Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combined Therapy of Dietary Fish Oil and Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase 1 Inhibition Prevents the Metabolic Syndrome and Atherosclerosis

Background—Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) is a critical regulator of energy metabolism and inflammation. We have previously reported that inhibition of SCD1 in hyperlipidemic mice fed a saturated fatty acid (SFA)-enriched diet prevented development of the metabolic syndrome, yet surprisingly promoted severe atherosclerosis. In this study we tested whether dietary fish oil supplementation could prevent the accelerated atherosclerosis caused by SCD1 inhibition. Methods and Results—LDLr−/−, ApoB100/100 mice were fed diets enriched in saturated fat or fish oil in conjunction with antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) treatment to inhibit SCD1. As previously reported, in SFA-fed mice, SCD1 inhibition dramatically protected against development of the metabolic syndrome, yet promoted atherosclerosis. In contrast, in mice fed fish oil, SCD1 inhibition did not result in augmented macrophage inflammatory response or severe atherosclerosis. In fact, the combined therapy of dietary fish oil and SCD1 ASO treatment effectively prevented both the metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis. Conclusions—SCD1 ASO treatment in conjunction with dietary fish oil supplementation is an effective combination therapy to comprehensively combat the metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis in mice.
Clinical relevance of biological variation: the lesson of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and NT-proBNP assay

Abstract The clinical relevance of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal (NT)-proBNP assays as a diagnostic tool and prognostic marker in patients with cardiovascular diseases has recently been confirmed. However, several studies demonstrated variation of intra-individual BNP concentrations of >30% (ranging from 30% to 50%) with reference change values at the 95% confidence interval (i.e., the estimated critical difference) ranging from 99% to 130% in healthy subjects and heart failure patients. According to this estimated confidence interval, only a great variation in plasma BNP levels should be considered significant in an individual patient (for example, a decrease of >50% or an increase of more than two-fold). Many recent clinical studies have demonstrated that BNP variations below this estimated critical difference could also have clinical relevance. Like the concentration of other neuro-hormones, levels of plasma BNP fluctuate widely and rapidly along with heart rhythm and blood pressure variations in response to physiological stimuli. However, biological variation of BNP should not be interpreted strictly as random fluctuation around a homeostatic set point, as assumed by the common model used in all studies on biological variation of BNP reported in the literature. These results cannot be directly transferred to clinical practice. While awaiting more accurate studies, we suggest that variations of plasma BNP three-fold greater than the analytical imprecision should be considered as potentially relevant from a physiological and clinical point of view.
Mesalazine suppositories versus hydrocortisone foam in patients with distal ulcerative colitis. A comparison of the efficacy and practicality of two topical treatment regimens.

BACKGROUND Topical treatment is effective in patients with distal ulcerative colitis. This trial compares the efficacy, safety, and practicality of 4 weeks' treatment with 500 mg mesalazine suppositories with those of 178 mg hydrocortisone foam, both given twice daily. METHODS Seventy-nine patients with distal ulcerative colitis were stratified on the basis of the extent of the disease (proctitis and proctosigmoiditis) and randomized to one of the treatment groups. A disease activity index (DAI) based on symptoms and endoscopic findings was calculated. The patients evaluated the practicality of the treatment regimens, patients compliance was measured, and histologic findings recorded. RESULTS Of all the patients 22% and 38% were complete responders after 2 and 4 weeks, respectively. Median DAIs in the mesalazine and hydrocortisone groups before and after 2 and 4 weeks' treatment were 14, 6, and 4, and 13, 8, and 6, respectively. The difference between the treatment groups was statistically significant (p = 0.02) due to a better effect of mesalazine in patients with proctitis. Patients' evaluation of practicality and patient compliance were statistically significantly better in the mesalazine group. CONCLUSIONS Both treatment regimens are effective; mesalazine suppositories seem to be the preferred alternative.
Perception of Barriers to E-Commerce Adoption in SMEs in a Developed and Developing Country: A Comparison Between Australia and Indonesia

Despite the proven potential of e-commerce in the small business sector, studies have shown that larger businesses have reaped the benefits, with SME adoption remaining relatively low by comparison. This slow growth of e-commerce adoption in SMEs has been attributed to various adoption barriers that are faced by small business owners/managers. These barriers have been well documented in numerous research studies. While these studies have gone some ways to determine the nature and role of barriers to e-commerce adoption, there is a suggestion that as most have been conducted in developed economies, their value for developing economies remains in question. This article compares the perception of barriers to e-commerce adoption in a developed and a developing economy. Two hundred forty-seven non-adopters in Australia are compared to 96 non-adopters in Indonesia. The data shows that the perception of importance of barriers to e-commerce adoption differs across the two locations.
An optimal first-order primal-dual gap reduction framework for constrained convex optimization

We introduce an analysis framework for constructing optimal first-order primal-dual methods for the prototypical constrained convex optimization template. While this class of methods offers scalability advantages in obtaining numerical solutions, they have the disadvantage of producing sequences that are only approximately feasible to the problem constraints. As a result, it is theoretically challenging to compare the efficiency of different methods. To this end, we rigorously prove in the worst-case that the convergence of primal objective residual in first-order primal-dual algorithms must compete with their constraint feasibil- ity convergence, and mathematically summarize this fundamental trade-off. We then provide a heuristic-free analysis recipe for constructing optimal first-order primal-dual algorithms that can obtain a desirable trade-off between the primal objective residual and feasibility gap and whose iteration convergence rates cannot be improved. Our technique obtains a smoothed estimate of the primal-dual gap and drives the smoothness parameters to zero while simultaneously minimizing the smoothed gap using problem first-order oracles.
A Feasible and Reliable Muscle Fatigue Assessment Protocol for Individuals with Cerebral Palsy

Purpose: To develop a reliable and feasible isokinetic fatigue protocol for the knee flexors and extensors in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) who are ambulatory. Methods: Twelve subjects with CP, 10 to 23 years old, participated in the study. The protocol consisted of repeated maximum voluntary concentric knee flexion and extensions at 60°/sec for a minimum of 35 repetitions. Fatigue Index (FI) and slope of the linear regression were computed. Reliability tests conducted a week later with five of the 12 subjects. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated for test–retest reliability. Results: All subjects completed 35 repetitions, with only half reaching a 50% decline. All fatigue parameters were reliable for both knee flexors and extensors (slope: 0.94 and 0.97; slope/peak torque: 0.83 and 0.99; FI: 0.73 and 0.86, respectively). Conclusions: This isokinetic fatigue protocol is reliable and feasible for children and young adults with mild to moderate CP.
Assessment of staging, prognosis and mortality of colorectal cancer by tumor markers: receptor erbB-2 and cadherins.

PURPOSE To evaluate the prognostic significance and correlation with staging and degree of cell differentiation of the tumoral expression of the proteins c-erbB-2 and E-cadherin, in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma. METHODS The study included 117 patients with an average age of 63.1 years and an average follow-up duration of 28.1 months. The disease-free interval, survival, incidence of recurrence and specific mortality were evaluated. c-erbB-2 anti-oncoprotein antibodies (Dako) were utilized via the streptavidin-biotin technique. Samples were considered to be positive for c-erbB-2 if 10% or more of the tumor cell membranes were stained. The anti-E-cadherin antibodies (Dako), evaluated this protein and is considered positive, if 50% or more of the cell membranes were stained. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, Kaplan-Meier's estimator, the log-rank test and Wilcoxon's test (Breslow version), setting the level of statistical significance at 5% (p<0.05). RESULTS 52 of 108 patients studied for c-erbB-2 were positive (48.1%), 47 of 93 patients studied for E-cadherin were negative (50.5%). These data do not express any correlation with TNM (tumor, node and metastasis) staging and the degree of cell differentiation or with the tumor recurrence rate. The disease-free interval among patients who were positive for c-erbB-2 and negative for E-cadherin was 68.0 months and did not differ from those with c-erbB-2 negative and E-cadherin positive (55.0 months--p = 0.5510). The average survival among patients positive for c-erbB-2 and negative for E-cadherin was 75 months without statistical significance difference with the other group (61 months--p = 0.5256). Specific mortality occurred in 20.0% of the cases and did not correlate with the expression of c-erbB-2 (p=0.446), E-cadherin (p=0.883). CONCLUSION The tumoral expression of c-erbB-2 and E-cadherin did not demonstrate a correlation with the staging and degree of cell differentiation, and it did not present prognostic value regarding disease recurrence, disease-free interval, survival and specific mortality among patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma.
Novel Combination of Atomic Force Microscopy and Epifluorescence Microscopy for Visualization of Leaching Bacteria on Pyrite

ABSTRACT Bioleaching of metal sulfides is an interfacial process comprising the interactions of attached bacterial cells and bacterial extracellular polymeric substances with the surface of a mineral sulfide. Such processes and the associated biofilms can be investigated at high spatial resolution using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Therefore, we visualized biofilms of the meso-acidophilic leaching bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans strain A2 on the metal sulfide pyrite with a newly developed combination of AFM with epifluorescence microscopy (EFM). This novel system allowed the imaging of the same sample location with both instruments. The pyrite sample, as fixed on a shuttle stage, was transferred between AFM and EFM devices. By staining the bacterial DNA with a specific fluorescence dye, bacterial cells were labeled and could easily be distinguished from other topographic features occurring in the AFM image. AFM scanning in liquid caused deformation and detachment of cells, but scanning in air had no effect on cell integrity. In summary, we successfully demonstrate that the new microscopic system was applicable for visualizing bioleaching samples. Moreover, the combination of AFM and EFM in general seems to be a powerful tool for investigations of biofilms on opaque materials and will help to advance our knowledge of biological interfacial processes. In principle, the shuttle stage can be transferred to additional instruments, and combinations of AFM and EFM with other surface-analyzing devices can be proposed.
Regulation of Carbon Partitioning in the Seed of the Model Legume Medicago truncatula and Medicago orbicularis: A Comparative Approach

The proportion of starch, protein and oil in legume seeds is species dependent. The model legume, Medicago truncatula, has predominantly oil and protein stores. To investigate the regulation of seed oil production we compared M. truncatula with M. orbicularis, which has less oil and protein. The types of protein and fatty acids are similar between the two species. Electron microscopy indicated that the size and distribution of the oil bodies in M. orbicularis, is consistent with reduced oil production. M. orbicularis has more extruded endosperm mucilage compared to M. truncatula. The cotyledons have a greater cell wall content, visualized as thicker cell walls. The reduced oil content in M. orbicularis is associated with increased expression of the MtGLABRA2-like (MtGL2) transcription factor, linked to an inverse relationship between mucilage and oil content in Arabidopsis. The expression of the pectin biosynthesis GALACTURONOSYLTRANSFERASE (GAUT) genes, is also increased in M. orbicularis. These increases in extruded mucilage and cell wall storage components in M. orbicularis are accompanied by reduced expression of transcriptional regulators of oil biosynthesis, MtLEAFY COTYLEDON1-LIKE (MtL1L), MtABSCISIC ACID-INSENSITIVE3 (MtABI3), and MtWRINKLED-like (MtWRI), in M. orbicularis. The reduced oil in M. orbicularis, is consistent with increased synthesis of cell wall polysaccharides and decreased expression of master transcription factors regulating oil biosynthesis and embryo maturation. Comparative investigations between these two Medicago species is a useful system to investigate the regulation of oil content and carbon partitioning in legumes.
Evaluation Metrics For Language Models

The most widely-used evaluation metric for language models for speech recognition is the perplexity of test data. While perplexities can be calculated efficiently and without access to a speech recognizer, they often do not correlate well with speech recognition word-error rates. In this research, we attempt to find a measure that like perplexity is easily calculated but which better predicts speech recognition performance. We investigate two approaches; first, we attempt to extend perplexity by using similar measures that utilize information about language models that perplexity ignores. Second, we attempt to imitate the word-error calculation without using a speech recognizer by artificially generating speech recognition lattices. To test our new metrics, we have built over thirty varied language models. We find that perplexity correlates with word-error rate remarkably well when only considering n-gram models trained on in-domain data. When considering other types of models, our novel metrics are superior to perplexity for predicting speech recognition performance. However, we conclude that none of these measures predict word-error rate sufficiently accurately to be effective tools for language model evaluation in speech recognition.
Breastfeeding and the basal insulin requirement in type 1 diabetic women.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether breastfeeding in women with type 1 diabetes mellitus is associated with a decreased insulin requirement. METHODS In this prospective study conducted between September 2006 and August 2008, type 1 diabetic pregnant women were recruited before the third trimester of pregnancy. Eligible women had no evidence of diabetes-related complications and were treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion pump therapy. During pregnancy and in the first 8 weeks of the postpartum period, participants performed daily fingerstick blood glucose monitoring with at least 12 measurements per day; insulin dosages were adjusted to maintain normoglycemia. Participant characteristics, diabetic parameters, and neonatal growth were compared between women who breastfed exclusively and women who did not breastfeed. RESULTS Of 18 women, 12 breastfed and 6 did not. Compared with nonbreastfeeding mothers, breastfeeding mothers showed a decreased need for total daily basal insulin (0.21 +/- 0.05 units/kg per day vs 0.33 +/- 0.02 units/kg per day). The mean value of total daily basal insulin was significantly lower in the breastfeeding group than in the non-breastfeeding group. The mean number of hyperglycemic episodes in the first 2 weeks post partum and during the third to eighth weeks was not different between the groups. However, the mean number of hypoglycemic episodes in the first 2 weeks post partum in the breastfeeding group was significantly higher than in the nonbreastfeeding group (11.9 +/- 2.6 episodes vs 5.5 +/- 1.6 episodes, P<.001). No differences were observed between the groups in neonatal birth weight or infant weight after 8 weeks of age. CONCLUSIONS Decreased need in total daily basal insulin is caused by increased glucose use during lactation. We recommend that the starting total daily basal insulin dosage for type 1 diabetic women who breastfeed be calculated as 0.21 units times the weight in kg per day. This regimen results in normoglycemia and minimizes the risk of severe hypoglycemia associated with lactation.
Image Transformation Based on Learning Dictionaries across Image Spaces

In this paper, we propose a framework of transforming images from a source image space to a target image space, based on learning coupled dictionaries from a training set of paired images. The framework can be used for applications such as image super-resolution and estimation of image intrinsic components (shading and albedo). It is based on a local parametric regression approach, using sparse feature representations over learned coupled dictionaries across the source and target image spaces. After coupled dictionary learning, sparse coefficient vectors of training image patch pairs are partitioned into easily retrievable local clusters. For any test image patch, we can fast index into its closest local cluster and perform a local parametric regression between the learned sparse feature spaces. The obtained sparse representation (together with the learned target space dictionary) provides multiple constraints for each pixel of the target image to be estimated. The final target image is reconstructed based on these constraints. The contributions of our proposed framework are three-fold. 1) We propose a concept of coupled dictionary learning based on coupled sparse coding which requires the sparse coefficient vectors of a pair of corresponding source and target image patches to have the same support, i.e., the same indices of nonzero elements. 2) We devise a space partitioning scheme to divide the high-dimensional but sparse feature space into local clusters. The partitioning facilitates extremely fast retrieval of closest local clusters for query patches. 3) Benefiting from sparse feature-based image transformation, our method is more robust to corrupted input data, and can be considered as a simultaneous image restoration and transformation process. Experiments on intrinsic image estimation and super-resolution demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposed method.
The nucleoskeleton: artefact, passive framework or active site?

The quotations above are taken from E. B. Wilson's classic review of cell biology written in 1892-1893 and revised during the first quarter of this century (Wilson, 1928). Then, as now, many observers felt that a nucleoskeleton must organize the complicated contortions of the chromatin in the nucleus. What Wilson pointed out, however, still remains the central problem in the field are the different preparations of the nucleoskeleton that have been isolated, or seen microscopically, any more than artefactual coagula created during fixation or deconstruction of the cell? Nuclear RNA, DNA and protein are all so highly concentrated (each at about 0-1 gmP 1 ) that one might expect them to coagulate as soon as water or ion concentrations are altered. Criteria by which artefacts might be recognized are crucial in helping us evaluate the relevance of these preparations. Unfortunately, rather loose criteria have been applied to many of the isolates, but more stringent criteria based on biological function have recently become available and this should allow us to assess which of the various isolates are more than artefacts. Here I will outline some difficulties in identifying isolated structures with a nucleoskeleton that exists in vivo and I will summarize recent evidence suggesting that a nucleoskeleton is the active site of the major nuclear functions, replication and transcription.
Micromechanical analysis of piezo-magneto-thermo-elastic T-ribbed and Π-ribbed plates

ABSTRACT This article determines the closed-form expressions for the effective properties of fully coupled piezo-magneto-thermo-elastic T-ribbed and Π-ribbed plates consisting of arbitrary orthotropic constituents. To evaluate these properties, the authors invoke a general, previously developed asymptotic homogenization model. Of particular interest and practical importance are the product properties, i.e., the pyroelectric, pyromagnetic, and magnetoelectric coefficients; these properties are manifested in the macroscopic composite but are usually absent from the micromechanical behavior of the individual constituents; they are a consequence of the coupling between mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and thermal fields and are realized through strain transfer between the various constituents. The practical importance of the work lies in the fact that it can be successfully employed to tailor the effective properties of a smart composite T- or Π-ribbed plate to the requirements of a particular engineering application by changing certain geometric or material parameters of interest. The validity of the results is illustrated via comparison with other models. Finally, it is shown that in the limiting case of a thin elastic plate of uniform thickness, the derived model converges to the familiar classical plate model.
Abnormally Small Neuromuscular Junctions in the Extraocular Muscles From Subjects With Idiopathic Nystagmus and Nystagmus Associated With Albinism

Purpose Infantile nystagmus syndrome (INS) is often associated with abnormalities of axonal outgrowth and connectivity. To determine if this manifests in extraocular muscle innervation, specimens from children with idiopathic INS or INS and albinism were examined and compared to normal age-matched control extraocular muscles. Methods Extraocular muscles removed during normal surgery on children with idiopathic INS or INS and albinism were immunostained for neuromuscular junctions, myofiber type, the immature form of the acetylcholine receptor, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and compared to age-matched controls. Results Muscles from both the idiopathic INS and INS and albinism groups had neuromuscular junctions that were 35% to 71% smaller based on myofiber area and myofiber perimeter than found in age-matched controls, and this was seen on both fast and slow myosin heavy chain isoform–expressing myofibers (all P < 0.015). Muscles from subjects with INS and albinism showed a 7-fold increase in neuromuscular junction numbers on fast myofibers expressing the immature gamma subunit of the acetylcholine receptor. The extraocular muscles from both INS subgroups showed a significant increase in the number and size of slow myofibers compared to age-matched controls. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor was expressed in control muscle but was virtually absent in the INS muscles. Conclusions These studies suggest that, relative to the final common pathway, INS is not the same between different patient etiologies. It should be possible to modulate these final common pathway abnormalities, via exogenous application of appropriate drugs, with the hope that this type of treatment may reduce the involuntary oscillatory movements in these children.