Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fecal cortisol metabolite analysis for noninvasive monitoring of adrenocortical function in the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).

A radioimmunoassay was validated for quantifying excreted cortisol metabolites in cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) feces. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis indicated that immunoreactivity was associated with a water-soluble metabolite in fecal extracts from males and females. None of the immunoreactivity corresponded with free cortisol or corticosterone but rather was associated with a more polar, unidentified metabolite. To determine the biologic relevance of excreted immunoreactive cortisol metabolites, cheetahs were exposed to a variety of situations anticipated to increase cortisol secretion. First, to assess acute changes in adrenal activity, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH; 400 IU i.m.) was administered to two adult males and two adult females. Pre-ACTH baseline serum cortisol and fecal cortisol metabolite concentrations varied among individuals. Serum cortisol concentrations were elevated above baseline within 10 min of ACTH injection, followed by corresponding increases in fecal cortisol metabolite concentrations (690-4,194% above baseline) 48 hr later in three of four cheetahs. In the fourth cheetah, a smaller increase (334% above baseline) in fecal cortisol metabolite excretion was observed 96 hr after ACTH injection. Seven cheetah females also were subjected to a variety of potentially stressful manipulations, including immobilization, translocation, and introduction to a male to assess the ability of this technique to detect physiologic changes in adrenal activity. Increased fecal corticoid metabolite excretion was observed 24-72 hr after exposure to these exogenous stressors. Results indicate that adrenocortical activity can be monitored noninvasively in the cheetah through analysis of these metabolites. This technique could be valuable for evaluating, and thus optimizing, environmental and management conditions and for investigating the role of stress in disease pathogenesis and the usually poor reproductive performance of this species in captivity.
An encoding method for the posts in the online health communities with SNOMED CT

In recent years, many online health communities (OHCs) are established to provide the patients with the services of disease prevention and self-management. Patients in those online health communities discuss their health conditions and share their experiences with other patients using narrative texts in the posts. Those posts contain a vast amount of patients' information, including drugs, symptoms, conditions, etc. They are really valuable for clinical research. However, it is hard for information systems to automatically extract the clinical knowledge from those posts to provide knowledge-based services to online patients. This paper investigates the characteristics of those post contents and accordingly proposes an encoding method with Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine — Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) to process the texts into encoded and structured contents to help the analytic system in the OHCs to discover the biomedical knowledge. Based on our experimental result, the proposed method can effectively extract the biomedical knowledge from the posts and enhance the ability of clinical knowledge discovery online to improve the patient support.
Bioconcentration and phototoxicity of selected PAHs to marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

This study assessed the sensitivity of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Mediterranean mussel) to UV-induced toxicity of pyrene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene and chrysene. Mussels were exposed to two different polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations within the solubility limits for 7 days, after which the filtration rate and the blood cell stability of the mussels were determined to quantify the effects of PAHs. Mussel tissues were analysed at the end of the experiments to determine the degree of bioaccumulation of PAHs and in order to make quantitative body-burden/effect links. The differences between the tissue residue based effective concentration (TEC20/TEC50) values before and after ultraviolet (UV) exposure provided a measure of phototoxicity of the bioaccumulated PAHs. Out off the biomarkers applied, Neutral Red Retention (NRR) results showed that the most toxic compound is chrysene in the absence of UV. The NRR technique was found more sensitive compared to Fitration Rate (FR) technique. The toxicities of chrysene, phenanthrene and pyrene were enhanced by UV, while fluoranthene was toxic in the absence of UV lighting and its toxicity did not change by UV application.
Molecular Basis of Arthropod Cross-Reactivity: IgE-Binding Cross-Reactive Epitopes of Shrimp, House Dust Mite and Cockroach Tropomyosins

Background: Shrimp may cross-react with other crustaceans and mollusks and nonedible arthropods such as insects (cockroach and chironomids), arachnids (house dust mites) and even nematodes. Since the muscle protein tropomyosin has been implicated as a possible cross-reacting allergen, this study characterized the IgE-binding epitopes in shrimp tropomyosin, Pen a 1, that cross-react with other allergenic invertebrate tropomyosins in house dust mites (Der p 10, Der f 10) and cockroaches (Per a 7). Pen a 1-reactive sera from shrimp-allergic subjects were used to evaluate the effect on IgE binding of different amino acid substitutions in Pen a 1 epitopes based on homologous sequences in Per a 7 and Der p 10/Der f 10. Methods: Peptides were synthesized spanning the length of Pen a 1 IgE-binding epitopes and amino acid substitutions were performed based on homologous amino acid sequences from Per a 7 and Der p 10/Der f 10. Results: 7/8 individually recognized Pen a 1 epitopes (2, 3a, 3b, 4, 5a, 5b and 5c) had an identical amino acid sequence with lobster allergen, Hom a 1, 4/8 (3a, 3b, 4 and 5a) with Der p 10 and Der f 10, and 5/8 (2, 3a, 3b, 4 and 5a) with Per a 7. In addition, even homologous regions of other arthropod tropomyosins that differ in one or more amino acids from the sequences of Pen a 1 epitopes are still recognized by shrimp-allergic IgE antibodies. In total, shrimp-allergic sera recognize 6/8 peptides homologous to Pen a 1 epitopes in Per a 7, 7/8 in Der p 10/Der f 10, and 7/8 epitopes in Hom a 1. Conclusions: The IgE recognition by shrimp-allergic individuals of identified and/or similar amino acid sequences homologous to Pen a 1 epitopes in mite, cockroach and lobster tropomyosins are the basis of the in vitro cross-reactivity among invertebrate species. Based on amino acid sequence similarity and epitope reactivity, lobster tropomyosin has the strongest and cockroach the least cross-reactivity with shrimp. The clinical relevance of these cross-reactivities in developing allergic reactions to different arthropods needs to be determined.
Proactive Risk Management: More Than Avoiding a Lawsuit

All too often risk management is viewed as either boring or simply an attempt to protect the organization from a lawsuit.what a wasted opportunity! The incorporation of a proactive risk management segment into any administration course has potential to revolutionize the thinking and planning process of organizations and specific program offerings. Described here are two components, a video-based mock trial and a collaborative risk management plan, that may be used separately or in concert with one another.
Suicidal behavior of adolescent girls: profile and meaning.

In the last two decades the incidence of adolescent suicides has been very high (though it has been on the decrease in the U.S.A. over the last four years), giving rise to a multitude of empirical and theoretical studies. The extensive knowledge that has accumulated regarding adolescent suicidal behavior has led to a more differentiated attitude. Many studies try to clarify specific needs, motivations and the conceptualization of death and suicide in various adolescent subgroups (minorities, females, homosexuals), thereby enabling more specific and exact methods of evaluation, prevention and intervention. Adolescent girls' suicidal behavior is different in many aspects from boys' suicidal behavior: Girls mortality rate from suicide is a 3-5 times lower rate than boys, but their attempted suicide rate is four to hundreds time higher. Girls suicide mainly by drugs and their suicide is mainly in reaction to interpersonal difficulties. Their motivation is often a cry for help. The comorbidity of suicide and depression is much higher for adolescent girls than boys. These differences generate a different understanding and separate treatment strategies. Two theoretical approaches that may explain the profile which characterizes suicidal girls will be presented. One has a psychological developmental context, and the other a social cultural context. Implications for specific prevention measures include legal action on pack sizes of analgesics, compulsory registration of attempted suicide and more gender specific treatment and prevention programs.
Inhibition of hepatitis C virus RNA replication by ISG15 does not require its conjugation to protein substrates by the HERC5 E3 ligase

Chronic infection of the liver by hepatitis C virus (HCV) induces a range of host factors including IFN-stimulated genes such as ISG15. ISG15 functions as an antiviral factor that limits virus replication. Previous studies have suggested that ISG15 could influence HCV replication in both a positive and a negative manner. In this report, we determined the effect of ISG15 on HCV RNA replication in two independent cell lines that support viral genome synthesis by inhibiting ISG15 expression through small interfering RNA, short-hairpin RNA and CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockout approaches. Our results demonstrated that ISG15 impairs HCV RNA replication in both the presence and absence of IFN stimulation, consistent with an antiviral role for ISG15 during HCV infection. ISG15 conjugation to protein substrates typically requires the E3 ligase, HERC5. Our results showed that the inhibitory effect of ISG15 on HCV RNA replication does not require its conjugation to substrates by HERC5.
Low electrical resistance silicon through vias: technology and characterization

System integration is clearly a driving force for innovation in packaging. The need for miniaturization has led to new architectures, which combine disparate technologies. In particular, when several die have to be connected in a small package, stacking would appear to be the best solution. However, this 3D packaging approach has to satisfy the constraints of high interconnection density and high data throughput in conjunction with good signal integrity, and reliability while maintaining a low cost. Today, several different approaches have been developed in order to perform 3D packaging. These include technologies like SiP (system in package), SoC (system on chip) or SoP (system on package) based in R. R. Tummala et al. (2002). A concept for heterogeneous integration has been developed by CEA-LETI and is called SoW (system on wafer) as presented in N. Sillon et al. (2005). In this paper, the system on wafer concept (SoW) is presented. In order to perform heterogeneous integration by using the SoW, a technological toolbox is required. This toolbox is presented with a focus on the silicon through vias technology (STV). Then, the complete technology for the STV is presented. A specific study concerning insulation conformity into the silicon through vias has been led and the results that are presented. Finally, electrical tests results are shown for different vias geometries
A strategy for multimodal deformable image registration to integrate PET/MR into radiotherapy treatment planning

Abstract Background. Combined positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is highly promising for biologically individualized radiotherapy (RT). Hence, the purpose of this work was to develop an accurate and robust registration strategy to integrate combined PET/MR data into RT treatment planning. Material and methods. Eight patient datasets consisting of an FDG PET/computed tomography (CT) and a subsequently acquired PET/MR of the head and neck (HN) region were available. Registration strategies were developed based on CT and MR data only, whereas the PET components were fused with the resulting deformation field. Following a rigid registration, deformable registration was performed with a transform parametrized by B-splines. Three different optimization metrics were investigated: global mutual information (GMI), GMI combined with a bending energy penalty (BEP) for regularization (GMI+ BEP) and localized mutual information with BEP (LMI+ BEP). Different quantitative registration quality measures were developed, including volumetric overlap and mean distance measures for structures segmented on CT and MR as well as anatomical landmark distances. Moreover, the local registration quality in the tumor region was assessed by the normalized cross correlation (NCC) of the two PET datasets. Results. LMI+ BEP yielded the most robust and accurate registration results. For GMI, GMI+ BEP and LMI+ BEP, mean landmark distances (standard deviations) were 23.9 mm (15.5 mm), 4.8 mm (4.0 mm) and 3.0 mm (1.0 mm), and mean NCC values (standard deviations) were 0.29 (0.29), 0.84 (0.14) and 0.88 (0.06), respectively. Conclusion. Accurate and robust multimodal deformable image registration of CT and MR in the HN region can be performed using a B-spline parametrized transform and LMI+ BEP as optimization metric. With this strategy, biologically individualized RT based on combined PET/MRI in terms of dose painting is possible.
Potassium flux in the pollen tubes was essential in plant sexual reproduction

Potassium channels are controlling K+ transport across plasma membrane and thus playing a central role in all aspects of osmolarity as well as numerous other functions in plants including in sexual reproduction. We have used whole-cell and single-channel patch-clamp recording techniques investigated the regulation of intracellular free Ca2+-activated outward K+ channels in Pyrus pyrifolia pollen tube protoplasts. We have also showed the channels could be inhibited by heme and activated carbon monoxide (CO). In the presence of oxygen and NADPH, hemoxygenases catalyzes heme degradation, producing biliverdin, iron and CO. Considered the oxygen concentration approaching zero in the ovary, the heme will inhibit the K+ outward flux from the intracellular of pollen tube, increasing the pollen tubes osmolarity, inducing pollen tube burst. Here we discuss the putative role of K+ channels in plant sexual reproduction.
Educational data mining: An holistic view

Datamining (DM) brings together a wide range of techniques and algorithms which allow the extraction of knowledge from databases for timely decision making. DM has been applied to different fields of study. One important research field is Education. Applying DM in education is known as educational datamining (EDM). The main purpose of EDM is to analyze data from educational institutions using different techniques such as: prediction, clustering, time-series analysis, classification, among others. This paper presents an holistic view of EDM including classification of algorithms, methods and tools used in DM processes. Furthermore, processes and indicators that could be improved are analyzed in educational institutions. This study covers papers presented from 2005 to 2015.
Biomechanical Analysis of an Anatomic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background: The focus of most anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions has been on replacing the anteromedial bundle and not the posterolateral bundle. Hypothesis: Anatomic two-bundle reconstruction restores knee kinematics more closely to normal than does single-bundle reconstruction. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Ten cadaveric knees were subjected to external loading conditions: 1) a 134-N anterior tibial load and 2) a combined rotatory load of 5-N·m internal tibial torque and 10-N·m valgus torque. Resulting knee kinematics and in situ force in the anterior cruciate ligament or replacement graft were determined by using a robotic/universal force-moment sensor testing system for 1) intact, 2) anterior cruciate ligament deficient, 3) single-bundle reconstructed, and 4) anatomically reconstructed knees. Results: Anterior tibial translation for the anatomic reconstruction was significantly closer to that of the intact knee than was the single-bundle reconstruction. The in situ force normalized to the intact anterior cruciate ligament for the anatomic reconstruction was 97% ± 9%, whereas the single-bundle reconstruction was only 89% ± 13%. With a combined rotatory load, the normalized in situ force for the single-bundle and anatomic reconstructions at 30° of flexion was 66% ± 40% and 91% ± 35%, respectively. Conclusions: Anatomic reconstruction may produce a better biomechanical outcome, especially during rotatory loads. Clinical Relevance: Results may lead to the use of a two-bundle technique.
Discovery of Functional Motifs from the Interface Region of Oligomeric Proteins Using Frequent Subgraph Mining

Modeling the interface region of a protein complex paves the way for understanding its dynamics and functionalities. Existing works model the interface region of a complex by using different approaches, such as, the residue composition at the interface region, the geometry of the interface residues, or the structural alignment of interface regions. These approaches are useful for ranking a set of docked conformation or for building scoring function for protein-protein docking, but they do not provide a generic and scalable technique for the extraction of interface patterns leading to functional motif discovery. In this work, we model the interface region of a protein complex by graphs and extract interface patterns of the given complex in the form of frequent subgraphs. To achieve this, we develop a scalable algorithm for frequent subgraph mining. We show that a systematic review of the mined subgraphs provides an effective method for the discovery of functional motifs that exist along the interface region of a given protein complex. In our experiments, we use three PDB protein structure datasets. The first two datasets are composed of PDB structures from different conformations of two dimeric protein complexes: HIV-1 protease (329 structures), and triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) (86 structures). The third dataset is a collection of different enzyme structures protein structures from the six top-level enzyme classes, namely: Oxydoreductase, Transferase, Hydrolase, Lyase, Isomerase, and Ligase. We show that for the first two datasets, our method captures the locking mechanism at the dimeric interface by taking into account the spatial positioning of the interfacial residues through graphs. Indeed, our frequent subgraph mining based approach discovers the patterns representing the dimerization lock which is formed at the base of the structure in 323 of the 329 HIV-1 protease structures. Similarly, for 86 TIM structures, our approach discovers the dimerization lock formation in 50 structures. For the enzyme structures, we show that we are able to capture the functional motifs (active sites) that are specific to each of the six top-level classes of enzymes through frequent subgraphs.
Female peers in small work groups enhance women's motivation, verbal participation, and career aspirations in engineering

Significance Advances in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are critical to the American economy and require a robust workforce. The scarcity of women in this workforce is a well-recognized problem, but data-driven solutions to this problem are less common. We provide experimental evidence showing that gender composition of small groups in engineering has a substantial impact on undergraduate women’s persistence. Women participate more actively in engineering groups when members are mostly female vs. mostly male or in equal gender proportions. Women feel less anxious in female-majority groups vs. minority groups, especially as first-year students. Gender-parity groups are less effective than female-majority groups in promoting verbal participation. Female peers protect women’s confidence and engineering career aspirations despite masculine stereotypes about engineering. For years, public discourse in science education, technology, and policy-making has focused on the “leaky pipeline” problem: the observation that fewer women than men enter science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and more women than men leave. Less attention has focused on experimentally testing solutions to this problem. We report an experiment investigating one solution: we created “microenvironments” (small groups) in engineering with varying proportions of women to identify which environment increases motivation and participation, and whether outcomes depend on students’ academic stage. Female engineering students were randomly assigned to one of three engineering groups of varying sex composition: 75% women, 50% women, or 25% women. For first-years, group composition had a large effect: women in female-majority and sex-parity groups felt less anxious than women in female-minority groups. However, among advanced students, sex composition had no effect on anxiety. Importantly, group composition significantly affected verbal participation, regardless of women’s academic seniority: women participated more in female-majority groups than sex-parity or female-minority groups. Additionally, when assigned to female-minority groups, women who harbored implicit masculine stereotypes about engineering reported less confidence and engineering career aspirations. However, in sex-parity and female-majority groups, confidence and career aspirations remained high regardless of implicit stereotypes. These data suggest that creating small groups with high proportions of women in otherwise male-dominated fields is one way to keep women engaged and aspiring toward engineering careers. Although sex parity works sometimes, it is insufficient to boost women’s verbal participation in group work, which often affects learning and mastery.
Project and processes: a convenient but simplistic dichotomy

The purpose of this paper is to explore commonalities and differences between projects and processes, and between project management (PjM) and process management (PcM), with a view to challenge this dichotomic typology, clarify the gray areas in between and propose better ways to classify and manage different endeavors. ,The research compares different tools and techniques used in both fields, explores the respective literatures and uses various examples to bring out similarities and differences. ,The current paradigms engender a number of organizational endeavors, which are actually complex processes being managed as projects, using the PjM body of knowledge. Because each instantiation takes a somewhat different form, it is treated as a one-of-a-kind undertaking; whereby many of the opportunities for learning and continuous improvement associated with PcM are lost. A reframing and typology is proposed to clarify the central notions involved. ,The proposed model has not been tested empirically and the authors could not agree on all aspects of the paper, though existing differences are more about degrees, nuances and wording than about the basic findings of the paper. ,The research makes the case that two research and practice communities that are evolving independently have much to gain by adopting a unified model and integrating their respective bodies of knowledge. Practitioners would thus access resources that are better adapted to the management challenges they are facing and gain a sustainable source of strategic advantage. ,The paper challenges long-established paradigms between two distinct research streams. A new typology and classification criteria are proposed.