Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systemic inflammation in xenograft recipients precedes activation of coagulation

Dysregulation of coagulation is considered a major barrier against successful pig organ xenotransplantation in non‐human primates. Inflammation is known to promote activation of coagulation. The role of pro‐inflammatory factors as well as the relationship between inflammation and activation of coagulation in xenograft recipients is poorly understood.
Minimum Ratio Contours on Surface Meshes

We present a novel approach for discretely optimizing contours on the surface of a triangle mesh. This is achieved through the use of a minimum ratio cycle (MRC) algorithm, where we compute a contour having the minimal ratio between a novel contour energy term and the length of the contour. Given an initial contour, we seek to find the optimal contour within a prescribed search domain. The domain of admissible contours is modeled by a weighted acyclic edge graph, where nodes in the graph correspond to directed edges in the mesh. The acyclicity of this graph allows for an efficient computation of the MRC. To further improve the result, the algorithm may be run on a refined mesh to allow for smoother contours that can cut across mesh faces. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm in postprocessing for mesh segmentation
Subjective Response to Alcohol as a Research Domain Criterion.

BACKGROUND Individual differences in the subjective experience of the pharmacological effects of alcohol have long been implicated in the likelihood that one will drink heavily and develop alcoholism. The theme of this conceptual review and perspective article is to synthesize the literature on subjective responses to alcohol and to set an agenda for the next generation of research in the area. Specifically, we contend that in order for subjective response to alcohol to play a prominent role in alcoholism research, it is critical that it be studied as a multimodal phenotype. METHODS First, we review the human research on subjective response to alcohol measured under controlled laboratory conditions and draw recommendations for the application of these findings to understanding alcoholism neurobiology in humans. Second, we highlight multimodal approaches, including studies of the genetic and neural substrates of individual differences in subjective response to alcohol. Third, we review treatment implications with a focus on subjective response to alcohol as an intervention target. Upon review of the research on subjective response to alcohol across levels of analyses, we provide recommendations for leveraging these phenotypes in a systematic and methodologically rigorous fashion that can address central questions about alcoholism etiology, disease progression, and personalized treatment. DISCUSSION The approach recommended herein is largely consistent with the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative across the National Institute of Mental Health. The defining feature of such domains is that they inform behavior yet be amenable to examination through multiple units of analysis, such as molecular, genetic, circuit-level, and behavioral measurements. To that end, we contend that subjective response to alcohol represents a behaviorally and biologically plausible phenotype upon which to build using the RDoC framework for understanding alcohol use disorder.
Frequency of Dermatological Disorders Associated with Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt

Background and study aim: Egypt has the highest HCV prevalence in the world. Cutaneous lesions are found in some patients of HCV infection. This study was conducted to determine frequency and types of dermatological disorders present in chronic HCV infection in Sharkia governorate, Egypt. Patients and Methods: 157 Patients of chronic hepatitis C divided into 2 groups; group 1: Includes 117 patients with chronic HCV infection who didn’t receive antiviral treatment group 2: Includes 40 patients with chronic HCV infection who received antiviral treatment (peg- interferon and ribavirin). Detailed history taking, clinical and dermatological examination was carried out. Biochemical profile including complete blood count, platelet count, and cryoglobulins were done. Results: The percentage of dermatological manifestations increase with the severity of liver cirrhosis. Pruritus was the predominant dermatological manifestation in untreated and treated patients (37.9%) and (52.9%) respectively. There was significant statistical difference between positive and negative cryoglobulineamic patients in the untreated group regarding different dermatological manifestations with high percentage of pruritus, vasculitis and purpura in patients with cryoglobulin positivity (p= 0.04). Conclusion: Skin manifestations are present in 61% of chronic HCV patients and less frequent in treated group. The frequency of skin manifestations increases with the advancement of liver disease. Pruritis is the most frequent manifestation in all patients.
JAM-A-Independent, Antibody-Mediated Uptake of Reovirus into Cells Leads to Apoptosis

ABSTRACT Apoptosis plays a major role in the cytopathic effect induced by reovirus following infection of cultured cells and newborn mice. Strain-specific differences in the capacity of reovirus to induce apoptosis segregate with the S1 and M2 gene segments, which encode attachment protein σ1 and membrane penetration protein μ1, respectively. Virus strains that bind to both junctional adhesion molecule-A (JAM-A) and sialic acid are the most potent inducers of apoptosis. In addition to receptor binding, events in reovirus replication that occur during or after viral disassembly but prior to initiation of viral RNA synthesis also are required for reovirus-induced apoptosis. To determine whether reovirus infection initiated in the absence of JAM-A and sialic acid results in apoptosis, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells engineered to express Fc receptors were infected with reovirus using antibodies directed against viral outer-capsid proteins. Fc-mediated infection of CHO cells induced apoptosis in a σ1-independent manner. Apoptosis following this uptake mechanism requires acid-dependent proteolytic disassembly, since treatment of cells with the weak base ammonium chloride diminished the apoptotic response. Analysis of T1L × T3D reassortant viruses revealed that the μ1-encoding M2 gene segment is the only viral determinant of the apoptosis-inducing capacity of reovirus when infection is initiated via Fc receptors. Additionally, a temperature-sensitive, membrane penetration-defective M2 mutant, tsA279.64, is an inefficient inducer of apoptosis. These data suggest that signaling pathways activated by binding of σ1 to JAM-A and sialic acid are dispensable for reovirus-mediated apoptosis and that the μ1 protein plays an essential role in stimulating proapoptotic signaling.
Melatonin Affects Mitochondrial Fission/Fusion Dynamics in the Diabetic Retina

Mitochondrial fission and fusion are dependent on cellular nutritional states, and maintaining this dynamics is critical for the health of cells. Starvation triggers mitochondrial fusion to maintain bioenergetic efficiency, but during nutrient overloads (as with hyperglycemic conditions), fragmenting mitochondria is a way to store nutrients to avoid waste of energy. In addition to ATP production, mitochondria play an important role in buffering intracellular calcium (Ca2+). We found that in cultured 661W cells, a photoreceptor-derived cell line, hyperglycemic conditions triggered an increase of the expression of dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1), a protein marker of mitochondrial fission, and a decrease of mitofusin 2 (MFN2), a protein for mitochondrial fusion. Further, these hyperglycemic cells also had decreased mitochondrial Ca2+ but increased cytosolic Ca2+. Treating these hyperglycemic cells with melatonin, a multifaceted antioxidant, averted hyperglycemia-altered mitochondrial fission-and-fusion dynamics and mitochondrial Ca2+ levels. To mimic how people most commonly take melatonin supplements, we gave melatonin to streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced type 1 diabetic mice by daily oral gavage and determined the effects of melatonin on diabetic eyes. We found that melatonin was not able to reverse the STZ-induced systemic hyperglycemic condition, but it prevented STZ-induced damage to the neural retina and retinal microvasculature. The beneficial effects of melatonin in the neural retina in part were through alleviating STZ-caused changes in mitochondrial dynamics and Ca2+ buffering.
Sociogenetic structure of Polistes (Aphanilopterus) versicolor Olivier, 1791 colonies (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistini)

The observation of two distinct, well-defined oviposition areas in nests of the primitively eusocial wasp Polistes versicolor suggests the presence of multiple egg-layers and territorial behaviors. Electrophoretic analysis of enzyme loci in pupae from 35 colonies revealed an average observed heterozygosity of 0.10 and the existence of private polymorphisms, thereby indicating a low dispersion in this species. No evidence of diploid males was found. Phenotypic segregation analysis revealed the presence of more than one egg-laying female in 15 out of 35 colonies, as well as spatially preferential oviposition in 2 out of 13 nests, with distinct oviposition areas. Genetic relatedness estimates for brood were lower than expected for haplodiploid species under monogynous conditions (r = 0.75 for female broods and r = 0.5 for male) in 4 of those 13 nests, thereby inferring complex sociogenetic structuring in Polistes versicolor colonies.
Pengaruh kompetensi sumber daya manusia, fasilitas, dan pelatihan terhadap kualitas pelayanan prima di KSPP MUI Jatim Se-Gresik

Skripsi yang berjudul “Pengaruh Kompetensi Sumber Daya Manusia, Fasilitas, dan Pelatihan terhadap Kualitas Pelayanan Prima di KSPPS-MUI Jatim Se-Gresik” merupakan penelitian kuantitatif yang dilakukan untuk menguji apakah terdapat pengaruh secara simultan maupun parsial antara kompetensi sumber daya manusia, fasilitas, dan pelatihan terhadap kualitas pelayanan prima di KSPPS-MUI Jatim Se Gresik. Metode analisis yang digunakan adalah regresi linier berganda. Pengujian hipotesis dilakukan dengan cara statistik yaitu uji F (simultan) dan uji T (parsial). Subjek penelitian ini adalah seluruh pegawai yang bekerja di KSPPS-MUI Jatim SeGresik yang berjumlah 30 orang. Jenis penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah kuantitatif dimana teknik pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan cara menyebarkan kuisioner kepada pegawai KSPPS-MUI Jatim Se-Gresik. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa secara bersama-sama atau simultan terdapat pengaruh signifikan antara variabel kompetensi sumber daya manusia (X1), fasilitas (X2), dan pelatihan (X3) terhadap kualitas pelayanan (Y) dengan nilai f hitung > f tabel yaitu sebesar 107,353 > 2,98 dan nilai signifikansi t tabel yaitu 2,373 > 2,056 dan nilai signifikansi t tabel yaitu 2,340 > 2,056 dan nilai signifikansi t tabel yaitu 2,245 > 2,056 dan nilai signifikansi < 0,05 yaitu 0,034. Dari hasil penelitian ini diharapkan supaya bisa menjadi acuan oleh KSPPS MUI untuk lebih meningkatkan kualitas pelayanan agar dapat menjadi pelayanan yang prima.
Nearness relations in environmental space

The notion of proximity is a fundamental component of any comprehensive ontology of space. This paper presents an experiment with human subjects concerning the vague spatial relation 'near' in environmental space. After the topic is introduced and relevant previous work surveyed, the experiment is described. Three approaches to experimental analysis are presented and discussed: nearness neighbourhoods as regions with broad boundaries, fuzzy nearness and distance measures, and four-valued logic. Issues discussed in further detail are the truth gap-truth glut hypotheses regarding the psychology of vague predicates, and formal properties of the three-valued nearness relation. The conclusion is drawn that formal theories can usefully underpin and be applied to reasoning with vague spatial notions, such as nearness.
Vision change and quality of life in the elderly. Response to cataract surgery and treatment of other chronic ocular conditions.

OBJECTIVE Evaluation of health care in older populations has increasingly focused on quality of life as a critical outcome of treatment. Vision is assumed to be central to functioning. Data suggest that aging, in itself, is associated with a decline in visual functioning, which, in turn, is related to a decline in physical and mental functioning. Other studies indicate that cataract surgery is followed by significant improvement in vision and visual function. Our objective was to test these assumptions. DESIGN Prospective study of 1021 patients, consecutively drawn from 76 randomly selected ophthalmologists' offices in three cities. Structured interviews were completed at baseline, 2 months, and 1 year after entry. PATIENTS Six hundred thirteen patients with cataracts and 408 other ophthalmic patients drawn from the same offices but treated for other chronic ocular disorders. All received refractive services as needed. SETTING Patients from three cities (Baltimore, Md, St Louis, Mo, and San Diego, Calif) were interviewed once in their homes and twice by telephone. INTERVENTIONS The study involved the measurement of the effects of usual treatment for cataracts and other degenerative eye diseases. MAJOR OUTCOME MEASURES Visual, social, and psychological functioning. RESULTS Within 1 year of treatment, change in visual function was accompanied by significant changes, in the same direction, in quality of life functions: night-time driving, daytime driving, community activities, home activities, mental health, and life satisfaction. In addition, the patients with cataracts showed significantly greater improvement in measures of vision than did the noncataract group. CONCLUSIONS Regardless of treatment, improvement across quality of life functions occurred when visual function improved. Thus, many types of functional degeneration observed in older populations, attributed to a decline in vision, can be slowed, or even reversed, when visual function is improved. Cataract surgery was effective in improving vision and quality of life functions.
Incorporating fine‐scale environmental heterogeneity into broad‐extent models

A key aim of ecology is to understand the drivers of ecological patterns, so that we can accurately predict the effects of global environmental change. However, in many cases, predictors are measured at a finer resolution than the ecological response. We therefore require data aggregation methods that avoid loss of information on fine‐grain heterogeneity. We present a data aggregation method that, unlike current approaches, reduces the loss of information on fine‐grain spatial structure in environmental heterogeneity for use with coarse‐grain ecological datasets. Our method contains three steps: (a) define analysis scales (predictor grain, response grain, scale‐of‐effect); (b) use a moving window to calculate a measure of variability in environment (predictor grain) at the process‐relevant scale (scale‐of‐effect); and (c) aggregate the moving window calculations to the coarsest resolution (response grain). We show the theoretical basis for our method using simulated landscapes and the practical utility with a case study. Our method is available as the grainchanger r package. The simulations show that information about spatial structure is captured that would have been lost using a direct aggregation approach, and that our method is particularly useful in landscapes with spatial autocorrelation in the environmental predictor variable (e.g. fragmented landscapes) and when the scale‐of‐effect is small relative to the response grain. We use our data aggregation method to find the appropriate scale‐of‐effect of land cover diversity on Eurasian jay Garrulus glandarius abundance in the UK. We then model the interactive effect of land cover heterogeneity and temperature on G. glandarius abundance. Our method enables us quantify this interaction despite the different scales at which these factors influence G. glandarius abundance. Our data aggregation method allows us to integrate variables that act at varying scales into one model with limited loss of information, which has wide applicability for spatial analyses beyond the specific ecological context considered here. Key ecological applications include being able to estimate the interactive effect of drivers that vary at different scales (such as climate and land cover), and to systematically examine the scale dependence of the effects of environmental heterogeneity in combination with the effects of climate change on biodiversity.
Fast Spiral SPECT with Stationary γ-Cameras and Focusing Pinholes

Small-animal SPECT systems with stationary detectors and focusing multiple pinholes can achieve excellent resolution–sensitivity trade-offs. These systems are able to perform fast total-body scans by shifting the animal bed through the collimator using an automated xyz stage. However, so far, a large number of highly overlapping central fields of view have been used, at the cost of overhead time needed for animal repositioning and long image reconstruction times due to high numbers of projection views. Methods: To improve temporal resolution and reduce image reconstruction time for such scans, we have developed and tested spiral trajectories (STs) of the animal bed requiring fewer steps. In addition, we tested multiplane trajectories (MPTs) of the animal bed, which is the standard acquisition method of the U-SPECT-II system that is used in this study. Neither MPTs nor STs require rotation of the animal. Computer simulations and physical phantom experiments were performed for a wide range of numbers of bed positions. Furthermore, we tested STs in vivo for fast dynamic mouse scans. Results: We found that STs require less than half the number of bed positions of MPTs to achieve sufficient sampling. The reduced number of bed positions made it possible to perform a dynamic total-body bone scan and a dynamic hepatobiliary scan with time resolutions of 60 s and 15 s, respectively. Conclusion: STs open up new possibilities for high throughput and fast dynamic radio-molecular imaging.
Electron cyclotron current drive and suprathermal electron dynamics in the TCV tokamak

Electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) is an important prospective tool for tailoring the current profile in nextstep devices. To fill the remaining gaps between ECCD theory and experiment, especially in the efficiency and localization of current drive, a better understanding of the physics of suprathermal electrons appears necessary. In TCV the fast electron population is diagnosed by a multichordal, spectrometric hard x-ray camera and by a highfield side electron cyclotron emission radiometer. The main modelling tool is the quasilinear Fokker-Planck code CQL3D, which is equipped with a radial particle transport model. Systematic studies of fast electron dynamics have been performed in TCV with modulated or pulsed electron cyclotron power, followed by coherent averaging, in order to identify the roles of collisional relaxation and radial transport in the dynamics of the suprathermal population. A consistent picture is emerging from experiment and modelling, pointing to the crucial role of the radial transport of suprathermal electrons in the physics of ECCD.
KAJIAN INDEKS VARIABILITAS TINGGI GELOMBANG SIGNIFIKAN DI INDONESIA

Informasi karakteristik gelombang merupakan hal yang sangat penting dalam berbagai bidang seperti pelayaran, industri, pariwisata dan keamanan struktur lepas pantai. Penelitian mengenai karakteristik gelombang telah dilakukan oleh banyak peneliti baik dalam skala global maupun regional. Metode yang digunakan umumnya adalah perata-rataan yang menghilangkan variasi selama data tersebut diproduksi. Variasi data tersebut ada kalanya dibutuhkan untuk melihat tingkat kestabilan data selama kurun waktu tertentu. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui distribusi spasial dan temporal tinggi gelombang signifikan di wilayah Indonesia serta mengetahui tingkat kestabilannya. Pada penelitian ini dilakukan analisa kestabilan tinggi gelombang melalui perhitungan koefisien variasi, indeks variabilitas bulanan dan indeks variabilitas musiman. Data yang digunakan adalah luaran model WAVEWATCH-III pada jangka waktu tahun 1991-2015 dengan time step 3 jam. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa gelombang signifikan memiliki pola variabilitas berdasarkan siklus monsunal. Gelombang signifikan di Indonesia mencapai puncaknya bersamaan dengan aktifnya monsun Asia dan Australia di bulan DJF dan JJA. Tingkat kestabilan yang direpresentasikan oleh koefisien variasi mencapai nilai terendah juga pada musim ini. Hal ini berarti pada saat monsun aktif, gelombang signifikan cenderung stabil dibandingkan dengan musim peralihan. Distribusi spasial menunjukkan bahwa daerah laut lepas lebih tinggi gelombangnya dibanding di laut tertutup. Koefisien variasi dan indeks variabilitas musiman dan bulanan menunjukkan daerah laut lepas memiliki tingkat kestabilan yang lebih tinggi. Daerah yang paling stabil yaitu S. Hindia diikuti S. Pasifik dan Laut Cina Selatan. Sedangkan perairan yang tidak stabil meliputi Teluk Tomini, Laut Flores dan Selat Malaka.
Self rating of health is associated with stressful life events, social support and residency in East and West Berlin shortly after the fall of the wall

STUDY OBJECTIVE To compare the health status and factors influencing the health of populations that had previously lived under different political systems. DESIGN Cross sectional health and social survey using postal interviews. The relation between self reported health and psychosocial factors (stressful life events, social support, education, health promoting life style and health endangering behaviour) was investigated. To determine East-West differences a logistic regression model including interaction terms was fitted. SETTING East and West Berlin shortly after reunification 1991. PARTICIPANTS Representative sample of 4430 Berlin residents aged 18 years and over (response rate 63%). RESULTS Of all respondents, 15.4% rated their health as unsatisfactory. Residents of East Berlin rated their health more frequently as unsatisfactory than residents of West Berlin (Orage adjusted= 1.29, 95%CI 1.08, 1.52), these differences occurred predominantly in the over 60 years age group. Logistic regression showed significant independent effects of stressful life events, social support, education, and health promoting life style on self rated health. The effects of education and health promoting life style were observed to be more pronounced in the western part of Berlin. Old age and female sex showed a stronger association with unsatisfactory health status in the eastern part of Berlin. CONCLUSIONS For subjects aged over 60 years there was evidence that living in the former East Berlin had an adverse effect on health compared with West Berlin. The impact of education and a health promoting lifestyle on self rated health seemed to be weaker in a former socialist society compared with that of a Western democracy. This study supports an “additive model“ rather than a “buffering model” in explaining the effects of psychosocial factors on health.