Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of Complement and Inflammatory Biomarkers with Diabetic Nephropathy.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between complement and inflammatory biomarkers with diabetic nephropathy (DN) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS Plasma and urinary complement and inflammatory biomarkers were measured in 115 T2DM patients assigned to one of two groups: with DN (n=48) and without DN (n=67). RESULTS The plasma and urinary levels of C3a, C4d, C5a, sC5b-9 and MBL (mannan-binding lectin) were significantly higher in T2DM patients with DN compared to T2DM patients without DN. The plasma levels of IL-10 and INF-γ, as well as the urinary levels of INF-γ and TNF-α in T2DM patients with DN, were significantly higher than T2DM patients without DN. Both urinary MBL and INF-γ were independent risk factors for DN within T2DM patients (OR, 2.35 (95% CI 2.28-2.64) and 1.17 (95% CI 1.15-1.18); P=0.000 and 0.016, respectively). The area under the receiver-operating-characteristic-curve for urinary MBL was 0.89, with sensitivity 91% and specificity 83% for DN. The area under the receiver-operating-characteristic-curve for INF-γ was 0.84, with sensitivity 86% and specificity 79% based on cutoff values of 1.42 ng/mg and 5.15 pg/mg, respectively. CONCLUSION This study suggests that urinary INF-γ and MBL levels are independent risk factors with a high predictive power for DN in T2DM patients.
A Critical Review of Exercise Training in Hemodialysis Patients: Personalized Activity Prescriptions are Needed.

Exercise training appears to have modest or inconsistent benefits in hemodialysis patients. This may be due to the low volume and intensity of exercise often prescribed. To address this, research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of individualized exercise prescriptions as a component of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention strategy that gives patients more autonomy to choose preferred types of physical activity.
Investor behavior based on personality and company life cycle

Abstract This study aims to ensure that the behavior of individual stock investors has the best pattern in accordance with the existing personality, and see the business cycle starting from introduction, growth, maturity, decline in LQ-45 from the proxy of operational cash flows, investment cash flows, and funding cash flows. This study uses the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to see what behavior tends to be used in carrying out shareholding transactions. The results of this study create a behavior model of individual stock investors. Individual stock investors in Indonesia tend to have precision personality types in making stock transaction decisions. This type is a dominant combination, stability, and compliance. The model of individual stock investor behavior starts from making a price target; has a relationship between investors to exchange information related to shares monitored; valuation of shares to be transacted. In addition, the behavior of individual stock investors tends to have accounting information and corporate environmental concerns. Behavioral model Individual stock investors who already have two years or more experience in stock transactions, will have a unique pattern of technical analysis and their own fundamental analysis.
Transient cotransformation of CRISPR/Cas9 and oligonucleotide templates enables efficient editing of target loci in Physcomitrella patens

The moss Physcomitrella patens is a valuable system to address evolutionary changes of plants (Prigge and Bezanilla, 2010). Till date, functional studies in P. patens have been mainly carried out by gene knockout owing to its high rate of homologous recombination (HR) (Schaefer and Zrÿd, 1997). However, replacement of redundant genes sequentially by HR is laborious and time-consuming. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A fast implicit X-ray diffusive-dark-field retrieval method using a single mask and exposure

Complementary to conventional and phase X-ray radiography, dark-ﬁeld imaging has become central in visualizing diffusive scattering signal due to the spatially-unresolved texture within an object. To date most diffusive-dark-ﬁeld retrieval methods require either the acquisition of multiple images at the cost of higher radiation dose or signiﬁcant amounts of computational memory and time. In this work, a simple method of X-ray diffusive dark-ﬁeld retrieval is presented, applicable to any single-mask imaging setup, with only one exposure of the sample. The approach, which is based on a model of geometric and diffusive reverse-ﬂow conservation, is implicit and non-iterative. This numerically fast methodology is applied to experimental X-ray images acquired using both a random mask and a grid mask, giving high quality reconstructions that are very stable in the presence of noise. The method should be useful for high-speed imaging and/or imaging with low-ﬂux sources.
Confirmatory factor analysis of the Inventory of Statements About Self-injury in a Spanish clinical sample.

OBJECTIVES The main aim of the present study was to confirm the two-factor structure of the Inventory of Statements About Self-injury- Part II (ISAS-II), analyze its psychometric properties and test-retest reliability of Parts I and II of the ISAS. METHOD The sample was composed of 355 Spanish participants diagnosed with eating disorders or borderline personality disorder (mean age 27.89, standard deviation = 13.31; 315 women, 40 men). Two models proposed for the ISAS-II were analyzed by means of confirmatory factorial analysis. RESULTS A two-factor model was confirmed, and a model with self-care included in the intrapersonal factor was preferable. The ISAS-II showed positive correlations with emotional dysregulation. Test-retest reliability showed statistically significant correlations at 7 months (n = 123). CONCLUSION The ISAS-II is a valid instrument to assess nonsuicidal self-injury in Spanish populations, making it possible to assess these behaviors, which require valid and reliable measures worldwide.
Phylogenetically Defined Isoforms of Listeria monocytogenes Invasion Factor InlB Differently Activate Intracellular Signaling Pathways and Interact with the Receptor gC1q-R

The pathogenic Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes has been evolving into a few phylogenetic lineages. Phylogenetically defined substitutions were described in the L. monocytogenes virulence factor InlB, which mediates active invasion into mammalian cells via interactions with surface receptors c-Met and gC1q-R. InlB internalin domain (idInlB) is central to interactions with c-Met. Here we compared activity of purified recombinant idInlB isoforms characteristic for L. monocytogenes phylogenetic lineage I and II. Size exclusion chromatography and intrinsic fluorescence were used to characterize idInlBs. Western blotting was used to study activation of c-Met-dependent MAPK- and PI3K/Akt-pathways. Solid-phase microplate binding and competition assay was used to quantify interactions with gCq1-R. Isogenic recombinant L. monocytogenes strains were used to elucidate the input of idInlB isoforms in HEp-2 cell invasion. Physicochemical parameters of idInlB isoforms were similar but not identical. Kinetics of Erk1/2 and Akt phosphorylation in response to purified idInlBs was lineage specific. Lineage I but not lineage II idInlB specifically bound gC1q-R. Antibody against gC1q-R amino acids 221–249 inhibited invasion of L. monocytogenes carrying lineage I but not lineage II idInlB. Taken together, obtained results suggested that phylogenetically defined substitutions in idInlB provide functional distinctions and might be involved in phylogenetically determined differences in virulence potential.
ROOTING OF HAZELNUT ( CORYLUS AVELLANA L . ) VARIETIES HARDWOOD CUTTINGS

Intensity of rooting on hardwood hazelnut cuttings is evaluated during two consecutive years. The evaluation is conducted on 6 hazelnut varieties (Istarski, Tonda Romana, Extra Yagli, Ludolf, Hall’s Giant, Devianna) in greenhouse conditions at experimental greenhouse of Institute of Agriculture, Skopje. The cuttings are collected during dormancy of the plants, before start of vegetation. Two types of auxins IBA (indole-3-butyric acid) 2%, and NAA (α-naphthalene acetic acid) 0.2% are used. From evaluated varieties, Tonda Romana has the highest percentage of rooting (85.5%) and it is characterized with the highest value of rooted cuttings of first class. At all evaluated varieties, treatment with higher concentration of IBA gives higher percentage of rooted cuttings and higher value of rooted cuttings of first class.
Finding Cinderella ’ s shoe : Guidelines for the planning of contemporary outdoor advertising media

The main aim of this study was to explore how experienced media practitioners plan contemporary outdoor advertising in the South African context. In depth interviews were conducted with purposively sampled participants at media agencies responsible for the outdoor advertising campaigns of some large as well as small advertisers in South Africa. The findings revealed three key considerations for effective outdoor advertising campaigns namely the placing of outdoor advertising; creative execution and the potential impact and image the medium. The study provides advertisers with recommendations as how to deliver targeted exposure to specific geographic markets and to capitalise on the potential impact and image associated with advertising on colossal buildings and structures.
Maladaptive Aggression: With a Focus on Impulsive Aggression in Children and Adolescents

Abstract Objective: Aggressive behavior is among the most common reasons for referral to psychiatric clinics and confers significant burden on individuals. Aggression remains poorly defined; there is currently no consensus on the best ways to recognize, diagnose, and treat aggression in clinical settings. In this review, we synthesize the available literature on aggression in children and adolescents and propose the concept of impulsive aggression (IA) as an important construct associated with diverse and enduring psychopathology. Methods: Articles were identified and screened from online repositories, including PubMed, PsychInfo, the Cochrane Database, EMBase, and relevant book chapters, using combinations of search terms such as “aggression,” “aggressive behavio(u)r,” “maladaptive aggression,” “juvenile,” and “developmental trajectory. ” These were evaluated for quality of research before being incorporated into the article. The final report references 142 sources, published from 1987 to 2019. Results: Aggression can be either adaptive or maladaptive in nature, and the latter may require psychosocial and biomedical interventions when it occurs in the context of central nervous system psychopathology. Aggression can be categorized into various subtypes, including reactive/proactive, overt/covert, relational, and IA. IA in psychiatric or neurological disorders is reviewed along with current treatments, and an algorithm for systematic evaluation of aggression in the clinical setting is proposed. Conclusions: IA is a treatable form of maladaptive aggression that is distinct from other aggression subtypes. It occurs across diverse psychiatric and neurological diagnoses and affects a substantial subpopulation. IA can serve as an important construct in clinical practice and has considerable potential to advance research.
Self-reported sleep duration and daytime napping are associated with renal hyperfiltration and microalbuminuria in an apparently healthy Chinese population

Background Sleep duration affects health in various way. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between sleep duration, daytime napping and kidney function in a middle-aged apparently healthy Chinese population. Methods According to self-reported total sleep and daytime napping duration, 33,850 participants aged 38 to 90 years old from 8 regional centers were divided into subgroups. Height, weight, waistline, hipline, blood pressure, biochemical index, FBG, PBG, HbA1c, creatinine and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) were measured and recorded in each subject. Microalbuminuria was defined as UACR>=30 mg/g, CKD was defined as eGFR<60 ml/min and hyperfiltration was defined as eGFR>=135 ml/min. Multiple logistic regressions were applied to investigate associations between sleep and kidney function. Results Compared to participants with [7-8]h/day sleep, ORs of >9 h/day, (8, 9]h/day and <6h/day sleep for microalbuminuria were 1.317 (1.200-1.446, p<0.001), 1.215 (1.123-1.315, p<0.001) and 1.218 (0.967-1.534, p=0.094). eGFR levels were U-shaped associated with sleep duration among subjects with >=90ml/min eGFR, and N-shaped associated with sleep duration among subjects with <90ml/min eGFR. OR of >9h/day sleep for hyperfiltration was 1.400 (1.123-1.745, p=0.003) among eGFR>=90 ml/min participants. Daytime napping had a negative effect on renal health. Compared to participants did not have napping habit, the ORs of (0, 1]h/day, (1, 1.5]h/day and >1.5h/day daytime napping for microalbuminuria were 1.477 (1.370-1.591, p<0.001), 1.217 (1.056, 1.403, p=0.007) and 1.447 (1.242, 1.687, p<0.001). Conclusions Total sleep duration are U-shaped associated with renal health outcomes. Daytime napping had a negative effect on renal health.
An amino-terminal threonine/serine motif is necessary for activity of the Crp/Fnr homolog, MrpC, and for Myxococcus xanthus developmental robustness

The Crp/Fnr family of transcriptional regulators play central roles in transcriptional control of diverse physiological responses. Activation of individual family members is controlled by a surprising diversity of mechanisms tuned to the particular physiological responses or lifestyles that they regulate. MrpC is a Crp/Fnr homolog that plays an essential role in controlling the Myxococcus xanthus developmental program. A long-standing model proposed that MrpC activity is controlled by the Pkn8/Pkn14 serine/threonine kinase cascade which phosphorylates MrpC on threonine residue(s) located in its extreme amino terminus. In this study, we demonstrate that a stretch of consecutive threonine and serine residues, T21 T22 S23 S24, is necessary for MrpC activity by promoting efficient DNA binding. Mass spectrometry analysis indicated the TTSS motif is not directly phosphorylated by Pkn14 in vitro but is necessary for efficient Pkn14-dependent phosphorylation on several residues in the remainder of the protein. Pkn8 and Pkn14 kinase activities do not play obvious roles in controlling MrpC activity in wild type M. xanthus under laboratory conditions, but likely modulate MrpC DNA binding in response to unknown environmental conditions. Interestingly, mutational analysis of the TTSS motif caused non-robust developmental phenotypes, revealing that MrpC plays a role in developmental buffering.
Performances analysis of a nip type solar cell : effect of the back reflection , the doping concentration and the band gap of the window layer

In this work, the computation code AMPS-1D was used to analyze in depth the performances of two solar cells of type nip and based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si: H) and of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si : H). During this analysis two solar cells, one with a rear reflector (RB = 80%) and the other without rear reflector (RB = 0%) were simulated according to the characteristics of the p nc-Si: H window layer based on hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon. Our simulation was essentially focused on the effect of the back reflection represented by the RB parameter, the concentration of the acceptors NA in the p + nc-Si: H window layer and also its energy band gap (Eg). The presence of a rear reflector (RB=80%) improves the spectral response in the long wavelength range between 500 nm and 800 nm. The gap of the p nc-Si: H window layer, to have good performances of the simulated structures, must be in the range of 1.90 eV to 2.05 eV. The conversion efficiency is closely related to the concentration of the acceptors (NA) in the p + nc-Si: H window layer. For a doping of the buffer layer equal to 10cm, it was found that the efficiency increases from 6.416% to 8.040% for RB = 0% and from 7.405% to 9.443% for RB = 80%, with increasing NA of window layer from 5 × 10 cm to 10 cm and remains constant for a value of NA range from 10 cm to 10 cm.
Deleterious Effects of Living in Consumer Hyperchoice

The ideology of consumption and the imperative of consumer choice have washed across the globe. In today’s developed economies there is an everincreasing amount of buying, amidst an ever-increasing amount of purchase options, amidst an ever-increasing amount of stress, amidst an ever-decreasing amount of discretionary time. This brief essay reviews research suggesting, for example, that hyperchoice confuses people and increases regret, that hyperchoice is initially attractive but ultimately unsatisfying, and that hyperchoice is psychologically draining. Future research is then discussed, including how and why hyperchoice may have other toxic effects on people, including the degrading of moral emotions and behavior.
PMR: Prototypical Modal Rebalance for Multimodal Learning

Multimodal learning (MML) aims to jointly exploit the common priors of different modalities to compensate for their inherent limitations. However, existing MML methods often optimize a uniform objective for different modalities, leading to the notorious “modality imbalance” problem and counterproductive MML performance. To address the problem, some existing methods modulate the learning pace based on the fused modality, which is dominated by the better modality and eventually results in a limited improvement on the worse modal. To better exploit the features of multimodal, we propose Prototypical Modality Rebalance (PMR) to perform stimulation on the particular slow-learning modality without interference from other modalities. Specifically, we introduce the prototypes that represent general features for each class, to build the non-parametric classifiers for uni-modal performance evaluation. Then, we try to accelerate the slow-learning modality by enhancing its clustering toward prototypes. Furthermore, to alleviate the suppression from the dominant modality, we introduce a prototype-based entropy regularization term during the early training stage to prevent premature convergence. Besides, our method only relies on the representations of each modality and without restrictions from model structures and fusion methods, making it with great application potential for various scenarios. The source code is available here11https://github.com/fanyunfeng-bit/Modal-Imbalance-PMR.
CACTO: Continuous Actor-Critic With Trajectory Optimization—Towards Global Optimality

This letter presents a novel algorithm for the continuous control of dynamical systems that combines Trajectory Optimization (TO) and Reinforcement Learning (RL) in a single framework. The motivations behind this algorithm are the two main limitations of TO and RL when applied to continuous nonlinear systems to minimize a non-convex cost function. Specifically, TO can get stuck in poor local minima when the search is not initialized close to a “good” minimum. On the other hand, when dealing with continuous state and control spaces, the RL training process may be excessively long and strongly dependent on the exploration strategy. Thus, our algorithm learns a “good” control policy via TO-guided RL policy search that, when used as initial guess provider for TO, makes the trajectory optimization process less prone to converge to poor local optima. Our method is validated on several reaching problems featuring non-convex obstacle avoidance with different dynamical systems, including a car model with 6D state, and a 3-joint planar manipulator. Our results show the great capabilities of CACTO in escaping local minima, while being more computationally efficient than the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) RL algorithms.
IMPACT OF TEAMWORK ON ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY IN SOME SELECTED BASIC SCHOOLS IN THE ACCRA METROPOLITAN ASSEMBLY

The study assessed the impact of teamwork on organizational productivity on the staff members of Kwashieman Anglican Basic School of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Omanjor M/A Basic School under the Ga-West Assembly and Ablekuma Anglican Basic School in the Ga-Central Assembly of the Greater-Accra Region. The study utilized quantitative techniques to analyze the relationship between the variables that is Teamwork, Esprit de corps (Team Spirit), team trust, recognition and rewards and organizational productivity. The study shows that there is a significant positive impact of the predictors on the response variable with an adjusted R of 70.5%. The study recommends that teamwork activities have to be adopted in order to enhance Organizational Productivity.
Static Stretch Performed After Strength Training Session Induces Hypotensive Response in Trained Men.

Sousa, AC, Gomes, TM, Sousa, MS, Saraiva, AR, Araujo, GS, Figueiredo, T, and Novaes, JS. Static stretch performed after strength training session induces hypotensive response in trained men. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-The purpose of this study was to compare the acute effect of 3 different combinations between passive static stretching exercises (SE) with resistance training (RT) on blood pressure (BP) response in normotensive trained men. Twenty-six volunteer subjects (age: 26.1 ± 5.4 years; body mass: 86.5 ± 10.5 kg; height: 1.78 ± 0.6 cm) participated in this study. After assessing 10 repetition maximum loads for the bench press, lat pulldown, shoulder press, leg press, leg extension, and leg curl, the subjects were randomly assigned on 3 experimental conditions: (a) static SE were performed before the RT session (SE + RT); (b) static SE were performed after the RT session (RT + SE); and (c) static SE were performed between the RT session (RTSE). The BP was measured for 60 minutes after the RT session. The 2-way analysis of variance for repeated measures showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the experimental conditions. In within comparisons, only the RT + SE experimental condition did not cause significant increases (p = 0.07) on systolic blood pressure (SBP) when compared the baseline and post-test moments (132.2 ± 10.7 vs. 141.3 ± 18.1 mm Hg). In addition, hypotensive effects were found in SBP only in the RT + SE experimental condition when compared SBP baseline (132.2 ± 10.7 mm Hg) vs. SBP30 minutes (121.7 ± 11.8 mm Hg; p = 0.04), SBP45 minutes (120.6 ± 9.8 mm Hg; p = 0.03), and SBP60 minutes (120.0 ± 7.9 mm Hg; p = 0.00). These findings suggest that performing static SE after the RT session provide an ideal combination for a postexercise hypotensive response from 30 minutes after exercise (and this change was enhanced up to 60 minutes). In conclusion, strength and conditioning professionals can prescribe static SE after RT if the goal is to reduce blood pressure after training.