Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Drosophila metallopeptidase superdeath decouples apoptosis from the activation of the ER stress response

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis is a primary cause and modifier of degeneration in a number of genetic disorders. Understanding how genetic variation between individuals influences the ER stress response and subsequent activation of apoptosis could improve individualized therapies and predictions of outcomes for patients. In this study, we find that the uncharacterized, membrane-bound metallopeptidase CG14516 in Drosophila melanogaster, which we rename as SUPpressor of ER stress-induced DEATH (superdeath), plays a role in modifying ER stress-induced apoptosis. We demonstrate that loss of superdeath reduces apoptosis and degeneration in the Rh1G69D model of ER stress through the JNK signaling cascade. This effect on apoptosis occurs without altering the activation of the unfolded protein response (IRE1 and PERK), suggesting that the beneficial pro-survival effects of this response are intact. Furthermore, we show that superdeath functions epistatically upstream of CDK5, a known JNK-activated pro-apoptotic factor in this model of ER stress. We demonstrate that superdeath is not only a modifier of this particular model, but functions as a general modifier of ER stress-induced apoptosis across different tissues and ER stresses. Finally, we present evidence of Superdeath localization to the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. While similar in sequence to a number of human metallopeptidases found in the plasma membrane and ER membrane, its localization suggests that superdeath is orthologous to ERAP1/2 in humans. Together, this study provides evidence that superdeath is a link between stress in the ER and activation of cytosolic apoptotic pathways. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Genetic diseases display a great deal of variability in presentation, progression, and overall outcomes. Much of this variability is caused by differences in genetic background among patients. One process that commonly modifies degenerative disease is the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response. Understanding the genetic sources of variation in the ER stress response could improve individual diagnosis and treatment decisions. In this study, we characterized one such modifier in Drosophila melanogaster, the membrane-bound metallopeptidase CG14516 (superdeath). Loss of this enzyme suppresses a model of ER stress-induced degeneration by reducing cell death without altering the beneficial activation of the unfolded protein response. Our findings make superdeath and its orthologues attractive therapeutic targets in degenerative disease.
Motor Skills and Internalising Problems: Investigating the Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis

The ability to execute coordinated motor functions has an important influence on the trajectory of psychosocial development. Individuals with motor difficulties are at greater risk for negative psychosocial experiences, and report higher levels of internalising problems (anxiety and depression) relative to their typically developing peers. While first identified in samples of children diagnosed with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), a number of more recent studies have shown this link between motor competence and psychosocial outcomes is not restricted to clinical samples, and can persist into later life. Despite accumulating evidence of a link between motor skills and internalising problems, there have been only few efforts to investigate why this relationships exists. The Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis (Cairney, Rigoli, & Piek, 2013) provides a potential explanation for this relationship, claiming that this association is mostly indirect; having poor motor skills results in exposure to a cascade of negative secondary consequences that subsequently lead to internalising problems. While promising, limited research has tested the conceptual pathways posited by this framework. Each of the papers presented in this thesis share the common aim of evaluating the pathways between motor skills and internalising problems posited by the Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis. In combination, the empirical studies provide a unique evaluation of the framework, testing components of this framework in samples ranging from early childhood to adulthood. The first paper included in this thesis is a literature review of research relating to the Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis. The aim of this literature review was to develop a better understanding of the current state of empirical support for the framework. The findings from this literature review support an association between motor skills and internalising problems across the full continuum of motor ability, and provide several examples of support for the framework in both older and community populations. However, many of the key pathways contained within this framework were yet to be tested empirically. The findings inform the additional papers included in this thesis. The second paper in this thesis empirically evaluated an indirect association between motor skills and internalising problems via peer problems and two domains of perceived selfcompetence (physical and cognitive) in a community sample of young children aged 4 to 6 years (n = 197). Despite an increasing number of studies on the topic, few studies have investigated the stability of relationships contained within the Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis in the same cohort over time. Consequently, this study evaluated these relationships at two time-points. The first period of data collection occurred at pre-primary iv
Developmental changes of spectral parameter in children speech

The objective of this study is to analyze the developmental changes in the speech of children and adult. We quantified speech in terms of the mean power across 10 frequency bins between 0-2000 Hz in the population of 90 children (4-8 years old) and 27 adults. We found that with age, the harmonic structures in the speech increases, as the power spectra of adult is more distributed and has peaks at higher frequency bins than the younger children. To further support our findings, we have performed classification by different classification techniques and found the significant differences in the power spectra's of children and adults. This result can be used as a database for Indian children for doing comparative studies to find out speech abnormalities in the children with speech, language or brain disorder.
Noncovalent magnetic control and reversible recovery of graphene oxide using iron oxide and magnetic surfactants. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces , (3), 2124-2133.

The unique charging properties of graphene oxide (GO) are exploited in the preparation of a range of non-covalent magnetic GO materials, using microparticles, nanoparticles and magnetic surfactants. Adsorption and desorption is controlled by modiﬁcation of pH within a narrow window of < 2 pH units. The beneﬁt conferred by using charge-based adsorption is that the process is reversible, and the GO can be captured and separated from the magnetic nanomaterial, such that both components can be recycled. Hematite microparticles form a loosely ﬂocculated gel network with GO, which is demonstrated to undergo magnetic compressional dewatering in the presence of an external magnetic ﬁeld. For composites formed from GO and hematite nanoparticles, it is found that low hematite:GO mass ratios ( < 5 : 1 ) favour ﬂocculation of GO, whereas higher ratios ( > 5 : 1 ) cause overcharging of the surfaces resulting in restabilization. The e ﬀ ectiveness of the GO adsorption and magnetic capture process is demonstrated by separating traditionally di ﬃ cult-to-recover gold nanoparticles ( d ⇡ 10 nm) from water. The fully recyclable nature of the assembly and capture process, combined with the vast adsorption capacity of GO, presents obvious and appealing advantages for applications in decontamination and water treatment.
Peek Brush: A High-Speed Lightweight Ad-Hoc Selection for Multiple Coordinated Views

Linking+Brushing is a proven concept to reveal relationships across multiple views. Defining complex selections, however, may involve a significant interaction overhead. This paper proposes Peek Brush, a point-brush that is designed to temporarily select and highlight items hovered by the user's mouse cursor. This enables quickly skimming through the data to identify relationships between different data projections within seconds. The Peek Brush serves the purpose of defining a starting point to a more focused inspection using brushes with higher complexity. In order to achieve rapid visual updates, we discuss acceleration techniques like preprocessing, threading, and layering. As a result, the Peek Brush is able to scale to datasets with millions of entries. A case study demonstrates how the Peek Brush minimizes the interaction effort required from the user. It delivers a quick overview and reduces the time needed for the initial visual analysis step from minutes to seconds.
Variational Video Mask Generation

Video mask, which delimits the ROI (Region Of Interest) of frame, is frequently-used in video editing. Direct interpolation often needs the time-consuming manual modification. In this paper, we present a method of mask generation, which formulates the mask generation as a variation problem, and makes the mask field subject to the dual constraints from the video and keyframes. The differential solution can significantly maintain the spatiotemporal coherence.
“Maybe It Was Something Wrong With Me”: On the Psychiatric Pathologization of Black Men

Abstract The aim of this article is an analysis of the links between race and psychotic illness, psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, as well as psychiatric, police and prison violence against people with mental health problems. The analysis focuses on Black men who are more frequently diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders and who face more brutal treatment than other people with such diagnoses. We have adopted a multidisciplinary approach which draws insights from psychiatry, psychology, and sociology and challenges the biologistic interpretation of “mental illness. ” We take into account the United States and Britain – two countries with large Black minorities and an established tradition of research on these groups. Among the crucial findings of this study are the facts that racial bias and stereotypes heavily influence the way Black men with a diagnosis of psychotic illness are treated by the psychiatric system, police and prison staff, and that the dominant approach to psychosis masks the connections between racism and mental health.
Trust-enhanced visibility for personalized document recommendations

Documents are recommended by computer-based systems normally according to their prominence in the document reference network. Based on the requirements identified in a concrete use case for recommending scientific publications, the paper claims that merely measuring prominence is insufficient for high quality recommendations. We propose to use information from a trust network in addition to the document network in order to improve and to personalize recommendations. A trust-enhanced visibility measure integrates trust information and the classical reference based measures. A simulation study applies the new visibility measure to the presented use case.
The Influence of Music on Prefrontal Cortex during Episodic Encoding and Retrieval of Verbal Information: A Multichannel fNIRS Study

Music can be thought of as a complex stimulus able to enrich the encoding of an event thus boosting its subsequent retrieval. However, several findings suggest that music can also interfere with memory performance. A better understanding of the behavioral and neural processes involved can substantially improve knowledge and shed new light on the most efficient music-based interventions. Based on fNIRS studies on music, episodic encoding, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), this work aims to extend previous findings by monitoring the entire lateral PFC during both encoding and retrieval of verbal material. Nineteen participants were asked to encode lists of words presented with either background music or silence and subsequently tested during a free recall task. Meanwhile, their PFC was monitored using a 48-channel fNIRS system. Behavioral results showed greater chunking of words under the music condition, suggesting the employment of associative strategies for items encoded with music. fNIRS results showed that music provided a less demanding way of modulating both episodic encoding and retrieval, with a general prefrontal decreased activity under the music versus silence condition. This suggests that music-related memory processes rely on specific neural mechanisms and that music can positively influence both episodic encoding and retrieval of verbal information.
Visual and Phonological Codes in Letter and Word Recognition: Evidence from Incremental Priming

Critical issues in letter and word priming were investigated using the novel incremental priming technique. This technique adds a parametric manipulation of prime duration (or prime intensity) to the traditional design of a fast masked priming study. By doing so, additional information on the time course and nature of priming effects can be obtained. In Experiment 1, cross-case letter priming (a-A) was investigated in both alphabetic decision (letter/non-letter classification) and letter naming. In Experiment 2, cross-case word priming was investigated in lexical decision and naming. Whereas letter priming in alphabetic decision was most strongly determined by visual overlap between prime and target, word priming in lexical decision was facilitated by both orthographic and phonological information. Orthographic activation was stronger and occurred earlier than phonological activation. In letter and word naming, in contrast, priming effects were most strongly determined by phonological/articulatory information. Differences and similarities between letter and word recognition are discussed in the light of the incremental priming data.
Numerical Solution of Eigenvalue Problems for Alternating Matrix Polynomials and Their Application in Control Problems for Descriptor Systems

Numerical methods for eigenvalue problems associated to alternating matrix pencils and polynomials are discussed. These problems arise in a large number of control applications for differential-algebraic equations ranging from regular and singular linear-quadratic optimal and robust control to dissipativity checking. We present a survey of several of these applications and give a systematic overview over the theory and the numerical solution methods. Our solution concept is based throughout on the computation of eigenvalues and deflating subspaces of even matrix pencils. The unified approach allows to generalize and improve several techniques that are currently in use in systems and control.
Development of human primordial follicles to antral stages in SCID/hpg mice stimulated with follicle stimulating hormone.

In contrast to the many detailed studies of Graafian follicles, the biology of small follicles in the human ovary is poorly understood and the trigger for follicular growth initiation remains unknown. No practical model exists to study preantral follicle growth in the human because of their slow growth rate and lack of an effective culture system. We therefore tested ovarian xenografts as a new strategy to study the early stages of ovarian follicular growth in vivo. Mice homozygous for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and hypogonadism (hpg) received human ovarian xenografts under their kidney capsules. Follicle growth was assessed by morphology and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunostaining. The grafts were recovered after 11 (short-term) and 17 weeks (long-term), and serially sectioned. During the last 6 weeks of long-term grafting, mice were randomized to receive either placebo or 1 IU of purified follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) s.c. on alternating days. After 11 weeks of grafting, the most advanced follicles had a maximum of two granulosa cell layers. In the absence of FSH administration, follicles did not progress beyond the two-layer stage even after 17 weeks of grafting, and the oestradiol levels remained undetectable. In the FSH-treated long-term grafts, follicles had grown to antral stages and resulted in oestradiol levels as high as 2070 pmol/l. Growth initiation indices did not differ between control and FSH-treated grafts. This study demonstrates that follicles can survive and grow in human ovarian tissue grafted under the renal capsules of immunodeficient mice for at least 17 weeks, and indicate that xenograft models are potentially useful for studying human follicle development. Using this physiological model, we showed that FSH is required for follicle growth beyond the two-layer stage, although growth initiation is independent of gonadotrophin stimulation.
Interaural Coherence Preservation in Multi-Channel Wiener Filtering-Based Noise Reduction for Binaural Hearing Aids

Besides noise reduction an important objective of binaural speech enhancement algorithms is the preservation of the binaural cues of all sound sources. To this end, an extension of the binaural multi-channel Wiener filter (MWF), namely the MWF-ITF, has been proposed, which aims to preserve the Interaural Transfer Function (ITF) of the noise sources. However, the MWF-ITF is well-suited only for directional noise sources but not for, e.g., spatially isotropic noise, whose spatial characteristics cannot be properly described by the ITF but rather by the Interaural Coherence (IC). Hence, another extension of the binaural MWF, namely the MWF-IC, has been recently proposed, which aims to preserve the IC of the noise component. Since for the MWF-IC a substantial tradeoff between noise reduction and IC preservation exists, in this paper we propose a perceptually constrained version of the MWF-IC, where the amount of IC preservation is controlled based on the IC discrimination ability of the human auditory system. In addition, a theoretical analysis of the binaural cue preservation capabilities of the binaural MWF and the MWF-ITF for spatially isotropic noise fields is provided. Several simulations in diffuse noise scenarios show that the perceptually constrained MWF-IC yields a controllable preservation of the IC without significantly degrading the output SNR compared to the binaural MWF and the MWF-ITF. Furthermore, contrary to the binaural MWF and MWF-ITF, the proposed algorithm retains the spatial separation between the output speech and noise components while the binaural cues of the speech component are only slightly distorted, such that the binaural hearing advantage for speech intelligibility can still be exploited.
Adapter Generation for Extracting and Querying Data from Web

Accessing and integrating data from heterogeneous sources has become a significant challenge. So-called adapters provide the functionality for translating SQL queries into queries understandable by the source as well as converting the results into a common model. In this paper, we present our approach of an adapter for Web sources, which is configurable by specifying a sourcespecific extraction function. We focus on two main tasks: query modification in order to extend the source capabilities and data extraction. The extraction step bases on an operational description, that enables an interactive exploration of the result format during the development phase. Finally, we present our ideas for semi-automatic discovery of extraction patterns by analyzing example documents.
Joint Beamforming, Power, and Channel Allocation in Multiuser and Multichannel Underlay MISO Cognitive Radio Networks

In this paper, we consider joint beamforming, power, and channel allocation in a multiuser and multichannel underlay multiple-input-single-output (MISO) cognitive radio network (CRN). In this system, the primary users' spectrum can be reused by secondary-user transmitters (SU-TXs) to maximize spectrum utilization, whereas intrauser interference is minimized by implementing beamforming at each SU-TX. After formulating the joint optimization problem as a nonconvex mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem, we propose a solution that consists of two stages. In the first stage, a feasible solution for power allocation and beamforming vectors is derived under a given channel allocation by converting the original problem into a convex form with an introduced optimal auxiliary variable and a semidefinite relaxation approach. In the second stage, two explicit searching algorithms, i.e., genetic algorithm (GA) and simulated annealing (SA)-based algorithm, are proposed to determine suboptimal channel allocations. Simulation results show that the beamforming and power and channel allocation with SA algorithm can achieve a close-to-optimal sum rate while having lower computational complexity compared with the beamforming and power and channel allocation with the GA algorithm. Furthermore, our proposed allocation scheme has significant improvement in achievable sum rate compared with the existing zero-forcing beamforming.
Barriers to Eye Care Among People Aged 40 Years and Older With Diagnosed Diabetes, 2006–2010

OBJECTIVE We examine barriers to receiving recommended eye care among people aged ≥40 years with diagnosed diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We analyzed 2006–2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 22 states (n = 27,699). Respondents who had not sought eye care in the preceding 12 months were asked the main reason why. We categorized the reasons as cost/lack of insurance, no need, no eye doctor/travel/appointment, and other (meaning everything else). We used multinomial logistic regression to control for race/ethnicity, education, income, and other selected covariates. RESULTS Among adults with diagnosed diabetes, nonadherence to the recommended annual eye examinations was 23.5%. The most commonly reported reasons for not receiving eye care in the preceding 12 months were “no need” and “cost or lack of insurance” (39.7 and 32.3%, respectively). Other reasons were “no eye doctor,” “no transportation” or “could not get appointment” (6.4%), and “other” (21.5%). After controlling for covariates, adults aged 40–64 years were more likely than those aged ≥65 years (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 2.79; 95% CI 2.01–3.89) and women were more likely than men (RRR = 2.33; 95% CI 1.75–3.14) to report “cost or lack of insurance” as their main reason. However, people aged 40–64 years were less likely than those aged ≥65 years to report “no need” (RRR = 0.51; 95% CI 0.39–0.67) as their main reason. CONCLUSIONS Addressing concerns about “cost or lack of insurance” for adults under 65 years and “no perceived need” among those 65 years and older could help improve eye care service utilization among people with diabetes.
Use of space time block codes and spatial multiplexing using TDLS channel estimation to enhance the throughput of OFDM based WLANs

HIPERLAN/2, 802.11a, 802.11g and HiSWANa wireless local area networks (WLANs) employ coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (COFDM) and provide data rates of up to 54 Mbps in a 20 MHz bandwidth. In this paper, space-time block coding (STBC) and spatial multiplexing MIMO techniques are considered as a means of enhancing the performance of COFDM WLANs. To perform channel estimation for multiple transmit and receive antennas, it is necessary to make transmitted pilot signals orthogonal in space and time. In this paper, this was achieved using a Hadamard design. A time domain least square channel estimator was used to achieve high performance. Packet error rate (PER) performance results for the case of 2Tx and 2Rx antennas are presented and throughput enhancements are evaluated. It is observed that STBC doubles the link throughput for low SNR values. As expected, multiplexing achieves significant throughput enhancements at high SNR values at the expense of additional complexity.