Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A cytoplasmic variant of the KH-type splicing regulatory protein serves as a decay-promoting factor for phosphoglycerate kinase 2 mRNA in murine male germ cells

Phosphoglycerate kinase 2 (PGK2) is a germ cell-specific protein whose mRNA is translationally regulated in the mammalian testis. Using RNA affinity chromatography with the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of Pgk2 mRNA and adult testis extracts, several associated proteins including a novel isoform of the AU-rich element RNA-binding protein and KH-type splicing regulatory protein (KSRP) were identified. KSRP, a protein of ∼75 kDa, is widely expressed in somatic and germ cells where it is primarily nuclear. In addition to the ∼75-kDa KSRP, a ∼52-kD KSRP, t-KSRP, is present in the cytoplasm of a subpopulation of germ cells. t-KSRP binds directly to a 93-nt sequence (designated the F1 region) of the 3′-UTR of the Pgk2 mRNA and destabilizes Pgk2 mRNA constructs in testis extracts and in transfected cells. We conclude that this testicular variant of the multifunctional nucleic acid–binding protein, KSRP, serves as a decay-promoting factor for Pgk2 mRNA in male germ cells.
Early attachment quality moderates eating disorder risk among adolescent girls

Objective: There is growing evidence that children’s early relational environment has lasting implications for physical and mental health. In this paper, we test whether attachment insecurity in early childhood is associated with increased responsivity to risk factors for eating disorders (EDs; e.g. pubertal weight gain, maternal negative affect) during adolescence. Design: Hypotheses were tested with longitudinal data from 447 girls (final mean age = 15.1 years) over a 12-year period. Tests of direct effects, moderation and moderated mediation were conducted using nested structural equation models and bootstrapped estimates of direct and indirect effects. Results: Early attachment quality was not directly associated with disordered eating attitudes and behaviours (DEABs), but did moderate relations between adolescent ED risk factors and DEABs. Specifically, among girls with an insecure attachment history, higher BMI at age 15 directly predicted more DEABs, while maternal negative affect and pubertal weight gain indirectly predicted DEABs via greater preoccupation with parental relationships. These same direct and indirect paths did not emerge among adolescent girls with a secure attachment history. Conclusion: Results delineate one way early attachment quality may contribute to EDs among some adolescent girls, and support recent efforts to incorporate relational components into obesity and ED prevention programmes.
Motywowanie pracowników jako istotny element zarządzania organizacją. Nauki Społeczne = Social Sciences, 2013, Nr 2 (8), s. 156-182

Życie czlowieka bez motywacji nie mialoby sensu. Kazdy chce dbac o swoje zdrowie, uczyc sie, byc syty, miec gdzie mieszkac oraz pracowac. Motywacja sprawia, iz czlowiek sklonny jest do podejmowania roznych dzialan, w zalezności od tego, jaki cel chce osiągnąc. Dzialania te mogą byc jednorazowe, powtarzalne albo ciągle, wymagac malego lub wiekszego wysilku. Motywacja stanowi wiec chec robienia czegoś, wynikającą z zewnetrznych motywow. Zatem jest to suma wszystkiego, co popycha do dzialania, powstaje jako reakcja na niezaspokojoną potrzebe. W zarządzaniu motywacja jest wyrazona jako umiejetnośc polączenia celow poszczegolnych pracownikow z celami przedsiebiorstwa. (abstrakt oryginalny)
Trabeculectomy for normal tension glaucoma: outcomes using the Moorfields Safer Surgery technique

Aims To evaluate long-term outcomes and complications of trabeculectomy for normal tension glaucoma (NTG) with contemporary surgical techniques. Methods Retrospective consecutive, non-comparative case series of 131 eyes of 98 patients undergoing trabeculectomy between 2007 and 2013 in a dedicated NTG clinic. Data collected during routine clinical care were analysed. Assessment of clinical outcomes included intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction, bleb function, final visual acuity, evidence of glaucoma progression, postoperative complications and further surgical intervention. Surgical failure was defined as a failure to meet specified IOP-related criteria, the need to undergo further glaucoma surgery for raised IOP or loss of light perception vision. A further analysis was also performed which considered failure as glaucoma progression following surgery. Outcomes were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier life-table analysis. Results The cumulative percentages of unqualified success as defined by a ≥30% reduction of IOP from baseline preoperative maximum (95% CI; IOP of all eyes: mean±SD) at 1, 2, 3 and 4 years after surgery were 91.1% (84.1% to 95.1%; 9.7±2.9 mm Hg), 74.1% (63.7% to 81.8%; 10.3±3.0 mm Hg), 64.8% (52.7% to 74.6%; 10.6±2.5 mm Hg) and 62.1% (49.3% to 72.6%; 10.2±2.1 mm Hg), respectively. At 2 years of follow-up there was no significant association between either previous cataract surgery or ethnicity and failure. Cumulative percentages of unqualified success at 4 years after surgery as defined by a filtering trabeculectomy bleb or absence of glaucoma progression were 91.6% (83.2% to 95.9%) and 92.3% (81.3% to 97.0%), respectively. Postoperative complications such as early (2.3%) and late (0.8%) hypotony were significantly lower than suggested by the current literature. Conclusions Trabeculectomy in NTG patients undertaken using contemporary surgical techniques and intensive postoperative management is associated with more successful long-term outcomes and fewer complications than the currently available literature suggests.
Long-term changes in the material properties of brain tissue at the implant–tissue interface

Objective. Brain tissue undergoes dramatic molecular and cellular remodeling at the implant–tissue interface that evolves over a period of weeks after implantation. The biomechanical impact of such remodeling on the interface remains unknown. In this study, we aim to assess the changes in the mechanical properties of the brain–electrode interface after chronic implantation of a microelectrode. Approach. Microelectrodes were implanted in the rodent cortex at a depth of 1 mm for different durations—1 day (n = 4), 10–14 days (n = 4), 4 weeks (n = 4) and 6–8 weeks (n = 7). After the initial duration of implantation, the microelectrodes were moved an additional 1 mm downward at a constant speed of 10 µm s−1. Forces experienced by the microelectrode were measured during movement and after termination of movement. The biomechanical properties of the interfacial brain tissue were assessed from measured force–displacement curves using two separate models—a two-parameter Mooney–Rivlin hyperelastic model and a viscoelastic model with a second-order Prony series. Main results. Estimated shear moduli using a second-order viscoelastic model increased from 0.5–2.6 kPa (day 1 of implantation) to 25.7–59.3 kPa (after 4 weeks of implantation) and subsequently decreased to 0.8–7.9 kPa after 6–8 weeks of implantation in 6 of the 7 animals. The estimated elastic modulus increased from 4.1–7.8 kPa on the day of implantation to 24–44.9 kPa after 4 weeks. The elastic modulus was estimated to be 6.8–33.3 kPa in 6 of the 7 animals after 6–8 weeks of implantation. The above estimates suggest that the brain tissue surrounding the microelectrode evolves from a stiff matrix with maximal shear and elastic modulus after 4 weeks of implantation into a composite of two different layers with different mechanical properties—a stiff compact inner layer surrounded by softer brain tissue that is biomechanically similar to brain tissue—during the first week of implantation. Tissue micromotion-induced stresses on the microelectrode constituted 12–55% of the steady-state stresses on the microelectrode on the day of implantation (n = 4), 2–21% of the steady-state stresses after 4 weeks of implantation (n = 4), and 4–10% of the steady-state stresses after 6–8 weeks of implantation (n = 7). Significance. Understanding biomechanical behavior at the brain–microelectrode interface is necessary for the long-term success of implantable neuroprosthetics and microelectrode arrays. Such quantitative physical characterization of the dynamic changes in the electrode–tissue interface will (a) drive the design and development of more mechanically optimal, chronic brain implants, and (b) lead to new insights into key cellular and molecular events such as neuronal adhesion, migration and function in the immediate vicinity of the brain implant.
Optic-flow information extraction with directional Gaussian-derivatives

This work is intended to give some ideas to extract motion information from an image sequence. A directional energy is defined in terms of the 1D Hermite transform coefficients of local projections. Each projection is described by the Hermite transform, resulting in a directional derivative analysis of the input at a given scale. Gaussian-derivative operators have long been used in computer vision for feature extraction and are relevant in visual system modeling. We demonstrate that the Hermite transform coefficients of local projections are readily computed as a linear mapping of the 3D Hermite transform coefficients through some projecting functions. The directional response is used to detect spatiotemporal patterns that are 1D or 2D. Practical consideration and experimental results are also of concern.
Mineralocorticoid receptor activation is crucial in the signalling pathway leading to the Anrep effect

Non‐technical summary Myocardial stretch increases force in two phases. The first one is immediate and attributed to an increase in myofilament Ca2+ responsiveness (Frank–Starling mechanism). The second phase gradually develops and is known as slow force response (SFR) or Anrep effect due to an increase in intracellular Ca2+ transient. We previously showed that Ca2+ entry through reverse Na+/Ca2+ exchange underlies the SFR, as the final step of an autocrine/paracrine loop involving release of angiotensin II/endothelin, transactivation of the epidermal growth factor receptor, increased mitochondrial oxidative stress and a Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE‐1) activation‐mediated rise in Na+. In the present study we show that mineralocorticoid receptor activation is a necessary step between endothelin and epidermal growth factor receptor activation in the stretch‐triggered reactive oxygen species‐mediated NHE‐1 activation leading to the SFR.
Seminar: Verteilte Systeme – Sensor Network

The potential of collaborative, robust wireless sensor networks has attracted a great deal of research for its wide open range of application. As a major factor in wireless sensor networks, energy efficiency must be taken into account for its effect on the whole network performance and configuration. This paper first analyzes the power consumption characteristics of typical sensor node architectures and identifies the various factors that affect the system lifetime. Then it discusses the implication of these hardware constraints on the protocol design of wireless sensor networks.
Factors affecting outcome following transplantation of ex vivo expanded limbal epithelium on amniotic membrane for total limbal deficiency in rabbits.

PURPOSE To determine factors affecting the outcome of corneal surface reconstruction in rabbits with total limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), by using autologous limbal epithelial stem cells (LSC) ex vivo, expanded on rabbit amniotic membrane (AM). METHODS Left eyes of 52 rabbits were rendered totally limbal stem cell deficient by n-heptanol debridement of the entire corneal epithelium followed by surgical removal of 360 degrees of limbal rim. After cytologic verification of LSCD, the fibrovascular pannus of each cornea was removed. Group I (n = 10) received a rabbit AM transplant, whereas groups II, III, and IV (n = 42) underwent transplantation of LSCs cultured on rabbit AM (LSC-AM graft) derived from a small limbal biopsy specimen from the right eye. Clinical outcome was graded as a success if a smooth, avascular corneal surface was restored, a partial success if more than two quadrants of corneal surface were smooth, or a failure if the corneal surface was revascularized and irregular. RESULTS A long-term follow-up of more than 1 year was achieved. Compared with the 100% failure rate in group I, inclusion of expanded LSCs resulted in variable success rates in groups II, III, and IV (all P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that different suturing techniques, subconjunctival injection of long-acting steroid, and tarsorrhaphy used in groups II (n = 17) and III (n = 13) did not significantly alter the outcome (P = 0.89). However, the use of a larger graft and human AM as a temporary patch with the explant retained for 1 week in group IV (n = 12) significantly improved the success rate to 83% (P = 0.002). Among eyes showing clinical failure, there was a significant correlation between the logarithm of the first day when an epithelial defect was noted and the time of graft failure (r(2) = 0.60, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the presence of severe lid deformity was borderline significant when correlated with failure cases in all four groups (P = 0.069). CONCLUSIONS Ex vivo expansion of LSCs can be achieved by using rabbit AM culture. Such expanded LSCs can successfully reconstruct corneal surfaces affected by total LSCD. This animal model is useful to investigate culturing variables affecting epithelial stemness so that surgical reconstruction of corneas with total LSCD can be successfully performed. Furthermore, this model can be used to test the feasibility of gene therapies targeting LSCD in the future.
Detection of S-Nitrosothiol and Nitrosylated Proteins in Arachis hypogaea Functional Nodule: Response of the Nitrogen Fixing Symbiont

To detect the presence of NO, ROS and RNS in nodules of crack entry legumes, we used Arachis hypogaea functional nodule. The response of two cognate partner rhizobia was compared towards NO and GSNO using S. meliloti and Bradyrhizobium sp NC921001. ROS, NO, nitrosothiol and bacteroids were detected by fluorescence microscopy. Redox enzymes and thiol pools were detected biochemically. Nitrosothiols were found to be present but ROS and NO were absent in A. hypogaea nodule. A number of S-nitrosylated proteins were also detected. The total thiol pool and most of the redox enzymes were low in nodule cytosolic extract but these were found to be high in the partner microorganisms indicating partner rhizobia could protect the nodule environment against the nitrosothiols. Both S. meliloti and Bradyrhizobium sp NC921001 were found to contain GSNO reductase. Interestingly, there was a marked difference in growth pattern between S. meliloti and Bradyrhizobium sp in presence of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO). Bradyrhizobium sp was found to be much more tolerant to NO donor compounds than the S. meliloti. In contrast, S. meliloti showed resistance to GSNO but was sensitive to SNP. Together our data indicate that nodule environment of crack entry legumes is different than the nodules of infection mode entry in terms of NO, ROS and RNS. Based on our biochemical characterization, we propose that exchange of redox molecules and reactive chemical species is possible between the bacteroid and nodule compartment.
Work-in-Progress: Automated Named Entity Extraction for Tracking Censorship of Current Events

Tracking Internet censorship is challenging because what content the censors target can change daily, even hourly, with current events. The process must be automated because of the large amount of data that needs to be processed. Our focus in this paper is on automated probing of keyword-based Internet censorship, where natural language processing techniques are used to generate keywords to probe for censorship with. In this paper we present a named entity extraction framework that can extract the names of people, places, and organizations from text such as a news story. Previous efforts to automate the study of keyword-based Internet censorship have been based on semantic analysis of existing bodies of text, such as Wikipedia, and so could not extract meaningful keywords from the news to probe with. We have used a maximum entropy approach for named entity extraction, because of its flexibility. Our preliminary results suggest that this approach gives good results with only a rudimentary understanding of the target language. This means that the approach is very flexible, and while our current implementation is for Chinese we anticipate that extending the framework to other languages such as Arabic, Farsi, and Spanish will be straightforward because of the maximum entropy approach. In this paper we present some testing results as well as some preliminary results from probing China’s GET request censorship and search engine filtering using this framework.
Evaluating Functional Joins Along Nested Reference Sets in Object-Relational and Object-Oriented Databases

Previous work on functional joins was constrained in two ways: (1) all approaches we know assume references being implemented as physical object identifiers (OIDs) and (2) most approaches are, in addition, limited to single-valued reference attributes. Both are severe limitations since most object-relational and all object-oriented database systems do support nested reference sets and many object systems do implement references as location-independent (logical) OIDs. In this work, we develop a new functional join algorithm that can be used for any realization form for OIDs (physical or logical) and is particularly geared towards supporting functional joins along nested reference sets. The algorithm can be applied to evaluate joins along arbitrarily long path expressions which may include one or more reference sets. The new algorithm generalizes previously proposed partition-based pointer joins by repeatedly applying partitioning with interleaved re-merging before evaluating the next functional join. Consequently, the algorithm is termed P(PM)*M where P stands for partitioning and M denotes merging. Our prototype implementation as well as an analytical assessment based on a cost model prove that this new algorithm performs superior in almost all database configurations. *This work was supported in part by the German National Research Foundation DFG under contracts Ke 401/6-2 and Ke 40117-I. Permission to copy without,fee ull or part of this materiul is grunted provided that the copies crre not made or distributed for direct commercial advuntuge, the VLDB copyright notice und the title qf the publicm and notice is given rhcrt copying is by permission of the Very Large Dutu Base Endowment. 7i1 copy otherwise, or to republish, requires u,fee an&r special permission,from the Endowment. Proceedings of the 24th VLDB Conference New York, USA, 1998
Are the Causes of Bank Distress Changing? Can Researchers Keep Up?

Since 1990, the banking sector has experienced enormous legislative, technological and financial changes, yet research into the causes of bank distress has slowed. One consequence is that current supervisory surveillance models may no longer accurately represent the banking environment. After reviewing the history of these models, we provide empirical evidence that the characteristics of failing banks has changed in the last ten years and argue that the time is right for new research employing new empirical techniques. In particular, dynamic models that utilize forward-looking variables and address various types of bank risk individually are promising lines of inquiry. Supervisory agencies have begun to move in these directions, and we describe several examples of this new generation of early-warning models that are not yet widely known among academic banking economists.
Role of reactive oxygen species in cardiac preconditioning: Study with photoactivated rose bengal in isolated rat hearts

Oxygen radical scavengers have been shown to prevent the development of ischemic preconditioning, suggesting that reactive oxygen species (ROS) might be involved in this phenomenon. In the present study, we have investigated whether direct exposure to ROS produced by photoactivated Rose Bengal (RB) could mimic the protective effects of ischemic preconditioning. Methods In vitro generation of ROS from photoactivated RB in a physiological buffer was first characterised by ESR spectroscopy in the presence of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidone (oxoTEMP) or 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO). In a second part of the study, isolated rat hearts were exposed for 2.5 min to photoactivated RB. After 5 min washout, hearts underwent 30 min no-flow normothermic ischemia followed by 30 min of reperfusion. Results and Conclusions The production of singlet oxygen (1O2) by photoactivated RB in the perfusion medium was evidenced by the ESR detection of the nitroxyl radical oxoTEMPO. Histidine completely inhibited oxoTEMPO formation. In addition, the use of DMPO has indicated that (i) superoxide anions (O·-2) are produced directly and (ii) hydroxyl radicals (HO·) are formed indirectly from the successive O·-2 dismutation and the Fenton reaction. In the perfusion experiments, myocardial post-ischemic recovery was dramatically impaired in hearts previously exposed to the ROS produced by RB photoactivation (1O2, O·-2, H2O2 and HO·) as well as when 1O2 was removed by histidine (50 mM) addition. However, functional recovery was significantly improved when hearts were exposed to photoactivated RB in presence of superoxide dismutase (105 IU/L) and catalase (106 IU/L). Further studies are now required to determine whether the cardioprotective effects of Rose Bengal in presence of O·-2 and H2O2 scavengers are due to singlet oxygen or to other species produced by Rose Bengal degradation.
Resolution-Enhanced Harmonic and Interharmonic Measurement for Power Quality Analysis in Cyber-Physical Energy System

Power quality analysis issues, especially the measurement of harmonic and interharmonic in cyber-physical energy systems, are addressed in this paper. As new situations are introduced to the power system, the impact of electric vehicles, distributed generation and renewable energy has introduced extra demands to distributed sensors, waveform-level information and power quality data analytics. Harmonics and interharmonics, as the most significant disturbances, require carefully designed detection methods for an accurate measurement of electric loads whose information is crucial to subsequent analyzing and control. This paper gives a detailed description of the power quality analysis framework in networked environment and presents a fast and resolution-enhanced method for harmonic and interharmonic measurement. The proposed method first extracts harmonic and interharmonic components efficiently using the single-channel version of Robust Independent Component Analysis (RobustICA), then estimates the high-resolution frequency from three discrete Fourier transform (DFT) samples with little additional computation, and finally computes the amplitudes and phases with the adaptive linear neuron network. The experiments show that the proposed method is time-efficient and leads to a better accuracy of the simulated and experimental signals in the presence of noise and fundamental frequency deviation, thus providing a deeper insight into the (inter)harmonic sources or even the whole system.