Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ARRB1/β-arrestin-1 mediates neuroprotection through coordination of BECN1-dependent autophagy in cerebral ischemia

Autophagy, a highly conserved process conferring cytoprotection against stress, contributes to the progression of cerebral ischemia. β-arrestins are multifunctional proteins that mediate receptor desensitization and serve as important signaling scaffolds involved in numerous physiopathological processes. Here, we show that both ARRB1 (arrestin, β 1) and ARRB2 (arrestin, β 2) were upregulated by cerebral ischemic stress. Knockout of Arrb1, but not Arrb2, aggravated the mortality, brain infarction, and neurological deficit in a mouse model of cerebral ischemia. Accordingly, Arrb1-deficient neurons exhibited enhanced cell injury upon oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), an in vitro model of ischemia. Deletion of Arrb1 did not affect the cerebral ischemia-induced inflammation, oxidative stress, and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase upregulation, but markedly suppressed autophagy and induced neuronal apoptosis/necrosis in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, we found that ARRB1 interacted with BECN1/Beclin 1 and PIK3C3/Vps34, 2 major components of the BECN1 autophagic core complex, under the OGD condition but not normal conditions in neurons. Finally, deletion of Arrb1 impaired the interaction between BECN1 and PIK3C3, which is a critical event for autophagosome formation upon ischemic stress, and markedly reduced the kinase activity of PIK3C3. These findings reveal a neuroprotective role for ARRB1, in the context of cerebral ischemia, centered on the regulation of BECN1-dependent autophagosome formation.
Process Overlap Theory: A Unified Account of the General Factor of Intelligence

ABSTRACT The most replicated result in the field of intelligence is the positive manifold, which refers to an all-positive pattern of correlations among diverse cognitive tests. The positive manifold is typically described by a general factor, or g. In turn, g is often identified as general intelligence, yet this explanation is contradicted by a number of results. Here we offer a new account of g: process overlap theory. According to the theory, cognitive tests tap domain-general executive processes, identified primarily in research on working memory, as well as more domain-specific processes. Executive processes are tapped in an overlapping manner across cognitive tests such that they are required more often than domain-specific ones. The theory provides an account of a number of findings on human intelligence. As well, it is formalized as a multidimensional item response model and as a structural model, and the neural mechanisms underlying the proposed overlapping processes are discussed.
Formalizing Desargues' theorem in Coq using ranks

Formalizing geometry theorems in a proof assistant like Coq is challenging. As emphasized in the literature, the non-degeneracy conditions leads to technical proofs. In addition, when considering higher-dimensions, the amount of incidence relations (e.g. point-line, point-plane, line-plane) induce numerous technical lemmas. In this paper, we present an original approach based on the notion of rank which allows to describe incidence and non-incidence relations such as equality, collinearity and coplanarity homogeneously. It allows to carry out proofs in a more systematic way. To validate this approach, we formalize in Coq (using only ranks) one of the fundamental theorems of the projective space, namely Desargues' theorem.
A Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay and Sample Preparation Procedure for Sensitive Detection of Xanthomonas fragariae in Strawberry

Xanthomonas fragariae is a bacterium that causes angular leaf spot of strawberry. Asymptomatic infection is common and contributes to the difficulties in disease management. The aim of this study was to develop a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay as an efficient method for detection of asymptomatic infections of X. fragariae. In addition, a new method of sample preparation was developed that allows sampling of a larger amount of plant tissue, hence increasing the detection rate in real-life samples. The sample preparation procedure includes an overnight incubation of strawberry tissues in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), followed by a quick sample concentration and a boiling step to extract DNA for amplification. The detection limit of the LAMP assay was approximately 2×103 CFU/mL for pure bacteria culture and 300 CFU/mL for bacteria spiked strawberry leaf and petiole samples. LAMP provided a 2–3 fold lower detection limit than the standard qPCR assay but was faster, and more user-friendly. The LAMP assay should serve as a rapid, sensitive and cost-effective tool for detecting asymptomatic infections of X. fragariae in strawberry nursery stock and contribute to improved disease management.
Aborted Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Patients Have Much Worse Outcomes Than On-Pump or Successful Off-Pump Patients

Background—Off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is purported to reduce perioperative mortality and morbidity compared with on-pump coronary bypass graft surgery. However, the outcomes of patients for whom an off-pump strategy must be changed to an on-pump procedure during surgery have not been extensively studied. Methods and Results—The Merged Cardiac Registry (Health Data Research, Inc) contains 70 514 isolated CABG performed from January 1998 to March 2004 in 40 facilities. Among them, 62 634 patients begun and completed on-pump bypass (CPB); 7880 patients begun off-pump, of which 7424 (94.2%) completed off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB), whereas 456 (5.8%) were converted to on-pump (CONVERT). CONVERT patients were more severely ill. The observed mortality of CONVERT, CPB, and OPCAB was 9.9%, 3.0%, and 1.6%, respectively, and the observed-to-predicted ratio was 2.77, 1.20, and 0.74, respectively. CONVERT also had more morbidity than either OPCAB or CPB. Finally, a risk model was created to identify patients who might be at risk for conversion from off-pump to on-pump CABG. Conclusions—Patients who are intended for an off-pump strategy and then require conversion to on-pump have significantly higher operative mortality and morbidity than either completed OPCAB or CPB patients. In addition, the operative mortality and morbidity are far in excess of that predicted preoperatively. Based on these results, strong consideration should be given for a planned strategy of CPB for those patients with preoperative hemodynamic instability requiring a salvage CABG operation, left ventricular hypertrophy, or previous CABG.
Examining Teacher Outcomes of the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Model in Norway

Research on teacher outcomes of the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) model has been scarce. The present study adds to the knowledge base by examining the effects of the Norwegian version of SWPBS (N-PALS) on school staffs’ behavior management practices and on their individual and collective efficacy. Questionnaire data were collected from staff and students (Grades 4-7) at four measurement points across four successive school years in 28 intervention schools and 20 comparison schools. Using longitudinal multilevel analyses, indications of positive 3-year main effects of the N-PALS model were observed for staff-reported collective efficacy, self-efficacy, and positive behavior support practices. The intervention effects as measured by Cohen’s d ranged from . 14 to . 91. The effects on student perceptions of teachers’ behavior management strategies were, however, not consistent with the positive staff ratings. Results are discussed in relation to prior research, future research, and study limitations.
The potential of comprehensive sex education in China: findings from suburban Shanghai.

CONTEXT More and more Chinese adolescents are engaging in premarital sexual activity. As a result, the numbers of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among Chinese young adults have increased markedly. METHODS A comprehensive sex education program, including information on abstinence, contraception and healthy sexual behaviors, was carried out in a suburb of Shanghai. The program used six methods for providing information and services to unmarried 15-24-year-olds over a period of 20 months. Sexual behavior surveys were conducted among intervention participants and among controls in a comparable town, who did not receive a similar intervention; chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to compare the results. RESULTS Participation in the intervention was not associated with delayed sexual initiation, but was associated with reduced odds that youth coerced a partner into having sex (odds ratio, 0.3) and with increased odds of contraceptive use (6.2) and condom use (13.3) during the intervention period. The greater the level of participation, the larger the protective effects. Furthermore, the proportion of youth reporting pregnancy involvement during the intervention period was significantly lower in the intervention group than among controls (19% vs. 26%). CONCLUSION Comprehensive, community-based interventions may be effective in reaching large numbers of Chinese youth and in promoting sexual negotiation, contraceptive use, and pregnancy and STI/HIV prevention.
Detection of transits of the nearby hot Neptune GJ 436 b

This Letter reports on the photometric detection of transits of the Neptune-mass planet orbiting the nearby M-dwarf star GJ 436. It is by far the closest, smallest, and least massive transiting planet detected so far. Its mass is slightly larger than Neptune’s at M = 22.6 ± 1.9 M⊕. The shape and depth of the transit lightcurves show that it is crossing the host star disc near its limb (impact parameter 0.84 ± 0.03) and that the planet size is comparable to that of Uranus and Neptune, R = 25 200 ± 2200 km = 3.95 ± 0.35 R⊕. Its main constituant is therefore very likely to be water ice. If the current planet structure models are correct, an outer layer of H/He constituting up to ten percent in mass is probably needed on top of the ice to account for the observed radius.
Venous Air Embolism Prophylaxis with a Surface‐Active Agent

The protective effect of a nonionic surface-active polyol agent (Pluronic F-68) against bolus injection and constant-rate IV infusion of air was studied in 21 dogs anesthetized with pentobarbital. Aortic, pulmonary artery and right ventricular pressures, cardiac output, end-tidal CO2 concentration, wasted ventilation, and blood surface tensions were measured before and after the IV administration of this surfactant. The magnitudes of change in the cardiorespiratory responses measured after venous air embolism were significantly (p<0.05) reduced in the treated animals. This agent may be advantageous for surgical patients when an increased risk of venous air embolism exists.
Dietary and Demographic Correlates of Serum β-Glucuronidase Activity

β-glucuronidase, an acid hydrolase that deconjugates glucuronides, may increase cancer risk; however, little is known about factors associated with human β -glucuronidase. Our objective was to examine whether dietary and demographic factors were associated with serum β -glucuronidase activity. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 279 healthy men and women aged 20 to 40 yr. Diet, categorized by botanical families and nutrient intakes, was assessed from 3-day food records and a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Demographic factors were directly measured or self-reported. Adjusted mean β -glucuronidase activity across categories of exposure variables were calculated by multiple linear regression. Higher β -glucuronidase activity was significantly associated with being male, older age (≥ 30 yr), non-Caucasian, overweight (≥ 25 kg/m2), and higher intakes of gamma-tocopherol. Conversely, lower β -glucuronidase activity was significantly associated with higher intakes of calcium, iron, and magnesium. A suggestive decrease in β -glucuronidase activity was observed for the botanical families Cruciferae , Rutaceae , Compositae , Roseaceae , and Umbelliferae , but tests for trend were not statistically significant. In conclusion, several dietary and nondietary factors were associated with β -glucuronidase activity; however, confirmation of these associations are needed.
Thermal inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes within bovine milk phagocytes

Thermal resistance of intracellular and freely suspended Listeria monocytogenes that was associated with a milkborne outbreak of listeriosis was studied by using the sealed tube and slug flow heat exchanger methods. Test temperatures for the former method were 57.8, 62.8, 66.1, and 68.9 degrees C (136, 145, 151, and 156 degrees F, respectively); whereas those for the latter method were 66.1, 68.9, 71.7, and 74.4 degrees C (151, 156, 161, and 166 degrees F, respectively). The heating menstruum was sterile, whole milk. The intracellular inoculum was generated from an in vitro phagocytosis reaction by using endotoxin-induced bovine milk phagocytes. The phagocyte population consisted of 88% neutrophils, 8% macrophages, and 4% lymphocytes. Neutrophils harbored the majority of intracellular L. monocytogenes. The mean level of infectivity in the phagocyte population was 43%, and there were 26.1 +/- 19.3 bacteria per cell (10(4) viable cells per ml of test milk). Initial bacterial counts for the freely suspended and intracellular experiments (the latter was based on a sonically disrupted sample) were 10(6) L. monocytogenes cells per ml. Heat-stressed bacteria were recovered by direct plating in parallel with recovery from an enrichment broth; both methods gave comparable results. The predicted D62.8 degrees C (145 degrees F) value for intracellular sealed tube studies was 53.8 s (ZD = 5.6 degrees C [10.0 degrees F]), indicating a safe 33.4 D margin of inactivation for vat pasteurization (62.8 degrees C for 30 min). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
“Enforced” vs. “Casual” Transparency -- Findings from IT-Supported Financial Advisory Encounters

In sales-oriented service encounters like financial advice, the client may perceive information and interest asymmetries as a lack of transparency regarding the advisor’s activities. In this article, we will discuss two design iterations of a supportive tabletop application that we built to increase process and information transparency as compared to the traditional pen and paper encounters. While the first iteration’s design was “enforcing” transparency and therefore proved to be a failure [Nussbaumer et al. 2011], we built the second iteration on design rationales enabling more “casual” transparency. Experimental evaluations show that the redesigned system significantly increases the client’s perceived transparency, her perceived control of the encounter and improves her perceived trustworthiness of and satisfaction with the encounter. With these findings, we contribute to (1) insight into the role of transparency advisory encounter design; (2) design solutions for establishing particular facets of transparency and their potential instantiations in tabletop systems; and (3) insight into the process of designing for transparency with socio-technical artifacts that are emergent as a result of design activities.
Generalized Maximum-Likelihood Sequence Detection for Photon-Counting Free Space Optical Systems

We investigate detection methods for on-off keying (OOK) photon-counting Free Space Optical (FSO) systems in the presence of turbulence-induced fading, assuming no channel state information at the receiver. To recover the performance loss which is associated with symbol-by-symbol detection in such a scenario, we consider sequence detection techniques, exploiting the temporal correlation of the FSO channel. Due to its high complexity in the calculation of its metric, optimal maximum likelihood sequence detection (MLSD) is infeasible for most practical purposes. Hence, we propose a suboptimal low-complexity detection rule, which is based on the generalized maximum-likelihood sequence estimation. The proposed scheme allows the detection of sequence lengths that are prohibitive for conventional MLSD, without using any kind of channel knowledge. Monte Carlo simulation results show its performance to be very close to the optimum for large sequence lengths and various fading models.
The Energetics of Ion Distribution: The Origin of the Resting Electric Potential of Cells

The relation between the energies of ion movement and ATP hydrolysis is unknown in tissues with widely varying electric potentials. Consequently, we measured the concentration of the nine major inorganic ions in the extra‐ and intracellular phases in heart, liver, and red cells with resting electrical potentials, E N, of ‐86, ‐28, and ‐6 mV, respectively, under six different physiological conditions. We calculated the Nernst electric potential and the energy of ion movement between the phases. We found that the energy of ATP hydrolysis was essentially constant, between ‐54 and ‐58 kJ/mol, in all tissues and conditions. In contrast, as E N decreased, the energies of the Na + and K + gradients decreased, with slopes approximating their valence. The difference between the energies of Na + and K + gradients remained constant at 17 kJ/mol, which is approximately one third of the energy of ATP hydrolysis, demonstrating near‐equilibrium of the Na +/K + ATPase in all tissues under all conditions. All cations, except K +, were pumped out of cells and all anions, except Cl ‐ in liver and red cell, were pumped into cells. We conclude that the energy of ATP was expressed in Na +/K + ATPase and its linked inorganic ion transporters to create a Gibbs‐Donnan near‐equilibrium system, an inherent part of which was the electric potential.
Children's early home learning environment and learning outcomes in the early years of school

A large body of research has shown that the quality of the home learning environment during a child’s first three years of life is associated not only with cognitive development at age 4–5 years but also with educational achievement at school and beyond. A poor home learning environment, for example, has been shown to be associated, in the short term, with poorer language development, deficits in school readiness and impaired cognitive development by the age of 3 (Evans et al., 2010; Trentacosta et al., 2008; Vernon-Feagans, Garrett-Peters, Willoughby, & Mills-Koonce, 2012). In the long term, it is associated with poor academic achievement at school and lower levels of education, employment and earnings in adulthood (Pungello, Iruka, Dotterer, Mills-Koonce, & Reznick, 2009; Pungello et al., 2010). Different features of the home learning environment have been found to have different influences on early cognitive development (Gest, Freeman, Domitrovich, & Welsh, 2004; Hartas, 2012; Melhuish et al., 2008). Therefore, to develop effective interventions, researchers have focused on identifying the features of a stimulating home learning environment and the individual contribution of those features to children’s cognitive development and learning outcomes (Baker & Iruka, 2013). Many studies have examined the relationship between different types of home activities (as a proxy for the home learning environment) and children’s cognitive development (Sylva, Melhuish, Sammons, Siraj-Blatchford, & Taggart, 2004). An activity such as parent–child play during daily routines promotes the expression of warm feelings and shared understanding, which are important for the development of communication abilities in early childhood. For example, in a study of 132 low-income families in the United States, Camp, Cunningham, and Berman (2010) showed that child–parent verbal interactions when children were between 10 and 18 months old were significantly related to the children’s expressive vocabulary at the age of 18–30 months. The importance of home learning experiences to children’s numeracy development has also been demonstrated in previous studies. In a study of 2,857 children from 141 preschool centres in the United Kingdom, Melhuish et al. (2008) found that home learning activities have a strong association with children’s numeracy skills at school entry. In another study from Canada, children’s mathematical skills in kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2 were shown to be correlated with the frequency in which they were involved in home activities such as cooking, and playing board and
Pregnancy after renal transplantation: severe intrauterine growth retardation during treatment with cyclosporin A

Cyclosporin A is a fungal metabolite whose inhibitory effect is on T lymphocytes and in particular on cells mediating rejection of allografts. Evidence suggests that it may be more effective than conventional immunosuppressive treatment in recipients of organ transplants. ' Successful pregnancies have been reported in allograft recipients receiving cyclosporin daily from conception to delivery.2 3 We describe the clinical course of a pregnancy in a renal allograft recipient receiving cyclosporin A in which the fetus was growth retarded; we also review other such pregnancies.
Division of housework and his and her view of housework fairness: A typology of Swedish couples

Background: Housework studies have long documented a fairness paradox, whereby unequal divisions of housework are evaluated as fair. Gender equality, both at home and at work, is strongly normative in a highly egalitarian country like Sweden, but not always matched by an equally egalitarian situation in the family which are often viewed as fair. Objective: To explore the relationship between housework-sharing and perceived fairness of this division, using both partners’ reports, to identify how Swedish couples cluster across these measures and what individual characteristics predict cluster membership. Methods: Using the couple-level design of the 2009 wave of the Young Adult Panel Study (YAPS, n=1,026), we are able to advance the research field and evaluate housework experience within broader couple dynamics. Our approach is exploratory and develops a typology using latent class analysis. Results: We identify six latent groups, with distinct features. The modal Swedish-couple category comprises those who share housework equally and agree that this arrangement is fair (33% of the couples). Applying a distributive justice perspective, we find that childhood socialization, presence of children in the household, and the distribution of employment, education, income, and egalitarianism across couples are important predictors of cluster membership. Conclusions: We find that equal-sharing/fair couples are most common in the Swedish context, suggesting clear benefits from Sweden’s expansive gender policies. Yet, there seems to be a generational divide, whereby Swedish women who witnessed housework inequality in their parental home are increasingly dissatisfied when this inequality replicates in their own lives. Contribution: Demonstrating that housework allocations, conflict and fairness may reflect different types of couples rather than associations across those measures.
Children's Spiritual Lives: The Development of a Children's Spirituality Measure

Previous researchers who have studied children’s spirituality have often used narrow measures that do not account for the rich spiritual experiences of children within a multi-faith context. In the current study, we describe the initial stages of development of a children’s spirituality measure, in which items were derived from children’s spiritual narratives. An exploratory factor analysis of the items revealed three main factors, including Comfort (Factor 1), Omnipresence (Factor 2), and Duality (Factor 3). As rated by their parents, children from families that were more spiritual and religious had higher scores on the newly-developed measure. Limitations and future directions are discussed.