Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moderate Physical Activity in Healthy Adults Is Associated With Cardiac Remodeling

Background—Cardiac mass and volumes are often elevated in athletes, but it is not known whether moderate physical activity is also associated with cardiac dilatation and hypertrophy in a healthy adult population. Methods and Results—In total, 1096 adults (54% female, median age 39 years) without cardiovascular disease or cardiomyopathy-associated genetic variants underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to determine biventricular volumes and function. Physical activity was assessed using a validated activity questionnaire. The relationship between cardiac parameters and activity was assessed using multiple linear regression adjusting for age, sex, race, and systolic blood pressure. Logistic regression was performed to determine the effect of activity on the likelihood of subjects having cardiac dilatation or hypertrophy according to standard cardiac magnetic resonance normal ranges. Increasing physical activity was associated with greater left ventricular (LV) mass (&bgr;=0.23; P<0.0001) and elevated LV and right ventricular volumes (LV: &bgr;=0.26, P<0.0001; right ventricular: &bgr;=0.26, P<0.0001). Physical activity had a larger effect on cardiac parameters than systolic blood pressure (0.06⩽&bgr;⩽0.21) and a similar effect to age (−0.20⩽&bgr;⩽−0.31). Increasing physical activity was a risk factor for meeting imaging criteria for LV hypertrophy (adjusted odds ratio 2.1; P<0.0001), LV dilatation (adjusted odds ratio 2.2; P<0.0001), and right ventricular dilatation (adjusted odds ratio 2.2; P<0.0001). Conclusions—Exercise-related cardiac remodeling is not confined to athletes, and there is a risk of overdiagnosing cardiac dilatation or hypertrophy in a proportion of active, healthy adults.
Strongyloides stercoralis, Eosinophilia, and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The Predictive Value of Eosinophilia in the Diagnosis of S stercoralis Infection in an Endemic Community

This paper examines the relationship between Strongyloides stercoralis infection and eosinophilia in an endemic community, and suggests that eosinophilia is not a reliable screening test for excluding S Stercoralis infection in this setting. The relationship between T2DM, Strongyloides infection and eosinophilia is elaborated.
Studying the Impact of Feature Saliency for Geoscientific Target Detection Using Electroencephalography (EEG)

Accuracy and efficiency in geoscientific data interpretation is critically important for the resource industry, as based on these interpretations, significant financial decisions are made for exploration and extraction of resources. This study aims to understand image characteristics that impact interpreters' ability to detect geological targets within magnetic geophysics images. We use the Brain Computer Interface (BCI) approach to profile interpreter's neurological responses to geophysical target images using electroencephalography (EEG). These results are compared with image saliency analysis outputs, specifically the spatial distribution of visual attention peaks. Our experimental results showed that images with a wider dispersion of saliency lead to a lower rate of target detection based on EEG activities of interpreters.
Microsatellite and chromosome instability in squamous cell laryngeal carcinoma.

Head-and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents almost 5% of all malignancies in Europe. The aetiology of HNSCC is complex, with both genetic and mutagenic factors involved. The aim of the present study was to investigate the loss of heterozygosity (LOH), mainly at tumour suppressor loci (using markers D1S2883, D2S123, D3S1611, D5S346, D7S501, D8S254, TP53, NM23), microsatellite instability (BAT25, 26, 40) and (bleomycin test) in patients with squamous cell larynx cancer. In a group of 20 patients LOH was observed mainly at the loci 3p (64.7%), 8q (71.4%), 17q (M1-30.8%, M2-25%, M3-38.5%). Despite chromosomal instability detected by bleomycin no microsatellite instability was observed.
Identification of the Cancer Cell Proliferation and Survival Functions of proHB-EGF by Using an Anti-HB-EGF Antibody

Purpose Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is a member of the epidermal growth factor family. The membrane-bound proHB-EGF is known to be a precursor of the soluble form of HB-EGF (sHB-EGF), which promotes cell proliferation and survival. While the functions of sHB-EGF have been extensively studied, it is not yet fully understood if proHB-EGF is also involved in cellular signaling events. In this study, we utilized the anti-HB-EGF monoclonal antibodies Y-142 and Y-073, which have differential specificities toward proHB-EGF, in order to elucidate proHB-EGF functions in cancer cells. Experimental Design The biological activities of proHB-EGF were assessed in cell proliferation, caspase activation, and juxtacrine activity assays by using a 3D spheroid culture of NUGC-3 cells. Results Y-142 and Y-073 exhibited similar binding and neutralizing activities for sHB-EGF. However, only Y-142 bound to proHB-EGF. We could detect the function of endogenously expressed proHB-EGF in a 3D spheroid culture. Blocking proHB-EGF with Y-142 reduced spheroid formation, suppressed cell proliferation, and increased caspase activation in the 3D spheroid culture of NUGC-3 cells. Conclusions Our results show that proHB-EGF acts as a cell proliferation and cell survival factor in cancer cells. The results suggest that proHB-EGF may play an important role in tumor progression.
Periodically Forced Hopf Bifurcation

We study a periodically forced system of ODEs near a point of Hopf bifurcation, where the forcing is pure harmonic, has small amplitude $\varepsilon$, and has forcing frequency $\omega_F$ that is near the Hopf frequency $\omega_H$. In this system we vary the forcing frequency and determine all small amplitude periodic solutions to the forced system that have frequency $\omega_F$. In other words, we determine how the number of $\frac{2\pi}{\omega_F}$-periodic solutions to the forced system changes with $\omega_F$. This problem is complicated because of the existence of three small parameters: the amplitude of the forcing $\varepsilon$, the deviation of the bifurcation parameter from the point of Hopf bifurcation $\lambda$, and the relative deviation of the forcing frequency from the Hopf frequency $\omega=\frac{\omega_F-\omega_H}{\omega_F}$. Our results are presented in terms of bifurcation diagrams of amplitude of periodic solution versus $\omega$ for fixed $\varepsilon$ and $\lambda$. We assume that the .
Fracture Toughness of Single‐Edge Notched Fiber Reinforced Composite

Abstract This article discusses the tensile, impact, and fracture toughness behavior of unidirectional, chopped, and bidirectional fiber reinforced glass and Kevlar/polyester composite in terms of fiber volume fraction and fiber arrangement. Fracture mechanics analyses based on recently developed conservation laws of solid mechanics were performed to evaluate notch tip stress intensities in the specimens. Influence of different crack lengths (a/w) and crack orientations (θc) on the stress intensity factor are revealed. The results show that the increase of crack length (a/w) maintains a nearly constant stress intensity factor (K IC), whereas the increase of crack orientation decreases the stress intensities factor (K IC). The results of the investigation also show that the tensile strength, impact resistance, and fracture toughness behavior of unidirectional, chopped, and bidirectional fiber reinforced composite increase when the fiber volume fraction increases. Also there is the possibility of establishing empirical relationships between tensile strength, impact resistance, and fracture toughness values. Moreover, the fractures in tensile, impact, and fracture toughness are discussed by photographic and scanning electron microscope.
A Link between Cytokinin and ASL9 (ASYMMETRIC LEAVES 2 LIKE 9) That Belongs to the AS2/LOB (LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES) Family Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana

In Arabidopsis thaliana, each member of a large family of AS2/LOB (ASYMMETRIC LEAVES 2/LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES) genes encodes a plant specific protein. They are highly homologous to one other. A mutational lesion in the representative AS2 gene results in the development of anomalous asymmetric leaves, implying that these family members commonly play some roles in plant development. In this study, we found that ectopic overexpression of ASL9 (ASYMMETRIC LEAVES 2 LIKE 9) in transgenic plants displayed a markedly anomalous architecture during the development of adult plants. Then we found that among AS2/LOB family members, ASL9 is distinct from the others in that it is exclusively regulated by the plant hormone cytokinin in a manner dependent on His-Asp phosphorelay signal transduction. We further found that when supplied externally in a medium, cytokinin specifically affected the growth properties of ASL9-ox seedlings. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that the cytokinin-induced ASL9 gene is implicated in regulation of the development of Arabidopsis thaliana.
Counting Synapses Using FIB/SEM Microscopy: A True Revolution for Ultrastructural Volume Reconstruction

The advent of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in the 1950s represented a fundamental step in the study of neuronal circuits. The application of this technique soon led to the realization that the number of synapses changes during the course of normal life, as well as under certain pathological or experimental circumstances. Since then, one of the main goals in neurosciences has been to define simple and accurate methods to estimate the magnitude of these changes. Contrary to analysing single sections, TEM reconstructions are extremely time-consuming and difficult. Therefore, most quantitative studies use stereological methods to define the three-dimensional characteristics of synaptic junctions that are studied in two dimensions. Here, to count the exact number of synapses per unit of volume we have applied a new three-dimensional reconstruction method that involves the combination of focused ion beam milling and scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM). We show that the images obtained with FIB/SEM are similar to those obtained with TEM, but with the advantage that FIB/SEM permits serial reconstructions of large volumes of tissue to be generated rapidly and automatically. Furthermore, we compared the estimates of the number of synapses obtained with stereological methods with the values obtained by FIB/SEM reconstructions. We concluded that FIB/SEM not only provides the actual number of synapses per volume but it is also much easier and faster to use than other currently available TEM methods. More importantly, it also avoids most of the errors introduced by stereological methods and overcomes the difficulties associated with these techniques.
Pharmacodynamics of Mycophenolic Acid in CD4+ Cells: A Single-Dose Study of IMPDH and Purine Nucleotide Responses in Healthy Individuals

Mycophenolate mofetil is used in rejection prophylaxis after allograft transplantation. The highly variable pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PD) of the active moiety mycophenolic acid (MPA) render this drug attractive for therapeutic monitoring. The aim of this study was to characterize the exposure-response relationship for MPA to guide future strategies for individualized therapy based on PD monitoring. A single-dose (100, 250, 500, and 1000 mg mycophenolate mofetil) crossover exposure-response study of MPA PD in CD4+ cells was performed in 5 healthy individuals. The activity of inosine 5′-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) at time 0 ranged from 1.2 to 7.2 pmol per 106 cells/min. IMPDH was strongly inhibited by MPA; MPA EC50 (concentration required for 50% inhibition) of 2.3 mg/L was determined by a pooled data analysis. Decreased IMPDH gene expression was associated with the exposure to MPA. There were no immediate reductions of guanine nucleotides. On the contrary, a trend toward increased guanosine triphosphate was observed. IMPDH activity AUC0-12h approached maximum reduction at MPA AUC0-12h 22 mg·h/L (corresponding to the 500 mg dose), whereas plasma concentrations exceeding approximately 6 mg/L did not further increase the IMPDH inhibition. The results suggest that guanine nucleotides in circulating lymphocytes may not serve as immediate response biomarkers to MPA. Strategies for preventing over- or underexposure to MPA may be developed by means of IMPDH activity combined with MPA concentration measurement.
Durability and strength assessment of AAR-affected bridge deck planks

Three prestressed bridge deck planks, removed due to alkali aggregate reaction (AAR)/delayed ettringite formation (DEF), were investigated for durability and strength to determine whether similar elements in other bridges need replacement. Compressive strength of cores taken from two planks containing reactive acid igneous rock was 65-70 megapascals (MPa), whereas that of the plank containing reactive meta-sedimentary rock was 38 MPa (design strength=40 MPa). AAR significantly reduced the elastic modulus of concrete, causing large deflections in planks under loading, giving adequate warning before failure at ultimate load capacity. Ultimate strength was not significantly affected by the AAR, indicating that performance of planks was governed by prestressing wires and their bond strength, which was not significantly affected by AAR at present age. Residual expansion potential of concrete was high; indicating further deterioration can be expected. Despite adequate ultimate strength at present, long-term performance of planks is at risk due to the large residual expansion potential.
The structure and biologic activities of plasma fibronectin.

By M. W. Mosesson and D. L. Amrani T HE TERM FIBRONECTIN describes a family of structurally and immunologically related high molecular weight glycoproteins that are present on many cell surfaces, in extracellular fluids, in connective tissues, and in most basement membranes. Interactions with certain discrete extracellular substances, such as glycosaminoglycans (e.g., heparin), fibrin, and collagen, and with cell surface structures seem to account for many of its biologic activities, among which are regulation of cell adhesion, spreading, and locomotion (Table 1). Prior to the suggestion of the name fibronectin,’ the protein in its various forms had been designated by a variety of terms including: large external transformation-sensitive protein (LETS),2 soluble fibroblast antigen (SF-antigen),3 cell surface protein (CSP),4 cell adhesion factor (CAF),5 galactoprotein a,6 Z,7 coldinsoluble globulin (CIg),8’9 opsonic protein,’0 cellspreading factor,” and anti-gelatin factor. ’2 At present, there appears to be widespread recognition of the need for a single general designation for all forms of the protein as well as general acceptance of the term “fibronectin. ” The word itself was created to emphasize the propensity of the protein to bind to fibrous proteins like collagen and fibrin (fibra, fiber, and nectere, to bind). In certain instances, such as for descriptive clarity, it is useful to apply a name other than fibronectin, and this device is employed in this article. This review is concerned with providing a concise critical summary of the structure and biologic activities of fibronectin, mainly the plasma form. However, consideration of other forms of the protein is also included wherever such information lends clarity or interpretive value. The reader interested in details concerning other aspects of this protein will find value in other recent reviews)317 HISTORICAL EVENTS (1948-1975)
Delay-dependent robust stabilisation for a class of fuzzy bilinear systems with time-varying delays in state and control input

The stabilisation problem for a class of Takagi–Sugeno (TS) fuzzy bilinear systems (FBSs) with time-varying state and input delays is investigated in this article. A fuzzy controller is designed to stabilise TS FBSs with time-varying state and input delays via the parallel distributed compensation method. Based on a Lyapunov–Krasoviskii function, the delay-dependent stabilisation conditions are proposed in terms of a linear matrix inequality to guarantee the asymptotic stabilisation of time-delay FBSs with disturbance input. Two numerical examples with delays in the state and input are given to demonstrate that the proposed stability condition is less conservative than some existing results. Finally, the validity and applicability of the proposed control scheme are successfully demonstrated in the control of a Van de Vusse reactor with delay.
Specialized polymer concrete composite material for in-situ cleansing/improvement of transformer oil

By the very nature of its composition, involving the presence of micron-size particles bridging the various aggregate fractions in the matrix, a very large specific surface becomes available for adsorptive mechanisms to come into play. The diffusion of fluids through the polymeric films on the filler materials in polymer concrete, coupled with the adsorptive nature of the matrix, together offer a beneficial opportunity of interest to the transformer industry. Specifically, this opportunity pertains to the in-situ cleansing/improving of transformer oil during the operational life of the transformer. The premise of this paper is that the purification ability of polymer concrete in an oil-filled transformer environment can render many economic benefits in both a specific and overall sense by reducing or eliminating oil-related maintenance chores.
Core histone N‐termini play an essential role in mitotic chromosome condensation

We have studied the role of core histone tails in the assembly of mitotic chromosomes using Xenopus egg extracts. Incubation of sperm nuclei in the extracts led to the formation of mitotic chromosomes, a process we found to be correlated with phosphorylation of the N‐terminal tail of histone H3 at Ser10. When the extracts were supplemented with H1‐depleted oligosomes, they were not able to assemble chromosomes. Selective elimination of oligosome histone tails by trypsin digestion resulted in a dramatic decrease in their ability to inhibit chromosome condensation. The chromosome assembly was also inhibited by each of the histone tails with differing efficiency. In addition, we found that nucleosomes were recruiting through the flexible histone tails some chromosome assembly factors, different from topoisomerase II and 13S condensin. These findings demonstrate that histone tails play an essential role in chromosome assembly. We also present evidence that the nucleosomes, through physical association, were able to deplete the extracts from the kinase phosphorylating histone H3 at Ser10, suggesting that this kinase could be important for chromosome condensation.
Threshold relations in subsurface stormflow: 2. The fill and spill hypothesis

Analysis of subsurface stormflow from 147 storms at the 20 m long trench in the Panola Mountain Research Watershed by Tromp‐van Meerveld and McDonnell (2006a) showed that there was a distinct 55 mm precipitation threshold for significant subsurface stormflow production. This second paper in the series investigates the processes responsible for this threshold response. We installed a dense spatial array of maximum rise crest stage gauges and recording wells on the hillslope and studied the temporal and spatial patterns of transient saturation at the soil‐bedrock interface and its relation to subsurface stormflow measured at the trench face. Results show that while transient groundwater developed on parts of the hillslope during events smaller than 55 mm, it was not until more than 55 mm of rain fell before bedrock depressions on the hillslope were filled, water spilled over microtopographic relief in the bedrock surface, and the subsurface saturated areas became connected to the trench. When connectivity was achieved, the instantaneous subsurface stormflow rate increased more than fivefold compared to before the subsurface saturated areas were connected to the trench face. Total subsurface stormflow was more than 75 times larger when connectivity was achieved compared to when connectivity was not achieved. The fill and spill hypothesis presented in this paper is a process explanation for the observed threshold behavior of Tromp‐van Meerveld and McDonnell (2006a), thereby linking patterns and processes.
Diamond polytypes and their vibrational spectra

A series of diamond polytype structures are described and their IR and Raman vibrational modes predicted. The diamond polytypes are analogous to the well-known silicon carbide polytypes. The intermediate 6H diamond polytype was recently identified by single crystal electron diffraction of vapor precipitated diamond powder. In addition, end member polytypes of 3C (cubic diamond) and 2H diamond (hexagonal lonsdaleite) have been previously established, and polytypes such as 4H, 8H, 15R, and 21R diamond are predicted, but may be difficult to isolate and identify. The various diamond polytype structures differ only in the stacking sequences of identical puckered hexagonal carbon layers. These identical carbon layers lie parallel to the cubic 3C {111} and the hexagonal 2H {001} planes. A new method for uniquely labeling the structural layers in the polytype stacking sequences is presented. Factor group analysis was used to determine the IR and Raman selection rules for five diamond polytypes with structures intermediate between those of end members diamond and lonsdaleite. Brillouin zone folding techniques were used to determine band positions, in analogy with analyses of SiC polytypes discussed in the literature. The results predict that (i) all diamond polytypes are Raman active, (ii) limiting polytypes 3C and 2H are not IR active, and (iii) polytypes 4H, 6H, 8H, 15R, and 21R have IR active modes.
A Phenology-Based Classification of Time-Series MODIS Data for Rice Crop Monitoring in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Rice crop monitoring is an important activity for crop management. This study aimed to develop a phenology-based classification approach for the assessment of rice cropping systems in Mekong Delta, Vietnam, using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. The data were processed from December 2000, to December 2012, using empirical mode decomposition (EMD) in three main steps: (1) data pre-processing to construct the smooth MODIS enhanced vegetation index (EVI) time-series data; (2) rice crop classification; and (3) accuracy assessment. The comparisons between the classification maps and the ground reference data indicated overall accuracies and Kappa coefficients, respectively, of 81.4% and 0.75 for 2002, 80.6% and 0.74 for 2006 and 85.5% and 0.81 for 2012. The results by comparisons between MODIS-derived rice area and rice area statistics were slightly overestimated, with a relative error in area (REA) from 0.9–15.9%. There was, however, a close correlation between the two datasets (R2 ≥ 0.89). From 2001 to 2012, the areas of triple-cropped rice increased approximately 31.6%, while those of the single-cropped rain-fed rice, double-cropped irrigated rice and double-cropped rain-fed rice decreased roughly −5.0%, −19.2% and −7.4%, respectively. This study demonstrates the validity of such an approach for rice-crop monitoring with MODIS data and could be transferable to other regions.
A direct interaction between the large GTPase dynamin-2 and FAK regulates focal adhesion dynamics in response to active Src

This study establishes Dyn2 as a novel effector downstream of Src-FAK signaling in mediating FA disassembly. FAK directly binds to and recruits Dyn2 to FAs. The formation of a Src–FAK–Dyn2 complex is essential for Dyn2's phosphoactivation and subsequent endocytic turnover of FAs.