Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Political Science Can Contribute to Public Health: A Response to Gagnon and Colleagues

*Correspondence to: Anita Kothari, Email: akothari@uwo.ca Copyright: © 2018 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Citation: Kothari A, Valaitis R, Etches V, et al. How political science can contribute to public health: a response to Gagnon and colleagues. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2018;7(3):288–289. doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2017. 103 Received: 9 August 2017; Accepted: 19 August 2017; ePublished: 6 September 2017
Detective mice assess relatedness in baboons using olfactory cues

SUMMARY The assessment of relatedness may be crucial in the evolution of socio-sexual behaviour, because it can be associated with fitness benefits mediated by both nepotism and inbreeding avoidance. In this context, one proposed mechanism for kin recognition is ‘phenotype matching’; animals might compare phenotypic similarities between themselves and others in order to assess the probability that they are related. Among cues potentially used for kin discrimination, body odours constitute interesting candidates that have been poorly investigated in anthropoid primates so far, because of a mixture of theoretical considerations and methodological/experimental constraints. In this study, we used an indirect approach to examine the similarity in odour signals emitted by related individuals from a natural population of chacma baboons (Papio ursinus). For that purpose, we designed an innovative behavioural tool using mice olfactory abilities in a habituation–discrimination paradigm. We show that: (i) mice can detect odour differences between individuals of same sex and age class in another mammal species, and (ii) mice perceive a higher odour similarity between related baboons than between unrelated baboons. These results suggest that odours may play a role in both the signalling of individual characteristics and of relatedness among individuals in an anthropoid primate. The ‘biological olfactometer’ developed in this study offers new perspectives to the exploration of olfactory signals from a range of species.
Trust Management Models for Digital Identities

Trust is an essential requirement to transact in the digital environment. Digital identity proves a user's presence, whereas the trust proves the standing and worthiness. Trust management can establish and verify the trust to give rise to new outcomes for online transactions such as increased perception towards buying and selling the goods and services, increased retention and loyalty, increased reputation and so on. This paper presents the need and significance of trust management in the digital environment, along with the various models and techniques available to manage the trust. A comparative analysis has been presented for the available models. The work has a lot of importance, considering the large scale proliferation of the digital environment as well as the electronic businesses.
What Elements of an Online Social Networking Profile Predict Target-Rater Agreement in Personality Impressions?

Social-Networking Websites (SNWs) like Facebook and MySpace are playing an increasingly prevalent role in everyday social interactions. But very little is known about the effectiveness of the various profile elements in conveying information about the personality of the profile owner. Here we examine 5,303 impressions made on the basis of a specially designed social networking website (http://www.YouJustGetMe.com) and on the basis of Facebook profiles. Our findings suggest that profile owners are generally seen by others as they see themselves; that when raters are judging unknown targets, rater-target agreement is stronger for female (vs. male) targets and for female (vs. male) raters; and several specific elements of profiles are associated with increased or diminished levels of rater-target impression agreement. The findings are important because they are the first to show how impression agreement may be affected by specific elements in SNW profiles.
Sublingual Immunization with M2-Based Vaccine Induces Broad Protective Immunity against Influenza

Background The ectodomain of matrix protein 2 (M2e) of influenza A virus is a rationale target antigen candidate for the development of a universal vaccine against influenza as M2e undergoes little sequence variation amongst human influenza A strains. Vaccine-induced M2e-specific antibodies (Abs) have been shown to display significant cross-protective activity in animal models. M2e-based vaccine constructs have been shown to be more protective when administered by the intranasal (i.n.) route than after parenteral injection. However, i.n. administration of vaccines poses rare but serious safety issues associated with retrograde passage of inhaled antigens and adjuvants through the olfactory epithelium. In this study, we examined whether the sublingual (s.l.) route could serve as a safe and effective alternative mucosal delivery route for administering a prototype M2e-based vaccine. The mechanism whereby s.l. immunization with M2e vaccine candidate induces broad protection against infection with different influenza virus subtypes was explored. Methods and Results A recombinant M2 protein with three tandem copies of the M2e (3M2eC) was expressed in Escherichia coli. Parenteral immunizations of mice with 3M2eC induced high levels of M2e-specific serum Abs but failed to provide complete protection against lethal challenge with influenza virus. In contrast, s.l. immunization with 3M2eC was superior for inducing protection in mice. In the latter animals, protection was associated with specific Ab responses in the lungs. Conclusions The results demonstrate that s.l. immunization with 3M2eC vaccine induced airway mucosal immune responses along with broad cross-protective immunity to influenza. These findings may contribute to the understanding of the M2-based vaccine approach to control epidemic and pandemic influenza infections.
Resting-State Multi-Spectrum Functional Connectivity Networks for Identification of MCI Patients

In this paper, a high-dimensional pattern classification framework, based on functional associations between brain regions during resting-state, is proposed to accurately identify MCI individuals from subjects who experience normal aging. The proposed technique employs multi-spectrum networks to characterize the complex yet subtle blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal changes caused by pathological attacks. The utilization of multi-spectrum networks in identifying MCI individuals is motivated by the inherent frequency-specific properties of BOLD spectrum. It is believed that frequency specific information extracted from different spectra may delineate the complex yet subtle variations of BOLD signals more effectively. In the proposed technique, regional mean time series of each region-of-interest (ROI) is band-pass filtered ( Hz) before it is decomposed into five frequency sub-bands. Five connectivity networks are constructed, one from each frequency sub-band. Clustering coefficient of each ROI in relation to the other ROIs are extracted as features for classification. Classification accuracy was evaluated via leave-one-out cross-validation to ensure generalization of performance. The classification accuracy obtained by this approach is 86.5%, which is an increase of at least 18.9% from the conventional full-spectrum methods. A cross-validation estimation of the generalization performance shows an area of 0.863 under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, indicating good diagnostic power. It was also found that, based on the selected features, portions of the prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, temporal lobe, and parietal lobe regions provided the most discriminant information for classification, in line with results reported in previous studies. Analysis on individual frequency sub-bands demonstrated that different sub-bands contribute differently to classification, providing extra evidence regarding frequency-specific distribution of BOLD signals. Our MCI classification framework, which allows accurate early detection of functional brain abnormalities, makes an important positive contribution to the treatment management of potential AD patients.
Biomimetic idealization of a mechanically coupled acoustic sound sensing mechanism

This paper presents the idealization of a mechanically coupled acoustic sensor mechanism for directivity with the use of polysilicon, which has ideal mechanical and electrical material properties in terms of micro-fabrication. A mathematical model related to mechanical sensitivity is developed as a function of the material properties and geometry of the sensor, which evaluates the characteristics of a two-degree-of-freedom-based lumped parameter model. A challenge in such a study is that the model needs to be simple but sufficiently sophisticated to capture the characteristics of the sensor mechanism. Eigen modes and frequencies of the mechanically coupled acoustic sensor mechanism are determined by an energy method using mode functions applicable to the complete system that are from admissible the mode functions chosen for the component elements of the system. The synthesis is accomplished by using equations of constraint that follow conditions imposed by force equilibrium and deflection compatibility at the junctions. Finally, the results are compared with those obtained by a full-scale finite element model developed in a commercial software package. The predicted first and second natural frequencies differed by less than 10% and 3%, respectively, in all test cases.
Predictive Markers of Honey Bee Colony Collapse

Across the Northern hemisphere, managed honey bee colonies, Apis mellifera, are currently affected by abrupt depopulation during winter and many factors are suspected to be involved, either alone or in combination. Parasites and pathogens are considered as principal actors, in particular the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, associated viruses and the microsporidian Nosema ceranae. Here we used long term monitoring of colonies and screening for eleven disease agents and genes involved in bee immunity and physiology to identify predictive markers of honeybee colony losses during winter. The data show that DWV, Nosema ceranae, Varroa destructor and Vitellogenin can be predictive markers for winter colony losses, but their predictive power strongly depends on the season. In particular, the data support that V. destructor is a key player for losses, arguably in line with its specific impact on the health of individual bees and colonies.
Respiratory failure in acute organophosphorus pesticide self-poisoning.

BACKGROUND Acute organophosphorus (OP) pesticide poisoning is a major clinical problem in the developing world. Textbooks ascribe most deaths to respiratory failure occurring in one of two distinct clinical syndromes: acute cholinergic respiratory failure or the intermediate syndrome. Delayed failure appears to be due to respiratory muscle weakness, but its pathophysiology is unclear. AIM To describe the clinical patterns of OP-induced respiratory failure, and to determine whether the two syndromes are clinically distinct. DESIGN Prospective study of 376 patients with confirmed OP poisoning. METHODS Patients were observed throughout their admission to three Sri Lankan hospitals. Exposure was confirmed by butyrylcholinesterase and blood OP assays. RESULTS Ninety of 376 patients (24%) required intubation: 52 (58%) within 2 h of admission while unconscious with cholinergic features. Twenty-nine (32%) were well on admission but then required intubation after 24 h while conscious and without cholinergic features. These two syndromes were not clinically distinct and had much overlap. In particular, some patients who required intubation on arrival subsequently recovered consciousness but could not be extubated, requiring ventilation for up to 6 days. DISCUSSION Respiratory failure did not occur as two discrete clinical syndromes within distinct time frames. Instead, the pattern of failure was variable and overlapped in some patients. There seemed to be two underlying mechanisms (an early acute mixed central and peripheral respiratory failure, and a late peripheral respiratory failure) rather than two distinct clinical syndromes.
Nitrogen metabolism in cyanobacteria: metabolic and molecular control, growth consequences and biotechnological applications

Abstract Cyanobacteria are one of the earliest branching groups of organisms on the planet, and during their evolutionary history were submitted to varying selective pressures. Nowadays, cyanobacteria can grow in a variety of conditions, using a large number of nitrogen sources. The control of the nitrogen metabolism in cyanobacteria depends on a fine-tuning regulatory network involving 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG), PII, PipX, and NtcA. This network answers to the cellular 2-OG levels, which reflects the cellular carbon/nitrogen balance, and as an output regulates gene expression, translation, protein activities and thus metabolic pathways. Hence, the diurnal regulation of growth may be directly dependent of this network, as it coordinates the use of photoassimilates towards either growth or the accumulation of reserves, based on the environmental conditions. Therefore, analysis of the nitrogen control network is not only important to comprehend the metabolic control of growth in cyanobacteria, but is also a target to improve cyanobacterial biotechnological potential. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms involved in the control of nitrogen metabolism and its potential role in the diurnal regulation of growth. Then, we highlight why a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the partitioning of carbon and nitrogen towards growth or storage would increase the biotechnological potential of these organisms.
Sparse Representation based Two-dimensional Bar Code Image Super-resolution

This paper presents a super-resolution reconstruction method based on sparse representation for two-dimensional bar code images. Considering the features of two-dimensional bar code images, Kirsch and LBP (local binary pattern) operators are used to extract the edge gradient and texture features. Feature extraction is constituted based on these two features and additional two second-order derivatives. By joint dictionary learning of the low-resolution and high-resolution image patch pairs, the sparse representation of corresponding patches is the same. In addition, the global constraint is exerted on the initial estimation of high-resolution image which makes the reconstructed result closer to the real one. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm for two-dimensional bar code images by comparing with other reconstruction algorithms.
Age-Dependent Sex Bias in Clinical Malarial Disease in Hypoendemic Regions

Background and Objectives Experimental models show a male bias in murine malaria; however, extant literature on biases in human clinical malaria is inconclusive. Studies in hyperendemic areas document an absence of sexual dimorphism in clinical malaria. Data on sex bias in clinical malaria in hypoendemic areas is ambiguous—some reports note a male bias but do not investigate the role of differential mosquito exposure in that bias. Moreover, these studies do not examine whether the bias is age related. This study investigates whether clinical malaria in hypoendemic regions exhibits a sex bias and whether this bias is age-dependent. We also consider the role of vector exposure in this bias. Methods Retrospective passive clinical malaria datasets (2002–2007) and active surveillance datasets (2000–2009) were captured for the hypoendemic Mumbai region in Western India. To validate findings, passive retrospective data was captured from a primary malaria clinic (2006–2007) in hypoendemic Rourkela (Eastern India). Data was normalized by determining percent slide-positivity rates (SPRs) for males and females, and parasite-positivity distributions were established across age groups. The Mann–Whitney test, Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, and Chi-square analysis were used to determine statistical significances. Results In both the Mumbai and Rourkela regions, clinical malaria exhibited an adult male bias (p<0.01). A sex bias was not observed in children aged ≤10. Post-puberty, male SPRs were significantly greater than females SPRs (p<0.01). This adult male bias was observed for both vivax and falciparum clinical disease. Analysis of active surveillance data did not reveal an age or sex bias in the frequency of parasite positivity. Conclusion This study demonstrates an age-dependent sex bias in clinical malaria in hypoendemic regions and enhanced incidence of clinical malaria in males following puberty. Possible roles of sex hormones, vector exposure, co-infections, and other factors in this enhanced susceptibility are discussed.
Clinical Importance of Somatostatin Receptor 2 (SSTR2) and Somatostatin Receptor 5 (SSTR5) Expression in Thyrotropin-Producing Pituitary Adenoma (TSHoma)

Background Thyrotropin-secreting pituitary adenomas (TSHomas) are a rare cause of hyperthyroidism. Somatostatin analogs have proved to be effective for inhibiting pituitary hormones secretion, working via interactions with somatostatin receptors (SSTRs). Moreover, antiproliferative activity of somatostatin analog is now demonstrated in several studies. In the present study, we determined the relative predominance of SSTR2 and SSTR5 subtypes among the different types of adenomas, especially TSHoma, and investigated the relationship between efficacy of short-term octreotide (OCT) treatment and SSTR expression. Material/Methods Serum hormone determinations and histological findings in resected tissue resulted in 5 diagnoses: 16 TSHomas, 8 acromegaly, 3 prolactinomas, 3 corticotropinomas, 4 clinically nonfunctioning adenomas (NFPAs), and 4 normal pituitary specimens. IHC was performed on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue in tissue microarrays. Results IHC of SSTR subtypes in the different cohorts showed SSTR2 staining intensity scores higher than SSTR5 in TSHoma, acromegaly and prolactinoma, whereas the expression of SSTR5 was stronger than SSTR2 in corticotropinoma and NFPA. SSTR2 and SSTR5 expressions were significantly higher in TSHoma than in other pituitary adenomas. OCT treatment for a median of 8.4 days (range: 3–18 days) and with a total median dose of 1.9 mg (range: 0.9–4.2 mg) showed a significant decrease of thyroid hormone levels (TSH [μIU/ml] in all patients. Patients with low SSTR5 expression presented a significantly higher TSH suppression rate (P values <0.05). Conclusions The present data confirm that somatostatin analogs should be considered as a medical alternative to surgical treatment, especially in patients with TSHoma, and short-term response to OCT therapy may be related to the expression of SSTR5.
Transcriptional control of yeast ribosome biogenesis: A multifaceted role for general regulatory factors

ABSTRACT In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a group of more than 200 co-regulated genes (Ribi genes) is involved in ribosome biogenesis. This regulon has recently been shown to rely on a small set of transcriptional regulators (mainly Abf1, but also Reb1, Tbf1 and Rap1) previously referred to as general regulatory factors (GRFs) because of their widespread binding and action at many promoters and other specialized genomic regions. Intriguingly, Abf1 binding to Ribi genes is differentially modulated in response to distinct nutrition signaling pathways. Such a dynamic promoter association has the potential to orchestrate both activation and repression of Ribi genes in synergy with neighboring regulatory sites and through the functional interplay of histone acetyltransferases and deacetylases.
Caveolar disruption causes contraction of rat femoral arteries via reduced basal NO release and subsequent closure of BKCa channels

Background and Purpose. Caveolae act as signalling hubs in endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Caveolar disruption by the membrane cholesterol depleting agent methyl-β-cyclodextrin (M-β-CD) has various functional effects on arteries including (i) impairment of endothelium-dependent relaxation, and (ii) alteration of smooth muscle cell (SMC) contraction independently of the endothelium. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of M-β-CD on rat femoral arteries. Methods. Isometric force was measured in rat femoral arteries stimulated to contract with a solution containing 20 mM K+ and 200 nM Bay K 8644 (20 K/Bay K) or with one containing 80 mM K+(80 K). Results. Incubation of arteries with M-β-CD (5 mM, 60 min) increased force in response to 20 K/Bay K but not that induced by 80 K. Application of cholesterol saturated M-β-CD (Ch-MCD, 5 mM, 50 min) reversed the effects of M-β-CD. After mechanical removal of endothelial cells M-β-CD caused only a small enhancement of contractions to 20 K/Bay K. This result suggests M-β-CD acts via altering release of an endothelial-derived vasodilator or vasoconstrictor. When nitric oxide synthase was blocked by pre-incubation of arteries with L-NAME (250 µM) the contraction of arteries to 20 K/Bay K was enhanced, and this effect was abolished by pre-treatment with M-β-CD. This suggests M-β-CD is inhibiting endothelial NO release. Inhibition of large conductance voltage- and Ca2+-activated (BKCa) channels with 2 mM TEA+ or 100 nM Iberiotoxin (IbTX) enhanced 20 K/Bay K contractions. L-NAME attenuated the contractile effect of IbTX, as did endothelial removal. Conclusions. Our results suggest caveolar disruption results in decreased release of endothelial-derived nitric oxide in rat femoral artery, resulting in a reduced contribution of BKCa channels to the smooth muscle cell membrane potential, causing depolarisation and contraction.
Good Teachers, Scholarly Teachers and Teachers Engaged in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: A Case Study from McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.

This paper defines and operationalizes definitions of good teaching, scholarly teaching and the scholarship of teaching and learning in order to measure characteristics of these definitions amongst undergraduate instructors at McMaster University. A total of 2496 instructors, including all part-time instructors, were surveyed in 2007. A total of 339 surveys were returned. Indices of good teaching, scholarly teaching and scholarship of teaching and learning were developed. The data illustrated a strong correlation between good teaching and scholarly teaching and between scholarly teaching and scholarship of teaching and learning. The perceived value placed upon teaching varied across the different Faculties. New instructors and those engaged in scholarly teaching and scholarship of teaching and learning perceived teaching to be more valued than their peers. Le present article definit et operationnalise les definitions d’enseignement efficace[1], d’enseignement erudit[2] et de la publication sur l'enseignement superieur[3] afin de mesurer les caracteristiques de ces definitions chez les enseignants de premier cycle de l’Universite McMaster. Au total, 2 496 enseignants, y compris tous ceux qui travaillent a temps partiel, ont ete sondes en 2007 et 339 questionnaires ont ete retournes. Les chercheurs ont elabore des indices d’un bon enseignement, d’un tres bon enseignement et d’un excellent enseignement. Les donnees illustrent une forte correlation entre un bon enseignement et un tres bon enseignement, de meme qu’entre un tres bon enseignement et un excellent enseignement. La valeur percue accordee a l’enseignement variait selon les differentes facultes. Les nouveaux enseignants pratiquant un tres bon enseignement et un excellent enseignement trouvaient l’enseignement plus utile que leurs pairs. [1] good teaching, [2] scholarly teaching, [3] scholarship of teaching and learning