Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transcription of platelet-derive d growth factor receptor a in Leydig cells involves specificity protein 1 and 3

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) A is secreted by Sertoli cells and acts on Leydig precursor cells, which express the receptor PDGFRA, triggering their differentiation into steroidogenically active Leydig cells. There is, however, no information regarding the molecular mechanisms that govern Pdgfra expression in Leydig cells. In this study, we isolated and characterized a 2.2 kb fragment of the rat Pdgfra 5 0-flanking sequence in the TM3 Leydig cell line, which endogenously expresses Pdgfra. A series of 5 0 progressive deletions of the Pdgfra promoter was generated and transfected in TM3 cells. Using this approach, two regions (K183/K154 and K154/K105), each conferring 46% of Pdgfra promoter activity, were identified. To better define the regulatory elements, trinucleotide mutations spanning the K154/K105 region were introduced by site-directed mutagenesis in the context of the K2.2 kb Pdgfra promoter. Mutations that altered the TCCGAGGGAAAC sequence at K138 bp significantly decreased Pdgfra promoter activity in TM3 cells. Several proteins from TM3 nuclear extracts were found to bind to this G(C/A) motif in electromobility shift assay. Two of theproteinswere identified as the transcription factors SP1 and SP3.Using transient transfections ofTM3Leydigcells, SP1 and SP3 were found to activate the Pdgfra promoter by threefold. The SP1/SP3-dependent activation of the Pdgfra promoter was severely blunted when the G(C/A) motif was mutated. Our study provides new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of Pdgfra transcription in Leydig cells, which includes a role for the transcription factors SP1 and SP3. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology (2011) 46, 125–138
Gesture based Natural User Interface for e-Training

Objective: This paper describes the process and results related to the development of gesture recognition-based natural user interface(NUI) for vehicle maintenance e-Training system. Background: E-Training refers to education training that acquires and improves the necessary capabilities to perform tasks by using information and communication technology(simulation, 3D virtual reality, and augmented reality), device(PC, tablet, smartphone, and HMD), and environment(wired/wireless internet and cloud computing). Method: Palm movement from depth camera is used as a pointing device, where finger movement is extracted by using OpenCV library as a selection protocol. Results: The proposed NUI allows trainees to control objects, such as cars and engines, on a large screen through gesture recognition. In addition, it includes the learning environment to understand the procedure of either assemble or disassemble certain parts. Conclusion: Future works are related to the implementation of gesture recognition technology for a multiple number of trainees. Application: The results of this interface can be applied not only in e-Training system, but also in other systems, such as digital signage, tangible game, controlling 3D contents, etc.
An Empirical Attestation of the Impact of Performance Management System on Employee Involvement Moderated By Employee Acceptance of Performance Management System

The phenomenon of performance management, a process which accords to the competent management of individuals and teams in order to attain immense levels of organizational performance, holds a significant place in management literature. A performance management system is a set of interrelated activities and processes that are treated holistically as an interspersed element of an organization's path to managing performance to achieve the organizational objectives. This paper attempts to foresee the impact of performance management system on employee involvement, which is moderated by employee acceptance. Employee involvement relates to the level of participation by members in an organization's decision-making process. Employee Acceptance connotes the acceptance of performance management system implemented by the employees. It is envisaged that this study based on primary data collected from 192 scientists working in nationalized Research and Development organizations in Kerala and carried out during the time period of October 2015 to December 2015 ,will add to our understanding of the link between performance management system and employee involvement, which is moderated by employee acceptance. Partial Least Squares (PLS) was used to authorize the relationship among the variables and the findings of the study are conferred, together with limitations and suggestions for future research.
The autoreactive B cell response in myasthenia gravis

• A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers. Link to publication
Efficacy and safety of Eurycoma longifolia (Physta®) water extract plus multivitamins on quality of life, mood and stress: a randomized placebo-controlled and parallel study

Background The use of alternative and complementary medicines to alleviate stress has increased to avoid the negative effects of pharmaceutical drugs. Objective This study investigated the safety and efficacy of Eurycoma longifolia in combination with multivitamins (EL+MV) versus placebo on improving quality of life (QoL), mood and stress in moderately stressed healthy participants. Methods This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled 24-week study enrolled 93 participants aged 25–65 years, with a body mass index of 18–30 kg/m2, scoring ≤18 in tension and ≤14 in fatigue subscale of Profiles of Mood Scores (POMS) questionnaire and supplemented with EL+MV or placebo. The primary endpoints were QoL measured by 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) questionnaire and mood measured by POMS. The secondary endpoint was stress measured by Multi-Modal Stress Questionnaire (MMSQ). The safety of the intervention product was measured by complete metabolic panel, lipid and renal analysis including several immune parameters. Results While there were no significant between-group differences, within-group improvements were observed in the SF-12 QoL, POMS and MMSQ domains. In the SF-12 domain, improvements were seen in role limitation due to emotional health (P = 0.05), mental component domain (P < 0.001), emotional well-being (P < 0.001), social functioning (P = 0.002) as well as vitality (P = 0.001) at week 12. An increasing trend in POMS-vigour domain was also observed in the EL+MV group at week 12. A 15% decrease in physical stress domain (P < 0.05) compared with 0.7% in the placebo group was also observed in MMSQ. When the subjects were subgrouped according to age, 25–45 and 46–65 years of age, for primary outcomes, between-group significance was observed in the 25–45 year group in the social functioning domain of SF-12 (P = 0.021) and POMS-vigour (P = 0.036) in the 46–65 year group. No significant changes were observed in vital signs and complete metabolic panel. Regarding immune parameters, the lymphocytes increased significantly in the active group (P≤0.05). In total, 13 adverse events were reported: six on placebo and seven on EL+MV. Conclusion EL+MV may support the QoL, mood, stress and immune parameters in healthy participants. Trial registration This study has been registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02865863).
Electronic Reprint Foundations of Crystallography Interactive Visualization of Quantum-chemistry Data Structural Transitions in Solids Foundations of Crystallography Interactive Visualization of Quantum-chemistry Data

Author(s) of this paper may load this reprint on their own web site or institutional repository provided that this cover page is retained. Republication of this article or its storage in electronic databases other than as specified above is not permitted without prior permission in writing from the IUCr. Acta Crystallographica Section A: Foundations of Crystallography covers theoretical and fundamental aspects of the structure of matter. The journal is the prime forum for research in diffraction physics and the theory of crystallographic structure determination by diffrac-tion methods using X-rays, neutrons and electrons. The structures include periodic and aperiodic crystals, and non-periodic disordered materials, and the corresponding Bragg, satellite and diffuse scattering, thermal motion and symmetry aspects. Spatial resolutions range from the subatomic domain in charge-density studies to nanodimensional imperfections such as dislocations and twin walls. The chemistry encompasses metals, alloys, and inorganic, organic and biological materials. Structure prediction and properties such as the theory of phase transformations are also covered. Simulation and computation in chemistry studies have improved as computational power has increased over recent decades. Many types of chemistry simulation results are available, from atomic level bonding to volumetric representations of electron density. However, tools for the visualization of the results from quantum-chemistry computations are still limited to showing atomic bonds and isosurfaces or isocontours corresponding to certain isovalues. In this work, we study the volumetric representations of the results from quantum-chemistry computations, and evaluate and visualize the representations directly on a modern graphics processing unit without resampling the result in grid structures. Our visualization tool handles the direct evaluation of the approximated wavefunctions described as a combination of Gaussian-like primitive basis functions. For visualizations, we use a slice-based volume-rendering technique with a two-dimensional transfer function, volume clipping and illustrative rendering in order to reveal and enhance the quantum-chemistry structure. Since there is no need to resample the volume from the functional representations for the volume rendering, two issues, data transfer and resampling resolution, can be ignored; therefore, it is possible to explore interactively a large amount of different information in the computation results.
At the Interface of (Bio)linguistics, Language Processing, and Neuropsychology

This book, part of the Oxford Studies in Biolinguistic series, presents a state-ofthe-art overview of the field, more specifically, on psycho- and neurolinguistics and their relation to models of syntax, semantics, and morpho-phonology, while advancing its limits with cutting-edge research. A distinctive feature of the piece is the strong presence of interdisciplinary work and the internal coherence of the volume, integrating computational science, cognitive science, neurology and psycholinguistics, as well as syntax, semantics, and morpho-phonology; an integration that is most welcomed as it triggers debate and productive revisiting of the machinery assumed within all aforementioned sub-disciplines of linguistics. The volume is organized around the notion of garden path sentences, relative clauses, and their relations at the processing level; this includes major problems of natural language processing and the relations between syntax, semantics, and morpho-phonology from a more general point of view as well. The editors have chosen to open the book with a reprinted article by Thomas Bever, from 1970 (which becomes a recurrent motif to which the contributors refer once and again as a departing point, thus giving structural and thematic unity and coherence to the book as a whole), a locus classicus for the psycholinguistic and neurocognitive approaches to ambiguity resolution, parsing (sentence perception, at the moment) strategies, and so-called ‘garden path sentences’ (GPS), the best known example being The horse raced past the barn fell, even if, as Tanenhaus claims in the Afterword, none of those is the prime theme of the work (but it is mostly about the relation between language and general cognitive strategies, an early plea for holism). The opening seems appropriate, since it provides the reader with an overall perspective on the studies of language as a concept analogous to those of “species or organ, as they are used in biological science” (p. 2). The article makes a case of distinguishing language as a mental/biological entity from language as a behavior; but, crucially, language structure and development are not to be isolated from the development of other cognitive capacities. Choosing this particular article is a statement in itself: Perceptual mechanisms, cognitive structures (including counting and number approximation, visual patterns and 2-D/3-D illusions), and linguistic structures (grammatical role assignment, abstraction of a structural pattern like ‘active’ or
Sponsorship tracking using distributed multi-modal analysis (DIRECT-INFO)

DIRECT-INFO is a system for media monitoring currently applied to the field of sponsorship tracking. Significant parts of TV streams and electronic press feeds are automatically selected and subsequently monitored to find appearances of the name or logo of a sponsoring company in connection with the sponsored party. Basic features are automatically extracted from TV and press and thereafter fused to semantically meaningful results to support executive decision makers. Extracted features include detected logos, positive & negative mentions of a brand or product, multimodal video segmentation, speech-to-text transcripts and teletext subtitles, detected topics and genre classification. We first describe the technical workflow and architecture of the DIRECT-INFO system and then present its main innovations in the areas of logo detection, text analysis and fusion of results.
Understanding the use of interactive whiteboards in primary science

This paper explores the dimensions of change experienced by a specialist primary science teacher in Australia as she attempted to embed an interactive whiteboard into her practice as a tool to enhance interactive teaching and learning. This paper uses the theoretical frameworks of activity theory and the stages of concern to understand the behavioural and affective dimensions of change related to the use of interactive whiteboards in primary science. It is argued that the identification and resolution of tensions and concerns in teachers' practice is crucial to maximise the potential of interactive whiteboards to enhance learning interactions in a shared dialogic space.
Formulation of a covalently bonded hydroxyapatite and poly(ether ether ketone) composite

Spinal fusion devices can be fabricated from composites based on combining hydroxyapatite and poly(ether ether ketone) phases. These implants serve as load-bearing scaffolds for the formation of new bone tissue between adjacent vertebrae. In this work, we report a novel approach to covalently bond hydroxyapatite and poly(ether ether ketone) to produce a novel composite formulation with enhanced interfacial adhesion between phases. Compared to non-linked composites (HA_PEEK), covalently linked composites (HA_L_PEEK), loaded with 1.25 vol% hydroxyapatite, possessed a greater mean flexural strength (170 ± 5.4 vs 171.7 ± 14.8 MPa (mean ± SD)) and modulus (4.8 ± 0.2 vs 5.0 ± 0.3 GPa (mean ± SD)). Although the mechanical properties were not found to be significantly different (p > 0.05), PEEK_L_HA contained substantially larger hydroxyapatite inclusions (100–1000 µm) compared to HA_PEEK (50–200 µm), due to the inherently agglomerative nature of the covalently bonded hydroxyapatite and poly(ether ether ketone) additive. Larger inclusions would expectedly weaken the HA_L_PEEK composite; however, there is no significant difference between the flexural modulus of poly(ether ether ketone) with respect to HA_L_PEEK (p = 0.13). In addition, the flexural modulus of HA_PEEK is significantly lower compared to poly(ether ether ketone) (p = 0.03). Ultimately, covalent linking reduces hydroxyapatite particulate de-bonding from the polymeric matrix and inhibits micro-crack development, culminating in enhanced transfer of stiffness between hydroxyapatite and poly(ether ether ketone) under loading.
Endoscopic ultrasound-guided through-the-needle microforceps biopsy in the evaluation of pancreatic cystic lesions: a multicenter study

Abstract Background and study aims Accurate diagnosis and classification of pancreatic cysts (PCs) remains a challenge. The aims of this study were to: (1) evaluate the safety and technical success of a novel microforceps for EUS-guided through-the-needle biopsy (TTNB) of PCs; and (2) assess its diagnostic yield for mucinous PCs when compared to FNA cyst fluid analysis and cytology. Patients and methods This was a multicenter retrospective analysis of 47 patients who underwent EUS-FNA and TTNB for PCs between January 2014 and June 2017. Technical success was defined as acquisition of a specimen adequate for cytologic or histological evaluation. Cyst fluid carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was used to initially categorize cysts as non-mucinous (CEA < 192 ng/mL) or mucinous (CEA ≥ 192 ng/mL). Final diagnosis was based on identifiable mucinous pancreatic cystic epithelium on cytology, microforceps histology and/or surgical histology when available. Results Forty-seven patients with PCs (mean size 30.7 mm) were included. TTNB was successfully performed in 46 of 47 (97.9 %). Technical success was significantly lower with FNA (48.9 %) compared to TTNB (85.1 %) (P < .001). For cysts with insufficient amount of fluid for CEA (n = 19) or CEA < 192 ng/mL, the cumulative incremental diagnostic yield of a mucinous PC was significantly higher with TTNB vs. FNA (52.6 % vs 18.4 %; P = .004). TTNB alone (34.4 %) diagnosed more mucinous PCs than either CEA ≥ 192 ng/mL alone (6.3 %) or when combined with FNA cytology (9.4 %). One episode of self-limited bleeding (2.1 %) and one of pancreatitis (2.1 %) occurred. Conclusions EUS-TTNB is safe and effective for evaluating PCs. TTNB may help increase the diagnostic yield of mucinous PCs.
The role of Toll-like receptors in viral infections – selected data

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are very well known for their antibacterial, antiviral and antiparasite importance. Nowadays, there are 18 TLRs – TLR 1-13 in human, and TLR14, 15, 21, 22, 23 among others vertebrates and invertebrates. As pivotal pathogen recognition receptors (PRR) they tend to be a part of many infections. Their role in bacterial infection is unquestioned, nevertheless, this paper shows the importance of those receptors in viral infections. Virus recognition by TLRs is based on the characteristics of PAMP – dsRNA, CpG motif of viral DNA, ssRNA and viral glycoprotein envelopes. Moreover, the role of TLRs in viral haemorrhagic disease in rabbits as an interesting matter for authors, has been described.
A New Electrochemical DNA Sensor for Sequence-Specific DNA Detection Based on DNA-functionalized CdS Nanoparticle

In this work, a sensitive electrochemical DNA sensor based on avidin modified electrode and DNA-functionalized CdS nanoparticle (DFCP) was developed. The DNA-Functionalized CdS nanoparticle contained two kinds of DNA, one was hairpin probe DNA with a biotin at the 3’ terminal and a thiol at the 5’ terminal, the other is linearity signal DNA. Without hybridized with target DNA, the loop of hairpin impeded biotin linked with avidin on electrode. However, after target hybridization, hairpin was opened and biotin was recognized by avidin resulting in DNA-functionalized CdS nanoparticle was brought on electrode surface. Electrochemical signals of methylene blue (MB) bound to the signal DNA were measured by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Introduction By using this new method, we demonstrate that this prototype sensor has been able to detect as low as picomolar DNA targets with excellent differentiation ability for even single mismatches.
Generic VHDL implementation of a PCNN with loadable coefficients

This paper presents a general VHDL implementation of a Pulse Coupled Neural Network. The VHDL implementation is targeted for FPGA but can also be used with advantage for ASIC implementations. This particular case deals with images of the size 128 X 128 pixels coming at a rate of 60 images per second, each image iterated by the PCNN 70 times, i.e. a real time image processing system. Thanks to the generality, this suggested solution can easily be transformed into, e.g., a solution with images sized 32 X 32 pixels, coming at a speed of 960 images per second, assuming the same iteration length. The hardware requirement and problems are analyzed and solutions are proposed. Some problems that are dealt with are: the huge amount of data produced, the high throughput (i.e. the rate of new data produced) and the loading of coefficients during runtime.
Byte Code Engineering with the BCEL API

Extensions and improvements of the programming language Java and its related execution environment (Java Virtual Machine, JVM) are the subject of a large number of research projects and proposals. There are projects, for instance, to add parameterized types to Java, to implement “Aspect-Oriented Programming”, to perform sophisticated static analysis, and to improve the run-time performance. Since Java classes are compiled into portable binary class files (called byte code), it is the most convenient and platform-independent way to implement these improvements not by writing a new compiler or changing the JVM, but by transforming the byte code. These transformations can either be performed after compile-time, or at load-time. Many programmers are doing this by implementing their own specialized byte code manipulation tools, which are, however, restricted in the range of their re-usability. To deal with the necessary class file transformations, we introduce an API that helps developers to conveniently implement their transformations.
Prevalence of Internet Addiction in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background The internet has unique properties that include ease of access, ease of use, low cost, anonymity, and its attractiveness which resulted in problems such as internet addiction. Different statistics has been reported about internet addiction rate, but there is not a suitable estimation about the growth of Internet addiction in Iran. The aim of this study is to analyze the growth of Internet addiction in Iran using meta-analysis method. Methods At the first stage, by searching in scientific databases such as Magiran, SID, Scopus, ISI, Embase and use of keywords like Internet addiction, 30 articles were chosen. The outcomes of the study combined together with using meta-analysis method (random effects model). The analysis of the data was performed using R and Stata software. Findings Based on 30 studies and sample size of 130531, the growth rate of internet addiction based on the random effects model was 20% [16-25 confidence interval (CI) of 95%]. The meta regression model showed t-hat the trend of Internet addiction growth rate in Iran increased from 2006 to 2015. Conclusion This study showed that the prevalence of Internet addiction in Iran seems moderate. Therefore, the necessity of identification, treatment, and prevention of the age groups which are at the risk is being sensed by the responsible and related authorities.