Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Screening for Mediators of Cardiac Function and Systemic Metabolism to Increase Longevity and Healthspan

Author(s): Min, Peter | Advisor(s): Engler, Adam J | Abstract: With age, cardiomyocytes’ regenerative capacity is highly compromised, and among many other maladaptive phenotypes such as hypertrophy, the total number of cardiomyocytes begins to diminish. To compensate for the heavier load and mechanical demand placed on the remaining cardiomyocytes, vinculin has been shown to be upregulated with age in the heart across organisms. In Drosophila Melanogaster, vinculin localizes at the intercalated discs (ICD) and costameres to help sustain the sarcomere lattice structure and generate a higher force production. In Aim 1, we tried to confer a similar improvement in cardiac function through therapeutic intervention. We screened several drugs that have been selected from Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA), such as forskolin, a potent adenylyl cyclase activator, and drugs that target the nitric oxide(NO)-cGMP pathway. Screening methods included both in vitro screening in S2R+ cells and in vivo treatment in wild-type flies. We have found that neither administrating forskolin nor targeting the NO pathway increases vinculin expression or localization in flies. Next, we wanted to investigate the relationship between cardiac contractility and systemic metabolism. In Aim 2, we validated that we can trace the metabolism of 13C-labeled glucose in the whole-fly. This allows for the investigation of differences in the glucose metabolism between the two genetic lines (vinculin-overexpressing line and the control line) across different ages. In Aim 3, we observed that impairing cellular respiration alone via treatment with a mitochondrial inhibitor is sufficient to bring about drastic cytoskeletal changes in S2R+ cells and, subsequently, mechanical function in dissected fly hearts.
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE MINAS GERAIS Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine

Pituitary adenomas are common intracranial tumors that occur sporadically. In some rare cases this condition is identified in familial clusters and has no involvement with other endocrine tumors, a disorder identified as Familial Isolated Pituitary Adenoma (FIPA). FIPA development has been associated with genetic abnormalities, especially in AIP gene, where germline mutations have been reported in approximately 20% of cases. Mutations in the MEN1 gene have been described in a subset of pituitary adenoma families, but with bona fide multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 feature. Mutations in prolactin receptor (PRLR) have also been associated to pituitary adenoma in animal models. Thus, in most FIPA cases the exact genetic defect that lead to disease development remains unknown. Therefore, the aim of this work is to determine the genetic basis of FIPA in a Brazilian family. The studied family is composed of three siblings presented with isolated prolactinsecreting pituitary adenoma diagnosed through clinical, biochemical and imaging testing. Sanger sequencing was used to genotype candidate genes AIP, MEN1 and PRLR. Further mutation screening was performed using whole-exome sequencing. In silico analysis and additional predictive algorithms were applied to prioritize likely pathogenic variants. No mutations in the coding and flanking intronic regions in the MEN1, AIP and PRLR genes were detected. Whole-exome sequencing revealed novel, predicted damaging, heterozygous variants in three different genes: RXRG, REXO4 and TH. The RXRG and TH possibly pathogenic variants may be associated with isolated prolactinoma in the studied family and the possible contribution of these genes to additional FIPA families should be explored.
Measuring Software Performance on Linux

Abstract Measuring and analyzing the performance of software has reached a high complexity, caused by more advanced processor designs and the intricate interaction between user programs, the operating system, and the processor’s microarchitecture. In this report, we summarize our experience on how performance characteristics of software should be measured when running on a Linux operating system and a modern processor. In particular, (1) we provide a general overview about hardware and operating system features that may have a significant impact on timing and explain their interaction, (2) we identify sources of errors that need to be controlled in order to obtain unbiased measurement results, and (3) we propose a measurement setup for Linux to minimize errors. Although not the focus of this report, we describe the measurement process using hardware performance counters, which can faithfully point to performance bottlenecks on a given processor. Our experiments confirm that our measurement setup has a large impact on the results. More surprisingly, however, they also suggest that the setup can be negligible for certain analysis methods. Furthermore, we found that our setup maintains significantly better performance under background load conditions, which means it can be used to improve high-performance applications.
Metacognition and the accuracy of retrieval: Integration of new ideas

There is a general agreement that remembering depends not only on the memory processes as such but rather that encoding, storage and retrieval are under the constant influence of the overarching, metacognitive processes. Moreover, many interventions designed to improve memory refer in fact to metacognition. Most attempts to integrate the very different theoretical and experimental approaches in this domain focus on encoding, whereas there is relatively little integration of approaches that focus on retrieval. Therefore, we reviewed the studies that used new ideas to improve memory retrieval due to a “metacognitive intervention”. We concluded that whereas single experimental manipulations were not likely to increase metacognitive ability, more extensive interventions were. We proposed possible theoretical perspectives, namely the Source Monitoring Framework, as a means to integrate the two, so far separate, ways of thinking about the role of metacognition in retrieval: the model of strategic regulation of memory, and the research on appraisals in autobiographical memory. We identified venues for future research which could address, among other issues, integration of these perspectives.
Absence of Human Papillomavirus in Benign and Malignant Breast Tissue

Background & Objective: Malignant breast tumors, which are one of the most important deadly cancers in women, like many other cancers, are proposed to be related to viruses etiologically. Proper management of breast carcinoma necessitates an identification of the etiological factors. Human Papillomavirus is considered to have an etiological role in breast carcinoma. We carried out this study to find out if Human Papillomavirus-DNA is present in the malignant and benign breast tissue in our patients. Methods: Seventy-five paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissues and 75 normal breast tissues and benign breast lesions were examined in this study (case-control) to look for Human Papillomavirus-DNA employing Nested Polymerase Chain reaction. The tissues were examined over a period of ten years in the pathology department of the Pathobiology Laboratory Center of Tehran. Results: No Human Papillomavirus-DNA was found in any of the malignant or control group specimens. Conclusion: Our results showed no evidence of Human Papillomavirus in cancerous and benign tissues, which is consistent with some other studies in English medical literature. More investigations using more specimens from different parts of the country are required to confirm the presence or absence of any connection between Human Papillomavirus and development of breast carcinoma in Iran.
The university as an open platform? : a critique of agility

The agile organisation is a concept in a whole series of supposedly new organisational concepts of recent decades. The demand for agility in the organisational context is based on the assumption that the environment develops increasingly disruptively and that organisations must adapt agilely to these disruptive developments. However, the theory of disruptive development is fraught with problems, and, thus, the theoretical and empirical basis of justification for agile organisation is rather weak. The article discusses the dilemmas of agile universities in the form of nine theses. Agility does not solve the main problem of the lack of innovation. Agility, as defined by the majority, is a form of passivity towards the environment, yet it is not only about adaptation, but also about active transformation. We do not need more agility, but rather more innovation. The concluding remarks set out in four points what remains of agility for the university.1
jz / CDMA With Interference Cancellation for Multiprobe Missions

lel processing simultaneously removes from each probe (user) the total interference produced by the remaining most reliably received probes (users) accessing the channel. The parallel processing can be done in multiple stages. The proposed scheme uses tentative decision devices with different optimum thresholds at the multiple stages to produce the most reliably received data for generation and cancellation of probe/spacecraft interference. The one-stage interference cancellation was analyzed for two types of tentative decision devices, namely, hard and null zone decisions. Simulation results are given for oneand two-stage interference cancellation for equal as well as unequal received power probes.
Evaluation of Nursing Handoff Skill among Nurses Using Situation-background-assessment-recommendation Checklist in General Wards

Patient's clinical handoff which is a critical organizational and clinical process is considered one of the fundamental responsibilities of nurses. In this regard, lack of tools and resources to be applied for this purpose threatens the life of patients. The present study aimed to investigate the nursing handoff skill among nurses using situation-background-assessment-recommendationquestionnaire. This observational research was carried out on 64 nurses in internal and surgical wards in selected hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran in 2018. The research population included the content of reports related to nursing handoff of nurses working in the hospitals. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were confirmed, and descriptive statistics were applied to evaluate the data. It is worthy to note that the majority of participants were female (68.8%). After the evaluation, patient information was reported in areas of current situation (90.0%), clinical background (10.0%), assessment of systems’ status (57.5%), and recommendations (92.5%). Based on the results of the study, less attention was paid to mentioning clinical background and assessing patients’ systems during nursing handoff, which necessitates the training courses on accurate reporting for nurses to ensure patient safety.
The impact of urban compactness, comfort strategies and energy consumption on tropical urban heat island intensity Giridharan, Renganathan; Emmanuel, Rohinton

The importance of studying tropical urban climate was recognised by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) as early as in 1981 but substantial improvements were seen only in the last two decades. However specific knowledge of tropical urban climate still lags behind that of temperate climate. In this paper, authors review the state of the art in tropical heat island intensity, its influence on building energy consumption and the effect of urban compactness in the tropics. The review is limited to peer‐reviewed journal publications found on four databases: Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar and Science Direct. The review indicates that although the tropical belt has large variations in topography, forest cover, land mass and development patterns, much of the current work is confined largely to Far East Asia, South Asia and South America. Future studies should focus on protocol for parameterisation and standardisation of measurement, in depth and scientific understanding of the influence of vegetation, water and topography, survey and monitoring of the context specific relationship between UHI and energy consumption, development of database for numerical model validation and improvement, and the context specific development of LCZ based institutional framework to integrate UHI mitigation strategies with environmental design guidelines.
Awareness, attitude, and knowledge of dental patients regarding dental implant treatment in an urban population: a cross-sectional study in Turkey

Introduction: Nowadays, the popularity of implant dentistry is increasing among a wide population, but the decision for, and the success of, dental implant treatment depends on the knowledge and expectations of patients. Objectives: The goal of this study is to show public awareness and knowledge of oral implants. Material and methods: A standardised questionnaire with 18 questions was carried out in 314 males and 230 females in the Department of Maxillofacial Radiology, Dental Science Centre, Gulhane Military Medical Academy. Descriptive statistics was used for the analysis. Results: In total 544 patients responded the survey. Only 6.9% of the participants had never heard of dental implants (n = 37). Another 36 participants could not describe dental implants. 22.8% of the 544 respondents reported that dental implants required the same care as natural teeth. The major reason of rejection of the implant treatment was reported as its high cost. In addition, the respondents thought that the main factor of implant failure was bad oral hygiene or faulty production of dental implants. Internet, TV, or newspapers were the main source of information about dental implants for 57.7% (n = 314) of the participants. Conclusions: This survey showed an acceptable level of awareness about dental implant treatment, but it also showed the need to provide more information to the patients about this treatment modality.
Effectiveness of Combined Problem-Based Learning and Flipped Classroom Strategies in Teaching a Medical-Surgical Nursing Course: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study

Institute of Health Science Suaka Insan Banjarmasin has been using Problem Based Learning (PBL) as an innovative teaching strategy since 2012. Students reported that they were not always enthusiastic with the processes and the tutors could not prevent the boredome during PBL implementation. The new teaching strategy is assumed to create new learning atmosphere, stimulate the students’s motivation, and gain the attentention to learn. These beneﬁts would have a great impact in improving higher order thinking, problem solving, critical thinking, and independent learning. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of PBL and the ﬂipped PBL (FPBL). A randomized control trial was conducted, 84 students were recruited and divided into non-experimental group (PBL) and experimental group (FPBL). Both groups were post-tested on their academic achievement,independent learning,and critical thinking skill after the learning process speciﬁcally, medical surgical nursing course: renal system.The comparison of students academic achievement was analyzed by using t-test and Mann-Whitney test was administered to analyze independent learning and critical thinking skill. Finding showed that the students in the experimental group gained higher score in all aspects than the control group and pvalue in three areas are <than 0,05. Therefore, the result revealed the new teaching method was effective in improving higher order thingking skill, critical thinking skill, and independent learning. The ﬁndings provided the option for the nurse educators in Institute of Health Science Suaka Insan to develop the transformative learning strategy by implementing the new teaching method.
EFFECTS OF DIETARY NUCLEOTIDES SUPPLEMENTATION ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND GROWTH PERFORMANCE RESPONSES OF LPS CHALLENGED BROILER CHICKENS

viii Resumo . ix Introduction . 3 Material and Methods . 4 Results . 9 Discussion . 11 Acknowledgments . 15 References . 16 Tables . 23 Figures . 30 Anexo . 34
A Generalization of Polarization Formula and Its Application in Phase Retrieval

In this paper, some generalizations of the classical polarization formula are used to recover the relative phase in phase retrieval problem. Theoretically, in order to reconstruct any signal from its intensity measurements by polarization formula, the amount of needed measurements can be same as PhaseLift method. The numerical simulation also illustrates its good effect in (affine) phase retrieval with additive white Gaussian noised intensity Fourier measurements.
Health Monitoring of Composite Structures Using a Novel Fibre Optic Acoustic Emission Sensors

Acoustic emission (AE) is a well-established technique for non-destructive testing of engineering structures. It has been used widely to infer damage and failure processes in composite materials. In recent years, there has been significant activity globally in the development of fibre optic AE sensors for integrated health monitoring of composite structures, with many examples in the literature. Fibre optic based sensors have a number of advantages over conventional AE sensors, based on Lead Zirconium Titanate (PZT) piezo-electric transducers. For example, their circular cross-section makes it easy to embed them in composites, they offer immunity from electromagnetic interference and they can be multiplexed. In this paper we report on the development and application of a new fibre optic AE sensor for health monitoring of composite structures. The sensor is based on a custom-made fused tapered coupler. The sensor is fabricated by thermally fusing two optical fibres and subsequently drawing them until the required coupling ratio between the fibres is reached. The sensor principle is based on the change in the coupling ratio of the fused tapered coupler when it interacts with an AE event. The variation in coupling ratio is detected by monitoring the light intensity at the output ports of the coupler in conjunction with appropriate signal processing. The sensitivity and performance of the fibre optic sensor is compared to conventional PZT transducers. The procedures for surface mounting the sensors within or on composite materials are presented. In this paper we correlate the AE recorded by surface-mounted fibre optic AE sensors with the various damage events occurring in a glass fibrereinforced composite material during mechanical testing. Damage in the composite was also studied by microscopic and edge-replication techniques.
Momentum-based Accelerated Q-learning

This paper studies accelerated algorithms for Q-learning. We propose an acceleration scheme by incorporating the historical iterates of the Q-function. The idea is conceptually inspired by the momentum-based acceleration methods in the optimization theory. Under finite state-action space settings, the proposed accelerated Q-learning algorithm provably converges to the global optimum with a rate of $\mathcal{O}(1/\sqrt{T})$. While sharing a comparable theoretic convergence rate with the existing Speedy Q-learning (SpeedyQ) algorithm, we numerically show that the proposed algorithm outperforms SpeedyQ via playing the FrozenLake grid world game. Furthermore, we generalize the acceleration scheme to the continuous state-action space case where function approximation of the Q-function is necessary. In this case, the algorithms are validated using commonly adopted testing problems in reinforcement learning, including two discrete-time linear quadratic regulation (LQR) problems from the Deepmind Control Suite, and the Atari 2600 games. Simulation results show that the proposed accelerated algorithms can improve the convergence performance compared with the vanilla Q-learning algorithm.
NEP

SLEPc is a parallel library for the solution of various types of large-scale eigenvalue problems. Over the past few years, we have been developing a module within SLEPc, called NEP, that is intended for solving nonlinear eigenvalue problems. These problems can be defined by means of a matrix-valued function that depends nonlinearly on a single scalar parameter. We do not consider the particular case of polynomial eigenvalue problems (which are implemented in a different module in SLEPc) and focus here on rational eigenvalue problems and other general nonlinear eigenproblems involving square roots or any other nonlinear function. The article discusses how the NEP module has been designed to fit the needs of applications and provides a description of the available solvers, including some implementation details such as parallelization. Several test problems coming from real applications are used to evaluate the performance and reliability of the solvers.
Time to Tweak the TTO: But How?

This paper examines the effect different specifications of the Time Tradeoff (TTO) task have on health state values. The new lead time TTO is compared to an equally viable method called lag time TTO, both in two time frames. We test whether the two methods yield comparable health state values and whether the relative importance of dimensions of health is similarly stable between TTO specifications. The tasks were applied online and compared to results from a study with identical TTO specifications but with a different mode of administration. Lag time TTO produced lower values than lead time TTO and the difference was larger in the longer time frame. The relative importance of different dimensions of health was affected by the duration of the health state. Generally, the lead time TTO performed in group sessions gave more favorable results than the online exercise based on feasibility and data quality.
Effective field theory of anisotropic inflation and beyond

We develop an effective-field-theory (EFT) framework for inflation with various symmetry breaking pattern. As a prototype, we formulate anisotropic inflation from the perspective of EFT and construct an effective action of the Nambu-Goldstone bosons for the broken time translation and rotation symmetries. We also calculate the statistical anisotropy in the scalar two-point correlation function for concise examples of the effective action.
Collision Avoidance in Pedestrian-Rich Environments With Deep Reinforcement Learning

Collision avoidance algorithms are essential for safe and efficient robot operation among pedestrians. This work proposes using deep reinforcement (RL) learning as a framework to model the complex interactions and cooperation with nearby, decision-making agents, such as pedestrians and other robots. Existing RL-based works assume homogeneity of agent properties, use specific motion models over short timescales, or lack a principled method to handle a large, possibly varying number of agents. Therefore, this work develops an algorithm that learns collision avoidance among a variety of heterogeneous, non-communicating, dynamic agents without assuming they follow any particular behavior rules. It extends our previous work by introducing a strategy using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) that enables the algorithm to use observations of an arbitrary number of other agents, instead of a small, fixed number of neighbors. The proposed algorithm is shown to outperform a classical collision avoidance algorithm, another deep RL-based algorithm, and scales with the number of agents better (fewer collisions, shorter time to goal) than our previously published learning-based approach. Analysis of the LSTM provides insights into how observations of nearby agents affect the hidden state and quantifies the performance impact of various agent ordering heuristics. The learned policy generalizes to several applications beyond the training scenarios: formation control (arrangement into letters), demonstrations on a fleet of four multirotors and on a fully autonomous robotic vehicle capable of traveling at human walking speed among pedestrians.