Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ampakine CX546 increases proliferation and neuronal differentiation in subventricular zone stem/progenitor cell cultures

Ampakines are chemical compounds known to modulate the properties of ionotropic α‐amino‐3‐hydroxyl‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole‐propionate (AMPA)‐subtype glutamate receptors. The functional effects attributed to ampakines involve plasticity and the increase in synaptic efficiency of neuronal circuits, a process that may be intimately associated with differentiation of newborn neurons. The subventricular zone (SVZ) is the main neurogenic niche of the brain, containing neural stem cells with brain repair potential. Accordingly, the identification of new pharmaceutical compounds with neurogenesis‐enhancing properties is important as a tool to promote neuronal replacement based on the use of SVZ cells. The purpose of the present paper is to examine the possible proneurogenic effects of ampakine CX546 in cell cultures derived from the SVZ of early postnatal mice. We observed that CX546 (50 μm) treatment triggered an increase in proliferation, evaluated by BrdU incorporation assay, in the neuroblast lineage. Moreover, by using a cell viability assay (TUNEL) we found that, in contrast to AMPA, CX546 did not cause cell death. Also, both AMPA and CX546 stimulated neuronal differentiation as evaluated morphologically through neuronal nuclear protein (NeuN) immunocytochemistry and functionally by single‐cell calcium imaging. Accordingly, short exposure to CX546 increased axonogenesis, as determined by the number and length of tau‐positive axons co‐labelled for the phosphorylated form of SAPK/JNK (P‐JNK), and dendritogenesis (MAP2‐positive neurites). Altogether, this study shows that ampakine CX546 promotes neurogenesis in SVZ cell cultures and thereby may have potential for future stem cell‐based therapies.
Real-time hand tracking on depth images

Hand tracking is a fundamental task in a gesture recognition system. Most previous works tracked the hand position on color images and relied heavily on skin color information. However, color information is very vulnerable to lighting variations and skin color varies across difference human races. Furthermore, one can not effectively discriminate faces or other skin-color-like objects from hands when using skin color detection. In this paper, we propose a hand tracking algorithm that uses depth images only, and also a hand click detection method to initialize the hand tracking automatically. We show that depth images suffice and are advantageous to real-time hand tracking. A region growing technique is applied to segment the hand region on depth images. Then a mean-shift based algorithm accurately locates the hand center in the segmented hand region. The experimental results show that the proposed tracking algorithm runs at 300+ FPS, and the average error of the tracked 3D hand positions is less than 1 centimeter. The proposed method enables a plethora of potential applications to natural Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and is adequate for embedded systems of consumer electronics because of its low complexity and low bandwidth requirement.
Finding traction for mechanical circulatory support during coronary interventions.

The management of acute cardiogenic shock remains one of the great challenges of contemporary cardiovascular care. Cardiogenic shock manifests as a vicious cascade of systemic hypoperfusion leading to multi-organ system dysfunction and is a hallmark of severe ventricular failure in the wake of extensive myocardial damage following acute infarction. 1 Shock complicates between 5-8% of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMI) and 2-3% of non-STEMI. 2 More than 80% of the time, shock arises from direct myocardial injury downstream from an occluded artery, with the remaining cases coming from later mechanical complications such as acute mitral regurgitation or ventricular septal defect. Despite remarkable advances in medical therapy for acute coronary syndromes over the last three decades, especially the emphasis on early recognition and reperfusion therapy, cardiogenic shock remains a leading cause of death after STEMI and carries with it a mortality rate between 40-50%. 2, 3
Effect of Triage Nurse Initiated Radiography Using the Ottawa Ankle Rules on Emergency Department Length of Stay at a Tertiary Centre.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of triage nurse initiated radiographs using the Ottawa Ankle Rules (OAR) on emergency department (ED) throughput. We hypothesized OAR use would reduce median ED length of stay (LOS) by 25 minutes or more. METHODS A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a tertiary centre ED with an annual census of over 90,000 patients. Adult patients presenting within 10 days of isolated blunt ankle trauma were eligible. Participants were randomly assigned to standard triage or OAR application by 15 explicitly trained triage nurses. Our primary outcome was ED LOS. Secondary outcomes included triage nurses' and patients' satisfaction. A power calculation indicated 142 patients were required. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the medians between the two groups. RESULTS Of 176 patients with blunt ankle injury screened, 146 were enrolled (83.0%); baseline characteristics in the two groups were similar. The median/mean ED LOS in the control and OAR groups were 128/143 minutes and 108/115 minutes respectively (median difference 20 minutes; p=0.003). Agreement in OAR use between emergency physicians and nurses was moderate (kappa 0.46/0.77 for foot/ankle rule components), and satisfaction of both nurses and participants was high. CONCLUSION Triage nurse initiated radiography using OAR leads to a statistically significant decrease of 20 minutes in the median ED LOS at a tertiary care centre. The overall impact of implementing such a process is likely site-specific, and the decision to do so should involve consideration of the local context.
40 S subunit dissociation and proteasome-dependent RNA degradation in nonfunctional 25 S rRNA decay

Eukaryotic cells have quality control systems that eliminate nonfunctional rRNAs with deleterious mutations (nonfunctional rRNA decay, NRD). We have previously reported that 25S NRD requires an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, which is involved in ribosomal ubiquitination. However, the degradation process of nonfunctional ribosomes has remained unknown. Here, using genetic screening, we identified two ubiquitin-binding complexes, the Cdc48–Npl4–Ufd1 complex (Cdc48 complex) and the proteasome, as the factors involved in 25S NRD. We show that the nonfunctional 60S subunit is dissociated from the 40S subunit in a Cdc48 complex-dependent manner, before it is attacked by the proteasome. When we examined the nonfunctional 60S subunits that accumulated under proteasome-depleted conditions, the majority of mutant 25S rRNAs retained their full length at a single-nucleotide resolution. This indicates that the proteasome is an essential factor triggering rRNA degradation. We further showed that ribosomal ubiquitination can be stimulated solely by the suppression of the proteasome, suggesting that ubiquitin–proteasome-dependent RNA degradation occurs in broader situations, including in general rRNA turnover. The EMBO Journal (2012) 31, 2579–2589. doi:10.1038/ emboj.2012. 85; Published online 13 April 2012 Subject Categories: RNA; proteins
Snail1 Gene Function During Early Embryo Patterning in Mice

Originally identified as one of two zygotically expressed genes required for gastrulation in Drosophila, the Snail gene and other family members play critical roles in vertebrate development. Functionally, these genes are thought to drive epithelial-mesenchymal transitions at several points during development, and also during the metastatic progression of cancer. Although the Snai2-null mouse is viable and fertile, the early embryonic lethality of Snai1-null mice has precluded the detailed analysis of Snai1 function after gastrulation. We have recently generated a conditional allele of the Snai1 gene and examined its function during the formation of the neural crest and establishment of the left-right axis. We uncovered new details regarding Snai1 function during gastrulation and left-right asymmetry determination, while surprisingly showing that neither the Snai1 nor Snai2 genes are essential for neural crest cell delamination. These results shed new light on the role of Snail family genes in early mouse development, and raise interesting questions concerning the diversity of gene function among vertebrate species.
ENTEROVIRAL MENINGOENCEPHALITIS IN IMMUNOCOMPROMISED CHILDREN AFTER MATCHED UNRELATED DONOR-BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

Two children are described who presented with fever and generalized seizures, days 50 and 200, respectively, after matched unrelated donor-bone marrow transplantation. Upon antiepileptic treatment the seizures vanished but somnolence and fever remained. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was performed and revealed transient asymmetric multifocal hyperintense lesions. Seizures were considered related to infection, and the cyclosporin A (CsA) treatment was not interrupted. Enterovirus was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in the spinal fluid of one patient and in the sputum of the other. Both children recovered completely within the next weeks without neurological sequel. This report shows that enteroviral meningoencephalitis can present with seizures during the post-transplant period. It highlights the importance of MRI for neuroimaging and of viral infections as differential diagnosis to CsA neurotoxicity.
Clinical Impact of Mixed Respiratory Viral Infection in Children with Adenoviral Infection

Background Although adenovirus (ADV) infection occurs steadily all year round in Korea and the identification of respiratory viral coinfections has been increasing following the introduction of multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction tests, the clinical impact of viral coinfection in children with ADV infection has rarely been reported. Materials and Methods Medical records of children diagnosed with ADV infection were retrospectively reviewed. The enrolled children were divided into two groups based on the identified respiratory viruses: ADV group and coinfection group. Clinical and laboratory parameters were compared between the two groups. Results In total, 105 children (60 males and 45 females) with a median age of 29 months (range: 0-131 months) diagnosed with an ADV infection were enrolled. Fever (99.0%) was by far the most frequent symptom, followed by respiratory (82.9%), and gastrointestinal (22.9%) symptoms. Upper and lower respiratory tract infections were diagnosed in 56 (53.3%), and 32 (30.5%) children, respectively. Five (4.8%) children received oxygen therapy, and no child died due to ADV infection. Coinfection was diagnosed in 32 (30.5%) children, with rhinovirus (46.9%), and respiratory syncytial virus (21.9%) being the most frequent. The proportions of children younger than 24 months (P <0.001), with underlying medical conditions (P = 0.020), and diagnosed with lower respiratory tract infection (P = 0.011) were significantly higher in the coinfection group than in the ADV group. In a multivariate analysis, only the younger age was significantly associated with coinfection (P <0.001). Although more children in the coinfection group received oxygen therapy (P = 0.029), the duration of fever and hospitalization was not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion Respiratory viral coinfection with ADV occurred more frequently in children younger than 24 months of age compared with children aged 24 months or older. Respiratory viral coinfection may increase the severity of ADV infection, however, appropriate therapy prevented prolonged hospitalization and poor prognosis due to coinfection.
Gene3D: structural assignments for the biologist and bioinformaticist alike

The Gene3D database (http://www.biochem.ucl.ac.uk/bsm/cath_new/Gene3D/) provides structural assignments for genes within complete genomes. These are available via the internet from either the World Wide Web or FTP. Assignments are made using PSI-BLAST and subsequently processed using the DRange protocol. The DRange protocol is an empirically benchmarked method for assessing the validity of structural assignments made using sequence searching methods where appropriate assignment statistics are collected and made available. Gene3D links assignments to their appropriate entries in relevent structural and classification resources (PDBsum, CATH database and the Dictionary of Homologous Superfamilies). Release 2.0 of Gene3D includes 62 genomes, 2 eukaryotes, 10 archaea and 40 bacteria. Currently, structural assignments can be made for between 30 and 40 percent of any given genome. In any genome, around half of those genes assigned a structural domain are assigned a single domain and the other half of the genes are assigned multiple structural domains. Gene3D is linked to the CATH database and is updated with each new update of CATH.
Evaluation of Microblog Users’ Influence Based on PageRank and Users Behavior Analysis

This paper explores the uses’ influences on microblog. At first, according to the social network theory, we present an analysis of information transmitting network structure based on the relationship of following and followed phenomenon of microblog users. Informed by the microblog user behavior analysis, the paper also addresses a model for calculating weights of users’ influence. It proposes a U-R model, using which we can evaluate users’ influence based on PageRank algorithms and analyzes user behaviors. In the U-R model, the effect of user behaviors is explored and PageRank is applied to evaluate the importance and the influence of every user in a microblog network by repeatedly iterating their own U-R value. The users’ influences in a microblog network can be ranked by the U-R value. Finally, the validity of U-R model is proved with a real-life numerical example.
Small Sample Methods for the Analysis of Clustered Binary Data

Small Sample Methods for the Analysis of Clustered Binary Data by Lawrence J. Cook, Doctor of Philosophy Utah State University, 2008 Major Professor: Dr. Christopher C. Corcoran Department: Mathematics and Statistics There are several solutions for analysis of clustered binary data. However, the two most common tools in use today, generalized estimating equations and random effects or mixed models, rely heavily on asymptotic theory. However, in many situations, such as small or sparse samples, asymptotic assumptions may not be met. For this reason we explore the utility of the quadratic exponential model and conditional analysis to estimate the effect size of a trend parameter in small sample and sparse data settings. Further we explore the computational efficiency of two methods for conducting conditional analysis, the network algorithm and Markov chain Monte Carlo. Our findings indicate that conditional estimates do indeed outperform their unconditional maximum likelihood counterparts. The network algorithm remains the fastest tool for generating the required conditional distribution. However, for large samples, the Markov chain Monte Carlo approach accurately estimates the conditional distribution and is more efficient than the network algorithm. (213 pages)
Major Events and the Collective Memory of Conflicts

Purpose: Collective memory of conflicts is assembled around major events, such as, in the context: of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the 1948 Palestinian exodus from the central cities of Lydda and Ramla. To date, however, various theoretical aspects of major events of conflicts have not been considered in the literature. This article aims to address this lack by exploring for the first time the way in which the causes for that exodus were presented in Israel from 1949 to 2005.Design/methodology/approach: Methodologically, this is based on studies that have analyzed separately the publications by various Israeli state establishments (e.g. National Information Center, Ministry of Education, the National Archive, and the army – IDF), and those by various Israeli-Jewish societal establishments (e.g. the research community, newspapers and 1948 war veterans). Findings: Theoretically, the article contributes various insights, pertaining, for example, to: the five Manifestation Characteristics and the two Influence Characteristics of major events of conflicts; the eight determinant factors that shape the impact of these events; and the dynamic nature of the representation of major events.Originality/value: Taken altogether, this article contributes to the empirical and theoretical research on the major events in conflicts.
Face recognition using Eigenfaces

Face is a complex multidimensional visual model and developing a computational model for face recognition is difficult. The paper presents a methodology for face recognition based on information theory approach of coding and decoding the face image. Proposed methodology is connection of two stages - Feature extraction using Principle Component Analysis and recognition using the feed forward back propagation Neural Network. The goal is to implement the system (model) for a particular face and distinguish it from a large number of stored faces with some real-time variations as well. The Eigenface approach uses Principal Component Analysis (PCA) algorithm for the recognition of the images. It gives us efficient way to find the lower dimensional space.
IL-22 Protects Against Liver Pathology and Lethality of an Experimental Blood-Stage Malaria Infection

The host response following malaria infection depends on a fine balance between levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators resulting in the resolution of the infection or immune-mediated pathology. Whilst other components of the innate immune system contribute to the pro-inflammatory milieu, T cells play a major role. For blood-stage malaria, CD4+ and γδ T cells are major producers of the IFN-γ that controls parasitemia, however, a role for TH17 cells secreting IL-17A and other cytokines, including IL-17F and IL-22 has not yet been investigated in malaria. TH17 cells have been shown to play a role in some protozoan infections, but they also are a source of pro-inflammatory cytokines known to be involved in protection or pathogenicity of infections. In the present study, we have investigated whether IL-17A and IL-22 are induced during a Plasmodium chabaudi infection in mice, and whether these cytokines contribute to either protection or to pathology induced during the infection. Although small numbers of IL-17- and IL-22-producing CD4 T cells are induced in the spleens of infected mice, a more pronounced induction is observed in the liver, where increases in mRNA for IL-17A and, to a lesser extent, IL-22 were observed and CD8+ T cells, rather than CD4 T cells, are a major source of these cytokines in this organ. Although the lack of IL-17 did not affect the outcome of infection or pathology, lack of IL-22 resulted in 50% mortality within 12 days after infection with significantly greater weight loss at the peak of infection and significant increase in alanine transaminase in the plasma in the acute infection. As parasitemias and temperature were similar in IL-22 KO and wild-type control mice, our observations support the idea that IL-22 but not IL-17 provides protection from the potentially lethal effects of liver damage during a primary P. chabaudi infection.
Derandomized Multi-block Sign Selection for PMEPR Reduction of FBMC Waveform

The high PAPR problem has been a major concern in waveform design and imposes substantial limitations. On the other hand, the area of research on enabling technologies, specifically waveform design, is very active due to the demands of the next generations of wireless systems. A promising method to reduce the Peak-to-Mean Envelope Power Ratio (PMEPR) of the OFDM signal is to choose the best sign changes for the underlying data symbols through a deterministic or derandomized algorithm. In particular, high performance and mathematical tractability of the method motivates further research on its usefulness. This paper investigates the performance of this method for FBMC waveform, as one of the candidate waveforms which has attracted considerable attention. It will be shown that despite the complex structure of the FBMC signal, the method is completely applicable. The performance is impressive, about 4.6 dB for 1024 subcarriers. In addition, some interesting properties of the algorithm are noticed.
PREDICTORS OF ACHIEVEMENT IN AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS AT RISK FOR ACADEMIC FAILURE: THE ROLES OF ACHIEVEMENT VALUES AND BEHAVIORAL ENGAGEMENT

The achievement gap between African American and European American youth is a pervasive problem in the United States. This study explored how achievement values and behavioral engagement affect the academic attainment of an academically at-risk sample of 167 African American youth in late elementary school. Results indicate that achievement values do not have a significant influence on engagement or achievement in late elementary school. However, behavioral engagement significantly influenced math achievement from Grades 4 to 5. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Capacity Allocation in Wireless LANs

Today’s access point based wireless LANs (WLANs) are inefficient and unfair. For many traffic loads they provide far less total throughput than they should, and do a poor job allocating what throughput they do deliver. Inappropriate association of nodes to access points and rates to flows plays a large role in these problems. We address a major root cause of this problem in this paper. Current practice ignores the distinction between flows that connect two wireless nodes via an access point and flows that connect wireless nodes to the wired infrastructure. As wireless devices and applications become more pervasive, ignoring this distinction will lead to a significant degradation in perceived performance. In this paper, we i) describe a series of examples that illustrates the impact of two-hop flows on the performance of the system, ii) provide a practical algorithm to solve the AP-assignment problem and iii) evaluate the performance of our algorithm against other approaches. Our preliminary results show that our algorithm can increase average achieved throughput by as much as 50% for some traffic loads.
Same Question, Different Answers: CFA and Two IRT Approaches to Measurement Invariance

The effectiveness of confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) methods of assessing measurement invariance were investigated using simulated data with a known lack of invariance. Across all study conditions, IRT likelihood ratio (LR) tests consistently outperformed both CFA and IRT differential functioning of items and tests (DFIT) analyses in terms of detecting a lack of invariance known to exist. Implications for varied results of measurement invariance tests are discussed and recommendations for best practice are provided.
New constraint on cosmological variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio from Q0528−250

Molecular hydrogen transitions in quasar spectra can be used to constrain variation in the proton-to-electron mass ratio, μ ≡ mp/me, at high redshifts (z 2). We present here an analysis of a new spectrum of the quasar Q0528−250, obtained on Very Large Telescope (VLT)/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES), and analyse the well-known H2 absorber at z = 2.811 in this spectrum. For the first time we detect deuterated molecular hydrogen (HD) in this system with a column density of log10(N/cm −2 ) = 13.27 ± 0.07; HD is sensitive to variation in μ, and so we include it in our analysis. Using 76 H2 and seven HD transitions we constrain variation in μ from the current laboratory value to be �μ /μ = (0.3 ± 3.2stat ± 1.9sys) × 10 −6 , which is consistent with no cosmological variation in μ ,a s well as with previous results from other H2/HD absorbers. The main sources of systematic uncertainty relate to accurate wavelength calibration of the spectra and the re-dispersion of multiple telescope exposures on to the one pixel grid.