Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Aspects of Moraxella catarrhalis Pathogenesis

SUMMARY In recent years, Moraxella catarrhalis has established its position as an important human mucosal pathogen, no longer being regarded as just a commensal bacterium. Further, current research in the field has led to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in M. catarrhalis pathogenesis, including mechanisms associated with cellular adherence, target cell invasion, modulation of the host's immune response, and metabolism. Additionally, in order to be successful in the host, M. catarrhalis has to be able to interact and compete with the commensal flora and overcome stressful environmental conditions, such as nutrient limitation. In this review, we provide a timely overview of the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with M. catarrhalis virulence and pathogenesis.
American Journal of Epidemiology Original Contribution Residence near Power Lines and Mortality from Neurodegenerative Diseases: Longitudinal Study of the Swiss Population

The relation between residential magnetic field exposure from power lines and mortality from neurodegenerative conditions was analyzed among 4.7 million persons of the Swiss National Cohort (linking mortality and census data), covering the period 2000–2005. Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze the relation of living in the proximity of 220–380 kV power lines and the risk of death from neurodegenerative diseases, with adjustment for a range of potential confounders. Overall, the adjusted hazard ratio for Alzheimer's disease in persons living within 50 m of a 220–380 kV power line was 1.24 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80, 1.92) compared with persons who lived at a distance of 600 m or more. There was a dose-response relation with respect to years of residence in the immediate vicinity of power lines and Alzheimer's disease: Persons living at least 5 years within 50 m had an adjusted hazard ratio of 1. with at least 15 years. The pattern was similar for senile dementia. There was little evidence for an increased risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, or multiple sclerosis. Research on the long-term effects of extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) has focused on cancer since Wertheimer and Leeper (1) published their results on childhood cancer and wiring configurations in 1979. In 2001, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified exposure to residential magnetic fields above 0.4 lTas a ''possible'' cause of childhood leukemia (2). For noncancer endpoints, an initial report by Sobel et al. (3) on occupational ELF-MF exposure and Alzheimer's disease suggested that the risk could be substantial. Studies published subsequently have produced inconsistent results, but a recent meta-analysis (4) reported elevated risks in cohort, as well as case-control, studies. A recent review of the evidence for an association between ELF-MF and Alzheimer's disease by the World Health Organization (5) concluded that the available data were inadequate, and the topic was identified as a key research priority. To our knowledge, no study has so far examined whether residential exposure from power lines is associated with an elevated risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Even a small association could be of high public health relevance, since a considerable number of persons are exposed to these fields. For example, 9.2% of the Swiss population live within 600 m of a 220 or 380 kV power line. We used the Swiss National Cohort, a longitudinal study of the Swiss population (6), to investigate …
Equilibrium Isotherm Models for Adsorption of Zinc ( II ) ion from Aqueous Solution on Pulp Waste

The present investigation deals with the utilization of pulp waste as an adsorbent for the removal of zinc (II) ion from aqueous solution. A series of experiments were conducted in a batch system to evaluate the performance of the pulp waste for zinc removal. The effects of pH, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration and temperature were evaluated. The optimum pH value for zinc (II) adsorption on the pulp waste was found to be pH 6.0. The equilibrium sorption data were analyzed using Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin, Halsay, HurkinsJura, Redlich-Peterson, Dubinin-Radushkevich and Jovanovich isotherm models, and the Langmuir and Temkin models were found to be adequate in describing the zinc (II) adsorption onto the pulp waste. Key-Words: Adsorption, Equilibrium isotherm, Pulp waste, Zinc (II) ion, Langmuir, Temkin, Halsay, Hurkins-Jura, Redlich-Peterson, Dubinin-Radushkevich, Jovanovich
ErbB2 inhibition by lapatinib promotes degradation of mutant p53 protein in cancer cells

Mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene are the most prevalent genetic events in human Her2-positive breast cancer and are associated with poor prognosis and survival. Human clinical data and our in vitro and in vivo studies strongly suggest potent oncogenic cooperation between mutant p53 and Her2 (ErbB2). Yet, the translational significance of mutant p53 in Her2 positive breast cancer, especially with respect to Her2-targeted therapies, has not been evaluated. Our previous work identified novel oncogenic activity of mutant p53 whereby mutp53 amplifies ErbB2 signaling via the mutp53-HSF1-ErbB2 feed-forward loop. Here we report that pharmacological interception of this circuit by ErbB2 inhibitor lapatinib downregulates mutant p53 in vitro and in vivo. We found that ErbB2 inhibition by lapatinib inhibits transcription factor HSF1, and its target Hsp90, followed by mutant p53 degradation in MDM2 dependent manner. Thus, our data suggest that mutant p53 sensitizes cancer cells to lapatinib via two complementary mechanisms: mutant p53 mediated amplification of ErbB2 signaling, and simultaneous annihilation of both potent oncogenic drivers, ErbB2 and mutant p53. Hence, our study could provide valuable information for the optimization of therapeutic protocols to achieve superior clinical effects in the treatment of Her2 positive breast cancer.
Comparative analysis of quantum cascade laser modeling based on density matrices and non-equilibrium Green's functions

We study the operation of an 8.5 μm quantum cascade laser based on GaInAs/AlInAs lattice matched to InP using three different simulation models based on density matrix (DM) and non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) formulations. The latter advanced scheme serves as a validation for the simpler DM schemes and, at the same time, provides additional insight, such as the temperatures of the sub-band carrier distributions. We find that for the particular quantum cascade laser studied here, the behavior is well described by simple quantum mechanical estimates based on Fermi's golden rule. As a consequence, the DM model, which includes second order currents, agrees well with the NEGF results. Both these simulations are in accordance with previously reported data and a second regrown device.
Nucleoside diphosphate kinase 2 confers acquired 5-fluorouracil resistance in colorectal cancer cells

Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapeutic regimens are routinely used for the treatment of patients with CRC. However, recurrence and chemotherapeutic drug resistance limit the survival rates of patients with CRC. DNA methylation participates in diverse cellular processes by regulating the transcription of a large number of genes expression, cell division, apoptosis, cell adhesion and differentiation, and metabolism, thus it might mediate chemoresistance. Using an Illumina Infinium HD Assay, DNA methylation levels in a human 5-FU-resistant HCT-8 CRC cell line (HCT-8/FU) and its progenitor cell line HCT-8 were analysed. A total of 16,580 differentially methylated genes were identified, of which 8885 were hypermethylated and 7695 were hypomethylated in resistant cells. Among these genes, NME2 (nucleoside diphosphate kinase 2) exhibited a significant difference in methylation between cell lines and has known roles in gastric cancer and breast cancer; accordingly, we hypothesized that it plays a role in acquired resistance in CRC. Knockdown of NME2 restored 5-FU sensitivity in 5-FU-resistant CRC cells, reduced cell survival and increased cell apoptosis; and overexpression of NME2 in HCT-8 cells results in the acquisition of resistance to 5-FU, this alteration enhanced HCT-8 cells growth abilities and reduced apoptosis. These findings suggest that NME2 mediates chemoresistance to 5-FU in CRC and that specific NME2 inhibition could optimize 5-FU-based chemotherapy of CRC.
Reusing Weights in Subword-Aware Neural Language Models

We propose several ways of reusing subword embeddings and other weights in subword-aware neural language models. The proposed techniques do not benefit a competitive character-aware model, but some of them improve the performance of syllable- and morpheme-aware models while showing significant reductions in model sizes. We discover a simple hands-on principle: in a multi-layer input embedding model, layers should be tied consecutively bottom-up if reused at output. Our best morpheme-aware model with properly reused weights beats the competitive word-level model by a large margin across multiple languages and has 20%-87% fewer parameters.
Improving Provider Communication about HPV Vaccines for Vaccine-Hesitant Parents Through the Use of Motivational Interviewing

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake is below that of other routine adolescent vaccines. This is due in part to the fact that the HPV vaccine is often not routinely recommended by providers to all eligible adolescents. While providers’ recommendations are crucial, even a strongly stated recommendation can be insufficient among HPV vaccine-hesitant parents. Providers must be prepared to respond to parental concerns following giving the recommendation for the HPV vaccine. This paper presents the analysis of implementation of an intervention aimed at improving provider communication with HPV vaccine-hesitant parents. Healthcare providers and staff at eight pediatric and family medicine clinics received communication training that included motivational interviewing (MI) techniques. Process evaluation in the form of serial surveys, as well as program evaluation in the form of focus groups with participating providers and staff, assessed the perceived efficacy of the intervention. Outcomes included time spent discussing the HPV vaccine during clinical visits, providers’ self-efficacy for addressing parental HPV vaccine hesitancy, and their general perceptions of the effectiveness of MI techniques. Overall, findings indicate the intervention improved providers’ communication with HPV vaccine-hesitant parents and providers reported the use of MI played a central role in improved HPV vaccine acceptance. Lessons learned and recommendations for future interventions are also discussed.
Accumulation of cytoplasmic Cdk1 is associated with cancer growth and survival rate in epithelial ovarian cancer

Cyclin dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) have previously reported correlation with cancer growth and a key regulator for cell cycle. Mostly, Cdk1′s function of nucleus for cell cycle is well known to be associated with cancer, but cytoplasmic Cdk1′s traits are not clearly identified, yet. We revealed that tissue microarray blocks of epithelial ovarian cancer (n = 249) showed increased level of cytoplasmic Cdk1 (p < 0.001), but not in nucleus (p = 0.192) of histologic cell type independently. On survival analysis, Cdk1 overexpression conferred a significantly worse prognosis in 5-year overall survival (Log-rank p = 0.028, Hazard ratio = 2.016, 95% CI = 1.097 to 4.635). Also, the expression of Cdk1 was increased in ovarian cancer cell lines and Gene Expression Omnibus datasets. When the expression and activity of Cdk1 were inhibited by si-Cdk1 or RO-3306 which is a potent Cdk1 inhibitor, the growth of ovarian cancer was diminished. Moreover, combined treatment with RO-3306 and cisplatin in ovarian cancer significantly elevated anti-cancer effects than single-agent treatment. In conclusion, cytoplasmic Cdk1 expression which was elevated in ovarian cancer predicts a poor overall survival. The inhibition of Cdk1 expression and activity reduced ovarian cancer growth.
MADS-box genes and crop domestication: the jack of all traits

MADS-box genes are key regulators of virtually every aspect of plant reproductive development. They play especially prominent roles in flowering time control, inflorescence architecture, floral organ identity determination, and seed development. The developmental and evolutionary importance of MADS-box genes is widely acknowledged. However, their role during flowering plant domestication is less well recognized. Here, we provide an overview illustrating that MADS-box genes have been important targets of selection during crop domestication and improvement. Numerous examples from a diversity of crop plants show that various developmental processes have been shaped by allelic variations in MADS-box genes. We propose that new genomic and genome editing resources provide an excellent starting point for further harnessing the potential of MADS-box genes to improve a variety of reproductive traits in crops. We also suggest that the biophysics of MADS-domain protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions, which is becoming increasingly well characterized, makes them especially suited to exploit coding sequence variations for targeted breeding approaches.
Predictors and outcome of acute kidney injury after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the predictors and outcome of acute kidney injury (AKI) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). METHODS AND RESULTS There were 35 articles recruiting 13,256 patients included in our study. Hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 1.92, 95% CI: 1.44 to 2.56), diabetes mellitus (OR 1.33, 95% CI: 1.20 to 1.47), peripheral artery disease (OR 1.28, 95% CI: 1.14 to 1.45) and a left ventricular ejection fraction <40% (OR 1.50, 95% CI: 1.19 to 1.88) were identified as significant independent predictors of AKI. In addition to the aforementioned comorbidities, procedure-related/post-TAVI factors such as transapical access (OR 1.68, 95% CI: 1.44 to 1.97), major bleeding (OR 1.82, 95% CI: 1.37 to 2.40) and transfusion (OR 1.30, 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.51) were also associated with a higher risk of AKI. Importantly, the risk of short-term all-cause death increased progressively with the aggravating severity of AKI (OR, 30 days: stage 1: 3.41; stage 2: 4.0; stage 3: 11.02; one year: stage 1: 1.95; stage 2: 2.82; stage 3: 7.34), as determined by a univariate analysis. After eliminating confounders, AKI remained linked to a higher risk for both short-term (30 days: HR 2.12, 95% CI: 1.59 to 2.83) and long-term (≥3 years: HR 1.37, 95% CI: 1.27 to 1.48) all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS The reason for the occurrence of AKI was multifactorial, including baseline characteristics, procedure-related and post-TAVI factors. It appeared that even stage 1 AKI exerted detrimental effects on survival within one year, and AKI was also independently linked to mortality beyond three years.
Crack Arresting Mechanism Of Fiber ReinforcedConcrete

The cracking arresting property of FRC has been well proved by a lot of experiments and has been applied extensively. This paper tends to propose a more rational interpretation to the mechanism of FRC. The K-superposition method has been improved in this paper to interpret the crack arresting mechanism of fiber reinforced concrete. A simple and direct approach has been introduced based on the Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM). The behavior of fibers in the process of crack arresting has been revealed fundamentally. It has been shown that the stress intensity factor due to the fiber is extremely great at the moment the fiber just strides cross the crack, which greatly reduces the total amount of the stress intensity factor of FRC.
Tracheal intubation in patients with cervical spine immobilization: a comparison of the Airwayscope, LMA CTrach, and the Macintosh laryngoscopes.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Pentax AWS, and the LMA CTrach, in comparison with the Macintosh laryngoscope, when performing tracheal intubation in patients with neck immobilization using manual in-line axial cervical spine stabilization. METHODS Ninety patients undergoing anaesthesia who required tracheal intubation were randomly assigned to undergo intubation using a Macintosh (n=30), LMA CTrach (n=30), or AWS (n=30) laryngoscope. All patients were intubated by one of the three anaesthetists familiar with the use of each laryngoscope. RESULTS The intubation difficulty scores were significantly higher with the Macintosh laryngoscope and were significantly lower with the AWS compared with the LMA CTrach. All 30 patients were successfully intubated with the Macintosh and the AWS device, compared with 27 patients with the LMA CTrach. The duration of both the first and the successful tracheal intubation attempts was significantly longer with the LMA CTrach compared with the AWS and Macintosh laryngoscopes. A greater number of optimization manoeuvres were required to facilitate tracheal intubation with the LMA CTrach compared with the AWS laryngoscope. The AWS group had a significantly better Cormack and Lehane glottic view obtained at laryngoscopy compared with both other devices. CONCLUSIONS The AWS laryngoscope has several advantages over the Macintosh laryngoscope, or LMA CTrach, in patients undergoing cervical spine immobilization.
Overcoming Endurance Issue: UAV-Enabled Communications With Proactive Caching

Wireless communication enabled by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has emerged as an appealing technology for many application scenarios in future wireless systems. However, the limited endurance of UAVs greatly hinders the practical implementation of UAV-enabled communications. To overcome this issue, this paper proposes a novel scheme for UAV-enabled communications by utilizing the promising technique of proactive caching at the users. Specifically, we focus on content-centric communication systems, where a UAV is dispatched to serve a group of ground nodes (GNs) with random and asynchronous requests for files drawn from a given set. With the proposed scheme, at the beginning of each operation period, the UAV pro-actively transmits the files to a subset of selected GNs that cooperatively cache all the files. As a result, when requested, a file can be retrieved by each GN either directly from its local cache or from its nearest neighbor that has cached the file via device-to-device communications. It is revealed that there exists a fundamental trade-off between the file caching cost, which is the total time required for the UAV to transmit the files to their designated caching GNs, and the file retrieval cost, which is the average time required for serving one file request. To characterize this trade-off, we formulate an optimization problem to minimize the weighted sum of the two costs, via jointly designing the file caching policy, the UAV trajectory, and communication scheduling. As the formulated problem is NP-hard in general, we propose efficient algorithms to find high-quality approximate solutions for it. Numerical results are provided to corroborate our study and show the great potential of proactive caching for overcoming the endurance issue in UAV-enabled communications.
CORAL: Coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture for Convolutional Neural Networks

Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) has become one of the most successful technologies for visual classification and other applications. As CNN models continue to evolve and adopt different kernel sizes in various applications, it is necessary for the hardware architecture to support reconfigurability. Previous FPGAs and programmable ASICs are fine-grained reconfigurable but with energy efficiency compromise. Considering specific features of CNNs, this paper presents an energy efficient coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture, denoted as CORAL. An application-specific configuration neural block is proposed for convolution operations with reconfigurable data quantization to reduce both energy consumption and on-chip memory requirements. An optimal data loading strategy is presented for CORAL to achieve the best energy efficiency. Experimental results show that CORAL improves 80.0% energy efficiency while reduces 78.9% chip area and 81.0% reconfiguration time compared with the best up-to-date programmable ASIC solution.
N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine improves bone marrow endothelial progenitor cells in prolonged isolated thrombocytopenia patients post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Prolonged isolated thrombocytopenia (PT) is a serious complication following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT). According to murine studies, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a crucial role in the regulation of hematopoiesis and thrombopoiesis in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. We previously showed that the reduced frequency of BM EPCs was an independent risk factor for the occurrence of PT following allo‐HSCT. However, the functional role of BM EPCs and methods to improve the impaired BM EPCs in PT patients are unknown. In the current case‐control study, we investigated whether the BM EPCs in PT patients differed from those in good graft function patients. Moreover, we evaluated whether N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NAC, a reactive oxygen species [ROS] scavenger) could enhance BM EPCs from PT patients in vitro and in vivo. The PT patients exhibited dysfunctional BM EPCs characterized by high levels of ROS and apoptosis and decreased migration and angiogenesis capabilities. In vitro treatment with NAC improved the quantity and function of the BM EPCs cultivated from the PT patients by downregulating the p38 MAPK pathway and rescued the impaired BM EPCs to support megakaryocytopoiesis. Furthermore, according to the results of a preliminary clinical study, NAC is safe and effective in PT patients. In summary, these results suggested that the reduced and dysfunctional BM EPCs are involved in the occurrence of PT. The defective BM EPCs in the PT patients can be quantitatively and functionally improved by NAC, indicating that NAC is a promising therapeutic approach for PT patients following allo‐HSCT.