Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Munc 18‐1 and Granuphilin Collaborate During Insulin Granule Exocytosis

Munc 18‐1 is a member of the Sec/Munc family of syntaxin‐binding proteins known to bind to the plasma membrane Q‐SNARE syntaxin1 and whose precise role in regulated exocytosis remains controversial. Here, we show that Munc 18‐1 plays a positive role in regulated insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells. Munc 18‐1 depletion caused a loss in the secretory capacity of both transiently transfected INS 1E cells and a stable clone with tetracycline‐regulated Munc 18‐1 RNA interference. In addition, Munc 18‐1‐depleted cells exhibited defective docking of insulin granules to the plasma membrane and accumulated insulin in the trans Golgi network. Furthermore, glucose stimulation after Munc 18‐1 depletion resulted in the rapid formation of autophagosomes. In contrast, overexpression of Munc 18‐1 had no effect on insulin secretion. Although there was no detectable interaction between Munc 18‐1 and Munc‐18‐interacting protein 1 or calcium/calmodulin‐dependent serine protein kinase, Munc 18‐1 associated with the granular protein granuphilin. This association was regulated by glucose and was required for the specific interaction of insulin granules with syntaxin1. We conclude that Munc 18‐1 and granuphilin collaborate in the docking of insulin granules to the plasma membrane in an initial fusion‐incompetent state, with Munc 18‐1 subsequently playing a positive role in a later stage of insulin granule exocytosis.
Seminal Fluid Enhances Replication of Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1: Implications for Sexual Transmission

ABSTRACT Seminal fluid enhanced human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection by transactivating the HTLV-1 long terminal repeat promoter, which is chromosomally integrated in a cell-type-dependent manner. Our data may indicate a potential role for seminal fluid in the sexual transmission of HTLV-1 and imply complex features of regulation of HTLV-1 expression.
PLSNet: A simple network using Partial Least Squares regression for image classification

PCANet is a simple network using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for image classification and obtained high accuracies on a variety of datasets. PCA projects explanatory variables on a subspace that the first component has the largest variance. On the other hand, Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression projects explanatory variables on a subspace that the first component has the largest covariance between explanatory and objective variables, and the objective variables are predicted from the subspace. If class labels are used as objective variables for PLS, the subspace is suitable for classification. Stacked PLS is a simple network using PLS for image classification and obtained high accuracy on the MNIST database. However, the performance of Stacked PLS was inferior to PCANet on the others. One of differences between Stacked PLS and PCANet is network architecture. In this paper, we combine the network architecture of PCANet with PLS and propose a new image classification method called PLSNet. It obtained higher accuracies than PCANet on the MNIST and the CIFAR-10 datasets. Furthermore, we change how to make filters for extracting features at the second convolution layer, and we call it Improved PLSNet. It obtained higher accuracies than PLSNet. In addition, we give it deeper network architecture, and we call it Deep Improved PLSNet. It obtained higher accuracies than Improved PLSNet.
REMOVAL OF ACID ORANGE II DYE BY GRANITIC NANO-ZERO VALENT IRON (nZVI) COMPOSITE

The study highlights the effectiveness of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) composite in removing Acid Orange II dye. In this study, granitic residual soil has been used as supported material to stabilize the nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) and to improve its adsorption capacity. The physical, chemical, mineralogical and morphological properties of the successfully synthesized granitic nano zero valent iron (GrnZVI) have been analyzed by Brunnaer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy with Auger Electron Spectroscopy (XPS-AES), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The batch adsorption tests for the granitic residual soil (Gr) and the granitic nanozero valent iron (Gr-nZVI) on Acid Orange II have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of both materials in dye removal. The five effects analyzed in the Batch test are concentration, dose, pH, kinetic and temperature. It was found that Gr-nZVI has higher absorption capacity compared to Gr. The effectiveness of Gr-nZVI composite in dye adsorption is due to the dispersion of nZVI particles on granitic soil particles, consequently providing more sites for adsorption. The results suggest that Gr-nZVI has potential as low-cost adsorbent for Acid Orange II removal from synthetic dye wastewater.
The HYP-RT Hypoxic Tumour Radiotherapy Algorithm and Accelerated Repopulation Dose per Fraction Study

The HYP-RT model simulates hypoxic tumour growth for head and neck cancer as well as radiotherapy and the effects of accelerated repopulation and reoxygenation. This report outlines algorithm design, parameterisation and the impact of accelerated repopulation on the increase in dose/fraction needed to control the extra cell propagation during accelerated repopulation. Cell kill probabilities are based on Linear Quadratic theory, with oxygenation levels and proliferative capacity influencing cell death. Hypoxia is modelled through oxygen level allocation based on pO2 histograms. Accelerated repopulation is modelled by increasing the stem cell symmetrical division probability, while the process of reoxygenation utilises randomised pO2 increments to the cell population after each treatment fraction. Propagation of 108 tumour cells requires 5–30 minutes. Controlling the extra cell growth induced by accelerated repopulation requires a dose/fraction increase of 0.5–1.0 Gy, in agreement with published reports. The average reoxygenation pO2 increment of 3 mmHg per fraction results in full tumour reoxygenation after shrinkage to approximately 1 mm. HYP-RT is a computationally efficient model simulating tumour growth and radiotherapy, incorporating accelerated repopulation and reoxygenation. It may be used to explore cell kill outcomes during radiotherapy while varying key radiobiological and tumour specific parameters, such as the degree of hypoxia.
Making Speech Look Like Text in the Regulus Development Environment

We present an overview of the development environment for Regulus, an Open Source platform for construction of grammar-based speech-enabled systems, focussing on recent work whose goal has been to introduce uniformity between text and speech views of Regulus-based applications. We argue the advantages of being able to switch quickly between text and speech modalities in interactive and offline testing, and describe how the new functionalities enable rapid prototyping of spoken dialogue systems and speech translators.
On the Effect of Electrical Impedance Tomography Error and Regularization Norms for Damage Identification in Piezoresistive Composites

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a promising tool for the structural health monitoring (SHM) of composites that have been modified to be piezoresistive by the addition of carbon-based nanofillers. However, most studies have formulated the EIT problem to minimize an error vector in the least-squares sense while simultaneously using a least-squares term for regularization. This approach has important limitations in the context of SHM such as being extremely sensitive to outlier data due to damaged or faulty electrodes. Utilizing a least-squares term for regularization also makes EIT unable to image discontinuous conductivity losses such as those induced by fracture events. More sophisticated techniques that surmount these limitations have been studied in medical and mathematical venues, but these methods have not been thoroughly explored for piezoresistive imaging in SHM. Therefore, this article explores the effect of different error minimization and regularization norms on the ability of EIT to image impact damage in a carbon black (CB)-modified glass fiber/epoxy laminate.
Select-Additive Learning: Improving Cross-individual Generalization in Multimodal Sentiment Analysis

Multimodal sentiment analysis is drawing an increasing amount of attention these days. It enables mining of opinions in video reviews and surveys which are now available aplenty on online platforms like YouTube. However, the limited number of high-quality multimodal sentiment data samples may introduce the problem of the sentiment being dependent on the individual specific features in the dataset. This results in a lack of generalizability of the trained models for classification on larger online platforms. In this paper, we first examine the data and verify the existence of this dependence problem. Then we propose a Select-Additive Learning (SAL) procedure that improves the generalizability of trained discriminative neural networks. SAL is a two-phase learning method. In Selection phase, it selects the confounding learned representation. In Addition phase, it forces the classifier to discard confounded representations by adding Gaussian noise. In our experiments, we show how SAL improves the generalizability of state-of-the-art models. We increase prediction accuracy significantly in all three modalities (text, audio, video), as well as in their fusion. We show how SAL, even when trained on one dataset, achieves good accuracy across test datasets.
Immunologic properties of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). III. Genetic linkage between the in vitro mitogenic and in vivo adjuvant properties of LPS

The mechanism was investigated underlying the activity of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as an adjuvant of antibody formation as assessed by its capacity to modulate the induction of tolerance in mice to the antigen human Ig G (HGG) into a state of immunity to HGG. The adjuvant activity of LPS was found to be closely correlated with its ability to function as a B-cell mitogen. This correlation was revealed by an analysis of the genetic control of the mitogenic and adjuvant properties of LPS utilizing the refractory state inherent in the C3H/HeJ mouse strain to these activities of LPS. Thus, mice that were the progeny of a backcross between the nonresponder C3H/JeJ parent and the responder (C3H/HeJ X CWB) F1 hybrid were individually typed for responsiveness to LPS, as an adjuvant and as a B-cell mitogen. It was found that LPS interfered with tolerance induction to HGG in vivo only in those backcross progeny whose spleen cells were also capable of responding mitogenically to LPS in vitro, demonstrating that the adjuvant and B-cell mitogenic properties of LPS are genetically linked. In contrast, these properties were observed to segregate independently from either H-2 or heavy chain allotype loci, and were not sex linked. These results are compatible with the concepts that, in this system, (a) the cellular site of action of LPS as an adjuvant is confined to B cells, and (b) the subcellular mode of action of LPS as an adjuvant may involve the delivery of a "signal" to B cells which is a stimulus for mitogenesis.
Efficient implementation of rate matching for LTE turbo codes

Rate matching is an important component in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) and has a strong impact on its error correcting performance. Rate matching is part of error correct coding, which can impact the performance of hybrid ARQ (HARQ). Circular buffer rate matching algorithm has many advantages over earlier rate matching algorithm. One of its advantages is simple and flexible for any arbitrary code rate in LTE with excellent performance. In this paper, an efficient method to implement high throughput processing is proposed. The method is to rearrange the data order in memory to improve throughput and latency. However, implementation of rate matching is not very straightforward with the modified method. With the aid of the proposed method, rate matching can be implemented in parallel processing with low latency for high date rate applications.
A United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors’ Organization guideline approved by the British Committee for Standards in Haematology: guideline on the use of prophylactic factor VIII concentrate in children and adults with severe haemophilia A

Consensus‐based guidelines supported by the literature are presented on the role of prophylactic administration of factor VIII concentrate in children and adults with severe haemophilia A. The timing of initiation of prophylaxis, the choice of prophylactic regimen, monitoring, management of breakthrough bleeding and education of the patient and family are discussed.
Combined Central and Peripheral Stimulation to Facilitate Motor Recovery After Stroke

Background. Proof-of-principle studies have demonstrated transient beneficial effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on motor function in stroke patients, mostly after single treatment sessions. Objective. To assess the efficacy of multiple treatment sessions on motor outcome. Methods. The authors examined the effects of two 5-day intervention periods of bihemispheric tDCS and simultaneous occupational/physical therapy on motor function in a group of 10 chronic stroke patients. Results. The first 5-day period yielded an increase in Upper-Extremity Fugl-Meyer (UE-FM) scores by 5.9 ± 2.4 points (16.6% ± 10.6%). The second 5-day period resulted in further meaningful, although significantly lower, gains with an additional improvement of 2.3 ± 1.4 points in UE-FM compared with the end of the first 5-day period (5.5% ± 4.2%). The overall mean change after the 2 periods was 8.2 ± 2.2 points (22.9% ± 11.4%). Conclusion. The results confirm the efficacy of bihemispheric tDCS in combination with peripheral sensorimotor stimulation. Furthermore, they demonstrate that the effects of multiple treatment sessions in chronic stroke patients may not necessarily lead to a linear response function, which is of relevance for the design of experimental neurorehabilitation trials.
Weight of tradition: culture as a rationale for obesity in contemporary U.S. news coverage

In studies of mediated representations of obesity to date, the overwhelming majority have found predominant a personal responsibility frame, specifically as drawn against environmental frames, which are nonetheless gaining ground in recent years. In this essay, I review that extant literature and seek to trouble the binary by isolating national news coverage of obesity in two historically and culturally specific regions of the United States that are regularly referenced in relation to the issue: the South and the Midwest. I evaluate the key characterizations of obesity and obese individuals in these regions in mainstream national news coverage between January 2009 and December 2012 in order to assess whether, how, and to what extent personal responsibility or environmental frames are invoked in this coverage. I argue that ‘culture’ appears to be gaining traction as an emergent discourse for obesity, which may appear to offer a more complex or nuanced explanation of the issue; however, this analysis suggests that it can be taken up in ways that feature troubling implications and consequences.
Metabolic Programming: Causes and Consequences*

The normal programmed development of a multicellular organism from the germ cell is a synchronized series of events driven by genetic instructions acquired during conception. During the early critical periods in life the organism also has the ability to respond to environmental situations that are alien to normal development by adaptations at the cellular, molecular, and biochemical levels. Such early adaptations to a nutritional stress/stimulus permanently change the physiology and metabolism of the organism and continue to be expressed even in the absence of the stimulus/stress that initiated them, a process termed “metabolic programming” (1). A brief summary of the findings from human epidemiological and animal studies is presented below in support of the concept of metabolic programming induced by nutritional experiences during critical periods in development with consequences later in adulthood. For detailed accounts the reader is referred to excellent reviews on this subject (2–5). This minireview will focus on metabolic programming with reference to a novel rat model developed in our laboratory.
Current Challenges in Home Nutrition Services for Frail Older Adults in Japan—A Qualitative Research Study from the Point of View of Care Managers

Preventive care for frail older adults includes providing tailor-made diet information suited to their health conditions. The present study aims to explore the current situation and challenges of home nutrition advice for Japanese frail older adults using qualitative data from a ten-person group discussion among care managers. As the results of our analysis, nine themes were identified: (1) Homebound older adults develop poor eating habits; meals turn into a lonely and unpleasant experience; (2) With age, people’s eating and drinking patterns tend to deteriorate; (3) Many older adults and their family know little about food management according to condition and medication; (4) Many older adults do not understand the importance of maintaining a proper diet; (5) Many homebound older adults do not worry about oral hygiene and swallowing ability; (6) Some older adults are at high risk for food safety problems; (7) Only a limited range of boil-in-the-bag meal options are available for older adults; (8) Many older adults feel unduly confident in their own nutrition management skills; and (9) For many family caregivers, nutrition management is a burden. We conclude that the provision of tailor-made information by skilled dietitians and high-quality home-delivered meal service are essential for the successful nutrition management of the older adults.
Resonant Bragg structures with GaN/AlGaN Quantum Wells

Optical properties of the resonant Bragg heterostructures with 10 and 30 GaN/AlGaN quantum wells were studied. The increasing of reflectivity at the resonance wavelength under condition of the Bragg wavelength and optical transition wavelength matching was observed experimentally at room temperature. The computer simulation of the optical transition wavelength in quantum wells and the optical reflectivity spectra at different reverse bias was implemented to evaluate radiative and non-radiative broadening parameters of the exciton in GaN/AlGaN quantum wells.
Data warehouse design from XML sources

A large amount of data needed in decision-making processes is stored in the XML data format, which is widely used for e-commerce and Internet-based information exchange. Thus, as more organizations view the web as an integral part of their communication and business, the importance of integrating XML data in data warehousing environments is becoming increasingly high. In this paper we show how the design of a data mart can be carried out starting directly from an XML source. Two main issues arise: on the one hand, since XML models semi-structured data, not all the information needed for design can be safely derived; on the other, different approaches for representing relationships in XML DTDs and Schemas are possible, each with different expressive power. After discussing these issues, we propose a semi-automatic approach for building the conceptual schema for a data mart starting from the XML sources.
Hazards of Imidacloprid Seed Coating to Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae) When Applied to Sunflower

Abstract Seed coating treatments of sunflower by the systemic insecticide imidacloprid was suspected of affecting honey bees and bumblebees. The hypothesis raised was whether imidacloprid could migrate into nectar and pollen, then modify flower attractiveness, homing behavior, and colony development. Our greenhouse and field experiments with Bombus terrestris L. were aimed at the following: the behavior of workers foraging on treated and control plants blooming in a greenhouse, the homing rate of colonies placed for 9 d in a treated field compared with colonies in a control field, and the development of these 20 colonies under laboratory conditions when removed from the fields. In the greenhouse, workers visited blooming heads of treated and control plants at the same rate and the mean duration of their visits was similar. In field colonies, analysis of pollen in hairs and pellets of workers showed that in both fields 98% of nectar foragers visited exclusively sunflowers, whereas only 25% of pollen gatherers collected sunflower pollen. After 9 d, in the control and treated field, 23 and 33% of the marked foragers, respectively, did not return to hives. In both fields, workers significantly drifted from the center to the sides of colony rows. During the 26-d period under field and laboratory conditions, the population increase rate of the 20 colonies was 3.3 and 3.0 workers/d in hives of the control and treated field, respectively. This difference was not significant. New queens were produced in eight colonies in either field. The mean number of new queens per hive was 17 and 24 in the control and treated field, respectively. Their mating rate was the same. It was concluded that applying imidacloprid at the registered dose, as a seed coating of sunflowers cultivated in greenhouse or in field, did not significantly affect the foraging and homing behavior of B. terrestris and its colony development.
Irradiation effect of the insulating materials for fusion superconducting magnets at cryogenic temperature

In ITER, superconducting magnets should be used in such severe environment as high fluence of fast neutron, cryogenic temperature and large electromagnetic forces. Insulating material is one of the most sensitive component to radiation. So radiation resistance on mechanical properties at cryogenic temperature are required for insulating material. The purpose of this study is to evaluate irradiation effect of insulating material at cryogenic temperature by gamma-ray irradiation. Firstly, glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) and hybrid composite were prepared. After irradiation at room temperature (RT) or liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT, 77 K), interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and glass-transition temperature (Tg) measurement were conducted. It was shown that insulating materials irradiated at room temperature were much degraded than those at cryogenic temperature.
A new clinical device for measuring wrist strength in people with tetraplegia

Weakness of wrist muscles has a significant impact on upper limb function in people with tetraplegia. A simple device has been designed to enable clinicians to measure dynamic strength in the very weak muscles of people with tetraplegia. The objective of this study was to test the interrater reliability of the device. Twenty wrists of 12 people with tetraplegia and associated wrist extensor weakness (grade 2–4) were included in the study. The strength of the wrist extensor muscles was measured by blinded assessors on two separate occasions 1–3 days apart. Measurements were conducted in a device that ensured the resistive torque was constant as the wrist moved through full range of motion. Intraclass correlation coefficients and percent close agreement scores were used to measure reliability. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.88 (95% CI 0.72–0.95). Repeat measurements of wrist extensor torque were within 0.5 Nm 75% of the time and 0.7 Nm 90% of the time. This device is a simple and reliable way of measuring dynamic wrist extensor strength of people with tetraplegia. It is appropriate for use in the clinical setting.