Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optineurin: A Coordinator of Membrane-Associated Cargo Trafficking and Autophagy

Optineurin is a multifunctional adaptor protein intimately involved in various vesicular trafficking pathways. Through interactions with an array of proteins, such as myosin VI, huntingtin, Rab8, and Tank-binding kinase 1, as well as via its oligomerisation, optineurin has the ability to act as an adaptor, scaffold, or signal regulator to coordinate many cellular processes associated with the trafficking of membrane-delivered cargo. Due to its diverse interactions and its distinct functions, optineurin is an essential component in a number of homeostatic pathways, such as protein trafficking and organelle maintenance. Through the binding of polyubiquitinated cargoes via its ubiquitin-binding domain, optineurin also serves as a selective autophagic receptor for the removal of a wide range of substrates. Alternatively, it can act in an ubiquitin-independent manner to mediate the clearance of protein aggregates. Regarding its disease associations, mutations in the optineurin gene are associated with glaucoma and have more recently been found to correlate with Paget’s disease of bone and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Indeed, ALS-associated mutations in optineurin result in defects in neuronal vesicular localisation, autophagosome–lysosome fusion, and secretory pathway function. More recent molecular and functional analysis has shown that it also plays a role in mitophagy, thus linking it to a number of other neurodegenerative conditions, such as Parkinson’s. Here, we review the role of optineurin in intracellular membrane trafficking, with a focus on autophagy, and describe how upstream signalling cascades are critical to its regulation. Current data and contradicting reports would suggest that optineurin is an important and selective autophagy receptor under specific conditions, whereby interplay, synergy, and functional redundancy with other receptors occurs. We will also discuss how dysfunction in optineurin-mediated pathways may lead to perturbation of critical cellular processes, which can drive the pathologies of number of diseases. Therefore, further understanding of optineurin function, its target specificity, and its mechanism of action will be critical in fully delineating its role in human disease.
A comparative study of customer churn prediction in telecom industry using ensemble based classifiers

Churn Prediction plays a vital role in various domains like life insurance, banking and telecom industry. With the current advancement in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Churn Prediction is more realistic and accurate. It is very much essential for early stage detection of customers who are at high risk of leaving the company or services. In this paper, Ensemble based Classifiers namely Bagging, Boosting and Random Forest were utilized for Churn Prediction in telecom industry. The Ensemble based Classifiers were compared with the well-known classifiers namely Decision Tree, Naïve Bayes Classifier and Support Vector Machine (SVM). The experimental results shows that Random Forest has less error rate, low specificity, high sensitivity and greater accuracy of 91.66% as compared to other methods.
Glitch-Resistant Masking Revisited - or Why Proofs in the Robust Probing Model are Needed

Implementing the masking countermeasure in hardware is a delicate task. Various solutions have been proposed for this purpose over the last years: we focus on Threshold Implementations (TIs), Domain-Oriented Masking (DOM), the Unified Masking Approach (UMA) and Generic Low Latency Masking (GLM). The latter generally come with innovative ideas to cope with physical defaults such as glitches. Yet, and in contrast to the situation in software-oriented masking, these schemes have not been formally proven at arbitrary security orders and their composability properties were left unclear. So far, only a 2-cycle implementation of the seminal masking scheme by Ishai, Sahai and Wagner has been shown secure and composable in the robust probing model – a variation of the probing model aimed to capture physical defaults such as glitches – for any number of shares.In this paper, we argue that this lack of proofs for TIs, DOM, UMA and GLM makes the interpretation of their security guarantees difficult as the number of shares increases. For this purpose, we first put forward that the higher-order variants of all these schemes are affected by (local or composability) security flaws in the (robust) probing model, due to insufficient refreshing. We then show that composability and robustness against glitches cannot be analyzed independently. We finally detail how these abstract flaws translate into concrete (experimental) attacks, and discuss the additional constraints robust probing security implies on the need of registers. Despite not systematically leading to improved complexities at low security orders, e.g., with respect to the required number of measurements for a successful attack, we argue that these weaknesses provide a case for the need of security proofs in the robust probing model (or a similar abstraction) at higher security orders.
Calcium regulation in the freshwater-adapted mummichog

In light of recent findings of an unusual pattern of ionoregulation (high Na uptake and negligible Cl uptake) in the freshwater-adapted mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus, the pattern of Ca regulation was examined. Under control conditions (water Ca=200 μEq l), unidirectional Ca influx was 11&4 nEq g h. Acute variation of external Ca levels revealed a saturable Ca uptake system with a relatively high affinity (Km=125&36 μEq l ) and a transport capacity (Jmax=31&4 nEq g "1 h) comparable to those of other teleosts. Lanthanum (equimolar to [Ca]) significantly blocked Ca uptake by 67% whereas magnesium had no effect. Chronic low Ca exposure (50 μEq l) stimulated Ca uptake almost three-fold above control values, whereas chronic high Ca exposure (20 000 μEq l) had no effect. Lanthanum and chronic low Ca treatments disturbed the normally positive Ca and Na balances of the animals whereas acid-base balance and ammonia excretion were undisturbed. The results indicate that Ca regulation by the mummichog conforms to the model for freshwater Ca transport whereby chloride cells on the gills take up Ca actively from the water. However, the absence of extra-intestinal Cl uptake and the recent demonstration of significant Ca uptake by opercular epithelia raise questions about the relative roles of branchial and opercular epithelial chloride cells in freshwater F. heteroclitus.
Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on triglycerides and BMI levels in obese children.

The prevalence and magnitude of childhood obesity are increasing in the world. There is some studies which indicate that fatty acids can reduce body fat in childrens; however, data are relatively few and have generally been conducted over short time periods with small sample sizes, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. Therefore, in this study the effects exerted by the omega-3 fatty acids on the concentration of glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol and body mass index in obese children were evaluated using two experimental designs; In the first stage, a dietary intake of fish was administered to obese children: In the second stage, a dietary intake of gummies with omega-3 fatty acids was used on obese children. The results showed that dietary intake of gummies with omega-3 fatty acids induces greater changes in the levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol and body mass index compared with the dietary intake of fish. In conclusion, all these data suggest that dietary intakes of omega-3 fatty acids can decrease the degree of obesity in obese children.
Efficacy and Safety of Full-endoscopic Decompression via Interlaminar Approach for Central or Lateral Recess Spinal Stenosis of the Lumbar Spine: A Meta-analysis

Study Design. A meta-analysis of five retrospective cohort studies. Objective. The aim of the study was to delineate the efficacy and safety of full-endoscopic decompression via the interlaminar approach for central or lateral recess spinal stenosis of the lumbar spine using a meta-analysis. Summary of Background Data. The paradigm of spinal endoscopy is shifting from treatment of soft disc herniation to that of lumbar spinal stenosis. Technical advancements have enabled full-endoscopic decompression in spinal stenosis surgery. There is few strong evidence supporting this surgical technique, and clinicians usually rely on their own opinions and experiences. Methods. A systematic search of electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of science, and KoreaMed, up to August 2017 was performed to identify studies concerning full-endoscopic decompression via the interlaminar approach for lumbar spinal stenosis. Changes in clinical outcomes [Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Visual Analog Scales (VAS) for back and leg pain] were compared with the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for each item. We then calculated the mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) using random-effects models. Results. We included data from five studies involving 156 patients at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. The majority of enrolled papers included patients with neurogenic claudication due to central stenosis refractory to conservative management and excluded patients with significant instability or previous surgery. The overall mean difference of patients with ODI and VAS scores for leg and back pain exceeded the criteria for MCID. ODI scores improved by 41.71 (95% CI, 39.80–43.62) after the surgery, which was twice the MCID. The VAS leg and back pain scores improved by 5.95 (95% CI, 5.70–6.21) and 4.22 (95% CI, 3.88–4.56), respectively, indicating statistically significant improvement over the MCID. Conclusion. Successful clinical outcomes can be achieved with full-endoscopic decompression via the interlaminar approach for lumbar central spinal stenosis in patients for the defined indications. Level of Evidence: 2
An analysis of whether sleep disorder will result in postpartum depression

Postpartum depression has become an important topic of concern in recent years. However, very few studies on the causes of postpartum depression exist, and the effects of prenatal sleep disorders on the development of postpartum depression among pregnant women have not been elucidated. This study aimed to understand the association between prenatal sleep disorders and postpartum depression. The National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan (between 2000 and 2010) was used to assess the effects of prenatal sleep disorder on the risk of postpartum depression using Cox regression analyses. Prenatal sleep disorder in pregnant women increased the risk of developing postpartum depression (the risk in the sleep disorder cases was 5.359-fold increased compared with control cases). In addition, regardless of postpartum week (≤ 6 weeks, 6–12 weeks, or > 12weeks), the risk of developing postpartum depression in pregnant women with prenatal sleep disorders were increased, by 5.461-fold (P < 0.001), 3.490-fold (P = 0.010), and 3.416-fold (P = 0.015), respectively, compared with pregnant women without sleep disorders. Pregnant women with prenatal sleep disorders exhibited increased risks of developing postpartum depression. For pregnant women with prenatal sleep disorder, postpartum intervention measures should be provided as early as possible to reduce the risk of developing postpartum depression.
Individuals with filaggrin‐related eczema and asthma have increased long‐term medication and hospital admission costs

Eczema and asthma are chronic diseases with onset usually before the age of 5 years. More than 50% of individuals with eczema will develop asthma and/or other allergic diseases. Several loss‐of‐function mutations in filaggrin (FLG) have been identified in patients with eczema. However, the association of FLG with healthcare use is unknown.
Application of ontologies in higher education: A systematic mapping study

Universities and higher education institutes continually create knowledge. Hence it is necessary to keep a record of the academic and administrative information generated. Considering the vast amount of information managed by higher education institutions and the diversity of heterogeneous systems that can coexist within the same institution, it becomes necessary to use technologies for knowledge representation. Ontologies facilitate access to knowledge allowing the adequate exchange of information between people and between heterogeneous systems. This paper aims to identify existing research on the use and application of ontologies in higher education. From a set of 2792 papers, a study based on systematic mapping was conducted. A total of 52 research papers were reviewed and analyzed. Our results contribute key findings regarding how ontologies are used in higher education institutes, what technologies and tools are applied for the development of ontologies and what are the main vocabularies reused in the application of ontologies.
Parameters Representing Muscle Tone, Elasticity and Stiffness of Biceps Brachii in Healthy Older Males: Symmetry and Within-Session Reliability Using the MyotonPRO

Background: Clinical assessments of muscle tone are subjective, often using the non-affected side for comparison. The MyotonPRO offers portable, non-invasive, objective measurement of mechanical properties of muscles. Objective: This study aimed to investigate between-limb symmetry for mechanical properties of biceps brachii (BB) in older males and within-session intra-rater reliability of a novice user of the MyotonPRO device. Methods: Twenty community-dwelling, right-handed males aged 65-85 years (mean 71.7; SD ± 4.9) were studied. Exclusion criteria: history of neurological and musculoskeletal conditions, medications affecting muscle tone, and body mass index >30 kg/m2. The device applied 10 mechanical impulses at one second intervals, producing damped oscillations, from which frequency (non-neural tone), stiffness and logarithmic decrement (elasticity) were measured. With the participant resting supine, two consecutive sets of 10 recordings were taken bilaterally from BB. Results: Percentage mean differences between-sides for larger and smaller values were 12% (tone), 14% (stiffness) and 27% (elasticity), which were statistically significant (p<0.001). Within-session reliability was excellent for all three parameters (ICC 3,2: all 0.99). Bland and Altman plots confirmed good agreement, without bias. Conclusion: Symmetry of BB mechanical properties in a group of older males was less than 15% for tone and stiffness but not elasticity. Within-session intra-rater reliability of a novice user was excellent for all three parameters. Reliability over different days needs to be investigated. These findings indicate potential clinical application of the MyotonPRO for assessing abnormalities of muscle parameters in patients with neurological or musculoskeletal conditions, using comparison with the contralateral side (absolute difference), as well as databases of normative reference values from healthy control groups of different ages, gender and activity levels.
The Nonlinearity Coefficient - Predicting Overfitting in Deep Neural Networks

For a long time, designing neural architectures that exhibit high performance was considered a dark art that required expert hand-tuning. One of the few well-known guidelines for architecture design is the avoidance of exploding gradients, though even this guideline has remained relatively vague and circumstantial. We introduce the nonlinearity coefficient (NLC), a measurement of the complexity of the function computed by a neural network that is based on the magnitude of the gradient. Via an extensive empirical study, we show that the NLC is a powerful predictor of test error and that attaining a right-sized NLC is essential for optimal performance. The NLC exhibits a range of intriguing and important properties. It is closely tied to the amount of information gained from computing a single network gradient. It is tied to the error incurred when replacing the nonlinearity operations in the network with linear operations. It is not susceptible to the confounders of multiplicative scaling, additive bias and layer width. It is stable from layer to layer. Hence, we argue that the NLC is the first robust predictor of overfitting in deep networks.
Efficacy of synchronous telepsychology interventions for people with anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and adjustment disorder: A rapid evidence assessment.

Telepsychology holds promise as a treatment delivery method that may increase access to services as well as reduce barriers to treatment accessibility. The aim of this rapid evidence assessment was to assess the evidence for synchronous telepsychology interventions for 4 common mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and adjustment disorder). Randomized controlled trials published between 2005 and 2016 that investigated synchronous telepsychology (i.e., telephone delivered, video teleconference delivered, or Internet delivered text based) were identified through literature searches. From an initial yield of 2,266 studies, 24 were included in the review. Ten studies investigated the effectiveness of telephone-delivered interventions, 11 investigated the effectiveness of video teleconference (VTC) interventions, 2 investigated Internet-delivered text-based interventions, and 2 were reviews of multiple telepsychology modalities. There was sufficient evidence to support VTC and telephone-delivered interventions for mental health conditions. The evidence for synchronous Internet-delivered text-based interventions was ranked as "unknown. " Telephone-delivered and VTC-delivered psychological interventions provide a mode of treatment delivery that can potentially overcome barriers and increase access to psychological interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Exploring the relationship between attitude towards laptop usage and laptop utilisation

Realising the importance of ICT in the education system, the Malaysian Ministry of Education introduced the laptop initiative to integrate ICT into the students’ learning environment. The laptop provides a unique feature which allows the integration of ICT into the education at anytime and anywhere. Based on the review of literature, teachers’ attitude is seen as one of the significant indicators in influencing teacher’s laptop utilisation. The objectives of this study were to explore the teachers’ levels of laptop utilisation in terms of teaching and learning processes (TLP), lesson preparation and planning (LPP); teachers’ level of attitude towards laptop usage; and also to examine the relationship between teachers’ attitude towards laptop usage and laptop utilisation. Survey questionnaires were administered to 38 secondary school Mathematics and Science teachers. The results reported that the teachers’ laptop utilisation was at the moderate level (TLP: M = 3.13, S.D. = 5.56 and LPP: M = 3.09, S.D. = 4.68) and these teachers showed positive attitude towards the laptop (M = 3.84, S.D. = 13.04). Furthermore, the findings also revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between teachers’ attitude towards laptop usage and laptop utilisation (TLP: r = .69 and LPP: r = .44).
FEA-assisted steady-state modelling of a spoke type IPM machine with enhanced flux weakening capability

Interior permanent magnet (IPM) machines with spoke-type design are possible candidates for various applications, including vehicle traction. One of their drawback is the high demagnetizing current required in the flux weakening region to let the motor achieve high speeds. This problem can be mitigated by equipping the motor with a mechanical devices consisting of mobile rotor yokes. These move radially by centrifugal force so as to reduce the air-gap flux at high speed with no need for demagnetizing current injection. This paper addresses the problem of modeling such IPM motor to study its steady-state behavior under different operating conditions, both in the full-flux and in the flux-weakening region of the speed range. The approach uses a limited set of non-linear finite element analysis to characterize the dependency of motor flux linkages on the stator currents and rotor position. Interpolating functions are then obtained to mathematically capture this dependency and plug it into the steady-state electromechanical equations of the motor. The effectiveness and accuracy of the method are assessed through on-load measurements taken on the modelled motor both in low and high speed operation.
Emotion Ownership: Different Effects on Explicit Ratings and Implicit Responses

This study is based on the idea that emotion-related processing happens on various different levels. Common methods that are used to measure different aspects of emotion-related processing exhibit specific sensitivities to one or the other of these separate processing levels. Here, the hypothesis was tested that explicit and implicit measures of emotion-related processing are differently influenced by self-referenced versus unreferenced emotion. The explicit measure was self reported valence and the implicit measure was startle reflex modulation. In one session, emotional scenes were paired with short sentences inducing self-reference (e.g. “this dog will attack you” written underneath the image of an aggressive dog), while in another session, emotional scenes were presented without any reference. During both sessions explicit as well as implicit responses were collected. Self-referenced unpleasant images were rated more negative and self-referenced pleasant images were rated more positive than images with no reference. In contrast, the implicit measure indicated greater startle responses related to self-reference regardless of emotion category. Under the common assumption that greater startle responses reflect increased affective negativity, this means that self-referenced pleasant images elicited more negative implicit affect than unreferenced pleasant images. However, in both cases (self-referenced and unreferenced) startle responses demonstrated valence depended modulation as expected. Thus, in our study startle responses demonstrated sensitivity to affective valence as well as self-reference. It is concluded that self-reference is linked to increased motivation, which in turn has been reported to be detectable via startle reflex modulation (SRM) as well.