Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Xylosyl- and glucuronyltransferase functions of LARGE in α-dystroglycan modification are conserved in LARGE2

LARGE-dependent modification enables α-dystroglycan (α-DG) to bind to its extracellular matrix ligands. Mutations in the LARGE gene and several others involved in O-mannosyl glycan synthesis have been identified in congenital and limb-girdle muscular dystrophies that are characterized by perturbed glycosylation and reduced ligand-binding affinity of α-DG. LARGE is a bifunctional glycosyltransferase that alternately transfers xylose and glucuronic acid, thereby generating the heteropolysaccharides on α-DG that confer its ligand binding. Although the LARGE paralog LARGE2 (also referred to as GYLTL1B) has likewise been shown to enhance the functional modification of α-DG in cultured cells, its enzymatic activities have not been identified. Here, we report that LARGE2 is also a bifunctional glycosyltransferase and compare its properties with those of LARGE. By means of a high-performance liquid chromatography-based enzymatic assay, we demonstrate that like LARGE, LARGE2 has xylosyltransferase (Xyl-T) and glucuronyltransferase (GlcA-T) activities, as well as polymerizing activity. Notably, however, the pH optima of the Xyl-T and GlcA-T of LARGE2 are distinct from one another and also from those of LARGE. Our results suggest that LARGE and LARGE2 catalyze the same glycosylation reactions for the functional modification of α-DG, but that they have different biochemical properties.
Genetically programmable optical random neural networks

Today, machine learning tools, particularly artificial neural networks, have become crucial for diverse applications. However, current digital computing tools to train and deploy artificial neural networks often struggle with massive data sizes and high power consumptions. Optical computing provides inherent parallelism and perform fundamental operations with passive optical components. However, most of the optical computing platforms suffer from relatively low accuracies for machine learning tasks due to fixed connections while avoiding complex and sensitive techniques. Here, we demonstrate a genetically programmable yet simple optical neural network to achieve high performances with optical random projection. By genetically programming the orientation of the scattering medium which acts as a random projection kernel and only using 1% of the search space, our novel technique finds an optimum kernel and improves its initial test accuracies 7-22% for various machine learning tasks. Our optical computing method presents a promising approach to achieve high performance in optical neural networks with a simple and scalable design.
Apomorphine and Levodopa Infusion Therapies for Advanced Parkinson’s Disease

Continuous infusion of levodopa or apomorphine provide constant dopaminergic stimulations are good alternatives to deep brain stimulation to control motor fluctuations in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). Apomorphine provides motor benefit similar to dopamine, but its long-term use is limited by compliance, mostly injection site skin reactions. Administration of levodopa/carbidopa by continuous duodenal infusion allows replacement of all oral medications and permits achievement of a satisfactory therapeutic response paralleled by a reduction in motor complication severity. However, this procedure is more invasive than apomorphine as it requires a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy Clinical experience with infusions shows that continuous dopaminergic stimulation of dopaminergic medications reduces dyskinesia and widens the therapeutic window in advanced PD.
As concepções de leitura de professores em formação inicial e continuada: encontros ou desencontros?

Resumo: Este trabalho tem por objetivo mostrar quais as concepcoes de leitura dos professores em formacao inicial e continuada. A fim de vislumbrarmos quais sao essas concepcoes e suas implicacoes, utilizaremos como postulados teoricos as contribuicoes de Braggio (1992), Martins (1992), Leffa (1996), Bronckart (2003, 2006), Clot (1999, 2006) e Cicurel (1974, 1996, 2001). A metodologia utilizada consistiu em uma entrevista com 25 professores em formacao inicial e de 25 professores em formacao continuada. A entrevista foi do tipo estruturada, contendo 10 perguntas. O resultado desta pesquisa nos mostrou que a concepcao de leitura dos professores em formacao inicial e mais voltada para uma concepcao interativa de leitura ao passo que os professores em formacao continuada tendem a ver a leitura enquanto um processo de decodificacao e interpretacao unica do texto. Isso nos permitiu concluir que e cada vez mais urgente a necessidade de motivar os professores das escolas para modificar as praticas, de dar condicoes para que outras praticas sejam adotadas e de se investigar por que nos novos tempos velhas praticas ainda permanecem. Palavras-chave: Concepcoes de Leitura; professores em formacao inicial; professores em formacao continuada. Abstract: This work aims to show that teachers' conceptions of reading in initial and continuing education. In order to see what these concepts and their implications are, we will use as theoretical postulates the contributions of Braggio (1992), Martins (1992), Leffa (1996), Bronckart (2003, 2006), Clot (1999, 2006) e Cicurel (1974, 1996, 2001). The methodology used consisted of an interview with 25 teachers in initial training and 25 teachers in continuing education. The interview was the structured type, containing 10 questions. The result of this research has shown that the design of initial training for teachers of reading is more focused on an interactive conception of reading while teachers in continuing education tend to see reading as a process of decoding and unique interpretation of the text. This allowed us to conclude that it is ever more urgent the need to motivate teachers of schools to modify the practice of giving conditions for other practices are adopted and to investigate why the new times old practices still remain. Keywords: Reading Conceptions; teachers in initial training; teachers in continuing education.
$V$ -Band High-Gain Printed Quasi-Parabolic Reflector Antenna With Beam-Steering

A novel design of printed <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band quasi-parabolic reflector antenna is discussed. Two possible excitation methods are proposed which are used subsequently to design a more complex antenna with beam-steering capability. The radiation performance of the designed antenna is studied using full-wave simulations based on the finite-element method. The simulation results are verified experimentally.
Ethanol‐induced liver fibrosis in rats fed high fat diet

Severe hepatic steatosis and focal necrosis of hepatocytes have previously been induced in rats by continuous intragastric infusion of ethanol and a diet containing only 5% fat as a per cent of total calories as reported by us previously. Since the ethanol diet fed ad libitum with such a low level of fat has previously failed to produce alcoholic fatty liver, continuously high blood alcohol levels achieved in this model appeared to be key in induction of the progressive pathologic lesions in the liver. In the current study, effects of increased fat intake on alcohol‐induced liver injury were investigated. Seventeen pairs of male Wistar rats were implanted with gastrostomy cannulas and infused with a liquid diet containing 25% of total calories as fat plus ethanol or isocaloric dextrose. Ethanol intake was progressively increased from 32% up to 47% of total calories to maintain sustained intoxication for 30 to 120 days. Light and electron microscopic examination of the liver revealed moderate to severe fatty infiltration in all of the ethanolfed rats, of which 14 had spotty or zonal necrosis in the centrilobular areas accompanied by polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cell infiltration. In addition, fibrosis was observed in association with the necrotic lesions or with large‐droplet steatosis. Reticulin and trichrome stains clearly demonstrated fine fibrosis, including perivenular fibrosis as well as septum formation progressing to bridging fibrosis. Furthermore, increased numbers of Ito cells and myofibroblasts were observed in the perivenular fibrotic areas. These results demonstrate striking potentiation of alcohol‐induced liver injury by the increased fat intake or by the concomitant decrease in carbohydrate intake. This model, which represents the first rat model to achieve such advanced experimental alcohol‐induced liver injury, possesses the obvious potential for further use in studies of ethanol‐nutrient interactions in the pathogenesis of alcohol‐induced liver injury.
Strangers in a foreign land: 'Yeastizing' plant enzymes

Expressing plant metabolic pathways in microbial platforms is an efficient, cost-effective solution for producing many desired plant compounds. As eukaryotic organisms, yeasts are often the preferred platform. However, expression of plant enzymes in a yeast frequently leads to failure because the enzymes are poorly adapted to the foreign yeast cellular environment. Here we first summarize current engineering approaches for optimizing performance of plant enzymes in yeast. A critical limitation of these approaches is that they are labor-intensive and must be customized for each individual enzyme, which significantly hinders the establishment of plant pathways in cellular factories. In response to this challenge, we propose the development of a cost-effective computational pipeline to redesign plant enzymes for better adaptation to the yeast cellular milieu. This proposition is underpinned by compelling evidence that plant and yeast enzymes exhibit distinct sequence features that are generalizable across enzyme families. Consequently, we introduce a data-driven machine learning framework designed to extract 'yeastizing' rules from natural protein sequence variations, which can be broadly applied to all enzymes. Additionally, we discuss the potential to integrate the machine learning model into a full design-build-test-cycle.
How children talk about what happened

ABSTRACT This study investigates the development of past tense expressions in the speech of children from 1; 6 to 2; 6. It is shown that this development depends crucially on the child's cognitive construction of the time dimension, as described by Piaget (1954, 1971). In this process two different cognitive routes are followed, depending on the type of event the child has to encode. Past events resulting in the end state of some object are gradually grasped and encoded by means of a practical process–effect coordination. Past states and activities, on the contrary, i.e. past events that do not result in an end state, are referred to through a more primitive distinction between a pretend vs. a real world. This difference is formally reflected in the differential past-tense marking appearing on verbs which describe the two different types of event.
Estonians’ views on Germans’ and Russians’ negotiation behavior: the entrepreneurial perspective

Abstract Our study explores how Estonians perceive Germans’ and Russians’ ne-gotiation behavior in the framework of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Negotiations are a means for entrepreneurial communication and as such they are influenced by the partners’ cultural backgrounds. Estonians were interviewed about their views on Germans’ and Russians’ behavior during negotiations. The results show that some perceptions are consis-tent with Hofstede’s findings, while there are differences as well. Our findings, along with other issues, bring up implications for entrepreneurs and three aspects are discussed. Limited experience and the perception of differences may lead to generation of stereotypes among entrepre-neurs. Therefore, education and thorough investigation would be benefi-cial for acquiring efficient negotiation behavior. Entrepreneurs can sus-tain the integration of the Russian population in Estonia if they are more informed about their partners’ cultural characteristics. Introduction
Multicentre randomized controlled trial of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker withdrawal in advanced renal disease: the STOP-ACEi trial

Background Blood pressure (BP) control and reduction of urinary protein excretion using agents that block the renin–angiotensin aldosterone system are the mainstay of therapy for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Research has confirmed the benefits in mild CKD, but data on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) use in advanced CKD are lacking. In the STOP-ACEi trial, we aim to confirm preliminary findings which suggest that withdrawal of ACEi/ARB treatment can stabilize or even improve renal function in patients with advanced progressive CKD. Methods The STOP-ACEi trial (trial registration: current controlled trials, ISRCTN62869767) is an investigator-led multicentre open-label, randomized controlled clinical trial of 410 participants with advanced (Stage 4 or 5) progressive CKD receiving ACEi, ARBs or both. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either discontinue ACEi, ARB or combination of both (experimental arm) or continue ACEi, ARB or combination of both (control arm). Patients will be followed up at 3 monthly intervals for 3 years. The primary outcome measure is eGFR at 3 years. Secondary outcome measures include the number of renal events, participant quality of life and physical functioning, hospitalization rates, BP and laboratory measures, including serum cystatin-C. Safety will be assessed to ensure that withdrawal of these treatments does not cause excess harm or increase mortality or cardiovascular events such as heart failure, myocardial infarction or stroke. Results The rationale and trial design are presented here. The results of this trial will show whether discontinuation of ACEi/ARBs can improve or stabilize renal function in patients with advanced progressive CKD. It will show whether this simple intervention can improve laboratory and clinical outcomes, including progression to end-stage renal disease, without causing an increase in cardiovascular events.
Towards generating protected fingerprint templates based on bloom filters

In order to satisfy the requirements for security and privacy of biometric enrolment data records, it is essential to protect this reference data by applying appropriate template protection schemes. Bloom filters have been applied successfully on iris biometrics and face biometrics and achieved good result in terms of irreversibility and biometric performance. In this paper we study, whether it is feasible to employ Bloom filters on fingerprint templates. In order to be resilient with fingerprint sample variations, a pre-alignment process is applied prior to binary template generation. After generating the binary template matrix, we propose to subdivide the matrix and achieve a variable size of the binary template. Experiments were conducted on public databases to confirm the proposed ideas. According to experimental results, applying Bloom filters on fingerprint template doesn't degrade the accuracy of the fingerprint recognition system. Therefore, we can conclude that it is feasible to apply Bloom filters on fingerprint biometrics.
Change in hepatocyte growth factor concentration promote mesenchymal stem cell-mediated osteogenic regeneration

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a crucial role in tissue repair by secretion of tissue nutrient factors such as hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). However, studies examining the effects of HGF on the proliferation and differentiation of MSCs used different concentrations of HGF and reported conflicting conclusions. This study aimed to determine the mechanisms by which different concentrations of HGF regulate MSC proliferation and osteogenic differentiation, and validate the mechanism in an animal model of early stage avascular necrosis of femoral head (ANFH). Our results demonstrate that a low concentration of HGF (20 ng/ml) preferentially promotes MSC osteogenic differentiation through increased c‐Met expression and phosphorylation, Akt pathway activation, and increased expression of p27, Runx2 and Osterix. In contrast, a high concentration of HGF (100 ng/ml) strongly induced proliferation by inducing strong activation of the ERK1/2 signalling pathway. As validated by animal experiments, high localized expression of HGF achieved by transplantation of HGF transgenic MSCs into ANFH rabbits increased the number of MSCs. Subsequently, 2 weeks after transplantation, HGF levels decreased and MSCs differentiated into osteoblasts and resulted in efficient tissue repair. Our results demonstrate that sequential concentration changes in HGF control the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MSCs in vivo. This phenomenon can be exploited therapeutically to induce bone regeneration and, in turn, improve the efficacy of pharmacological intervention for ANFH treatment.
Relationships among nutritional status, disease progression, and survival in HIV infection.

This investigation retrospectively studied relationships between survival in human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive outpatients receiving recent therapies (n = 77) and two markers of nutritional status, serum albumin and percent of usual body weight. Subjects were observed for an average of 186 +/- 8 days; 19% died within the study period. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regressions showed that older subjects who had lower CD4 counts, lower albumin levels, or had lost more weight demonstrated poorer survival. Albumin levels and weight loss were related to CD4 counts. The relative risk of death for subjects with low albumin levels (< 3.5 g/dl) was 3.6 times greater (p < 0.021, with 95% confidence limits [95%CL] of 1.2-10.9) than that for subjects with normal albumin levels (> or = 3.5 g/dl), even after controlling for age and CD4 counts. Similarly, after controlling for CD4 counts and age, subjects whose baseline body weights were < 90% of their usual weight had a greater relative death risk (8.3 times greater, p < 0.002, 95% CL 2.3-34.1) than those who had lost less. Survivors and nonsurvivors who had similar CD4 counts differed significantly in albumin levels (p < 0.05). Thus, nutritional status influences survival independent of CD4 counts.
Bioceramics for Hip Joints: The Physical Chemistry Viewpoint

Which intrinsic biomaterial parameter governs and, if quantitatively monitored, could reveal to us the actual lifetime potential of advanced hip joint bearing materials? An answer to this crucial question is searched for in this paper, which identifies ceramic bearings as the most innovative biomaterials in hip arthroplasty. It is shown that, if in vivo exposures comparable to human lifetimes are actually searched for, then fundamental issues should lie in the physical chemistry aspects of biomaterial surfaces. Besides searching for improvements in the phenomenological response of biomaterials to engineering protocols, hip joint components should also be designed to satisfy precise stability requirements in the stoichiometric behavior of their surfaces when exposed to extreme chemical and micromechanical conditions. New spectroscopic protocols have enabled us to visualize surface stoichiometry at the molecular scale, which is shown to be the key for assessing bioceramics with elongated lifetimes with respect to the primitive alumina biomaterials used in the past.
TMU at TREC Clinical Trials Track 2023

This paper describes Toronto Metropolitan University's participation in the TREC Clinical Trials Track for 2023. As part of the tasks, we utilize advanced natural language processing techniques and neural language models in our experiments to retrieve the most relevant clinical trials. We illustrate the overall methodology, experimental settings, and results of our implementation for the run submission as part of Team - V-TorontoMU.
Conservation et écotourisme : une lecture par la justice environnementale du cas des communautés voisines du Parc national de la Guadeloupe

La creation d’aires protegees entraine une modification des dynamiques territoriales. Ces modifications ne sont pas sans consequence pour les communautes voisines des aires protegees, les benefices n’etant pas necessairement redistribues equitablement entre les differents territoires. A partir d’un cadre d’analyse, inspire de la justice environnementale, nous aborderons la question des impacts lies a la creation d’aires protegees et plus specifiquement celle des relations entre le Parc national de la Guadeloupe et les communautes de sa zone peripherique.
Dynamic Replication Technique for Micro-Clouds Based Distributed Storage System

In this paper, we investigate a dynamic replica placement strategy to achieve minimum repair time during a complete loss of data center in large-scale distributed object storage systems while keeping the high availability and durability of the system as well as its balanced load and minimum network latency. Specifically, we address whether random placement is good for latency, availability, durability and load balancing, we also find out if there are better alternative placement strategies with better load balancing, moreover, we research which level of working unit - object or bucket - gives the best performance during migration. we show that a dynamic placement strategy reduces latencies, improves load balancing, and achieves faster repair times. In addition we show how the strategy with object placement help to get higher repair bandwidths and better load balancing with different object popularities, and the drawbacks of object migration in getting a higher repair bandwidth.
A 4Gb/s/pin 4-level simultaneous bidirectional I/O using a 500MHz clock for high-speed memory

A simultaneous 4-level bidirectional I/O interface for high-speed DRAM is presented. It performs at a data rate of 4Gb/s/pin with the use of a 500MHz clock generator and a full CMOS power rail swing. This I/O interface is fabricated on a 0.10/spl mu/m DRAM CMOS process in 330x66/spl mu/m/sup 2/. The transceiver performs 200mVx690ps passing eye-windows on the channel over 1.8V supply.
Reception of over horizon GPS propagation and earthquake precursors

The present paper reports the modification in refractivity prior to the Iran earthquake that had occurred on 16 April 2013 in Iran (28.10°N, 62.05°E). The reception of over horizon GPS signal from two GPS receivers Surat (21.16°N, 72.78°E) and Lucknow (26.91°N, 80.95°E) and results of atmospheric refractivity profile derived from Radio Occultation observations from COSMIC satellite obtained for epicenter region are presented in this paper. It is seen that atmospheric refractivity gets modified from 8 to 6 days prior to the earthquake at the epicenter.