Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The VAST Challenge: history, scope, and outcomes: An introduction to the Special Issue

The annual Visual Analytics Science and Technology (VAST) challenge provides Visual Analytics researchers, developers, and designers an opportunity to apply their best tools and techniques against invented problems that include a realistic scenario, data, tasks, and questions to be answered. Submissions are processed much like conference papers, contestants are provided reviewer feedback, and excellence is recognized with awards. A day-long VAST Challenge workshop takes place each year at the IEEE VAST conference to share results and recognize outstanding submissions. Short papers are published each year in the annual VAST proceedings. Over the history of the challenge, participants have investigated a wide variety of scenarios, such as bioterrorism, epidemics, arms smuggling, social unrest, and computer network attacks, among many others. Contestants have been provided with large numbers of realistic but synthetic Coast Guard interdiction records, intelligence reports, hospitalization records, microblog records, personal RFID tag locations, huge amounts of cyber security log data, and several hours of video. This paper describes the process for developing the synthetic VAST Challenge datasets and conducting the annual challenges. This paper also provides an introduction to this special issue of Information Visualization, focusing on the impacts of the VAST Challenge.
A membrane‐bound FtsH protease is involved in osmoregulation in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803: the compatible solute synthesizing enzyme GgpS is one of the targets for proteolysis

Protein quality control and proteolysis are involved in cell maintenance and environmental acclimatization in bacteria and eukaryotes. The AAA protease FtsH2 of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was identified during a screening for mutants impaired in osmoregulation. The ftsH2– mutant was salt sensitive because of a decreased level of the osmoprotectant glucosylglycerol (GG). In spite of wild type‐like transcription of the ggpS gene in ftsH2– cells the GgpS protein content increased but only low levels of GgpS activity were observed. Consequently, salt tolerance of the ftsH2– mutant decreased while addition of external osmolyte complemented the salt sensitivity. The proteolytic degradation of the GgpS protein by FtsH2 was demonstrated by an in vitro assay using inverted membrane vesicles. The GgpS is part of a GG synthesizing complex, because yeast two‐hybrid screens identified a close interaction with the GG‐phosphate phosphatase. Besides GgpS as the first soluble substrate of a cyanobacterial FtsH protease, several other putative targets were identified by a proteomic approach. We present a novel molecular explanation for the salt‐sensitive phenotype of bacterial ftsH– mutants as the result of accumulation of inactive enzymes for compatible solute synthesis, in this case GgpS the key enzyme of GG synthesis.
Implicit and explicit self-related processing in relation to insight in patients with schizophrenia

Introduction. Self-related processing (SRP) has been associated with clinical and cognitive insight. We investigated the relationship between implicit SRP (ISRP) and explicit SRP (ESRP) and insight. We first hypothesised that impaired insight is associated with the extent to which implicit feedback is incorporated in the self-image and subsequently influences behaviour. Second, we hypothesised that impaired insight is related to the way patients handle explicit feedback and use it to guide subsequent behaviour, therefore we expected to find a positive relationship between level of insight and the explicit self-related processing task. Methods. Thirty-four schizophrenia patients and 23 healthy controls participated in the study. Patients were assessed with the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight–Expanded and the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale. ISRP was measured using a working memory two-back priming task. ESRP was measured with an adapted version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task where patients received explicit feedback on their performance. Results. Cognitive insight, but not clinical insight, was positively associated with ISRP after implicit positive cues. Both clinical and cognitive insight were positively associated with the ability to adjust performance upon receiving explicit feedback, though cognitive insight was more strongly associated with overall task performance.Conclusions. Priming with positive cues improved performance on a working memory task in patients with good cognitive insight, but worsened performance in patients with impaired cognitive insight. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the ability to adequately use feedback may be a specific capacity that is related to insight.
Chelation and intercalation: complementary properties in a compound for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Selective application of metal chelators to homogenates of human Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain has led us to propose that the architecture of aggregated beta-amyloid peptide, whether in the form of plaques or soluble oligomers, is determined at least in part by high-affinity binding of transition metals, especially copper and zinc. Of the two metals, copper is implicated in reactive oxygen species generating reactions, while zinc appears to be associated with conformational and antioxidant activity. We tested the copper chelators trientine, penicillamine, and bathophenanthroline for their ability to mobilize brain Abeta as measured against our benchmark compound bathocuproine (BC). All of these agents were effective in solubilizing brain Abeta, although BC was the most consistent across the range of AD brain tissue samples tested. Similarly, all of the copper chelators depleted copper in the high-speed supernatants. BC alone had no significant effect upon zinc levels in the soluble fraction. BC extraction of brain tissue from C100 transgenic mice (which express human Abeta but do not develop amyloid) revealed SDS-resistant dimers as Abeta was mobilized from the sedimentable to the soluble fraction. NMR analysis showed that, in addition to its copper chelating properties, BC interacts with Abeta to form a complex independent of the presence of copper. Such hybrid copper chelating and "chain breaking" properties may form the basis of a rational design for a therapy for Alzheimer's disease.
Sensory Tuning of Lateral Line Receptors in Antarctic Fish to the Movements of Planktonic Prey

The suitability of the lateral line system of fish and aquatic amphibia for the detection of planktonic prey was examined in the antarctic fish Pagothenia borcgrevinki (family Nototheniidae). The best responses of primary afferent lateral line neurons to waterborne vibrations were recorded at frequencies within the range of those produced by swimming crustacea. Simultaneous recordings from a swimming zooplankter held close to the fish and from primary afferent neurons provided direct confirmation that swimming movements of crustaceans are a potent natural stimulus of the lateral line system.
Why Should We Use Online Research Methods? Four Doctoral Health Student Perspectives

The growth of the Internet has led to an increase in researchers utilizing online methods. Online communities such as forums, blogs, and video platforms are particularly useful for research involving populations that are Internet savvy, seldom heard or discussing sensitive or illicit behavior. Drawing upon the experiences of four doctoral health students who are using online methods, this article discusses the value and benefits of conducting online research as well as the limitations and difficulties encountered. Consideration is given to the methodological and ethical implications of online research. Our own research leads us to reflect on participants’ perceptions of what is public, preserving anonymity and protecting participants from harm.
GamifIR 2016

The third workshop on Gamification for Information Retrieval (GamifIR) took place on the 21th of July 2016 in conjunction with SIGIR 2016 in Pisa, Italy. It was the first GamifIR held in conjunction with the SIGIR, the first and second GamifIR workshops were both colocated with ECIR. The workshop program included one invited keynote presentation, seven paper presentations and a discussion session. The keynote presentation stated the necessity of proper theory for gamification design and resulting opportunities. The paper presentation covered studies on diverse areas and approaches for the application of gamification.
Adaptive output-feedback control for stochastic robot system based on neural network

This paper investigates the output-feedback control problem for a class of robot system with stochastic disturbances and a single-link manipulator. By utilizing a novel neural network (NN) approximation approach, the adaptive parameter is only one and the nonlinear terms are successfully handled without growth conditions. The constructed adaptive output-feedback controller guarantees the closed-loop robot system to be semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded (SGUUB). Finally, the effectiveness of the controller is validated by simulating the robot system.
Beyond the initial indicators: lessons from the OECD Health Care Quality Indicators Project and the US National Healthcare Quality Report.

UNLABELLED Interest in comparative quality measurement and evaluation has grown considerably over the past two decades because of factors such as the recognition of widespread variation in clinical practice, the increased availability of evidence about medical effectiveness, and increasing concern about the cost and quality of health care. This article describes and contrasts two current efforts to develop health performance reporting systems: one, an international initiative-the Health Care Quality Indicator (HCQI) Project, sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); and the other, a national project-the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR), sponsored by the US Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research. There are a number of lessons learned from a comparison of the two efforts that are relevant for the future of each project and for other indicator-based reporting efforts in quality of health care. These lessons are discussed in the article and include: Conceptual frameworks should be established to guide the selection of indicators. Choices should be made early on in the process to focus on a wide range of clinical conditions or to report on a few priority areas. METHODS should be developed to add and subtract indicators while maintaining a stable set of indicators to track over time. Resources should be allocated to communication strategies and how best to present data results to diverse audiences. Mechanisms should be put in place to maintain project momentum.
Protective effect of Irsogladine on monochloramine induced gastric mucosal lesions in rats:a comparative study with rebamipide.

AIM:To examine the effect of irsogladine, a novel antiulcer drug, on the mucosal ulcerogenic response to monochloramine (NH(2)Cl) in rat stomach, in comparison with rebamipide, another antiulcer drug with cytoprotective a ctivity.METHODS AND RESULTS:Oral administration of NH(2)Cl-(120mM) produced severe hemorrhagic lesions in unanesthetized rat stomachs.Both irsogladine (1mg/kg-10mg/ kg,po) and rebamipide (30mg/kg-100mg/kg, po) dose dependently prevented the development of these lesions in response to NH(2)Cl, the effect of irsogladine was significant at 3mg/kg or greater, and that of rebamipide only at 100mg/kg. The protective effect of irsogladine on NH(2)Cl induced gastric lesions was significantly reduced by N( G) nitro L arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) but not by indomethacin, while that of rebamipide was significantly mitigated by indomethacin but not by L-NAME. Topical application of NH(2)Cl-(20mM)caused a marked reduction of potential difference (PD) in exvivo stomachs. This PD reduction was not affected by mucosal application of irso-gladine, but significantly prevented by rebamipide. The mucosal exposure to NH(4)OH (120mM) also caused a marked PD reduction in the ischemic stomach (bleeding from the carotid artery), resulting in gastric lesions. These ulcerogenic and PD responses caused by NH(4)OH plus ischemia were also significantly mitigated by rebamipide, in an indomethacin sensitive manner, while irsogladine potently prevented such lesions without affecting the PD response, in a L-NAME sensitive manner.CONCLUSION:These results suggest that (1)NH(2)Cl gen-erated either exogenously or endogenously damages the gastric mucosa, (2)both irsogladine and rebamipide protect the stomach against injury caused by NH(2)Cl,and (3)the mechanism underlying the protective action of irsogladine is partly mediated by endogenous nitric oxide, while that of rebamipide is in part mediated by endogenous prostaglandins.
Management of postcardiac arrest myocardial dysfunction

Purpose of reviewRecent recognition of the importance of postresuscitation care has stimulated interest and new reports concerning therapies for postcardiac arrest myocardial dysfunction. Such cardiac dysfunction after successful resuscitation can be severe and even lethal; however, it is also transient emphasizing the importance of early supportive therapies. Recent findingsThe most important strategies for dealing with postresuscitation myocardial dysfunction include a community-formalized effort by individual communities to shorten the time from arrest to restoration of spontaneous circulation, use of therapeutic hypothermia for myocardial preservation, not just cerebral, and early coronary angiography and intervention for all survivors with a high suspicion of a cardiac cause for their arrest. Exciting specific therapies targeted for one or another of the ischemia/reperfusion myocardial injuries associated with cardiac arrest include manipulation of the nitric oxide production in the myocardium, treatment of myocardial microcirculatory dysfunction post resuscitation, inhibition of Na+/H+ exchange, and treatment of calcium flux abnormalities. SummaryEvery community should be striving to provide more timely restoration of pulse and circulation, whereas every medical center receiving patients resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest should be providing therapeutic hypothermia for both central nervous system and myocardial preservation. The ability and commitment to provide ‘24/7’ early coronary angiography and percutaneous intervention for all resuscitated victims of sudden cardiac death with a likely cardiac cause for their arrest is also key.
Accurate static timing analysis considering crosstalk noise effect

Coupled line switching can contribute to a large portion of the delay as well as the functionality of a circuit. In order to fix a crosstalk noise in noise analysis, it is necessary an additional design cost. Therefore, aggressor nodes that cannot affect victim node have to pruning. In this paper, we present an efficient false aggressor pruning algorithm with functional correlation. Path sensitization algorithm and logic implication approach that use functional information to identify false coupling interaction between coupled lines. Our experimental results show an average of 5.4% aggressor pruning and 14.6% delay reduction due to pruning.
Using Principal Components and Factor Analysis in Animal Behaviour Research: Caveats and Guidelines

Principal component (PCA) and factor analysis (FA) are widely used in animal behaviour research. However, many authors automatically follow questionable practices implemented by default in general-purpose statistical software. Worse still, the results of such analyses in research reports typically omit many crucial details which may hamper their evaluation. This article provides simple non-technical guidelines for PCA and FA. A standard for reporting the results of these analyses is suggested. Studies using PCA and FA must report: (1) whether the correlation or covariance matrix was used; (2) sample size, preferably as a footnote to the table of factor loadings; (3) indices of sampling adequacy; (4) how the number of factors was assessed; (5) communalities when sample size is small; (6) details of factor rotation; (7) if factor scores are computed, present determinacy indices; (8) preferably they should publish the original correlation matrix.
IRF4 and its regulators: evolving insights into the pathogenesis of inflammatory arthritis?

Summary: Accumulating evidence from murine and human studies supports a key role for interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) and IL‐21 in the pathogenesis of inflammatory arthritis. The pathways and molecular mechanisms that underlie the production of IL‐17 and IL‐21 are being rapidly elucidated. This review focuses on interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4), a member of the IRF family of transcription factors, which has emerged as a crucial controller of both IL‐17 and IL‐21 production. We first outline the complex role of IRF4 in the function of CD4+ T cells and then discuss recent studies from our laboratory that have revealed a surprising role for components of Rho GTPase‐mediated pathways in controlling the activity of IRF4. A better understanding of these novel pathways will hopefully provide new insights into mechanisms responsible for the development of inflammatory arthritis and potentially guide the design of novel therapeutic approaches.
Variations of endocrine hormones concentrations in Tupaia belangeri under simulated seasonal acclimatized: role of leptin sensitivity

Seasonal variations in endocrine hormones concentrations are important for the survival of small mammals during acclimatization. In order to understand the role of leptin sensitivity on other endocrine hormones concentrations, we examined body mass, serum leptin level, serum insulin, tri-iodothyronine (T 3 ), thyroxine (T 4 ) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations in Tupaia belangeri under seasonal acclimatized (The simulated temperature and photoperiod in winter: 5°C and SD, 8h:16h Light:Dark; the simulated temperature and photoperiod in summer: 30°C and SD, 16h:8h Light:Dark) for 4 weeks. The results showed that body mass, serum leptin level, serum T 3 , T 4 concentrations and T 3 / T 4 showed significant variation, but serum insulin and TSH concentrations showed no variations between treatment group. There were positive correlation between serum leptin level and insulin, T 4 concentrations, and were negative correlation between serum leptin level and body mass, T 3 concentrations. However, no correlation was found between serum TSH concentrations and serum leptin level. The present results suggested T. belangeri overcome winter thermogenesis challenges by adjusting body mass and endocrine hormones concentrations. Furthermore, leptin may play an potential role in their body mass regulation in T. belangeri.
Internet‐based Support for Rural Caregivers of Persons with Stroke Shows Promise

&NA; The purpose of this pilot study was to test the feasibility of providing Internet‐based education and support intervention to caregivers living in rural settings, including caregivers' satisfaction with the intervention. A secondary aim was to explore their experience of caring. Nine adult caregivers of persons with stroke were enrolled in this descriptive study from rehabilitation centers in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan. They were given access to the intervention, Caring˜Webe©, for three months. Data were collected from participants' bimonthly interviews, as well as e‐mail communications. Procedures were tested and found valid, and caregivers were willing and able to use Caring˜Web. Using Friedemann's framework of systemic organization, a coding system was developed for analyzing the qualitative data on the experience of caring. Five main themes emerged from these data. These findings help expand knowledge about caregivers dealing with stroke.
DNA‐damage response gene GADD45A induces differentiation in hematopoietic stem cells without inhibiting cell cycle or survival

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) maintain blood cell production life‐long by their unique abilities of self‐renewal and differentiation into all blood cell lineages. Growth arrest and DNA‐damage‐inducible 45 alpha (GADD45A) is induced by genotoxic stress in HSCs. GADD45A has been implicated in cell cycle control, cell death and senescence, as well as in DNA‐damage repair. In general, GADD45A provides cellular stability by either arresting the cell cycle progression until DNA damage is repaired or, in cases of fatal damage, by inducing apoptosis. However, the function of GADD45A in hematopoiesis remains controversial. We revealed the changes in murine HSC fate control orchestrated by the expression of GADD45A at single cell resolution. In contrast to other cellular systems, GADD45A expression did not cause a cell cycle arrest or an alteration in the decision between cell survival and apoptosis in HSCs. Strikingly, GADD45A strongly induced and accelerated the differentiation program in HSCs. Continuous tracking of individual HSCs and their progeny via time‐lapse microscopy elucidated that once GADD45A was expressed, HSCs differentiate into committed progenitors within 29 hours. GADD45A‐expressing HSCs failed to long‐term reconstitute the blood of recipients by inducing multilineage differentiation in vivo. Importantly, γ‐irradiation of HSCs induced their differentiation by upregulating endogenous GADD45A. The differentiation induction by GADD45A was transmitted by activating p38 Mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling and allowed the generation of megakaryocytic‐erythroid, myeloid, and lymphoid lineages. These data indicate that genotoxic stress‐induced GADD45A expression in HSCs prevents their fatal transformation by directing them into differentiation and thereby clearing them from the system. Stem Cells 2016;34:699–710
Aceclofenac nanocrystals with enhanced in vitro, in vivo performance: formulation optimization, characterization, analgesic and acute toxicity studies

This study was aimed to enhance the dissolution rate, oral bioavailability and analgesic potential of the aceclofenac (AC) in the form of nanosuspension using cost-effective simple precipitation–ultrasonication approach. The nanocrystals were produced using the optimum conditions investigated for AC. The minimum particle size (PS) and polydispersity index was found to be 112±2.01 nm and 0.165, respectively, using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (1%, w/w), polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 (1%, w/w) and sodium lauryl sulfate (0.12%, w/w). The characterization of AC was performed using zeta sizer, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The saturation solubility of the AC nanocrystals was substantially increased 2.6- and 4.5-fold compared to its unprocessed active pharmaceutical ingredient in stabilizer solution and unprocessed drug. Similarly, the dissolution rate of the AC nanocrystals was substantially enhanced compared to its other counterpart. The results showed that >88% of AC nanocrystals were dissolved in first 10 min compared to unprocessed AC (8.38%), microsuspension (66.65%) and its marketed tablets (17.65%). The in vivo studies of the produced stabilized nanosuspension demonstrated that the Cmax were 4.98- and 2.80-fold while area under curve from time of administration to 24 h (AUC0→24 h) were found 3.88- and 2.10-fold greater when compared with unprocessed drug and its marketed formulation, respectively. The improved antinociceptive activity of AC nanocrystals was shown at much lower doses as compared to unprocessed drug, which is purely because of nanonization which may be attributed to improved solubility and dissolution rate of AC, ultimately resulting in its faster rate of absorption.