Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis 2015 (HESPA 2015)

The Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis 2015 (HESPA 2015) was conducted to update and validate the Areas of Responsibilities, Competencies, and Sub-competencies for Entry- and Advanced-Level Health Education Specialists. Two data collection instruments were developed—one was focused on Sub-competencies and the other on knowledge items related to the practice of health education. Instruments were administered to health education specialists (N = 3,152) using online survey methods. A total of 2,508 survey participants used 4-point ordinal scales to rank Sub-competencies by frequency of use and importance. The other 644 participants used the same 4-point frequency scale to rank related knowledge items. Composite scores for Sub-competencies were calculated and subgroup comparisons were conducted that resulted in the validation of 7 Areas of Responsibilities, 36 Competencies, and 258 Sub-competencies. Of the Sub-competencies, 141 were identified as Entry-level, 76 Advanced 1–level, and 41 Advanced 2–level. In addition, 131 knowledge items were verified. The HESPA 2015 findings are compared with the results of the Health Education Job Analysis 2010 and will be useful to those involved in professional preparation, continuing education, and employment of health education specialists.
Dihydromyricetin Ameliorates Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Improving Mitochondrial Respiratory Capacity and Redox Homeostasis Through Modulation of SIRT3 Signaling.

AIMS Our previous clinical trial indicated that the flavonoid dihydromyricetin (DHM) could improve hepatic steatosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), altough the potential mechanisms of these effects remained elusive. Here, we investigated the hepatoprotective role of DHM on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD. RESULTS DHM supplementation could effectively ameliorate the development of NAFLD by inhibiting hepatic lipid accumulation both in HFD-fed wild-type mice and in palmitic acid-induced hepatocytes. We reveal for the first time that mitochondrial dysfunction characterized by ATP depletion and augmented oxidative stress could be reversed by DHM treatment. Moreover, DHM enhanced the mitochondrial respiratory capacity by increasing the expression and enzymatic activities of mitochondrial complexes and increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species scavenging by restoring manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) activity. Interestingly, the benefits of DHM were abrogated in SIRT3 knockout (SIRT3KO) mice and in hepatocytes transfected with SIRT3 siRNA or treated with an SIRT3-specific inhibitor. We further showed that DHM could increase SIRT3 expression by activating the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1 alpha (PGC1α)/estrogen-related receptor-α (ERRα) signaling pathway. INNOVATION Our work indicates that SIRT3 plays a critical role in the DHM-mediated beneficial effects that include ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in a nutritional NAFLD model both in vivo and in vitro. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that DHM prevents NAFLD by improving mitochondrial respiratory capacity and redox homeostasis in hepatocytes through a SIRT3-dependent mechanism. These results could provide a foundation to identify new DHM-based preventive and therapeutic strategies for NAFLD. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 00, 000-000.
Aging and Intermittent Fasting Impact on Transcriptional Regulation and Physiological Responses of Adult Drosophila Neuronal and Muscle Tissues

The progressive decline of the nervous system, including protein aggregate formation, reflects the subtle dysregulation of multiple functional pathways. Our previous work has shown intermittent fasting (IF) enhances longevity, maintains adult behaviors and reduces aggregates, in part, by promoting autophagic function in the aging Drosophila brain. To clarify the impact that IF-treatment has upon aging, we used high throughput RNA-sequencing technology to examine the changing transcriptome in adult Drosophila tissues. Principle component analysis (PCA) and other analyses showed ~1200 age-related transcriptional differences in head and muscle tissues, with few genes having matching expression patterns. Pathway components showing age-dependent expression differences were involved with stress response, metabolic, neural and chromatin remodeling functions. Middle-aged tissues also showed a significant increase in transcriptional drift-variance (TD), which in the CNS included multiple proteolytic pathway components. Overall, IF-treatment had a demonstrably positive impact on aged transcriptomes, partly ameliorating both fold and variance changes. Consistent with these findings, aged IF-treated flies displayed more youthful metabolic, behavioral and basal proteolytic profiles that closely correlated with transcriptional alterations to key components. These results indicate that even modest dietary changes can have therapeutic consequences, slowing the progressive decline of multiple cellular systems, including proteostasis in the aging nervous system.
Candidatus Dirofilaria hongkongensis as Causative Agent of Human Ocular Filariosis after Travel to India

We report a human case of ocular Dirofilaria infection in a traveler returning to Austria from India. Analysis of mitochondrial sequences identified the worm as Candidatus Dirofilaria hongkongensis, a close relative of Dirofilaria repens, which was only recently described in Hong Kong and proposed as a new species.
Acoustic Measurements of the Slow Dynamics of Thin Sheets

Based on the relationship between resonance and tension on thin sheets, an experimental approach was adopted to test the slow dynamic behaviour of Paper, Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), the laminate of both and same laminate with Aluminium inclusive. We used a non contact acoustic excitation and non contact laser sensing. We chose to use a non contact acoustic excitation for its efficiency. A mixed dynamic extension was applied to the specimens including periods of dynamic extension and a long time of constant extension (conditioning). The modal parameters were extracted via a laser vibrometer using the LabVIEW software. The results enabled us to show the slow dynamic characteristics of the thin sheets.
Effect Of Dietary Lipid Level On Growth, Feed Utilization And Body Composition By Nile Perch Juveniles (Lates Niloticus)

The present study was designed to determine the optimum dietary lipid of juveniles Nile perch for better growth performances. Four isonitrogenous (45 %) experimental diets were formulated to contain 9; 11; 13 and 15 g crude lipid 100 g-1 feed, and fed in triplicate groups of Nile perch (mean weight : 3.28 ± 0.04 g) reared in twelve 50 L tank for 8 weeks. At the end of the experimental period the group of fish fed 11 % and 9 % lipid, had a significantly higher SGR and body weight gain than the rest of experimental groups. The lowest body weight (13.28 g) was achieved by group of fish fed 15 % lipid. The FCR were significantly lower for fingerling Lates fed diet containing 11 % and 9 % lipid than the rest. The increase of the dietary lipid level in the diet affected significantly the Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER). Body moisture content decreased significantly with the increase of dietary lipid. Body lipid increased significantly with the increase of dietary lipid. Under the experimental conditions applied, the optimum dietary lipid requirement for juvenile Lates niloticus is estimated to be 9.79 %.
Generation of a More Immunogenic Measles Vaccine by Increasing Its Hemagglutinin Expression

ABSTRACT Imported measles virus (MV) outbreaks are maintained by poor vaccine responders and unvaccinated people. A convenient but more immunogenic vaccination strategy would enhance vaccine performance, contributing to measles eradication efforts. We report here the generation of alternative pediatric vaccines against MV with increased expression of the H protein in the background of the current MV vaccine strain. We generated two recombinants: MVvac2-H2, with increased full-length H expression resulting in a 3-fold increase in H incorporation into virions, and MVvac2-Hsol, vectoring a truncated, soluble form of the H protein that is secreted into the supernatants of infected cells. Replication fitness was conserved despite the duplication of the H cistron for both vectors. The modification to the envelope of MVvac2-H2 conferred upon this virus a measurable level of resistance to in vitro neutralization by MV polyclonal immune sera without altering its thermostability. Most interestingly, both recombinant MVs with enhanced H expression were significantly more immunogenic than their parental strain in outbred mice, while MVvac2-H2 additionally proved more immunogenic after a single, human-range dose in genetically modified MV-susceptible mice. IMPORTANCE Measles incidence was reduced drastically following the introduction of attenuated vaccines, but progress toward the eradication of this virus has stalled, and MV still threatens unvaccinated populations. Due to the contributions of primary vaccine failures and too-young-to-be-vaccinated infants to this problem, more immunogenic measles vaccines are highly desirable. We generated two experimental MV vaccines based on a current vaccine's genome but with enriched production of the H protein, the main MV antigen in provoking immunity. One vaccine incorporated H at higher rates in the viral envelope, and the other secreted a soluble H protein from infected cells. The increased expression of H by these vectors improved neutralizing responses induced in two small-animal models of MV immunogenicity. The enhanced immunogenicity of these vectors, mainly from the MV that incorporates additional H, suggests their value as potential alternative pediatric MV vaccines.
Distributed scheduling of measurements in a sensor network for parameter estimation of spatio-temporal systems

Abstract The main aim of the paper is to develop a distributed algorithm for optimal node activation in a sensor network whose measurements are used for parameter estimation of the underlying distributed parameter system. Given a fixed partition of the observation horizon into a finite number of consecutive intervals, the problem under consideration is to optimize the percentage of the total number of observations spent at given sensor nodes in such a way as to maximize the accuracy of system parameter estimates. To achieve this, the determinant of the Fisher information matrix related to the covariance matrix of the parameter estimates is used as the qualitative design criterion (the so-called D-optimality). The proposed approach converts the measurement scheduling problem to a convex optimization one, in which the sensor locations are given a priori and the aim is to determine the associated weights, which quantify the contributions of individual gaged sites to the total measurement plan. Then, adopting a pairwise communication scheme, a fully distributed procedure for calculating the percentage of observations spent at given sensor locations is developed, which is a major novelty here. Another significant contribution of this work consists in derivation of necessary and sufficient conditions for the optimality of solutions. As a result, a simple and effective computational scheme is obtained which can be implemented without resorting to sophisticated numerical software. The delineated approach is illustrated by simulation examples of a sensor network design for a two-dimensional convective diffusion process.
Evaluation of dexmedetomidine and fentanyl as additives to ropivacaine for epidural anesthesia and postoperative analgesia

Background and Aims: The synergism between epidural local anesthetic agent and opioids is well established, but evidence for the combination of local anesthetic agent with dexmedetomidine in epidurals is limited. This study evaluates the clinical efficacy of dexmedetomidine versus fentanyl as an additive to ropivacaine for epidural anesthesia. Material and Methods: Patients undergoing infraumbilical surgeries were divided randomly into three groups - Group R (n = 25): received 18 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine for epidural anesthesia and 10 ml of 0.1% ropivacaine boluses for postoperative analgesia; Group RF (n = 25): received 18 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine with 20 μg fentanyl for epidural anesthesia and 10 ml of 0.1% ropivacaine with 10 μg fentanyl boluses for postoperative analgesia; and Group RD (n = 25): received 18 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine with 10 μg dexmedetomidine for epidural anesthesia and 10 ml of 0.1% ropivacaine with 5 μg dexmedetomidine boluses for postoperative analgesia. Results: The mean time for onset of sensory block, in minutes, was 18.6 ± 4.4 in R Group, 12.8 ± 1.8 in RF Group and 10.8 ± 2.7 in RD Group (P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference with regard to degree of motor block, with RD Group faring better than RF Group and R Group. The mean time to rescue analgesia, in minutes, was 139.8 ± 21.4 in Group R, 243 ± 29.7 in Group RF, and 312.4 ± 30.2 in Group RD (P < 0.001). Incidence of hypotension at 10 min was 4% and 48% in RF and RD Groups, respectively (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Epidural anesthesia achieved with 10 μg dexmedetomidine as an additive to 0.5% ropivacaine is more effective with respect to duration and intensity of analgesia when compared to 0.5% ropivacaine alone or addition of 20 μg fentanyl to 0.5% ropivacaine.
MelanoGANs: High Resolution Skin Lesion Synthesis with GANs

Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have been successfully used to synthesize realistically looking images of faces, scenery and even medical images. Unfortunately, they usually require large training datasets, which are often scarce in the medical field, and to the best of our knowledge GANs have been only applied for medical image synthesis at fairly low resolution. However, many state-of-the-art machine learning models operate on high resolution data as such data carries indispensable, valuable information. In this work, we try to generate realistically looking high resolution images of skin lesions with GANs, using only a small training dataset of 2000 samples. The nature of the data allows us to do a direct comparison between the image statistics of the generated samples and the real dataset. We both quantitatively and qualitatively compare state-of-the-art GAN architectures such as DCGAN and LAPGAN against a modification of the latter for the task of image generation at a resolution of 256x256px. Our investigation shows that we can approximate the real data distribution with all of the models, but we notice major differences when visually rating sample realism, diversity and artifacts. In a set of use-case experiments on skin lesion classification, we further show that we can successfully tackle the problem of heavy class imbalance with the help of synthesized high resolution melanoma samples.
Plasma osmolality and oxygen consumption of perch Perca fluviatilis in response to different salinities and temperatures.

The present study determined the blood plasma osmolality and oxygen consumption of the perch Perca fluviatilis at different salinities (0, 10 and 15) and temperatures (5, 10 and 20° C). Blood plasma osmolality increased with salinity at all temperatures. Standard metabolic rate (SMR) increased with salinity at 10 and 20° C. Maximum metabolic rate (MMR) and aerobic scope was lowest at salinity of 15 at 5° C, yet at 20° C, they were lowest at a salinity of 0. A cost of osmoregulation (SMR at a salinity of 0 and 15 compared with SMR at a salinity of 10) could only be detected at a salinity of 15 at 20° C, where it was 28%. The results show that P. fluviatilis have capacity to osmoregulate in hyper-osmotic environments. This contradicts previous studies and indicates intraspecific variability in osmoregulatory capabilities among P. fluviatilis populations or habitat origins. An apparent cost of osmoregulation (28%) at a salinity of 15 at 20° C indicates that the cost of osmoregulation in P. fluviatilis increases with temperature under hyperosmotic conditions and a power analysis showed that the cost of osmoregulation could be lower than 12·5% under other environmental conditions. The effect of salinity on MMR is possibly due to a reduction in gill permeability, initiated to reduce osmotic stress. An interaction between salinity and temperature on aerobic scope shows that high salinity habitats are energetically beneficial during warm periods (summer), whereas low salinity habitats are energetically beneficial during cold periods (winter). It is suggested, therefore, that the seasonal migrations of P. fluviatilis between brackish and fresh water is to select an environment that is optimal for metabolism and aerobic scope.
Neural dynamics at successive stages of the ventral visual stream are 1 consistent with hierarchical error signals 2 Running title : Error signaling in the ventral stream 3

1 Neural dynamics at successive stages of the ventral visual stream are 1 consistent with hierarchical error signals 2 Running title: Error signaling in the ventral stream 3 Elias B. Issa*, Charles F. Cadieu, and James J. DiCarlo 4 5 McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences 6 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 7 8 *Correspondence: Elias Issa, elias.issa@columbia.edu 9 10 1 Current address: Department of Neuroscience, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia 11 University, New York, NY 10027 12 2 Current address: Bay Labs, Inc. San Francisco, CA 94102 13 14 15 ABSTRACT 16
The impact of unicornuate uterus on perinatal outcomes after IVF/ICSI cycles: a matched retrospective cohort study

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the impact of unicornuate uterus on perinatal outcomes after in vitro fertilization and/or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study including 160 women with unicornuate uterus and 1:1 matched controls with normally shaped uterus. They received IVF/ICSI treatment during January 2009 and December 2011. The perinatal outcomes were followed up till December 2014. Results: There were no significant differences in pregnancy rate, clinical pregnancy rate or live birth rate (53.6 versus 52.7, 41.4 versus 43.5, 33.8% versus 31.8%) between unicornuate uterus group and controls. Their biochemical pregnancy rate (22.8 versus 17.5%) and miscarriage rate (16.0 versus 18.8%) were similar. No significant differences were identified in preterm birth rate (18.3 versus 11.8%), birthweight (3.24 ± 0.60 versus 3.33 ± 0.54 kg) or birth length (50.47 ± 2.33 versus 50.06 ± 2.40 cm) among the singletons. However, lower gestational age (35.56 ± 2.68 versus 36.71 ± 1.73, p = .019), higher preterm birth rate (55.0 versus 34.4%, p = .038), lower birthweight (2.33 ± 0.58 versus 2.69 ± 0.38 kg, p = .001), lower birth length (45.33 ± 2.46 versus 48.88 ± 2.06 cm, p = .000), as well as higher rate of very low birthweight (13.2% versus 0, p = .007) were found for the twins from unicornuate uterus group. Conclusions: The results indicated unimpaired pregnancy and perinatal outcomes for women with unicornuate uterus conceiving one fetus. However, close attention should be paid to twin pregnancy in unicornuate uterus owing to increased risks of prematurity and low birthweight. Selected single embryo transfer is recommended for women with unicornuate uterus undergoing IVF/ICSI cycles.
A Nonparametric Test of Strategic Behavior in the Cournot Model

We devise a nonparametric test of strategic behavior in a multiproduct Cournot oligopoly. It is assumed that firms have cost functions that do not change over the period of observation but that market demand can change in each period. Market prices and firm-specific production quantities are observed and it is assumed that neither the inverse demand functions nor the cost functions are known. The driving assumptions of the test are that market inverse demand functions are decreasing and differentiable at each period and that cost functions are increasing and convex for each firm. Under these very general conditions, we show that this test imposes strong restrictions on observed data. We apply the test to the crude oil market and find that strategic behavior is strongly rejected.
Interferon-inducible ribonuclease ISG20 inhibits hepatitis B virus replication through directly binding to the epsilon stem-loop structure of viral RNA

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) replicates its DNA genome through reverse transcription of a viral RNA pregenome. We report herein that the interferon (IFN) stimulated exoribonuclease gene of 20 KD (ISG20) inhibits HBV replication through degradation of HBV RNA. ISG20 expression was observed at basal level and was highly upregulated upon IFN treatment in hepatocytes, and knock down of ISG20 resulted in elevation of HBV replication and attenuation of IFN-mediated antiviral effect. The sequence element conferring the susceptibility of HBV RNA to ISG20-mediated RNA degradation was mapped at the HBV RNA terminal redundant region containing epsilon (ε) stem-loop. Furthermore, ISG20-induced HBV RNA degradation relies on its ribonuclease activity, as the enzymatic inactive form ISG20D94G was unable to promote HBV RNA decay. Interestingly, ISG20D94G retained antiviral activity against HBV DNA replication by preventing pgRNA encapsidation, resulting from a consequence of ISG20-ε interaction. This interaction was further characterized by in vitro electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and ISG20 was able to bind HBV ε directly in absence of any other cellular proteins, indicating a direct ε RNA binding capability of ISG20; however, cofactor(s) may be required for ISG20 to efficiently degrade ε. In addition, the lower stem portion of ε is the major ISG20 binding site, and the removal of 4 base pairs from the bottom portion of ε abrogated the sensitivity of HBV RNA to ISG20, suggesting that the specificity of ISG20-ε interaction relies on both RNA structure and sequence. Furthermore, the C-terminal Exonuclease III (ExoIII) domain of ISG20 was determined to be responsible for interacting with ε, as the deletion of ExoIII abolished in vitro ISG20-ε binding and intracellular HBV RNA degradation. Taken together, our study sheds light on the underlying mechanisms of IFN-mediated HBV inhibition and the antiviral mechanism of ISG20 in general.
The Optimization of Electrophoresis on a Glass Microfluidic Chip and its Application in Forensic Science

Microfluidic chips offer significant speed, cost, and sensitivity advantages, but numerous parameters must be optimized to provide microchip electrophoresis detection. Experiments were conducted to study the factors, including sieving matrices (the concentration and type), surface modification, analysis temperature, and electric field strengths, which all impact the effectiveness of microchip electrophoresis detection of DNA samples. Our results showed that the best resolution for ssDNA was observed using 4.5% w/v (7 M urea) lab‐fabricated LPA gel, dynamic wall coating of the microchannel, electrophoresis temperatures between 55 and 60°C, and electrical fields between 350 and 450 V/cm on the microchip‐based capillary electrophoresis (μCE) system. One base‐pair resolution could be achieved in the 19‐cm‐length microchannel. Furthermore, both 9947A standard genomic DNA and DNA extracted from blood spots were demonstrated to be successfully separated with well‐resolved DNA peaks in 8 min. Therefore, the microchip electrophoresis system demonstrated good potential for rapid forensic DNA analysis.