Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Questions for Assessment: A Guide for Tutors’ Practice and Student Development

Assessment is a time consuming and important part of academic life for tutors and students alike. It shapes the teaching and allows the tutor to guide the learning process. However, student learning is more effective when they understand the assessment process. Tutors, as expert assessor, are in the best place to develop such knowledge but, they need to plan for this in advance and consider the students’ perspective. The purpose of this paper is to both inform and influence tutors’ assessment practice using recent literature. Information searches were employed to gather literature from peer reviewed journal articles using keywords that are important within the assessment context: assessment, formative assessment, criteria, feedback, and self-assessment. The literature was collated under each of three question areas that take into account the students’ perspective: 1. If I had some criteria and examples I would know ‘What do I need to do? ’, and ‘What should it look like? ’ 2. If I had some feedback while doing my work I would know if ‘I am doing what is required? ’ and ‘How I can improve? ’ 3. If I had support to self-assess ‘Would I be able to assess myself? ’ The literature addressed each of the aforementioned questions. The findings suggest that: in order to answer question one student engagement with criteria and exemplars is required; In order to answer question two students need to engage with tutor feedback that is clear, meaningful and related to criteria; Finally, in order to answer question three students must be given the opportunity to self-assess and be supported through this with feedback from the tutor. Practical suggestions are provided to assist tutors’ assessment practice. Proposed elements and benefits of the assessment process for tutors and students are outlined. In 1 McKevitt: Questions for Assessment: A Guide for Tutors’ Practice and Studen Published by ARROW@DIT, 2015 2 general, a formative approach to assessment is ideal for students. While engagement with the assessment process is valuable for the student it has to be planned for in advance by the tutor.
Chaperoning of Mutant p53 Protein by Wild-type p53 Protein Causes Hypoxic Tumor Regression*

Background: Hypoxia-induced p53 is transcriptionally inactive, and its molecular conformation and functional status in hypoxic tumors are unknown. Results: WT p53 exists in mutant conformation in hypoxic tumors, and its conformation is oxygen-dependent. WT p53 functions as a molecular chaperone. Conclusion: WT p53 chaperones and rescues mutant p53 in hypoxic tumors. Significance: p53 chaperone therapy causes regression of hypoxic tumor xenografts through WT p53 chaperone activity. Mutant (Mt) p53 abrogates tumor suppression functions of wild-type (WT) p53 through mutant-specific, gain-of-function effects, and patients bearing Mt p53 are chemoresistant. The dominant negative effect of p53 mutants results from their aggregation propensity which causes co-aggregation of WT p53. We explored the mechanism of p53 inactivation in hypoxia and hypothesized whether WT p53 could rescue Mt p53 in hypoxic tumors. WT p53 exists in mutant conformation in hypoxic core of MCF-7 solid tumors, and its conformation is oxygen-dependent. Under simulated hypoxia in cells, WT p53 undergoes conformational change in acquiring mutant conformation. An in vivo chaperone assay shows that WT p53 functions as a molecular chaperone in rescuing conformational and structural p53 mutants in cancer cells both at the transcription and proteome levels. WT p53 chaperone therapy is further shown to cause significant regression of tumor xenografts through reconversion of the mutant phenotype to wild-type p53. The chaperone function of WT p53 is directly linked to the induction of apoptosis in both cancer cells and tumor xenografts. As oncogenic p53 mutants are linked to chemoresistance in hypoxic tumors, p53 chaperone therapy will introduce new dimensions to existing cancer therapeutics. We propose that in cancer cells, WT p53 chaperoning may either exist as a cellular event to potentially reverse the dominant negative effect of its oncogenic mutants or to stabilize yet unidentified factors.
Choice and Duration of Antimicrobial Therapy for Neonatal Sepsis and Meningitis

Neonatal sepsis is associated with increased mortality and morbidity including neurodevelopmental impairment and prolonged hospital stay. Signs and symptoms of sepsis are nonspecific, and empiric antimicrobial therapy is promptly initiated after obtaining appropriate cultures. However, many preterm and low birth weight infants who do not have infection receive antimicrobial agents during hospital stay. Prolonged and unnecessary use of antimicrobial agents is associated with deleterious effects on the host and the environment. Traditionally, the choice of antimicrobial agents is based on the local policy, and the duration of therapy is decided by the treating physician based on clinical symptoms and blood culture results. In this paper, we discuss briefly the causative organism of neonatal sepsis in both the developed and developing countries. We review the evidence for appropriate choice of empiric antimicrobial agents and optimal duration of therapy in neonates with suspected sepsis, culture-proven sepsis, and meningitis. Moreover, there is significant similarity between the causative organisms for early- and late-onset sepsis in developing countries. The choice of antibiotic described in this paper may be more applicable in developed countries.
Economic Analysis of Animal Genetic Resources and the Use of Rural Appraisal Methods: Lessons from Southeast Mexico

Livestock diversity provides genetic alternatives that facilitate sustainable agricultural development. Despite this, animal genetic resources (AnGR) are being depleted at alarming rates. Subsidises available to production systems based on imported breeds are of several orders of magnitude greater than the costs of local breed conservation. Economic arguments for the conservation and sustainable use of threatened AnGR can be an effective means of establishing support for the development of appropriate enabling environments. Despite the importance of the economics of AnGR conservation, the subject has received limited attention. Reasons include: methodological difficulties inherent in valuing genetic resources; limited knowledge about appropriate analytical techniques; and lack of data regarding local breeds. As recent advances in economic valuation have eased methodological/analytical constraints, the issue of data availability has become critical. Data related to livestock keepers' preferences for different genetic resource attributes and the value placed on these across species, breeds and production systems are needed. Based on a study of a local pig breed in Mexico, this paper shows how the use of rural appraisal methods, in conjunction with recently developed analytical techniques, are capable of providing the data required for understanding the type and costs of interventions necessary to promote the conservation and sustainable use of AnGR.
Probabilistic population and household forecasts for the Netherlands

Population forecasters have a long tradition of explicitly stating the uncertainty of their forecasts by means of specifying alternative variants. In addition to a medium variant, usually high and low variants are published. One problem in using high and low variants is that it is unknown how likely it is that the interval between these variants will cover the actual population size. Probabilistic population forecasts provide information about the probability that a specific forecast interval will cover the true future value. The development of high speed computers has made it possible to make probabilistic forecasts by means of simulations. The probability distribution of future population is assessed on the basis of assumptions about the degree of uncertainty of future fertility, mortality, and migration. In assessing the uncertainty of household forecasts one major question is how low and high variants should be specified. It is not evident whether one should combine the high population variant with high or low average household size. Since the high population variant is based on high fertility, it seems logical to combine the high population variant with large household size and similarly the low population variant with small family size. However, this would imply that the difference between the numbers of households in the low and high variants would be rather small, which may lead to underestimating the degree of uncertainty of household forecasts. On the other hand combining high population growth with low household size may lead to overestimating uncertainty. One benefit of making probabilistic
Overcoming imatinib resistance using Src inhibitor CGP76030, Abl inhibitor nilotinib and Abl/Lyn inhibitor INNO‐406 in newly established K562 variants with BCR‐ABL gene amplification

Because imatinib (IM) resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia is primarily caused by the re‐establishment of Abl kinase, new inhibitors may be efficacious. We evaluated 3 new agents against 2 new K562 variants, IM‐R1 and IM‐R2 cells, which were developed having 7‐ and 27‐fold greater IM resistance, respectively, than the parental K562 cells. Both variants possessed BCR‐ABL gene amplification along with elevated levels of its transcript and protein. Greater BCR‐ABL gene amplification was observed in IM‐R2 cells than in IM‐R1 cells, which was consistent with the higher mRNA and protein levels of Bcr‐Abl, and ultimately correlated with the greater IM resistance in IM‐R2 cells. No mutation in the Abl kinase domain was detected in either variant. Despite the absence of Lyn overexpression, the Src kinase inhibitor CGP76030 showed positive cooperability with IM in inhibiting cell growth of not only K562 cells but also these 2 variants. This might be because of the augmented inhibition of Erk1/2 phosphorylation. The new Abl kinase inhibitor nilotinib was 10‐fold more potent than IM in inhibiting the growth of K562 cells. Nilotinib inhibited the growth of IM‐R1 and IM‐R2 cells as potently as K562 cells. The combination of nilotinib with CGP76030 showed little additivity, because the potency of nilotinib masked the efficacy of CGP76030. The new dual Abl/Lyn inhibitor INNO‐406 (formerly NS‐187) was slightly more potent than nilotinib in inhibiting the growth of all 3 cell lines. Because BCR‐ABL gene amplification occurs in blast crisis, these inhibitors might overcome IM resistance in such patients' leukemia. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Adherence to facility management and safety standards in Shiraz hospitals, Iran

Abstract Background: Evaluate the adherence to facility management and safety standards among governmental and non-governmental hospitals in Shiraz, Iran. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 22 hospitals of the 33 hospitals in Shiraz, Iran including 13 governmental and 9 non-governmental facilities were surveyed. A 74-item self-administered questionnaire was used. Collected data were entered to SPSS Version 15.0 software. The level for statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results: Adherence to facility management and safety standards was 65.17% in governmental and 72.79% in non-governmental hospitals. Compliance by governmental hospital in the areas of leadership and planning, safety and security, emergency management, medical equipment, utility system and staff education ranged from 60% to 86%. However, hazardous materials and fire safety adherence was below 50%. For non-governmental hospitals standard compliance for all areas ranged from 60% to 86%. Compliance rates between governmental and non-governmental hospitals in the areas of hazardous materials and staff education standards were statistically significantly different (p=0.02 and p=0.05 respectively). Conclusions: To achieve more effective functional health care services, additional studies must be undertaken to assess the nature and extent of problem areas that exist in planning, implementing and monitoring of facility management and safety programs.
Individualizing Systemic Therapies in First Line Treatment and beyond for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

Simple Summary In recent years, a number of new, effective treatments have become available for advanced renal (kidney) cancer. However, with more drugs available it has become more difficult to decide which drugs to choose for particular patients, and in which order to use them. In addition, the new treatments do not work for all patients and they can have troublesome side effects. At the moment, these choices are made according to factors including the type of renal carcinoma from a biopsy, the extent of cancer for that patient, their previous health and their current fitness. The options are summarized in guidelines although these do not make recommendations for individual patients. It is hoped that ongoing research will uncover new tests that allow these decisions to be made more accurately in a “personalized” manner. This article describes how the process is undertaken at present and how it may change in the future. Abstract Therapeutic options for treating advanced renal cell cancer (RCC) are rapidly evolving. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-directed therapy, predominantly VEGF receptor (VEGFr) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) had been the most effective first line treatment since 2005 irrespective of International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) risk stratification. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have recently changed the treatment paradigm for advanced RCC particularly as the first-line systemic treatment modality. The combination of Ipilimumab and Nivolumab provides better disease control and long-term outcomes compared with the anti-VEGFr TKI Sunitinib for IMDC intermediate- to poor-risk patients and we now have the option of using ICI with TKI upfront for all IMDC risk groups. This poses a challenge for physicians, both to select the most suitable first line regimen and the most suitable subsequent therapy given the lack of data about sequencing in this setting. This treatment landscape is expected to become more complex with the emerging treatment options. Moreover, these therapeutic options cannot be generalized as significant variability exists between individual’s disease biologies and their physiologies for handling treatment adverse effects. Notable efforts are being made to identify promising predictive biomarkers ranging from neo-antigen load to gene expression profiling. These biomarkers need prospective validation to justify their utility in clinical practice and in treatment decision making. This review article discusses various clinicopathological characteristics that should be carefully evaluated to help select appropriate treatment and discusses the current status of biomarker-based selection.
Laser Machining of Graphene

Since Geim and Novoselov’s successful production of high quality graphene, its unique properties have found a number of applications. But graphene is not an exotic chemical compound; instead, it is a sheet of graphite, one atom think. Before 2008, the only way to produce graphene was through successive pealing of graphite with scotch tape until graphite flakes as thin as 1 atomic layer were left [14]. This method, known as mechanical exfoliation, can only produce very small flakes of graphene, the longest being only100μm in length [7]. However in 2008 a new method of growing graphene known as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was discovered [16]. This can produce graphene sheets as large as 30 inches [1]. With these extremely large sheets, the need to economically cut graphene without altering it’s properties grew. Current methods use techniques implemented in microelectronics fabrication. Oxygen-plasma etching is the most common method used to pattern graphene, but this method uses harsh chemicals, which can negatively alter graphene’s properties. As an alternative, electron microscopes can be used to remove unwanted graphene. In this method, the electron beam can be intensified high enough to remove carbon atoms form graphene lattice with atomic resolution, but this process can also negatively affect graphene. Laser cutting of graphene offers a quick and cost effective method of direct patterning graphene, without negatively affecting graphene’s properties. We have conducted a study using a continuous wave laser to machine graphene into the desired shapes. The success of the cut in graphene was determined when an electrical current could not be passed from one side of the cut to the other (determining if electrical contact between two regions was severed by the laser).
Elevated Blood Pressure Linked to Primary Hyperaldosteronism and Impaired Vasodilation in BK Channel–Deficient Mice

Background—Abnormally elevated blood pressure is the most prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The large-conductance, voltage- and Ca2+-dependent K+ (BK) channel has been proposed as an important effector in the control of vascular tone by linking membrane depolarization and local increases in cytosolic Ca2+ to hyperpolarizing K+ outward currents. However, the BK channel may also affect blood pressure by regulating salt and fluid homeostasis, particularly by adjusting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Methods and Results—Here we report that deletion of the pore-forming BK channel &agr; subunit leads to a significant blood pressure elevation resulting from hyperaldosteronism accompanied by decreased serum K+ levels as well as increased vascular tone in small arteries. In smooth muscle from small arteries, deletion of the BK channel leads to a depolarized membrane potential, a complete lack of membrane hyperpolarizing spontaneous K+ outward currents, and an attenuated cGMP vasorelaxation associated with a reduced suppression of Ca2+ transients by cGMP. The high level of BK channel expression observed in wild-type adrenal glomerulosa cells, together with unaltered serum renin activities and corticotropin levels in mutant mice, suggests that the hyperaldosteronism results from abnormal adrenal cortical function in BK−/− mice. Conclusions—These results identify previously unknown roles of BK channels in blood pressure regulation and raise the possibility that BK channel dysfunction may underlie specific forms of hyperaldosteronism.
The C2G Framework to Convert Infrastructure Data from Computer-Aided Design (CAD) to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Making smart and informed decisions often requires the integration and analysis of large amounts of data. However, integrating these data is rarely straightforward, mainly because of heterogeneities in data structure and format. In this study, we focus on two widely used data formats by municipalities to store digital maps of their infrastructure: Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). While most municipalities still maintain infrastructure data in CAD format, many have started converting them to GIS since GIS includes geographical coordinates. However, the inherent differences between these two formats pose challenges to accurately converting information from CAD to GIS. The main goal of this study is to develop a procedure to help municipalities to perform CAD-to-GIS conversion. To that end, potential problems in CAD-to-GIS conversion were first identified through interviews with practitioners at different U.S. municipalities and through a literature review. Taken together, we propose the C2G framework to streamline the conversion process while minimizing information loss. The framework consists of five stages, and the execution of this framework and tasks involved in each stage are explained. Moreover, we apply the framework to real-world underground stormwater infrastructure data obtained from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to illustrate the framework’s applicability. The case study explains details about the technical difficulties we encountered in the process and provides recommendations to circumvent those difficulties. The results from the case study showed that the C2G framework was able to successfully convert CAD data to GIS data. Although the framework is developed specific to the needs of CAD/GIS practitioners in the US municipalities, it can be adopted in most CAD-to-GIS conversion situations. The information learned during the interviews supports the need for a standard CAD-to-GIS conversion process. The contribution of this study is to fill this gap by developing a generalized framework to carry out CAD-to-GIS conversion which only requires basic knowledge of CAD and GIS.
Improving Dairy Plant Procurement in a Competitive Dairy Market of Primorsky Krai

The article substantiates that the key element influencing the volume and structure of production of milk with specific fat content is well-organized dairy plant procurement. Its effectiveness depends on the principles of combining certain factors that determine the specificity of the regional dairy market. The present study is based on an evaluation of the features of procurement of about 7 dairy plants in Primorsky Krai in order to develop an optimistic scenario for the development of the industry, minimize the costs of enterprises and maximize customer satisfaction. The present paper considers the problems of increasing the competitiveness of dairy products of JSC "Vladivostoksky Dairy Plant" by optimizing procurement. In particular, the needs of the regional market, suppliers of whole milk, as well as methods to optimize the volume of milk procurement taking into account the structure of demand for dairy products in Primorsky Krai and suppliers’ ability to provide the main characteristics of the quality of raw milk are studied. For this purpose, the optimization model for procurement is developed in the study, which allows to flexibly respond to changing requirements of the market taking into account the capabilities of suppliers. The goal of the proposed method is in the application tools, which will allow regional dairy plants to adapt to market demands in terms of quality and fat content of the milk produced. Due to this, the model can be useful for many dairy producers, including the format of both large dairies and small farms. Keywords: milk fat content; optimization model of procurement; dairy market of Primorsky Krai JEL Classifications: Q13, Q18
Significance of Localization of Coactivators in Tamoxifen Resistance

Abstract : Antiestrogens and selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) such as tamoxifen are effective in controlling the progression of estrogen receptor (ER)- positive breast tumors to more invasive phenotypes. However, over time, many patients acquire resistance to tamoxifen. The mechanisms underlying tamoxifen resistance remain elusive. Proline-, glutamic acid-, and leucine-rich protein-1) (PELP1) is a novel ER coactivator that plays a role in both genomic and nongenomic actions of ER. PELP1 is predominantly localized in the nucleus in hormonally responsive tissues, but recent studies suggest that PELP1 may be exclusively localized in the cytoplasm in cancer cells. We found that MCF-7 cells engineered to specifically express PELP1 in the cytoplasm (PELP1-cyto), exhibited hypersensitivity to estrogen but resistance to tamoxifen. In addition, PELP1-cyto cells exhibited increased association of PELP1 with Src, enhanced MAPK activation, and constitutive stimulation of AKT. Altered localization of PELP1 was sufficient to trigger PELP1's interaction with the p85 subunit of P13 kinase and P13 activation. Consistent with these findings, human tumors expressing PELP1'S in the cytoplasm showed increased AKT activation. Our results suggest that altered localization of coactivators such as PELP1'S promotes resistance to hormonal therapy, presumably via stimulation of nongenomic estrogen responses such as activation of MAPK and AKT.