Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preparation of poly(ethylene glycol)/polylactide hybrid fibrous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Polylactide (PLA) electrospun fibers have been reported as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering application, however, the great hydrophobicity limits its broad application. In this study, the hybrid amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/hydrophobic PLA fibrous scaffolds exhibited improved morphology with regular and continuous fibers compared to corresponding blank PLA fiber mats. The prepared PEG/PLA fibrous scaffolds favored mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) attachment and proliferation by providing an interconnected porous extracellular environment. Meanwhile, MSCs can penetrate into the fibrous scaffold through the interstitial pores and integrate well with the surrounding fibers, which is very important for favorable application in tissue engineering. More importantly, the electrospun hybrid PEG/PLA fibrous scaffolds can enhance MSCs to differentiate into bone-associated cells by comprehensively evaluating the representative markers of the osteogenic procedure with messenger ribonucleic acid quantitation and protein analysis. MSCs on the PEG/PLA fibrous scaffolds presented better differentiation potential with higher messenger ribonucleic acid expression of the earliest osteogenic marker Cbfa-1 and mid-stage osteogenic marker Col I. The significantly higher alkaline phosphatase activity of the PEG/PLA fibrous scaffolds indicated that these can enhance the differentiation of MSCs into osteoblast-like cells. Furthermore, the higher messenger ribonucleic acid level of the late osteogenic differentiation markers OCN (osteocalcin) and OPN (osteopontin), accompanied by the positive Alizarin red S staining, showed better maturation of osteogenic induction on the PEG/PLA fibrous scaffolds at the mineralization stage of differentiation. After transplantation into the thigh muscle pouches of rats, and evaluating the inflammatory cells surrounding the scaffolds and the physiological characteristics of the surrounding tissues, the PEG/PLA scaffolds presented good biocompatibility. Based on the good cellular response and excellent osteogenic potential in vitro, as well as the biocompatibility with the surrounding tissues in vivo, the electrospun PEG/PLA fibrous scaffolds could be one of the most promising candidates in bone tissue engineering.
Polarized training has greater impact on key endurance variables than threshold, high intensity, or high volume training

Endurance athletes integrate four conditioning concepts in their training programs: high-volume training (HVT), “threshold-training” (THR), high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and a combination of these aforementioned concepts known as polarized training (POL). The purpose of this study was to explore which of these four training concepts provides the greatest response on key components of endurance performance in well-trained endurance athletes. Methods: Forty eight runners, cyclists, triathletes, and cross-country skiers (peak oxygen uptake: (VO2peak): 62.6 ± 7.1 mL·min−1·kg−1) were randomly assigned to one of four groups performing over 9 weeks. An incremental test, work economy and a VO2peak tests were performed. Training intensity was heart rate controlled. Results: POL demonstrated the greatest increase in VO2peak (+6.8 ml·min·kg−1 or 11.7%, P < 0.001), time to exhaustion during the ramp protocol (+17.4%, P < 0.001) and peak velocity/power (+5.1%, P < 0.01). Velocity/power at 4 mmol·L−1 increased after POL (+8.1%, P < 0.01) and HIIT (+5.6%, P < 0.05). No differences in pre- to post-changes of work economy were found between the groups. Body mass was reduced by 3.7% (P < 0.001) following HIIT, with no changes in the other groups. With the exception of slight improvements in work economy in THR, both HVT and THR had no further effects on measured variables of endurance performance (P > 0.05). Conclusion: POL resulted in the greatest improvements in most key variables of endurance performance in well-trained endurance athletes. THR or HVT did not lead to further improvements in performance related variables.
Candidate gene prioritization with Endeavour

Genomic studies and high-throughput experiments often produce large lists of candidate genes among which only a small fraction are truly relevant to the disease, phenotype or biological process of interest. Gene prioritization tackles this problem by ranking candidate genes by profiling candidates across multiple genomic data sources and integrating this heterogeneous information into a global ranking. We describe an extended version of our gene prioritization method, Endeavour, now available for six species and integrating 75 data sources. The performance (Area Under the Curve) of Endeavour on cross-validation benchmarks using ‘gold standard’ gene sets varies from 88% (for human phenotypes) to 95% (for worm gene function). In addition, we have also validated our approach using a time-stamped benchmark derived from the Human Phenotype Ontology, which provides a setting close to prospective validation. With this benchmark, using 3854 novel gene–phenotype associations, we observe a performance of 82%. Altogether, our results indicate that this extended version of Endeavour efficiently prioritizes candidate genes. The Endeavour web server is freely available at https://endeavour.esat. kuleuven.be/.
Responses of Fourteen Vietnamese Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Cultivars to High Temperatures during Grain Filling Period under Field Conditions

High temperatures significantly affect rice grain yield and quality. However, little information is known about the response of indica cultivars, especially Vietnamese cultivars, to high temperature. In this study, field experiments were conducted in 2015 and 2016 to evaluate the response of Vietnamese cultivars under high temperatures during the grain filling period. The high temperature was applied after the first cultivar started anthesis, by opening two sides of a plastic chamber that housed the cultivar when the temperature reached above 36 °C under field conditions. The difference in the maximum temperature between the control and the high temperature treatment was about 1.3 °C to 10.1 °C in 2015, and 0.73 °C to 10.2 °C in 2016. Decreases in crop growth rate (CGR) and yield were correlated with increased temperature conditions during the grain filling period. The grain yield of 14 Vietnamese cultivars fell to 81.5 and 79.4% of the control in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The variable with the greatest impact on grain yield was spikelet sterility induced by high temperature. Under high temperature conditions during the grain filling period, the percentage of grain chalkiness in the high temperature-treatment group increased compared to the control. Our study showed that Vietnamese rice yield and quality were significantly affected by high temperature.
Elements of interactivity in telephone conversations

The term “interactivity” has been defined in numerous ways in the context of communications, but a definition of interactivity as an instrumentally measurable parameter of conversations is still missing. In this paper, we approach this issue by applying a parametric analysis to telephone conversations recorded during speech quality tests. To this end, we extract the basic conversational parameters like speech activity, mutual silence and double talk as well as a set of conversation events like speaker alternation rate and interruption rate. Comparing two types of scenarios for conversational speech quality assessment and exploring four different situations with regard to transmission delay, we aim at understanding the interdependencies between the conversational parameters which are basic for studying interactivity. This is intended to, ultimately, lead to an instrumental metric distilled from the relevant parameters.
Liver parenchyma heterogeneity in the response to extracellular NAD+

The perfused rat liver responds intensely to NAD+ infusion (20–100 µM). Increases in portal perfusion pressure and glycogenolysis and transient inhibition of oxygen consumption are some of the effects that were observed. The aim of the present work was to investigate the distribution of the response to extracellular NAD+ along the hepatic acinus. The bivascularly perfused rat liver was used. Various combinations of perfusion directions (antegrade and retrograde) and infusion routes (portal vein, hepatic vein and hepatic artery) were used in order to supply NAD+ to different regions of the liver parenchyma, also taking advantage of the fact that its extracellular transformation generates steep concentration gradients. Oxygen uptake was stimulated by NAD+ in retrograde perfusion (irrespective of the infusion route) and transiently inhibited in antegrade perfusion. This indicates that the signal causing oxygen uptake inhibition is generated in the periportal area. The signal responsible for oxygen uptake stimulation is homogenously distributed. Stimulation of glucose release was more intense when NAD+ was infused into the portal vein or into the hepatic artery, indicating that stimulation of glycogenolysis predominates in the periportal area. The increases in perfusion pressure were more pronounced when the periportal area was supplied with NAD+ suggesting that the vasoconstrictive elements responding to NAD+ predominate in this region. The response to extracellular NAD+ is thus unequally distributed in the liver. As a paracrine agent, NAD+ is likely to be released locally. It can be concluded that its effects will be different depending on the area where it is released. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of resistance training on endurance capacity and muscle fiber composition in young top‐level cyclists

Equivocal findings exist on the effect of concurrent strength (S) and endurance (E) training on endurance performance and muscle morphology. Further, the influence of concurrent SE training on muscle fiber‐type composition, vascularization and endurance capacity remains unknown in top‐level endurance athletes. The present study examined the effect of 16 weeks of concurrent SE training on maximal muscle strength (MVC), contractile rate of force development (RFD), muscle fiber morphology and composition, capillarization, aerobic power (VO2max), cycling economy (CE) and long/short‐term endurance capacity in young elite competitive cyclists (n=14). MVC and RFD increased 12–20% with SE (P<0.01) but not E. VO2max remained unchanged. CE improved in E to reach values seen in SE. Short‐term (5‐min) endurance performance increased (3–4%) after SE and E (P<0.05), whereas 45‐min endurance capacity increased (8%) with SE only (P<0.05). Type IIA fiber proportions increased and type IIX proportions decreased after SE training (P<0.05) with no change in E. Muscle fiber area and capillarization remained unchanged. In conclusion, concurrent strength/endurance training in young elite competitive cyclists led to an improved 45‐min time‐trial endurance capacity that was accompanied by an increased proportion of type IIA muscle fibers and gains in MVC and RFD, while capillarization remained unaffected.
Subclasses of Low-Density Lipoprotein and Very Low-Density Lipoprotein in Familial Combined Hyperlipidemia: Relationship to Multiple Lipoprotein Phenotype

Objective—The present study addresses the presence of distinct metabolic phenotypes in familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) in relation to small dense low-density lipoprotein (sd LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) subclasses. Methods and Results—Hyperlipidemic FCHL relatives (n=72) were analyzed for LDL size by gradient gel electrophoresis. Pattern B LDL (sd LDL, particle size <258 Å) and pattern A LDL (buoyant LDL, particle size ≥258 Å) were defined. Analyses showed bimodal distribution of LDL size associated with distinct phenotypes. Subjects with predominantly large, buoyant LDL showed a hypercholesterolemic phenotype and the highest apo B levels. Subjects with predominantly sd LDL showed a hypertriglyceridemic, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol phenotype, with moderately elevated apoB, total cholesterol level, and LDL cholesterol level. Subjects with both buoyant LDL and sd LDL (pattern AB, n=7) showed an intermediate phenotype, with high normal plasma triglycerides. VLDL subfraction analysis showed that the sd LDL phenotype was associated with a 10-times higher number of VLDL1 particles of relatively lower apo AI and apo E content, as well as smaller VLDL2 particles, in combination with increased plasma insulin concentration in comparison to pattern A. Conclusions—The present observations underscore the importance of the VLDL triglyceride metabolic pathway in FCHL as an important determinant of the phenotypic heterogeneity of the disorder.
CD 63 IS A CRITICAL MEDIATOR OF LMP 1 FUNCTION

| The ubiquitous Epstein Barr virus (EBV) exploits human B-cell development to establish a persistent infection in ~90% of the world population. Constitutive activation of NFκB by the viral oncogene latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) has an important role in persistence, but is a risk factor for EBV-associated lymphomas. Here, we demonstrate that endogenous LMP1 escapes degradation upon accumulation within intraluminal vesicles of multivesicular endosomes and secretion via exosomes. LMP1 associates-and traffics with the intracellular tetraspanin CD63 into vesicles that lack MHC II and sustain low cholesterol levels, even in 'cholesterol-trapping' conditions. The lipid-raft anchoring sequence FWLY, nor ubiquitylation of the N-terminus, controls LMP1 sorting into exosomes. Rather, C-terminal modifications that retain LMP1 in Golgi compartments preclude assembly within CD63-enriched domains and/or exosomal discharge leading to NFκB overstimulation. Interference through shRNAs further proved the antagonizing role of CD63 in LMP1-mediated signaling. Thus LMP1 exploits CD63-enriched microdomains to restrain downstream NFκB activation by promoting trafficking in the endosomal-exosomal pathway. CD63 is thus a critical mediator of LMP1 function in-and outside infected (tumour) cells. Introduction Epstein Barr virus (EBV) is a lymphotrophic γ-herpesvirus that encodes for the latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1), a pleiotropic viral oncoprotein expressed in many EBV-associated tumours (Thorley-Lawson and Gross, 2004). The assumed biological function of LMP1 in healthy carriers is to mimic downstream signaling of the human TNF receptor family member CD40 in EBV-infected B cells passing the germinal center (GC). Timely expression of LMP1 in concordance with other latent gene products during the restricted latency II (default) and latency III (growth program) stages of infected cells is suspected to provide essential survival signal(s). Ultimately, the surviving infected cells access the long-lived peripheral memory B cell compartment, widely considered as the main site of EBV persistence (Thorley-Lawson, 2001). Recent in situ studies unequivocally confirmed that EBV-infected tonsillar B cells within GCs of healthy individuals contain LMP1 mRNA (Roughan et al., 2010; Roughan and Thorley-Lawson, 2009) and protein (Hudnall et al., 2005). LMP1 has classic transforming activity in rodent fibroblasts (Wang et al., 1985) and is essential for efficient EBV-mediated transformation of naive B-cells (Dirmeier et al., 2003) by inducing constitutive NFκB activation upon infection that drives the proliferation of latency type III LCL cells (Cahir-McFarland et al., 2000). In addition, LMP1 drives the growth of infected lymphoma cells (Guasparri et al., 2008; Liebowitz, 1998). The oncogenic and growth-promoting properties of LMP1 are directly associated with its ability to …
Capacity Scaling Laws of Cognitive Networks

In this paper, we study the capacity of cognitive networks. We focus on the network model consisting of two overlapping ad hoc networks, called the primary ad hoc network (PaN) and secondary ad hoc network (SaN), respectively. PaN and SaN operate on the same space and spectrum. For PaN (or SaN resp.) we assume that primary (or secondary resp.) nodes are placed according to a Poisson point process of intensity n (or m resp.) over a unit square region. We randomly choose ns (or ms resp.) nodes as the sources of multicast sessions in PaN (or SaN resp.), and for each primary source v (or secondary source v), we pick uniformly at random nd primary nodes (or md secondary nodes) as the destinations of v (or v). Above all, we assume that PaN can adopt the optimal protocol in terms of the throughput. Our main work is to design the multicast strategy for SaN by which it can achieve the optimal throughput, without any negative impact on the throughput for PaN in order sense. Depending on nd and n, we choose the optimal strategy for PaN from two ones called percolation strategy and connectivity strategy, respectively. Subsequently, we design the corresponding throughput-optimal strategy for SaN. We further derive the regimes for n, nd, m and md where the throughput for PaN and SaN can simultaneously be achieved of the upper bound of their capacities asymptotically. Specifically, we show that (1) when n = o( m (log m)2 ), nd = O( n (log n)3 ), and md = O( m (log m)3 ), PaN and SaN can simultaneously achieve the optimal throughput, i.e., the upper bounds of the capacity (Θ( √ n · nd) and Θ( √ m · md), respectively); (2) when nd = Ω( n log n ) and md = Ω( m log m ), PaN and SaN also simultaneously achieve the optimal throughput, i.e., Θ(1) for both networks. Unicast capacity (or broadcast capacity) for the cognitive network can be derived by our results as special cases by letting nd = 1 and md = 1 (or nd = n − 1 and md = m − 1).
On Error Exponents and Moderate Deviations for Lossless Streaming Compression of Correlated Sources

We derive upper and lower bounds for the error exponents of lossless streaming compression of two correlated sources under the blockwise and symbolwise settings. We consider the linear scaling regime in which the delay is a scalar multiple of the number of symbol pairs of interest. We show that for rate pairs satisfying certain constraints, the upper and lower bounds for the error exponent of blockwise codes coincide. For symbolwise codes, the bounds coincide for rate pairs satisfying the aforementioned constraints and a certain condition on the symbol pairs we wish to decode---namely, that their indices are asymptotically comparable to the blocklength. We also derive moderate deviations constants for blockwise and symbolwise codes, leveraging the error exponent results, and using appropriate Taylor series expansions. In particular, for blockwise codes, we derive an information spectrum-type strong converse, giving the complete characterization of the moderate deviations constants. For symbolwise codes, under an additional requirement on the backoff from the first-order fundamental limit, we can show that the moderate deviations constants are the same as the blockwise setting.
Associations of Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrate Intakes With Insomnia Symptoms Among Middle-aged Japanese Workers

Background Diet is a modifiable factor that may affect sleep, but the associations of macronutrient intakes with insomnia are inconsistent. We investigated the associations of protein, fat, and carbohydrate intakes with insomnia symptoms. Methods In this cross-sectional analysis of 4435 non-shift workers, macronutrient intakes were assessed by the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire, which requires the recall of usual intakes of 58 foods during the preceding month. Presence of insomnia symptoms, including difficulty initiating sleep (DIS), difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS), and poor quality of sleep (PQS) were self-reported. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs adjusted for demographic, psychological, and behavioral factors, as well as medical histories. Results Low protein intake (<16% vs ≥16% of total energy) was associated with DIS (OR 1.24, 95% CI 0.99–1.56) and PQS (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.04–1.48), while high protein intake (≥19% vs <19% of total energy) was associated with DMS (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.12–1.76). Low carbohydrate intake (<50% vs ≥50% of total energy) was associated with DMS (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.97–1.45). Conclusions Protein and carbohydrate intakes in the daily diet were associated with insomnia symptoms. The causality of these associations remains to be explained.
Decrease of Let-7f in Low-Dose Metronomic Paclitaxel Chemotherapy Contributed to Upregulation of Thrombospondin-1 in Breast Cancer

Low-dose metronomic (LDM) paclitaxel therapy displayed a stronger anti-angiogenic activity on breast tumors with fewer side effects. Upregulation of anti-angiogenic factor Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) accords for therapeutic potency of LDM paclitaxel, but its molecular mechanism has not been elucidated yet. microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as new important regulators of tumor growth and metastasis. Here, we hypothesize that miRNAs are involved in TSP-1 overexpression in paclitaxel LDM therapy of breast tumors. The miRNA profile of tumor tissues from control, LDM and MTD groups in 4T1 mouse breast cancer model was detected by microarray, and then verified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Luciferase assay and western blot were employed to explore the mechanisms of miRNAs involved in this process. We found that let-7f, let-7a, miR-19b and miR-340-5p were reduced by >2 fold, and miR-543* and miR-684 were upregulated by at least 50% in paclitaxel LDM therapy. qRT-PCR verification revealed that let-7f level was reduced most significantly in LDM therapy. Computational prediction using TargetScan and miRanda suggested THBS1 which encodes TSP-1 as a potential target for let-7f. Luciferase activity assay further confirmed that let-7f may bind to 3'UTR of THBS1 gene and inhibit its activity. Moreover, forced expression of let-7f led to a decrease of TSP-1 at both mRNA and protein levels in MCF-7 cells. Contrastly, let-7f inhibition induced an increased expression of THBS1 mRNA and TSP-1 protein, but did not affect the proliferation and apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. Paclitaxel LDM therapy led to a decrease of let-7f and the elevation of TSP-1 protein expression in MCF-7 cells, while overexpression of let-7f may abolish LDM-induced the upregulation of TSP-1 in MCF-7 cells. In summary, let-7f inhibition contributed to the upregulation of TSP-1 in paclitaxel LDM therapy, independently of proliferation, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of breast cancer. This study indicates let-7f as a potential therapeutic target for breast tumor.
Implementation Strategies for a Universal Acquisition and Tracking Channel Applied to Real GNSS Signals

This paper presents a universal GNSS receiver channel capable of tracking any civil GNSS signal. This fundamentally differs from dedicated channels, each customized for a given signal. A mobile device could integrate fewer universal channels to harvest all available signals. This would allow securing signal availability, while minimizing power consumption and chip size, thus maximizing battery lifetime. In fact, the universal channel allows sequential acquisition and tracking of any chipping rate, carrier frequency, FDMA channel, modulation, or constellation, and is totally configurable (any integration time, any discriminator, etc.). It can switch from one signal to another in 1.07 ms, making it possible for the receiver to rapidly adapt to its sensed environment. All this would consume 3.5 mW/channel in an ASIC implementation, i.e., with a slight overhead compared to the original GPS L1 C/A dedicated channel from which it was derived. After extensive surveys on GNSS signals and tracking channels, this paper details the implementation strategies that led to the proposed universal channel architecture. Validation is achieved using GNSS signals issued from different constellations, frequency bands, modulations and spreading code schemes. A discussion on acquisition approaches and conclusive remarks follow, which open up a new signal selection challenge, rather than satellite selection.