Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alpha-synuclein spreading in Parkinson’s disease

Formation and accumulation of misfolded protein aggregates are a central hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases. In Parkinson’s disease (PD), the aggregation-prone protein alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is the culprit. In the past few years, another piece of the puzzle has been added with data suggesting that α-syn may self-propagate, thereby contributing to the progression and extension of PD. Of particular importance, it was the seminal observation of Lewy bodies (LB), a histopathological signature of PD, in grafted fetal dopaminergic neurons in the striatum of PD patients. Consequently, these findings were a conceptual breakthrough, generating the “host to graft transmission” hypothesis, also called the “prion-like hypothesis. ” Several in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that α-syn can undergo a toxic templated conformational change, spread from cell to cell and from region to region, and initiate the formation of “LB–like aggregates,” contributing to the PD pathogenesis. Here, we will review and discuss the current knowledge for such a putative mechanism on the prion-like nature of α-syn, and discuss about the proper use of the term prion-like.
Declarative automated cloud resource orchestration

As cloud computing becomes widely deployed, one of the challenges faced involves the ability to orchestrate a highly complex set of subsystems (compute, storage, network resources) that span large geographic areas serving diverse clients. To ease this process, we present COPE (Cloud Orchestration Policy Engine), a distributed platform that allows cloud providers to perform declarative automated cloud resource orchestration. In COPE, cloud providers specify system-wide constraints and goals using COPElog, a declarative policy language geared towards specifying distributed constraint optimizations. COPE takes policy specifications and cloud system states as input and then optimizes compute, storage and network resource allocations within the cloud such that provider operational objectives and customer SLAs can be better met. We describe our proposed integration with a cloud orchestration platform, and present initial evaluation results that demonstrate the viability of COPE using production traces from a large hosting company in the US. We further discuss an orchestration scenario that involves geographically distributed data centers, and conclude with an ongoing status of our work.
Cancer-Associated Myositis and Anti-p155 Autoantibody in a Series of 85 Patients With Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy

A new autoantibody against a 155-kDa protein has been described in patients with myositis. We conducted a study to determine the occurrence and types of cancer occurring in a cohort of patients with polymyositis (PM) or dermatomyositis (DM) and analyzed the value of this autoantibody as a serologic marker of cancer-associated myositis (CAM). Serum samples from all patients were examined by protein immunoprecipitation assays with HeLa cells to determine the presence of a 155-kDa protein band. HLA-DRB1 and DQA1 typing was performed by polymerase chain reaction-reverse sequence specific oligonucleotide. Statistical analyses were carried out with the Mann Whitney U and Fisher exact tests. Associations were determined using odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Eighty-five patients with myositis (20 PM and 65 DM) were included. CAM was detected in 16 patients (19%), 14 with DM. The shawl sign rash was significantly more frequent in patients with CAM than in those without (p < 0.01). Adenocarcinoma was the most frequent type of cancer (87.5%). Anti-p155 autoantibody was found in 1 of the 20 (5%) patients with PM and in 15 of the 65 (23%) patients with DM. A relationship between anti-p155 and CAM was found in DM patients (OR, 23; 95% CI, 5.23-101.2). The HLA-DQA1*0102 allele was not found in any of the anti-p155-positive patients. The prevalence of CAM in our cohort was 19%. Autoantibody against p155 was highly related to CAM and could be a reliable marker of cancer in patients with DM. Abbreviations CAM = cancer-associated myositis, CI = confidence interval, DM = dermatomyositis, OR = odds ratio, PM = polymyositis.
Precision Timing of PSR J0437–4715: An Accurate Pulsar Distance, a High Pulsar Mass, and a Limit on the Variation of Newton’s Gravitational Constant

Analysis of 10 years of high-precision timing data on the millisecond pulsar PSR J0437–4715 has resulted in a model-independent kinematic distance based on an apparent orbital period derivative, Ṗb , determined at the 1.5% level of precision (Dk = 157.0 ± 2.4 pc), making it one of the most accurate stellar distance estimates published to date. The discrepancy between this measurement and a previously published parallax distance estimate is attributed to errors in the DE200 solar system ephemerides. The precise measurement of Ṗb allows a limit on the variation of Newton’s gravitational constant, |Ġ/G| ⩽ 23 × 10−12 yr−1. We also constrain any anomalous acceleration along the line of sight to the pulsar to |a☉/c| ⩽ 1.5 × 10−18 s−1 at 95% confidence, and derive a pulsar mass, mpsr = 1.76 ± 0.20 M☉, one of the highest estimates so far obtained.
Bowel Radiation Injury: Complexity of the Pathophysiology and Promises of Cell and Tissue Engineering

Ionizing radiation is effective to treat malignant pelvic cancers, but the toxicity to surrounding healthy tissue remains a substantial limitation. Early and late side effects not only limit the escalation of the radiation dose to the tumor but may also be life-threatening in some patients. Numerous preclinical studies determined specific mechanisms induced after irradiation in different compartments of the intestine. This review outlines the complexity of the pathogenesis, highlighting the roles of the epithelial barrier in the vascular network, and the inflammatory microenvironment, which together lead to chronic fibrosis. Despite the large number of pharmacological molecules available, the studies presented in this review provide encouraging proof of concept regarding the use of mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapy to treat radiation-induced intestinal damage. The therapeutic efficacy of MSCs has been demonstrated in animal models and in patients, but an enormous number of cells and multiple injections are needed due to their poor engraftment capacity. Moreover, it has been observed that although MSCs have pleiotropic effects, some intestinal compartments are less restored after a high dose of irradiation. Future research should seek to optimize the efficacy of the injected cells, particularly with regard to extending their life span in the irradiated tissue. Moreover, improving the host microenvironment, combining MSCs with other specific regenerative cells, or introducing new tissue engineering strategies could be tested as methods to treat the severe side effects of pelvic radiotherapy.
Gradient material model in analysis of mechanical joints of CFRP laminate

Mechanical joints (e.g. bolted) used for decades are proved to be reliable. They can be assembled and applied in very rough conditions since they are less sensitive to environmental effects than other types of joints (e.g. adhesive). Therefore, they are still employed in aircraft design. High specific stiffness and strength of composite materials (especially CFRP) cause a continuous increase in their usage in aircraft structures. In general, composites are brittle materials and more notch sensitive than metal alloys. Hole making is a necessary stage in manufacturing of a mechanical joint. Holes vicinities are the areas of high stress concentrations and determine load capability of the whole structure. Therefore, mechanical joints of composite parts require a special focus during both a designing and a manufacturing process. The aim of the paper is analysis of potential local material weakness/deterioration caused by a drilling process and its influence on the global response of a mechanical joint. The spe.
Monitoring Locomotor Load in Soccer: Is Metabolic Power, Powerful?

Abstract The aim of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of metabolic power (P) estimated from locomotor demands during soccer-specific drills. 14 highly-trained soccer players performed a soccer-specific circuit with the ball (3×1-min bouts, interspersed with 30-s passive recovery) on 2 different occasions. Locomotor activity was monitored with 4-Hz GPSs, while oxygen update (VO2) was collected with a portable gas analyzer. P was calculated using either net VO2 responses and traditional calorimetry principles (PVO2, W.kg−1) or locomotor demands (PGPS, W.kg−1). Distance covered into different speed, acceleration and P zones was recorded. While PGPS was 29±10% lower than PVO2 (d<− 3) during the exercise bouts, it was 85±7% lower (d<− 8) during recovery phases. The typical error between PGPS vs. PVO2 was moderate: 19.8%, 90% confidence limits: (18.4;21.6). The correlation between both estimates of P was small: 0.24 (0.14;0.33). Very large day-to-day variations were observed for acceleration, deceleration and > 20 W.kg−1 distances (all CVs > 50%), while average Po2 and PGPS showed CVs < 10%. ICC ranged from very low- (acceleration and > 20 W.kg−1 distances) to-very high (PVO2). PGPS largely underestimates the energy demands of soccer-specific drills, especially during the recovery phases. The poor reliability of PGPS >20 W.kg−1 questions its value for monitoring purposes in soccer.
Local Body Composition Is Associated with Gender Differences of Bone Development at the Forearm in Puberty

Background/Aims: The present analyses intend to clarify if gender and puberty modify the relationship between bone development (modeling and remodeling) and fat mass at the forearm. Methods: Data were collected from participants (139 males, 157 females, age = 5–19 years) of the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed study in a cross-sectional investigation. The main outcome measures were total and trabecular bone mineral density (BMDtot and BMDtrab), strength strain index (SSI) and parameters associated with modeling (cortical area, CA; periosteal circumference, CP) and remodeling (cortical bone mineral density, BMDcort, endosteal circumference, CE) were analyzed in their relationship to cross-sectional fat (FA) and muscle area (MA) at the forearm. Results: BMDtot was correlated with FA in pubertal males (r = –0.25). BMDtrab was contrarily predicted by FA in pubertal males and females (r = –0.28 vs. 0.31). FA was correlated with BMDcort (r = –0.32) and CE (r = 0.26) in pubertal females. MA was positively correlated with CA, CP and SSI. Conclusions: Modeling and bone strength were primarily predicted by MA. Markers of remodeling were positively correlated with FA in pubertal females, but not in prepubertal individuals and pubertal males. Therefore, gender and puberty modify the relationship between FA and bone development.
Earthquake-Induced Collapse Risk and Loss Assessment of Steel Concentrically Braced Frames

This paper quantifies the collapse risk and earthquake-induced losses for a wide range of archetype buildings with special concentrically braced frames (SCBFs). The collapse risk and expected economic losses associated with repair, demolition and collapse are computed based on a performance-based earthquake engineering framework developed within the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center. It is shown that the collapse risk of the steel SCBF archetypes may be significantly overestimated when the influence of the gravity framing system on the lateral frame strength and stiffness is ignored. It is also found that the building-specific earthquake loss assessment is significantly overestimated at low probability of occurrence seismic events (i.e., 2% probability of occurrence in 50 years) when the gravity framing system is not modeled explicitly as part of the nonlinear building model. For frequent and design-basis seismic events (i.e., 50 and 10% probability of exceedance over 50 years of building life expectancy), acceleration-sensitive nonstructural component repairs govern the building losses regardless of the employed nonlinear building model representation. For the same seismic events, steel brace flexural buckling contributes to structural repair losses.
Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Classifications: A Perspective Survey

Classification of hyperspectral remote sensing data is more challenging than multispectral remote sensing data because of the enormous amount of information available in the many spectral bands. During the last few decades, significant efforts have been made to investigate the effectiveness of the traditional multispectral classification approaches on hyperspectral data. Formerly extensively established conventional classification methods have been dominated by the advanced classification approaches and many pre‐processing techniques have been developed and incorporated in hyperspectral classification. A perspective survey of hyperspectral remote sensing classification approaches is presented here. It comprehensively highlights the taxonomy of major classification approaches reported during the last two decades and describes an experimental evaluation of a few major classification algorithms. Recent advancements in the development of classification approaches are also emphasized with a set of guidelines for achieving better classification performances.
Putative binding sites for mir‐125 family miRNAs in the mouse Lfng 3′UTR affect transcript expression in the segmentation clock, but mir‐125a‐5p is dispensable for normal somitogenesis

Background: In vertebrate embryos, a “segmentation clock” times somitogenesis. Clock‐linked genes, including Lunatic fringe (Lfng), exhibit cyclic expression in the presomitic mesoderm (PSM), with a period matching the rate of somite formation. The clock period varies widely across species, but the mechanisms that underlie this variability are not clear. The half‐lives of clock components are proposed to influence the rate of clock oscillations, and are tightly regulated in the PSM. Interactions between Lfng and mir‐125a‐5p in the embryonic chicken PSM promote Lfng transcript instability, but the conservation of this mechanism in other vertebrates has not been tested. Here, we examine whether this interaction affects clock activity in a mammalian species. Results: Mutation of mir‐125 binding sites in the Lfng 3′UTR leads to persistent, nonoscillatory reporter transcript expression in the caudal‐most mouse PSM, although dynamic transcript expression recovers in the central PSM. Despite this, expression of endogenous mir‐125a‐5p is dispensable for mouse somitogenesis. Conclusions: These results suggest that mir‐125a sites in the Lfng 3′ untranslated region influence transcript turnover in both mouse and chicken embryos, and support the existence of position‐dependent regulatory mechanisms in the PSM. They further suggest the existence of compensatory mechanisms that can rescue the loss of mir‐125a‐5p in mice. Developmental Dynamics 246:740–748, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The hydrodynamic effects of shape and size change during reconfiguration of a flexible macroalga

SUMMARY Rocky intertidal organisms experience large hydrodynamic forces due to high water velocities created by breaking waves. Flexible organisms, like macroalgae, often experience lower drag than rigid organisms because their shape and size change as velocity increases. This phenomenon, known as reconfiguration, has been previously quantified as Vogel's E, a measure of the relationship between velocity and drag. While this method is very useful for comparing reconfiguration among organisms it does not address the mechanisms of reconfiguration, and its application to predicting drag is problematic. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to examine the mechanisms of reconfiguration by quantifying the change in shape and size of a macroalga in flow and (2) to build a mechanistic model of drag for reconfiguring organisms. Drag, frontal area and shape of the intertidal alga Chondrus crispus were measured simultaneously in a recirculating flume at water velocities from 0 to ∼2 m s–1. Reconfiguration was due to two separate mechanisms: whole-alga realignment (deflection of the stipe) at low velocities (<0.2 m s–1) and compaction of the crown (reduction in frontal area and change in shape) at higher velocities. Change in frontal area contributed more to drag reduction than change in drag coefficient. Drag coefficient and frontal area both decrease exponentially with increasing water velocity, and a mechanistic model of drag was developed with explicit functions to describe these changes. The model not only provides mechanistic parameters with which to compare reconfiguration among individuals and species, but also allows for more reliable predictions of drag at high, ecologically relevant water velocities.
Natural parasitic infections in various breeds of sheep in Poland

The study was carried out on nine breeds of sheep naturally infected with internal parasites. The aim of the study was to estimate a prevalence of infections with protozoa, flukes, tapeworms and nematodes, parasitising gastrointestinal tract and lungs of sheep. It was found that the prevalence of Eimeria sp. infections ranged from 4,6% to 60%, the lower being in Polish Merino and the highest in Żelaźnienska Sheep. The liver fluke eggs were detected only in Polish Mountain Sheep. Tapeworms infections (Moniezia sp.) occurred in five breeds with prevalence from 2% (Polish Corriedale) to 18,6% (Polish Mountain ). Lungworm infections (Muellerius capillaris) were found in Kamieniecka, Pomorska and Mountain Sheep with the prevalence from 2.5% (Kamieniecka) to 12.5% (Pomorska). The highest number of gastrointestinal nematode genius/species (nine) was found in Wrzosowka and the lowest (two) in Świniarka Sheep. Trichostrongylus spp. showed the highest prevalence (10%-35%) in seven breeds, Haemonchus contortus in Pomorska Sheep (25%) and Nematodirus spp in Świniarka Sheep (38.1%).
Fluorescence and excited state dynamics of the deprotonated Schiff base retinal in proteorhodopsin

Abstract The UV light absorbing species of proteorhodopsin with deprotonated Schiff base retinal was investigated using steady-state fluorescence and femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. Compared to the all-trans retinal with protonated Schiff base, the deprotonated chromophore absorbs at 365 nm and exhibits a blue-shifted fluorescence spectrum. The unusually long-lived excited state decays bi-exponentially with time constants of 8 ps and 130 ps to form a deprotonated 13-cis retinal as the primary photo-product.
A novel crosstalk between two major protein degradation systems

Eukaryotes have two major intracellular protein degradation pathways, namely the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy. Inhibition of proteasomal activities has been previously shown to induce autophagy, indicating a coordinated and complementary relationship between these two systems. However, little is known about the regulation of the UPS by autophagy. In this study, we showed for the first time that proteasomes were activated in response to pharmacological inhibition of autophagy as well as disruption of autophagy-related genes by RNA interference under nutrient-deficient conditions in cultured human colon cancer cells. The induction was evidenced by the increased proteasomal activities and the upregulation of proteasomal subunits, including the proteasome β5 subunit, PSMB5. Co-inhibition of the proteasome and autophagy also synergistically increased the accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins. Collectively, our findings suggest that proteasomes are activated in a compensatory manner for protein degradation upon autophagy inhibition. Our studies unveiled a novel regulatory mechanism between the two protein degradation pathways.
SigF Controls Carotenoid Pigment Production and Affects Transformation Efficiency and Hydrogen Peroxide Sensitivity in Mycobacterium smegmatis

ABSTRACT Carotenoids are complex lipids that are known for acting against photodynamic injury and free radicals. We demonstrate here that σF is required for carotenoid pigment production in Mycobacterium smegmatis. We further show that a sigF mutant exhibits a transformation efficiency 104-fold higher than that of the parental strain, suggesting that σF regulates the production of components affecting cell wall permeability. In addition, a sigF mutant showed an increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide. An in silico search of the M. smegmatis genome identified a number of SigF consensus sites, including sites upstream of the carotenoid synthesis locus, which explains its SigF regulation.
Trust Transference in Mobile Banking: An Investigation of the Initial Trust

The objective of this research is to reveal the mechanisms associated with the initial formation of people’s trust in mobile banking and intention to use the service. And this research fills a research gap by focusing on online to mobile trust transfer process, which has received almost no attention. For this, we attempt to understand the effect of three antecedent factors (structural assurance, compatibility and relative advantage) on shaping a customer’s initial trust in mobile banking and usage intention. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of trust in online banking on the initial trust in mobile banking and its antecedents. The study tests hypothesis by using a sample of 313 cell-phone users who have used online banking before. Results show that online trust influence initial trust in mobile banking and all its three antecedent factors, just as proposed. Thus, online-to-mobile trust transfer should be considered when designing multichannel strategies and attracting customers to use mobile banking.
Neural basis for the relationship between frequency of going outdoors and depressive mood in older adults

Low frequency of going outdoors (e.g. being homebound) is associated with depressive mood; however, the underlying neural mechanism of this association is unclear. We therefore investigated the neural substrate involved in the relationship between frequency of going outdoors and depressive mood using positron emission tomography (PET), focusing on the frontal lobe and the limbic system.
Iron as a Tracer in Galaxy Clusters and Groups

Available X-ray data are collected and organized concerning the iron and gas content of galaxy clusters and groups, together with the optical luminosity, mass, and iron abundance of cluster galaxies. Moving from such a restricted number of cluster parameters, several astrophysical inferences are drawn. These include the evidence for rich clusters having evolved without much baryon exchange with their surroundings and having experienced very similar star formation histories. Groups are more gas-poor as compared with clusters and appear instead to have shed a major fraction of their original cosmic share of baryons, which indicates that galaxy clusters cannot have formed by assembling groups that are similar to the present-day ones. It is argued that this favors low-Ω universes, in which the growth of rich clusters is virtually complete at high redshifts. It is also argued that elemental abundance ratios in clusters are nearly solar, which is consistent with a similar proportion of supernovae of Type Ia and Type II having enriched both the solar neighborhood and clusters as a whole. Much of the iron in clusters appears to reside in the intracluster medium rather than inside galaxies, the precise ratio being a function of the Hubble constant. It appears that the baryon to star conversion in clusters has been nearly as efficient as that currently observed for the universe as a whole. Yet the metallicity of the clusters is ~5 times higher than the global metallicity found for the nearby universe. It is concluded that the intergalactic medium should have a metallicity ~1/3 of the solar value if stellar nucleosynthesis has proceeded in stars within field galaxies with the same efficiency as in stars within clusters of galaxies.