Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Echovirus 1 internalization negatively regulates epidermal growth factor receptor downregulation

We have demonstrated previously that the human picornavirus Echovirus 1 (EV1) triggers an infectious internalization pathway that follows closely, but seems to stay separate, from the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway triggered by epidermal growth factor (EGF). Here, we confirmed by using live and confocal microscopy that EGFR and EV1 vesicles are following intimately each other but are distinct entities with different degradation kinetics. We show here that despite being sorted to different pathways and located in distinct endosomes, EV1 inhibits EGFR downregulation. Simultaneous treatment with EV1 and EGF led to an accumulation of EGFR in cytoplasmic endosomes, which was evident already 15 min p.i. and more pronounced after 2 hr p.i. EV1 treatment led to reduced downregulation, which was proven by increased total cellular amount of EGFR. Confocal microscopy studies revealed that EGFR accumulated in large endosomes, presumably macropinosomes, which were not positive for markers of the early, recycling, or late endosomes/lysosomes. Interestingly, EV1 did not have a similar blocking effect on bulk endosomal trafficking or transferrin recycling along the clathrin pathway suggesting that EV1 did not have a general effect on cellular trafficking pathways. Importantly, EGF treatment increased EV1 infection and increased cell viability during infection. Simultaneous EV1 and EGF treatment seemed to moderately enhance phosphorylation of protein kinase C α. Furthermore, similar phenotype of EGFR trafficking could be produced by phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate treatment, further suggesting that activated protein kinase C α could be contributing to EGFR phenotype. These results altogether demonstrate that EV1 specifically affects EGFR trafficking, leading to EGFR downregulation, which is beneficial to EV1 infection.
A multi‐temporal InSAR method incorporating both persistent scatterer and small baseline approaches

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry is a technique that provides high‐resolution measurements of the ground displacement associated with many geophysical processes. Advanced techniques involving the simultaneous processing of multiple SAR acquisitions in time increase the number of locations where a deformation signal can be extracted and reduce associated error. Currently there are two broad categories of algorithms for processing multiple acquisitions, persistent scatterer and small baseline methods, which are optimized for different models of scattering. However, the scattering characteristics of real terrains usually lay between these two end‐member models. I present here a new method that combines both approaches, to extract the deformation signal at more points and with higher overall signal‐to‐noise ratio than can either approach alone. I apply the combined method to data acquired over Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland, and detect time‐varying ground displacements associated with two intrusion events.
The Effects of Spinopelvic Parameters and Paraspinal Muscle Degeneration on S1 Screw Loosening

Objective To investigate risk factors for S1 screw loosening after lumbosacral fusion, including spinopelvic parameters and paraspinal muscles. Methods We studied with 156 patients with degenerative lumbar disease who underwent lumbosacral interbody fusion and pedicle screw fixation including the level of L5-S1 between 2005 and 2012. The patients were divided into loosening and non-loosening groups. Screw loosening was defined as a halo sign larger than 1 mm around a screw. We checked cross sectional area of paraspinal muscles, mean signal intensity of the muscles on T2 weight MRI as a degree of fatty degeneration, spinopelvic parameters, bone mineral density, number of fusion level, and the characteristic of S1 screw. Results Twenty seven patients showed S1 screw loosening, which is 24.4% of total. The mean duration for S1 screw loosening was 7.3±4.1 months after surgery. Statistically significant risk factors were increased age, poor BMD, 3 or more fusion levels (p<0.05). Among spinopelvic parameters, a high pelvic incidence (p<0.01), a greater difference between pelvic incidence and lumbar lordotic angle preoperatively (p<0.01) and postoperatively (p<0.05). Smaller cross-sectional area and high T2 signal intensity in both multifidus and erector spinae muscles were also significant muscular risk factors (p<0.05). Small converging angle (p<0.001) and short intraosseous length (p<0.05) of S1 screw were significant screw related risk factors (p<0.05). Conclusion In addition to well known risk factors, spinopelvic parameters and the degeneration of paraspinal muscles also showed significant effects on the S1 screw loosening.
DNA damage causes TP53-dependent coupling of self-renewal and senescence pathways in embryonal carcinoma cells

Recent studies have highlighted an apparently paradoxical link between self-renewal and senescence triggered by DNA damage in certain cell types. In addition, the finding that TP53 can suppress senescence has caused a re-evaluation of its functional role in regulating these outcomes. To investigate these phenomena and their relationship to pluripotency and senescence, we examined the response of the TP53-competent embryonal carcinoma (EC) cell line PA-1 to etoposide-induced DNA damage. Nuclear POU5F1/OCT4A and P21CIP1 were upregulated in the same cells following etoposide-induced G2M arrest. However, while accumulating in the karyosol, the amount of OCT4A was reduced in the chromatin fraction. Phosphorylated CHK2 and RAD51/γH2AX-positive nuclear foci, overexpression of AURORA B kinase and moderate macroautophagy were evident. Upon release from G2M arrest, cells with repaired DNA entered mitoses, while the cells with persisting DNA damage remained at this checkpoint or underwent mitotic slippage and gradually senesced. Reduction of TP53 using sh- or si-RNA prevented the upregulation of OCT4A and P21CIP1 and increased DNA damage. Subsequently, mitoses, micronucleation and senescence were all enhanced after TP53 reduction with senescence confirmed by upregulation of CDKN2A/P16INK4A and increased sa-β-galactosidase positivity. Those mitoses enhanced by TP53 silencing were shown to be multicentrosomal and multi-polar, containing fragmented and highly deranged chromosomes, indicating a loss of genome integrity. Together, these data suggest that TP53-dependent coupling of self-renewal and senescence pathways through the DNA damage checkpoint provides a mechanism for how embryonal stem cell-like EC cells safeguard DNA integrity, genome stability and ultimately the fidelity of self-renewal.
Practice Indicators of Suboptimal Care and Avoidable Adverse Events: A Content Analysis of a National Qualifying Examination

Purpose To (1) compile an initial list of physician-related practice indicators (PRINDs) that contribute to causing or preventing suboptimal care (SOCR) and adverse events (AEs) and (2) determine the extent to which one national exam assessed these PRINDs. Method In 2009–2010, the authors searched the literature and surveyed 17 physician experts to compile a list of PRINDs of SOCR and avoidable AEs. They then conducted a content analysis of the 2008 and 2009 Medical Council of Canada (MCC) Qualifying Examinations (QEs). Results The authors identified 92 unique PRINDs, of which 59 were behaviors or decisions expected of all physicians and suitable for assessment on a general medical examination. Of these, 36 (61%) were tested on the 2008 and 2009 MCC QEs. The mean number of PRINDs tested per exam was highest for Part I Knowledge (32.2), followed by Part I clinical decision making (CDM) (18.4) and Part II clinical performance (objective structured clinical examination [OSCE]) (9.8). The percentage of questions or cases per exam testing a PRIND (e.g., 14/36 [39%] for CDM and 5.26/12 [44%] for OSCE) differed from the percentage of the total test score attributed to PRINDs (e.g., 10.8/36 [30%] for CDM and 68.5/1,522.3 [5%] for OSCE). Conclusions PRINDs represent candidates’ abilities to avoid SOCR and AEs and constitute an important aspect of medical practice to be assessed on licensing or certifying examinations to best protect the public. The different scoring methods used to measure such knowledge and skills warrant further consideration.
Teachers’ perceptions of the utilisation of Emotional Intelligence by their school principals to manage mandated curriculum change processes

This quantitative study investigates teachers’ perceptions of how Emotional Intelligence (EI) was utilised by their school principals to manage mandated curriculum change processes in schools in the Johannesburg North district of Gauteng in South Africa. Research shows that EI consists of a range of fundamental skills that could enable school principals to facilitate the curriculum changes that are mandated by the Department of Basic Education and implemented by teachers in their classrooms. Researchers argue that principals could simply instruct teachers that the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements, for example, are mandated by top management and that they have to implement them, or they could use EI skills to obtain teachers’ collaboration and commitment to implement the mandated changes. Using a quantitative research method, a structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 600 Foundation Phase and Grade 10 teachers to probe their perceptions about the extent to which leadership utilised EI to manage mandated curriculum change. The results of this investigation show that there is a strong correlation between the utilisation of EI by school principals and the implementation of the mandated changes.
Reconstructing an Agent's Epistemic State from Observations

We look at the problem in belief revision of trying to make inferences about what an agent believed - or will believe - at a given moment, based on an observation of how the agent has responded to some sequence of previous belief revision inputs over time. We adopt a "reverse engineering" approach to this problem. Assuming a framework for iterated belief revision which is based on sequences, we construct a model of the agent that "best explains" the observation. Further considerations on this best-explaining model then allow inferences about the agent's epistemic behaviour to be made. We also provide an algorithm which computes this best explanation.
Informed consent forms in ESL research: Form difficulty and comprehension

INFORMED CONSENT FORMS IN ESL RESEARCH: FORM DIFFICULTY AND COMPREHENSION By Scott Sterling Background: The concept of informed consent has become a cornerstone for modern research and is generally required for any project that uses human-beings as a source of data (Haggerty, 2004). Yet research in various fields has shown that participants do not understand informed consent forms and are generally not well-informed about studies for which they have or will enroll themselves into (Freer, McIntosh, Teunisse, Anand, & Boyle, 2009; Joffe, Cook, Cleary, Clark, & Weeks, 2001a, 2001b; LoVerde, Prochazka, & Byyny, 1987). To date, relatively little empirical research has been conducted on research ethics in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) and no studies have investigated the fields usage of informed consent forms. Objectives: This dissertation attempts to answer three overarching research goals that deal with (1) the current difficulty level of SLA/ESL consent forms, (2) ESL learners' understanding of consent forms, and (3) ESL learners thoughts about the consent process? Methods: To examine the current state of SLA/ESL consent forms, 20 consent documents were collected and analyzed for length, reading grade level, and vocabulary coverage. Two forms, an easy and a hard form, were then given to 112 ESL students and 38 native English speakers who read the forms and then took a comprehension task. Finally, five focus group interviews were conducted with ESL learners. Results: The average ESL consent form was 1.8 pages long, rated at the 10.8 grade level, and had roughly 95% of its vocabulary at or below the 3000 word band according to the New General Service List. According to the comprehension task, the difficulty of the form did not statistically impact the participants' outcome on the task; however, proficiency was correlated with form comprehension. High level learners and native speakers performed similarly on the task answering between six to seven questions correctly, while low level learners answered roughly three to four questions correctly. The focus group interviews showed that many participants only skimmed the document prior to signing it and that they were largely apathetic to many important factors of consent such as risks and confidentiality.
[Radiological features of AIDS complicated by pulmonary tuberculosis and the association with CD4+ T lymphocytes].

OBJECTIVE To explore the imaging features in cases with AIDS complicated by pulmonary tuberculosis and the association with CD(4)(+) T lymphocytes. METHODS A retrospective analysis was carried out of the manifestations of chest X-rays in patients with late stage AIDS complicate by pulmonary tuberculosis (n = 26 cases) and patients with pulmonary tuberculosis only (n = 60 cases). The results of measurements of CD(4)(+) T lymphocytes were compared. RESULTS (1) The chest X-ray features in patients with AIDS complicated by pulmonary tuberculosis showed more patchy and blurring shadows (53.8% vs 8.3%; P < 0.01), more military changes (23.1% vs 5.0%; P < 0.05), more enlarged intrathoracic lymph nodes (34.6% vs 8.3%; P < 0.01) as well as more extra-pulmonary tuberculous processes (23.1% vs 3.3%; P < 0.05) as compared to patients with pulmonary tuberculosis alone. Fewer upper lung or apical lesions (23.1% vs 76.7%; P < 0.01), as well as less consolidation (11.5% vs 71.7%; P < 0.01) and cavity formation (7.7% vs 30.0%; P < 0.05) were found in AIDS patients. No significant difference was found in the occurrence of hydrothorax (11.5% vs 20.0%; P > 0.05). (2) The relative numbers of CD(4)(+) T lymphocytes in patients with AIDS complicated by pulmonary tuberculosis and in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis alone were (5.0 +/- 6.4)% and (65.3 +/- 1.5)% respectively. Atypical manifestations of tuberculosis were found in 15 out of the 26 cases of AIDS patients showing a CD(4)(+) T lymphocytic count < 50/microl, in 3 of the 4 cases with the count between 50/microl - 100/microl, while in cases with CD(4)(+)T lymphocytic count between 100/microl -200/microl (n = 4) and > 200/microl (n = 2), numbers of atypical tuberculosis were 2 and 0 respectively. CONCLUSIONS The chest X-ray changes of tuberculosis in cases with late stage AIDS were mostly of the atypical pattern, and were related to a significant decrease in CD(4)(+)T lymphocyte count.
Identity Agents: Parents as Active and Reflective Participants in Their Children's Identity Formation

The paper introduces the concept of identity agents. This concept refers to those individuals who actively interact with children and youth with the intention of participating in their identity formation, and who reflectively mediate larger social influences on identity formation. This contrasts with the focus of mainstream research in the identity field that tends to portray adolescents as the sole reflective agents involved in mature identity development. The paper presents a theoretical analysis presenting the importance of the concept for the formulation of a comprehensive contextual theory of identity formation. The particulars of this concept are illustrated through the presentation of a qualitative report of religious parents actively encouraging their children's processes of identification, co-participating in their children's identity's formation, and reflectively deliberating their parental roles and goals in regards to this process.
Medical Device Wafer Singulation

Singulation can be the most damaging step in electronic manufacturing where individual dice are freed from a brittle silicon wafer. So much torque and force is applied to the silicon during this process that if precautionary steps are not taken, the freed die may exhibit low strength due to chipping damage. For medical devices, this is particularly a problem because medical devices must be specially shaped and assembled so that they can fit into small implantable or insertable units for the human body. Insertable medical products require that dice have unusually high aspect ratios in order to fit into tubular shaped instruments. For this paper, we have emulated a medical device using blank silicon wafers cut to >3.60 mm long 0.36 mm wide and 0.100 mm thick. The aspect ratios of 10:1 will be compared with lower as well as high aspect ratios for dicing quality and die integrity. With standard dicing parameters with standard blades, the singulation yield would be as low as zero. Even the use of step cut which in most cases would alleviate chipping, but for such high aspect ratio dice, the yield improved to only 50%. This paper will present comparative yield results of various dicing setups to find the process with the best yield on singulated dice. 100% yield for singulation resulting in higher strength devices can be obtained using properly selected blades with the correct dicing parameters. Newer, stronger and narrower blades are allowing dice with high aspect ratios to be sawn without chipping yield loss. Also special dicing programs are required to produce chip-free dies without resorting to laser saws.
Advances in Targeting IKK and IKK-Related Kinases for Cancer Therapy

IκB kinases (IKK) and IKK-related kinases play critical roles in regulating the immune response through nuclear factor-κB and IFN regulatory factor–dependent signaling transduction cascades. Recently, these kinases have been implicated in the pathogenesis of many human diseases, including cancer. In fact, dysregulation of IKK activities promotes tumor survival, proliferation, migration, metastasis, and angiogenesis—common characteristics of many types of human cancers. Because of their oncogenic effects in human cancer development, targeting IKK and IKK-related kinases is becoming an increasingly popular avenue for the development of novel therapeutic interventions for cancer. This review will briefly cover the recent discovery of the downstream substrates of IKK and IKK-related kinases, and outline the strategies used for targeting IKK as a therapeutic intervention for cancer.
Chromatids segregate without centrosomes during Caenorhabditis elegans mitosis in a Ran- and CLASP-dependent manner

Laser ablation of centrosomes in one-cell Caenorhabditis elegans embryos shows that chromatids can segregate independently of centrosomes and also independently of the activity of kinetochore microtubules during mitosis. CLASP and RanGTP are required to generate this centrosome-independent force, whereas SPD-1 and BMK-1 act as brakes to oppose it.
Disclosure of Genetic Information and Change in Dietary Intake: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Proponents of consumer genetic tests claim that the information can positively impact health behaviors and aid in chronic disease prevention. However, the effects of disclosing genetic information on dietary intake behavior are not clear. Methods A double-blinded, parallel group, 2∶1 online randomized controlled trial was conducted to determine the short- and long-term effects of disclosing nutrition-related genetic information for personalized nutrition on dietary intakes of caffeine, vitamin C, added sugars, and sodium. Participants were healthy men and women aged 20–35 years (n = 138). The intervention group (n = 92) received personalized DNA-based dietary advice for 12-months and the control group (n = 46) received general dietary recommendations with no genetic information for 12-months. Food frequency questionnaires were collected at baseline and 3- and 12-months after the intervention to assess dietary intakes. General linear models were used to compare changes in intakes between those receiving general dietary advice and those receiving DNA-based dietary advice. Results Compared to the control group, no significant changes to dietary intakes of the nutrients were observed at 3-months. At 12-months, participants in the intervention group who possessed a risk version of the ACE gene, and were advised to limit their sodium intake, significantly reduced their sodium intake (mg/day) compared to the control group (−287.3±114.1 vs. 129.8±118.2, p = 0.008). Those who had the non-risk version of ACE did not significantly change their sodium intake compared to the control group (12-months: −244.2±150.2, p = 0.11). Among those with the risk version of the ACE gene, the proportion who met the targeted recommendation of 1500 mg/day increased from 19% at baseline to 34% after 12 months (p = 0.06). Conclusions These findings demonstrate that disclosing genetic information for personalized nutrition results in greater changes in intake for some dietary components compared to general population-based dietary advice. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01353014
‘You need that loving tender care’: maternity care experiences and expectations of ethnic minority women born in the United Kingdom

Objective: To explore the maternity care experiences and expectations of United Kingdom (UK)-born ethnic minority women. Methods: Qualitative in-depth interviews with 34 UK-born mothers of Black Caribbean, Black African, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Irish descent, recruited mainly from nine National Health Service (NHS) maternity units in England. Results: Overall, women felt that their ethnic background did not matter at all with respect to the care they received. UK-born women's familiarity with the system and the absence of language barriers were felt to be influential in getting treated the same as White women. Women stressed the need for professionals to be ‘sensitive’ and ‘delicate’ in their interactions and wanted ‘continuity of care’. In general, they were positive about the adequacy of the information given during their antenatal appointments, but some women found it difficult to get access to antenatal classes. Women valued good communication and consistent information, with their views acknowledged and their questions answered consistently. They also expressed the need for better physical environments in maternity units. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to the growing evidence about the need to improve maternity and postnatal care, and to develop more sensitive and women-centred care for all women irrespective of ethnic background.
UniNE at TREC 2008: Fact and Opinion Retrieval in the Blogsphere

Abstract : This paper describes our participation in the Blog track at the TREC 2008 evaluation campaign. The Blog track goes beyond simple document retrieval, its main goal is to identify opinionated blog posts and assign a polarity measure (positive, negative or mixed) to these information items. Available topics cover various target entities, such as people, location or product for example. This year's Blog task may be subdivided into three parts: First, retrieve relevant information (facts & opinionated documents), second extract only opinionated documents (either positive, negative or mixed) and third classify opinionated documents as having a positive or negative polarity. For the first part of our participation we evaluate different indexing strategies as well as various retrieval models such as Okapi (BM25) and two models derived from the Divergence from Randomness (DFR) paradigm. For the opinion and polarity detection part, we use two different approaches, an additive and a logistic-based model using characteristic terms to discriminate between various opinion classes.