Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Documenting the ordinary: mobile digital photography as an agent of change in people's practices concerning storing and sharing of photography

Our research looks at sharing and storing of digital photographs from the cultural-anthropological perspective of people's everyday practices. Our case study was conducted within the Celtic-funded project EnComPas http://encompas.org/, which studied possibilities of supporting the communication needs of communities, especially families and home. In a study conducted in Arabianranta, Helsinki, we first mapped families' practices of storing and sharing traditional photographs through semi-structured interviews; then studied the changes introduced by digital technology and especially mobile phone's camera technology through trials and renewed interviews. Notable was the developed practice of documenting ordinary life, and telling stories with images, confirmed by other research. Ordinary life is documented mostly with the immediate aim of strengthening communication within a family or a group. The sheer amount of images accumulated creates demands on photo-storing and --sharing applications, which we still feel are not the focus of designers and developers: people want to tell stories with the pictures, and are not interested in complicated annotating, organizing or rating systems.
Role of Miniature Inverted-Repeat Transposable Elements in Genome Evolution of Potamopyrgus antipodarum

Transposable elements are genomic parasites that move within the genome and can cause gene and genome evolution. Transposable elements make up significant portions of many eukaryotic genomes but have been little studied in animals. This research study focuses on characterizing and identifying a type of transposable element, called miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) within the Potamopyrgus antipodarum genome. MITEs are particularly small transposable elements which can occur in thousands of copies within a genome. This research is conducted using the genome of P. antipodarum, a species of mud snail that is native to New Zealand. This genome is currently being annotated by the Neiman Lab. My research focuses primarily on identifying and characterizing the MITEs that are present within this genome. Whenever assembling a new genome, the transposable element content of that genome should be assessed, which can only be done after these elements are identified and characterized. I identified the likely superfamilies and key characteristics of these MITEs. In my research I also assessed the genomic locations of these MITEs, determining if they are inserted in exons, introns, or intergenic regions. I discuss the proportions of MITEs inserted in these genomic locations and the implications of these insertions. Finally, these genomic insertions are assessed both based on MITE families and on all MITE sequences.
Bank Size, Capital, and Systemic Risk: Some International Evidence

This paper studies the significant variation in the cross-section of standalone and systemic risk of large banks during the recent financial crisis to identify bank specific factors that determine risk. We find that systemic risk grows with bank size and is inversely related to bank capital, and this effect exists above and beyond the effect of bank size and capital on standalone bank risk. Our results contribute to the ongoing debate on the merits of imposing systemic risk-based capital requirements on banks.
The Association Between Temperament and Microbiota in Healthy Individuals: A Pilot Study

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine whether enterotypes in the gut microbiome could be determined by clustering validity indexes and whether these enterotypes were associated with individual differences in temperament traits. Methods Sixty healthy Korean participants (21 men; 27.5 [8.1] years, 39 women; 34.5 [14.3] years) were asked to answer 60 temperament questions (novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and persistence) from the Korean version of the Temperament and Character Inventory-125. The participants' stool samples were submitted, and relative operational taxonomic units were calculated using 16S rRNA gene-based microarrays. Differences between sexes and age-related effects on the temperament and operational taxonomic unit abundances were determined, and optimal clustering numbers related to enterotypes were examined using connectivity and silhouette width (SW) indexes. Finally, the differences in temperament between enterotypes were examined. Results There was no significant effect of sex or age on gut microbiota and temperament scores. The hierarchical dendrogram, connectivity, and SW analysis indicated bimodal enterotypes. Bacteroidaceae were more abundant in enterotype 1 (46.24%, N = 45), whereas Prevotellaceae were more abundant in enterotype 2 (43.83%, n = 15). Among the four temperament dimensions, novelty seeking and reward dependence scores were higher in enterotype 1 (10.82 [2.99] and 8.07 [2.51] points) than in enterotype 2 (8.87 [2.42] and 5.73 [1.03] points). Conclusions The results suggest an association between temperament and enterotypes in healthy Korean adults. It is conceivable that this association may develop early in life as a result of biological processes catalyzed by the gut microbiota during infancy.
Willingness to Pay

The development of methods to measure willingness to pay (WTP) has renewed interest in cost-benefit analysis (CBA) for the economic evaluation of health care programs. The authors studied the construct validity and test-retest reliability of WTP as a measure of health state preferences in a survey of 102 persons (mean age 62 years; 54% male) who had chronic lung disease (forced expiratory volume <70%). Interview measurements in cluded self-reported symptoms, the oxygen-cost diagram for dyspnea, Short-Form 36 for general health status, rating scale and standard gamble for value and utility of current health state relative to death and healthy lung functioning, and WTP for a hypothetical intervention offering a 99% chance of healthy lung functioning and a 1% chance of death. WTP was elicited by a simple bidding game. To test for starting-point bias, the respondents were randomly assigned to one of five starting bids. All health status and preference measurements except WTP (controlling for income) showed significant (p < 0.05) differences between disease-severity groups (mild/moderate/severe). WTP was significantly (p = 0.01) associ ated with household income, but other health status and preference measures were not. The measure most highly correlated with WTP was standard gamble (r = -0.46). There was no association between starting bid and mean WTP adjusted for income and health status. The test-retest reliability of WTP was acceptable (r = 0.66) but lower than that for the standard gamble (r = 0.82). It is concluded that: 1) large variation in WTP responses may compromise this measure's discriminant validity; 2) there is some evidence of convergent validity for WTP with preferences measured by standard gamble; 3) there was no evidence of starting point bias; 4) the test-retest reliability of WTP is comparable to those of other preference measures. Key words: willingness to pay; health state preferences; economics. (Med Decis Making 1994;14:289-297)
Inhibitory Activity of Clove and Neem Essential Oils on the Growth of Some Molds Isolated from Foods

Received: Revised: Accepted: December 19, 2013 January 23, 2014 February 12, 2013 The study was to access the antifungal activity of some clove and Neem essential oils on some mold strains isolated from foods. The essential oils were extracted from cloves, moringa and neem. The assayed mold strains were: Penicillium spp. , Rhizopus spp. , Aspergilus flavus, Aspergillus ocraceus, Aspergillus niger, Sporotricum spp. , Alterbaria spp. and Aspergillus fumigates. The results obtained showed that, Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) essential oil showed prominent antimold activity on all assayed mold strains. Moringa (Moringa oleifera) and Neem (Azadirachta indica) essential oils showed no activity against all of the assayed mold strains.
Simulation of Fungal-Mediated Cell Death by Fumonisin B1 and Selection of Fumonisin B1–Resistant (fbr) Arabidopsis Mutants

Fumonisin B1 (FB1), a programmed cell death–eliciting toxin produced by the necrotrophic fungal plant pathogen Fusarium moniliforme, was used to simulate pathogen infection in Arabidopsis. Plants infiltrated with 10 μM FB1 and seedlings transferred to agar media containing 1 μM FB1 develop lesions reminiscent of the hypersensitive response, including generation of reactive oxygen intermediates, deposition of phenolic compounds and callose, accumulation of phytoalexin, and expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. Arabidopsis FB1-resistant (fbr) mutants were selected directly by sowing seeds on agar containing 1 μM FB1, on which wild-type seedlings fail to develop. Two mutants chosen for further analyses, fbr1 and fbr2, had altered PR gene expression in response to FB1. fbr1 and fbr2 do not exhibit differential resistance to the avirulent bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv maculicola (ES4326) expressing the avirulence gene avrRpt2 but do display enhanced resistance to a virulent isogenic strain that lacks the avirulence gene. Our results demonstrate the utility of FB1 for high-throughput isolation of Arabidopsis defense-related mutants and suggest that pathogen-elicited programmed cell death of host cells may be an important feature of compatible plant–pathogen interactions.
Self-adjoint extensions and SUSY breaking in supersymmetric quantum mechanics

We consider the self-adjoint extensions (SAE) of the symmetric supercharges and Hamiltonian for a model of SUSY quantum mechanics in with a singular superpotential. We show that only for two particular SAE, whose domains are scale invariant, the algebra of N = 2 SUSY is realized, one with manifest SUSY and the other with spontaneously broken SUSY. Otherwise, only the N = 1 SUSY algebra is obtained, with spontaneously broken SUSY and non-degenerate energy spectrum.
Identification of a Natural Compound by Cell-Based Screening That Enhances Interferon Regulatory Factor-1 Activity and Causes Tumor Suppression

The transcription factor interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) is induced by many tumor-suppressive stimuli and can mediate antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects in cancer cells. Thus, identifying agents that enhance IRF-1 activity may be an effective approach to cancer therapy. A cell-based screening assay was developed to identify extracts and compounds that could enhance IRF-1 activity, using an IRF-1–dependent luciferase reporter cell line. Through this approach, we identified a natural product extract and a known active component of this extract, baicalein, which causes a marked increase in IRF-1–dependent reporter gene expression and IRF-1 protein, with modulation of known IRF-1 targets PUMA and cyclin D1. Baicalein causes suppression of growth in vitro in multiple cancer cell lines in the low micromolar range. IRF-1 plays a role in this growth suppression as shown by significant resistance to growth suppression in a breast cancer cell line stably transfected with short hairpin RNA against IRF-1. Finally, intraperitoneal administration of baicalein by repeated injection causes inhibition of growth in both xenogeneic and syngeneic mouse models of cancer without toxicity to the animals. These findings indicate that identifying enhancers of IRF-1 activity may have utility in anticancer therapies and that cell-based screening for activation of transcription factors can be a useful approach for drug discovery. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(10); 1774–83. ©2011 AACR.
Systematic Review: Enhancing the Use and Quality of Colorectal Cancer Screening

BACKGROUND National guideline groups recommend screening and discussion of screening options for persons at average risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). However, emerging evidence suggests that CRC screening is simultaneously underused, overused, and misused and that adequate patient-provider discussions about screening are infrequent. PURPOSE To summarize evidence on factors that influence CRC screening and strategies that increase the appropriate use and quality of CRC screening and CRC screening discussions. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for English-language publications describing studies conducted in the United States from January 1998 through September 2009. STUDY SELECTION Two reviewers independently selected studies that addressed the study questions and met eligibility criteria. DATA EXTRACTION Information on study design, setting, intervention, outcomes, and quality were extracted by one reviewer and double-checked by another. Reviewers assigned a strength-of-evidence grade for intervention categories by using criteria plus a consensus process. DATA SYNTHESIS Reviewers found evidence of simultaneous underuse, overuse, and misuse of CRC screening as well as inadequate clinical discussions about CRC screening. Several patient-level factors were independently associated with lower screening rates, including having low income or less education, being uninsured, being Hispanic or Asian, being less acculturated into the United States, or having limited access to care. Evidence that interventions that included patient reminders or one-on-one interactions (that is, between patients and nonphysician clinic staff), eliminated structural barriers (for example, simplifying access to fecal occult blood test cards), or made system-level changes (for example, using systematic screening as opposed to opportunistic screening) were effective in enhancing use of CRC screening was strong. Evidence on how best to enhance discussions about CRC screening options is limited. No studies focused on reducing overuse, and very few focused on misuse. LIMITATIONS Reporting and publication bias may have affected our findings. The independent effect of individual elements of multicomponent interventions was often uncertain. CONCLUSION Although CRC screening is underused overall, important problems of overuse and misuse also exist. System- and policy-level interventions that target vulnerable populations are needed to reduce underuse. Interventions aimed at reducing barriers by making the screening process easier are likely to be effective. Studies aimed at reducing overuse and misuse and at enhancing the quality and frequency of discussions about CRC screening options are needed. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Allicin Purified From Fresh Garlic Cloves Induces Apoptosis in Colon Cancer Cells Via Nrf2

Allicin (diallyl thiosulfinate) is the best-known biologically active component in freshly crushed garlic extract. We developed a novel, simple method to isolate active allicin, which yielded a stable compound in aqueous solution amenable for use in in vitro and in vivo studies. We focused on the in vitro effects of allicin on cell proliferation of colon cancer cell lines HCT-116, LS174T, HT-29, and Caco-2 and assessed the underlying mechanisms. This allicin preparation exerted a time- and dose-dependent cytostatic effect on these cells at concentrations ranging from 6.2 to 310 μM. Treatment with allicin resulted in HCT-116 apoptotic cell death as demonstrated by enhanced hypodiploid DNA content, decreased levels of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), increased levels of bax and increased capability of releasing cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytosol. Allicin also induced translocation of NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) to the nuclei of HCT-116 cells. Luciferase reporter gene assay showed that allicin induces Nrf2-mediated luciferase transactivation activity. SiRNA knock down of Nrf2 significantly affected the capacity of allicin to inhibit HCT-116 proliferation. These results suggest that Nrf2 mediates the allicin-induced apoptotic death of colon cancer cells.
Enzymatic Analysis of Recombinant Japanese Encephalitis Virus NS2B(H)-NS3pro Protease with Fluorogenic Model Peptide Substrates

Background Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, causes around 68,000 encephalitis cases annually, of which 20–30% are fatal, while 30–50% of the recovered cases develop severe neurological sequelae. Specific antivirals for JEV would be of great importance, particularly in those cases where the infection has become persistent. Being indispensable for flaviviral replication, the NS2B-NS3 protease is a promising target for design of anti-flaviviral inhibitors. Contrary to related flaviviral proteases, the JEV NS2B-NS3 protease is structurally and mechanistically much less characterized. Here we aimed at establishing a straightforward procedure for cloning, expression, purification and biochemical characterization of JEV NS2B(H)-NS3pro protease. Methodology/Principal Findings The full-length sequence of JEV NS2B-NS3 genotype III strain JaOArS 982 was obtained as a synthetic gene. The sequence of NS2B(H)-NS3pro was generated by splicing by overlap extension PCR (SOE-PCR) and cloned into the pTrcHisA vector. Hexahistidine-tagged NS2B(H)-NS3pro, expressed in E. coli as soluble protein, was purified to >95% purity by a single-step immobilized metal affinity chromatography. SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting of the purified enzyme demonstrated NS2B(H)-NS3pro precursor and its autocleavage products, NS3pro and NS2B(H), as 36, 21, and 10 kDa bands, respectively. Kinetic parameters, K m and k cat, for fluorogenic protease model substrates, Boc-GRR-amc, Boc-LRR-amc, Ac-nKRR-amc, Bz-nKRR-amc, Pyr-RTKR-amc and Abz-(R)4SAG-nY-amide, were obtained using inner filter effect correction. The highest catalytic efficiency k cat /K m was found for Pyr-RTKR-amc (k cat/K m: 1962.96±85.0 M−1 s−1) and the lowest for Boc-LRR-amc (k cat/K m: 3.74±0.3 M−1 s−1). JEV NS3pro is inhibited by aprotinin but to a lesser extent than DEN and WNV NS3pro. Conclusions/Significance A simplified procedure for the cloning, overexpression and purification of the NS2B(H)-NS3pro was established which is generally applicable to other flaviviral proteases. Kinetic parameters obtained for a number of model substrates and inhibitors, are useful for the characterization of substrate specificity and eventually for the design of high-throughput assays aimed at antiviral inhibitor discovery.
Clinical and social correlates of duration of untreated psychosis among adult‐onset psychosis in Hong Kong Chinese: the JCEP study

Understanding factors that contribute to treatment delay would inform early detection and intervention strategies in psychotic disorders. However, existing data were mixed and primarily conducted among early‐onset young patients. We examined duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and its clinical and sociodemographic correlates in a large cohort of adult‐onset patients with psychosis.
Evaluation of Quality of Life in Patients with and without Heart Failure in Primary Care

Background Heart failure (HF) is a major public health issue with implications on health-related quality of life (HRQL). Objective To compare HRQL, estimated by the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), in patients with and without HF in the community. Methods Cross-sectional study including 633 consecutive individuals aged 45 years or older, registered in primary care. The subjects were selected from a random sample representative of the population studied. They were divided into two groups: group I, HF patients (n = 59); and group II, patients without HF (n = 574). The HF group was divided into HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF - n = 35) and HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF - n = 24). Results Patients without HF had a mean SF-36 score significantly greater than those with HF (499.8 ± 139.1 vs 445.4 ± 123.8; p = 0.008). Functional capacity - ability and difficulty to perform common activities of everyday life - was significantly worse (p < 0.0001) in patients with HF independently of sex and age. There was no difference between HFpEF and HFrEF. Conclusion Patients with HF had low quality of life regardless of the syndrome presentation (HFpEF or HFrEF phenotype). Quality of life evaluation in primary care could help identify patients who would benefit from a proactive care program with more emphasis on multidisciplinary and social support.
Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F as Maintenance Treatment for Crohn's Disease

Background:The traditional Chinese medicine, Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) is widely used to treat Crohn's disease (CD) in China. Methods:The authors compared different doses of TwHF with mesalazine in 198 patients with CD over a 52-week period. Subjects were randomized to receive mesalazine (3 g/d), low-dose TwHF (1.5 mg·kg−1·d−1), or high-dose TwHF (2.0 mg·kg−1·d−1). Results:A total of 137 patients completed the study. At week 52, a significant lower proportion of patients in the high-dose TwHF group (7/71) had clinical recurrence compared with patients in the low-dose TwHF (15/68, P = 0.047) or mesalazine group (17/59, P = 0.006), whereas the difference between the low-dose TwHF group and the mesalazine group was not significant (P = 0.503). Patients receiving mesalazine experienced less adverse events than those receiving high-dose TwHF (P = 0.029) and those receiving low-dose TwHF (P = 0.048), but no significant difference was found about drug adverse events resulted withdrawal in the 3 groups (P > 0.05). In addition, compared with low-dose TwHF and mesalazine, the authors also detected significant superiority of high-dose TwHF arm in the decrease of CDAI and SESCD (P < 0.05). Conclusion:A 2.0 mg/kg daily TwHF was well tolerated and prolonged remission in patients with CD.
Effects of eating frequency, snacking, and breakfast skipping on energy regulation: symposium overview.

The ASN hosted a symposium entitled "Eating Patterns and Energy Balance: A Look at Eating Frequency, Snacking, and Breakfast Omission" at the Experimental Biology 2009 annual meeting on April 19, 2009, in New Orleans, LA. The symposium was chaired by Megan McCrory and co-chaired by Wayne Campbell, both from Purdue University. The goal of the symposium was to bring together experts to provide an overview of research on the potential role of eating patterns in the development of overweight and obesity. Studies on eating frequency, snacking, and breakfast skipping were highlighted. In particular, evidence both for and against their roles were discussed, methodological issues that underlie controversies were addressed, and suggested future directions for research were outlined. Appetite regulation and hormonal effects were also reviewed. Megan McCrory introduced the session then discussed studies on eating frequency and energy regulation in free-living adults consuming self-selected diets. Heather Leidy summarized the state of the research on eating frequency and energy regulation in adults from controlled feedings studies. Didier Chapelot discussed various usages of "snack" and argued for a physiological basis to distinguish snacks from meals. Mark Pereira presented information on the effects of breakfast skipping and the macronutrient composition of breakfast in energy regulation and mood. A panel discussion/question and answer session ended the symposium. The symposium was videotaped and can be viewed at www.nutrition. org.