Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An in vivo correlate of exercise-induced neurogenesis in the adult dentate gyrus

With continued debate over the functional significance of adult neurogenesis, identifying an in vivo correlate of neurogenesis has become an important goal. Here we rely on the coupling between neurogenesis and angiogenesis and test whether MRI measurements of cerebral blood volume (CBV) provide an imaging correlate of neurogenesis. First, we used an MRI approach to generate CBV maps over time in the hippocampal formation of exercising mice. Among all hippocampal subregions, exercise was found to have a primary effect on dentate gyrus CBV, the only subregion that supports adult neurogenesis. Moreover, exercise-induced increases in dentate gyrus CBV were found to correlate with postmortem measurements of neurogenesis. Second, using similar MRI technologies, we generated CBV maps over time in the hippocampal formation of exercising humans. As in mice, exercise was found to have a primary effect on dentate gyrus CBV, and the CBV changes were found to selectively correlate with cardiopulmonary and cognitive function. Taken together, these findings show that dentate gyrus CBV provides an imaging correlate of exercise-induced neurogenesis and that exercise differentially targets the dentate gyrus, a hippocampal subregion important for memory and implicated in cognitive aging.
Recent-Performance Factors Analysis

We introduce R-PFA, a new model for predicting whether or not a student will answer an item correctly based on the student’s history of practice. The key idea in R-PFA is to represent history as a recentcy-weighted proportion of correct responses. In an evaluation on a dataset from the Assistments tutoring system, we find that R-PFA improves predictive accuracy over other logistic regression model variants, including PFA and AFM.
An active 600 GHz frequency multiplier-by-six S-MMIC

For submillimeter-wave generation we present an active six-fold frequency multiplier circuit operating with an average output power of -16 dBm without post amplification and a measured output frequency range from 580 to 625 GHz. The S-MMIC is realized in a metamorphic HEMT technology with 35 nm gate-length for convenient multifunctional circuit integration.
Semisupervised Autoencoders for Speech Emotion Recognition

Despite the widespread use of supervised learning methods for speech emotion recognition, they are severely restricted due to the lack of sufficient amount of labelled speech data for the training. Considering the wide availability of unlabelled speech data, therefore, this paper proposes semisupervised autoencoders to improve speech emotion recognition. The aim is to reap the benefit from the combination of the labelled data and unlabelled data. The proposed model extends a popular unsupervised autoencoder by carefully adjoining a supervised learning objective. We extensively evaluate the proposed model on the INTERSPEECH 2009 Emotion Challenge database and other four public databases in different scenarios. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves state-of-the-art performance with a very small number of labelled data on the challenge task and other tasks, and significantly outperforms other alternative methods.
Crystal structure of the purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) from Cellulomonas sp. and its implication for the mechanism of trimeric PNPs.

The three-dimensional structure of the trimeric purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) from Cellulomonas sp. has been determined by X-ray crystallography. The binary complex of the enzyme with orthophosphate was crystallized in the orthorhombic space group P212121 with unit cell dimensions a=64.1 A, b=108.9 A, c=119.3 A and an enzymatically active trimer in the asymmetric unit. X-ray data were collected at 4 degrees C using synchrotron radiation (EMBL/DESY, Hamburg). The structure was solved by molecular replacement, with the calf spleen PNP structure as a model, and refined at 2.2 A resolution. The ternary "dead-end" complex of the enzyme with orthophosphate and 8-iodoguanine was obtained by soaking crystals of the binary orthophosphate complex with the very weak substrate 8-iodoguanosine. Data were collected at 100 K with CuKalpha radiation, and the three-dimensional structure refined at 2.4 A resolution. Although the sequence of the Cellulomonas PNP shares only 33 % identity with the calf spleen enzyme, and almost no identity with the hexameric Escherichia coli PNP, all three enzymes have many common structural features, viz. the nine-stranded central beta-sheet, the positions of the active centres, and the geometrical arrangement of the ligands in the active centres. Some similarities of the surrounding helices also prevail. In Cellulomonas PNP, each of the three active centres per trimer is occupied by orthophosphate, and by orthophosphate and base, respectively, and small structural differences between monomers A, B and C are observed. This supports cooperativity between subunits (non-identity of binding sites) rather than existence of more than one binding site per monomer, as previously suggested for binding of phosphate by mammalian PNPs. The phosphate binding site is located between two conserved beta- and gamma-turns and consists of Ser46, Arg103, His105, Gly135 and Ser223, and one or two water molecules. The guanine base is recognized by a zig-zag pattern of possible hydrogen bonds, as follows: guanine N-1.Glu204 O(epsilon1). guanine NH2.Glu204 O(epsilon2). The exocyclic O6 of the base is bridged via a water molecule to Asn246 N(delta), which accounts for the inhibitory, but lack of substrate, activity of adenosine. An alternative molecular mechanism for catalysis by trimeric PNPs is proposed, in which the key catalytic role is played by Glu204 (Glu201 in the calf and human enzymes), while Asn246 (Asn243 in the mammalian enzymes) supports binding of 6-oxopurines rather than catalysis. This mechanism, in contrast to that previously suggested, is consistent with the excellent substrate properties of N-7 substituted nucleosides, the specificity of trimeric PNPs versus 6-oxopurine nucleosides and the reported kinetic properties of Glu201/Ala and Asn243/Ala point variants of human PNP.
No longer hungry in hospital: improving the hospital mealtime experience for older people through action research.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study aimed to improve the mealtime experience of older people in a hospital setting through helping staff to make changes to their clinical practice and the ward environment. BACKGROUND Poor nutritional care has been a persistent and seemingly intractable problem for many years. METHODS We used an action research design for the study, drawing on techniques from practice development to support the action phase of the work, including action learning, role modelling good practice and reflection. The ward context was explored at the beginning and end of the study using focus groups, interviews, observation and benchmarking. RESULTS Ward staff made a number of changes to their nursing practice. The most significant was that all staff became engaged with, prioritized and were involved in the mealtime, ensuring that there was sufficient time and expertise available to assist patients with eating. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that it is possible to change nursing practice at mealtimes and that this change leads to improvements in patients' experience through ensuring they receive the help they need. Relevance to clinical practice. Although hospital mealtimes are frequently viewed as problematic, we have shown that nurses can be enabled to make changes to their practice that have a positive impact on both the mealtime experience and wider patient care.
Interprofessional collaboration in mental health crisis response systems: a scoping review

Abstract Post deinstitutionalization saw the rise of mental health crisis (MHC) response in Canada. First points of contact for individuals in a MHC are often police services or emergency departments. Professionals in these areas may report feeling unprepared, ill equipped, and a lack of confidence to work with clients in crisis. Police indicate that this work is time consuming, demanding, and “not their job”. Entry points can exacerbate the crisis given the chaotic, over-stimulating and frightening environment of emergency departments and the perceived threat of police officers. Despite the outcry of support for working more collaboratively, little is known about the impact Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) has in mental health crisis response systems (MHCRS). Purpose: Given this challenge, the aim of this scoping review is to contribute to understanding the current state of knowledge related to IPC in MHCRS. Methods: A scoping reviews was conducted to address the research topic. Results: Review of the literature identified 18 articles for inclusion, 5 experimental or exploratory papers, 7 models of care, and 6 discussion papers. Analysis identified the following themes: Support for interprofessional collaboration, quest for improved care delivery system, merging distinct visions of care, and challenges to interprofessional collaboration. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed, as well as issues in the literature related to: Lack of conceptual clarity, absent client perspectives, unequal representation across sectors, and a young and emergent body of literature. Conclusion: Key concepts need better conceptualization, and further empirical research is needed. Implications for Rehabilitation Conceptualizing mental health crisis (MHC) response as occurring within a system of services, rather than independent sectors, is critical to meeting the needs of clients. Purposefully built in mechanisms to sustain collaboration across care teams and services are required. Merging the distinct, and at times conflicting, visions of care espoused by the diverse sectors involved in MHC response requires deliberate effort.
A Bayesian framework for comparative quantitative genetics

Bayesian approaches have been extensively used in animal breeding sciences, but similar approaches in the context of evolutionary quantitative genetics have been rare. We compared the performance of Bayesian and frequentist approaches in estimation of quantitative genetic parameters (viz. matrices of additive and dominance variances) in datasets typical of evolutionary studies and traits differing in their genetic architecture. Our results illustrate that it is difficult to disentangle the relative roles of different genetic components from small datasets, and that ignoring, e.g. dominance is likely to lead to biased estimates of additive variance. We suggest that a natural summary statistic for G-matrix comparisons can be obtained by examining how different the underlying multinormal probability distributions are, and illustrate our approach with data on the common frog (Rana temporaria). Furthermore, we derive a simple Monte Carlo method for computation of fraternity coefficients needed for the estimation of dominance variance, and use the pedigree of a natural Siberian jay (Perisoreus infaustus) population to illustrate that the commonly used approximate values can be substantially biased.
Finance and Oil: Is There a Resource Curse in Financial Development?

This paper shows that the finance and growth relationship is as important in resource-based economies as in other economies. This paper also documents less developed financial systems in resource-based economies and banks that are more liquid, better capitalized and more profitable, but give fewer loans to firms. Firms in resource-based economies use less external finance and a smaller share of them uses bank loans, although there is the same level of demand as in other countries, thus pointing to supply constraints. Overall, there is some indication of a natural resource curse in financial development, which falls more on enterprises than on households. This calls for intensified efforts in resource-based economies to deepen and broaden financial systems.
Elevated Plasma Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Level as a Risk Factor for Anemia in Patients with Systemic Inflammation

Studies on neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as an iron-regulatory protein are limited. This study investigated the relationships between plasma NGAL levels and indices of anemia in 187 patients with systemic inflammation. Plasma NGAL levels were significantly higher in patients with anemia versus in patients without anemia (185 ng/mL versus 98 ng/mL; P < 0.001). Serum iron levels were lower in patients with NGAL > 156 ng/mL than in those with NGAL ≤ 156 ng/mL (27.4 ± 25.3 µg/dL versus 58.1 ± 43.5 µg/dL; P < 0.001). In a receiver operating characteristic curve, the diagnostic ability of NGAL to identify anemia was superior to that of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [0.712 (95% CI, 0.618–0.787) versus 0.649 (95% CI, 0.573–0.744); P < 0.01]. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, the elevated NGAL level was significantly associated with the presence of anemia after adjusting for potential confounders [odds ratio, 1.30 (95% CI, 1.07–2.58); P = 0.010]. In conclusion, enhanced NGAL production may contribute to the development of anemia in patients with systemic inflammation.
Blocking autophagy enhances the pro-apoptotic effect of bufalin on human gastric cancer cells through endoplasmic reticulum stress

ABSTRACT Bufalin has been used to treat cancer for several years. However, the molecular mechanisms for its anti-tumor function are not fully understood. This work aimed to investigate the effect of bufalin on the proliferation and apoptosis of human gastric cancer (HGC) cells and the roles of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and autophagy in bufalin-induced apoptosis. HGC cell lines, SGC7901 and BGC823, were treated with different concentrations of bufalin or 80 nmol/l bufalin for 1, 2, 3 and 4 days. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and direct cell counting method were used to detect proliferation. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry. Protein levels of caspase-3, -8, Bax/Bcl-2, Beclin-1, LC3, inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) were determined using western blotting. Autophagy was blocked using 3-methyladenine (3MA) or Atg5 siRNA to evaluate the effect of autophagy on bufalin-induced apoptosis. The IRE1 and CHOP were knocked down using specific siRNA to determine the pathway involved in bufalin-induced autophagy. It was found that bufalin significantly suppressed proliferation of SGC7901 and BGC823 cells and induced apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The mechanism responsible for bufalin-induced apoptosis was the formation of ER stress via the IRE1-JNK pathway. Moreover, autophagy was activated during ER stress, and blocking autophagy significantly exacerbated bufalin-induced apoptosis. Summary: Bufalin suppressed human gastric cancer cells and induced apoptosis. The mechanism was related to ER stress formation via the IRE1-JNK pathway. Blocking autophagy exacerbated bufalin-induced apoptosis.
Rhesus Macaque Lymph Node PD-1hiCD4+ T Cells Express High Levels of CXCR5 and IL-21 and Display a CCR7loICOS+Bcl6+ T-Follicular Helper (Tfh) Cell Phenotype

CD4 T follicular helper (Tfh) cells play a unique and essential role in the generation of B cell responses in the lymph node microenvironment. Here we sought to determine if differential expression of PD-1 could be used to delineate Tfh cells in rhesus macaque lymph nodes (LN). CD3+CD4+ T cells were found to harbor a unique subset of cells that expressed the Program death-1 (PD-1) receptor at significantly high levels that were enriched in the LN compartment as compared to peripheral blood. The LN CD4+PD1hi T cells expressed a predominantly CD28+CD95+ central memory phenotype and were CCR7loICOShiBcl6hi. Additionally, CD4+PD1hi T cells preferentially expressed high levels of CXCR5 and IL-21 and significantly correlated with Bcl6+Ki-67+ IgG+ B cells. As Bcl6 is primarily expressed by proliferating B cells within active germinal centers, our results suggest that LN CD4+PD1hi T cells likely localize to active GC regions, a characteristic that is attributable to Tfh cells. Overall, our findings suggest that high levels of PD-1 expression on CD4+ T cells in LN of rhesus macaques can serve as a valuable marker to identify Tfh cells and has implications for studying the role of Tfh cells in Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and other infectious diseases that use the rhesus macaque model.
Antibacterial Effects of Silver Electrodes with Weak Direct Current

Silver, platinum, gold, stainless-steel, and copper electrodes were used with low currents (0.02 to 20 μA/mm2) to explore their electrochemical effects on the growth of four bacterial species. In the higher current ranges, all electrodes inhibited growth at both poles, usually in conjunction with electrolytic break-down of the medium and severe corrosion of the metal. Silver, however, was extremely bacteriostatic, even at the lowest current, when used as the anode. Quantitative studies showed that most of this inhibition takes place in a few hours and is not accompanied by changes in pH. Electrochemically injected silver from the anode is probably the instrumental agent, being effective in concentrations of about 5 μg/ml. This is the equivalent concentration of silver sulfadiazine that has been shown to give complete inhibition of bacteria, but without the sulfonamide moiety.
Exercise training prevents increased intraocular pressure and sympathetic vascular modulation in an experimental model of metabolic syndrome

The present study aimed to study the effects of exercise training (ET) performed by rats on a 10-week high-fructose diet on metabolic, hemodynamic, and autonomic changes, as well as intraocular pressure (IOP). Male Wistar rats receiving fructose overload in drinking water (100 g/L) were concomitantly trained on a treadmill for 10 weeks (FT group) or kept sedentary (F group), and a control group (C) was kept in normal laboratory conditions. The metabolic evaluation comprised the Lee index, glycemia, and insulin tolerance test (KITT). Arterial pressure (AP) was measured directly, and systolic AP variability was performed to determine peripheral autonomic modulation. ET attenuated impaired metabolic parameters, AP, IOP, and ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) induced by fructose overload (FT vs F). The increase in peripheral sympathetic modulation in F rats, demonstrated by systolic AP variance and low frequency (LF) band (F: 37±2, 6.6±0.3 vs C: 26±3, 3.6±0.5 mmHg2), was prevented by ET (FT: 29±3, 3.4±0.7 mmHg2). Positive correlations were found between the LF band and right IOP (r=0.57, P=0.01) and left IOP (r=0.64, P=0.003). Negative correlations were noted between KITT values and right IOP (r=-0.55, P=0.01) and left IOP (r=-0.62, P=0.005). ET in rats effectively prevented metabolic abnormalities and AP and IOP increases promoted by a high-fructose diet. In addition, ocular benefits triggered by exercise training were associated with peripheral autonomic improvement.
Physical Activity as Leisure: The Meaning of Physical Activity for the Health and Well-Being of Adolescent Women

Globally, low participation in physical activity by adolescent young women is a major health concern. While the barriers to activity for this group are well documented, little is known about the views and experiences of nonathlete, but active, young women. In order to gain an understanding of young women's lived experiences of the relationship between physical activity as leisure and health, data were collected through focus groups. Active nonathlete young women in the United Kingdom attached significant meaning to physical activity as a space for leisure, and used it to enhance their health and well-being.
LMI relaxations for robust H2 performance analysis of polytopic linear systems

This paper investigates the evaluation of H2 guaranteed costs of linear uncertain systems in polytopic domains by means of a particular type of polynomial parameter-dependent Lyapunov function. This class of functions, which depend on the dynamic matrix of the system, has been recently proposed for robust stability analysis and is extended here to cope with H2 guaranteed costs, providing an alternative LMI relaxation which presents a good trade-off between computational burden and accurate results. The results are illustrated by several numerical examples
HUMAN VISUAL FUNCTION IN THE NORTH CAROLINA CLINICAL STUDYON POSSIBLE ESTUARY-ASSOCIATED SYNDROME

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assisted the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in conducting a study to investigate the potential for an association between fish kills in the North Carolina estuary system and the risk for persistent health effects. Impetus for the study was recent evidence suggesting that estuarine dinoflagellates, including members of the toxic Pfiesteria complex (TPC), P. piscicida and P. schumwayae, may release a toxin(s) that kills fish and adversely affects human health. This report describes one component of the study in which visual system function was assessed. Participants working primarily in estuaries inhabited by TPC or in offshore waters thought not to contain TPC were studied. The potentially exposed estuary (n = 22) and unexposed offshore (n = 20) workers were matched for age, gender, and education. Visual acuity did not differ significantly between the cohorts, but visual contrast sensitivity (VCS), an indicator of visual pattern-detection ability for stimuli of various sizes, was significantly reduced by about 30% in the estuary relative to the offshore cohort. A further analysis that excluded participants having a history possibly predictive of neuropsychological impairment showed a similar VCS reduction. Additional analyses indicated that differences between the cohorts in age, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, and total time spent on any water did not account for the difference in VCS. Exploratory analyses suggested a possible association between the magnitude of VCS reduction and hours spent in contact with a fish kill. The profile of VCS deficit across stimulus sizes resembled that seen in organic solvent-exposed workers, but an assessment of occupational solvent, and other neurotoxicant, exposures did not indicate differences between the cohorts. These results suggest that factor(s) associated with the North Carolina estuaries, including the possibility of exposure to TPC toxin(s), may impair visual system function.