Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Age and Hindlimb Supension on the Levels of Expression of the Myogenic Regulatory Factors Myod and Myogenin in Rat Fast and Slow Skeletal Muscles

In this study we tested the hypothesis that, compared to young adult rats, senescent rats have a reduced ability to respond to muscle unloading. Unloading of the muscles was induced by hindlimb suspension (HS) of young adult and senescent rats for 21 days. Plantaris muscles from young adult rats had significantly higher levels of myogenin mRNA and protein (890% and 314%, respectively, P < 0.05) than plantaris muscles from senescent rats and also a higher MyoD mRNA level (280%, P < 0.05), but ageing did not increase MyoD protein levels. Although HS did not increase plantaris mRNA or protein levels of myogenin or MyoD in senescent rats (P = 0.22), myogenin mRNA and protein levels increased by 850% and 580% respectively, and MyoD mRNA and protein levels by 235% and 1600%, respectively in young adult rats (P < 0.05). Soleus muscles from senescent rats had 150% and 85% greater myogenin and MyoD mRNA levels, respectively (P < 0.05), than soleus muscles from young adult rats, whereas protein levels of myogenin were similar (P > 0.05) and MyoD protein levels were 60% lower in the muscle of senescent rats (P < 0.05). In young rats, soleus muscle mRNA levels of myogenin and MyoD were not altered by HS but myogenin protein levels decreased by 57% (P < 0.05) whereas MyoD protein levels increased by 187% (P < 0.05). In senescent rats, HS decreased soleus muscle myogenin mRNA and protein levels by 42% and 26% respectively (P < 0.05), but MyoD protein and mRNA levels were not changed. MRF4 levels were not affected by ageing in either muscle. These data suggest that ageing reduces the ability of fast muscles to increase myogenin protein levels, and prevents both fast and slow muscles from increasing MyoD protein levels during muscle unloading.
The impact of a student organization (OSIS) on leadership identity development (LID)

Leadership is an important issue in education field and it needs to be taught as early as possible to students. However, the wide context of leadership today has led us to a broader view which understands that leadership is also a part of identity and it is developed overtime. One way to develop it is by involvement in student organizations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand the impact of a student organization in a leadership identity development of students who were involved in a student organization, as well as determining at what stage of LID student leaders were. This study was performed in three Sukma Bangsa Schools by gathering data from 15 student leaders who become the leaders in the student organization, called OSIS. By using a qualitative method, the researchers applied structured interviews to collect the data, using the traditional methods of constant comparative analysis to analyze the data afterwards. The main finding of the research indicated that the student organization, in this case OSIS, helped student leaders to create and improve their leadership skills. Moreover, based on LID theory, not all of the student leaders reached the final stage of LID itself. In addition, this research also presents the reflections of student leaders regarding their experience in OSIS as their student organization at school level. In the end of our thesis implication of the researches and recommendations for future research are also offered.
Pulse oximetry as a fifth pediatric vital sign.

PURPOSE To determine the utility of pulse oximetry as a routine fifth vital sign in acute pediatric assessment. DESIGN Prospective study using pulse oximetry to measure oxygen saturation in children presenting to emergency department triage. Saturation values were disclosed to clinicians only after they had completed medical evaluations and were ready to discharge or admit each child. We measured changes in medical treatment and diagnoses initiated after the disclosure of pulse oximetry values. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS The study included 2127 consecutive children presenting to triage at a university emergency department. MEASUREMENTS Changes in select diagnostic tests: chest radiography, complete blood count, spirometry, arterial blood gases, pulse oximetry, and ventilation-perfusion scans; treatments: antibiotics, beta-agonists, supplemental oxygen; and hospital admission and final diagnoses that occurred after disclosure of triage pulse oximetry values. RESULTS Of 305 children having triage pulse oximetry values less than 95%, physicians ordered second oximetry for 49, additional chest radiography for 16, complete blood counts for 7, arterial blood gas measurements for 4, spirometry for 2, and ventilation-perfusion scans for 2. Physicians ordered 39 new therapies for 33 patients, including antibiotics for 15, supplemental oxygen for 11, and beta-agonists for 8. Five patients initially scheduled for hospital discharge were subsequently admitted. Physicians changed or added diagnoses in 25 patients. CONCLUSIONS Using pulse oximetry as a routine fifth vital sign resulted in important changes in the treatment of a small proportion of pediatric patients.
Focussed Ion Beam Milling and Scanning Electron Microscopy of Brain Tissue

This protocol describes how biological samples, like brain tissue, can be imaged in three dimensions using the focussed ion beam/scanning electron microscope (FIB/SEM). The samples are fixed with aldehydes, heavy metal stained using osmium tetroxide and uranyl acetate. They are then dehydrated with alcohol and infiltrated with resin, which is then hardened. Using a light microscope and ultramicrotome with glass knives, a small block containing the region interest close to the surface is made. The block is then placed inside the FIB/SEM, and the ion beam used to roughly mill a vertical face along one side of the block, close to this region. Using backscattered electrons to image the underlying structures, a smaller face is then milled with a finer ion beam and the surface scrutinised more closely to determine the exact area of the face to be imaged and milled. The parameters of the microscope are then set so that the face is repeatedly milled and imaged so that serial images are collected through a volume of the block. The image stack will typically contain isotropic voxels with dimenions as small a 4 nm in each direction. This image quality in any imaging plane enables the user to analyse cell ultrastructure at any viewing angle within the image stack.
A Selection Method for Black Box Regression Testing with a Statistically Defined Quality Level

We consider regression testing of safety-critical systems consisting of black-box components. This scenario is common for automotive electronic systems where testing time is expensive and should be reduced without uncontrolled reduction of reliability. This requires a methodology to select test cases from a larger test suite for which a defined quality level of the resulting regression test cycle can be provided. With this in mind, we propose a method to select test cases based on a stochastic model. We are modeling test case failure probabilities as dependent random variables, therefore already observed test results have an influence on the estimation of further test case failure probabilities. Based on an information theoretical approach, we validate the mutual differential information degree between test case failure probabilities and compute a function which returns the risk for not selecting a test case, i.e., the probability of not selecting a failing test case. Depending on the mutual differential information significant reductions of testing time can be achieved while testing reliability is preserved at a quantifiable high level. We will validate theoretically our results and will show in an industrial case study the benefits of our method.
Role of the Iodothyronine Deiodinases in the Physiology and Pathophysiology of Thyroid Hormone Action

Thyroxine (T4) is a prohormone and must be activated to 3,5,3′-triiodothyronine (T3) by either type 1 (D1) or type 2 (D2) selenodeiodinase. A third deiodinase (D3) inactivates T3 or T4 by removal of an inner ring iodine. These reactions require both a deiodinase enzyme and a cofactor, probably a thiol, to reduce the oxidized selenolyl group in the active center of each deiodinase. Thus, deiodination rates depend on both the enzyme and cofactor. The source of most of the circulating T3 is D1-mediated, while D2 provides nuclear receptor-bound hormone. Using sensitive and specific assays, it has become apparent that both D2 and D3 are widespread throughout vertebrate tissues. The complex interactions between the activating D2 and the inactivating D3 in tissues expressing these two enzymes determine the intracellular T3 concentration. This provides enormous flexibility for both developmental and tissue regeneration processes, allowing exquisite control of intracellular T3 concentrations. The endogenous factors regulating the activity of these enzymes, such as the hedgehog proteins, FoxO3, or the wnt/β catenin pathway together with the actions of thyroid hormone transporters, direct adjustments of nuclear receptor-bound T3 which in turn can control the balance between cellular proliferation and differentiation. Their actions provide dynamic flexibility to what appears on the surface to be a very static hormonal system.
Programmed cell death is required for palate shelf fusion and is regulated by retinoic acid.

The actual role of programmed cell death (PCD) in embryonic processes and the extrinsic signals that define the death fate in developing cells are still poorly understood. Here, we show that during secondary palate shelf fusion in the mouse, PCD appeared in the medial edge epithelia (MEE) of the anterior region only after shelf contact. Contact was necessary for efficient cell death activation in the MEE. However, exogenous all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) increased cell death independently of contact. Competence to induce cell death by contact or by RA exposure was obtained when the MEE were close to touch. Endogenous RA is a relevant regulator of the secondary palate PCD since this was reduced by a retinol dehydrogenase inhibitor and an RAR specific antagonist. Bmp-7 expression was positively regulated by RA. However, BMP-7 was unable to activate cell death within the palate tissue and NOGGIN, a natural BMP antagonist, did not block PCD. Reduction of PCD at the MEE directly with a caspase inhibitor or by inhibiting retinol dehydrogenase resulted in unfused palate shelves, but adhesion was not affected. In contrast, exogenous RA also blocked fusion, but in this situation the increased cell death within the MEE appeared to affect adhesion, thereby causing cleft palate in vivo.
World higher education under conditions of national/global disequilibria

Higher education systems, institutions and disciplines, including higher education studies itself, together make an immense and growing contribution to human society, economy and culture. Yet they operate in circumstances only partly of their own making. Higher education in Europe and beyond is closely engaged in nation-states and also deeply implicated in international relations and global society. Hence it is continuously affected on one hand by medium and longer term developments such as marketisation and performance management policies in the public sector, the growth of national inequalities, the expanding role of research, big data and the rise of China; and on the other hand by shorter-term events such as tensions over migration, Trump, Brexit, attacks on academic freedom in Hungary and Turkey, and fluctuations in the role of social media in national politics. This paper reflects on the social and economic roles of higher education and the associated research, their present condition of national/global disequilibria, and some implications for research and scholarship in the field of higher education studies. It is a schematic birds-eye view of the sector and its context and the tendencies in that setting.
Asset Allocation, Capital Structure, Theory of the Firm and Banking Performance: A Panel Analysis

This paper attempts to propose a measure of “optimality of bank financial structure” as a proxy of regulation fairness, in terms of the “theory of the banking firm” under constraints of liquidity and capital adequacy. This has been conducted using Lagrange function to assess the optimal weights of assets that include cash, governmental investments, loans, non-governmental investments and other assets, and the optimal weights of liabilities that include deposits, equity and other liabilities. The paper argues that “optimality of bank financial structure” may affect both of “banking efficiency” and “financial stability”. This has been conducted using a sample of 15 countries, over the periods from the 2004 to 2015. Using panel analysis according to OLS and GMM techniques, results indicate that hypotheses regarding the significance of this impact could be accepted.
Intracerebral Microdialysis in the Study of Physiology and Behaviour

In the past, studies relating neurotransmitter function to behaviour have involved looking at the behavioural effects of specific drugs or lesions, or using post-mortem biochemistry in animals killed after undertaking the behaviour. Whilst these methods still play an important part in behavioural pharmacology research, recent advances in the technology of in vivo methods have enabled direct measurements of neurotransmitter function to be made in conscious and unrestrained animals. Among the more important of these methods are voltammetry and brain wash methods (e.g. push-pull perfusion, cortical cup) /116/. However, perhaps the greatest impact on this field of research has been made by microdialysis. This article reviews the contribution made by microdialysis to the understanding of neurotransmitter systems underlying normal physiological function and behaviour, and points to possible future directions for this work.
Fast 2-Dimensional 4$times$4 Forward Integer Transform Implementation for H.264/AVC

In this paper, the novel two-dimensional (2-D) fast algorithm for realization of 4$times$4 forward integer transform in H.264 is proposed. Based on matrix operations with Kronecker product and direct sum, the efficient fast 2-D 4$times$4 forward integer transform can be derived from the proposed one-dimensional fast 4$times$4 forward integer transform through matrix decompositions. The proposed fast 2-D 4$times$4 forward integer transform design doesn't need transpose memory for direct parallel pipelined architecture. The fast 2-D 4$times$4 forward integer transform requires fewer latency delays than the state-of-the-art methods. With regular modularity, the proposed fast algorithm is suitable for VLSI implementation to achieve real-time H.264/advanced video coding (AVC) signal processing.
Safety and Tolerability of Fluconazole in Children

ABSTRACT The safety profile of fluconazole was assessed for 562 children (ages, 0 to 17 years) comprising 323 males and 239 females. The data are derived from 12 clinical studies of fluconazole as prophylaxis or treatment for a variety of fungal infections in predominantly immunocompromised patients. Most children received multiple doses of fluconazole in the range of 1 to 12 mg/kg of body weight; a few received single doses. Administration was mainly by oral suspension or intravenous injection. Overall, 58 (10.3%) children reported 80 treatment-related side effects. The most common side effects were associated with the gastrointestinal tract (7.7%) or skin (1.2%). Self-limiting, treatment-related side effects affecting the liver and biliary system were reported in three patients (0.5%). Overall, 18 patients (3.2%) discontinued treatment due to side effects, mainly gastrointestinal symptoms. Dose and age did not appear to influence the incidence and pattern of side effects. Treatment-related laboratory abnormalities were uncommon, the most frequent being transient elevated alanine aminotransferase (4.9%), aspartate aminotransferase (2.7%), and alkaline phosphatase (2.3%) levels. Although 98.6% of patients were taking concomitant medications, no clinical or laboratory interactions were observed. The safety profile of fluconazole was compared with those of other antifungal agents, mostly oral polyenes, by using a subset of data from five controlled studies. Side effects were reported by more patients treated with fluconazole (45 of 382; 11.8%) than by those patients treated with comparable agents (25 of 381; 6.6%); vomiting and diarrhea were the most common events in both groups. The incidence and type of treatment-related laboratory abnormalities were similar for the two groups. In conclusion, fluconazole was well tolerated by the pediatric population, many of whom were suffering from severe underlying disease and were taking a variety of concurrent medications. The safety profile of fluconazole in children mirrors the excellent safety profile seen in adults.
Reconfigurable multi-band scatterers for micro-sensors identification

For the first time the use of RCS of multi-band scatterers is proposed for the remote identification of micro-sensors in a wireless sensors network. The next step will consist of connecting a specific multi-band scatterer to each micro-sensor and, to achieve simultaneously the remote measurement of a physical quantity (via the electromagnetic transduction principle) and the sensor identification (via the RCS of the associated multi-band scatterer). Part of this work is supported by the Project of “Pôle de compétivité” entitled Système Autonome Communicant En Réseau (SACER).
The patterns of afferent innervation of the core and shell in the “Accumbens” part of the rat ventral striatum: Immunohistochemical detection of retrogradely transported fluoro‐gold

Recent data have emphasized the neurochemically distinct nature of subterritories in the accumbens part of the rat ventral striatum termed the core, shell, and rostral pole. In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how afferents are distributed relative to these subterritories, immunohistochemical detection of retrogradely transported Fluoro‐Gold was carried out following iontophoretic injections intended to involve selectively one of the subterritories. The data revealed that a number of cortical afferents of the medial shell and core originate in separate areas, i.e., the dorsal peduncular, infralimbic, and posterior piriform cortices (to medial shell) and the dorsal prelimbic, anterior agranular insular, anterior cingulate, and perirhinal cortices (to core). The lateral shell and rostral pole are innervated by cortical structures that also project either to the medial shell or core. The orbital, posterior agranular insular, and entorhinal cortices, hippocampus, and basal amygdala were observed to innervate the accumbens in a topographic manner. Following core injections, strong bilateral cortical labeling was observed. Few labeled cortical cells were observed contralaterally following injections in the medial shell. Intermediate numbers of labeled neurons were observed in contralateral cortices following lateral shell injections.
Product development drivers : an explorative study in Finland and China

New Product Development (NPD) is vital for companies that operate in international markets. Yet, NPD has become increasingly challenging to manage; products are becoming ever more complex and various customers and multiple stakeholders’ needs must be satisfied. Additionally, NPD is often conducted in multiple locations around the world. Product development drivers can be defined as reasons for a company to initiate a product development project. These drivers affect decision-making, project outcome, and product strategy implementation. This study explores how product development drivers are perceived at the managerial level in technology companies based in Finland and China. The results indicate that managers’ views on these drivers differ in short-, medium-, and long-term development projects. Marketing and customers related drivers are considered the most important in the short term; financial goals related drivers in the medium term, and strategy and business environment related drivers in the long term. Furthermore, differences are found between Finnish and Chinese managers’ views. Finnish practitioners tend to be more focused on financial goals related drivers, whereas Chinese managers consider various factors important.
Degradation of Adsorbed Protein by Attached Bacteria in Relationship to Surface Hydrophobicity

The relationships among surface energy, adsorbed organic matter, and attached bacterial growth were examined by measuring the degradation of adsorbed ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (a common algal protein) by attached bacteria (Pseudomonas strain S9). We found that surface energy (work of adhesion of water) determined the amount and availability of adsorbed protein and, consequently, the growth of attached bacteria. Percent degradation of adsorbed ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase decreased with increasing hydrophobicity of the surface (decreasing work of adhesion). As a result, growth rates of attached bacteria were initially higher on hydrophilic glass than on hydrophobic polyethylene. However, during long (6-h) incubations, growth rates increased with surface hydrophobicity because of increasing amounts of adsorbed protein. Together with previous studies, these results suggest that the number of attached bacteria over time will be a complex function of surface energy. Whereas both protein adsorption and bacterial attachment decrease with increasing surface energy, availability of adsorbed protein and consequently initial bacterial growth rates increase with surface energy.
A complex‐difference phase‐contrast technique for measurement of volume flow rates

Magnetic resonance (MR) phase‐difference methods work well for measuring volumetric flow rates when the vessel diameter is large compared with the in‐plane voxel dimensions. For small vessels (eg, coronary arteries), partial‐volume effects introduce substantial errors in the measured volume flow rate. To correctly measure flow rates through a voxel, both the fraction of the voxel containing moving spins and the phase shift imparted to those spins must be known. The authors propose a flow measurement method that combines information obtained with both the complex‐difference and phase‐difference processing techniques and thereby provides the fractional volume occupied by the moving spins and the phase of those spins. The complex‐difference flow map method proposed results in improved accuracy of MR phase‐contrast flow measurements in the presence of partial‐volume effects.
Output Characteristics of Q-switched Solid-State Lasers Using Intracavity MEMS Micromirrors

The output behavior of a Nd:YAG solid-state laser actively Q-switched by a MEMS scanning micromirror is presented. Using a gold-coated micromirror, maximum average output powers of 50 mW and pulse durations as short as 120 ns were obtained with a dual beam output. This output pattern originates from a pulse emission when the micromirror is at an angle from the cavity axis. The temporal and spatial behavior of this laser was experimentally characterized and then modeled using a numerical simulation of the laser rate equations. Finally, prospects for power scaling this MEMS-based Q-switch technique are demonstrated using a dielectric-coated micromirror, which led to average output powers of up to 650 mW and pulse energies above 40 μJ.