Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuron-specific enolase as a novel biomarker reflecting tuberculosis activity and treatment response

Background/Aims: It is not clear which tests are indicative of the activity and severity of tuberculosis (TB). This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and to determine the origin of NSE in TB patients. Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis was conducted on newly diagnosed TB patients between January and December 2010. Patients were categorized into one of two disease groups (focal segmental or extensive) based on chest X-ray. Pre- and post-treatment NSE concentrations were evaluated. To determine the origin of serum NSE concentration, NSE staining was compared with macrophage-specific CD68 staining in lung tissues and with a tissue microarray using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Results: A total of 60 newly diagnosed TB patients were analyzed. In TB patients, NSE serum concentration was significantly increased and NSE level decreased after treatment (p < 0.001). In proportion to serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentration, the mean serum concentration of NSE in the extensive group (25.12 ng/mL) was significantly higher than that in the focal segmental group (20.23 ng/mL, p = 0.04). Immunohistochemical staining revealed a large number of macrophages that stained positively for both NSE and CD68 in TB tissues. In addition, NSE signals mostly co-localized with CD68 signals in the tissue microarray of TB patients. Conclusions: Our results suggest that NSE may be a practical parameter that can be used to monitor TB activity and treatment response. Elevated serum NSE level originates, at least in part, from macrophages in granulomatous lesions.
Activation of Rab8 guanine nucleotide exchange factor Rabin8 by ERK1/2 in response to EGF signaling

Significance Rab8 is a key regulator of exocytosis. To understand how Rab8 itself is regulated in cells, it is pivotal to study how its guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) Rabin8 is activated. Here we demonstrate that Rabin8 has an autoinhibitory conformation. Phosphorylation of Rabin8 by ERK1/2 in response to EGF relieves the autoinhibition of Rabin8, thus promoting its GEF activity on Rab8. In cells, blocking Rabin8 phosphorylation inhibits vesicular trafficking to the plasma membrane. Our work identifies a molecular mechanism for Rabin8 activation and reveals a regulatory pathway that controls Rab8 activation and vesicular trafficking in response to extracellular signaling. Exocytosis is tightly regulated in many cellular processes, from neurite expansion to tumor proliferation. Rab8, a member of the Rab family of small GTPases, plays an important role in membrane trafficking from the trans-Golgi network and recycling endosomes to the plasma membrane. Rabin8 is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) and major activator of Rab8. Investigating how Rabin8 is activated in cells is thus pivotal to the understanding of the regulation of exocytosis. Here we show that phosphorylation serves as an important mechanism for Rabin8 activation. We identified Rabin8 as a direct phospho-substrate of ERK1/2 in response to EGF signaling. At the molecular level, ERK phosphorylation relieves the autoinhibition of Rabin8, thus promoting its GEF activity. We further demonstrate that blocking ERK1/2-mediated phosphorylation of Rabin8 inhibits transferrin recycling to the plasma membrane. Together, our results suggest that ERK1/2 activate Rabin8 to regulate vesicular trafficking to the plasma membrane in response to extracellular signaling.
The method of current measurement in the rotor cage bars of prototype induction motor with the use of Rogowski coils

The article presents a method of currents measurement in the rotor bars of a prototype induction motor with the use of Rogowski coils. Measuring coils are placed on each of the 30 cage bars of the rotor. Signals proportional to the derivative of rotor bars currents are led outside the machine to special slip rings and then from the band of brushes adjacent to the slip rings transmitted to the integrating amplifiers and recorded with help of measuring card and dedicated software. Studies were carried out during the machine normal operation state at different loads. The currents of squirrel cage bars, recorded for different cage damages, were processed and analyzed. The results of current measurements of cage bars with help of Rogowski coils were checked numerically. The possibility of using the measurements results to improve diagnostic algorithms for detecting induction motor cage damage have been presented.
Hypofrontality in panic disorder and major depressive disorder assessed by multi‐channel near‐infrared spectroscopy

Background: Panic disorder is a common and debilitating psychiatric disease; yet, the neurobiology of this disorder is not fully understood. Deficits in the prefrontal inhibitory control over hyperactivity of the anxiety‐related neural circuit are implicated in the pathophysiological core of panic disorder. The aims of this study were to investigate whether panic disorder reveals frontal lobe dysfunction while performing the word fluency test by using multi‐channel near‐infrared spectroscopy and to compare the findings in panic disorder with those in major depressive disorder. Methods: Twenty‐one patients with panic disorder, 17 patients with major depressive disorder, and 24 healthy control subjects participated in the study. Results: Both patients with panic disorder and with major depressive disorder showed similarly attenuated increases in oxy‐hemoglobin during the word fluency test in the bilateral frontal regions, when compared to healthy control participants. Hypofrontality in panic disorder and major depressive disorder was most prominent in the left medial inferior frontal lobe. Conclusions: This study clarified that hypofrontality in panic disorder is evident even with neutral stimuli of little emotional load. Depression and Anxiety 25, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Investigating the Perception of K-12 Teachers on their Assessment Literacy and Obstacles Hindering the Implementation of Effective Assessments in Dubai private schools

Assessing learners’ performance is endemic in learning. Teachers bear the responsibility of assessing their students regularly to confirm that learning has happened. However, many teachers do not use assessment as a tool to improve learning, but only as an evaluation tool to judge students’ achievement. Research shows that assessment should be used to improve the learning experience of learners and the assessment results should be interpreted for this sake. Many teachers are not prepared on how to use assessments effectively in their classrooms. Several previous studies have indicated that teachers have weak assessment skills, either skills for designing and developing assessments or interpreting the results. In the United Arab Emirates UAE there is a big emphasis on the effective teaching and assessment to achieve the 2021 UAE educational vision. This study explores k12 teachers’ perception of their own assessment literacy in the UAE, as well as the obstacles that hinder them from conducting effective assessments for their students. The participants are teachers working in different schools in Dubai, with different years of experience and are distributed between females and males. A mixed design questionnaire was used as a data collection method. The research results indicated that teachers have a high perception about their assessment literacy. Teachers are
EDCA mechanism and mobility support evaluation in IEEE 802.11s WMNs

IEEE 802.11s Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) constitute a cost-effective solution for broadband ubiquitous Internet access. The IEEE 802.11s standard employs the Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) as the Medium Access Control (MAC) mechanism in order to provide differentiated channel access and Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees for multimedia flows. Under EDCA, traffic is distinguished into four Access Categories (ACs) that have different priority levels, corresponding to Voice, Video, Best Effort and Background, respectively. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of the EDCA in IEEE 802.11s WMNs by simulating pedestrian users moving at low speed for a variety of demanding multimedia applications, such as Real-Time Gaming, video, Voice over IP (VoIP), as well as, web browsing. It should be noted that we have applied IEEE 802.11n as the underlying PHY Layer of the considered IEEE 802.11s network. Our results show that the ACs defined in EDCA do not perform satisfactory resulting in the inappropriateness of the EDCA mechanism for multimedia applications support in WMNs. Furthermore, an additional shortcoming of the IEEE 802.11s amendment that emerged through our simulation results is its inefficiency to support mobility since the velocity of the users significantly impacts the provided QoS.
Identification of a Critical Basic Residue on the Ecotropic Murine Leukemia Virus Receptor

ABSTRACT Susceptibility to ecotropic murine leukemia viruses (MLV) is restricted to mice and rats at the level of virus binding to the host cell receptor. Asparagine 232, valine 233, tyrosine 235, and glutamic acid 237 in the third extracellular domain (EL3) of the receptor are critical determinants of the host range difference between mice and humans. However, placing these residues in the human homolog confers only partial binding, indicating that other divergent sequences are involved. We sought to determine if the other sequences lie within or outside EL3. Here we report the identification of lysine 234 as another critical residue that influences virus binding and infection, as well as evidence that the unidentified sequences lie outside EL3. Each of the four basic residues in the third extracellular domain were changed to an acidic residue and initially examined in combination with a change at position 235 or position 237. Substitution of lysine 211, 215, or 222 combined with substitution of the critical tyrosine 235 or glutamic acid 237 did not affect virus infection. However, combined substitution of lysine 234, a conserved residue between mice and humans, and tyrosine 235 resulted in a marked decrease in virus infection and binding. A lysine 234 change alone reduced virus binding, contrary to previous observations that at least two of the other four residues must be changed before binding is reduced. Interestingly, there was no decrease in infection when lysine 234 was replaced in combination with glutamic acid 237. This result suggests that residue 234 may act by influencing the local structure of residues 233 to 235, whereas the presence of a glycine at position 236 may prevent this influence from extending to residue 237. With this report, the involvement of all the residues divergent between mice and humans in the third extracellular domain has been ruled out, suggesting that as yet unidentified determinants lie in other extracellular domains.
Influence of Psychological Stress on Suckling-Induced Pulsatile Oxytocin Release

Objective: To investigate the influence of psychological stress on suckling-induced oxytocin release. Methods: The pulsatile release of suckling-induced oxytocin was measured in 22 puerperal women. The blood samples for oxytocin assay were collected at 2-minute intervals in a manner that minimized degradation by plasma oxytocin assay were used for radioimmunoassay after extraction. Results: The release of suckling-induced oxytocin during nursing is pulsatile, with discrete, short pulses. The frequency of pulsatile release of oxytocin was significantly lower in the two groups in which stress was imposed by mental calculation or noise than in the control group without stress (mental calculation group, 1.28 ± 0.76 pulses/20- minute suckling period; noise group, 1.14 ± 0.38; control group, 2.25 ± 0.71). However, there were no differences among the three groups in the increase of prolactin during nursing or in the milk yield. Conclusion: The release of suckling-induced oxytocin is pulsatile, and psychological stress reduces the pulsatile oxytocin release. Our data suggest that suckling-induced oxytocin release may be modulated by the central nervous system and that psychological relaxation is necessary for an adequate let-down response.
What answers does the Internet provide for patients in Ireland with questions about generic medicines?

Background Use of generic medicines in Ireland has historically been low. New legislation, in 2013, introduced reference pricing and generic substitution in Ireland for the first time. Also, as patents have recently expired for many familiar medicines, Irish patients are more likely than ever to receive a generic medicine. Objective As the Internet is a primary source of information for patients seeking information on healthcare matters, this study aims to assess – in terms of quality and accessibility – information on generic medicines that a searcher in Ireland is likely to find online. Methods Internet searches were completed using a computer with an Irish Internet Protocol address. Search results were evaluated with respect to quality of information, using a newly developed Website Quality Assessment tool, and for readability, using existing methods. The reproducibility of the tools was assessed, and correlations between Website Quality Assessment score, readability statistics and Google search engine results page ranking were determined. Results This novel and topical evaluation showed that, of the websites most likely to be seen by a searcher, none demonstrated the desired combination of scoring highly for both quality of information and readability. Conclusions Patient education is a key factor in implementation of the changes planned in the Irish healthcare system. There is a gap in online knowledge provision in Ireland, which, if filled by a website designed using the Website Quality Assessment tool developed in this study, can correct this deficit by providing accessible, high-quality information.
Self-development of motor abilities resulting from the growth of a neural network reinforced by pleasure and tensions

We present a novel method of machine learning toward emergent motor behaviors. The method is based on a growing neural network that initially produces senseless signals but later associates rewarding signals and quasi-rewarding signals with recent perceptions and motor activities and, based on these data, incorporates new cells and creates new connections. The rewarding signals are produced in a device that plays a role of a "pleasure center", whereas the quasi-rewarding signals (that represent pleasure expectation) are generated by the network itself. The network was tested using a simulated mobile robot equipped with a pair of motors, a set of touch sensors, and a camera. Despite a lack of innate wiring for a useful behavior, the robot learned without an external guidance how to avoid obstacles and approach an object of interest, which is fundamental for creatures and usually handcrafted in traditional robotic systems
Difficulties for the Development of Agricultural Cooperatives in Russia: The Case of the Kurgan Region

This study concerns the political, economic and socio-psychological conditions for marketing and supply cooperatives in Russian agriculture. An analysis of secondary data indicates that neither political nor economic conditions inhibit the development of cooperatives. Therefore, the focus is directed towards the socio-psychological factors. The aim of the study is to empirically explore the extent to which socio-psychological factors explain the difficulties for agricultural cooperative development within the Kurgan region of the Russian Federation. Based on literature concerning cooperative members’ attitudes, values, commitment and similar variables, four hypotheses are suggested. These are tested empirically on the basis of data from a total of 927 agricultural producers, both members and nonmembers of existing cooperatives. The findings reveal that especially the level of trust in others is crucial. Furthermore, the involvement is low among nonmembers, their attitudes to cooperatives are poor, and their belief and experience in democratic governance are weak.
Seasonal Variation of Enteropathogens in Infants and Preschoolers With Acute Diarrhea in Western Mexico

The present study estimates the prevalence of some enteropathogens in infants and preschoolers with acute diarrhea. From 2006 to 2007, 5459 consecutive stool samples were evaluated. Cryptosporidium parvum was the parasite identified with the higher frequency (5.1%), followed by Giardia lamblia (1.2%). Campylobacter jejuni was isolated in 858 cases (15.7%) and was the most frequent enteropathogen overall. The rates of C parvum, Shigella, and Salmonella were higher in the summer. Rotavirus had the expected winter peak and it was the third enteropathogen because of its frequency. Overall frequency of stool-reducing substances was 15.6% and was associated with a rotavirus-positive test.
In-Memory Processing Paradigm for Bitwise Logic Operations in STT–MRAM

In the current big data era, the memory wall issue between the processor and the memory becomes one of the most critical bottlenecks for conventional Von-Newman computer architecture. In-memory processing (IMP) or near-memory processing (NMP) paradigms have been proposed to address this problem by adding a small amount of processing units inside/near the memory. Unfortunately, although intensively studied, prior IMP/NMP platforms are practically unsuccessful because of the fabrication complexity and cost efficiency by integrating the processing units and memory on the same chip. Recently, emerging nonvolatile memories provide new possibility for efficiently implementing the IMP/NMP paradigm. In this paper, we propose a cost-efficient IMP/NMP solution in spin-transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT–MRAM) without adding any processing units on the memory chip. The key idea behind the proposed IMP/NMP solution is to exploit the peripheral circuitry already existing inside memory (or with minimal changes) to perform bitwise logic operations. Such an IMP/NMP platform enables rather fast logic operations as the logic results can be obtained immediately through just a memory-like readout operation. Memory read and logics not, and/nand, and or/nor operations can be achieved and dynamically configured within the same STT–MRAM chip. Functionality and performance are evaluated with hybrid simulations under the 40 nm technology node.
DAILY SLEEP, WEEKLY WORKING HOURS, AND RISK OF WORK-RELATED INJURY: US NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY (2004–2008)

The impact on health and safety of the combination of chronic sleep deficits and extended working hours has received worldwide attention. Using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), an in-person household survey using a multistage, stratified, clustered sample design representing the US civilian, non-institutionalized population, the authors estimated the effect of total daily self-reported sleep time and weekly working hours on the risk of a work-related injury. During the survey period 2004–2008, 177,576 persons (ages 18–74) sampled within households reported that they worked at a paid job the previous week and reported their total weekly work hours. A randomly selected adult in each household (n = 75,718) was asked to report his/her usual (average) total daily sleep hours the prior week; complete responses were obtained for 74,415 (98.3%) workers. Weighted annualized work-related injury rates were then estimated across a priori defined categories of both average total daily sleep hours and weekly working hours. To account for the complex sampling design, weighted multiple logistic regression was used to independently estimate the risk of a work-related injury for categories of usual daily sleep duration and weekly working hours, controlling for important covariates and potential confounders of age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, type of pay, industry, occupation (proxy for job risk), body mass index, and the interaction between sleep duration and work hours. Based on the inclusion criteria, there were an estimated 129,950,376 workers annually at risk and 3,634,446 work-related medically treated injury episodes (overall injury rate 2.80/100 workers). Unadjusted annualized injury rates/100 workers across weekly work hours were 2.03 (≤20 h), 3.01 (20–30 h), 2.45 (31–40 h), 3.45 (40–50 h), 3.71 (50–60 h), and 4.34 (>60 h). With regards to self-reported daily sleep time, the estimated annualized injury rates/100 workers were 7.89 (<5 h sleep), 5.21 (5–5.9 h), 3.62 (6–6.9 h), 2.27 (7–7.9 h), 2.50 (8–8.9 h), 2.22 (9–9.9 h), and 4.72 (>10 h). After controlling for weekly work hours, and aforementioned covariates, significant increases in risk/1 h decrease were observed for several sleep categories. Using 7–7.9 h sleep as reference, the adjusted injury risk (odds ratio [OR] for a worker sleeping a total of <5 h/day was 2.65 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.57–4.47), for 5–5.9 h 1.79 (95% CI: 1.22–2.62), and for 6–6.9 h 1.40 (95% CI: 1.10–1.79). No other usual sleep duration categories were significantly different than the reference; however, for >10 h of usual daily sleep, the OR was marginally significantly elevated, 1.82 (95% CI: 0.96–3.47). These results suggest significant increases in work-related injury risk with decreasing usual daily self-reported sleep hours and increasing weekly work hours, independent of industry, occupation, type of pay, sex, age, education, and body mass (Author correspondence: david.lombardi@libertymutual.com)
Determination of patterns of biologically relevant aldehydes in exhaled breath condensate of healthy subjects by liquid chromatography/atmospheric chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

A method for the simultaneous determination of several classes of aldehydes in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) was developed using liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/APCI-MS/MS). EBC is a biological matrix obtained by a relatively new, simple and noninvasive technique and provides an indirect assessment of pulmonary status. The measurement of aldehydes in EBC represents a biomarker of the effect of oxidative stress caused by smoke, disease, or strong oxidants like ozone. Malondialdehyde (MDA), acrolein, alpha,beta-unsaturated hydroxylated aldehydes [namely 4-hydroxyhexenal (4-HHE) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE)], and saturated aldehydes (n-hexanal, n-heptanal and n-nonanal) were measured in EBC after derivatization with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH). Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization of the analytes was obtained in positive-ion mode for MDA, and in negative-ion mode for acrolein, 4-HHE, 4-HNE, and saturated aldehydes. DNPH derivatives were separated on a C18 column using variable proportions of 20 mM aqueous acetic acid and methanol. Linearity was established over 4-5 orders of magnitude and limits of detection were in the 0.3-1.0 nM range. Intra-day and inter-day precision were in the 1.3-9.9% range for all the compounds. MDA, acrolein and n-alkanals were detectable in all EBC samples, whereas the highly reactive 4-HHE and 4-HNE were found in only a few samples. Statistically significant higher concentrations of MDA, acrolein and n-hexanal were found in EBC from smokers.