Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Classroom noise and children learning through a second language: double jeopardy?

PURPOSE Two studies were conducted to investigate the effects of classroom noise on attention and speech perception in native Spanish-speaking second graders learning English as their second language (L2) as compared to English-only-speaking (EO) peers. METHOD Study 1 measured children's on-task behavior during instructional activities with and without soundfield amplification. Study 2 measured the effects of noise (+10 dB signal-to-noise ratio) using an experimental English word recognition task. RESULTS Findings from Study 1 revealed no significant condition (pre/postamplification) or group differences in observations in on-task performance. Main findings from Study 2 were that word recognition performance declined significantly for both L2 and EO groups in the noise condition; however, the impact was disproportionately greater for the L2 group. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Children learning in their L2 appear to be at a distinct disadvantage when listening in rooms with typical noise and reverberation. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists should collaborate to inform teachers, help reduce classroom noise, increase signal levels, and improve access to spoken language for L2 learners.
Role of Bcl-2 family proteins in mediating CD40-induced drug resistance in Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)

Despite the advent of novel therapeutic agents, fludarabine-based chemo-immunotherapy still forms the backbone of modern treatment regimens for fit patients with CLL. Even with the high efficacy of these regimens, a significant proportion of patients respond poorly to therapy. Although TP53 deletion/mutation is strongly associated with fludarabine resistance, it does not account for all patients displaying this resistance phenotype. Understanding the mechanisms underlying fludarabine resistance in patients without TP53 defects is therefore a major priority. In this study, the role of the leukemic microenvironment in mediating such resistance resistance was investigated by y focusing on the cytoprotective effect of CD40 stimulation as a result of engagement of CD40 on CLL cells by CD154 on activated T cells which is known to occur at sites of lymph node involvement. This study indicated that in-vitro treatment of resting CLL cells with fludarabine resulted in the consistent up-regulation of Puma and a concomitant increase in cell death. Reciprocal imunoprecipitation experiments using antibodies to Puma or Bcl-2 followed by Western blotting showed that these two Bcl-2 family members form a complex in resting CLL cells. Taken together, the above findings suggest that CD40 stimulation up-regulates Bcl-XL and Mcl-1 which bind to Puma, preventing its activation of mitochondrial apoptosis and subsequently inhibiting fludarabine-induced killing. Therefore, the study revealed a potential mechanism responsible for CD40-mediated resistance to fludarabine in CLL.
Innate Immune Evasion Strategies by Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1

Host immune components play both beneficial and pathogenic roles in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. During the initial stage of viral infection, a complex network of innate immune factors are activated. For instance, the immune cells express a number of inflammatory proteins including cytokines, chemokines, and antiviral restriction factors. These factors, specifically, interferons (IFNs) play a crucial role in antiviral defense system by modulating the downstream signaling events, by inducing maturation of dendritic cells (DCs), and by activation of macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, and B and T cells. However, HIV-1 has evolved to utilize a number of strategies to overcome the antiviral effects of the host innate immune system. This review discusses the pathways and strategies utilized by HIV-1 to establish latent and persistent infection by defeating host's innate defense system.
Involvement of Hepatocyte Growth Factor-Induced Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Human Adenomyosis1

ABSTRACT Adenomyosis is commonly believed to arise from the basalis endometrium. As an estromedin growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) exhibits multiple functions in endometriosis, a disease commonly believed to arise from the functionalis endometrium. Here, we investigated the role of HGF in the occurrence of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in adenomyosis. Full-thickness-biopsy specimens from endometrium to myometrium were collected after hysterectomy from women with and without adenomyosis. The relationship between HGF and E-cadherin (epithelial cell marker) and N-cadherin (mesenchymal cell markers) was examined at the gene and protein levels using endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) in culture and tissues by quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. The gene and protein expressions of two transcriptional repressors of E-cadherin, SLUG and SNAIL, were examined using Ishikawa cells and in response to HGF and estrogen (E2). HGF down-regulated E-cadherin and up-regulated N-cadherin mRNA expression in EECs, and an inverse relationship in protein expression between HGF and E-cadherin was observed in basalis endometria derived from women with diffuse and focal adenomyosis. HGF induced morphological changes of EECs from a cobblestone-like appearance to spindle-shaped cells and promoted migration of EECs. Ishikawa cells exhibited up-regulation of SLUG/SNAIL gene expression in response to both HGF and E2 with an additive effect between them. HGF- and E2-promoted SLUG/SNAIL gene expression was significantly abrogated after pretreatment of cells with anti-HGF antibody or ICI 182720, an estrogen receptor antagonist. HGF may be involved in gland invagination deep into the myometrium by inducing EMT at the endo-myometrial junction in women with adenomyosis.
Disease-modifying effects of long-term cyclic iloprost therapy in systemic sclerosis. A retrospective analysis and comparison with a control group.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of iloprost, a derivative of prostacyclin, as a possible disease-modifying agent for systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS Fifty-six consecutive SSc patients treated for a median period of 4 years with cyclic infusions of iloprost for severe Raynaud's phenomenon and ischemic ulcers were compared with 56 control patients matched for age, sex, disease subset and duration. Control patients were also similar to the iloprost group with regard to autoantibody status, the presence of major disease-related organ manifestations at baseline, and the use of other treatments. The evolution of lung function test results, the frequency of major disease-specific complications and the survival of the cohorts were the objects of this analysis. RESULTS No significant difference was observed between the two groups with regard to changes in lung function tests over time, or the number of patients who presented with the onset of active interstitial lung disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension or scleroderma renal crisis. Survival did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION The evolution of lung function test results, the frequency of major disease-specific complications, and survival did not differ significantly between SSc patients treated with cyclic iloprost and a group of patients matched for sex, age, and disease subset and duration. However, no cases of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension were observed in the patients treated with iloprost, suggesting that studies focusing on the possible preventive action of iloprost on the progression of SSc- associated mild pulmonary arterial hypertension would be warranted.
A GA-based scheduling method for FlexRay systems

An advanced communication system, the FlexRay system, has been developed for future automotive applications. It consists of time-triggered clusters, such as drive-by-wire in cars, in order to meet different requirements and constraints between various sensors, processors, and actuators. In this paper, an approach to static scheduling for FlexRay systems is proposed. Our experimental results show that the proposed scheduling method significantly reduces up to 36.3% of the network traffic compared with a past approach.
Expression, characterization, and purification of recombinant porcine lactoferrin in Pichia pastoris.

Recombinant porcine lactoferrin (rPLF) was synthesized in Pichia pastoris using a constitutive promoter from the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene. Strains expressing rPLF with its own signal sequence or with that from the yeast alpha-mating factor (alpha-MF) were able to produce and secrete rPLF, but levels were consistently higher using alpha-MF constructs. In contrast, P. pastoris strains that expressed rPLF without a signal sequence produced the protein in an insoluble intracellular form. Increasing the initial pH of shake-flask culture medium from 6.0 to 7.0 or adding ferric ions to the medium (to 100 microM) resulted in significant improvements in expression of rPLF from P. pastoris. Expression levels (approximately 12 mg/L) were much higher than those observed from Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (1-2 mg/L). P. pastoris-secreted rPLF was isolated and purified via a one-step simple procedure using a heparin column. The molecular size (78 kDa), isoelectric point (8.8-9.0), N-terminal amino acid sequence, and iron-binding capability of rPLF were each similar to that of native milk PLF.
Look-ahead multi-time frame generator control and dispatch method in PJM real time operations

Summary PJM operates the transmission system with the generation capacity of 164, 000 MW, and the peak load of 145, 000 MW as part of the East Interconnection of US. With the great increase of renewable resources, such as Wind, Solar, Battery, PHV, etc. in the PJM power grid, the conventional generator control and dispatch approach became more and more difficult because of the issues and challenges of uncertainties and new modeling. Facing the issues and challenges, a new look-ahead multi-time frame generator control and dispatch (GCA) method was developed and the GCA software system was installed in the PJM real time system to determine the optimal dispatch solutions for each generator. Every five minutes, PJM GCA system provides dispatch solutions for 20 minutes, one hour, two hours and four hours time ahead. The analysis of dispatch solutions and impact of PJM energy markets will be presented in details. The further development of the GCA will be discussed in the presentation, such as the different optimization of technologies being used in the different time frame to handle the uncertainties and stochastic behaviors of renewable generations.
Graph evolution: Densification and shrinking diameters

How do real graphs evolve over time? What are normal growth patterns in social, technological, and information networks? Many studies have discovered patterns in static graphs, identifying properties in a single snapshot of a large network or in a very small number of snapshots; these include heavy tails for in- and out-degree distributions, communities, small-world phenomena, and others. However, given the lack of information about network evolution over long periods, it has been hard to convert these findings into statements about trends over time. Here we study a wide range of real graphs, and we observe some surprising phenomena. First, most of these graphs densify over time with the number of edges growing superlinearly in the number of nodes. Second, the average distance between nodes often shrinks over time in contrast to the conventional wisdom that such distance parameters should increase slowly as a function of the number of nodes (like O(log n) or O(log(log n)). Existing graph generation models do not exhibit these types of behavior even at a qualitative level. We provide a new graph generator, based on a forest fire spreading process that has a simple, intuitive justification, requires very few parameters (like the flammability of nodes), and produces graphs exhibiting the full range of properties observed both in prior work and in the present study. We also notice that the forest fire model exhibits a sharp transition between sparse graphs and graphs that are densifying. Graphs with decreasing distance between the nodes are generated around this transition point. Last, we analyze the connection between the temporal evolution of the degree distribution and densification of a graph. We find that the two are fundamentally related. We also observe that real networks exhibit this type of relation between densification and the degree distribution.
Programming Pluralism: Using Learning Analytics to Detect Patterns in the Learning of Computer Programming

New high-frequency, automated data collection and analysis algorithms could offer new insights into complex learning processes, especially for tasks in which students have opportunities to generate unique open-ended artifacts such as computer programs. These approaches should be particularly useful because the need for scalable project-based and student-centered learning is growing considerably. In this article, we present studies focused on how students learn computer programming, based on data drawn from 154,000 code snapshots of computer programs under development by approximately 370 students enrolled in an introductory undergraduate programming course. We use methods from machine learning to discover patterns in the data and try to predict final exam grades. We begin with a set of exploratory experiments that use fully automated techniques to investigate how much students change their programming behavior throughout all assignments in the course. The results show that students’ change in programming patterns is only weakly predictive of course performance. We subsequently hone in on 1 single assignment, trying to map students’ learning process and trajectories and automatically identify productive and unproductive (sink) states within these trajectories. Results show that our process-based metric has better predictive power for final exams than the midterm grades. We conclude with recommendations about the use of such methods for assessment, real-time feedback, and course improvement.
Isolation and characterization of embryonic stem‐like cells from canine blastocysts

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells with the capacity to generate any type of cell. Here we describe the isolation of ES‐like cells from canine blastocysts. Canine embryos were collected from beagle bitches at day 11–16 of first estrus. A total of 80 normal embryos were obtained from 15 dogs. Of the embryos, 13 were at the morulae stage, 39 at the blastocyst stage, and 28 at the hatched blastocyst stage. The inside of morulae or inner cell masses (ICMs) of blastocysts were isolated mechanically, and cultured onto mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) as feeder layers. Primary cell colonies were formed in 0% (0/13) of morulae, 25.6% (10/39) of blastocysts, and 67.9% (19/28) of hatched blastocysts. These colonies were separated either by enzymatic dissociation or by mechanical disaggregation. Dissociation with collagenase resulted in immediate differentiation, but with mechanical disaggregation these cells remained undifferentiated, and two ES‐like cell lines (cES1, cES2) continued to grow in culture after eight passages. These cells had typical stem cell‐like morphology and expressed specific markers such as alkaline phosphatase activity, stage specific embryonic antigen‐1 and Oct‐4. These cells formed embryoid bodies (EBs) in a suspension culture; extended culture of EBs resulted in the formation of cystic EBs. When the simple EBs were cultured on tissue culture plates, they differentiated into several types of cells including neuron‐like, epithelium‐like, fibroblast‐like, melanocyte‐like, and myocardium‐like cells. These observations indicate that we successfully isolated and characterized canine ES‐like cells. Mol. Reprod. Dev. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluation of a Social Media Strategy to Promote Mental Health Literacy and Help-Seeking in Youth

Abstract In Canada, it is estimated that 15-21% of youth have at least one diagnosable mental illness and less than one third access the mental health services they need. Social media (SM) may present a unique opportunity to promote mental health for young people. mindyourmind, a web-facilitated program with a comprehensive SM presence, was designed to raise awareness of mental health issues and improve access to services for youth dealing with mental health concerns. This article presents an evaluation of their SM strategies with the intent to better understand their influence on youth mental health literacy (MHL) and help-seeking behavior.
Standardization of Immunoglobulin M Capture Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays for Routine Diagnosis of Arboviral Infections

ABSTRACT Immunoglobulin M antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MAC-ELISA) is a rapid and versatile diagnostic method that readily permits the combination of multiple assays. Test consolidation is especially important for arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) which belong to at least three virus families: the Togaviridae,Flaviviridae, and Bunyaviridae. Using prototype viruses from each of these families and a panel of well-characterized human sera, we have evaluated and standardized a combined MAC-ELISA capable of identifying virus infections caused by members of each virus family. Furthermore, by grouping antigens geographically and utilizing known serological cross-reactivities, we have reduced the number of antigens necessary for testing, while maintaining adequate detection sensitivity. We have determined that a 1:400 serum dilution is most appropriate for screening antiviral antibody, using a positive-to-negative ratio of ≥2.0 as a positive cutoff value. With a blind-coded human serum panel, this combined MAC-ELISA was shown to have test sensitivity and specificity that correlated well with those of other serological techniques.
Intraoperative Conversion to ALPPS in a Case of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Background. Surgical resection remains the best treatment option for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Two-stage liver resection combining in situ liver transection with portal vein ligation (ALPPS) has been described as a promising method to increase the resectability of liver tumors also in the case of ICC. Presentation of Case. A 46-year-old male patient presented with an ICC-typical lesion in the right liver. The indication for primary liver resection was set and planed as a right hepatectomy. In contrast to the preoperative CT-scan, the known lesion showed further progression in a macroscopically steatotic liver. Therefore, the decision was made to perform an ALPPS-procedure to avoid an insufficient future liver remnant (FLR). The patient showed an uneventful postoperative course after the first and second step of the ALPPS-procedure, with sufficient increase of the FLR. Unfortunately, already 2.5 months after resection the patient had developed new tumor lesions found by the follow-up CT-scan. Discussion. The presented case demonstrates that an intraoperative conversion to an ALPPS-procedure is safely applicable when the FLR surprisingly seems to be insufficient. Conclusion. ALPPS should also be considered a treatment option in well-selected patients with ICC. However, the experience concerning the outcome of ALPPS in case of ICC remains fairly small.
Multiwavelength Monitoring of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy Arakelian 564. I. ASCA Observations and the Variability of the X-Ray Spectral Components

We present a 35 day ASCA observation of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy Ark 564, yielding an on-source exposure of ~1 Ms. The ASCA observation was part of a multiwavelength AGN Watch monitoring campaign. The soft X-ray light curve binned to 256 s reveals trough-to-peak flux variations up to a factor of ~16 and changes in the fractional amplitude of variability across the observation. Ark 564 shows small variations in photon index across the observation, with Γ in the range 2.45-2.72. The presence of the soft hump component below 1 keV, previously detected in ASCA data, is confirmed. Time-resolved spectroscopy with approximately daily sampling reveals a distinction in the variability of the soft hump and power-law components over a timescale of weeks, with the hump varying by a factor of ~6 across the 35 day observation compared to a factor of 4 in the power law. This difference in the long-term amplitudes of variation causes changes in the softness ratio across the observation. Flux variations in the power-law component are measured down to a timescale of ~1000 s with accompanying spectral variability. Some correlated events are observed in the soft hump, UV flux, and hard X-ray flux when all are sampled daily. No significant UV to X-ray lags are found, with upper limits of ~1 day. We detect Fe Kα and a blend of Fe Kβ plus Ni Kα, the line energies indicating an origin in highly ionized gas. Variability measurements constrain the bulk of the Fe Kα line to originate within approximately a light week of the nucleus. The large EW of the emission lines may be due to high metallicity in Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, supporting some evolutionary models for active galactic nuclei.
Impact of heating on passive and active biomechanics of suspended cells

A cell is a complex material whose mechanical properties are essential for its normal functions. Heating can have a dramatic effect on these mechanical properties, similar to its impact on the dynamics of artificial polymer networks. We investigated such mechanical changes by the use of a microfluidic optical stretcher, which allowed us to probe cell mechanics when the cells were subjected to different heating conditions at different time scales. We find that HL60/S4 myeloid precursor cells become mechanically more compliant and fluid-like when subjected to either a sudden laser-induced temperature increase or prolonged exposure to higher ambient temperature. Above a critical temperature of 52 ± 1°C, we observed active cell contraction, which was strongly correlated with calcium influx through temperature-sensitive transient receptor potential vanilloid 2 (TRPV2) ion channels, followed by a subsequent expansion in cell volume. The change from passive to active cellular response can be effectively described by a mechanical model incorporating both active stress and viscoelastic components. Our work highlights the role of TRPV2 in regulating the thermomechanical response of cells. It also offers insights into how cortical tension and osmotic pressure govern cell mechanics and regulate cell-shape changes in response to heat and mechanical stress.
Boosting Enterprise Agility via IT Knowledge Management Capabilities

In response to rapid changes in business environment, enterprises deploy knowledge management technologies to improve adaptability and increase their chances of survival. This paper theorizes the causal relationship between a firm’s agility and its IT knowledge management capacities. We posit that the prerequisite to agility is the ability of the firm to reconfigure processes, resources, and routines-in other words its dynamic capabilities. On the other hand, the building of dynamic capabilities is only possible if the firm has the ability to sense and response to the dynamic of the environment. Knowledge management technology and social structure are postulated to influence the absorptive capacity, which in turn is considered an antecedent to dynamic capabilities of the firm. We also identify the intellectual assets necessary to sense and respond to the environment and IT capabilities required to support and implement change initiatives.