Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alterations of Serum Levels of BDNF-Related miRNAs in Patients with Depression

Depression is a serious and potentially life-threatening mental disorder with unknown etiology. Emerging evidence shows that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and microRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in the etiology of depression. Here this study was aimed to identify and characterize the roles of BDNF and its putative regulatory miRNAs in depression. First, we identified that miR-182 may be a putative miRNA that regulates BDNF levels by bioinformatic studies, and characterized the effects of miR-182 on the BDNF levels using cell-based studies, side by side with miR-132 (a known miRNA that regulates BDNF expression). We showed that treatment of miR-132 and miR-182 respectively decreased the BDNF protein levels in a human neuronal cell model, supporting the regulatory roles of miR-132 and miR-182 on the BDNF expression. Furthermore, we explored the roles of miR-132 and miR-182 on the BDNF levels in depression using human subjects by assessing their serum levels. Compared with the healthy controls, patients with depression showed lower serum BDNF levels (via the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays) and higher serum miR-132 and miR-182 levels (via the real-time PCR). Finally, the Pearson’s (or Spearman’s) correlation coefficient was calculated to study whether there was a relationship among the Self-Rating Depression Scale score, the serum BDNF levels, and serum BDNF-related miRNA levels. Our results revealed that there was a significant negative correlation between the SDS scores and the serum BDNF levels, and a positive correlation between the SDS scores and miR-132 levels. In addition, we found a reverse relationship between the serum BDNF levels and the miR-132/miR-182 levels in depression. Collectively, we provided evidence supporting that miR-182 is a putative BDNF-regulatory miRNA, and suggested that the serum BDNF and its related miRNAs may be utilized as important biomarkers in the diagnosis or as therapeutic targets of depression.
WD 1953-011: a magnetic white dwarf with peculiar field structure

We present Hα spectra of the magnetic white dwarf star WD 1953−011 which confirm the presence of the broad Zeeman components corresponding to a field strength of ∼500 kG found by Maxted & Marsh. We also find that the line profile is variable over a time-scale of a day or less. The core of the Hα line also shows a narrow Zeeman triplet corresponding to a field strength of ∼100 kG which appears to be almost constant in shape. These observations suggest that the magnetic field on WD 1953−011 has a complex structure, and that the star has a rotational period of hours or days which causes the observed variability of the spectra. We argue that neither an offset dipole model nor a double-dipole model is sufficient to explain our observations. Instead, we propose a two-component model consisting of a high-field region of magnetic field strength ∼500 kG covering about 10 per cent of the surface area of the star, superimposed on an underlying dipolar field of mean field strength ∼70 kG. Radial velocity measurements of the narrow Zeeman triplet show that the radial velocity is constant to within a few km s−1, so this star is unlikely to be a close binary.
Risk of Buruli Ulcer and Detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans in Mosquitoes in Southeastern Australia

Background Buruli ulcer (BU) is a destructive skin condition caused by infection with the environmental bacterium, Mycobacterium ulcerans. The mode of transmission of M. ulcerans is not completely understood, but several studies have explored the role of biting insects. In this study, we tested for an association between the detection of M. ulcerans in mosquitoes and the risk of BU disease in humans in an endemic area of southeastern Australia. Methodology/Principal Findings Adult mosquitoes were trapped in seven towns on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Australia, from December 2004 to December 2009 and screened for M. ulcerans by real-time PCR. The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of BU in permanent residents of these towns diagnosed during the same period was tallied to determine the average cumulative incidence of BU in each location. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was calculated for the proportion of M. ulcerans-positive mosquitoes per town correlated with the incidence of BU per town. We found a strong dose-response relationship between the detection of M. ulcerans in mosquitoes and the risk of human disease (r, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.92–0.99; p<0.001). Conclusions/Significance The results of this study strengthen the hypothesis that mosquitoes are involved in the transmission of M. ulcerans in southeastern Australia. This has implications for the development of intervention strategies to control and prevent BU.
Tension distribution shaping via reconfigurable attachment in planar mobile cable robots

SUMMARY Traditional cable robots derive their manipulation capabilities using spooling winches at fixed base locations. In our previous work, we examined enhancing manipulation capabilities of cable robots by the addition of base mobility to spooling winches (allowing a group of mobile robots to cooperatively manipulate a payload using cables). Base mobility facilitated the regulation of the tension-direction (via active coordination of mobile bases) and allowed for better conditioning of the wrench-feasible workspace. In this paper we explore putting idler pulleys on the payload attachment as alternate means to simplify the design and enable practical deployment. We examine analysis of the system using ellipse geometry and develop a virtual cable-subsystem formulation (which also facilitates subsumption into the previously developed mobile cable robot analysis framework). We also seek improvement of the tension distribution by utilizing configuration space redundancy to shape the tension null space. This tension distribution shaping is implemented in the form of a tension factor optimization problem over the workspace and explored via both simulation and experimental studies.
Optimization of Process Conditions for Pectin Extraction from Citrus Peel

Pectin is a complex polysaccharide and natural food additive extracted from citrus peel and apple pomace in the form of brownish powder. It is widely used as a jelling and thickening agent and the food industry especially in jams and jellies. It is also recommended for use as fat replacer and also lowers blood cholesterol by increasing viscosity in the intestinal tract thus lowering cholesterol absorption. Peel of sweet oranges was chopped to small pieces in a vegetable cutter and dried in an electrical drier to 8-10% moisture contents. The dried peel was ground and then subjected to pectin extraction using water as solvent. Three treatments with different levels i.e., pH (1, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5 and 5), temperature of solvent (70, 85 and 95°C) and extraction time (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 h) were evaluated. Development of an economical processing method for pectin extraction from citrus peel, that offers energetic properties nearly identical to those prepared by other methods (soxhlet method and microwave) using other substrates, is reported. Dried citrus peel contains about 30% pectin It has been found that 30 min heating at 70°C and pH level 2.5 resulted in 21% pectin extraction followed by 1 h heating at 85°C at pH level 3.0 and a similar pectin yield. Up to 17% yield was obtained for heating at 95°C at pH level 1 irrespective of the time of heating. It can be inferred from these experiments that pH range between 2.0-2.5 and heating at temperature of 70°C for 30 min seems to be the most suitable condition for pectin extraction as time and energy efficient process conditions.
Modeling annotator expertise: Learning when everybody knows a bit of something

Supervised learning from multiple labeling sources is an increasingly important problem in machine learning and data mining. This paper develops a probabilistic approach to this problem when annotators may be unreliable (labels are noisy), but also their expertise varies depending on the data they observe (annotators may have knowledge about different parts of the input space). That is, an annotator may not be consistently accurate (or inaccurate) across the task domain. The presented approach produces classification and annotator models that allow us to provide estimates of the true labels and annotator variable expertise. We provide an analysis of the proposed model under various scenarios and show experimentally that annotator expertise can indeed vary in real tasks and that the presented approach provides clear advantages over previously introduced multi-annotator methods, which only consider general annotator characteristics.
Ontological Insecurity: A Guiding Framework for Borderline Personality Disorder

The purpose of this inquiry is to explore the experience of Borderline Personality Disorder with the aim of developing a more liberating approach to its diagnosis and treatment. Eight participants (seven females and one male) diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder were recruited from a psychiatric hospital operated by the Surrey and Borders NHS Trust and an outpatient daycentre based in London, United Kingdom. A narrative approach to methodology was employed to collect and analyse the participants’ life-stories. Themes to emerge from the participant’s narratives were found to coincide with R.D. Laing’s concept of ontological insecurity. Ontological insecurity describes a number of aspects of the participant’s distress. To conclude, some general implications of this research for psychotherapy are briefly explored.
Telehealth technology applications in speech-language pathology.

INTRODUCTION Speech-language pathologists are anxious to adopt telehealth technologies but have encountered barriers such as limited reimbursement, state licensure laws, and medical information privacy laws. Moreover, speech-language pathologists are confronted with the hurdle of evolving face-to-face clinical practices into effective telehealth practice adapted to the current national infrastructure. Factors such as costs, availability of resources, and diagnostic/intervention and patient needs should be considered when selecting the telehealth infrastructure for service delivery. Understanding the new role of technology in the diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders is vital for the expansion of telehealth as a standard of care. The purpose of this article is to overview the current technologic infrastructure and procedures for telehealth applications in speech-language pathology (SLP) and the innate challenges and opportunities. MATERIALS AND METHODS A literature search was conducted for telehealth publications in the field of SLP. Given the rapid rate at which technology advances, only peer-reviewed articles published over the past 5 years (2008-2013) were included. RESULTS The majority of articles reviewed used hybrid methodologies to maintain traditional SLP service standards. General technological components for telehealth activities included computers, Web cameras, headsets with an embedded microphone, and Internet connectivity. CONCLUSIONS Advanced technology has limitations in the application of telehealth. Technological adversities were not reported as the cause of discontinuation of telehealth services by the practitioner or the individual. Audio and visual disturbances were primarily associated with videoconferencing. Supplemental asynchronous technology was widely reported as a solution to real-time instabilities.
Supported and Unsafe

We draw upon the case of Seacrest High School to show that the extensive, physical separation of U.S.-born and immigrant students, as well as targeted supports for immigrant students absent similar attention to the rest of the student body, undermine the conditions necessary for a safe school. Seacrest community members expressed conflicting and conflicted perceptions concerning the extent to which immigrant students should receive differential treatment and the extent to which they should be physically isolated. These perceptions, which evoked concerns about fairness and educational efficacy, put the school’s legitimacy into question and threatened its ability to ensure safety. Despite misgivings, the structure was insulated in part by a web of racial stereotypes about Asian immigrant and African American students. We conclude that educational practices for English language learners should be evaluated by their effects on school culture and particularly on school safety.
Fools Suffer Gladly: The Use of Economic Sanctions in International Crises

A number of recent international situations have raised again questions regarding the usefulness of economic sanctions as an instrument of foreign policy. Sanctions continue to be applied in a variety of contexts, yet we have not developed a sufficient understanding of the processes involved to determine when, or even if, sanctions can "work. " While a great deal has been written on the subject, there have been neither attempts to subject the theoretical arguments to empirical testing nor efforts to provide systematic theoretical explanations for the empirical results that have been produced. In this article, we attempt to address this shortcoming in the literature. We propose a theory of sanctions effectiveness that is based on the spatial model of bargaining in international crises and use this theory to derive a number of hypotheses regarding when sanctions should produce favorable policy outcomes. We then subject some of the derived hypotheses to an empirical test based on a large number of international disputes. The model suggests that while sanctions will not work in many cases, they can have a slight effect on the distribution of expected outcomes if the costs of the sanctions are sufficiently high relative to the values at stake. The available evidence appears to support these expectations.
On Speech, Race and Melancholia

In this interview, Judith Butler speaks about her most recent work, especially Excitable Speech (Routledge, 1997), in terms of how it represents a continuation of certain themes and how it represents moves into new terrains of debate. In particular, she addresses both possible critiques of her work, expecially around the issue of the possibility of political visions and the attention to speech when theorizing subjectification, and responds to questions around certain related themes such as: just what is the possibility of using the same analytical framework to talk both about racializing and gendering processes? How useful is the concept of melancholia? How are textuality and visuality interconnected?
Millisecond timescale fluctuations in dihydrofolate reductase are exquisitely sensitive to the bound ligands

Enzyme catalysis can be described as progress over a multi-dimensional energy landscape where ensembles of interconverting conformational substates channel the enzyme through its catalytic cycle. We applied NMR relaxation dispersion to investigate the role of bound ligands in modulating the dynamics and energy landscape of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase to obtain insights into the mechanism by which the enzyme efficiently samples functional conformations as it traverses its reaction pathway. Although the structural differences between the occluded substrate binary complexes and product ternary complexes are very small, there are substantial differences in protein dynamics. Backbone fluctuations on the μs-ms timescale in the cofactor binding cleft are similar for the substrate and product binary complexes, but fluctuations on this timescale in the active site loops are observed only for complexes with substrate or substrate analog and are not observed for the binary product complex. The dynamics in the substrate and product binary complexes are governed by quite different kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. Analogous dynamic differences in the E:THF:NADPH and E:THF:NADP+ product ternary complexes are difficult to rationalize from ground-state structures. For both of these complexes, the nicotinamide ring resides outside the active site pocket in the ground state. However, they differ in the structure, energetics, and dynamics of accessible higher energy substates where the nicotinamide ring transiently occupies the active site. Overall, our results suggest that dynamics in dihydrofolate reductase are exquisitely “tuned” for every intermediate in the catalytic cycle; structural fluctuations efficiently channel the enzyme through functionally relevant conformational space.
Vitamin C supplementation in relation to inflammation in individuals with atrophic gastritis: a randomised controlled trial in Japan

Evidence has shown that both C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid component A (SAA) are increased in individuals with gastritis and stomach cancer. Controlling the level of these biomarkers by inhibiting the gastric infection with high doses of ascorbic acid may reduce the risk of carcinogenesis. A population-based double-blind randomised controlled trial in a Japanese population with atrophic gastritis in an area of high stomach cancer incidence was conducted between 1995 and 2000. Daily doses of 50 or 500 mg vitamin C were given, and 120 and 124 participants completed the 5-year study, respectively. Although serum ascorbic acid was higher in the high-dosage group (1·73 (sd 0·46) μg/l) than in the low-dosage group (1·49 (sd 0·29) μg/l, P< 0·001), at the end of the study, no significant difference was observed for CRP between the low- and high-dosage groups (0·39 (95 % CI 0·04, 4·19) mg/l and 0·38 (95 % CI 0·03, 4·31) mg/l, respectively; P= 0·63) or for SAA between the low- and high-dosage groups (3·94 (95 % CI 1·04, 14·84) μg/ml and 3·85 (95 % CI 0·99, 14·92) μg/ml, respectively; P= 0·61). Vitamin C supplementation may not have a strong effect on reducing infections in individuals with atrophic gastritis.
Empirical phenomenological research on armed robbery at residential premises: four victims' experiences

This article deals with the phenomenon of armed robbery at residential premises (as a subcategory of aggravated robbery), as experienced by four individual victims in the Gauteng Province. The study sample consisted of three direct victims and one indirect victim of the specific crime. The researcher made use of face-to-face interviews and semi-structured questionnaires to gather the data. The aim of this article was to research incidents of armed robbery at residential premises, gathering "rich" and in-depth information on the physical, psychological / emotional and financial impact of the crime on the direct and indirect victims. In order to gather the required data, the researcher made use of a qualitative research approach. The empirical phenomenological research method used, included the following four steps for each case : 1. Summarising the main points of each case; 2. Illustrating and condensing of the case; 3. Describing the psychological structure; and 4. Essentially structuring the interviews in all the cases. The analyzed data supported the literature consulted regarding the consequences of victimisation. All four victims suffered extensive physical, psychological, and financial setbacks. By outlining the essential structure of the victims' experiences of armed robbery at residential premises, three key themes or common trends were identified, namely : (i) The invasion of privacy or personal space; (ii) The loss of sentimental possessions; and (iii) Fear experienced as the most significant emotion. The researcher recognised the need for further research on the themes and trends identified in this study as very little research was available from existing literature regarding these topics. In addition, it needs to be mentioned that the findings of this study may not necessarily be applicable to the Gauteng population in its entirety as qualitative research findings cannot be generalised. Nevertheless, these findings allowed the researcher to obtain a greater insight into the experiences of victims of armed robbery at residential premises, in order to enlighten and educate the reader further. By gathering information regarding the impact of these robberies, this study made a contribution to victimology in South Africa which will hopefully aid the understanding of how victims respond to crime and specifically, property and violent crimes.
Reflectance Response of Optical Fiber Coated With Carbon Nanotubes for Aqueous Ethanol Sensing

Ethanol is a highly flammable chemical and is widely used for medical and industrial applications. In this paper, optical sensing performance of aqueous ethanol with different concentrations is investigated using multimode fiber coated with carbon nanotubes (CNT). The multimode optical fiber tip is coated with CNT via a drop-casting technique and is annealed at 70 °C to improve the binding of the nanomaterial to the silica fiber. The optical fiber tip and the CNT sensing layer are microcharacterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The reflectance response of the developed fiber sensor is measured using a spectrophotometer in the optical wavelength range of 500-800 nm. Upon exposure to ethanol with concentration ranges of 5%-80%, the sensor reflectance reduced proportionally. The dynamic response decreased by 4% when the sensor is exposed to ethanol with concentration of 80% in distilled water. It is found that the sensor shows fast response and recovery as low as 38 and 49 s, respectively.
From Transactions to Transformations

This article reviews recent developments in leadership. It discusses the shift towards the language of performance outcomes used increasingly to describe leaders and leadership and the changing political and economic environments in which educational leaders act. Theories have polarized around transformational and managerial leadership, the former emphasizing the personalities and action of individuals, and the latter stressing a rational, structural approach. Both create the impression of newness and difference but display strong continuities with previous theories of leadership. The significance on follower perspectives of leadership is highlighted and alternative methodological approaches emphasizing historical and comparative contexts are outlined. The paper concludes with an example of visionary leadership in education.
Use and Limitations of E/e' to Assess Left Ventricular Filling Pressure by Echocardiography

Measurement of left ventricular (LV) filling pressure is useful in decision making and prediction of outcomes in various cardiovascular diseases. Invasive cardiac catheterization has been the gold standard in LV filling pressure measurement, but carries the risk of complications and has a similar predictive value for clinical outcomes compared with non-invasive LV filling pressure estimation by echocardiography. A variety of echocardiographic measurement methods have been suggested to estimate LV filling pressure. The most frequently used method for this purpose is the ratio between early mitral inflow velocity and mitral annular early diastolic velocity (E/e'), which has become central in the guidelines for diastolic evaluation. This review will discuss the use the E/e' ratio in prediction of LV filling pressure and its potential pitfalls.