Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Left-handed leaky wave antenna for millimeter-wave applications

In this paper, we have designed microstrip left-handed leaky wave antennas (LH LWAs) working from 75 to 82 GHz, and we have conformed beam scanning by MoM simulation. A conventional LH LWA for microwave applications consists of series interdigital capacitors and shunt stubs connected with vias to the ground. Manufacturing the interdigital capacitor and meander-line inductor working at mm-wave frequencies is very hard because of the etching tolerance. In the case of the mm-wave antenna, the value of capacitance, and inductance becomes smaller than that of the microwave antenna, so the interdigital capacitor and shunt meander-line inductor can be replaced with a simple gap capacitor and line inductor. In this paper, we have designed a planar mm-wave frequency LH LWA. In order to maximize the fabrication tolerance, we have chosen a via-free LH structure with a simple series gap and a straight shunt inductor connected with a virtual ground patch in the unit cell, which will contribute to reducing conductor losses as well.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ku70 potentiates illegitimate DNA double‐strand break repair and serves as a barrier to error‐prone DNA repair pathways.

Ku, a heterodimer of polypeptides of approximately 70 kDa and 80 kDa (Ku70 and Ku80, respectively), binds avidly to DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs). Mammalian cells defective in Ku are hypersensitive to ionizing radiation due to a deficiency in DSB repair. Here, we show that the simple inactivation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ku70 homologue (Yku70p), does not lead to increased radiosensitivity. However, yku70 mutations enhance the radiosensitivity of rad52 strains, which are deficient in homologous recombination. Through establishing a rapid and reproducible in vivo plasmid rejoining assay, we show that Yku70p plays a crucial role in the repair of DSBs bearing cohesive termini. Whereas this damage is repaired accurately in YKU70 backgrounds, in yku70 mutant strains terminal deletions of up to several hundred bp occur before ligation ensues. Interestingly, this error‐prone DNA repair pathway utilizes short homologies between the two recombining molecules and is thus highly reminiscent of a predominant form of DSB repair that operates in vertebrates. These data therefore provide evidence for two distinct and evolutionarily conserved illegitimate recombination pathways. One of these is accurate and Yku70p‐dependent, whereas the other is error‐prone and Yku70‐independent. Furthermore, our studies suggest that Yku70 promotes genomic stability both by promoting accurate DNA repair and by serving as a barrier to error‐prone repair processes.
Eight-Year Follow-Up of School-Based Intervention on Childhood Overweight – the Kiel Obesity Prevention Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the 8-year outcome of school-based intervention on weight status, lifestyle and blood pressure (BP) as part of the Kiel Obesity Prevention Study (KOPS). Methods: Within a quasi-randomized controlled trial, 240 intervention (I) and 952 non-intervention (NI) students at age 6 and 14 years were assessed in schools. Six nutrition units followed by 20-min running games were performed within the first year at school. Primary outcome was the 8-year change in body mass index standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) according to German references. Effective intervention was tested using multilevel linear regression analysis. Results: Eight-year changes in BMISDS were +0.18 and +0.22 with increases in prevalence of overweight from 8.3 to 10.4% and 7.0 to 11.2% in I and NI students, respectively. Cumulative 8-year incidence of overweight was 5.9% and 7.1% in I and NI students, respectively. There was no overall effect of intervention, but a significant interaction was shown between the intervention and the socio-economic status (SES), which demonstrated that in high SES, the 8-year change in BMI-SDS was in favour of I (–0.17 in I and +0.17 in NI; p < 0.01). Intervention had no measurable effects on lifestyle and BP. Conclusions: School-based health promotion has some favourable and sustained effects on 8-year changes in BMI-SDS, which are most pronounced in students of high SES families. The data argue in favour of further preventive measures.
Electrical Connectivity in MgB2: The Role of Precursors and Processing Routes in Controlling Voids and Detrimental Secondary Phases

An investigation of the mechanisms that can play a role in limiting the electrical connectivity in polycrystalline MgB2 is reported. Bulk samples have been manufactured by three in situ techniques using different types of precursors. The “internal magnesium diffusion” route has been studied in detail, in particular for what concerns the effect of the excess of Mg in the reagents on the electrical and structural properties of the samples. A modified internal magnesium diffusion method, which involves the use of MgB4 in the place of B, is also proposed. Electrical connectivity higher than 70% has been achieved also in the case of samples not fully densified. Our study indicates that both the excess of Mg and the use of MgB4 in the place of B can allow limiting the effect of insulating phases on the electrical transport, thus increasing the connectivity. The obtained results appear very promising to synthesize highly dense and electrically connected polycrystalline MgB2.
Environmental-Health Aspects of Pulse-Modulated Microwaves

Our theoretical model describes the potential influence of irradiation with pulse-modulated microwaves on the conformational oscillations of enzymes in living organisms. Certain values of pulse-repetition time, determined by the period of conformational oscillations of the corresponding type of enzyme, can produce the effect at extremely low power levels. Synchronized oscillations in identical enzyme molecules produce in turn large-scale oscillations within living cells. Thus, short periods of exposure to pulse-modulated microwaves could be beneficial to cellular function, whereas maintaining the amplitude of such oscillations at a maximum for long periods may have a stressful effect on biochemical processes. The model discloses the possible environmental-health risks of long-term exposure in ambient fields that are created by radar, navigation, and communication systems.
The Catalytic Subunit of Telomerase Protects Neurons Against Amyloid β‐Peptide‐Induced Apoptosis

Abstract : The catalytic subunit of telomerase (TERT) is a specialized reverse transcriptase that has been associated with cell immortalization and cancer. It was reported recently that TERT is expressed in neurons throughout the brain in embryonic and early postnatal development, but is absent from neurons in the adult brain. We now report that suppression of TERT levels and function in embryonic mouse hippocampal neurons in culture using antisense technology and the telomerase inhibitor 3' ‐azido‐2' 3' ‐dideoxythymidine significantly increases their vulnerability to cell death induced by amyloid β‐peptide, a neurotoxic protein believed to promote neuronal degeneration in Alzheimer's disease. Neurons in which TERT levels were reduced exhibited increased levels of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction following exposure to amyloid β‐peptide. Overexpression of TERT in pheochromocytoma cells resulted in decreased vulnerability to amyloid β‐peptide‐induced apoptosis. Our findings demonstrate a neuroprotective function of TERT in an experimental model relevant to Alzheimer's disease, and suggest the possibility that restoration of TERT expression in neurons in the adult brain may protect against age‐related neurodegeneration.
Social Professional Work and Education in the Netherlands

Article about social work and social policy in the Netherlands. It gives information about the background, history, the meaning of the profession and the different types of professional areas in which the profession is divided. Other subjects are: social work curricula, the European dimension of social work an current challenges for social professionals in the Netherlands.
Significance of new blood vessels in the pathogenesis of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis

We studied the significance of new blood vessels in the pathogenesis of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA). Fifteen 8-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were selected to establish TMJOA models of gradually induced occlusal disorders. Five rats were sacrificed at 4, 8 and 16 weeks, and histological exam was conducted along with micro-computed tomography observation on the condyle specimen. The distribution and number of new blood vessels breaking were observed through the tidemark through CD34 immunofluorescence staining. The proliferation of chondrocytes were detected through Ki67 immunohistochemical staining, and the differentiation functions of chondrocytes were observed through PTHrP and IHH immunohistochemical staining. The degradation functions of cartilage matrix were observed through matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 immunohistochemical staining to detect the expression of vascular growth promotion and inhibition factors with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), CTGF and CHM-1 immunohistochemical staining and screen differentially expressed genes through gene chip analysis method. It was found that the condyle tissue full thickness, fiber layer thickness and calcified cartilage layer thickness were significantly increased with time (P<0.05). Bone mineral density, trabecular thickness and Tb.Sp were also increased significantly with time, BS/BV and trabecular number were decreased significantly with time (P<0.05). The new blood vessels reached the deep layer of calcified cartilage until the tide line was broken and non-calcified cartilage was invaded. The number of vessels were increased significantly with time (P<0.05). Ki67, PTHrP and IHH-positive rates were increased significantly (P<0.05). MMP-9, VEGF, CTGF and CHM-1 were increased significantly (P<0.05). VEGF, CTGF and CHM-1 mRNA were upregulated differentially with the expressed genes. In conclusion, the new blood vessels may be important in the pathogenesis of TMJOA.
A Salmonella enteritidis 11RX pilin induces strong T-lymphocyte responses

Our previous work, using proteins fractionated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to define antigens of Salmonella enteritidis 11RX able to stimulate T cells from S. enteritidis 11RX-primed (BALB/c x C57BL/6)F1 mice, had indicated the presence of a major antigenic determinant of 14 to 18 kDa (H.-M. Vordermeier and I. Kotlarski, Immunol. Cell. Biol. 68:299-305, 1990). The 14-kDa size is similar to that of the monomeric units of one of the fimbrial structures, SEF14, produced by a human enteropathogen, S. enteritidis 27655 (J. Feutrier, W. W. Kay, and T. J. Trust, J. Bacteriol. 168:221-227, 1986). Here we present data which indicate that S. enteritidis 11RX also produces this protein and that it is able to elicit delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions in S. enteritidis 11RX-primed animals and to stimulate in vitro proliferation of, and cytokine release from, T cells obtained from these animals, implying that this fimbrial protein is likely to be an important immunogen of S. enteritidis. The protein was purified to homogeneity and is free from contamination with lipopolysaccharide. Standard immunoblot analysis with unabsorbed S. enteritidis 11RX antiserum and antiserum absorbed with Salmonella typhimurium C5 and various strains of Escherichia coli, as well as a panel of anti-14-kDa-protein monoclonal antibodies, suggests that this fimbrial protein is not the common antigen expressed by a number of organisms belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. Immunogold electron microscopy with one of these monoclonal antibodies confirms that the 14-kDa protein and SEF14 are identical.
The regulation of takeover bids in the UK: An evaluation of provisions for employee involvement

This article evaluates the provisions for information disclosure to employees contained in the UK Takeover Code, following the implementation of the Directive on Takeover Bids (2004/25/EC) in 2006 and further amendments resulting from the Kraft/Cadbury takeover in 2010, among other developments. It contrasts information and consultation (I&C) provisions across other EU directives on employment relations and emphasizes that the Takeover Bids Directive restricts itself to information disclosure, allowing employees merely to append their opinion to the offeree board circular. Detailed analysis reveals that very few opinions have actually been given over the past 12 years (2006–2017 inclusive), and of these almost one-third complain about lack of information. These empirical findings highlight the weakness of the UK provisions, and the article concludes by proposing areas where further regulatory reform might strengthen I&C in the takeover process.
Sex and gender issues in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is universally found to be more prevalent in women than men. This has led to extensive studies of differences in the immune system or nervous system between women and men, which might be caused by the effects of gonadal hormones, genetic differences, and different environmental exposures and modern lifestyle in men and women. We review the effects of sex and gender from a genetic, immunological and clinical point of view. We discuss the effects of sex on the clinical expression of MS and responses to therapy, as well as issues concerning pregnancy.
Social Capital and Public Participation on Planning in Coastal Area Development

Indonesia is one country to the world that rich with natural resources, especially on marine and coastal resources. But, the condition of rural inhabitants in coastal area still low in economic condition and public facilities and others not suitable for good living environment. The goal of this paper is to integrate the concept of social capital and public participation in the community activities. Social capital, which is interpreted with the term of the trust, networks and norm as governing human behavior is significant to motivate and coordinate collective action towards collaboration. Collective action or collaboration among people in the communities could solve the problem together. In the Grootaert research, with the title “Social Capital, Household Welfare and Poverty in Indonesia” (1999) found that active participation in decision making and memberships in heterogeneous organizations further reduce the likelihood to be poor. In this research, we found the same from Grootaert finding, that social capital (trust) has positive impact to community activities (path point 0.56) in this research location.
Globally sclerotic glomeruli in IgA nephropathy patients

C om m en ta ry Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education: Oxford classification system was based on actual clinical data, international collaboration, and validation of the reproducibility of defining pathologic lesions. The strongest pathologic predictor of clinical outcome in IgA nephropathy is the extent of tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis. A R T I C L E I N F O
An Increase in Plasma Homovanillic Acid with Cocoa Extract Consumption Is Associated with the Alleviation of Depressive Symptoms in Overweight or Obese Adults on an Energy Restricted Diet in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND Obesity has been associated with various health disorders, including psychological alterations. Cocoa consumption and weight management may produce a beneficial effect on these problems. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of cocoa extract supplementation as part of an energy-restricted diet on psychological status and peripheral dopaminergic activity in overweight or obese middle-aged subjects. METHODS In a 4-wk, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled parallel nutritional intervention, 22 men and 25 women [mean ± SD age: 57 ± 5 y; body mass index (kg/m2): 30.6 ± 2.3] were studied. After a 1-wk run-in period, volunteers consumed 15% energy-restricted diets; one-half of the volunteers were randomly assigned to receive ready-to-eat meals supplemented with 1.4 g cocoa extract/d (645 mg total polyphenols/d), whereas the rest of the volunteers received the same meals without cocoa supplementation. Plasma monoamines [dopamine, dopac, and homovanillic acid (HVA)], monoamine oxidase (MAO), and psychological status (anxiety and depressive symptoms) were analyzed in fasting participants at baseline and endpoint. Data were analyzed over time, and regression and correlation analyses were conducted to determine the relation between variables. RESULTS Depressive symptoms decreased in both groups after the intervention (control: -9.4%, P < 0.001; cocoa: -6.3%, P = 0.008), but anxiety symptoms did not. The increase in plasma HVA was 11.5% greater in the cocoa group than in the control group (P = 0.016), but plasma dopamine, dopac, and MAO changes did not differ between groups. A negative relation between changes in depressive symptoms and changes in plasma HVA was observed in the cocoa group (β = -0.39, P = 0.029). Moreover, the change in plasma dopamine was positively associated with the change in methyl-catechin-O-glucoronide in the cocoa-supplemented group (r = 0.69, P = 0.019). CONCLUSION The intake of cocoa extract by participants consuming a 15% energy-restricted diet contributed to an increase in plasma HVA concentrations. This change was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms, suggesting a potential effect of cocoa extract intake on this relation. The present results are secondary analyses of a clinical trial that was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as NCT01596309.
Developing hybrid approaches to predict pKa values of ionizable groups

Accurate predictions of pKa values of titratable groups require taking into account all relevant processes associated with the ionization/deionization. Frequently, however, the ionization does not involve significant structural changes and the dominating effects are purely electrostatic in origin allowing accurate predictions to be made based on the electrostatic energy difference between ionized and neutral forms alone using a static structure and the subtle structural changes be accounted by using dielectric constant larger than two. On another hand, if the change of the charge state is accompanied by a large structural reorganization of the target protein, then the relevant conformational changes have to be explicitly taken into account in the pKa calculations. Here we report a hybrid approach that first predicts the titratable groups whose ionization is expected to cause large conformational changes, termed “problematic” residues, and then applies a special protocol on them, while the rest of the pKas are predicted with rigid backbone approach as implemented in multi‐conformation continuum electrostatics (MCCE) method. The backbone representative conformations for “problematic” groups are generated with either molecular dynamics simulations with charged and uncharged amino acid or with ab‐initio local segment modeling. The corresponding ensembles are then used to calculate the titration curves of the “problematic” residues and then the results are averaged to obtain the corresponding pKa. Proteins 2011; © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Identification of ERSE-II, a New cis-Acting Element Responsible for the ATF6-dependent Mammalian Unfolded Protein Response*

Herp is a 54-kDa membrane protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The mRNA expression level of Herp is increased by the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER. Transcriptional changes designed to deal with this type of ER stress is called the unfolded protein response (UPR). Most mammalian UPR-target genes encode ER-resident molecular chaperones: GRP78, GRP94, and calreticulin. The promoter regions of these genes contain acis-acting ER stress response element, ERSE, with the consensus sequence of CCAAT-N9-CCACG. Under conditions of ER stress, p50ATF6 (the active form of the transcription factor, ATF6) binds to CCACG when CCAAT is bound by the general transcription factor, NF-Y/CBF. Here, we report the genomic structure of human Herp and the presence of a new ER stress response element, ERSE-II, in its promoter region. The gene for Herp consists of eight exons, localized to chromosome 16q12.2–13. The promoter region contains a single ERSE-like sequence. In reporter gene assays, disruption of thiscis-element resulted in a partial reduction of the transcriptional response to ER stress, suggesting that the element is functional for the UPR. These results also suggest the involvement of additional elements in the UPR. Further analysis, using an optimized plasmid containing an mRNA-destabilizing sequence, revealed ERSE-II (ATTGG-N-CCACG) as the second ER stress response element. Interestingly, ERSE-II was also dependent on p50ATF6, in a manner similar to that of ERSE, despite the disparate structure. The strong induction of Herp mRNA by ER stress would be achieved by the cooperation of ERSE and ERSE-II.
Cyber security on the farm: an assessment of cyber security practices in the United States agriculture industry

The goal of this study was to survey farmers and agribusiness owners about their perceptions of cyber security, and how age, gender, and education might affect those perceptions. Using the Health Belief Model as a framework, the survey measured the constructs of perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, self-efficacy and cues to action. In addition to the framework, levels of previous cyber-crime victimization and technology implementation were measured. The results of this survey demonstrated that perceived susceptibility to cyber-attacks and the perceived benefits of protective technology are related to an individual’s choice to implement cyber security technology. Over half of the respondents had been victims of a computer security incident, demonstrating that even individuals working in agriculture can be impacted by computer crime incidents. This project deepens the understanding of how individuals react to known threats, and what motivates them to adopt protection technologies.
The contribution of Further Education and skills to social mobility

Social mobility means being able to improve your and your family’s standard of living, through better education, employment and income. This report investigates how taking part in further education – such as an apprenticeship, work-based learning, community learning and adult education – helps people get better jobs and wages. It also looks at the effects further education has on the prospects for the children of learners. It is a review of published research from government, academics and think tanks.