Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genome‐wide mRNA–miRNA profiling uncovers a role of the microRNA miR‐29b‐1‐5p/PHLPP1 signalling pathway in Helicobacter pylori‐driven matrix metalloproteinase production in gastric epithelial cells

Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is associated with tumour progression, extracellular matrix remodelling, and cell proliferation. miRNAs modulate host gene expression during infection by pathogens such as Helicobacter pylori, which is associated with varying degrees of gastric pathology. In order to gain insight into the regulation of gene expression by miRNAs during H. pylori infection of gastric epithelial cells and its likely downstream consequences, we analysed the transcriptomes and miRnomes of AGS cells infected with H. pylori. In silico analysis of miRNA–mRNA interactions suggested that miR‐29b‐1‐5p was a likely regulator of pathways associated with gastric epithelial cell pathology. We validated PH domain leucine rich phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1), a negative regulator of the Akt signalling pathway, as a target of miR‐29b‐1‐5p. In an in vivo mouse model, we observed that infection with H. pylori was associated with upregulation of miR‐29b‐1‐5p and downregulation of PHLPP1. Transfection with either a mimic or an inhibitor of miR‐29b‐1‐5p confirmed that downregulation of PHLPP1 upregulates Akt‐dependent NF‐κB signalling leading to activation of matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9, players in the degradation of extracellular matrix during H. pylori infection. The secreted antigen HP0175 was associated with upregulation of miR‐29b‐1‐5p, regulation of metalloproteinase activity, and migration of AGS cells. Our study suggests that targeting the miR‐29b‐1‐5p/PHLPP1 signalling axis could be a potential host‐directed approach for regulating the outcome of H. pylori infection.
On-Demand Microwave-Assisted Fabrication of Gelatin Foams

Ultraporous gelatin foams (porosity >94%, ρ ≈ 0.039–0.056 g/cm3) have been fabricated via microwave radiation. The resulting foam structures are unique with regard to pore morphology (i.e., closed-cell) and exhibit 100% macroporosity (pore size 332 to 1700 μm), presence of an external skin, and densities similar to aerogels. Results indicate that the primary foaming mechanism is governed by the vaporization of water that is tightly bound in secondary structures (i.e., helices, β-turns, β-sheets) that are present in dehydrated gelatin films but not present in the foams after microwave radiation (700 Watts).
Learners’ search patterns during corpus-based focus-on-form activities: A study on hands-on concordancing

Our research explores the search behaviour of EFL learners (n=24) by tracking their interaction with corpus-based materials during focus-on-form activities (Observe, Search the corpus, Rewriting). One set of learners made no use of web services other than the BNC during the central Search the corpus activity while the other set resorted to other web services and/or consultation guidelines. The performance of the second group was higher, the learners’ formulation of corpus queries on the BNC was unsophisticated and the students tended to use the BNC search interface to a great extent in the same way as they used Google or similar services. Our findings suggest that careful consideration should be given to the cognitive aspects concerning the initiation of corpus searches, the role of computer search interfaces, as well as the implementation of corpus-based language learning. Our study offers a taxonomy of learner searches that may be of interest in future research.
Photoacoustic characterisation of vascular tissue at NIR wavelengths

Photoacoustic spectroscopy has been shown to be able to discriminate between normal and atheromatous areas of arterial tissue in the visible range (410nm-680nm). However, at these wavelengths haemoglobin absorption is also very high. This makes it challenging to apply photoacoustic techniques using an intravascular probe, as a significant amount of the excitation light will be absorbed by the blood present in the artery. In this study we investigate the use of a wider range of excitation wavelengths (740-1800nm) for discriminating between normal arterial tissue and lipid rich plaques and minimise the effect of blood absorption. Special attention will be given to the near infra-red (NIR) wavelength range (900-1300nm) as in this region blood absorption is relatively weak and there are expected to be significant differences in the absorption spectrum of each tissue type. To investigate this, tissue samples were obtained and imaged at a range of wavelengths, the samples were illuminated first through water, then blood. This study demonstrated that the photoacoustic technique can discriminate between normal arterial tissue and lipid rich plaques, even when blood is present.
The impact of game outcome on the well‐being of athletes

Abstract The present study examined the impact of game outcome on the well‐being of athletes. Participants from hockey and soccer teams completed mood and general health questionnaires indicating how they had been feeling over the past few days on three separate occasions. These were four to six days after a win; four to six days after a loss; and over 10 days since the last competition (control period). Differences in well‐being were observed following wins, losses, and during the control period. Specifically, athletes reported lower depression and anger after a win compared to a loss, while lower levels of vigour were observed after a loss compared to after a win and the control period. Lower somatic symptoms were reported after a win compared to after a loss and the control period. Lower anxiety and social dysfunction symptoms were reported after a win compared to after a loss. Future research should explore the mechanisms which might account for these findings
The energetic and oxidative costs of reproduction in a free‐ranging rodent

Summary 1. As understanding of the energetic costs of reproduction in birds and mammals continues to improve, oxidative stress is an increasingly cited example of a non-energetic cost of reproduction that may serve as a proximal physiological link underlying life-history trade-offs. 2. Here, we provide the first study to measure daily energy expenditure (DEE) and oxidative damage in a wild population. We measured both traits on eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) and assessed their relationships with age, reproductive status, litter size and environmental conditions. 3. We found that both physiological traits were correlated with environmental characteristics (e.g. temperature, seasons). DEE tended to increase with decreasing temperature, while oxidative damage was lower in spring, after a winter of torpor expression, than in autumn. We also found that DEE decreased with age, while oxidative damage was elevated in young individuals, reduced in animals of intermediate age and tended to increase at older age. 4. After controlling for age and environmental variables, we found that both female DEE and oxidative damage increased with litter size, although the latter increased weakly. 5. Our results corroborate findings from laboratory studies but highlight the importance of considering environmental conditions, age and reproductive status in broader analyses of the causes and consequences of physiological costs of reproduction in wild animals.
No Impact of Body Mass Index on Outcome in Stroke Patients Treated with IV Thrombolysis BMI and IV Thrombolysis Outcome

Background and Purpose The impact of excess body weight on prognosis after stroke is controversial. Many studies report higher survival rates in obese patients (“obesity paradox”). Recently, obesity has been linked to worse outcomes after intravenous (IV) thrombolysis, but the number and sample size of these studies were small. Here, we aimed to assess the relationship between body weight and stroke outcome after IV thrombolysis in a large cohort study. Methods In a prospective observational multicenter study, we analyzed baseline and outcome data of 896 ischemic stroke patients who underwent IV thrombolysis. Patients were categorized according to body mass index (BMI) as underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5–24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25–29.9 kg/m2), obese (30–34.9 kg/m2) or severely obese (>35 kg/m2). Using uni- and multivariate modeling, we assessed the relationship of BMI with favorable outcome (defined as modified Rankin Scale 0 or 1) and mortality 3 months after stroke as well as the occurrence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhages (sICH). We also measured the incidence of patients that had an early neurological improvement of >40% on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) after 24 hours. Results Among 896 patients, 321 were normal weight (35.8%), 22 underweight (2.5%), 378 overweight (42.2%), 123 obese (13.7%) and 52 severely obese (5.8%). Three-month mortality was comparable in obese vs. non-obese patients (8.1% vs. 8.3%) and did not differ significantly among different BMI groups. This was also true for favorable clinical outcome, risk of sICH and early neurological improvement on NIHSS at 24 hours. These results remained unchanged after adjusting for potential confounding factors in the multivariate analyses. Conclusion BMI was not related to clinical outcomes in stroke patients treated with IVT. Our data suggest that the current weight-adapted dosage scheme of IV alteplase is appropriate for different body weight groups, and challenge the existence of the obesity paradox after stroke.
Design, Implementation and Verification of Cloud Architecture for Monitoring a Virtual Machine's Security Health

Cloud customers need assurances regarding the security of their virtual machines (VMs), operating within an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud system. This is complicated by the customer not knowing where his VM is executing, and on the semantic gap between what the customer wants to know versus what can be measured in the cloud. We present CloudMonatt, an architecture for monitoring a VM's security health. We show a full prototype based on the OpenStack open source cloud software. We also verify CloudMonatt to show that there are no security vulnerabilities that could allow an attacker to subvert its protection. As such, we conduct a systematic security verification of CloudMonatt. We model and verify the network protocols within the distributed system, as well as interactions of hardware/software modules inside the cloud server. Our results show that CloudMonatt is capable of delivering this monitoring and attestation service to customers in an unforgeable and reliable manner.
Attachment and sexual functioning in women and men seeking fertility treatment

Abstract Objective: The purpose of the study was to examine the frequency of sexual difficulties and the associations among attachment insecurities (anxiety, avoidance) and sexual functioning (problems with sexual function, sexual dissatisfaction) in women and couples seeking fertility treatment. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 88 Canadian women and 45 couples receiving fertility treatments completed self-reported measures of adult attachment and sexual functioning. Results: The frequency of problems in sexual function varied from 14.8% (pain) to 58.0% (desire) in women and from 6.7% (satisfaction with orgasm) to 28.9% (desire) in men. Among women, attachment-related avoidance predicted their low levels of sexual satisfaction (β = −0.30, p = .007) and sexual pain (β = 0.22, p = .044). Dyadic analyses revealed associations between men’s attachment-related anxiety and their difficulties in reaching erection (β = 0.30, p = .042) and orgasm (β = 0.33, p = .009). Anxiety in women was related to their lubrication difficulties (β = 0.44, p = .006). One partner effect was found: men’s avoidance was related to their partners’ difficulty in achieving orgasms (β = 0.39, p = .045). Conclusions: Results support the pertinence of attachment theory and the relevance of using dyadic designs to understand sexuality in couples seeking fertility treatment.
Polysubstituted ferrocenes as tunable redox mediators

A series of four ferrocenyl ester compounds, 1-methoxycarbonyl- (1), 1,1’-bis(methoxycarbonyl)- (2), 1,1’,3-tris(methoxycarbonyl)- (3) and 1,1’,3,3’-tetrakis(methoxycarbonyl)ferrocene (4), has been studied with respect to their potential use as redox mediators. The impact of the number and position of ester groups present in 1–4 on the electrochemical potential E1/2 is correlated with the sum of Hammett constants. The 1/1+–4/4+ redox couples are chemically stable under the conditions of electrolysis as demonstrated by IR and UV–vis spectroelectrochemical methods. The energies of the C=O stretching vibrations of the ester moieties and the energies of the UV–vis absorptions of 1–4 and 1+–4+ correlate with the number of ester groups. Paramagnetic 1H NMR redox titration experiments give access to the chemical shifts of 1+–4+ and underline the fast electron self-exchange of the ferrocene/ferrocenium redox couples, required for rapid redox mediation in organic electrosynthesis.
Towards using transfer learning for Botnet Detection

Botnet Detection has been an active research area over the last decades. Researchers have been working hard to develop effective techniques to detect Botnets. From reviewing existing approaches it can be noticed that many of them target specific Botnets. Also, many approaches try to identify any Botnet activity by analysing network traffic. They achieve this by concatenating existing Botnet datasets to obtain larger datasets, building predictive models using these datasets and then employing these models to predict whether network traffic is safe or harmful. The problem with the first approaches is that data is usually scarce and costly to obtain. By using small amounts of data, the quality of predictive models will always be questionable. On the other hand, the problem with the second approaches is that it is not always correct to concatenate datasets containing network traffic from different Botnets. Datasets can have different distributions which means they can downgrade the predictive performance of machine learning models. Our idea is instead of concatenating datasets, we propose using transfer learning approaches to carefully decide what data to use. Our hypothesis is “Predictive Performance can be improved by using transfer learning techniques across datasets containing network traffic from different Botnets”.
Universal Stress Proteins Are Important for Oxidative and Acid Stress Resistance and Growth of Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e In Vitro and In Vivo

Background Pathogenic bacteria maintain a multifaceted apparatus to resist damage caused by external stimuli. As part of this, the universal stress protein A (UspA) and its homologues, initially discovered in Escherichia coli K-12 were shown to possess an important role in stress resistance and growth in several bacterial species. Methods and Findings We conducted a study to assess the role of three homologous proteins containing the UspA domain in the facultative intracellular human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes under different stress conditions. The growth properties of three UspA deletion mutants (Δlmo0515, Δlmo1580 and Δlmo2673) were examined either following challenge with a sublethal concentration of hydrogen peroxide or under acidic conditions. We also examined their ability for intracellular survival within murine macrophages. Virulence and growth of usp mutants were further characterized in invertebrate and vertebrate infection models. Tolerance to acidic stress was clearly reduced in Δlmo1580 and Δlmo0515, while oxidative stress dramatically diminished growth in all mutants. Survival within macrophages was significantly decreased in Δlmo1580 and Δlmo2673 as compared to the wild-type strain. Viability of infected Galleria mellonella larvae was markedly higher when injected with Δlmo1580 or Δlmo2673 as compared to wild-type strain inoculation, indicating impaired virulence of bacteria lacking these usp genes. Finally, we observed severely restricted growth of all chromosomal deletion mutants in mice livers and spleens as compared to the load of wild-type bacteria following infection. Conclusion This work provides distinct evidence that universal stress proteins are strongly involved in listerial stress response and survival under both in vitro and in vivo growth conditions.
Associations between over-winter survival and resting metabolic rate in juvenile North American red squirrels

Summary 1. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) varies considerably among and within species. Two central questions in physiological ecology are whether values of RMR are repeatable and whether an association exists between RMR and fitness. 2. First, we investigated the repeatability of RMR in food hoarding, juvenile, North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Erxleben). Second, we explored links between RMR and survival. A low RMR may enhance survival if it reduces winter expenditure costs and/or allows more energy to be allocated towards autumn food hoarding. Alternately, a high RMR may enhance survival if it enables juveniles to hoard more food by increasing the throughput of energy available for investment in hoarding activities. 3. Resting metabolic rate adjusted for body mass, was repeatable in both males and females (r = 0·77) over a short-term (mean 24·3 days) but only among females (r = 0·72) over a long-term interval (mean 192 days). 4. Heavier juveniles and those with a lower RMR relative to their body mass were more likely to survive over-winter. Multiple selection models found significant selection for a decreased RMR (β′ = −0·56 ± 0·16) and increased mass (β′ = 0·69 ± 0·17). Survivors also tended to have more food stored within their hoard. 5. A low RMR relative to body mass and large body mass may have allowed individuals to minimize the expenditure costs related to a larger body mass, while maximizing thermal inertia.
GO5.0: The joint NERC-Met Office NEMO global ocean model for use in coupled and forced applications

Abstract. We describe a new Global Ocean standard configuration (GO5.0) at eddy-permitting resolution, developed jointly between the National Oceanography Centre and the Met Office as part of the Joint Ocean Modelling Programme (JOMP), a working group of the UK's National Centre for Ocean Forecasting (NCOF) and part of the Joint Weather and Climate Research Programme (JWCRP). The configuration has been developed with the seamless approach to modelling in mind for ocean modelling across timescales and for a range of applications, from short-range ocean forecasting through seasonal forecasting to climate predictions as well as research use. The configuration has been coupled with sea ice (GSI5.0), atmosphere (GA5.0), and land-surface (GL5.0) configurations to form a standard coupled global model (GC1). The GO5.0 model will become the basis for the ocean model component of the Forecasting Ocean Assimilation Model, which provides forced short-range forecasting services. The GC1 or future releases of it will be used in coupled short-range ocean forecasting, seasonal forecasting, decadal prediction and for climate prediction as part of the UK Earth System Model. A 30-year integration of GO5.0, run with CORE2 (Common Ocean-ice Reference Experiments) surface forcing from 1976 to 2005, is described, and the performance of the model in the final 10 years of the integration is evaluated against observations and against a comparable integration of an existing standard configuration, GO1. An additional set of 10-year sensitivity studies, carried out to attribute changes in the model performance to individual changes in the model physics, is also analysed. GO5.0 is found to have substantially reduced subsurface drift above the depth of the thermocline relative to GO1, and also shows a significant improvement in the representation of the annual cycle of surface temperature and mixed layer depth.
Mobile business performance metrics: Framework and case study

The increases in mobile-phone users changed paradigms in mobile business and extended business area and its applications. Therefore, various attempts have been made to succeed in mobile business. In this study, performance indicators for measuring business performance are proposed, also using proposed performance indicators framework for analyzing usage-focused mobile business is suggested. Based on the characteristics of mobile business, performance indicators are classified to Customer Retention and Product Engagement. The customer's usage data automatically collected from mobile application is analyzed by 2 performance indicators. In this paper, we will suggest the mobile business analysis framework for performance indicators, and introduce the result of analysis through case-study. The suggestion and mobile business analysis framework from this study support decision making in mobile business area such as mobile marketing and mobile commerce.
MATLAB Simulation for Fixed Gain Amplify and Forward MIMO Relaying System using OSTBC under Flat Fading Rayleigh Channel

— Performance Analysis of Fixed Gain Amplify and Forward Based Cooperative Diversity in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay channels is discussed in this paper. The paper simulates the bit error rate (BER) and channel capacity performance of fixed gain amplify-and-forward (AF) N×L×M MIMO relaying system using optimal power allocation under flat fading Rayleigh channel. The system consists of source (S), relay (R) and destination (D). Where N, L and M are the number of source, relay and destination antennas, respectively. Each node equipped with equal number of antennas such that N=L=M. The simulations cover the cases when N equal 2, 4 and 8. The channel status information (CSI) is perfectly known at both the relay and destination but not known at the source. Diversity was achieved through using orthogonal space-time block coding technique (OSTBC) at the source. OSTBC is used to encode the BPSK modulated signal before being transmitted through flat fading Rayleigh channel. At the destination, the received signals from both the relay and the source in two phases (time slots) were combined by Maximal Ratio Combiner (MRC) and detected by Maximum-Likelihood (ML) detector. MATLAB is used to simulate the BER and capacity performance of AF N×L×M MIMO relaying system. Also make a comparison between the BER and capacity performance of conventional N×M MIMO system and AF N×L×M MIMO relaying system under the same conditions. The fixed gain AF N×L×M MIMO relaying system simulations achieved low BER without need a high 𝐄 𝐛 /𝐍 𝐨 values compared with conventional N×M MIMO system
Biphobia and gender: A questionnaire study into the effect of gender of participant and bisexual target on attitudes towards bisexuality

Previous research into attitudes towards bisexuality has explored how the gender of participant and the bisexual individual each influence attitudes, but has overlooked an interaction between the two factors. This study aimed to examine the influence of both factors simultaneously. 290 participants (191=females; 99=males) completed the two scales of the Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality Scale (Mohr and Rochlen, 1999); one regarding male and one regarding female bisexuals. Their responses were analysed using a 2x2 mixed between-within subjects analysis of variance. Results indicated the gender of participant did not significantly influence attitudes, which contradicted the hypotheses and previous research (Steffens & Wagner, 2004). Gender of bisexual did have influence, with attitudes towards male bisexuals being more negative than towards female bisexuals. This supported existing research (Arndt, 2009), and the hypotheses. A significant interaction effect was also found, and post-hoc t-tests revealed male participants to have more negative attitudes towards male bisexuals than female bisexuals, whereas female participants were not influenced by the gender of the bisexual. This too supported the hypotheses. Thus, it was concluded that it is the gender of the bisexual that influences attitudes, rather than the gender of participant, which indicates male and female bisexuals experience different prejudices.