Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Angiotensin II Regulates microRNA-132/-212 in Hypertensive Rats and Humans

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a group of small non-coding RNAs that fine tune translation of multiple target mRNAs, are emerging as key regulators in cardiovascular development and disease. MiRNAs are involved in cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure and remodeling following cardiac infarction; however, miRNAs involved in hypertension have not been thoroughly investigated. We have recently reported that specific miRNAs play an integral role in Angiotensin II receptor (AT1R) signaling, especially after activation of the Gαq signaling pathway. Since AT1R blockers are widely used to treat hypertension, we undertook a detailed analysis of potential miRNAs involved in Angiotensin II (AngII) mediated hypertension in rats and hypertensive patients, using miRNA microarray and qPCR analysis. The miR-132 and miR-212 are highly increased in the heart, aortic wall and kidney of rats with hypertension (159 ± 12 mm Hg) and cardiac hypertrophy following chronic AngII infusion. In addition, activation of the endothelin receptor, another Gαq coupled receptor, also increased miR-132 and miR-212. We sought to extend these observations using human samples by reasoning that AT1R blockers may decrease miR-132 and miR-212. We analyzed tissue samples of mammary artery obtained from surplus arterial tissue after coronary bypass operations. Indeed, we found a decrease in expression levels of miR-132 and miR-212 in human arteries from bypass-operated patients treated with AT1R blockers, whereas treatment with β-blockers had no effect. Taken together, these data suggest that miR-132 and miR-212 are involved in AngII induced hypertension, providing a new perspective in hypertensive disease mechanisms.
Human Gingival Integration-Free iPSCs; a Source for MSC-Like Cell

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered a potential autologous therapy for tissue engineering. The available procedures for MSC retrieval from patients are invasive, and their limited in vitro proliferation restricts their use in the treatment of damaged tissues. Therefore, it is important to establish an alternative and safe source of MSCs. The objective of this study was to demonstrate induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) generation from a combination of an accessible source tissue and an integration-free method; we also attempted the differentiation of iPSCs into MSC-like cells (MSLCs) for future autologous tissue engineering. iPSCs were derived from human gingival tissues, which are easily accessible in the field of dentistry, via the use of non-integrating episomal plasmids. Established iPSCs expressed embryonic stem (ES) cell-specific markers, as assessed by gene analysis and immunocytochemistry. Embryoid bodies and teratoma formation were formed from iPSCs, showing their capacity to differentiate into three germ layers. Furthermore, we were successful in differentiating iPSCs into MSLCs. They tested positively for their capacity of trilineage differentiation. Our results demonstrate that human gingival integration-free iPSCs, readily accessible stem cells generated using episomal plasmid vectors, are a promising source of MSLCs, which can be used in tissue regeneration.
The Process of Bureaucratization

Formalization of personnel procedures in 229 city, country, and state finance agencies is a function of era of origin and subsequent effects of the environment. Whereas origins and the environment account for the extent of formal personnel procedures, formalization in turn gives rise to multitier hierarchies and hierarchy to decentralized decision making. The effects of origins are due to greater openness to environmental pressures at the time of formation than later on.
Cytogenetic abnormalities and clinical outcome in Wilms tumor: a study by the U.K. cancer cytogenetics group and the U.K. Children's Cancer Study Group.

BACKGROUND Tumor genetic features reported to correlate with adverse outcome in Wilms tumor include karyotype complexity, losses of material from the short arm of chromosome 1 and from the long arms of chromosomes 11, 16 and 22 and gain of material from the long arm of chromosome 1. This study sought to test these associations in a large series of tumors studied by cytogenetic analysis. Identification of markers associated with elevated risk of relapse and fatal outcome could allow more effective treatment stratification at presentation. PROCEDURE Thirteen member laboratories of the U.K. Cancer Cytogenetics Group provided results from a 12-year period. Karyotype abnormalities were correlated with clinical data (age, tumor stage, and histology) and outcome data provided by the central register of the U.K. Children's Cancer Study Group. RESULTS Of 127 abnormal karyotypes, 78 included a reputedly "poor prognosis" feature. Univariate survival analysis showed no significant adverse effect for karyotype complexity, 1p loss or 11q loss. The poor outcome of cases with 16q loss was of borderline significance, but this effect was restricted to those tumors with unbalanced translocation der(16)t(1q;16q). The association between relapse risk and gain of 1q material was not significant. Only monosomy 22 was a significant marker of poor outcome in univariate analysis (13 cases showing 50% relapse free survival at 5 years compared to 79% survival for the remaining 114 cases, P = 0.02). In multivariate analysis, significant independent predictors of poor outcome were 1q gain (Hazard Ratio 3.4), stage IV disease (HR 5.0), and monosomy 22 (HR 5.9). CONCLUSIONS Loss of chromosome 22 identifies high risk Wilms tumors. The prognostic significance of 1q gain, 16q loss and unbalanced translocation der(16)t(1q;16q) is unresolved and warrants further investigation.
Fast image scanning with deep max-pooling convolutional neural networks

Deep Neural Networks now excel at image classification, detection and segmentation. When used to scan images by means of a sliding window, however, their high computational complexity can bring even the most powerful hardware to its knees. We show how dynamic programming can speedup the process by orders of magnitude, even when max-pooling layers are present.
Hybrid DE algorithm with adaptive crossover operator for solving real-world numerical optimization problems

In this paper, the results for the CEC 2011 Competition on testing evolutionary algorithms on real world optimization problems using a hybrid differential evolution algorithm are presented. The proposal uses a local search routine to improve convergence and an adaptive crossover operator. According to the obtained results, this algorithm shows to be able to find competitive solutions with reported results.
Bias Correction of Persistence Measures in Fractionally Integrated Models

This article investigates the accuracy of bootstrap‐based bias correction of persistence measures for long‐memory fractionally integrated processes. The bootstrap method is based on the semi‐parametric sieve approach, with the dynamics in the long‐memory process captured by an autoregressive approximation. With a view to improving accuracy, the sieve method is also applied to data prefiltered by a semi‐parametric estimate of the long‐memory parameter. Both versions of the bootstrap technique are used to estimate the finite‐sample distributions of the sample autocorrelation coefficients and the impulse response coefficients and, in turn, to bias adjust these statistics. The accuracy of the resultant estimators in the case of the autocorrelation coefficients is also compared with that yielded by analytical bias adjustment methods when available. The basic sieve technique is seen to yield a reduction in the bias of both persistence measures. The prefiltered sieve produces a substantial further reduction in the bias of the estimated impulse response function, whilst the extra improvement yielded by prefiltering in the case of the sample autocorrelation function is shown to depend heavily on the accuracy of the prefilter.
Making machine learning models interpretable

Data of different levels of complexity and of ever growing diversity of characteristics are the raw materials that machine learning practitioners try to model using their wide palette of methods and tools. The obtained models are meant to be a synthetic representation of the available, observed data that captures some of their intrinsic regularities or patterns. Therefore, the use of machine learning techniques for data analysis can be understood as a problem of pattern recognition or, more informally, of knowledge discovery and data mining. There exists a gap, though, between data modeling and knowledge extraction. Models, de- pending on the machine learning techniques employed, can be described in diverse ways but, in order to consider that some knowledge has been achieved from their description, we must take into account the human cog- nitive factor that any knowledge extraction process entails. These models as such can be rendered powerless unless they can be interpreted ,a nd the process of human interpretation follows rules that go well beyond techni- cal prowess. For this reason, interpretability is a paramount quality that machine learning methods should aim to achieve if they are to be applied in practice. This paper is a brief introduction to the special session on interpretable models in machine learning, organized as part of the 20 th European Symposium on Artificial Neural Networks, Computational In- telligence and Machine Learning. It includes a discussion on the several works accepted for the session, with an overview of the context of wider research on interpretability of machine learning models.
Cortisol Responses to Mental Stress and the Progression of Coronary Artery Calcification in Healthy Men and Women

Background Psychosocial stress is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). The mechanisms are incompletely understood, although dysfunction of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis might be involved. We examined the association between cortisol responses to laboratory-induced mental stress and the progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC). Methods and Results Participants were 466 healthy men and women (mean age = 62.7±5.6 yrs), without history or objective signs of CHD, drawn from the Whitehall II epidemiological cohort. At the baseline assessment salivary cortisol was measured in response to mental stressors, consisting of a 5-min Stroop task and a 5-min mirror tracing task. CAC was measured at baseline and at 3 years follow up using electron beam computed tomography. CAC progression was defined as an increase >10 Agatston units between baseline and follow up. 38.2% of the sample demonstrated CAC progression over the 3 years follow up. There was considerable variation in the cortisol stress response, with approximately 40% of the sample responding to the stress tasks with an increase in cortisol of at least 1 mmol/l. There was an association between cortisol stress reactivity (per SD) and CAC progression (odds ratio = 1.27, 95% CI, 1.02–1.60) after adjustments for age, sex, pre-stress cortisol, employment grade, smoking, resting systolic BP, fibrinogen, body mass index, and use of statins. There was no association between systolic blood pressure reactivity and CAC progression (odds ratio per SD increase = 1.03, 95% CI, 0.85–1.24). Other independent predictors of CAC progression included age, male sex, smoking, resting systolic blood pressure, and fibrinogen. Conclusion Results demonstrate an association between heightened cortisol reactivity to stress and CAC progression. These data support the notion that cortisol reactivity, an index of HPA function, is one of the possible mechanisms through which psychosocial stress may influence the risk of CHD.
Heavy Tails in Queueing Systems: Impact of Parallelism on Tail Performance

In this paper we quantify the efficiency of parallelism in systems that are prone to failures and exhibit power law processing delays. We characterize the performance of two prototype schemes of parallelism, redundant and split, in terms of both the power law exponent and exact asymptotics of the delay distribution tail. We also develop the optimal splitting scheme which ensures that split always outperforms redundant.
Riboswitch structure: an internal residue mimicking the purine ligand

The adenine and guanine riboswitches regulate gene expression in response to their purine ligand. X-ray structures of the aptamer moiety of these riboswitches are characterized by a compact fold in which the ligand forms a Watson–Crick base pair with residue 65. Phylogenetic analyses revealed a strict restriction at position 39 of the aptamer that prevents the G39–C65 and A39–U65 combinations, and mutational studies indicate that aptamers with these sequence combinations are impaired for ligand binding. In order to investigate the rationale for sequence conservation at residue 39, structural characterization of the U65C mutant from Bacillus subtilis pbuE adenine riboswitch aptamer was undertaken. NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography studies demonstrate that the U65C mutant adopts a compact ligand-free structure, in which G39 occupies the ligand-binding site of purine riboswitch aptamers. These studies present a remarkable example of a mutant RNA aptamer that adopts a native-like fold by means of ligand mimicking and explain why this mutant is impaired for ligand binding. Furthermore, this work provides a specific insight into how the natural sequence has evolved through selection of nucleotide identities that contribute to formation of the ligand-bound state, but ensures that the ligand-free state remains in an active conformation.
Anxiety and Attentional Bias: State and Trait

Abstract MacLeod, Mathews, and Tata (1986) found that anxious patients showed a tendency to react faster to a probe stimulus that appeared in the location of a threatening visual word rather than in that of a simultaneous neutral word. In 4 experiments, a total of 104 subjects drawn from the general population were tested on different variations of this task. A relationship to anxiety was confirmed, and it was shown that this relationship did not appear on animal names that also formed a semantically similar set and had an equal probability of being followed by a probe stimulus. Although the effect is therefore dependent on the content of the word, it builds up during the experimental session and is therefore likely to be due to increasing post-attentive awareness of the presence of threatening words. The most reliable results across experiments were found by using Trait rather than State Anxiety, and particularly by fitting a curvilinear relationship such that the exact degree of Anxiety makes little dif.
Revision of the Career Maturity Inventory

Since the last edition of the Career Maturity Inventory (CMI; Crites, 1978a) was published, it has become increasingly apparent that a revision is needed. Five considerations directed the preparation and construction of the 1995 CMI: (a) to reduce administration and testing time, (b) to extend the CMI to the postsecondary adult levels, (c) to eliminate subscales, (d) to construct a collateral Career Developer (CDR) for the interpretation of the CMI, and (e) to offer both hand- and machine-scoring options for individuals and aggregate data analysis. The 1995 CMI was derived from the 1978 edition, but it is also based on previously unpublished longitudinal data for item selection, which augment the original cross-sectional data. In addition, new Competence Test items were written, with Agree and Disagree response options, to replace the former 5-response-place items. The 1995 CMI now consists of 25 Attitude scale items and 25 Competence Test items, each yielding a score that measures degree of career maturity of conative and cognitive variables, respectively. In addition, there is an overall career maturity score that is a composite of attitudes and competencies.
Classroom, Home and Peer Environment Influences on Student Outcomes in Science and Mathematics: An analysis of systemic reform data

Using secondary analysis of a large database from a Statewide Systemic Initiative, we examined the effects of several types of environments on student outcomes. Over 3 years, nearly 7,000 students in 392 classes in 200 different schools responded to a questionnaire that assesses class, home, and peer environments as well as student attitudes. Students also completed an achievement measure that, developed by scientists, teachers, and science educators, was not aligned with any particular curriculum. Students were enrolled in middle‐school science and mathematics classes in schools that had participated in the Statewide Systemic Initiative. Rasch analyses allowed us to compare across student cohorts and across schools. Findings confirmed the importance of extending research on classroom learning environments to include the learning environments of the home and the peer group. Although all three environments accounted for statistically significant amounts of unique variance in student attitudes, only the class environment (defined in terms of the frequency of use of standards‐based teaching practices) accounted for statistically significant amounts of unique variance in student achievement scores. The findings are supported by other studies of systemic reform in the United States.
Effects of message Repetition on Argument Processing, Recall, and Persuasion

Previous research has suggested that message argument scrutiny is enhanced by moderate levels of message repetition, whereas tedium develops at high levels of message repetition. Such a conceptualization implies that responses to messages containing strong versus weak arguments should be affected differently by a moderate level of message repetition. This prediction was tested in a study of 102 undergraduates assigned randomly to the cells of a 2 (Argument Quality: Strong vs. Weak) x 2 (Message Repetition: One vs. Three) between-subjects factorial design. Analyses revealed the predicted interaction on the measure of postcommunication attitudes, providing convergent evidence that moderate levels of message repetition can increase or decrease persuasion by enhancing argument scrutiny.
Cedratvirus lausannensis – digging into Pithoviridae diversity

Amoeba-infecting viruses have raised scientists' interest due to their novel particle morphologies, their large genome size and their genomic content challenging previously established dogma. We report here the discovery and the characterization of Cedratvirus lausannensis, a novel member of the Megavirales, with a 0.75-1 µm long amphora-shaped particle closed by two striped plugs. Among numerous host cell types tested, the virus replicates only in Acanthamoeba castellanii leading to host cell lysis within 24 h. C. lausannensis was resistant to ethanol, hydrogen peroxide and heating treatments. Like 30 000-year-old Pithovirus sibericum, C. lausannensis enters by phagocytosis, releases its genetic content by fusion of the internal membrane with the inclusion membrane and replicates in intracytoplasmic viral factories. The genome encodes 643 proteins that confirmed the grouping of C. lausannensis with Cedratvirus A11 as phylogenetically distant members of the family Pithoviridae. The 575,161 bp AT-rich genome is essentially devoid of the numerous repeats harbored by Pithovirus, suggesting that these non-coding repetitions might be due to a selfish element rather than particular characteristics of the Pithoviridae family. The discovery of C. lausannensis confirms the contemporary worldwide distribution of Pithoviridae members and the characterization of its genome paves the way to better understand their evolution.
Location, location, location: functional and phenotypic heterogeneity between tumor-infiltrating and non-infiltrating myeloid-derived suppressor cells

An increasing number of studies is focusing on the role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the suppression of antitumor immune responses. Although the main site of action for MDSCs is most likely the tumor microenvironment, the study of these cells has been largely restricted to MDSCs derived from peripheral lymphoid organs. Only in a minority of studies MDSCs isolated from the tumor microenvironment have been characterized. This review will give an overview of the data available on the phenotypical and functional differences between tumor-derived MDSCs and MDSCs isolated from the spleen of tumor-bearing mice or from the peripheral blood of cancer patients.
Research Note: Libertarian-Authoritarian Value Change in Britain, 1974–2001

This research note explores the mechanisms behind age differences and changes over time in one of the two major value dimensions in British politics, libertarian-authoritarianism. I show that the British electorate has become substantially more libertarian over the last 30 years, but that older people have remained more authoritarian than younger people over this period. Conventionally, due to the problem of the under-identification of models containing age, period and cohort variables, it is difficult to assess whether this indicates generational differences, and generational change, or not. This paper overcomes some of these problems however, by measuring social ageing factors, such as marriage, and using panel data to rigorously assess how individuals change due to these social ageing factors. I find little evidence of psychologists' claims that social ageing leads to increases in authoritarianism, and conclude that both age differences and changes over time are generational in nature.
Does Treewidth Help in Modal Satisfiability?

Many tractable algorithms for solving the Constraint Satisfaction Problem (Csp) have been developed using the notion of the treewidth of some graph derived from the input Csp instance. In particular, the incidence graph of the Csp instance is one such graph. We introduce the notion of an incidence graph for modal logic formulas in a certain normal form. We investigate the parameterized complexity of modal satisfiability with the modal depth of the formula and the treewidth of the incidence graph as parameters. For various combinations of Euclidean, reflexive, symmetric, and transitive models, we show either that modal satisfiability is Fixed Parameter Tractable (Fpt), or that it is W[1]-hard. In particular, modal satisfiability in general models is Fpt, while it is W[1]-hard in transitive models. As might be expected, modal satisfiability in transitive and Euclidean models is Fpt.
Sources and motives for personal meaning in adulthood

This study examined sources and motives for personal meaning in adulthood using a mixed methods approach. Participants (N = 666) from seven Western countries reported sources of life meaning, and why they were meaningful. They rated their perceived meaningfulness of 10 life domains and completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Family and personal life – indicating personal growth, well-being, harmony and self-actualization – emerged as main sources of meaning. Personal life, referring mainly to self-transcendent values, was the prominent motive underlying sources of meaning. Participants grouped according to age and family role revealed life stage differences in meaningfulness across domains. Hierarchical regressions indicated meaningfulness was not a significant predictor of life satisfaction, confirming that hedonic and eudaimonic dimensions are distinct components of well-being. Findings elucidate the importance of self-generated accounts of meaning as these blend personal, self-transcendent and demographic factors and offer insight not typically provided by standardized surveys.