Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Web Based E-Learning and E-Psychology Modular Environment

This paper presents an electronic environment which supports activities of e-learning, as well as activities of e-psychology. This e-environment supports synchronous and asynchronous activities of teaching and learning through communicative and informative tools and services. These "tools and services", are constructed in a powerful modular environment which can be adjusted and modulated to support different scenarios - policies of teaching, learning and manipulating the knowledge circle, in an electronic way. On the other hand, the ideas of learning, of transferring the knowledge, of analyzing the end user (learner) needs, of analyzing the status and end user development, on supporting synchronous and asynchronous communication, between the learner and teacher - professor parts, are also included in the e-psychology circle and are procedures of it. As a result the e-learning and the e-psychological actions, like psychological support and consultation, are parallelized, and can be both supported by the aforementioned e-environment
Climate oscillation during the Quaternary associated with landscape heterogeneity promoted allopatric lineage divergence of a temperate tree Kalopanax septemlobus (Araliaceae) in East Asia

We investigated the biogeographic history of Kalopanax septemlobus, one of the most widespread temperate tree species in East Asia, using a combined phylogeographic and palaeodistribution modelling approach. Range‐wide genetic differentiation at nuclear microsatellites (G′ST = 0.709; 2205 samples genotyped at five loci) and chloroplast DNA (GST = 0.697; 576 samples sequenced for 2055 bp at three fragments) was high. A major phylogeographic break in Central China corresponded with those of other temperate species and the spatial delineation of the two temperate forest subkingdoms of East Asia, consistent with the forests having been isolated within both East and West China for multiple glacial–interglacial cycles. Evidence for multiple glacial refugia was found in most of its current range in China, South Japan and the southernmost part of the Korean Peninsula. In contrast, lineage admixture and absence of private alleles and haplotypes in Hokkaido and the northern Korean Peninsula support a postglacial origin of northernmost populations. Although palaeodistribution modelling predicted suitable climate across a land‐bridge extending from South Japan to East China during the Last Glacial Maximum, the genetic differentiation of regional populations indicated a limited role of the exposed sea floor as a dispersal corridor at that time. Overall, this study provides evidence that differential impacts of Quaternary climate oscillation associated with landscape heterogeneity have shaped the genetic structure of a wide‐ranging temperate tree in East Asia.
Regulation of Replication Fork Advance and Stability by Nucleosome Assembly

The advance of replication forks to duplicate chromosomes in dividing cells requires the disassembly of nucleosomes ahead of the fork and the rapid assembly of parental and de novo histones at the newly synthesized strands behind the fork. Replication-coupled chromatin assembly provides a unique opportunity to regulate fork advance and stability. Through post-translational histone modifications and tightly regulated physical and genetic interactions between chromatin assembly factors and replisome components, chromatin assembly: (1) controls the rate of DNA synthesis and adjusts it to histone availability; (2) provides a mechanism to protect the integrity of the advancing fork; and (3) regulates the mechanisms of DNA damage tolerance in response to replication-blocking lesions. Uncoupling DNA synthesis from nucleosome assembly has deleterious effects on genome integrity and cell cycle progression and is linked to genetic diseases, cancer, and aging.
Delay discounting, genetic sensitivity, and leukocyte telomere length

Significance This paper makes a singular contribution to understanding the association between biological aging indexed by leukocyte telomeres length (LTL) and delay discounting measured in an incentivized behavioral economic task. In a large group of young, healthy undergraduates, steeper delay discounting is significantly associated with shorter LTL, while controlling for risk attitude and health-related behaviors. Notably, we found that delay discounting and risk attitude—two fundamental determinants of economic preferences—are independently associated with LTL. Moreover, for the first time to our knowledge, the effects of well-studied oxytocin and estrogen receptor polymorphisms are shown to specifically moderate the impact of impatience on LTL. Our work suggests a path to integrate behavioral economic methodology to supposed biological mechanisms associated with health outcomes. In a graying world, there is an increasing interest in correlates of aging, especially those found in early life. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is an emerging marker of aging at the cellular level, but little is known regarding its link with poor decision making that often entails being overly impatient. Here we investigate the relationship between LTL and the degree of impatience, which is measured in the laboratory using an incentivized delay discounting task. In a sample of 1,158 Han Chinese undergraduates, we observe that steeper delay discounting, indexing higher degree of impatience, is negatively associated with LTL. The relationship is robust after controlling for health-related variables, as well as risk attitude—another important determinant of decision making. LTL in females is more sensitive to impatience than in males. We then asked if genes possibly modulate the effect of impatient behavior on LTL. The oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphism rs53576, which has figured prominently in investigations of social cognition and psychological resources, and the estrogen receptor β gene (ESR2) polymorphism rs2978381, one of two gonadal sex hormone genes, significantly mitigate the negative effect of impatience on cellular aging in females. The current results contribute to understanding the relationship between preferences in decision making, particularly impatience, and cellular aging, for the first time to our knowledge. Notably, oxytocin and estrogen receptor polymorphisms temper accelerated cellular aging in young females who tend to make impatient choices.
In good company: association between fungal glycans generates molecular complexes with unique functions

The biological properties of fungal immunogens have historically utilized testing of isolated molecules. Recent findings, however, indicate that fungal glycans differing in structure and function can interact to form hybrid complexes with unique properties. In the pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans, chitin-like molecules associate with capsular glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) to form functionally distinct glycan complexes. Such interactions between glycans that result in the formation of structures with different functions strongly suggest that additional molecular complexes with unknown properties may exist in fungal pathogens. Moreover, the identification of these novel complexes has stimulated the search of new immunogens with potential to protect human and animal hosts against systemic mycoses.
Isolation-by-Distance and Outbreeding Depression Are Sufficient to Drive Parapatric Speciation in the Absence of Environmental Influences

A commonly held view in evolutionary biology is that speciation (the emergence of genetically distinct and reproductively incompatible subpopulations) is driven by external environmental constraints, such as localized barriers to dispersal or habitat-based variation in selection pressures. We have developed a spatially explicit model of a biological population to study the emergence of spatial and temporal patterns of genetic diversity in the absence of predetermined subpopulation boundaries. We propose a 2-D cellular automata model showing that an initially homogeneous population might spontaneously subdivide into reproductively incompatible species through sheer isolation-by-distance when the viability of offspring decreases as the genomes of parental gametes become increasingly different. This simple implementation of the Dobzhansky-Muller model provides the basis for assessing the process and completion of speciation, which is deemed to occur when there is complete postzygotic isolation between two subpopulations. The model shows an inherent tendency toward spatial self-organization, as has been the case with other spatially explicit models of evolution. A well-mixed version of the model exhibits a relatively stable and unimodal distribution of genetic differences as has been shown with previous models. A much more interesting pattern of temporal waves, however, emerges when the dispersal of individuals is limited to short distances. Each wave represents a subset of comparisons between members of emergent subpopulations diverging from one another, and a subset of these divergences proceeds to the point of speciation. The long-term persistence of diverging subpopulations is the essence of speciation in biological populations, so the rhythmic diversity waves that we have observed suggest an inherent disposition for a population experiencing isolation-by-distance to generate new species.
Reticular Formation Connections Underlying Horizontal Gaze: The Central Mesencephalic Reticular Formation (cMRF) as a Conduit for the Collicular Saccade Signal

The central mesencephalic reticular formation (cMRF) occupies much of the core of the midbrain tegmentum. Physiological studies indicate that it is involved in controlling gaze changes, particularly horizontal saccades. Anatomically, it receives input from the ipsilateral superior colliculus (SC) and it has downstream projections to the brainstem, including the horizontal gaze center located in the paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF). Consequently, it has been hypothesized that the cMRF plays a role in the spatiotemporal transformation needed to convert spatially coded collicular saccade signals into the temporally coded signals utilized by the premotor neurons of the horizontal gaze center. In this study, we used neuroanatomical tracers to examine the patterns of connectivity of the cMRF in macaque monkeys in order to determine whether the circuit organization supports this hypothesis. Since stimulation of the cMRF produces contraversive horizontal saccades and stimulation of the horizontal gaze center produces ipsiversive saccades, this would require an excitatory cMRF projection to the contralateral PPRF. Injections of anterograde tracers into the cMRF did produce labeled terminals within the PPRF. However, the terminations were denser ipsilaterally. Since the PPRF located contralateral to the movement direction is generally considered to be silent during a horizontal saccade, we then tested the hypothesis that this ipsilateral reticuloreticular pathway might be inhibitory. The ultrastructure of ipsilateral terminals was heterogeneous, with some displaying more extensive postsynaptic densities than others. Postembedding immunohistochemistry for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) indicated that only a portion (35%) of these cMRF terminals are GABAergic. Dual tracer experiments were undertaken to determine whether the SC provides input to cMRF reticuloreticular neurons projecting to the ipsilateral pons. Retrogradely labeled reticuloreticular neurons were predominantly distributed in the ipsilateral cMRF. Anterogradely labeled tectal terminals were observed in close association with a portion of these retrogradely labeled reticuloreticular neurons. Taken together, these results suggest that the SC does have connections with reticuloreticular neurons in the cMRF. However, the predominantly excitatory nature of the ipsilateral reticuloreticular projection argues against the hypothesis that this cMRF pathway is solely responsible for producing a spatiotemporal transformation of the collicular saccade signal.
A Novel In-House design of a Bioreactor for the Modeling of an in vitro Blood Brain Barrier Model

The blood brain barrier is the protector of the central nervous system and a physical barrier that functions to regulate the substances that can pass in and out of the brain; it is the function and integrity of this system that keeps the homeostasis of the central nervous system. Yet this shield against foreign invaders in the blood also prevents drugs designed for treatment of various ailments of the central nervous system from reaching their target in the brain. Developing drugs that can pass through this barrier, and understanding it's function has become an area of increasing interest. Many researchers and companies are turning to in vitro models of the blood brain barrier to test a drugs ability to pass through this shield and target areas in the central nervous system. Our lab at Cal Poly focuses on developing blood vessel mimics, and tissue engineered constructs that would allow for in vitro modeling and testing of blood vessel physiology. Currently the main focus is on coronary blood vessels for stent testing, but expanding this to other areas of blood vessel research is of interest to our lab, and we believe that we can contribute to the blood brain barrier field by using our labs experience with other tissue engineering constructs. The focus of this project is to design and create aspects of a novel bioreactor that is reusable, can be built in-house, and facilitates better access to the scaffolding. The primary areas of focus in this project were to 1) design and manufacture a reusable novel bioreactor in-house, 2) create a mandrel to collect electrospun fibers to be used as scaffolding, and 3) to evaluate these scaffolds and compare to the literatures characteristics of proper scaffolds for blood brain barrier models. All of these goals were met; we now have a bioreactor prototype that has been manufactured and is currently going through further refinement, modification and testing to optimize the design, there is now series of new mandrels that are ready to be used to electrospin scaffolds to be used in the new bioreactor, and the scaffolds have been shown to possess some of the characteristics that were outlined in the literature for blood brain barrier models. The completion of all of these aims has allowed for the advancement and progress towards the ultimate goal of creating an in vitro model of the blood brain barrier to study it's physiologic …
Combining Wordnet and Morphosyntactic Information in Terminology Clustering

The paper presents results of clustering terms extracted from economic articles in Polish Wikipedia. First, we describe the method of automatic term extraction supported by linguistic knowledge. Then, we define different types of term similarities used in the clustering experiment. Term similarities are based on Polish Wordnet and morphosyntactic analysis of data. The latter takes into account: term contexts, coordinated sequences of terms, syntactic patterns in which terms appear and words that are parts of terms (such as their heads and modifiers). Then we performed several experiments with hierarchical clustering of the 400 most frequent terms. We present the results of clustering when different groups of similarity coefficients are applied. Finally, we present an evaluation that compares the results with manually obtained groups. Our results prove that morphosyntactic information can help or even serve themselves for initial clustering of terms in semantically coherent groups.
Current perspectives on cardiac amyloidosis.

Amyloidosis represents a group of diseases in which proteins undergo misfolding to form insoluble fibrils with subsequent tissue deposition. While almost all deposited amyloid fibers share a common nonbranched morphology, the affected end organs, clinical presentation, treatment strategies, and prognosis vary greatly among this group of diseases and are largely dependent on the specific amyloid precursor protein. To date, at least 27 precursor proteins have been identified to result in either local tissue or systemic amyloidosis, with nine of them manifesting in cardiac deposition and resulting in a syndrome termed "cardiac amyloidosis" or "amyloid cardiomyopathy. " Although cardiac amyloidosis has been traditionally considered to be a rare disorder, as clinical appreciation and understanding continues to grow, so too has the prevalence, suggesting that this disease may be greatly underdiagnosed. The most common form of cardiac amyloidosis is associated with circulating amyloidogenic monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain proteins. Other major cardiac amyloidoses result from a misfolding of products of mutated or wild-type transthyretin protein. While the various cardiac amyloidoses share a common functional consequence, namely, an infiltrative cardiomyopathy with restrictive pathophysiology leading to progressive heart failure, the underlying pathophysiology and clinical syndrome varies with each precursor protein. Herein, we aim to provide an up-to-date overview of cardiac amyloidosis from nomenclature to molecular mechanisms and treatment options, with a particular focus on amyloidogenic immunoglobulin light chain protein cardiac amyloidosis.
Coming from outside the Academy. Values and 2.0 culture in higher education

This article reflects on how some values, interests, and particularities of 2.0 culture enter on higher and postgraduate education institutions. Through theidentification of the features of 2.0, this document visualizes some of the resistances, obstacles, possibilities, and opportunities detected in these institutions, many of them focusing on the core of the higher education and postgraduate institutions (i.e. strategic vision, methodology, role of teachers and students, relation between formal and informal learning, contents and assessment). Responsibility in the training and updating of current and future professionals places these institutions under the discussion and decision-making process related to the role that 2.0 tools should play. We wonder if it implies a crossroad which affects the whole set of attitudes and values on the role of training institutions in the context of the construction of socialized knowledge.
Inhibition of In-Stent Stenosis by Oral Administration of Bindarit in Porcine Coronary Arteries

Objective—We have previously demonstrated that bindarit, a selective inhibitor of monocyte chemotactic proteins (MCPs), is effective in reducing neointimal formation in rodent models of vascular injury by reducing smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration and neointimal macrophage content, effects associated with the inhibition of MCP-1/CCL2 production. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of bindarit on in-stent stenosis in the preclinical porcine coronary stent model. Methods and Results—One or 2 bare metal stents (Multi-Link Vision, 3.5 mm) were deployed (1:1.2 oversize ratio) in the coronary arteries of 42 pigs (20 bindarit versus 22 controls). Bindarit (50 mg/kg per day) was administered orally from 2 days before stenting until the time of euthanasia at 7 and 28 days. Bindarit caused a significant reduction in neointimal area (39.4%, P<0.001, n=9 group), neointimal thickness (51%, P<0.001), stenosis area (37%, P<0.001), and inflammatory score (40%, P<0.001) compared with control animals, whereas there was no significant difference in the injury score between the 2 groups. Moreover, treatment with bindarit significantly reduced the number of proliferating cells (by 45%, P<0.05; n=6 group) and monocyte/macrophage content (by 55%, P<0.01; n=5–6 group) in stented arteries at day 7 and 28, respectively. These effects were associated with a significant (P<0.05) reduction of MCP-1 plasma levels at day 28. In vitro data showed that bindarit (10–300 &mgr;mol/L) reduced tumor necrosis factor-&agr; (50 ng/mL)–induced pig coronary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation and inhibited MCP-1 production. Conclusion—Our results show the efficacy of bindarit in the prevention of porcine in-stent stenosis and support further investigation for clinical application of this compound.
IMAGE ORIENTATION DETECTION WITH INTEGRATED HUMAN PERCEPTION CUES ( OR WHICH WAY IS UP )

In this paper, we propose a set of human perceptual cues used jointly to automatically detect image orientation. The cues used are: orientation of faces, position of the sky, brighter regions, and textured objects, and symmetry. We combine these cues in a Bayesian framework, and the photo acquiring model has been considered carefully as the prior knowledge of the image orientation. Results on more than a thousand different images provide a compelling argument that our approach is a viable one.
Estimation of Short Range Multiple Coherent Source Location by Using MUSIC Algorithm

An estimation method of source location of undesired electromagnetic wave from electronic devices by using the MUSIC algorithm is proposed. The MUSIC algorihm can estimate the direction of arrival accurately however, the estimation error is large in the case of short range multiple coherent sources. In order to overcome this problem, a method to improve the estimation accuracy is presented. Experimental results show that the proposed method can reduce the maximum estimation error from 7 cm of the conventional method to 2 cm.
A Resource-aware Vision-aided Inertial Navigation System for Wearable and Portable Computers

In this paper, we address the problem of deploying Vision-aided Inertial Navigation Systems (VINS) on resourceconstrained platforms such as cell phones and wearable computers. In particular, we consider the case of a sliding-window extended Kalman filter (EKF)-based estimator and focus on optimizing its use of the available processing resources. This is achieved by first classifying visual observations based on their feature-track length and then assigning different portions of the CPU budget for processing subsets of the observations belonging to each class. Moreover, we introduce a processing strategy where “spare” CPU cycles are used for (re)-processing all or a subset of the observations corresponding to the same feature, across multiple, overlapping, sliding windows. This way, feature observations are used by the estimator more than once for improving the state estimates, while consistency is ensured by marginalizing each feature only once (i.e., when it moves outside the camera’s field of view). The ability of the proposed feature classification and processing approach to adjust to the availability of processing resources is demonstrated experimentally on a Samsung S4 cell phone and on the Google Glass where VINS operates in real-time while occupying only half of the CPU cycles of one of the ARM processor’s cores.