummy is now guarded in a glass sarcophagus at Sant'Ubald Cathedral in Gubbio. Informations about Ubald are derived by his two main biographers: Iordanus (Giordano) of Citta di Castello1 and Theobaldus (Teobaldo), his successor in the episcopal seat2. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Robot manipulator control for hazardous waste-handling applications

The U.S. Department of Energy has identified robotics as a major technology to be utilized in its program of environmental restoration and waste management, and in particular has targeted robotic handling of hazardous waste to be an essential element in this program. Successful performance of waste-handling operations will require a robot to perform complex tasks involving both accurate positioning of its end effector and compliant contact between the end effector and the environment, and will demand that these tasks be completed in uncertain surroundings. This article focuses on the development of a robot control system capable of meeting the requirements of hazardous-waste-handling applications and presents as a solution an adaptive scheme for controlling the mechanical impedance of kinematically redundant manipulators. The proposed controller is capable of accurate end effector impedance control and effective redundancy utilization, does not require knowledge of the complex robot dynamic model or parameter values for the robot or the environment, and is implemented without calculation of the robot inverse kinematic transformation. Computer simulation results are given for a 4 degree of freedom redundant robot under adaptive impedance control. These results indicate that the proposed controller is capable of successfully performing tasks of importance in robotic waste-handling applications.
Software Archaeology

"This isn't programming, this is archaeology"! the programmer complained, wading through the ancient rubble of some particularly crafty pieces of code. It's a pretty good analogy, actually. In real archaeology, you're investigating some situation, trying to understand what you're looking at and how it all fits together. To do this, you must be careful to preserve the artifacts you find and respect and understand the cultural forces that produced them. But we don't have to wait a thousand years to try to comprehend unfathomable artifacts. Code becomes legacy code just about as soon as it's written, and suddenly we have exactly the same issues as the archaeologists. What are we looking at? How does it fit in with the rest of the world? And what were they thinking? It seems we're always in the position of reading someone else's code: either as part of a code review, or trying to customize a piece of open source software, or fixing a bug in code that we've inherited.
High impedance fault detection in distribution networks using support vector machines based on wavelet transform

In this paper a new pattern recognition based algorithm is presented to detect high impedance fault (HIF) in distribution networks. In this method, using wavelet transform (WT), the time-frequency based features of the current waveform up to 6.25 kHz are calculated. To extract the best feature set of the generated time frequency features, two methods including principle component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) are used and then support vector machines (SVM) is used as a classifier to distinguish the HIFs considering with and without broken conductor from other similar phenomena such as capacitor banks switching, no load transformer switching, load switching and harmonic loads considering induction motors, arc furnaces. The results show high accuracy of the proposed method in the detection task.
Research An Official Journal of the American Heart Association Brief Reviews Control of Cerebral Circulation in Health and Disease

• Knowledge of the physiology and pathophysiology of cerebral blood flow (CBF) is essential to the proper treatment of patients with major intracranial disease. Yet much of the existing information is fragmented and incoherent (1-4); certainly many problems remain unsolved. This review has attempted to organize the existing knowledge about CBF into a reasonably consistent framework of facts and concepts. The available, accurate, relatively simple methods of measuring CBF are discussed first and then the nature and control of CBF in health and disease are considered. Hopefully, this integrated presentation will facilitate the evaluation of new information.
The response of GS-NS0 myeloma cells to single and multiple pH perturbations.

Animal cells are cultured in several types of vessels at laboratory and industrial scale the most common being the stirred tank and the air-lift. Economically, it is preferable to culture animal cells at the largest possible scale but the perceived sensitivity of animal cells to hydrodynamic shear has, until now, limited the aeration and agitation rates used. This has been reported to cause inhomogeneities in operational parameters such as dissolved oxygen concentration, temperature and pH. pH is of special interest during the latter stages of many animal cell fermentation because alkali additions, used for pH control, can cause large local pH perturbations of varying size and duration. The effect of single and multiple pH perturbations on the cell growth of a widely used GS-NS0 mouse myeloma cell line grown in batch culture was investigated. The effect of perturbation amplitude and duration was investigated using a single stirred tank reactor (STR). In the single STR system cells were subjected to one pH 8.0 or 9.0 perturbation ranging in duration from 0-90 minutes. No measurable decrease in viable cell number was seen for pH 8.0 perturbations of any duration whereas pH 9.0 perturbations lasting for 10 minutes caused a 15% decrease in viable cell number. The proportion of viable cells decreased with increasing perturbation time and a 90-minute exposure killed all of the cells. The effect of multiple pH perturbations on GS-NS0 cells was investigated using two connected STR's. More specifically the number of perturbations and the perturbation frequency were investigated. Cells were subjected to between 0 and 100 perturbations at pH 8.0; the time between each perturbation (frequency) was 6 minutes and each perturbation lasted for 200 seconds. Viable cell number decreased with increasing perturbation number, with 100 perturbations causing death of 27.5% of cells. Cells were also exposed to 10 perturbations at pH 9.0, each of 200 second duration at frequencies of either 6, 18 or 60 minutes. Approximately 8 times more cells were killed with perturbations at a 6-minute frequency (28.3% cell death) than at a 60-minute frequency (3.4% cell death).
The HOXB13:IL17BR gene-expression ratio: a biomarker providing information above and beyond tumor grade.

Dennis C Sgroi1,2 1Director of Breast Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research & MGH Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital East, MGH East, Molecular Pathology Research, 149 13th Street Charlestown, MA 02129, USA 2Associate Professor of Harvard Medical School, MA, USA Tel. : +1 617 726 5697; Fax: +1 617 724 5684; E‐mail: dsgroi@partners.org The HOXB13:IL17BR gene-expression ratio: a biomarker providing information above and beyond tumor grade
Bloodmeal Identification in Field-Collected Sand Flies From Casa Branca, Brazil, Using the Cytochrome b PCR Method

Abstract PCR-based identification of vertebrate host bloodmeals has been performed on several vectors species with success. In the present study, we used a previously published PCR protocol followed by DNA sequencing based on primers designed from multiple alignments of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene used to identify avian and mammalian hosts of various hematophagous vectors. The amplification of a fragment encoding a 359 bp sequence of the Cyt b gene yielded recognized amplification products in 192 female sand flies (53%), from a total of 362 females analyzed. In the study area of Casa Branca, Brazil, blood-engorged female sand flies such as Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912), Migonemyia migonei (França, 1924), and Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho, 1939) were analyzed for bloodmeal sources. The PCR-based method identified human, dog, chicken, and domestic rat blood sources.