Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Drosophila β-Amyloid Precursor Protein Homolog Promotes Synapse Differentiation at the Neuromuscular Junction

Although abnormal processing of β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) has been implicated in the pathogenic cascade leading to Alzheimer’s disease, the normal function of this protein is poorly understood. To gain insight into APP function, we used a molecular-genetic approach to manipulate the structure and levels of the DrosophilaAPP homolog APPL. Wild-type and mutant forms of APPL were expressed in motoneurons to determine the effect of APPL at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). We show that APPL was transported to motor axons and that its overexpression caused a dramatic increase in synaptic bouton number and changes in synapse structure. In anAppl null mutant, a decrease in the number of boutons was found. Examination of NMJs in larvae overexpressing APPL revealed that the extra boutons had normal synaptic components and thus were likely to form functional synaptic contacts. Deletion analysis demonstrated that APPL sequences responsible for synaptic alteration reside in the cytoplasmic domain, at the internalization sequence GYENPTY and a putative Go-protein binding site. To determine the likely mechanisms underlying APPL-dependent synapse formation, hyperexcitable mutants, which also alter synaptic growth at the NMJ, were examined. These mutants with elevated neuronal activity changed the distribution of APPL at synapses and partially suppressed APPL-dependent synapse formation. We propose a model by which APPL, in conjunction with activity-dependent mechanisms, regulates synaptic structure and number.
Complex Embeddings for Simple Link Prediction

In statistical relational learning, the link prediction problem is key to automatically understand the structure of large knowledge bases. As in previous studies, we propose to solve this problem through latent factorization. However, here we make use of complex valued embeddings. The composition of complex embeddings can handle a large variety of binary relations, among them symmetric and antisymmetric relations. Compared to state-of-the-art models such as Neural Tensor Network and Holographic Embeddings, our approach based on complex embeddings is arguably simpler, as it only uses the Hermitian dot product, the complex counterpart of the standard dot product between real vectors. Our approach is scalable to large datasets as it remains linear in both space and time, while consistently outperforming alternative approaches on standard link prediction benchmarks.
“Being together in the locker room is great, but showering together – just forget it!” The Janus Face of the Wardrobe Practice in Physical Education

The aim of this study is to examine the wardrobe context among students in physical education (PE) in lower secondary school and describe their various experiences of the atmosphere in the locker room and their showering habits. 16 semi structured in-depth interviews with eight boys and eight girls, all aged 15, in the 10th grade (third and final year of lower secondary school) were conducted to grasp some of the ongoing interactions between students and the context of the wardrobe practice before and after PE lessons. The planning of the interviews is grounded in a variety of topics such as the class environment, the influence of teacher behavior, self-evaluation, and the role of social media. Four main categories emerged when describing the students’ various experiences of the wardrobe practice in PE; 1) Friendship, 2) Physical Facilities, 3) Digital Life and 4) Shyness . Overall, the students feel comfortable as well as motivated for participation in the PE lessons and the atmosphere in the wardrobe seems to play a vital part. However, students may be exposed to an unhealthy body image through their fellow students, the role of social media, and the society’s view of what is an ideal body. The results may suggest that in general puberty and the major bodily changes occurring in this age create unpleasantness and shyness of being exposed to other students previously unknown to them. Habitually, most of the girls choose not to shower while exposed to fellow female students after ended PE session while the boys who are showering do it in their underwear. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.16. 10.4
Agglomeration and Job Matching among College Graduates

We examine job matching as a potential source of urban agglomeration economies. Focusing on college graduates, we construct two direct measures of job matching based on how well an individual? s job corresponds to his or her college education. Consistent with matching-based theories of urban agglomeration, we find evidence that larger and thicker local labor markets increase both the likelihood and quality of a job match for college graduates. We then assess the extent to which better job matching of college-educated workers increases individual-level wages and thereby contributes to the urban wage premium. We find that college graduates with better job matches do indeed earn higher wages on average, though the contribution of such job matching to aggregate urban productivity appears to be relatively modest.
Functional Evaluation of the Endotics System, a New Disposable Self-Propelled Robotic Colonoscope: in vitro tests and clinical trial

Objective Currently, the best method for CRC screening is colonoscopy, which ideally (where possible) is performed under partial or deep sedation. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the Endotics System, a new robotic device composed of a workstation and a disposable probe, in performing accurate and well-tolerated colonoscopies. This new system could also be considered a precursor of other innovating vectors for atraumatic locomotion through natural orifices such as the bowel. The flexible probe adapts its shape to the complex contours of the colon, thereby exerting low strenuous forces during its movement. These novel characteristics allow for a painless and safe colonoscopy, thus eliminating all major associated risks such as infection, cardiopulmonary complications and colon perforation. Methods An experimental study was devised to investigate stress pattern differences between traditional and robotic colonoscopy, in which 40 enrolled patients underwent both robotic and standard colonoscopy within the same day. Results The stress pattern related to robotic colonoscopy was 90% lower than that of standard colonoscopy. Additionally, the robotic colonoscopy demonstrated a higher diagnostic accuracy, since, due to the lower insufflation rate, it was able to visualize small polyps and angiodysplasias not seen during the standard colonoscopy. All patients rated the robotic colonoscopy as virtually painless com-pared to the standard colonoscopy, ranking pain and discomfort as 0.9 and 1.1 respectively, on a scale of 0 to 10, versus 6.9 and 6.8 respectively for the standard device. Conclusions The new Endotics System demonstrates efficacy in the diagnosis of colonic pathologies using a procedure nearly completely devoid of pain. Therefore, this system can also be looked upon as the first step toward developing and implementing colonoscopy with atraumatic locomotion through the bowel while maintaining a high level of diagnostic accuracy.
Conjunctiva-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (CALT) Reactions to Antiglaucoma Prostaglandins with or without BAK-Preservative in Rabbit Acute Toxicity Study

Conjunctiva-associated lymphoid tissue (CALT) is closely associated with ocular surface immunity. This study investigated the effects of antiglaucoma prostaglandin analogs with or without benzalkonium chloride (BAK) preservative on organized CALT using an acute toxic model. A total of 48 albino rabbits were used and seven groups of treatments were constituted. Solutions (50 µl) of PBS, 0.02%BAK, 0.02%BAK+latanoprost, 0.015%BAK+travoprost, 0.005%BAK+bimatoprost, BAK-freetravoprost preserved with the SofZia® system or BAK-freetafluprost were instilled 15 times at 5-min intervals in both eyes. CALT changes were analyzed using in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM), immunohistology in cryosections for detecting MUC-5AC+ mucocytes and CD45+ hematopoietic cells. Antiglaucoma eye drops stimulated inflammatory cell infiltration in the CALT, and seemed to be primarily related to the concentration of their BAK content. The CALT reaction after instillation of BAK-containing eye drops was characterized by inflammatory cell infiltration in the dome and intrafollicular layers and by cell circulation inside the lymph vessels. CD45 was strongly expressed in the CALT after instillation of all BAK-containing solutions at 4 h and decreased at 24 h. The number of MUC-5AC+ mucocytes around the CALT structure decreased dramatically after instillation of BAK-containing solutions. This study showed for the first time the in vivo aspect of rabbit CALT after toxic stimuli, confirming the concentration-dependent toxic effects of BAK. IVCM-CALT analysis could be a pertinent tool in the future for understanding the immunotoxicologic challenges in the ocular surface and would provide useful criteria for evaluating newly developed eye drops.
Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Diabetes Empowerment Scale – Short Form

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To translate, cross-culturally adapt and validate the Diabetes Empowerment Scale – Short Form for assessment of psychosocial self-efficacy in diabetes care within the Brazilian cultural context. METHODS Assessment of the instrument’s conceptual equivalence, as well as its translation and cross-cultural adaptation were performed following international standards. The Expert Committee’s assessment of the translated version was conducted through a web questionnaire developed and applied via the web tool e-Surv. The cross-culturally adapted version was used for the pre-test, which was carried out via phone call in a group of eleven health care service users diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The pre-test results were examined by a group of experts, composed by health care consultants, applied linguists and statisticians, aiming at an adequate version of the instrument, which was subsequently used for test and retest in a sample of 100 users diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus via phone call, their answers being recorded by the web tool e-Surv. Internal consistency and reproducibility of analysis were carried out within the statistical programming environment R. RESULTS Face and content validity were attained and the Brazilian Portuguese version, entitled Escala de Autoeficácia em Diabetes – Versão Curta, was established. The scale had acceptable internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.634 (95%CI 0.494– 0.737), while the correlation of the total score in the two periods was considered moderate (0.47). The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.50. CONCLUSIONS The translated and cross-culturally adapted version of the instrument to spoken Brazilian Portuguese was considered valid and reliable to be used for assessment within the Brazilian population diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The use of a web tool (e-Surv) for recording the Expert Committee responses as well as the responses in the validation tests proved to be a reliable, safe and innovative method.
Induction of two indirect defences benefits Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus, Fabaceae) in nature

1 Herbivore damage often induces the release of herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) or the secretion of extrafloral nectar (EFN). The purpose of this study was to induce such proposed indirect defence responses in plants growing in their natural environment and to monitor the effects on vegetative and generative traits such as herbivory, plant growth and fruit set. 2 I tested whether mature wild Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus, Fabaceae) growing in Mexico could be reliably induced to produce HIPVs and EFN in response to application of the phytohormone, jasmonic acid (JA), and investigated whether this treatment leads to any benefit to the plants. 3 Eleven HIPVs were released from JA‐treated leaves at significantly higher amounts than from control leaves, and only one (methylsalicylate) at significantly lower amounts than from controls. Treatment with JA increased EFN secretion on leaves on average by more than 30 times and on bracts by more than 20 times. EFN production, which has not previously been described in Lima bean, represents a second induced indirect resistance trait of this species. 4 JA treatment reduced both the number of dead shoot tips and leaf damage by herbivores. Treated tendrils grew faster and produced more leaves than controls. At the end of the experiment, treated tendrils bore c. two times more inflorescences and three times more fruits than controls. 5 Repeated treatment with JA resulted in a combined induction of HIPVs and EFN and strongly benefited wild Lima beans. The plants suffered less from the consequences of herbivore attack, supporting the use of the term ‘induced defences’ for these traits. JA‐induced defences thus can significantly benefit Lima bean under natural conditions.
Leadership is associated with lower levels of stress

As leaders ascend to more powerful positions in their groups, they face ever-increasing demands. As a result, there is a common perception that leaders have higher stress levels than nonleaders. However, if leaders also experience a heightened sense of control—a psychological factor known to have powerful stress-buffering effects—leadership should be associated with reduced stress levels. Using unique samples of real leaders, including military officers and government officials, we found that, compared with nonleaders, leaders had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lower reports of anxiety (study 1). In study 2, leaders holding more powerful positions exhibited lower cortisol levels and less anxiety than leaders holding less powerful positions, a relationship explained significantly by their greater sense of control. Altogether, these findings reveal a clear relationship between leadership and stress, with leadership level being inversely related to stress.
A Cross-Coupled Non-lifted Norm Optimal Iterative Learning Control Approach with Application to a Multi-axis Robotic Testbed

Abstract This paper combines previously developed non-lifted norm optimal iterative learning control (NNOILC)with a cross coupled formulation resulting in a cross-coupled non-lifted norm optimal iterative learning control (cross-coupled NNOILC). The objective is to improve the contour tracking performance in precision motion control of multi-axis systems while retaining the computational efficiency properties of the NNOILC. The NNOILC is able to provide many of the same design advantages of norm optimal ILC (NOILC) without the restrictions on trial size. Convergence and robustness properties are provided and shown to be similar to previous efforts in NNOILC. To demonstrate the proposed approach, experiments on a multi-axis robotic testbed are given.
Cytomegalovirus Infection Triggers the Secretion of the PPARγ Agonists 15-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic Acid (15-HETE) and 13-Hydroxyoctadecadienoic Acid (13-HODE) in Human Cytotrophoblasts and Placental Cultures

Introduction Congenital infection by human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a leading cause of congenital abnormalities of the central nervous system. Placenta infection by HCMV allows for viral spread to fetus and may result in intrauterine growth restriction, preeclampsia-like symptoms, or miscarriages. We previously reported that HCMV activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) for its own replication in cytotrophoblasts. Here, we investigated the molecular bases of PPARγ activation in infected cytotrophoblasts. Results We show that onboarded cPLA2 carried by HCMV particles is required for effective PPARγ activation in infected HIPEC cytotrophoblasts, and for the resulting inhibition of cell migration. Natural PPARγ agonists are generated by PLA2 driven oxidization of linoleic and arachidonic acids. Therefore, using HPLC coupled with mass spectrometry, we disclosed that cellular and secreted levels of 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE) and 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE) were significantly increased in and from HIPEC cytotrophoblasts at soon as 6 hours post infection. 13-HODE treatment of uninfected HIPEC recapitulated the effect of infection (PPARγ activation, migration impairment). We found that infection of histocultures of normal, first-term, human placental explants resulted in significantly increased levels of secreted 15-HETE and 13-HODE. Conclusion Our findings reveal that 15-HETE and 13-HODE could be new pathogenic effectors of HCMV congenital infection They provide a new insight about the pathogenesis of congenital infection by HCMV.
Membrane Cholesterol in Skeletal Muscle: A Novel Player in Excitation-Contraction Coupling and Insulin Resistance

Membrane cholesterol is critical for signaling processes in a variety of tissues. We will address here current evidence supporting an emerging role of cholesterol on excitation-contraction coupling and glucose transport in skeletal muscle. We have centered our review on the transverse tubule system, a complex network of narrow plasma membrane invaginations that propagate membrane depolarization into the fiber interior and allow nutrient delivery into the fibers. We will discuss current evidence showing that transverse tubule membranes have remarkably high cholesterol levels and we will address how modifications of cholesterol content influence excitation-contraction coupling. In addition, we will discuss how membrane cholesterol levels affect glucose transport by modulating the insertion into the membrane of the main insulin-sensitive glucose transporter GLUT4. Finally, we will address how the increased membrane cholesterol levels displayed by obese animals, which also present insulin resistance, affect these two particular skeletal muscle functions.
Elitist - Multi-objective Differential Evolution (E-MODE) Algorithm for Multi-objective Optimization

Several problems in the engineering domain are multi-objective in nature. The solution to multi-objective optimization is a set of solutions rather than a single point solution. Such a set of non-dominated solutions are called Pareto optimal solutions or non-inferior solutions. In this paper, a new algorithm, Elitist-Multi-objective Differential Evolution (E-MODE) is proposed. The proposed algorithm is applied successfully on several test functions, and the results are discussed extensively. Results obtained from the proposed algorithm are compared with those obtained using Multi-objective Differential Evolution (MODE) algorithm. E-MODE is found to give better solutions in terms of wide range of solutions, spread, and diversity of Pareto front than those obtained using MODE.
Components of the insulin resistance syndrome are associated with progression of atherosclerosis in non-grafted arteries 5 years after coronary artery bypass surgery.

AIMS Risk factors for progression of atherosclerosis in non-grafted coronary arteries were examined in a prospective 5-year follow-up study of 228 consecutive coronary artery bypass surgery patients, with the main emphasis on insulin resistance syndrome. METHODS AND RESULTS Serum lipids and lipoproteins were measured pre-operatively and 1, 2, 3 and 5 years after surgery; and a baseline oral glucose tolerance test with plasma insulin determinations was performed pre-operatively. Progression of atherosclerosis was assessed by means of computer-based quantitative coronary angiography. Compared to subjects without progression, the patients with progression of atherosclerotic lesions had a higher body mass index both at baseline (P = 0.022) and at 5 years (P = 0.007), were more often treated for hypertension at baseline (P = 0.008) and at 5 years (P = 0.012), used diuretics more often during the follow-up period (P = 0.002), had a larger blood glucose area under the curve (P = 0.015) and a lower insulin sensitivity index (P = 0.006) in the baseline oral glucose tolerance test, had a higher serum total cholesterol concentration at baseline (P = 0.044), and a higher serum triglyceride concentration (P = 0.005) during the whole follow-up period. Clustering of the components of insulin resistance syndrome at baseline was more frequently found in patients with progression of atherosclerotic lesions than in patients without progression (P = 0.025). For example, for patients with < or = 1 component, the risk of progression was 17%, while for patients with > or = 5 components the risk was 67%. As compared to the other patients, those with new atherosclerotic lesions had a lower insulin sensitivity index at baseline (P = 0.033), and a lower serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration during the follow-up period (P = 0.033). CONCLUSION In addition to high serum cholesterol, the components of the insulin resistance syndrome are associated with progression of atherosclerosis in non-grafted coronary arteries 5 years after coronary artery bypass surgery.
Regular graphs whose subgraphs tend to be acyclic

Motivated by a problem that arises in the study of mirrored storage systems, we describe, for any fixed ε, δ > 0, and any integer d ≥ 2, explicit or randomized constructions of d‐regular graphs on n > n0(ε, δ) vertices in which a random subgraph obtained by retaining each edge, randomly and independently, with probability $\rho={1-\epsilon \over d-1}$, is acyclic with probability at least 1 − δ. On the other hand we show that for any d‐regular graph G on n > n1(ε, δ) vertices, a random subgraph of G obtained by retaining each edge, randomly and independently, with probability $\rho={1+\epsilon \over d-1}$, does contain a cycle with probability at least 1 − δ. The proofs combine probabilistic and combinatorial arguments, with number theoretic techniques. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 2006
Analytic and Algorithmic Solution of Random Satisfiability Problems

We study the satisfiability of random Boolean expressions built from many clauses with K variables per clause (K-satisfiability). Expressions with a ratio α of clauses to variables less than a threshold αc are almost always satisfiable, whereas those with a ratio above this threshold are almost always unsatisfiable. We show the existence of an intermediate phase below αc, where the proliferation of metastable states is responsible for the onset of complexity in search algorithms. We introduce a class of optimization algorithms that can deal with these metastable states; one such algorithm has been tested successfully on the largest existing benchmark of K-satisfiability.