Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GSTT 1 genotype modifies the association between cruciferous vegetable intake and the risk of myocardial infarction 1 – 3

Background: Cruciferous vegetables are a major dietary source of isothiocyanates that may protect against coronary heart disease. Isothiocyanates induce glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), polymorphic genes that code for enzymes that conjugate isothiocyanates, as well as mutagens and reactive oxygen species, to make them more readily excretable. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine whether GST genotypes modify the association between cruciferous vegetable intake and the risk of myocardial infarction (MI). Design: Cases (n 2042) with a first acute nonfatal MI and population-based controls (n 2042) living in Costa Rica, who were matched for age, sex, and area of residence, were genotyped for a deletion polymorphism in GSTM1 and GSTT1 and an Ile105Val substitution in GSTP1. Cruciferous vegetable intake and smoking status were determined by questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for MI were estimated by unconditional logistic regression. Results: Compared with the lowest tertile of cruciferous vegetable intake, the highest tertile was associated with a lower risk of MI among persons with the functional GSTT1*1 allele (OR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.84) but not among those with the GSTT1*0*0 genotype (OR: 1.23; 95% CI: 0.83, 1.82) (P 0.006 for interaction). This protective effect among those with the GSTT1*1 allele was greater for current smokers (OR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.36, 0.79) than for nonsmokers. GSTP1 and GSTM1 did not modify the association between cruciferous vegetable intake and MI. Conclusions: Consumption of cruciferous vegetables was associated with a lower risk of MI among those with a functional GSTT1*1 allele, which suggests that compounds that are detoxified by this enzyme contribute to the risk of MI. Am J Clin Nutr 2007;86:
The Ability to Form Homodimers Is Essential for RDM1 to Function in RNA-Directed DNA Methylation

RDM1 (RNA-DIRECTED DNA METHYLATION1) is a small plant-specific protein required for RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). RDM1 interacts with RNA polymerase II (Pol II), ARGONAUTE4 (AGO4), and the de novo DNA methyltransferase DOMAINS REARRANGED METHYLTRANSFERASE2 (DRM2) and binds to methylated single stranded DNA. As the only protein identified so far that interacts directly with DRM2, RDM1 plays a pivotal role in the RdDM mechanism by linking the de novo DNA methyltransferase activity to AGO4, which binds short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that presumably base-pair with Pol II or Pol V scaffold transcripts synthesized at target loci. RDM1 also acts together with the chromatin remodeler DEFECTIVE IN RNA-DIRECTED DNA METHYLATION1 (DRD1) and the structural-maintenance-of-chromosomes solo hinge protein DEFECTIVE IN MERISTEM SILENCING3 (DMS3) to form the DDR complex, which facilitates synthesis of Pol V scaffold transcripts. The manner in which RDM1 acts in both the DDR complex and as a factor bridging DRM2 and AGO4 remains unclear. RDM1 contains no known protein domains but a prior structural analysis suggested distinct regions that create a hydrophobic pocket and promote homodimer formation, respectively. We have tested several mutated forms of RDM1 altered in the predicted pocket and dimerization regions for their ability to complement defects in RdDM and transcriptional gene silencing, support synthesis of Pol V transcripts, form homodimers, and interact with DMS3. Our results indicate that the ability to form homodimers is essential for RDM1 to function fully in the RdDM pathway and may be particularly important during the de novo methylation step.
Cumulative effects associated with recurrent concussion in collegiate football players: the NCAA Concussion Study.

CONTEXT Approximately 300 000 sport-related concussions occur annually in the United States, and the likelihood of serious sequelae may increase with repeated head injury. OBJECTIVE To estimate the incidence of concussion and time to recovery after concussion in collegiate football players. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective cohort study of 2905 football players from 25 US colleges were tested at preseason baseline in 1999, 2000, and 2001 on a variety of measures and followed up prospectively to ascertain concussion occurrence. Players injured with a concussion were monitored until their concussion symptoms resolved and were followed up for repeat concussions until completion of their collegiate football career or until the end of the 2001 football season. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Incidence of concussion and repeat concussion; type and duration of symptoms and course of recovery among players who were injured with a concussion during the seasons. RESULTS During follow-up of 4251 player-seasons, 184 players (6.3%) had a concussion, and 12 (6.5%) of these players had a repeat concussion within the same season. There was an association between reported number of previous concussions and likelihood of incident concussion. Players reporting a history of 3 or more previous concussions were 3.0 (95% confidence interval, 1.6-5.6) times more likely to have an incident concussion than players with no concussion history. Headache was the most commonly reported symptom at the time of injury (85.2%), and mean overall symptom duration was 82 hours. Slowed recovery was associated with a history of multiple previous concussions (30.0% of those with > or =3 previous concussions had symptoms lasting >1 week compared with 14.6% of those with 1 previous concussion). Of the 12 incident within-season repeat concussions, 11 (91.7%) occurred within 10 days of the first injury, and 9 (75.0%) occurred within 7 days of the first injury. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that players with a history of previous concussions are more likely to have future concussive injuries than those with no history; 1 in 15 players with a concussion may have additional concussions in the same playing season; and previous concussions may be associated with slower recovery of neurological function.
Beyond Reward Prediction Errors: Human Striatum Updates Rule Values During Learning

Humans naturally group the world into coherent categories defined by membership rules. Rules can be learned implicitly by building stimulus-response associations using reinforcement learning (RL) or by using explicit reasoning. We tested if the striatum, in which activation reliably scales with reward prediction error, would track prediction errors in a task that required explicit rule generation. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a categorization task, we show that striatal responses to feedback scale with a “surprise” signal derived from a Bayesian rule-learning model and are inconsistent with RL prediction error. We also find that striatum and caudal inferior frontal sulcus (cIFS) are involved in updating the likelihood of discriminative rules. We conclude that the striatum, in cooperation with the cIFS, is involved in updating the values assigned to categorization rules when people learn using explicit reasoning.
Dark Halo and Disk Galaxy Scaling Laws in Hierarchical Universes

We use cosmological N-body/gasdynamical simulations that include star formation and feedback to examine the proposal that scaling laws between the total luminosity, rotation speed, and angular momentum of disk galaxies reflect analogous correlations between the structural parameters of their surrounding dark matter halos. The numerical experiments follow the formation of galaxy-sized halos in two cold dark matter (CDM)-dominated universes: the standard Ω = 1 CDM scenario and the currently popular ΛCDM model. We find that the slope and scatter of the I-band Tully-Fisher relation are well reproduced in the simulations, although not, as proposed in recent work, as a result of the cosmological equivalence between halo mass and circular velocity: large systematic variations in the fraction of baryons that collapse to form galaxies and in the ratio between halo and disk circular velocities are observed in our numerical experiments. The Tully-Fisher slope and scatter are recovered in this model as a direct result of the dynamical response of the halo to the assembly of the luminous component of the galaxy. We conclude that models that neglect the self-gravity of the disk and its influence on the detailed structure of the halo cannot be used to derive meaningful estimates of the scatter or slope of the Tully-Fisher relation. Our models fail, however, to match the zero point of the Tully-Fisher relation, as well as that of the relation linking disk rotation speed and angular momentum. These failures can be traced, respectively, to the excessive central concentration of dark halos formed in the CDM cosmogonies we explore and to the formation of galaxy disks as the final outcome of a sequence of merger events. Disappointingly, our feedback formulation, calibrated to reproduce the empirical correlations linking star formation rate and gas surface density established by Kennicutt, has little influence on these conclusions. Agreement between model and observations appears to demand substantial revision to the CDM scenario or to the manner in which baryons are thought to assemble and evolve into galaxies in hierarchical universes.
Stimulation of sodium reabsorption by dinitrophenol in the dog kidney.

After the i.v. injection of 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) in dogs (12-20 mg/kg) undergoing saline diuresis, there was significant fall in urine flow (P < .005) and sodium clearance (P < .001). In 9 of 10 dogs absolute reabsorption of sodium increased. Percentage of filtered sodium reabsorbed increased from 94.1 to 98.6% (P < .001). Glomerular filtration rate was not different in experimental and control periods but renal plasma flow decreased (P < .001). Oxygen uptake increased (P < .05) and the sodium reabsorption/ oxygen consumption ratio declined from 31.1 to 23.4 (P < .05) after DNP. Hemoglobin oxygen saturation fell from 92 to 84%. The mechanism of DNP-induced antinatriuresis is not understood but may be related to an uncoupling effect that allows increased availability of energy far transport. Alternatively, glycolysis could be stimulated with resulant increased availability of cytoplasmic adenosine triphosphate, or the hemodynamic changes produced by DNP might result in increased passive movement of sodium and water. It is not likely that hypoxia is responsible for the observed effects.
Detecting and Localizing Wireless Spoofing Attacks

Wireless networks are vulnerable to spoofing attacks, which allows for many other forms of attacks on the networks. Although the identity of a node can be verified through cryptographic authentication, authentication is not always possible because it requires key management and additional infrastructural overhead. In this paper we propose a method for both detecting spoofing attacks, as well as locating the positions of adversaries performing the attacks. We first propose an attack detector for wireless spoofing that utilizes K-means cluster analysis. Next, we describe how we integrated our attack detector into a realtime indoor localization system, which is also capable of localizing the positions of the attackers. We then show that the positions of the attackers can be localized using either area-based or point-based localization algorithms with the same relative errors as in the normal case. We have evaluated our methods through experimentation using both an 802.11 (WiFi) network as well as an 802.15. 4 (ZigBee) network. Our results show that it is possible to detect wireless spoofing with both a high detection rate and a low false positive rate, thereby providing strong evidence of the effectiveness of the K-means spoofing detector as well as the attack localizer.
THE MAINTENANCE OF SEX BY PARASITISM AND MUTATION ACCUMULATION UNDER EPISTATIC FITNESS FUNCTIONS

The mutation accumulation hypothesis predicts that sex functions to reduce the population mutational load, while the Red Queen hypothesis holds that sex is adaptive as a defense against coevolving pathogens. We used computer simulations to examine the combined and separate effects of selection against deleterious mutations and host‐parasite coevolution on the spread of a clone into an outcrossing sexual population. The results suggest that the two processes operating simultaneously may select for sex independent of the exact shape of the function that maps mutation number onto host fitness.
InsP6-Sensitive Variants of the Gle1 mRNA Export Factor Rescue Growth and Fertility Defects of the ipk1 Low-Phytic-Acid Mutation in Arabidopsis

Expression of Gle1 variants with modified InsP6 binding pockets rescues mRNA export defects of the ipk1 InsP6-deficient mutant, suggesting a critical role for Gle1 in mediating InsP6 function. Myo-inositol-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakisphosphate (InsP6), also known as phytic acid, accumulates in large quantities in plant seeds, serving as a phosphorus reservoir, but is an animal antinutrient and an important source of water pollution. Here, we report that Gle1 (GLFG lethal 1) in conjunction with InsP6 functions as an activator of the ATPase/RNA helicase LOS4 (low expression of osmotically responsive genes 4), which is involved in mRNA export in plants, supporting the Gle1-InsP6-Dbp5 (LOS4 homolog) paradigm proposed in yeast. Interestingly, plant Gle1 proteins have modifications in several key residues of the InsP6 binding pocket, which reduce the basicity of the surface charge. Arabidopsis thaliana Gle1 variants containing mutations that increase the basic charge of the InsP6 binding surface show increased sensitivity to InsP6 concentrations for the stimulation of LOS4 ATPase activity in vitro. Expression of the Gle1 variants with enhanced InsP6 sensitivity rescues the mRNA export defect of the ipk1 (inositol 1,3,4,5,6-pentakisphosphate 2-kinase) InsP6-deficient mutant and, furthermore, significantly improves vegetative growth, seed yield, and seed performance of the mutant. These results suggest that Gle1 is an important factor responsible for mediating InsP6 functions in plant growth and reproduction and that Gle1 variants with increased InsP6 sensitivity may be useful for engineering high-yielding low-phytate crops.
Spontaneous spheroid budding from monolayers: a potential contribution to ovarian cancer dissemination

Summary Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecologic cancer, in large part because of its early dissemination and rapid development of chemotherapy resistance. Spheroids are clusters of tumor cells found in the peritoneal fluid of patients that are thought to promote this dissemination. Current models suggest that spheroids form by aggregation of single tumor cells shed from the primary tumor. Here, we demonstrate that spheroids can also form by budding directly as adherent clusters from a monolayer. Formation of budded spheroids correlated with expression of vimentin and lack of cortical E-cadherin. We also found that compared to cells grown in monolayers, cells grown as spheroids acquired progressive resistance to the chemotherapy drugs Paclitaxel and Cisplatin. This resistance could be completely reversed by dissociating the spheroids. Our observations highlight a previously unappreciated mode of spheroid formation that might have implications for tumor dissemination and chemotherapy resistance in patients, and suggest that this resistance might be reversed by spheroid dissociation.
Contemporary Mathematics Explicit schemes in seismic migration and isotropic multiscale representations

We construct examples of non-separable Isotropic Multiresolution Analyses (IMRA) for L2(Rd). We develop a wave equation based poststack depth migration scheme using the frames arising from IMRA. If we discretise the signal at only one resolution level, then the method reduces to a so-called explicit scheme (see for example [8, 10]). The multiscale structure of IMRA, offers the possibility of reducing the cost of computation.
The Cytoplasmic Tail of the Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus F Protein Plays Critical Roles in Cellular Localization of the F Protein and Infectious Progeny Production

ABSTRACT The importance of the F protein cytoplasmic tail (CT) for replication of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) was examined by monitoring the behavior of viruses expressing F proteins with a modified COOH terminus. The F protein mutant viruses were recovered and amplified under conditions where F protein function was complemented by expression of a heterologous viral envelope protein. The effect of the F protein modifications was then examined in the context of a viral infection in standard cell types (Vero and HEp-2). The F protein modifications consisted of a deletion of the predicted CT or a replacement of the CT with the CT of the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) G protein. In addition, engineered HRSVs that lacked all homologous glycoprotein genes (SH, G, and F) and expressed instead either the authentic VSV G protein or a VSV G containing the HRSV F protein CT were examined. We found that deletion or replacement of the F protein CT seriously impaired the production of infectious progeny. Cells infected with viruses bearing CT modifications displayed increased F protein surface expression and increased syncytium formation. The distribution of F protein in the plasma membrane of infected cells was altered, resulting in an F protein that was evenly distributed rather than localized predominantly to virus-induced surface filaments. CT deletion or exchange also abrogated interaction of F protein with Triton-insoluble lipid rafts. Addition of the F protein CT to the VSV G protein, expressed as the only viral glycoprotein in an HRSV genome, had the opposite effects: the number of infectious progeny was higher, the surface distribution was changed from relatively even to localized, and the proportion of VSV G protein associated with lipid rafts was higher. Together, these results show that the HRSV F protein CT plays a critical role in F protein cellular localization and production of infectious virus and suggest that the function provided by the CT is independent of the F protein ectodomain and transmembrane domain and is mediated by F protein-lipid raft interaction.
Flashbacks and post-traumatic stress disorder: the genesis of a 20th-century diagnosis

Background It has been argued that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a timeless condition, which existed before it was codified in modern diagnostic classifications but was described by different names such as ‘railway spine’ and ‘shellshock’. Others have suggested that PTSD is a novel presentation that has resulted from a modern interaction between trauma and culture. Aims To test whether one core symptom of PTSD, the flashback, has altered in prevalence over time in soldiers subjected to the intense stress of combat. Method Random selections were made of UK servicemen who had fought in wars from 1854 onwards and who had been awarded war pensions for post-combat disorders. These were studied to evaluate the incidence of flashbacks in defined, at-risk populations. Results The incidence of flash backs was significantly greater in the most recent cohort, veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War; flashbacks were conspicuous by their absence in ex-servicemen from the Boer War and the First and Second World Wars. Conclusions Although this study raises questions about changing interpretations of post-traumatic illness, it supports the hypothesis that some of the characteristics of PTSD are culture-bound. Earlier conflicts showed a greater emphasis on somatic symptoms.
Mel, linear, and antimel frequency cepstral coefficients in broad phonetic regions for telephone speaker recognition

We’ve examined the speaker discriminative power of mel-, antimeland linear-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs, aMFCCs and LFCCs) in the nasal, vowel, and non-nasal consonant speech regions. Our inspiration came from the work of Lu and Dang in 2007, who showed that filterbank energies at some frequencies mainly outside the telephone bandwidth possess more speaker discriminative power due to physiological characteristics of speakers, and derived a set of cepstral coefficients that outperformed MFCCs in non-telephone speech. Using telephone speech, we’ve discovered that LFCCs gave 21.5% and 15.0% relative EER improvements over MFCCs in nasal and non-nasal consonant regions, agreeing with our filterbank energy f-ratio analysis. We’ve also found that using only the vowel region with MFCCs gives a 9.1% relative improvement over using all speech. Last, we’ve shown that a-MFCCs are valuable in combination, contributing to a system with 17.3% relative improvement over our baseline.
A Review on Organic Farming - Sustainable Agriculture Development

Organic farming through sustainable agriculture meets not only the food requirements of present generation in an environment friendly way but also the requirements of future generations and maintains our environment. Modern agriculture involving use of pesticides and fertilizers have caused negative impact on environment by affecting soil fertility, water hardness, development of insect resistance, genetic variation in plants, increase in toxic residue through food chain and animal feed thus increasing health problems and many more serious health concerns and degradation of environment. Organic farming provides macronutrients and micronutrients to the plants and also improves soil physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soil.
Attitudes of first year medical students in Singapore towards older people and willingness to consider a career in geriatric medicine.

Introduction: Training of future physicians in the care of elderly patients will need to evolve in accordance with the exponential increase of elderly patients, but some may have preconceived attitudes affecting their management. This study determined medical students’ attitudes towards older people and their willingness to consider a career in Geriatric Medicine. Materials and Methods: All 250 first-year medical students, prior to any formal clinical exposure at the National University of Singapore School of Medicine, were asked to participate voluntarily in the study based on the UCLA Geriatrics Attitudes Scale. The 14-item questionnaire consisted of a mixture of positively and negatively worded questions answered on a 5-point Likert scale. A fifteenth question enquired about their willingness to consider Geriatric Medicine as a potential career choice. Results: The mean UCLA attitudes score was 3.58 [±standard deviation (SD), 0.41] suggesting a generally positive attitude. There was a strong association between attitude scores and willingness to consider Geriatric Medicine as a career (R = 0.48, P <001). However, only one third of the cohort was willing to consider a career in Geriatric Medicine. There was no difference in attitude scores between male and female students, but females were significantly more likely to consider Geriatric Medicine as a potential career choice. Conclusion: First-year medical students in Singapore have a generally positive attitude towards older people, although only 1 in 3 persons was willing to consider a career in Geriatric Medicine. Higher attitude scores and female gender were the main predictors of willingness to consider a career in Geriatric Medicine. Key words: Attitudes, Career, Education, Medical students, Older people