Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining relationships among perceived benefit, tourist experience and satisfaction: the context of intelligent sharing bicycle

ABSTRACT Intelligent sharing bicycle has been a new fashion in China and appeals to more and more tourists. To better understand the experience of tourists traveling on sharing bicycle, this study explored the influence of perceived benefit of sharing bicycle on different perceived experiences, including escape, entertainment, esthetic and educational experiences. The relationships between these experiences and perceived satisfaction were also tested. An effective questionnaire survey was conducted for 296 tourists in Chengdu, China. The results of the study show that perceived benefit significantly relates to all the four dimensions of experience. However, only entertainment and esthetic experience seem to affect tourist satisfaction in this context. The relationship among educational experience, escape experience and tourist satisfaction are insignificant. Theoretical and practical implications of the study results are discussed for further research.
Incidence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea following pharyngeal flap surgery in patients with cleft palate.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the incidence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) associated with pharyngeal flap surgery in patients with cleft palate at least 6 months postoperatively and to determine whether age or the flap width had an effect on them. The hypothesis tested in this study was that the severity of OSA associated with pharyngeal flap surgery is greater in children than in adults. SUBJECTS Ten adults, six men and four women, with a mean age of 28.0 years at pharyngeal flap (adult group). Twenty-eight children, 13 boys and 15 girls, with a mean age of 6.3 years at pharyngeal flap (child group). DESIGN A prospective analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES An overnight polysomnographic study was used to determine the incidence and severity of OSA 6 months after pharyngeal flap. RESULTS The incidence of OSA following pharyngeal flap was high but not significantly different between these two groups (90% in adults and 93% in children, p = 1.000). When OSA was stratified into different levels of severity according to the values of respiratory disturbance index, there were noticeable differences between these two groups (p =.022). In the adult group, eight patients (89%) had mild OSA and 1 patient (11%) had moderate to severe OSA. In the child group, 11 patients (42%) were found to have mild OSA, and 15 patients (58%) had moderate to severe OSA. No relation was found between the flap width and the incidence (p =.435 in adults and.640 in children) or the severity (p =.325 in adults and.310 in children) of OSA in each group. CONCLUSIONS Six months following pharyngeal flap surgery, more than 90% of the patients with cleft palate still had OSA. The severity of OSA associated with pharyngeal flap surgery tended to be greater in children than in adults. The flap width was unrelated to the incidence and severity of OSA, no matter in adults or in children.
Compostibacter hankyongensis gen. nov.,  sp. nov., isolated from compost.

A novel bacterial strain, designated strain BS27T, was isolated from mushroom compost and subjected to a taxonomic study using a polyphasic approach. Colonies of BS27T were milky-white, circular with regular fringes and opaque. Cells were short rods, 0.3-0.5 µm wide and 1.2-2.0 µm long. Phylogenetic study based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence placed BS27T in a distinct lineage in the family Chitinophagaceae, sharing 90.1-90.9 % sequence similarity with members of the closely related genera Chitinophaga, Flavitalea, Flavihumibacter, Lacibacter and Flavisolibacter. The novel isolate showed the highest sequence similarities with the members of the genus Chitinophaga. BS27T contained MK-7 as predominant quinone, and iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c (summed feature 3) and iso-C17 : 1I and/or anteiso-C17 : 1B (summed feature 4) as major fatty acids. The DNA G+C content was 53.0 mol%. The major polar lipids of BS27T were phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and five unidentified polar lipids (L1, L2, L5, L6 and L7). The results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed phenotypic differentiation of BS27T from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. On the basis of the evidence of this polyphasic study, isolate BS27T represents a novel genus and species in the family Chitinophagaceae for which the name Compostibacter hankyongensisgen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BS27T (=KACC 18745T=JCM 17664T).
Chronic Treatment with Fluvastatin Improves Smooth Muscle Dilatory Function in Genetically Determined Hyperlipoproteinemia

We hypothesized that the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor fluvastatin, does not only improve endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation, but that it also increases vascular smooth muscle reactivity in hyperlipoproteinemia. New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits aged 37 weeks (control), Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic rabbits (WHHL) aged 37 weeks, and WHHL aged 35 weeks with fluvastatin treatment of 17 weeks (10 mg/kg/d) were examined. Aortas were isolated for isometric tension recording. Both endothelium-dependent and independent relaxation were impaired in WHHL. Fluvastatin significantly restored impaired endothelium-independent relaxation (WHHL: 57 ± 12 versus WHHL+ fluvastatin: 150 ± 22%; P < 0.05) and in tendency endothelium-dependent relaxation (WHHL: 26 ± 5 versus WHHL+ fluvastatin: 83 ± 29%; (P = 0.07)). In parallel, fluvastatin restored nitrite plasma level in hyperlipoproteinemic animals (WHHL: 480 (13–3821) versus WHHL+ fluvastatin: 808 (467–1595) nmol; P < 0.05). Thus, chronic treatment with fluvastatin not only improves endothelial but also vascular smooth muscle function in hyperlipoproteinemia, which may contribute to the beneficial clinical effects of statins.
The effects of growth hormone deficiency and replacement on glucocorticoid exposure in hypopituitary patients on cortisone acetate and hydrocortisone replacement

objective 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11βHSD1) converts inactive cortisone to active cortisol. 11βHSD1 activity is increased in GH deficiency and inhibited by GH and IGF‐I in acromegaly. However it is not known whether these changes in cortisol metabolism exert significant effects during hydrocortisone therapy, and the effect has not been studied in patients taking cortisone acetate. We have studied the effect of GH induced 11βHSD1 inhibition in hypopituitary adults with severe GH deficiency to determine whether this inhibition has a different magnitude of effect when patients are taking different forms of glucocorticoid replacement therapy.
Latent Gene Sequencing Reveals Familial Relationships among Chinese Epstein-Barr Virus Strains and Evidence for Positive Selection of A11 Epitope Changes

ABSTRACT Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) strains from the highly HLA-A11-positive Chinese population are predominantly type 1 and show a variety of sequence changes (relative to the contemporary Caucasian prototype strain B95.8) in the nuclear antigen EBNA3B sequences encoding two immunodominant HLA-A11 epitopes, here called IVT and AVF. This has been interpreted by some as evidence of immune selection and by others as random genetic drift. To study epitope variation in a broader genomic context, we sequenced the whole of EBNA3B and parts of the EBNA2, 3A, and 3C genes from each of 31 Chinese EBV isolates. At each locus, type 1 viruses showed <2% nucleotide divergence from the B95.8 prototype while type 2 sequences remained even closer to the contemporary African prototype Ag876. However, type 1 isolates could clearly be divided into families based on linked patterns of sequence divergence from B95.8 across all four EBNA loci. Different patterns of IVT and AVF variation were associated with the different type 1 families, and there was additional epitope diversity within families. When the EBNA3 gene sequences of type 1 Chinese strains were subject to computer-based analysis, particular codons within the A11-epitope-coding region were among the few identified as being under positive or diversifying selection pressure. From these results, and the observation that mutant epitopes are consistently nonimmunogenic in vivo, we conclude that the immune selection hypothesis remains viable and worthy of further investigation.
Do GANs actually learn the distribution? An empirical study

Do GANS (Generative Adversarial Nets) actually learn the target distribution? The foundational paper of (Goodfellow et al 2014) suggested they do, if they were given sufficiently large deep nets, sample size, and computation time. A recent theoretical analysis in Arora et al (to appear at ICML 2017) raised doubts whether the same holds when discriminator has finite size. It showed that the training objective can approach its optimum value even if the generated distribution has very low support ---in other words, the training objective is unable to prevent mode collapse. The current note reports experiments suggesting that such problems are not merely theoretical. It presents empirical evidence that well-known GANs approaches do learn distributions of fairly low support, and thus presumably are not learning the target distribution. The main technical contribution is a new proposed test, based upon the famous birthday paradox, for estimating the support size of the generated distribution.
Enteric Lesions and Diarrhea in Gnotobiotic Calves Monoinfected with Cryptosporidium Species

Abstract The pathogenicity of Cryptosporidium species was studied by inoculation of two gnotobiotic calves with cryptosporidial oocysts that had been decontaminated by treatment with peracetic acid. Two control calves were inoculated with similar material from which the oocysts had been removed by filtration. Oocyst-inoculated animals shed Cryptosporidium in their feces and developed depression, weakness, anorexia, and diarrhea. At necropsy five days after inoculation, endogeneous stages of Cryptosporidium were found in association with epithelial cells throughout the small and large intestines of these animals. The parasites were most numerous in the lower small intestine. Atrophic villi, disordered and degenerate villous epithelium, and hyperplastic crypt epithelium were associated with infection in the small intestine. Control animals remained normal. Extraneous agents were not detected in any of the calves. The results indicate that Cryptosporidium can destroy intestinal epithelial cells and cause diarrhea in monoinfected gnotobiotic calves.
Oligomeric TTR V30M aggregates compromise cell viability, erythropoietin gene expression and promoter activity in the human hepatoma cell line Hep3B

Abstract Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, ATTRV30M (p. TTRV50M) amyloidosis, is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by systemic extracellular amyloid deposition of a mutant transthyretin, TTR V30M. Anemia, with low erythropoietin (EPO) levels and spared kidney function, affects about 25% of symptomatic patients, suggesting a blockage of EPO-producing cells. Early non-fibrillar TTR aggregates are highly cytotoxic, inducing oxidative stress, the expression of apoptosis-related molecules and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, factors capable of inhibiting EPO production. Low EPO levels in these patients are not related to renal amyloid deposition or the presence of circulating TTR V30M. However, the role of early non-fibrillar TTR aggregates remains unexplored. We used the EPO producing Hep3B human hepatoma cell line to study the effect of TTR oligomeric aggregates on EPO expression. Hep3B cells were incubated with soluble and oligomeric TTR V30M, and cell proliferation as well as caspase 3/7 activation was evaluated. Relative quantification of EPO mRNA transcripts was performed by real-time PCR. Significant reductions in cell viability (13 ± 7.3%) and activation of caspases 3/7 were seen after 24 h in the presence of oligomeric TTR V30M. Also, EPO expression was significantly reduced (50 ± 2.8%), in normoxic conditions. A reporter assay was constructed with a PCR fragment of the EPO promoter linked to the luciferase gene to evaluate the role of transcription factors targeting the promoter. A significant reduction of EPO promoter activity (53 ± 6.5%) was observed in transfected cells exposed to TTR oligomers. Our results show that oligomeric TTR V30M reduces EPO expression, at least in part through inhibition of promoter activity.
Informality and corruption

The paper considers several determinants of the size of the informal sector and explores the implications of corruption. It focuses attention on an issue that has not received much attention before, namely, the link between informality and corruption. We show that corruption affects both the size and composition of the informal sector in a significant manner. While small firms locate in the informal sector to avoid the fixed costs associated with the formal sector, we find that even larger firms might prefer informality because of their superior access to corruption. The paper shows that there is a U shaped relationship between a firm’s share of its sales in the informal sector and the scale of its operations. We also show that imperfections in the credit market and wealth inequality are likely to be associated with a larger informal sector. We use a large cross-country firm level survey data to provide supporting evidence. The results of our exercise have considerable policy implications that extend beyond the micro level framework of this study to the wider macro economy.
Ibrutinib targets mutant-EGFR kinase with a distinct binding conformation

Ibrutinib, a clinically approved irreversible BTK kinase inhibitor for Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) etc, has been reported to be potent against EGFR mutant kinase and currently being evaluated in clinic for Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Through EGFR wt/mutant engineered isogenic BaF3 cell lines we confirmed the irreversible binding mode of Ibrutinib with EGFR wt/mutant kinase via Cys797. However, comparing to typical irreversible EGFR inhibitor, such as WZ4002, the washing-out experiments revealed a much less efficient covalent binding for Ibrutinib. The biochemical binding affinity examination in the EGFR L858R/T790M kinase revealed that, comparing to more efficient irreversible inhibitor WZ4002 (Kd: 0.074 μM), Ibrutinib exhibited less efficient binding (Kd: 0.18 μM). An X-ray crystal structure of EGFR (T790M) in complex with Ibrutinib exhibited a unique DFG-in/c-Helix-out inactive binding conformation, which partially explained the less efficiency of covalent binding and provided insight for further development of highly efficient irreversible binding inhibitor for the EGFR mutant kinase. These results also imply that, unlike the canonical irreversible inhibitor, sustained effective concentration might be required for Ibrutinib in order to achieve the maximal efficacy in the clinic application against EGFR driven NSCLC.
Foot pad dermatitis in growing turkeys is associated with cytokine and cellular changes indicative of an inflammatory immune response

Cell and cytokine responses during the development of foot pad dermatitis (FPD) in growing turkeys were studied in a model system. The objective was to evaluate the hypothesis that FPD is an allergic response to the environmental materials. Hybrid female turkeys at 28 days of age were exposed to wet litter for 48 h in a randomized block experiment. Expression levels of pro-inflammatory (interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and CXCLi2) and signature Th1 (interferon-γ), Th2 (IL-13) and Treg (IL-10) cytokines were measured in the foot pad tissues using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Sections of foot pad tissue were stained for CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and macrophages using antibodies that specifically recognize the relevant cell types in the turkey. In the footpads of birds suffering from FPD, there were large fold increases in mRNA expression levels for the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β (+635), IL-6 (+65), and CXCLi2 (+1924), and interferon-γ (+32), whereas there was only a small increase in IL-13 mRNA (+2) and no change in IL-10 mRNA expression levels. CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were present in the footpads of more than 90% of birds housed on wet litter compared with 25% or less on dry litter. Macrophages were observed in the footpads of approximately 85% of birds housed on wet litter compared with none in birds housed on dry litter. B lymphocytes were not detected in tissue from any of the birds. The data suggest that FPD is associated with a rapidly occurring inflammatory response, rather than a Th2-mediated allergic reaction.
Male Rape and Human Rights

Introduction For the last few decades, the prevailing approach to sexual violence in international human rights instruments has focused virtually exclusively on the abuse of women and girls. In the meantime, sexual violence against males continues to flourish in prison and other forms of detention. Men have been abused and sexually humiliated during situations of armed conflict, such as the highly publicized Abu Ghraib scandal in Iraq. Childhood sexual abuse of boys is alarmingly common; in fact, the vast majority of those abused at the hands of Roman Catholic clergy in the United States were boys. And sexual assault against gay men remains unchecked due to assumptions that, as was once commonly assumed about women, gay men who have been raped must have “asked for it. ” In Part I of this Article, I discuss the phenomenon of male rape, summarizing research data about the problem and exploring various contexts in which it occurs. In Part II, I show that numerous instruments in the human rights canon, including U.N. treaties, resolutions, consensus documents, and general comments address sexual violence while
Localization of atherosclerosis susceptibility loci to chromosomes 4 and 6 using the Ldlr knockout mouse model

Atherosclerosis is a complex disease resulting from the interaction of multiple genes. We have used the Ldlr knockout mouse model in an interspecific genetic cross to map atherosclerosis susceptibility loci. A total of 174 (MOLF/Ei × B6.129S7-Ldlrtm1Her) × C57BL/6J-Ldlrtm1Her backcross mice, homozygous for the Ldlr null allele, were fed a Western-type diet for 3 months and then killed for quantification of aortic lesions. A genome scan was carried out by using DNA pools and microsatellite markers spaced at ≈18-centimorgan intervals. Quantitative trait locus analysis of individual backcross mice confirmed linkages to chromosomes 4 (Athsq1, logarithm of odds = 6.2) and 6 (Athsq2, logarithm of odds = 6.7). Athsq1 affected lesions in females only whereas Athsq2 affected both sexes. Among females, the loci accounted for ≈50% of the total variance of lesion area. The susceptible allele at Athsq1 was derived from the MOLF/Ei genome whereas the susceptible allele at Athsq2 was derived from C57BL/6J. Inheritance of susceptible alleles at both loci conferred a 2-fold difference in lesion area, suggesting an additive effect of Athsq1 and Athsq2. No associations were observed between the quantitative trait loci and levels of plasma total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol, insulin, or body weight. We provide strong evidence for complex inheritance of atherosclerosis in mice with elevated plasma low density lipoprotein cholesterol and show a major influence of nonlipoprotein-related factors on disease susceptibility. Athsq1 and Athsq2 represent candidate susceptibility loci for human atherosclerosis, most likely residing on chromosomes 1p36–32 and 12p13–12, respectively.
Role of MicroRNA-143 in Nerve Injury-Induced Upregulation of Dnmt3a Expression in Primary Sensory Neurons

Peripheral nerve injury increased the expression of the DNA methyltransferase 3A (Dnmt3a) mRNA and its encoding Dnmt3a protein in injured dorsal root ganglia (DRG). This increase is considered as an endogenous instigator in neuropathic pain genesis through epigenetic silencing of pain-associated genes (such as Oprm1) in injured DRG. However, how DRG DNMT3a is increased following peripheral nerve injury is still elusive. We reported here that peripheral nerve injury caused by the fifth spinal nerve ligation (SNL) downregulated microRNA (miR)-143 expression in injured DRG. This downregulation was required for SNL-induced DRG Dnmt3a increase as rescuing miR-143 downregulation through microinjection of miR-143 mimics into injured DRG blocked the SNL-induced increase in Dnmt3a and restored the SNL-induced decreases in Oprm1 mRNA and its encoding mu opioid receptor (MOR) in injured DRG, impaired spinal cord central sensitization and neuropathic pain, and improved morphine analgesic effects following SNL. Mimicking SNL-induced DRG miR-143 downregulation through DRG microinjection of miR143 inhibitors in naive rats increased the expression of Dnmt3a and reduced the expression of Oprm1 mRNA and MOR in injected DRG and produced neuropathic pain-like symptoms. These findings suggest that miR-143 is a negative regulator in Dnmt3a expression in the DRG under neuropathic pain conditions and may be a potential target for therapeutic management of neuropathic pain.
Home Production, Labor Wedges, and International Real Business Cycles

This paper explores implications of non-separable preferences with home production for international business cycles. Home production induces substitution effects that break the link between market consumption and its marginal utility and help explain several stylized facts of the open economy. In an estimated two-country model with complete asset markets in which home production generates a labor wedge that mimics its empirical counterpart, output is more correlated than consumption across countries, labor inputs and labor wedges are positively correlated across countries, and relative market consumption is negatively related to the real exchange rate. International time use surveys corroborate predictions of the model, showing a significant relationship between time spent on home production, labor wedges, and real exchange rates, both at business cycle frequencies and in the cross section of countries. By contrast, non-separabilities based on leisure do not help explain variations in labor wedges or real exchange rates.
High resolution mapping of engineering subjects from multiple perspectives

Curriculum design has traditionally been done within single institutions and at the course level, in terms of deciding what to cover and the order of coverage. Increasing student mobility between institutions creates a challenge in determining what background knowledge they bring to a course and in personalising recommendations about how they can efficiently acquire sufficient background knowledge to allow them to best learn from a course. At the same time, the increasing availability of online Open Educational Resources (e.g. from MOOCs) creates an opportunity for drawing together resources from diverse world-class sources to help students learn. These changes require more detailed mapping of curricula, both in terms of smaller units of knowledge (e.g. topics that might be covered in minutes rather than courses that might take weeks) and in terms of considering the diverse perspectives that education resources drawn from various institutions may offer for a subject. In this paper we describe our methodology and experiences in high resolution mapping of subjects in the field of electrical engineering (in particular, telecommunications engineering) that has allowed us to personalise student learning experiences through the use of online resources from varied sources.