Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Auditory assistive devices for the blind

Most auditory assistive devices for the Blind employ synthetic speech. These include talking computer interfaces, reading machines, talking signs, and a plethora of talking appliances and gadgets. Some devices use warning tones to signal events or localize objects. Sonification in assistive devices is limited to wayfinding systems that encode range into frequency. There are now some prototype systems that offer more complex sonifications for wayfinding and interpreting images. There still are no assistive devices that use both 3D sound and sonification to augment the auditory environment.
Using Aiptasia as a Model to Study Metabolic Interactions in Cnidarian-Symbiodinium Symbioses

The symbiosis between cnidarian hosts and microalgae of the genus Symbiodinium provides the foundation of coral reefs in oligotrophic waters. Understanding the nutrient-exchange between these partners is key to identifying the fundamental mechanisms behind this symbiosis, yet has proven difficult given the endosymbiotic nature of this relationship. In this study, we investigated the respective contribution of host and symbiont to carbon and nitrogen assimilation in the coral model anemone Aiptaisa. For this, we combined traditional measurements with nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) and stable isotope labeling to investigate patterns of nutrient uptake and translocation both at the organismal scale and at the cellular scale. Our results show that the rate of carbon and nitrogen assimilation in Aiptasia depends on the identity of the host and the symbiont. NanoSIMS analysis confirmed that both host and symbiont incorporated carbon and nitrogen into their cells, implying a rapid uptake and cycling of nutrients in this symbiotic relationship. Gross carbon fixation was highest in Aiptasia associated with their native Symbiodinium communities. However, differences in fixation rates were only reflected in the δ13C enrichment of the cnidarian host, whereas the algal symbiont showed stable enrichment levels regardless of host identity. Thereby, our results point toward a “selfish” character of the cnidarian—Symbiodinium association in which both partners directly compete for available resources. Consequently, this symbiosis may be inherently instable and highly susceptible to environmental change. While questions remain regarding the underlying cellular controls of nutrient exchange and the nature of metabolites involved, the approach outlined in this study constitutes a powerful toolset to address these questions.
On mirror movements

8. Volpe JJ: Neurology of the Newborn. Philadelphia, Saunders, 2. Hicks S, DAmato CJ: HOW to design and build abnormal brains using radiation during development. In Fields W, Desmond M (eds): Disorders of the Developing Nervous System. Springfield, IL, Thomas, 1961, p 77 3. Jankowska E, Odurola A: Crossed and uncrossed synaptic actions on motor neurones. Brain Res 194:65-78, 1980 4. Nyberg-Hansen R Functional organization of descending supraspinal fiber system of the spinal cord. In Reviews of Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology, Band 39, Heft 2, 1066 5. Shibasaki H, Nagae K: Mirror movement: application of movement-related cortical potentials. Ann Neurol 15:299-302, 1984 ders, 1963, pp 29-38
Impact Damage Characterization and Damage Tolerance of Composite Sandwich Airframe Structures - Phase II

Abstract : The impact responses and the damage states in flat composite sandwich panels with thin face sheets were investigated in Phase I and were found to be dependent on the diameter of the spherical steel impactor. The residual strength of impact-damaged sandwich panels under static in-plane compressive loads was reported to be dependent on the nature of the damage state. The impact damage due to blunt impactors is difficult to detect in service and depending on the size of the damage, can degrade the residual strength more than a punctured skin. The detectability of impact damage states using different field inspection techniques was experimentally investigated for different facesheet and core combinations. The impact damage in honeycomb core sandwich panels was better detected using instruments that exploit the local vibrational characteristics of the sandwich structure, while the damage in foam core panels was more amenable to acoustic-based techniques. The effect of facesheet stiffness on the sensitivity of the field inspection techniques was investigated and the results are reported. The behavior of the sandwich panels with impact damage and subjected to the in-plane static compressive loads was investigated in detail. The impact damage behaved in a characteristic sequence of events leading to contrasting final failure modes. The sequence of events was found to be dependent on the facesheet stiffness and the transverse compressive properties of the core material. The effects of panel curvature on the impact damage resistance of sandwich panels were experimentally investigated for limited sandwich configurations. The effects of the radius of cylindrical panels, boundary conditions, facesheet type, and core type were also examined. The decreasing radius of curvature increased the global bending stiffness but decreased the local contact stiffness due to the radial compressive properties of the honeycomb core.
The Influence of Radiographic Phenotype and Smoking Status on Peripheral Blood Biomarker Patterns in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by both airway remodeling and parenchymal destruction. The identification of unique biomarker patterns associated with airway dominant versus parenchymal dominant patterns would support the existence of unique phenotypes representing independent biologic processes. A cross-sectional study was performed to examine the association of serum biomarkers with radiographic airway and parenchymal phenotypes of COPD. Methodology/Principal Findings Serum from 234 subjects enrolled in a CT screening cohort was analyzed for 33 cytokines and growth factors using a multiplex protein array. The association of serum markers with forced expiratory volume in one second percent predicted (FEV1%) and quantitative CT measurements of airway thickening and emphysema was assessed with and without stratification for current smoking status. Significant associations were found with several serum inflammatory proteins and measurements of FEV1%, airway thickening, and parenchymal emphysema independent of smoking status. The association of select analytes with airway thickening and emphysema was independent of FEV1%. Furthermore, the relationship between other inflammatory markers and measurements of physiologic obstruction or airway thickening was dependent on current smoking status. Conclusions/Significance Airway and parenchymal phenotypes of COPD are associated with unique systemic serum biomarker profiles. Serum biomarker patterns may provide a more precise classification of the COPD syndrome, provide insights into disease pathogenesis and identify targets for novel patient-specific biological therapies.
NBM-T-BBX-OS01, Semisynthesized from Osthole, Induced G1 Growth Arrest through HDAC6 Inhibition in Lung Cancer Cells

Disrupting lung tumor growth via histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibition is a strategy for cancer therapy or prevention. Targeting HDAC6 may disturb the maturation of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) mediated cell cycle regulation. In this study, we demonstrated the effects of semisynthesized NBM-T-BBX-OS01 (TBBX) from osthole on HDAC6-mediated growth arrest in lung cancer cells. The results exhibited that the anti-proliferative activity of TBBX in numerous lung cancer cells was more potent than suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), a clinically approved pan-HDAC inhibitor, and the growth inhibitory effect has been mediated through G1 growth arrest. Furthermore, the protein levels of cyclin D1, CDK2 and CDK4 were reduced while cyclin E and CDK inhibitor, p21Waf1/Cip1, were up-regulated in TBBX-treated H1299 cells. The results also displayed that TBBX inhibited HDAC6 activity via down-regulation HDAC6 protein expression. TBBX induced Hsp90 hyper-acetylation and led to the disruption of cyclin D1/Hsp90 and CDK4/Hsp90 association following the degradation of cyclin D1 and CDK4 proteins through proteasome. Ectopic expression of HDAC6 rescued TBBX-induced G1 arrest in H1299 cells. Conclusively, the data suggested that TBBX induced G1 growth arrest may mediate HDAC6-caused Hsp90 hyper-acetylation and consequently increased the degradation of cyclin D1 and CDK4.
Data-driven approaches to define the upper limit of the intermovement interval of periodic leg movements during sleep

Study Objectives To define statistically the upper limit of the intermovement interval (IMI, the time interval between the onset of consecutive movements) of periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS). Methods We computed the IMI distribution of a large sample (n = 141) of patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) and analyzed it with two independent approaches, based on fitting either empirical functions or normal and exponential functions to the data. Results The two fitting approaches consistently pointed to an upper limit of the PLMS IMI in the range between 50 and 60 s. Decreasing the upper limit of PLMS IMI from 90 to 60 s evidently decreased the PLMS index in patients with RLS and control participants; nevertheless, the PLMS index remained significantly higher in RLS vs. control participants. Shifting the upper limit of PLMS IMI to 60 s did not significantly modify the effectiveness of discrimination of PLMS between controls and patients with RLS. Conclusion These results seem to indicate that a conservative, yet data-driven upper limit for IMI contributing to the PLMS in patients with RLS might be 60 s instead of 90 s, as recommended by the present guidelines.
Chapter 4 Platyrrhine Ecophylogenetics in Space and Time

We are far from developing an informed synthesis regarding the evolution of New World Monkeys – probably decades away. For even with the important strides made over the past 30–40 years regarding platyrrhine ecology and behavior, there are large gaps in our knowledge of the evolutionary and historical context. The scarceness of fossils is but one factor. Equally critical is our incomplete knowledge of largescale changes to the continent of South America (SAM), pertinent to the evolution of its fauna. An objective of this paper is to review some of this information as a basis for interpreting the platyrrhines from an ecophylogenetic point of view in space and time. Our goal is to integrate information on living and extinct forms in order to identify community or regional patterns of platyrrhine evolution, rather than examining the moderns and fossils as distinct entities or evolutionary problems. In keeping with the South American emphasis of this volume, we do not consider the primate fauna of the Middle American mainland but have elected to examine the Caribbean subfossil monkeys for reasons that will become clear below. We suggest that the casual way of thinking about New World Monkeys (NWM) as a monolithic radiation inhabiting a rainforest wonderland – South America – is a model that needs to be changed. The continent is about 2.5 times the size of today’s Amazonian rainforest in area, it contains diverse landscapes and habitats, and the Amazonian region changed vastly during the Cenozoic (e.g., Bigarella and Ferreira 1985). At present, more of the continent is grassland than rainforest (Fig. 4.1a), and the grasslands have been flourishing for 20–30 million years (see below). The first primates to arrive did not encounter the Amazonia we know, for it may have begun to take on its present character only about 15 Ma (Campbell et al. 2006). Thus, even though the NWM have a monophyletic, unitary origin, their
Finding a Place for Tumor-specific T Cells in Targeted Cancer Therapy

A goal in cancer therapeutics is to develop targeted modalities that distinguish malignant from normal cells. T cells can discriminate diseased cells based on subtle alterations in peptides displayed in association with MHC molecules at the cell surface. Recent success using the adoptive transfer of tumor-specific T cells has fueled optimism that this approach may find a place as a targeted therapy for some human cancers.
Lessons learned from piloting mHealth informatics practice curriculum into a medical elective

Introduction This case study reports the development and delivery of an mHealth elective piloted for first-year undergraduate medical students at Monash University (Australia) and the lessons learned by designers. Results The students were not as adept at using mHealth devices as the literature had predicted. Expert speakers using mHealth for practice perceptibly engaged students. Force-field analysis was a useful basis for devising end-user evaluative research tools for practice. Combining small- and large-group discussions with eLearning discussions promoted student engagement with new concepts and associated jargon. Assessment by mHealth informatics champions supported the students' independent learning. Lessons learned Promotion of mHealth curriculum must be transparent and clear. Our elective delivery was hampered by a lack of suitable mobile device ownership and limited availability of useful, free apps. Technological jargon required clarification. Educators require particular mHealth informatics and educational expertise to support mHealth pedagogies. This learning helps to prepare medical curriculum designers for addressing evolving mHealth practice horizons.
Examination of Real-Time Fluctuations in Suicidal Ideation and Its Risk Factors: Results From Two Ecological Momentary Assessment Studies

Two studies examined 2 important but previously unanswered questions about the experience of suicidal ideation: (a) How does suicidal ideation vary over short periods of time? , and (b) To what degree do risk factors for suicidal ideation vary over short periods and are such changes associated with changes in suicidal ideation? Participants in Study 1 were 54 adults who had attempted suicide in the previous year and completed 28 days of ecological momentary assessment (EMA; average of 2.51 assessments per day; 2,891 unique assessments). Participants in Study 2 were 36 adult psychiatric inpatients admitted for suicide risk who completed EMA throughout their time in the hospital (average stay of 10.32 days; average 2.48 assessments per day; 649 unique assessments). These studies revealed 2 key findings: (a) For nearly all participants, suicidal ideation varied dramatically over the course of most days: more than 1-quarter (Study 1 = 29%; Study 2 = 28%) of all ratings of suicidal ideation were a standard deviation above or below the previous response from a few hours earlier and nearly all (Study 1 = 94.1%; Study 2 = 100%) participants had at least 1 instance of intensity of suicidal ideation changing by a standard deviation or more from 1 response to the next. (b) Across both studies, well-known risk factors for suicidal ideation such as hopelessness, burdensomeness, and loneliness also varied considerably over just a few hours and correlated with suicidal ideation, but were limited in predicting short-term change in suicidal ideation. These studies represent the most fine-grained examination of suicidal ideation ever conducted. The results advance the understanding of how suicidal ideation changes over short periods and provide a novel method of improving the short-term prediction of suicidal ideation.
Neighbourhood Influences on Children's Weight-related Behaviours and Body Mass Index

Introduction Neighbourhood contextual factors such as accessibility of food shops and green spaces are associated with adult bodyweight but not necessarily weight-related behaviours. Whether these associations are replicated amongst children is unknown. Aim To understand which aspects of childrens' neighbourhoods are associated with unhealthy weight and weight-related behaviours. Methods Individual-level data for children from the 2006/7 New Zealand Health Survey (of Body Mass Index (BMI), dietary indicators and socioeconomic variables) were linked with geographic level data on neighbourhood deprivation, rural/urban status, percentage of community engaged in active travel, access to green space, food shops and sports/leisure facilities. Logistic regression models were fitted for measures of BMI and weight-related behaviours; sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption; fast-food consumption; and television viewing. Results Increased community engagement in active transport was, counterintuitively, the only neighbourhood contextual factor associated with unhealthy weight amongst children. After adjustment for socioeconomic and environmental variables, greater access to green space appeared to have a protective effect on SSB consumption and neighbourhood deprivation was associated with all three unhealthy weight-related behaviours (SSB and fast-food consumption and television viewing). Conclusions Although further research is needed, evidence from the current study suggests that a repertoire of health promotion interventions and policies to change unhealthy weight-related behaviours in high deprivation neighbourhoods may be required to address childhood obesity.
Multiple effects of mutations in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase on viral replication

The integration of a DNA copy of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) genome into a chromosome of an infected cell is a pivotal step in virus replication. Integration requires the activity of the virus-encoded integrase, which enters the cell as a component of the virion. Results of numerous mutagenesis studies have identified amino acid residues and protein domains of HIV-1 integrase critical for in vitro activity, but only a few of these mutants have been studied for their effects on HIV replication. We have introduced site-directed changes into an infectious DNA clone of HIV-1 and show that integrase mutations can affect virus replication at a variety of steps. We identified mutations that altered virion morphology, levels of particle-associated integrase and reverse transcriptase, and viral DNA synthesis. One replication-defective mutant virus which had normal morphology and protein composition displayed increased levels of circular viral DNA following infection of a T-cell line. This virus also had a significant titer in a CD4-positive indicator cell assay, which requires the viral Tat protein. Although unintegrated viral DNA can serve as a template for Tat expression in infected indicator cells, this level of expression is insufficient to support a spreading viral infection in CD4-positive lymphocytes.
Female Chess Players Outperform Expectations When Playing Men

Stereotype threat has been offered as a potential explanation of differential performance between men and women in some cognitive domains. Questions remain about the reliability and generality of the phenomenon. Previous studies have found that stereotype threat is activated in female chess players when they are matched against male players. I used data from over 5.5 million games of international tournament chess and found no evidence of a stereotype-threat effect. In fact, female players outperform expectations when playing men. Further analysis showed no influence of degree of challenge, player age, nor prevalence of female role models in national chess leagues on differences in performance when women play men versus when they play women. Though this analysis contradicts one specific mechanism of influence of gender stereotypes, the persistent differences between male and female players suggest that systematic factors do exist and remain to be uncovered.
Canadian cost analysis comparing maintenance therapy with bortezomib versus lenalidomide for patients with multiple myeloma post autologous stem cell transplant.

BACKGROUND Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer caused by malignant plasma cells that accumulate mostly in the bone marrow. In Canada, the most common maintenance therapy options after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) are bortezomib and lenalidomide. OBJECTIVE To determine the incremental cost between bortezomib and lenalidomide maintenance therapies for patients with MM post ASCT. METHODS Analyses were conducted to compare the annual costs of bortezomib and lenalidomide maintenance treatments for patients with MM post ASCT in Canada. The base case analysis included the acquisition costs of the drugs and administration costs. Additional analyses were conducted which considered the cost of experiencing adverse events (AEs) and the cost of treating second primary malignancies (SPMs). RESULTS In the Canadian healthcare system, the total annual per patient cost was $33,967 for bortezomib maintenance therapy versus $131,765 for lenalidomide maintenance therapy. One-way sensitivity analyses demonstrated that both AEs and SPMs had little impact on the incremental cost, and that differences between the two maintenance therapies were mainly due to the acquisition costs of the drugs. CONCLUSIONS Bortezomib is significantly less costly than lenalidomide, and is an economically reasonable maintenance treatment option for patients with MM post ASCT.
Knockdown of the mitochondria‐localized protein p13 protects against experimental parkinsonism

Mitochondrial dysfunction in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system is a critical hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD). Mitochondrial toxins produce cellular and behavioural dysfunctions resembling those in patients with PD. Causative gene products for familial PD play important roles in mitochondrial function. Therefore, targeting proteins that regulate mitochondrial integrity could provide convincing strategies for PD therapeutics. We have recently identified a novel 13‐kDa protein (p13) that may be involved in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. In the current study, we examine the mitochondrial function of p13 and its involvement in PD pathogenesis using mitochondrial toxin‐induced PD models. We show that p13 overexpression induces mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. p13 knockdown attenuates toxin‐induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in dopaminergic SH‐SY5Y cells via the regulation of complex I. Importantly, we generate p13‐deficient mice using the CRISPR/Cas9 system and observe that heterozygous p13 knockout prevents toxin‐induced motor deficits and the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Taken together, our results suggest that manipulating p13 expression may be a promising avenue for therapeutic intervention in PD.
Identification of Nedd4 E3 Ubiquitin Ligase as a Binding Partner and Regulator of MAK-V Protein Kinase

MAK-V/Hunk is a scantily characterized AMPK-like protein kinase. Recent findings identified MAK-V as a pro-survival and anti-apoptotic protein and revealed its role in embryonic development as well as in tumorigenesis and metastasis. However molecular mechanisms of MAK-V action and regulation of its activity remain largely unknown. We identified Nedd4 as an interaction partner for MAK-V protein kinase. However, this HECT-type E3 ubiquitin ligase is not involved in the control of MAK-V degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system that regulates MAK-V abundance in cells. However, Nedd4 in an ubiquitin ligase-independent manner rescued developmental defects in Xenopus embryos induced by MAK-V overexpression, suggesting physiological relevance of interaction between MAK-V and Nedd4. This identifies Nedd4 as the first known regulator of MAK-V function.