Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Depot-specific overexpression of proinflammatory, redox, endothelial cell, and angiogenic genes in epicardial fat adjacent to severe stable coronary atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND Pro- and antiinflammatory genes are expressed in epicardial adipose tissue (EAT). Our objectives were to characterize genes in EAT that may contribute specifically to coronary atherogenesis and to measure circulating adipokines matched to their messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in EAT. We hypothesized that severe coronary atherosclerosis (CAD) would preferentially affect gene expression in EAT as compared to substernal fat or subcutaneous thoracic adipose tissue (SAT), as well as circulating levels of adipokines. METHODS Fat mRNA was quantified using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and circulating adipokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in patients with severe stable CAD and controls without severe CAD undergoing open heart surgery. RESULTS A total of 39 of 70 mRNAs in EAT were significantly increased in CAD. Only 4 and 3 of these mRNAs were increased in substernal fat and SAT, respectively. Of the mRNAs increased in EAT, 17 were either inflammatory adipokines or proteins known to be involved in inflammatory processes, 7 were involved in oxidative stress and or oxygen species regulation, whereas 15 were proteins involved in metabolism and regulation of gene transcription or proteins unique to fat cells. The largest increases, over three-fold, were seen in GPX3, gp91 phox, p47phox, heme oxygenase, and interleukin-8 (IL-8). Tpl2 mRNA was uniquely elevated in all three fat depots from CAD patients, and its expression in SAT, but not in EAT or substernal fat, was directly correlated with homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values. Compared to controls, there were no associations between circulating levels of IL-8, lipocalin-2, nerve growth factor (NGF), RANTES, CD-163, GPX-3, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1)/CCL2, leptin, soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (sFLT1), fatty acid binding protein-4 (FABP-4), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and increases in their gene expression in EAT adjacent to CAD. CONCLUSIONS Expression of proinflammatory, redox, endothelial cell, and angiogenic genes in EAT is depot specific and supports the hypothesis that pathophysiologically EAT contributes locally to CAD. CAD links with these fat depots might involve Tpl2 as a primary response indicator.
Grammatical Gender Inhibition in Bilinguals

Inhibitory control processes have been recently considered to be involved in interference resolution in bilinguals at the phonological level. In this study we explored if interference resolution is also carried out by this inhibitory mechanism at the grammatical level. Thirty-two bilinguals (Italian-L1 and Spanish-L2) participated. All of them completed two tasks. In the first one they had to name pictures in L2. We manipulated gender congruency between the two languages and the number of presentations of the pictures (1 and 5). Results showed a gender congruency effect with slower naming latencies in the incongruent condition. In the second task, participants were presented with the pictures practiced during the first naming task, but now they were asked to produce the L1 article. Results showed a grammatical gender congruency effect in L1 that increased for those words practiced five times in L2. Our conclusion is that an inhibitory mechanism was involved in the suppression of the native language during a picture naming task. Furthermore, this inhibitory process was also involved in suppressing grammatical gender when it was a source of competition between the languages.
Outcome Expectations That Motivate Physical Activity among World Senior Games Participants

This study validates a questionnaire which examines the role of selected outcome expectations from physical activity on motivating regular physical activity among a group of older adults. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey of 675 participants in the 2002 World Senior Games. Factor analysis identified four clusters among 14 outcome expectation items, which were labeled Recreation and Social, Physical Health, Mental Health, and Self-image. The percentage agreeing that the selected items motivated physical activity were calculated and ranked from 1 (high) to 14 (low). The average ranking in each of the four factors was 4.7 for Recreation and Social, 5.8 for Physical Health, 10.5 for Self-image, and 11.7 for Mental Health. The ranks of items did not significantly differ across categories of sex, age, marital status, education, smoking, alcohol drinking, and disease history. However, the ranking did significantly differ between individuals who considered themselves to be physically active versus sedentary. Physically active individuals were most likely to agree that recreational enjoyment or fun motivated physical activity, whereas sedentary individuals were most likely to agree that improving the quality of life motivated physical activity.
Mechanisms Underlying Signal Filtering at a Multisynapse Contact

Visual information must be relayed through the lateral geniculate nucleus before it reaches the visual cortex. However, not all spikes created in the retina lead to postsynaptic spikes and properties of the retinogeniculate synapse contribute to this filtering. To understand the mechanisms underlying this filtering process, we conducted electrophysiology to assess the properties of signal transmission in the Long–Evans rat. We also performed SDS-digested freeze–fracture replica labeling to quantify the receptor and transporter distribution, as well as EM reconstruction to describe the 3D structure. To analyze the impact of transmitter diffusion on the activity of the receptors, simulations were integrated. We identified that a large contributor to the filtering is the marked paired-pulse depression at this synapse, which was intensified by the morphological characteristics of the contacts. The broad presynaptic and postsynaptic contact area restricts transmitter diffusion two dimensionally. Additionally, the presence of multiple closely arranged release sites invites intersynaptic spillover, which causes desensitization of AMPA receptors. The presence of AMPA receptors that slowly recover from desensitization along with the high presynaptic release probability and multivesicular release at each synapse also contribute to the depression. These features contrast with many other synapses where spatiotemporal spread of transmitter is limited by rapid transmitter clearance allowing synapses to operate more independently. We propose that the micrometer-order structure can ultimately affect the visual information processing.
Genomic and clinical characteristics of microduplications in chromosome 17

Genomic disorders have been increasingly recognized as a significant source of clinically relevant phenotypes largely fostered by advances in technologies for genome‐wide analyses. Molecular and clinical studies of copy number variants involving chromosome 17 began with locus‐specific studies of Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A, OMIM #118220) and hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP, OMIM #162500), which laid the foundation for the paradigm of duplication/deletion and gene‐dosage for our understanding of genomic disorders. With the clinical introduction of high‐resolution array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) the number of recognized genomic disorders including microduplications has been increasing rapidly. A relatively high proportion of disease‐associated copy number variants map to chromosome 17. This may result from its unique structural features, such as relative abundance of segmental duplications and interspersed repetitive elements, high gene content, and the presence of dosage‐sensitive genes. These genomic rearrangements are mediated by diverse mechanisms including Non‐Allelic Homologous Recombination (NAHR), Non‐Homologous End‐Joining (NHEJ), and Fork Stalling and Template Switching (FoSTeS). We provide specific examples of chromosome 17 microduplications with the emphasis on their phenotype, specific clinical features aiding in their diagnosis, and counseling. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Robust Hedging of Double Touch Barrier Options

We consider robust pricing of digital options, which pay out if the underlying asset has crossed both upper and lower barriers. We make only weak assumptions about the underlying process (typically continuity), but assume that the initial prices of call options with the same maturity and all strikes are known. In such circumstances, we are able to give upper and lower bounds on the arbitrage-free prices of the relevant options and show that these bounds are tight. Moreover, pathwise inequalities are derived, which provide the trading strategies with which we are able to realize any potential arbitrages. These super- and subhedging strategies have a simple quasi-static structure, their associated hedging error is bounded below, and in practice they carry low transaction costs. We show that, depending on the risk aversion of the investor, they can outperform significantly the standard delta/vega-hedging in presence of market frictions and/or model misspecification. We make use of embeddings techniques; in particular, we develop two new solutions to the (optimal) Skorokhod embedding problem.
Impact of Heterogeneity and Secrecy on theCapacity of Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper investigates the achievable secrecy throughput of an inhomogeneous wireless sensor network. We consider the impact of topology heterogeneity and the secrecy constraint on the throughput. For the topology heterogeneity, by virtue of percolation theory, a set of connected highways and information pipelines is established; while for the secrecy constraint, the concept of secrecy zone is adopted to ensure secrecy transmission. The secrecy zone means there is no eavesdropper around the legitimate node. The results demonstrate that, if the eavesdropper’s intensity is λe=ologn-3δ-4δ-2, a per-node secrecy rate of Ω1n1-v(1-v)logn can be achieved on the highways, where δ is the exponent of heterogeneity, n and nv represent the number of nodes and clusters in the network, respectively. It is also shown that, with the density of the eavesdropper λe=olognΦ̲-2, the per-node secrecy rate of ΩΦ̲n can be obtained in the information pipelines, where Φ̲ denotes the minimum node density in the network.
Adenomyomas of the uterine cervix of of endocervical type: a report of ten cases of a benign cervical tumor that may be confused with adenoma malignum [corrected].

Ten benign biphasic cervical tumors that we have designated "adenomyomas of endocervical type" are reported because they might be confused with adenocarcinoma. The patients ranged from 21 to 55 years of age (mean, 40 yr). Two presented with abnormal vaginal bleeding, but, in most patients, the cervical tumors did not cause symptoms. On physical examination or at operation, eight patients were found to have tumors ranging from 1.3 to 8.0 cm in greatest dimension growing into the endocervical canal and, in three cases, prolapsing through the external os. The remaining two patients had mural tumors measuring 11.0 and 23.0 cm in greatest dimension, which projected into the pelvis from the outer aspect of the cervix, without mucosal involvement. The tumors were well circumscribed and grey-white or tawny, and five contained multiple mucin-filled cysts up to 3.0 cm in diameter. One tumor was focally hemorrhagic. On microscopic examination, the tumors were composed of glands and cysts lined by a single layer of endocervical-type mucinous epithelium admixed with smooth muscle. The epithelial component was typically composed of large irregularly shaped glands with papillary epithelial infolding, surrounded by smaller simple glands, frequently resulting in a lobular arrangement. Tubal-type epithelium was present focally in six tumors and endometrial-type glands surrounded by endometrial stroma were present in one case. Both the epithelium and smooth muscle were uniformly bland, without significant mitotic activity. Five patients were treated initially by "polypectomy. " Hysterectomy 1 month and 1 year later in two of the cases revealed residual adenomyoma; a "recurrence" 3 years after polypectomy in another patient was treated by hysterectomy. In no case has there been evidence of spread beyond the cervix. The finding of a cervical tumor composed of bland, irregularly shaped, mucinous glands surrounded by smooth muscle caused significant problems in differential diagnosis and a diagnosis of adenoma malignum was either favored or raised as a possibility by the initial pathologist in five of the cases. The gross circumscription of the adenomyomas, their polypoid appearance, the frequent lobular arrangement of glands, the absence of invasive glands with a desmoplastic stromal reaction, and lack of even focal atypia were the most helpful findings in differentiating these tumors from adenoma malignum.
Spatial Complementarity and the Coexistence of Species

Coexistence of apparently similar species remains an enduring paradox in ecology. Spatial structure has been predicted to enable coexistence even when population-level models predict competitive exclusion if it causes each species to limit its own population more than that of its competitor. Nevertheless, existing hypotheses conflict with regard to whether clustering favours or precludes coexistence. The spatial segregation hypothesis predicts that in clustered populations the frequency of intra-specific interactions will be increased, causing each species to be self-limiting. Alternatively, individuals of the same species might compete over greater distances, known as heteromyopia, breaking down clusters and opening space for a second species to invade. In this study we create an individual-based model in homogeneous two-dimensional space for two putative sessile species differing only in their demographic rates and the range and strength of their competitive interactions. We fully characterise the parameter space within which coexistence occurs beyond population-level predictions, thereby revealing a region of coexistence generated by a previously-unrecognised process which we term the triadic mechanism. Here coexistence occurs due to the ability of a second generation of offspring of the rarer species to escape competition from their ancestors. We diagnose the conditions under which each of three spatial coexistence mechanisms operates and their characteristic spatial signatures. Deriving insights from a novel metric — ecological pressure — we demonstrate that coexistence is not solely determined by features of the numerically-dominant species. This results in a common framework for predicting, given any pair of species and knowledge of the relevant parameters, whether they will coexist, the mechanism by which they will do so, and the resultant spatial pattern of the community. Spatial coexistence arises from complementary combinations of traits in each species rather than solely through self-limitation.
Nystrom Approximation for Sparse Kernel Methods: Theoretical Analysis and Empirical Evaluation

Nystrom approximation is an effective approach to accelerate the computation of kernel matrices in many kernel methods. In this paper, we consider the Nystrom approximation for sparse kernel methods. Instead of relying on the low-rank assumption of the original kernels, which sometimes does not hold in some applications, we take advantage of the restricted eigenvalue condition, which has been proved to be robust for sparse kernel methods. Based on the restricted eigenvalue condition, we have provided not only the approximation bound for the original kernel matrix but also the recovery bound for the sparse solutions of sparse kernel regression. In addition to the theoretical analysis, we also demonstrate the good performance of the Nystrom approximation for sparse kernel regression on real world data sets.
Bone mineral content and body composition in children and young adults with cystic fibrosis

With dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA), it is possible to quantitate important aspects of growth in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), supplementing the usual measures of height and weight. Of particular concern during growth is the accumulation of bone mineral, since osteoporosis and fractures are well‐recognized problems in end‐stage disease. Various measures of growth and body composition were examined in 40 children and young adults (ages 5.7–20.3 years, mean 11.9 years) and compared to age‐, gender‐, and race‐matched normal controls.
Sequence searching with deep-learnt depth for condition- and viewpoint-invariant route-based place recognition

Vision-based localization on robots and vehicles remains unsolved when extreme appearance change and viewpoint change are present simultaneously. The current state of the art approaches to this challenge either deal with only one of these two problems; for example FAB-MAP (viewpoint invariance) or SeqSLAM (appearance-invariance), or use extensive training within the test environment, an impractical requirement in many application scenarios. In this paper we significantly improve the viewpoint invariance of the SeqSLAM algorithm by using state-of-the-art deep learning techniques to generate synthetic viewpoints. Our approach is different to other deep learning approaches in that it does not rely on the ability of the CNN network to learn invariant features, but only to produce“good enough” depth images from day-time imagery only. We evaluate the system on a new multi-lane day-night car dataset specifically gathered to simultaneously test both appearance and viewpoint change. Results demonstrate that the use of synthetic viewpoints improves the maximum recall achieved at 100% precision by a factor of 2.2 and maximum recall by a factor of 2.7, enabling correct place recognition across multiple road lanes and significantly reducing the time between correct localizations.
High-speed InGaAs metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors with thin absorption layers

The responsivity and the bandwidth of metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors (MSMPD's) with different InGaAs absorption layer thicknesses and electrode geometries were investigated. By decreasing the InGaAs thickness from 1.0 to 0.25 /spl mu/m, the bandwidth was found to increase by approximately a factor of 2, while the responsivity was found to decrease by almost a factor of 3 from 0.29 to 0.10 A/W at a bias of -5 V. Devices with an electrode width and spacing of 1 /spl mu/m and a 0.25-/spl mu/m absorption layer displayed a bandwidth of 19.5 GHz when biased at -15 V under front-side illumination with 1.55-/spl mu/m light.
Distribution of members of the Anopheles farauti complex in the northern territory of Australia.

The distribution of members of the Anopheles farauti complex was studied in the Northern Territory of Australia during 3 surveys conducted in 1988, 1989, and 1990. At the time of these surveys An. farauti s.l. was common north of 15 degrees S along the coast and up to 50 km inland. The sibling species An. farauti 1, An. farauti 2, and An. farauti 3 were identified from 126 adult and larval collections using allozyme electrophoresis and species-specific DNA probes. Anopheles farauti 1 was the most abundant species along the coast and was found in 45% of collections. Anopheles farauti 2 had a more restricted range, occurring in 12% of collections on the east coast and in the central area of the survey region. Anopheles farauti 3 had the widest distribution of the 3 species, occurring on the coast and throughout the coastal plain up to 100 km inland. It was found in 43% of the collection sites. The distribution of the 3 sibling species is discussed with regard to the possibility of malaria transmission in the area.
HOW DOES POLLEN VERSUS SEED DISPERSAL AFFECT NICHE EVOLUTION?

In heterogeneous landscapes, the genetic and demographic consequences of dispersal influence the evolution of niche width. Unless pollen is limiting, pollen dispersal does not contribute directly to population growth. However, by disrupting local adaptation, it indirectly affects population dynamics. We compare the effect of pollen versus seed dispersal on the evolution of niche width in heterogeneous habitats, explicitly considering the feedback between maladaptation and demography. We consider two scenarios: the secondary contact of two subpopulations, in distinct, formerly isolated habitats, and the colonization of an empty habitat with dispersal between the new and ancestral habitat. With an analytical model, we identify critical levels of genetic variance leading to niche contraction (secondary contact scenario), or expansion (new habitat scenario). We confront these predictions with simulations where the genetic variance freely evolves. Niche contraction occurs when habitats are very different. It is faster as total gene flow increases or as pollen predominates in overall gene flow. Niche expansion occurs when habitat heterogeneity is not too high. Seed dispersal accelerates it, whereas pollen dispersal tends to retard it. In both scenarios very high seed dispersal leads to extinction. Overall, our results predict a wider niche for species dispersing seeds more than pollen.
Stretching Actin Filaments within Cells Enhances their Affinity for the Myosin II Motor Domain

To test the hypothesis that the myosin II motor domain (S1) preferentially binds to specific subsets of actin filaments in vivo, we expressed GFP-fused S1 with mutations that enhanced its affinity for actin in Dictyostelium cells. Consistent with the hypothesis, the GFP-S1 mutants were localized along specific portions of the cell cortex. Comparison with rhodamine-phalloidin staining in fixed cells demonstrated that the GFP-S1 probes preferentially bound to actin filaments in the rear cortex and cleavage furrows, where actin filaments are stretched by interaction with endogenous myosin II filaments. The GFP-S1 probes were similarly enriched in the cortex stretched passively by traction forces in the absence of myosin II or by external forces using a microcapillary. The preferential binding of GFP-S1 mutants to stretched actin filaments did not depend on cortexillin I or PTEN, two proteins previously implicated in the recruitment of myosin II filaments to stretched cortex. These results suggested that it is the stretching of the actin filaments itself that increases their affinity for the myosin II motor domain. In contrast, the GFP-fused myosin I motor domain did not localize to stretched actin filaments, which suggests different preferences of the motor domains for different structures of actin filaments play a role in distinct intracellular localizations of myosin I and II. We propose a scheme in which the stretching of actin filaments, the preferential binding of myosin II filaments to stretched actin filaments, and myosin II-dependent contraction form a positive feedback loop that contributes to the stabilization of cell polarity and to the responsiveness of the cells to external mechanical stimuli.