Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impaired Cellular Energy Metabolism Contributes to Duck-Enteritis-Virus-Induced Autophagy via the AMPK–TSC2–MTOR Signaling Pathway

Duck enteritis virus (DEV) is a large, complex double-stranded DNA virus that induces duck embryo fibroblast (DEF) cells autophagy, which is beneficial to its own replication, but the mechanism has not been described. In this study, we showed that impaired cell energy metabolism is involved in DEV-induced autophagy, whereby ATP synthesis is disrupted in cells after DEV infection, which causes metabolic stress and activation of autophagy. Methyl pyruvate (MP) inhibited conversion of LC3I to LC3II and accumulation of GFP-LC3, which could reverse the energy loss caused by DEV infection. Inhibition of DEV replication by MP confirmed the above view. We found that infection with DEV activated the metabolic regulator 5′ AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) and inhibited activity of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). In the cases where AMPK expression was inhibited, the LC3-I conversion to LC3-II ratio was decreased, as was GFP-LC3 point and DEV replication; in addition, inhibition of p-mTOR showed a reverse trend. We also found that tuberous sclerosis (TSC) 2 was a key mediator between AMPK and mTOR through activation by phosphorylation. siRNA targeting TSC2 was transfected to reverse the inhibition of mTOR, and down-regulate autophagy level and DEV replication, but AMPK expression was not changed, while siRNA targeting AMPK inhibited activation of TSC2. In conclusion, our findings indicate that energy metabolism in cell damage induced by DEV contributes to autophagy via the AMPK–TSC2–MTOR signaling pathway, which provides a new perspective for DEV and host interactions.
Long-Term Stabilization Effects of Leptin on Brain Functions in a Leptin-Deficient Patient

Context Congenital leptin deficiency, caused by a very rare mutation in the gene encoding leptin, leads to severe obesity, hyperphagia and impaired satiety. The only systemic treatment is the substitution with metreleptin leading to weight reduction based on hormonal changes. Several studies have also shown alterations in brain function after metreleptin therapy. In a previous study, we were able to show changes in homeostatic (hypothalamus) and reward-related brain areas (striatum, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area, amygdala) 3 days and 6 months after therapy start in a leptin-deficient adolescent girl. To further access the time course of functional brain activation changes, we followed the patient for 2 years after initiation of the therapy. Design, Patient Functional magnetic resonance imaging during visual stimulation with food (high- and low-caloric) and non-food pictures was performed 1 and 2 years after therapy start in the previously described patient. Results The comparison of ‘food vs. non-food’ pictures showed a stabilization of the long-term effects in the amygdala and in the OFC. Therefore, no significant differences were observed between 6 months compared to 12 and 24 months in these regions. Additionally, a reduction of the frontopolar cortex activity over the whole time span was observed. For the comparison of high- and low-caloric pictures, long-term effects in the hypothalamus showed an assimilating pattern for the response to the food categories whereas only acute effects after 3 months were observed in hedonic brain regions. Conclusion This follow-up study shows that the long lasting benefit of metreleptin therapy is also associated with activation changes in homeostatic, hedonic and frontal control regions in congenital leptin deficiency.
REDSPY: Exploring Value Locality in Software

Complex code bases with several layers of abstractions have abundant inefficiencies that affect the execution time. Value redundancy is a kind of inefficiency where the same values are repeatedly computed, stored, or retrieved over the course of execution. Not all redundancies can be easily detected or eliminated with compiler optimization passes due to the inherent limitations of the static analysis. Microscopic observation of whole executions at instruction- and operand-level granularity breaks down abstractions and helps recognize redundancies that masquerade in complex programs. We have developed REDSPY---a fine-grained profiler to pinpoint and quantify redundant operations in program executions. Value redundancy may happen over time at same locations or in adjacent locations, and thus it has temporal and spatial locality. REDSPY identifies both temporal and spatial value locality. Furthermore, REDSPY is capable of identifying values that are approximately the same, enabling optimization opportunities in HPC codes that often use floating point computations. REDSPY provides intuitive optimization guidance by apportioning redundancies to their provenance---source lines and execution calling contexts. REDSPY pinpointed dramatically high volume of redundancies in programs that were optimization targets for decades, such as SPEC CPU2006 suite, Rodinia benchmark, and NWChem---a production computational chemistry code. Guided by REDSPY, we were able to eliminate redundancies that resulted in significant speedups.
‘You’re facing that machine but there’s a human being behind it’: students’ affective experiences on an online doctoral programme

Abstract Online students use highly emotional language to describe their experiences, indicating that learners do feel a great deal online. This paper draws on Wetherell’s exploration of affective practice to theorise learners’ responses to the pedagogical and technological online environment. Findings of a research project that focused on two cohorts of online doctoral students are presented, including survey responses and interview data. Thematic analysis indicates that participants experienced positive and negative affects circulating around three sites of intensity: a sense of progression; community interaction and assignment feedback. However, narrative analysis of extracts from the interviews reveal a further level of complexity to the data, drawing attention to the unfinished and shifting character of these affects. The paper concludes by pointing to the implications of this research for designing the online environment in ways that will allow students to experience the full potential of online learning.
Social support, emotional intelligence, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: A mediation analysis

Abstract. Exposure to traumatic events and the associated risk of developing Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms is a significant and overlooked concern in the college population. It is important for current research to identify potential protective factors associated with the development and maintenance of PTSD symptoms unique to this population. Emotional intelligence and perceived social support are two identified protective factors that influence the association between exposure to traumatic events and PTSD symptomology. The current study examined the mediating role of social support in the relationship between emotional intelligence and PTSD symptoms. Participants included 443 trauma-exposed university students who completed online questionnaires. The results of this study indicated that social support mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and reported PTSD symptoms. Thus, emotional intelligence is significantly associated with PTSD symptoms and social support may play an.
Evaluation of Macular Ganglion Cell-inner Plexiform Layer and Choroid in Psoriasis Patients Using Enhanced Depth Imaging Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate changes in the thickness of the central macula, macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL), and subfoveal choroid in patients with psoriasis using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Methods: The measurements of macular, mGCIPL thicknesses and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) obtained by SD-OCT of psoriasis patients (n = 46). These measurements were compared with those of 50 healthy controls. Results: The macular, mGCIPL, and choroidal thicknesses did not differ between the controls and psoriatic subjects (p>0.05). When the patients were divided into two distinct groups, only the SFCT was significantly thicker in the severe psoriasis group compared with the mild psoriasis group (p = 0.003). Conclusions: These findings suggest that choroidal alterations are seen without macular changes in patients with psoriasis. Severe psoriasis appears to be related to increases in SFCT as a consequence of possible inflammatory cascades that are part of the disease’s pathogenesis.
Tissue‐specific venous expression of the EPH family receptor EphB1 in the skin vasculature

Background: The major arteries and veins are formed early during development. The molecular tools to identify arterial and venous endothelial cells improve our understanding of arterial–venous differentiation and branching morphogenesis. Compared with arterial differentiation, relatively little is known about what controls venous development, due to lack of definitive molecular markers for venous endothelial cells. Results: Here we report that the antibody against EphB1, an EphB class receptor, makes it possible to establish a reliable whole‐mount immunohistochemical analysis of venous identity with greater resolution than previously possible in embryonic and adult skin vasculature models. EphB1 expression is restricted to the entire venous vasculature throughout embryonic development to adulthood, whereas the previously established venous marker EphB4 is also detectable in lymphatic vasculature. This venous‐restricted expression of EphB1 is established after the vascular remodeling of the primary capillary plexus has occurred. Compared with its venous‐specific expression in the skin, however, EphB1 is not restricted to the venous vasculature in yolk sac, trunk and lung. Conclusions: These studies introduce EphB1 as a new venous‐restricted marker in a tissue‐specific and time‐dependent manner. Developmental Dynamics 242:976–988, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Image-based estimation of biomechanical relationship between masticatory muscle activities and mandibular movement

Current techniques for investigating the functional roles of masticatory muscles are not suited to explaining subject-specific biomechanical relationship between mandibular movements and masticatory muscle activities. The aims of this study were to estimate the muscle tensions of subject-specific masticatory muscles in dental occlusion through the three-dimensional morphologic changes (3DMCs) of the muscles, and to explain the subject-specific biomechanical relationship between the mandibular movement and the muscle tensions. One healthy adult subject underwent magnetic resonance (MR) scans of the head at mandibular rest position (M0) and maximum intercuspation (M1). Based on the two sets of MR images, the mandibular movement was measured by the position changes of the mental protuberance of the mandible and the muscle tension from M0 to M1 for each masticatory muscle was estimated by its 3DMCs. The results showed the subject-specific biomechanical relationship between the mandibular movement and the muscle tensions, and the mandibular movement could be explained by these related muscle tensions anatomically and functionally.
Sensitivity analysis of multilayer percetron based on elastic function

The sensitivity analysis can help to construct a tightly neural network. There are several methods to define the sensitivity of input and weight for perturbations to the trained neural network. This paper proposed a sensitivity definition based on elastic function. This definition considers the measure of the variable of the reference network. The sensitivity calculating formulae are deduced for perceptron and MLP.
TCR Microclusters Pre-Exist and Contain Molecules Necessary for TCR Signal Transduction

TCR-dependent signaling events have been observed to occur in TCR microclusters. We found that some TCR microclusters are present in unstimulated murine T cells, indicating that the mechanisms leading to microcluster formation do not require ligand binding. These pre-existing microclusters increase in absolute number following engagement by low-potency ligands. This increase is accompanied by an increase in cell spreading, with the result that the density of TCR microclusters on the surface of the T cell is not a strong function of ligand potency. In characterizing their composition, we observed a constant number of TCRs in a microcluster, constitutive exclusion of the phosphatase CD45, and preassociation with the signaling adapters linker for activation of T cells and growth factor receptor-bound protein 2. The existence of TCR microclusters prior to ligand binding in a state that is conducive for the initiation of downstream signaling could explain, in part, the rapid kinetics with which TCR signal transduction occurs.
A cross-sectional content analysis of Android applications for asthma

Providing patients opportunities for self-management and education about their disease, asthma applications designed for use on an Android operating system can have positive health outcomes across the range of demographics who use mHealth applications. This study provides a content analysis of freely available Google Android Platform Mobile Applications for Asthma. A list of applications was collected on 26 October 2014, using the search feature of the Google Play Android platform and using the words and phrases “Asthma,” “Lung Function” and “Peak Flow. ” Each application was coded for its approach to asthma self-management, based on categories adapted by Huckvale et al., which are based on the Global Initiative for Asthma and the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. The characteristics of the 15 asthma applications are described. Most of the asthma applications’ primary function focused on patient self-monitoring and self-assessment. Using the HON Code, we found low health information quality across all asthma applications. Android asthma applications can have positive outcomes in helping patients as they provide opportunities for self-management and education about their disease. Future research should continue to monitor and evaluate the development and use of mHealth Asthma Applications. Based on these findings, and their indication of a gap in existing research, subsequent studies can continue to evaluate the development and use of mHealth Asthma Applications with increasing methodological consistency to improve the quality of in-app health information.
A big data analytic framework for investigating streaming educational data

Last decade has witnessed the dramatic expansion of online user-generated content. Making full use of this data to discover behaviour patterns has become an increasingly appealing research topic. In this pilot study, a big data analytic framework is proposed, particularly taking streaming data from students' activity on their laptop usage as an illustrative example. Three modules are implemented to harvest raw streaming records, storage heterogeneous data, and apply the fuzzy representation and rule-mining algorithm for a modelling purpose. The efficiency of the proposed framework is then evaluated using a nationwide streaming dataset. The exploratory simulation of results demonstrates the flexibility and applicability of the proposed framework for processing complex streaming data, and revealing patterns from digital engagement which be used to inform decision makers.
Do Positive Spontaneous Thoughts Function as Incentive Salience?

The present work explores the theoretical relationship between positive spontaneous thoughts and incentive salience—a psychological property thought to energize wanting and approach motivation by rendering cues that are associated with enjoyment more likely to stand out to the individual when subsequently encountered in the environment (Berridge, 2007). We reasoned that positive spontaneous thoughts may at least be concomitants of incentive salience, and as such, they might likewise mediate the effect of liking on wanting. In Study 1, 103 adults recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk reported on key aspects of 10 everyday activities. As predicted, positive spontaneous thoughts mediated the relationship between liking an activity in the past and wanting to engage in it in the future. In Study 2, 99 undergraduate students viewed amusing and humorless cartoons and completed a thought-listing task, providing experimental evidence for the causal effect of liking on positive spontaneous thoughts. In Study 3, we tested whether positive spontaneous thoughts play an active role in energizing wanting rather than merely co-occurring with (inferred) incentive salience. In that experiment involving 80 undergraduates, participants who were led to believe that their spontaneous thoughts about a target activity were especially positive planned to devote more time to that activity over the coming week than participants who received no such information about their spontaneous thoughts. Collectively, these findings suggest that positive spontaneous thoughts may play an important role in shaping approach motivation. Broader implications and future directions in the study of positive spontaneous thoughts are discussed.
The Dynamics of Collective Competence in a Context of Cooperation Networks

This study was a qualitative, exploratory-descriptive on a cooperation network, in order to analyze how the process of collective competence development occurs in a network environment. The results showed that the network collective competence studied are developed from the combination of the interaction and interrelationship, collective sense, common knowledge base and articulation of individual skills. These elements, although they are analyzed separately, have a familiar character, and were influenced by network context aspects such as: common goal, cooperation and connectivity.
High-risk human papillomavirus prevalence is associated with HIV infection among heterosexual men in Rakai, Uganda

Objectives Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection causes genital warts, penile cancer and cervical cancer. Africa has one of the highest rates of penile and cervical cancers, but there are little data on high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) prevalence in heterosexual men. Knowledge of HR-HPV prevalence, risk factors and genotype distribution among heterosexual men is important to establish risk-reduction prevention strategies. Methods 1578 uncircumcised men aged 15–49 years who enrolled in male circumcision trials in Rakai, Uganda, were evaluated for HR-HPV from swabs of the coronal sulcus/glans using Roche HPV Linear Array. Adjusted prevalence risk ratios (adjPRRs) were estimated using modified Poisson multivariable regression. Results HPV prevalence (either high risk or low risk) was 90.7% (382/421) among HIV-positive men and 60.9% (596/978) among HIV-negative men (PRR 1.49, 95% CI 1.40 to 1.58). HIV-positive men had a significantly higher risk of infection with three or more HR-HPV genotypes (PRR=5.76, 95% CI 4.27 to 7.79). Among HIV-positive men, high-risk sexual behaviours were not associated with increased HR-HPV prevalence. Among HIV-negative men, HR-HPV prevalence was associated with self-reported genital warts (adjPRR 1.57, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.31). Among all men (both HIV negative and HIV positive), HR-HPV prevalence was associated with more than 10 lifetime sexual partners (adjPRR 1.30, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.66), consistent condom use (adjPRR 1.31, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.60) and HIV infection (adjPRR 1.80, 95% CI 1.60 to 2.02). HR-HPV prevalence was lower among men who reported no sexual partners during the past year (adjPRR 0.47, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.94). Conclusion The burden of HR-HPV infection is high among heterosexual men in sub-Saharan Africa and most pronounced among the HIV-infected individuals.
Imaging Collagen in Scar Tissue: Developments in Second Harmonic Generation Microscopy for Biomedical Applications

The ability to respond to injury with tissue repair is a fundamental property of all multicellular organisms. The extracellular matrix (ECM), composed of fibrillar collagens as well as a number of other components is dis-regulated during repair in many organs. In many tissues, scaring results when the balance is lost between ECM synthesis and degradation. Investigating what disrupts this balance and what effect this can have on tissue function remains an active area of research. Recent advances in the imaging of fibrillar collagen using second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging have proven useful in enhancing our understanding of the supramolecular changes that occur during scar formation and disease progression. Here, we review the physical properties of SHG, and the current nonlinear optical microscopy imaging (NLOM) systems that are used for SHG imaging. We provide an extensive review of studies that have used SHG in skin, lung, cardiovascular, tendon and ligaments, and eye tissue to understand alterations in fibrillar collagens in scar tissue. Lastly, we review the current methods of image analysis that are used to extract important information about the role of fibrillar collagens in scar formation.
Effects of Per‐diem payment on the duration of hospitalization and medical expenses according to the palliative care demonstration project in Korea

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to examine the impacts of a government-directed palliative care demonstration (PCD) project, Per-diem Payment System (PDPS), on length of stay (LOS), hospital costs, resource usage and healthcare quality during the searched period from January in 2009 to December in 2010. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective claim data review. METHODS Individuals who had been eligible for the palliative care payment policy, PDPS, during 2 years (from 2009 to 2010) were assigned to the case group including seven hospitals (n = 3117). Those (seven hospitals) who were not come eligible for the palliative care payment policy were assigned to the control group (n = 2347) with fee for service. The data used in this study were electronically submitted requests of payment to the Health Insurance Review Agency during the period January 2009 to December 2010. RESULTS After the PCD project, the length of stay for palliative patients with cancer diseases decreased by 2.56% (β = -0.026; p-value = 0.0001) among patients hospitalized in a PCD project compared with patients hospitalized in seven hospitals that was not designed as a PCD project. Compared with costs before the PCD project, costs decreased by 0.76% (β = 0.013; p-value = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS We provided evidence regarding the change in the societal burden due to palliative care. Although there was a reduction of direct medical costs reported in limited number of hospitals, in the long term, we can anticipate an expanding impact on medical costs in all palliative hospitals. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.