Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Framework for describing community integration for people with acquired brain injury.

BACKGROUND/AIM Community integration is the ultimate goal of rehabilitation of adults with acquired brain injury which has a high incidence in the Australian population. The literature shows a need for a more comprehensive framework for community integration. This study developed a descriptive community integration framework drawn from views of five stakeholder groups and was compared with four similar frameworks. METHODS Thirty-seven experts in acquired brain injury, including practitioners, researchers, policy makers, people with acquired brain injury and family members participated. Using a Delphi method, an iterative process of surveys, interviews, and focus groups sought their views on community integration. Responses were analysed in three stages systematically to reduce a large quantity of raw data into a core set of descriptive themes. A final member checking process rated participants' agreement with the importance of each theme. RESULTS Seven themes were identified and described: Relationships, Community Access, Acceptance, Occupation, Being at Home, Picking up Life Again, and Heightened Risks and Vulnerability. Themes were congruent with elements of the frameworks from the literature. CONCLUSIONS Rich data came from the diverse stakeholders in the participant groups. Two unique themes reflected the importance of re-integration and recovering important aspects of previous lives, and identifying risks and vulnerabilities and providing safeguards. The framework reflected emphases that may be specific to acquired brain injury. It can be used as a basis for development of community integration programmes and outcome measures.
Effects of a brief computer-assisted diabetes self-management intervention on dietary, biological and quality-of-life outcomes

Objective: There is a need for practical, efficient and broad-reaching diabetes self-management interventions that can produce changes in lifestyle behaviours such as healthy eating and weight loss. The objective of this study was to evaluate such a computer-assisted intervention. Methods: Type 2 diabetes primary care patients (n=335) from fee-for-service and health maintenance organization settings were randomized to social cognitive theory-based tailored self-management (TSM) or computer-aided enhanced usual care (UC). Intervention consisted of computer-assisted self-management assessment and feedback, tailored goal-setting, barrier identification, and problem-solving, followed by health counsellor interaction and follow-up calls. Outcomes were changes in dietary behaviours (fat and fruit/vegetable intake), haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), lipids, weight, quality of life, and depression. Results: TSM patients reduced dietary fat intake and weight significantly more than UC patients at the 2-month follow-up. Among patients having elevated levels of HbA1c, lipids or depression at baseline, there were consistent directional trends favouring intervention, but these differences did not reach significance. The intervention proved feasible and was implemented successfully by a variety of staff. Conclusions: This relatively low-intensity intervention appealed to a large, generally representative sample of patients, was well implemented, and produced improvement in targeted behaviours. Implications of this practical clinical trial for dissemination are discussed.
Posttranscriptional Modulation of Cytokine Production in T Cells for the Regulation of Excessive Inflammation by TFL

Posttranscriptional machinery regulates inflammation and is associated with autoimmunity as well as tumorigenesis in collaboration with transcription factors. We previously identified the tumor suppressor gene transformed follicular lymphoma (TFL) on 6q25 in a patient with follicular lymphoma, which transformed into diffuse large B cell lymphoma. TFL families have a common RNase domain that governs macrophage-mediated inflammation. In human peripheral blood, TFL is dominantly expressed at the glycine- and tryptophan-rich cytoplasmic processing bodies of T lymphocytes, and it is persistently upregulated in activated T cells. To address its physiological role, we established TFL−/− mice in which TFL−/− lymphocytes proliferated more rapidly than TFL+/+ upon stimulation with inappropriate cytokine secretion, including IL-2, IL-6, and IL-10. Moreover, TFL inhibited the synthesis of cytokines such as IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, and IL-17a by 3′ untranslated region RNA degradation. Experimental autoimmune encephalitis induced in TFL−/− mice demonstrated persistent severe paralysis. CNS-infiltrated CD4+ T cells in TFL−/− mice contained a higher proportion of Th17 cells than did those in TFL+/+ mice during the resolution phase, and IL-17a mRNA levels were markedly increased in TFL−/− cells. These results suggest that TFL may play an important role in attenuating local inflammation by suppressing the infiltration of Th17 cells in the CNS during the resolution phase of experimental autoimmune encephalitis. TFL is a novel gradual and persistent posttranscriptional regulator, and the TFL-driven attenuation of excessive inflammation could contribute to recovery from T cell–mediated autoimmune diseases.
Rituximab Treatment for Relapsing Minimal Change Disease and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis: A Systematic Review

Background: Minimal change disease (MCD) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) remain a therapeutic challenge, since steroids and other immunosuppressive agents exhibit an unfavorable adverse event spectrum. The aim of this review was to systematically summarize and analyze data from preexisting studies reporting the outcome of rituximab (RTX) treatment in these patients. Methods: Study data on adult patients with either steroid-dependent or frequently relapsing MCD/FSGS were identified by a PubMed and Embase search. The number of relapses was calculated and the use of immunosuppressive co-medication prior to and after RTX treatment was quantified. Results: We identified 14 studies including 86 patients with frequently relapsing and steroid-dependent MCD or FSGS. Treatment with RTX reduced the number of relapses per year from 1.3 (0-9) relapses prior to treatment compared to 0 (0-2) after therapy (p < 0.001). Proteinuria decreased from 2.43 (0-15) g/day to 0 (0-4.89) g/day (p < 0.001), while serum albumin increased from 2.9 (1.2-4.6) at baseline to 4.0 (1.8-5.09) g/l after RTX (p = 0.001). The use of immunosuppression used at the time of RTX administration was also reduced after RTX therapy (p < 0.001). Baseline serum albumin was lower (p = 0.018), whereas the number of immunosuppressants prior to RTX was higher (p = 0.018) in patients with relapse after RTX. Conclusions: The published data suggest that RTX is effective in reducing the number of relapses and sparing immunosuppression in frequently relapsing and steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome due to MCD and FSGS. These promising findings have to be confirmed in controlled and prospective studies.
Effect of Hypothyroidism on Different Forms of Actin in Rat Cerebral Neuronal Cultures Studied by an Improved DNase I Inhibition Assay

Abstract: An improved DNase I inhibition assay for the filamentous actin (F‐actin) and monomeric actin (G‐actin) in brain cells has been developed. Unlike other methods, the cell lysis conditions and postlysis treatments, established by us, inhibited the temporal inactivation of actin in the cell lysate and maintained a stable F‐actin/G‐actin ratio for at least 4‐5 h after lysis. The new procedure allowed separate quantitation of the noncytoskeletal F‐actin in the Triton‐soluble fraction (12,000 g, 10 min supernatant) that did not readily sediment with the Triton‐insoluble cytoskeletal F‐actin (12,000 g, 10 min pellet). We have applied this modified assay system to study the effect of hypothyroidism on different forms of actin using primary cultures of neurons derived from cerebra of neonatal normal and hypothyroid rats. Our results showed a 20% increase in the Triton‐insoluble cytoskeletal F‐actin in cultures from hypothyroid brain relative to normal controls. In the Triton‐soluble fraction, containing the G‐actin and the noncytoskeletal F‐actin, cultures from hypothyroid brain showed a 15% increase in G‐actin, whereas the F‐actin remained unaltered. The 10% increase in total actin observed in this fraction from hypothyroid brain could be totally accounted for by the enhancement of G‐actin. The mean F‐actin/G‐actin ratio in this fraction was about 30% higher in the cultures from normal brain compared to that of the hypothyroid system, which indicates that hypothyroidism tends to decrease the proportion of noncytoskeletal F‐actin relative to G‐actin.
Antibody‐induced activation of the hyaluronan receptor function of CD44 requires multivalent binding by antibody

CD44 can function as a receptor for hyaluronan (HA). However, many cell lines and normal hematopoietic cells that express CD44 do not constitutively bind HA. A monoclonal antibody (mAb) specific for CD44 (IRAWB14) has been described previously which induces CD44‐mediated binding of HA rapidly (seconds to minutes) in some cell lines and in normal murine T cells. Of 16 CD44‐specific mAb tested in the present study, only 3 exhibited this activity. Monovalent Fab fragments were prepared from two IgG2a antibodies that induce HA binding (IRAWB 14 and IRAWB 26) and used to determine whether multivalent binding was required for induction of HA receptor function. Fab from both antibodies had a tendency to form multivalent aggregates. After addition of iodoacetamide to prevent further aggregation, multimeric and monovalent forms were separated by gel filtration. This made it possible to compare the inducing activity of monovalent and multivalent antibody fragments of identical composition in the absence of Fc determinants. Multimeric forms were very active at inducing binding of fluorescein‐conjugated HA (Fl‐HA). Monovalent Fab fragments of both antibodies had 20‐ to 50‐fold lower binding activity than intact antibody or multimer. IRAWB 26 Fab monomers were completely inactive in the induction of HA‐binding. The observed weak inducing activity of IRAWB 14 Fab monomer could be attributed to very low levels of contaminating multimer. Induction of HA binding could also be achieved by using anti‐immunoglobulin to cross‐link Fab monomers of IRAWB 26. Thus, multivalent binding was required for the activation of HA binding by CD44‐specific antibody, suggesting that the distribution of CD44 molecules on the cell surface is important for HA receptor function.
Lucky to be happy: A study of happiness in Australian primary students

Providing a curriculum that promotes personal growth and wellbeing is an overarching learning outcome of the Western Australian Curriculum Framework (Curriculum Framework, 1998). However, little is known about what constitutes and causes wellbeing of students in our primary schools. In the study reported in this paper the happiness of 312 primary-aged students was measured using various instruments and viewpoints, along with demographic information provided by their parents. The findings, which were compared with Holder and Coleman (2008) and research into adult happiness, indicate that a sense of friendship, belonging and optimism are strong indicators of children’s happiness.
Epstein‐Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 exerts its transactivating function through interaction with recombination signal binding protein RBP‐J kappa, the homologue of Drosophila Suppressor of Hairless.

Epstein‐Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA‐2) plays a crucial role in B cell immortalization by Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV), most probably by its ability to transactivate several cellular and viral genes. Recently, we showed that EBNA‐2 interacts with the TP1 promoter of EBV through a cellular protein. In this report we provide evidence that this protein is recombination signal binding protein (RBP)‐J kappa, highly conserved in evolution, and originally isolated by its ability to bind to the J kappa‐type V(D)J recombination signal sequence. To identify the cellular protein interacting with the TP1 promoter, we performed electrophoretic mobility shift assays using binding sequences of known transcription factors, that carry partial homology to the crucial sequences of the EBNA‐2 responsive element (EBNA‐2RE), as competitor. Competition assays revealed the RBP‐J kappa recognition site as a very efficient competitor of cellular TP1 promoter binding protein. In parallel, we purified the protein to homogeneity from Raji cells by two ion‐exchange columns and affinity purification using the EBNA‐2RE coupled to magnetic beads. Affinity purified fractions separated on SDS‐PAGE revealed a single predominant band after silver staining which was recognized by anti‐RBP‐J kappa monoclonal antibody. These purified fractions exhibited binding specificity for EBNA‐2RE and EBNA‐2. In vitro‐translated murine RBP‐2 cDNA reacted with EBNA‐2RE and EBNA‐2 in the same fashion as the affinity purified protein. The interaction between RBP‐J kappa and EBNA‐2 is a prerequisite for EBNA‐2‐mediated transactivation of the TP1 promoter.
SIMULATED GALAXY INTERACTIONS AS PROBES OF MERGER SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS

We present the first systematic comparison of ultraviolet-millimeter spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of observed and simulated interacting galaxies. Our sample is drawn from the Spitzer Interacting Galaxy Survey and probes a range of galaxy interaction parameters. We use 31 galaxies in 14 systems which have been observed with Herschel, Spitzer, GALEX, and 2MASS. We create a suite of gadget-3 hydrodynamic simulations of isolated and interacting galaxies with stellar masses comparable to those in our sample of interacting galaxies. Photometry for the simulated systems is then calculated with the sunrise radiative transfer code for comparison with the observed systems. For most of the observed systems, one or more of the simulated SEDs match reasonably well. The best matches recover the infrared luminosity and the star formation rate of the observed systems, and the more massive systems preferentially match SEDs from simulations of more massive galaxies. The most morphologically distorted systems in our sample are best matched to the simulated SEDs that are close to coalescence, while less evolved systems match well with the SEDs over a wide range of interaction stages, suggesting that an SED alone is insufficient for identifying the interaction stage except during the most active phases in strongly interacting systems. This result is supported by our finding that the SEDs calculated for simulated systems vary little over the interaction sequence.
A Generic and Scalable Architecture for a Large Acoustic Model and Large Vocabulary Speech Recognition Accelerator Using Logic on Memory

This paper describes a scalable hardware accelerator for speech recognition, which uses a two pass decoding algorithm with word dependent N-best Viterbi Beam Search. The observation probability calculation (Senone scoring) and first pass of decoding using a Bigram language model is implemented in hardware. The word lattice output from the first pass is used by software for the second pass, with a trigram language model. The proposed design uses a logic-on-memory approach to make use of high bandwidth nor flash memory to improve random read performance for Senone scoring and first pass decoding, both of which are memory intensive operations. The proposed HW/SW co-design achieves an overall speed up of 4.3X over a 2.4-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor running the CMU Sphinx speech recognition software, while consuming an estimated 1.72 W of power. The hardware accelerator provides improved speech recognition accuracy by supporting larger acoustic models and word dictionaries while maintaining real-time performance.
The EAL Domain Protein VieA Is a Cyclic Diguanylate Phosphodiesterase*

The newly recognized bacterial second messenger 3′,5′-cyclic diguanylic acid (cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP)) has been shown to regulate a wide variety of bacterial behaviors and traits. Biosynthesis and degradation of c-di-GMP have been attributed to the GGDEF and EAL protein domains, respectively, based primarily on genetic evidence. Whereas the GGDEF domain was demonstrated to possess diguanylate cyclase activity in vitro, the EAL domain has not been tested directly for c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase activity. This study describes the analysis of c-di-GMP hydrolysis by an EAL domain protein in a purified system. The Vibrio cholerae EAL domain protein VieA has been shown to inversely regulate biofilm-specific genes (vps) and virulence genes (ctxA), presumably by decreasing the cellular pool of c-di-GMP. VieA was maximally active at neutral pH, physiological ionic strength, and ambient temperatures and demonstrated c-di-GMP hydrolytic activity with a Km of 0.06 μm. VieA was unable to hydrolyze cGMP. The putative metal coordination site of the EAL domain, Glu170, was demonstrated to be necessary for VieA activity. Furthermore, the divalent cations Mg2+ and Mn2+ were necessary for VieA activity; conversely, Ca2+ and Zn2+ were potent inhibitors of the VieA phosphodiesterase. Calcium inhibition of the VieA EAL domain provides a potential mechanism for regulation of c-di-GMP degradation.
Cross‐species tests of 45 microsatellite loci isolated from different species of ungulates in the Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) to generate a multiplex panel

The Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) is an emblematic game species in Spain. To generate a battery of polymorphic markers for multiplex polymerase chain reactions for the Spanish red deer, 45 loci isolated in different species of ungulates were tested. Of the primers tested, 27 amplified but only 21 were polymorphic. Eleven of these markers were subsequently optimized for multiplex in four polymerase chain reactions. This allows analysing several molecular markers jointly to substantially reduce costs. Finally, we report descriptive summary statistics such as number of alleles for the former and also test of disequilibria and heterozygosity for the latter.
A Comprehensive Framework for Quadrature Spatial Modulation in Generalized Fading Scenarios

In this paper, we present a comprehensive framework for quadrature spatial modulation (QSM) in generalized fading channels. In particular, the performance analysis of QSM systems in the presence of imperfect channel knowledge and under correlated fading channels is presented. A simple and closed-form expression for the pairwise error probability (PEP) is provided. Based on the obtained PEP, a closed-form upper bound expression for the average bit error probability (BEP) is obtained. The analysis is unified in the sense that it is applicable for any fading channel once its envelope and phase distributions are available. As such, different generalized fading distribution models, namely, η-μ, κ-μ, and α-μ distributions, are considered. The obtained results clearly show the influence of the fading parameters on the average BEP. In the case of the α-μ fading channels, increasing α has larger negative impact on the average BEP compared with increasing μ. For the κ-μ channels, increasing μ results in increasing the average BEP dramatically when compared with increasing κ. In the same context, in η-μ fading channels, as μ increases the average BEP degrades whereas increasing η slightly improves the average BEP. In addition, it is demonstrated that transmit-antenna correlation significantly deteriorate the average BEP when compared with receive-antenna correlation.
Growth of Chlorella vulgaris and associated bacteria in photobioreactors

The aim of this study was to test three flat plate photobioreactor configurations for growth of Chlorella vulgaris under non‐axenic conditions and to characterize and quantify associated bacterial communities. The photobioreactor cultivations were conducted using tap water‐based media to introduce background bacterial population. Growth of algae was monitored over time with three independent methods. Additionally, the quantity and quality of eukaryotes and bacteria were analysed using culture‐independent molecular tools based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR‐DGGE) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR). Static mixers used in the flat plate photobioreactors did not generally enhance the growth at the low light intensities used. The maximum biomass concentration and maximum specific growth rate were 1.0 g l−1 and 2.0 day−1 respectively. Bacterial growth as determined by QPCR was associated with the growth of C. vulgaris. Based on PCR‐DGGE, bacteria in the cultures mainly originated from the tap water. Bacterial community profiles were diverse but reproducible in all flat plate cultures. Most prominent bacteria in the C. vulgaris cultures belonged to the class Alphaproteobacteria and especially to the genus Sphingomonas. Analysis of the diversity of non‐photosynthetic microorganisms in algal mass cultures can provide useful information on the public health aspects and unravel community interactions.
Selenium Supplementation in X‐linked Muscular Dystrophy

ABSTRACT. The selenium concentrations in serum and erythrocytes and the erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity were determined in 15 boys with the Duchenne type and in 5 boys with the Becker type of X‐linked muscular dystrophy before and during long‐term selenium and α‐tocopherol supplementation and compared with values in unsupplemented controls. The purpose of the treatment was to improve the muscular strength. Twelve of the 20 patients had pretreatment levels of selenium in serum that were within the 95 % confidence limit of the unsupplemented control children. The values in 2 patients, both with the Duchenne type of muscular dystrophy, fell below this level. Selenium supplementation in a daily dose of 6 μg/kg/day for 6 months caused a substantial rise in both serum and erythrocyte selenium, suggesting suboptimal pretreatment body contents of selenium. The greatest increases in both serum and erythrocyte selenium were observed in subjects with initially low selenium levels. Only in 4 of the 20 patients did the selenium supplementation result in a significant rise in erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity. As no sure improvement was noted in muscular strength during this treatment period, the Se dose was increased to 20 μg/kg/day. This resulted in a further rise in both serum and erythrocyte selenium, but not in erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity.