Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
iNKT and MAIT Cell Alterations in Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are multifactorial diseases with different etiologies in which chronic inflammation takes place. Defects in invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell populations have been reported in both T1D and T2D patients, mouse models and our recent study revealed mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cell defects in T2D and obese patients. Regarding iNKT cells many studies in non-obese diabetic mice demonstrated their protective role against T1D whereas their potential role in human T1D is still under debate. Studies in mouse models and patients suggest that iNKT cells present in adipose tissue (AT) could exert a regulatory role against obesity and associated metabolic disorders, such as T2D. Scarce data are yet available on MAIT cells; however, we recently described MAIT cell abnormalities in the blood and ATs from obese and T2D patients. These data show that a link between MAIT cells and metabolic disorders pave the way for further investigations on MAIT cells in T1D and T2D in humans and mouse models. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the gut microbiota alterations associated with T1D and T2D could modulate iNKT and MAIT cell frequency and functions. The potential role of iNKT and MAIT cells in the regulation of metabolic pathways and their cross-talk with microbiota represent exciting new lines of research.
Smart Streaming for Online Video Services

Bandwidth cost is a significant concern for online video service providers. Today's video streaming systems mostly use HTTP streaming, with users accessing video segments as HTTP requests. A frequently used strategy is to serve all user requests as fast as possible, as if the user is downloading a file. The downloading rate can often far exceed the playback rate, when the system is below the peak load. This is known as progressive downloading. Since users may quit before viewing the complete video, however, much of the downloaded video can be “wasted. ” By studying and exploiting the predictability of users' departure behavior , the authors developed a smart streaming strategy that can significantly improve overall streaming service quality under given server bandwidth. The improvement is achieved by avoiding the waste based on predicted user departure behavior. The proposed smart streaming technique is evaluated by modeling, analysis, and simulation, as well as experimentation using a prototype implementation.
A Hybrid Machine Learning Method for Fusing fMRI and Genetic Data: Combining both Improves Classification of Schizophrenia

We demonstrate a hybrid machine learning method to classify schizophrenia patients and healthy controls, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data. The method consists of four stages: (1) SNPs with the most discriminating information between the healthy controls and schizophrenia patients are selected to construct a support vector machine ensemble (SNP-SVME). (2) Voxels in the fMRI map contributing to classification are selected to build another SVME (Voxel-SVME). (3) Components of fMRI activation obtained with independent component analysis (ICA) are used to construct a single SVM classifier (ICA-SVMC). (4) The above three models are combined into a single module using a majority voting approach to make a final decision (Combined SNP-fMRI). The method was evaluated by a fully validated leave-one-out method using 40 subjects (20 patients and 20 controls). The classification accuracy was: 0.74 for SNP-SVME, 0.82 for Voxel-SVME, 0.83 for ICA-SVMC, and 0.87 for Combined SNP-fMRI. Experimental results show that better classification accuracy was achieved by combining genetic and fMRI data than using either alone, indicating that genetic and brain function representing different, but partially complementary aspects, of schizophrenia etiopathology. This study suggests an effective way to reassess biological classification of individuals with schizophrenia, which is also potentially useful for identifying diagnostically important markers for the disorder.
Safety-net providers after health care reform: lessons from Massachusetts.

BACKGROUND National health reform is designed to reduce the number of uninsured adults. Currently, many uninsured individuals receive care at safety-net health care providers such as community health centers (CHCs) or safety-net hospitals. This project examined data from Massachusetts to assess how the demand for ambulatory and inpatient care and use changed for safety-net providers after the state's health care reform law was enacted in 2006, which dramatically reduced the number of individuals without health insurance coverage. METHODS Multiple methods were used, including analyses of administrative data reported by CHCs and hospitals, case study interviews, and analyses of data from the 2009 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey, a state-representative telephone survey of adults. RESULTS Between calendar years 2005 and 2009, the number of patients receiving care at Massachusetts CHCs increased by 31.0%, and the share of CHC patients who were uninsured fell from 35.5% to 19.9%. Nonemergency ambulatory care visits to clinics of safety-net hospitals grew twice as fast as visits to non-safety-net hospitals from 2006 to 2009. The number of inpatient admissions was comparable for safety-net and non-safety-net hospitals. Most safety-net patients reported that they used these facilities because they were convenient (79.3%) and affordable (73.8%); only 25.2% reported having had problems getting appointments elsewhere. CONCLUSIONS Despite the significant reduction in uninsurance levels in Massachusetts that occurred with health care reform, the demand for care at safety-net facilities continues to rise. Most safety-net patients do not view these facilities as providers of last resort; rather, they prefer the types of care that are offered there. It will continue to be important to support safety-net providers, even after health care reform programs are established.
Immunocytochemical localization of the glutamate transporter GLT‐1 in goldfish (Carassius auratus) retina

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the retina of vertebrates. Electrophysiological experiments in goldfish and salamander have shown that neuronal glutamate transporters play an important role in the clearance of glutamate from cone synaptic clefts. In this study, the localization of the glutamate transporter GLT‐1 has been investigated immunocytochemically at the light and electron microscopical levels in the goldfish retina using a GLT‐1‐specific antibody. GLT immunoreactivity (IR) was observed at the light microscopical level in Müller cells, bipolar cells, the outer plexiform layer (OPL), and the inner plexiform layer (IPL). At the electron microscopical level, membrane‐bound and cytoplasmic GLT‐IR in the OPL was located in finger‐like protrusions of the cone terminal located near the invaginating postsynaptic processes of bipolar and horizontal cells. GLT‐IR was not observed in the vicinity of synaptic ribbons. This location of GLT‐1 allows modulation of the glutamate concentration in the synaptic cleft, thereby shaping the dynamics of synaptic transmission between cones and second‐order neurons. In the inner IPL, GLT‐IR was observed in the cytoplasm and was membrane bound in mixed rod/cone bipolar cell terminals and cone bipolar cell terminals. The membrane‐bound GLT‐1 was generally observed at some distance from the synaptic ribbon. The morphology of the bipolar cell terminal together with the localization of GLT‐1 suggests that at least these glutamate transporters are not primarily involved in rapid uptake of glutamate release by the bipolar cells. The GLT‐IR in the cytoplasm of Müller cells was located throughout the entire goldfish retina from the outer limiting membrane to the inner limiting membrane. The location of GLT‐1 in Müller cells is consistent with the role of Müller cells in converting glutamate to glutamine. J. Comp. Neurol. 423:440–451, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The mechanism of the antihypertensive effects of ketanserin: a comparison with metoprolol.

Ketanserin, a selective 5-HT receptor antagonist, has been advocated for the treatment of hypertension (Anderson et al., 1983; Ferrara et al., 1985). This is due to the fact that serotonin has both direct (Cohen etal., 1981) and indirect (van Neuten et al., 1982) vasoconstrictor effects. However, some authors have suggested that the hypotensive action of ketanserin is due, in part, to a blockade of al-adrenoceptors (Reimann & Frohlich, 1983). To evaluate the a-adrenoceptor blocking effects of ketanserin, dose-response curves for peripheral resistance (PR) were studied during infusions of increasing doses of phenylephrine. This study was performed on seven patients with essential hypertension before and after a 2 month period of treatment with 40 mg ketanserin twice daily by mouth. PR was measured by means of a mercury strain gauge plethysmograph (737 B Microlab, Padova, Italy) and is expressed in units of resistance: (UR = mm Hg ml-' min100 ml-). As shown in Figure 1, in patients receiving ketanserin, the PR was lower than during placebo and the dose-response curve was shifted to the right, consistent with a blockade of a-adrenoceptors. For comparison, we treated the same patients for a similar period with the selective 1-adrenoceptor antagonist, metoprolol, in a dose of 100 mg twice daily by mouth (Anderson et al., 1983). During metoprolol, despite the same degree of mean blood pressure reduction (the systolic BP fell from 175.0 ± 11.1 mm Hg during placebo to 170.4 ± 15.6 mm Hg after ketanserin and 166.0 ± 31.1 mm Hg after metoprolol and diastolic BP from 106.8 ± 8.4mm Hg during placebo to 97.5 ± 5.1 mm Hg during ketanserin and to 100.2 ± 10.1 mm Hg after metoprolol), the PR was higher than during placebo, the dose-response curve was shifted to the left and had a greater slope compared to placebo (1.51) suggesting a prevalence of aadrenoceptors. Since essential hypertension is due to an abnormal increase in PR, its reduction should be the aim of antihypertensive treatment and aadrenoceptor prevalence should be avoided. U)
Colchicine for alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver fibrosis or cirrhosis.

AIMS/BACKGROUND Colchicine is an anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic drug. Several randomized clinical trials have addressed the question whether colchicine has any efficacy in patients with alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic fibrosis and cirrhosis. The objectives were to assess the efficacy of colchicine evaluated in randomized trials on mortality, liver related mortality, liver related complications, liver fibrosis markers, liver histology, alcohol consumption, quality of life, and health economics in patients with alcoholic and non-alcoholic fibrosis or cirrhosis. METHODS Interventions encompassed peroral colchicine at any dose versus placebo or no intervention. The trials could be double-blind, single-blind or unblinded. The trials could be unpublished or published as an article, an abstract, or a letter, and no language limitations were applied. All analyses were performed according to the intention-to-treat METHOD MEDLINE, The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, The Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register and full text searches were combined. RESULTS Combining the results of 14 randomized clinical trials including 1138 patients demonstrated no significant effects of colchicine on mortality (odds ratio (OR): 0.91; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64, 1.31), liver related mortality (OR: 0.98; CI 0.56, 1.74), complications (OR: 1.06; CI 0.65, 1.73), and the other outcomes. Colchicine was associated with a significantly increased risk of adverse events (OR: 4.41; CI 2.24, 8.70; p< 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Colchicine should not be used for liver fibrosis or liver cirrhosis irrespective of etiology. Future trials on colchicine for liver diseases ought to be large.
Expressive ABox Reasoning with Number Restrictions, Role Hierarchies, and Transitively Closed Roles

We present a new tableaux calculus deciding the ABox consistency problem for the expressive description logic ALCNHR+. Prominent language features of ALCNHR+ are number restrictions, role hierarchies, transitively closed roles, and generalized concept inclusions. The ABox description logic system RACE is based on the calculus for ALCNHR+. A revised version of this report is published in: Proceedings of Seventh International Conference on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KR2000), Fausto Giunchiglia and Bart Selman (eds), Breckenridge, Colorado, USA, 12-15 April 2000.
Behavioral distinctions : the use of light-duty trucks and passenger cars

Pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and minivans are classified as light duty trucks (LDTs) in the United States, resulting in a variety of regulatory protections. According to production and purchase trends, Americans have shifted toward a significantly higher use of such vehicles for personal travel. This research explores the subtle differences in ownership and use patterns between LDTs and passenger cars, using the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) data. The results, based on a variety of model specifications and response variables, suggest that the average LDT is used over longer distances with more people aboard and is purchased by wealthier household in less dense neighborhoods. Pickups tend to be driven by males, be owned by smaller households, and carry fewer people.
OR “ RISE AND FALL ” OF YELLOW HYALINE MEMBRANE DISEASE

The first cases of Yellow Hyaline Membrane Disease (YHMD) were seen in USA in the beginning of 1965, coinciding with the start of an active intensive care unit for premature infants and the era of prolonged survival of severe cases of respiratory distress syndrome in newborns. The lungs of newborns with YHMD can often be identified grossly by slight yellow discoloration. The yellow color is permanent and does not fade when the lungs are exposed to air, light, or prolonged refrigeration. Microscopically, the bright yellow color is found to be due to myriads of homogeneous, sharply delineated, intensely yellow membranes, most of which are lining the luminal aspects of pink-staining “conventional” hyaline membranes. The most extensive clinical morphological study on YHBD clarified that the more of premature infants survived longer, the more frequent YHMD was diagnosed. Comparison of the population characteristics of the infants in the pink and yellow groups revealed several differences: YHMD newborns were found to be more premature, had smaller autopsy weight and survived longer. The authors reviewed the literature on clinical, morphological and biochemical aspects of YHMD from the first article in 1976 to the last systematic research in 1983. The last cases seen by one of the authors were in 1998 when the economic crisis in Bulgaria led to shortage of surfactant medication in the hospitals. Hopefully, YHMD would remain a condition that is not seen in the practice nowadays and would be discussed only as a phenomenon with historical significance.
Apolipoproteins A‐I and B in Obese Children

Body mass index (BMI), the distribution of fat, birth weight, physical fitness, apolipoproteins (apo) A-I and B, total cholesterol (TC), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) were studied in 38 obese 10− to 11-year-olds in comparison to 52 age-matched controls. Obese children had higher concentration of apo B and a lower apo A-I:B ratio. Significant correlations were found between (a) apo A-I and physical fitness (r = 0.35, p < 0.015), triceps skinfold thickness (r = 0.44, p < 0.01), and birth weight (r = −0.33, p < 0.05); (b) physical fitness and triceps skinfold thickness (r = 0.38, p < 0.05), and (c) the apo A-I:B ratio and triceps skinfold thickness (r = 0.31, p < 0.05). When both obese and control children were grouped together, a correlation was found between BMI and TC (r = 0.24, p < 0.05), apo B (r = 0.37, p < 0.001), and the apo A-I:B ratio (r = −0.31, p < 0.01). Multiple regression analyses indicated a significant positive contribution to the apo A-I level by HDLC and physical fitness and a negative one by birth weight.
Design and Initial Testing of a High-Speed 45-kW Switched Reluctance Drive for Aerospace Application

This paper presents innovative research toward the development of a 45-kW high-speed switched reluctance drive as an alternative starter-generator for future aeroengines. To perform such a function, the machine had to be designed with a very wide constant power-speed range. During engine-start/motoring mode, a peak torque demand of 54 N · m at 8 kr/min was met, while in generating mode, 19.2-32 kr/min, the machine was designed to deliver a constant power of 45 kW. The key enabling feature of the design lies in the novel rotor structure developed so as to allow for such a wide speed range. The results presented are those measured during the initial testing phase and validate the system design and performance in the low-speed region with the machine operated in starting mode. The measured machine power density is at 9.8 kW/L, while the global system efficiency is at 82%.
Histomorphometric analysis of sclerotic bone metastases from prostatic carcinoma with special reference to osteomalacia

Transiliac undecalcified bone biopsy specimens were taken after tetracycline double labeling from 14 patients with radiologic evidence of osteosclerotic metastases from prostatic carcinoma. The histomorphometric analysis showed an increased trabecular bone volume in all patients, and in seven morphologic and dynamic evidence of osteomalacia (Group 1). The seven other patients demonstrated an extension of apposition surfaces without evidence of osteomalacia (Group 2). Group 1 was different from Group 2 in terms of a greater increase in serum alkaline phosphatase and a lower urinary calcium. In four Group 1 patients, a second bone sample taken after two to six months of treatment with vitamin D and calcium provided evidence of improving osteomalacia. The high incidence of osteomalacia in osteosclerotic metastases of prostatic origin appears to be the result of the increase in bone formation induced by prostatic cells, and the unability to satisfy the high calcium demand for new bone.
Spiral Computed Tomography Based Maxillary Sinus Imaging in Relation to Tooth Loss, Implant Placement and Potential Grafting Procedure

ABSTRACT Objectives The purpose of the present study was to explore the maxillary sinus anatomy, its variations and volume in patients with a need for maxillary implant placement. Material and Methods Maxillary sinus data of 101 consecutive patients who underwent spiral computed tomography (CT) scans for preoperative implant planning in the maxilla at the Department of Periodontology, University Hospital, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium were retrospectively evaluated. The alveolar bone height was measured on serial cross-sectional images between alveolar crest and sinus floor, parallel to the tooth axis. In order to describe the size of the maxillary sinus anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) diameters of the sinus were measured. Results The results indicated that the alveolar bone height was significantly higher in the premolar regions in comparison to the molar region (n = 46, P < 0.01). The age showed negative relation to bone dimension (r = - 0.32, P = 0.04). Anterior and posterior border of the maxillary sinuses were mostly located in the first premolar (49%) and second molar (84%) regions, respectively. Maxillary sinus septa were indentified in 47% of the maxillary antra. Almost 2/3 (66%) of the patients showed major (> 4 mm) mucosal thickening mostly at the level of the sinus floor. The present sample did not allow revealing any significant difference (P > 0.05) in maxillary sinus dimensions for partially dentate and edentulous subjects. Conclusions Cross-sectional imaging can be used in order to obtain more accurate information on the morphology, variation, and the amount of maxillary bone adjacent to the maxillary sinus.
Escape of Sgs1 from Rad9 inhibition reduces the requirement for Sae2 and functional MRX in DNA end resection

Homologous recombination requires nucleolytic degradation (resection) of DNA double‐strand break (DSB) ends. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the MRX complex and Sae2 are involved in the onset of DSB resection, whereas extensive resection requires Exo1 and the concerted action of Dna2 and Sgs1. Here, we show that the checkpoint protein Rad9 limits the action of Sgs1/Dna2 in DSB resection by inhibiting Sgs1 binding/persistence at the DSB ends. When inhibition by Rad9 is abolished by the Sgs1‐ss mutant variant or by deletion of RAD9, the requirement for Sae2 and functional MRX in DSB resection is reduced. These results provide new insights into how early and long‐range resection is coordinated.
Data Prediction + Synchronous Transmissions = Ultra-low Power Wireless Sensor Networks

Data prediction in wireless sensor networks replaces the commonly used (periodic) data reporting with a model, updated (infrequently) at the sink to accurately reproduce real data trends. This technique abates up to 99% of application messages; yet, recent work has shown it achieves "only" up to a 7x lifetime improvement when executed atop a mainstream network stack (e.g., CTP + BoX-MAC), as the idle listening and topology maintenance in the latter are ill-suited to the sparse traffic induced by data prediction. This paper presents a novel network stack designed for data prediction, CRYSTAL, that exploits synchronous transmissions to quickly and reliably transmit model updates when these occur (infrequently but often concurrently), and minimizes overhead during the (frequent) periods with no updates. Based on 90-node experiments in the Indriya testbed and with 7 public datasets, we show that CRYSTAL unleashes the full potential of data prediction, achieving per-mille duty cycle with perfect reliability and very small latency.
Plasmidome Interchange between Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium novyi and Clostridium haemolyticum Converts Strains of Independent Lineages into Distinctly Different Pathogens

Clostridium botulinum (group III), Clostridium novyi and Clostridium haemolyticum are well-known pathogens causing animal botulism, gas gangrene/black disease, and bacillary hemoglobinuria, respectively. A close genetic relationship exists between the species, which has resulted in the collective term C. novyi sensu lato. The pathogenic traits in these species, e.g., the botulinum neurotoxin and the novyi alpha toxin, are mainly linked to a large plasmidome consisting of plasmids and circular prophages. The plasmidome of C. novyi sensu lato has so far been poorly characterized. In this study we explored the genomic relationship of a wide range of strains of C. novyi sensu lato with a special focus on the dynamics of the plasmidome. Twenty-four genomes were sequenced from strains selected to represent as much as possible the genetic diversity in C. novyi sensu lato. Sixty-one plasmids were identified in these genomes and 28 of them were completed. The genomic comparisons revealed four separate lineages, which did not strictly correlate with the species designations. The plasmids were categorized into 13 different plasmid groups on the basis of their similarity and conservation of plasmid replication or partitioning genes. The plasmid groups, lineages and species were to a large extent entwined because plasmids and toxin genes had moved across the lineage boundaries. This dynamic process appears to be primarily driven by phages. We here present a comprehensive characterization of the complex species group C. novyi sensu lato, explaining the intermixed genetic properties. This study also provides examples how the reorganization of the botulinum toxin and the novyi alpha toxin genes within the plasmidome has affected the pathogenesis of the strains.