Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Evaluation of the ELNP e-Learning Quality Assurance Program: Perspectives of Gap Analysis and Innovation Diffusion

The purpose of this study was to examine the appropriateness of a nationwide quality assurance framework for e-learning from participants’ perspectives. Two types of quality evaluation programs were examined in this study, including the e-Learning Service Certification program (eLSC) and the e-Learning Courseware Certification program (eLCC). Gap analysis and the innovation attributes were employed to examine participants’ perception gaps and attitudes toward the quality framework. The analysis showed that the quality framework obtained adequate validity and reliability. Gap analysis revealed that both the eLSC and eLCC participants perceived the quality of their e-learning overly. The attitude analysis revealed that a) for eLSC, the positive and increased observability was inferred to enhance participants’ adoption of eLSC, b) for eLCC, the positive attributes of observability, relative advantage and compatibility were inferred to facilitate and sustain the adoption of eLCC, c) the decreased attributes of trialability/complexity and relative advantage of eLCC indicated the necessity for further improvement. Crystal-clear descriptions and examples of quality criteria are suggested to make the quality assurance framework more amiable and easy of access to e-learning developers and organizations.
Widespread ancient whole genome duplications in Malpighiales coincide with Eocene global climatic upheaval

Ancient whole genome duplications (WGDs) are important in eukaryotic genome evolution, and are especially prominent in plants. Recent genomic studies from large vascular plant clades, including ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms suggest that WGDs may represent a crucial mode of speciation. Moreover, numerous WGDs have been dated to events coinciding with major episodes of global and climatic upheaval, including the mass extinction at the KT boundary (~65 Ma) and during more recent intervals of global aridification in the Miocene (~10-5 Ma). These findings have led to the hypothesis that polyploidization may buffer lineages against the negative consequences of such disruptions. Here, we explore WGDs in the large, and diverse flowering plant clade Malpighiales using a combination of transcriptomes and complete genomes from 42 species. We conservatively identify 22 ancient WGDs, widely distributed across Malpighiales subclades. Our results provide strong support for the hypothesis that WGD is an important mode of speciation in plants. Importantly, we also identify that these events are clustered around the Eocene-Paleocene Transition (~54 Ma), during which time the planet was warmer and wetter than any period in the Cenozoic. These results establish that the Eocene Climate Optimum represents another, previously unrecognized, period of prolific WGDs in plants, and lends support to the hypothesis that polyploidization promotes adaptation and enhances plant survival during major episodes of global change. Malpighiales, in particular, may have been particularly influenced by these events given their predominance in the tropics where Eocene warming likely had profound impacts owing to the relatively tight thermal tolerances of tropical organisms. Significance Statement Whole genome duplications (WGDs) are hypothesized to generate adaptive variations during episodes of climate change and global upheaval. Using large-scale phylogenomic assessments, we identify an impressive 22 ancient WGDs in the large, tropical flowering plant clade Malpighiales. This supports growing evidence that ancient WGDs are far more common than has been thought. Additionally, we identify that WGDs are clustered during a narrow window of time, ~54 Ma, when the climate was warmer and more humid than during any period in the last ~65 Ma. This lends support to the hypothesis that WGDs are associated with surviving climatic upheavals, especially for tropical organisms like Malpighiales, which have tight thermal tolerances.
Effects of humidity and surface on photoalignment of brilliant yellow

ABSTRACT Controlling and optimising the alignment of liquid crystals is a crucial process for display application. Here, we investigate the effects of humidity and surface types on photoalignment of an azo-dye brilliant yellow (BY). Specifically, the effect of humidity on the photoalignment of BY was studied at the stage of substrate storage before coating, during the spin-coating process, between film coating and exposure, and after exposure. Surprising results are the drastic effect of humidity during the spin-coating process, the humidity annealing to increase the order of the BY layer after exposure and the dry annealing to stabilise the layer. Our results are interpreted in terms of the effect of water on the aggregation of BY. The type of surface studied had minimal effects. Thin BY films (about 3 nm thickness) were sensitive to the hydrophilicity of the surface while thick BY films (about 30 nm thickness) were not affected by changing the surface. The results of this paper allow for the optimisation of the BY photoalignment for liquid crystal display application as well as a better understanding of the BY photoalignment mechanism. Graphical Abstract
Hypertension: high prevalence and a positive association with obesity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in far north Queensland

Objective: Hypertension and other chronic disease risks are common among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults but there is little evidence regarding the epidemiology of these risk factors during adolescence. This study examines the prevalence of pre‐hypertension, hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15–24 years living in remote Indigenous communities in north Queensland. In so doing, it aims to better inform the approach to cardiovascular disease in this population.
Comparative Effectiveness of Chewing Stick and Toothbrush: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: With the increasing rate of oral diseases, the global necessity of effective and economical products for its prevention and treatment has intensified. Aim: This study was to compare the effectiveness of two oral hygiene aids: Chewing stick and manual toothbrush, for plaque removal and gingival health after one month of a randomized clinical trial. Materials and Methods: Dental students (age 18-22 years) of a public sector dental hospital were recruited. Sample size was determined using the American Dental Association guidelines. Participants were randomized into two interventional groups and provided with either chewing sticks or toothbrushes. Pre- and post-intervention examinations were executed by two blind and calibrated examiners using plaque and gingival dental indices. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and two sample independent t-tests. Results: Fifty subjects were recruited with mean age 20 ± 0.66 years (80% were females and 20% were males). Except for the mean plaque scores of toothbrush users (which increased at post-intervention examination), all other scores showed reduction. In contrast to the final mean gingival scores, a significant difference (P = < 0.0001) in the final mean plaque score was observed for the two respective interventional groups. Conclusion: Chewing stick has revealed parallel and at times greater mechanical and chemical cleansing of oral tissues as compared to a toothbrush.
Analyzing reverse middle-ear transmission: noninvasive Gedankenexperiments.

The phenomenological framework outlined in the companion paper [C. A. Shera and G. Zweig, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 92, 1356-1370 (1992)] characterizes both forward and reverse transmission through the middle ear. This paper illustrates its use in the analysis of noninvasive measurements of middle-ear and cochlear mechanics. A cochlear scattering framework is developed for the analysis of combination-tone and other experiments in which acoustic distortion products are used to drive the middle ear "in reverse. " The framework is illustrated with a simple psychophysical Gedankenexperiment analogous to the neurophysiological experiments of P. F. Fahey and J. B. Allen [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 77, 599-612 (1985)].
Modeling site-specific wild oat (Avena fatua) emergence across a variable landscape

Abstract The spatial and temporal pattern of wild oat emergence in eastern Washington is affected by the steep, rolling hills that dominate this landscape. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of landscape position and crop residue on the emergence phenology of wild oat. Emergence of a natural wild oat infestation was characterized over two growing seasons (2003 and 2004), at two wheat residue levels (0 and 500 g m−2), and at five landscape positions differing in slope, aspect, and elevation in a no-till winter wheat field. Wild oat emerged 1 to 2 wk earlier at south-facing landscape positions than at north-facing landscape positions. Crop residue delayed wild oat emergence by 7 to 13 d relative to bare soil at south-facing positions in 2003 and had a reduced effect on emergence at north-facing landscape positions. Therefore, preserving surface residues tended to synchronize emergence across the landscape and may facilitate better timing of weed control where residue is present. Emergence of wild oat was modeled as a function of thermal time adjusted by water potential using a Weibull function. Temperature explained more variation in the model than water potential. This model explained much of the variability in wild oat emergence among landscape positions over these 2 yr and may be useful as a tool to predict the timing of wild oat emergence. Results also indicate that site-specific modeling is a plausible approach to improving prediction of weed seedling emergence. Nomenclature: Wild oat, Avena fatua L. , AVEFA; winter wheat, Triticum aestivum L.
The Lifecycles of Apps in a Social Ecosystem

Apps are emerging as an important form of on-line content, and they combine aspects of Web usage in interesting ways --- they exhibit a rich temporal structure of user adoption and long-term engagement, and they exist in a broader social ecosystem that helps drive these patterns of adoption and engagement. It has been difficult, however, to study apps in their natural setting since this requires a simultaneous analysis of a large set of popular apps and the underlying social network they inhabit. In this work we address this challenge through an analysis of the collection of apps on Facebook Login, developing a novel framework for analyzing both temporal and social properties. At the temporal level, we develop a retention model that represents a user's tendency to return to an app using a very small parameter set. At the social level, we organize the space of apps along two fundamental axes --- popularity and sociality --- and we show how a user's probability of adopting an app depends both on properties of the local network structure and on the match between the user's attributes, his or her friends' attributes, and the dominant attributes within the app's user population. We also devolop models that show the importance of different feature sets with strong performance in predicting app success.
The Role Cranberry Proanthocyanidins Play in the Primary Attachment of Bacteria to Surfaces: Bacillus cereus Model

The development of a proanthocyanidin (PAC) treatment, along with the understanding of its mechanism of action, would provide an alternative method of preventing attachment to and colonization of surfaces by microorganisms, as well as potentially disrupting preexisting biofilms. The purpose of this research is to examine the role a cranberry proanthocyanidin plays in the primary attachment of Bacillus cereus to an abiotic surface. This technology could be employed in food processing plants where a premium is placed on maintaining a sanitized work environment to prevent product contamination. A biofilm assay showed that a surface treated with proanthocyanidins actually promoted rather than prevented the attachment of Bacillus cereus. This was further made evident by the fact that the surface hydrophobicities of B. cereus cells grown in media supplemented with proanthocyanidins were greater than those grown in its absence. In addition, light microscopy analysis showed a greater degree of sporulation of B. cereus cells when grown on TSA plates supplemented with PACs. These results suggest that proanthocyanidins may be inducing endospore formation in Bacillus cereus leading to increased attachment and surface hydrophobicity values. INDEX WORDS: Bacillus cereus, Cranberry proanthocyanidins, Attachment, Biofilm, Hydrophobicity, Motility, Mutagenesis, Proteomics THE ROLE CRANBERRY PROANTHOCYANIDINS PLAY IN THE PRIMARY ATTACHMENT OF BACTERIA TO SURFACES: BACILLUS CEREUS MODEL
Hormone therapy with tamoxifen reduces plasma levels of NT-B-type natriuretic peptide but does not change ventricular ejection fraction after chemotherapy in women with breast cancer

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of tamoxifen on the plasma concentration of NT-pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer and to correlate changes in NT-proBNP with the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Over a period of 12 months, we followed 60 women with a diagnosis of breast cancer. The patients were separated into a group that received only chemotherapy (n=23), a group that received chemotherapy + tamoxifen (n=21), and a group that received only tamoxifen (n=16). Plasma levels of NT-proBNP were assessed at 0 (T0), 6 (T6), and 12 (T12) months of treatment, and echocardiography data were assessed at T0 and T12. Plasma NT-proBNP levels were increased in the chemotherapy-only group at T6 and T12, whereas elevated NT-proBNP levels were only found at T6 in the chemotherapy + tamoxifen group. At T12, the chemotherapy + tamoxifen group exhibited a significant reduction in the peptide to levels similar to the group that received tamoxifen alone. The chemotherapy-only group exhibited a significant decrease in LVEF at T12, whereas the chemotherapy + tamoxifen and tamoxifen-only groups maintained levels similar to those at the beginning of treatment. Treatment with tamoxifen for 6 months after chemotherapy significantly reduced the plasma levels of NT-proBNP and did not change LVEF in women with breast cancer.
Imepitoin as novel treatment option for canine idiopathic epilepsy: pharmacokinetics, distribution, and metabolism in dogs

Imepitoin is a novel anti-epileptic licensed in the European Union for the treatment of canine idiopathic epilepsy. The aim of this study was to characterize the pharmacokinetics of imepitoin in dogs and to evaluate the interaction with drug metabolizing enzymes. Upon administration of imepitoin tablets at a dose of 30 mg/kg to beagle dogs, high plasma levels were observed within 30 min following oral dosing, with maximal plasma concentrations of 14.9–17.2 μg/mL reached after 2–3 h. In a crossover study, co-administration of imepitoin tablets with food reduced the total AUC by 30%, but it did not result in significant changes in Tmax and Cmax, indicating lack of clinical relevance. No clinically relevant effects of sex and no accumulation or metabolic tolerance were observed upon twice daily dosing. Following single dose administration of 10–100 mg/kg, dose linearity was found. Administering [14C] imepitoin, high enteral absorption of 92% and primary fecal excretion were identified. Plasma protein binding was only 55%. At therapeutic plasma concentrations, imepitoin did not inhibit microsomal cytochrome P450 family liver enzymes in vitro. In rats, no relevant induction of liver enzymes was found. Therefore, protein binding or metabolism-derived drug–drug interactions are unlikely. Based on these data, imepitoin can be dosed twice daily, but the timing of tablet administration in relation to feeding should be kept consistent.
von Hippel-Lindau protein regulates transition from the fetal to the adult circulatory system in retina

In early neonates, the fetal circulatory system undergoes dramatic transition to the adult circulatory system. Normally, embryonic connecting vessels, such as the ductus arteriosus and the foramen ovale, close and regress. In the neonatal retina, hyaloid vessels maintaining blood flow in the embryonic retina regress, and retinal vessels take over to form the adult-type circulatory system. This process is regulated by a programmed cell death switch mediated by macrophages via Wnt and angiopoietin 2 pathways. In this study, we seek other mechanisms that regulate this process, and focus on the dramatic change in oxygen environment at the point of birth. The von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL) is a substrate recognition component of an E3-ubiquitin ligase that rapidly destabilizes hypoxia-inducible factor αs (HIF-αs) under normoxic, but not hypoxic, conditions. To examine the role of oxygen-sensing mechanisms in retinal circulatory system transition, we generated retina-specific conditional-knockout mice for VHL (Vhlα-CreKO mice). These mice exhibit arrested transition from the fetal to the adult circulatory system, persistence of hyaloid vessels and poorly formed retinal vessels. These defects are suppressed by intraocular injection of FLT1-Fc protein [a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-1 (FLT1)/Fc chimeric protein that can bind VEGF and inhibit its activity], or by inactivating the HIF-1α gene. Our results suggest that not only macrophages but also tissue oxygen-sensing mechanisms regulate the transition from the fetal to the adult circulatory system in the retina.
Safety of Abatacept in Rheumatoid Arthritis With Serologic Evidence of Past or Present Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with concomitant hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection represents a therapeutic challenge due to the risk of HBV reactivation under immunosuppressive treatment. To date there are few data coming from anecdotal case reports that concern HBV reactivation following treatment with abatacept. This observational retrospective study was aimed to assess the safety profile of abatacept in this particular clinical setting.
Early experience with HSCT in HIV-infected patients

Introduction The advent of potent combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) has led to a dramatic decrease in the incidence of AIDS and AIDSrelated mortality worldwide. For most patients, full suppression of HIV-1 replication can be achieved by once-daily administration of an ART regimen available as a fixed-dose combination that is safe, convenient, and well tolerated. Five single-tablet regimens are currently approved by the US FDA for the initial treatment of HIV-1 infection, and several more are in phase III clinical trials (e.g., NCT02269917; NCT01797445; NCT02345226). Some studies suggest that, with early initiation of ART, patients with HIV-1 infection may live essentially normal life spans (1), converting what was once a uniformly fatal viral infection into a chronic disease that is manageable with appropriate medical treatment. Although effective at restoring immune function and prolonging life, ART does not eliminate HIV-1, which persists as a latent infection in resting memory CD4+ T cells and possibly in cells of monocyte origin; treatment, therefore, must be administered throughout a patient’s life. Despite the advances in HIV therapeutics of the last 30 years, concerns remain regarding the long-term safety of decades of ART, the burden of daily adherence, and the costs of providing lifelong ART on a global scale. In addition, higherthan-normal levels of immune activation persist in patients with full suppression of viral replication, and this activation is associated with an increased risk of end-organ disease, including myocardial infarction and stroke (2–4). A treatment that led to durable drugfree remission or eradication (cure) of HIV-1 could reduce the burden, cost, toxicities, and stigma associated with long-term ART and might lower immune activation and the associated risk of non-AIDS clinical events. The search for a cure therefore remains a high priority for clinicians, investigators, and patients. As reviewed elsewhere in this issue (5), little or no transcription of proviral DNA occurs in resting CD4+ T cells that are latently infected with HIV-1. In the absence of any expression of viral proteins, these cells evade detection and destruction by the innate and adaptive immune systems. If latently infected cells could be eliminated (e.g., by ablative chemotherapy) and replaced through hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) by uninfected cells or, ideally, cells intrinsically resistant to HIV-1 infection, cure might be achieved. This approach has attracted the interest of investigators for many years but, to date, has resulted in only a single successful outcome (6).
Crystal Structure of Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein to 1.35 Å Resolution Reveals Alternative Conformations for Glu222

Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (EGFP) is one of the most widely used engineered variants of the original wild-type Green Fluorescent Protein. Here, we report the high resolution (1.35 Å) structure of EGFP crystallised in its untagged sequence form that reveals the combined impact of the F64L and S65T, that give rise to improved folding and spectral characteristics. The overall structure of EGFP is very similar to wt GFP, forming the classical β-barrel fold with the chromophore containing helix running through the core of the structure. Replacement of Phe64 with Leu in EGFP results in subtle rearrangement of hydrophobic core packing close to the chromophore including the reduction in surface exposure of two hydrophobic residues. Replacement of Ser65 with Thr has a significant impact on the local hydrogen bond network in the vicinity of the chromophore. Detailed analysis of electron density reveals that several residues close to the chromophore occupy at least two distinct conformations. This includes Glu222 that defines the charged state on the chromophore, with the two conformations having slightly different effects on the hydrogen bond network surrounding the chromophore. Hence, the reported high-resolution structure of EGFP has provided a long overdue molecular description of one of the most important fluorescent protein variants currently in general use.
Recent Development in Optical Fiber Biosensors

Remarkable developments can be seen in the field of optical fibre biosensors in the last decade. More sensors for specific analytes have been reported, novel sensing chemistries or transduction principles have been introduced, and applications in various analytical fields have been realised. This review consists of papers mainly reported in the last decade and presents about applications of optical fiber biosensors. Discussions on the trends in optical fiber biosensor applications in real samples are enumerated.
Wastewater treatment by nanofiltration membranes

Lower energy consumption compared to reverse osmosis (RO) and higher rejection compared to ultrafiltration make nanofiltration (NF) membrane get more and more attention for wastewater treatment. NF has become a promising technology not only for treating wastewater but also for reusing water from wastewater. This paper presents various application of NF for wastewater treatments. The factors affecting the performance of NF membranes including operating conditions, feed characteristics and membrane characteristics were discussed. In addition, fouling as a severe problem during NF application is also presented. Further, future prospects and challenges of NF for wastewater treatments are explained.