Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dietary patterns associated hyperuricemia among Chinese aged 45 to 59 years

Abstract In our literature research, we have not found any study reporting the association between the major dietary patterns and the risk of hyperuricemia in a middle-aged Chinese population. Herein, the present study aimed to evaluate the association of dietary patterns with the risk of hyperuricemia in the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, East China. We included 1204 participants (743 males and 461 females) aged 45 to 59 years in the present cross-sectional study. Dietary intake was assessed using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire in 2014 to 2016. All biochemical data and anthropometric measurements were collected following standardized procedures. Dietary patterns were determined by using factor analysis. We examined the associations between major dietary patterns and hyperuricemia risk by log-binominal regression analysis, and the results are presented as prevalence ratio (PR) and confidence interval (CI). Three major dietary patterns were identified by means of factor analysis: traditional Chinese, meat food, and mixed food patterns. After controlling for potential confounders, subjects in the highest quartile of the traditional Chinese pattern scores had a lower PR for hyperuricemia (PR = 0.82; 95%CI: 0.426–0.922), in comparison to those from the lowest quartile, while compared with the lowest quartile of the meat food pattern, the highest quartile had a greater PR for hyperuricemia (PR = 1.48; 95%CI: 1.120–2.097). Besides, no association was observed between mixed food pattern and the risk of hyperuricemia. Our findings indicate that the traditional Chinese pattern is associated with a decreased risk of hyperuricemia, and the meat food pattern is associated with an increased risk of hyperuricemia, whereas the mixed food pattern shows no association with the risk of hyperuricemia. Further large prospective studies are warranted to confirm our findings.
Mechanical and Thermal Behaviors of Polypropylene - Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposite Monofilaments

In this work, multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) reinforced polypropylene (PP) monofilaments were prepared by the melt extrusion method. The effect of MWCNTs on the mechanical behaviour of nanocomposite monofilaments was studied by tensile testing and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) to understand the mechanism in both the elastic and plastic regions. The results obtained from tensile tests showed that incorporating MWCNTs reduced the tensile strength but increased the Young Modulus of the PP. The Young modulus of the nanocomposite was greatly enhanced to 4587 MPa, compared to 3987 MPa for pristine PP. DMA results are compatible with tensile test results. Thermal analysis showed that the crystallization temperature (Tp), melting temperature (Tm) and degradation temperatures(Td) are increased by about 15, 2.5, and 8 °C, respectively, with the addition of MWCNTs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations of the cross section of the nanocomposite monofilaments showed good dispersion of the MWCNTs in the PP matrix.
Concurrence of bulk and surface order reconstruction to the relaxation of frustrated nematics

Applying appropriate electric pulses to a nematic liquid crystal confined between plates, the bulk order reconstruction can occur, a mechanism allowing the switching between topologically different nematic textures without any director rotation. Using a moving mesh finite element method we describe the order tensor dynamics for a nematic inside an asymmetric n-cell, putting in evidence as textural distortions induced by strong asymmetries can be relaxed via both bulk and surface order reconstruction, occurring close to a confining plate with different time duration.
Compressing Neural Networks using the Variational Information Bottleneck

Neural networks can be compressed to reduce memory and computational requirements, or to increase accuracy by facilitating the use of a larger base architecture. In this paper we focus on pruning individual neurons, which can simultaneously trim model size, FLOPs, and run-time memory. To improve upon the performance of existing compression algorithms we utilize the information bottleneck principle instantiated via a tractable variational bound. Minimization of this information theoretic bound reduces the redundancy between adjacent layers by aggregating useful information into a subset of neurons that can be preserved. In contrast, the activations of disposable neurons are shut off via an attractive form of sparse regularization that emerges naturally from this framework, providing tangible advantages over traditional sparsity penalties without contributing additional tuning parameters to the energy landscape. We demonstrate state-of-the-art compression rates across an array of datasets and network architectures.
Antibiogram profile of septic meningitis among children in Duhok, Iraq

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of bacteria in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and the antibiogram profile in pediatric patients with suspected meningitis. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted between January 2014 and January 2016 in the Hevi Paediatric Teaching Hospital in Duhok, Iraq. The CSF samples were withdrawn from 432 pediatric patients suspected of meningitis. The samples were cultured, and antibiotic sensitivity tests were performed. Results: There were 33 (7.6%) culture positive cases among 432 CSF samples. Among the positives cases, there were 18 culture positive for Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae). There were 4 cases of Viridans streptococci. In addition, there were 2 cases each of Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), and Non-coagulase staphylococci. There was only one case each of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus species, Haemophilus influenzae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). The isolated S. pneumoniae strains showed 47% sensitivity against penicillin, 13% against cefotaxime, but 100% of sensitivity against vancomycin. Isolates of gram-negative bacilli (E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and P. aeruginosa) were 100% sensitive to imipenem and amikacin, but had 0% sensitivity to cefotaxime and vancomycin. All isolates of Staphylococci were sensitive to vancomycin, gentamicin, and clindamycin but were resistant to penicillin and cefotaxime. Conclusion: Streptococcus pneumoniae is currently the leading cause of meningitis among children in Duhok city. The antimicrobial resistance pattern indicates that all isolates of S. pneumoniae were sensitive to vancomycin.
The Formation Of The Shambles And Other Banks By Tidal Stirring Of The Seas

It is well known that if a beaker of water, to which a little sand has been previously added, is stirred, then the sand moves along the bottom and accumulates in the centre. The result is the same whether the beaker is stirred clockwise or anticlockwise. It is perhaps less obvious, but equally true, that if the beaker is placed on a rotating table, then stirring clockwise and anticlockwise produces different effects. Any stirring rate in the sense of rotation may produce a concentration of sand towards the centre (better effects may be observed with less dense material – tea leaves for example). However, if the stirring is against the rate of rotation, then it is necessary to exceed the rotation rate before sand will accumulate in the centre of the beaker. In an analogous manner, ‘spinup’ of the table produces dispersion of bottom material, whereas spin-down results in a concentration of material towards the centre of the beaker.
Characteristics of a novel treatment system for linear accelerator–based stereotactic radiosurgery

The purpose of this study is to characterize the dosimetric properties and accuracy of a novel treatment platform (Edge radiosurgery system) for localizing and treating patients with frameless, image‐guided stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Initial measurements of various components of the system, such as a comprehensive assessment of the dosimetric properties of the flattening filter‐free (FFF) beams for both high definition (HD120) MLC and conical cone‐based treatment, positioning accuracy and beam attenuation of a six degree of freedom (6DoF) couch, treatment head leakage test, and integrated end‐to‐end accuracy tests, have been performed. The end‐to‐end test of the system was performed by CT imaging a phantom and registering hidden targets on the treatment couch to determine the localization accuracy of the optical surface monitoring system (OSMS), cone‐beam CT (CBCT), and MV imaging systems, as well as the radiation isocenter targeting accuracy. The deviations between the percent depth‐dose curves acquired on the new linac‐based system (Edge), and the previously published machine with FFF beams (TrueBeam) beyond Dmax were within 1.0% for both energies. The maximum deviation of output factors between the Edge and TrueBeam was 1.6%. The optimized dosimetric leaf gap values, which were fitted using Eclipse dose calculations and measurements based on representative spine radiosurgery plans, were 0.700 mm and 1.000 mm, respectively. For the conical cones, 6X FFF has sharper penumbra ranging from 1.2−1.8 mm (80%‐20%) and 1.9−3.8 mm (90%‐10%) relative to 10X FFF, which has 1.2−2.2 mm and 2.3−5.1 mm, respectively. The relative attenuation measurements of the couch for PA, PA (rails‐in), oblique, oblique (rails‐out), oblique (rails‐in) were: −2.0%, −2.5%, −15.6%, −2.5%, −5.0% for 6X FFF and −1.4%, −1.5%, −12.2%, −2.5%, −5.0% for 10X FFF, respectively, with a slight decrease in attenuation versus field size. The systematic deviation between the OSMS and CBCT was −0.4±0.2 mm, 0.1±0.3 mm, and 0.0±0.1 mm in the vertical, longitudinal, and lateral directions. The mean values and standard deviations of the average deviation and maximum deviation of the daily Winston‐Lutz tests over three months are 0.20±0.03 mm and 0.66±0.18 mm, respectively. Initial testing of this novel system demonstrates the technology to be highly accurate and suitable for frameless, linac‐based SRS and SBRT treatment. PACS number: 87.56. J‐
Egress of sperm autoantigen from seminiferous tubules maintains systemic tolerance

Autoimmune responses to meiotic germ cell antigens (MGCA) that are expressed on sperm and testis occur in human infertility and after vasectomy. Many MGCA are also expressed as cancer/testis antigens (CTA) in human cancers, but the tolerance status of MGCA has not been investigated. MGCA are considered to be uniformly immunogenic and nontolerogenic, and the prevailing view posits that MGCA are sequestered behind the Sertoli cell barrier in seminiferous tubules. Here, we have shown that only some murine MGCA are sequestered. Nonsequestered MCGA (NS-MGCA) egressed from normal tubules, as evidenced by their ability to interact with systemically injected antibodies and form localized immune complexes outside the Sertoli cell barrier. NS-MGCA derived from cell fragments that were discarded by spermatids during spermiation. They egressed as cargo in residual bodies and maintained Treg-dependent physiological tolerance. In contrast, sequestered MGCA (S-MGCA) were undetectable in residual bodies and were nontolerogenic. Unlike postvasectomy autoantibodies, which have been shown to mainly target S-MGCA, autoantibodies produced by normal mice with transient Treg depletion that developed autoimmune orchitis exclusively targeted NS-MGCA. We conclude that spermiation, a physiological checkpoint in spermatogenesis, determines the egress and tolerogenicity of MGCA. Our findings will affect target antigen selection in testis and sperm autoimmunity and the immune responses to CTA in male cancer patients.
Influence of specimen shape and dimensions on the compressive strength of self-compacting concrete

Standard EN 12390-4 specifies the shape and dimensions of concrete test specimens for the strength tests and the methods of casting and curing in order to determine the strength class. For design purpose mostly 150x300 mm cylinder compressive strength is used. However, depending on the country, other standards and subsequently other dimensions and shapes might be used as well, e.g. 100x200 mm cylinders as stated in ASTM C39. Besides, even other types of test specimens than defined in the standards are used depending on local tradition, practice and research purpose. In order to compare all measured strengths on different samples from different researchers and to convert the measured strength into the design strength, conversion formulas are needed. Those formulas are well-known for normal strength vibrated concrete (VC), whereas this is not the case for self-compacting concrete (SCC). From literature it was found that the conversion formulas of VC are not always applicable for SCC, and as such the way to convert stays rather unclear causing uncertainties. In this paper the strength results of different powder-type SCC mixtures are analyzed taking into account mixture parameters like type of cement, aggregate, filler, superplasticiser, powder content and the water-to-cement and water-to-powder ratio. Cylinders and cubes of various dimensions are used to determine the compressive strength. Finally, the conclusions will lead to some suggestions for new conversion formulas.
The somatosensory-evoked potential in reaction time is gated and elicited earlier when the motor response to a somatosensory cue is faster

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP) is gated and elicited earlier when a motor response to a somatosensory stimulus is faster. In healthy humans, the left index finger and thumb were pinched in response to a somatosensory stimulus administered over the left median nerve. The SEP elicited by this stimulus when producing a fast motor response was compared with that when producing a slow motor response. The amplitudes of N18 and frontal P40 when producing a fast motor response were smaller than those when producing a slow motor response. The latencies of frontal P22 and P40 when producing a fast motor response were shorter than those when producing a slow motor response. These findings indicated that the responses of the primary sensory and frontal areas elicited by a somatosensory stimulus are gated and that the responses of the frontal areas elicited by this stimulus occur earlier when a motor response to this stimulus is faster. The enhanced efficiency or increased speed of the stimulus identification process may be related to the gating and early onset of the SEP components when producing a fast motor response.
Genetic and Pharmacologic Manipulation of TLR4 Has Minimal Impact on Ethanol Consumption in Rodents

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a critical component of innate immune signaling and has been implicated in alcohol responses in preclinical and clinical models. Members of the Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA-Neuroimmune) consortium tested the hypothesis that TLR4 mediates excessive ethanol drinking using the following models: (1) Tlr4 knock-out (KO) rats, (2) selective knockdown of Tlr4 mRNA in mouse nucleus accumbens (NAc), and (3) injection of the TLR4 antagonist (+)-naloxone in mice. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) decreased food/water intake and body weight in ethanol-naive and ethanol-trained wild-type (WT), but not Tlr4 KO rats. There were no consistent genotypic differences in two-bottle choice chronic ethanol intake or operant self-administration in rats before or after dependence. In mice, (+)-naloxone did not decrease drinking-in-the-dark and only modestly inhibited dependence-driven consumption at the highest dose. Tlr4 knockdown in mouse NAc did not decrease drinking in the two-bottle choice continuous or intermittent access tests. However, the latency to ethanol-induced loss of righting reflex increased and the duration decreased in KO versus WT rats. In rat central amygdala neurons, deletion of Tlr4 altered GABAA receptor function, but not GABA release. Although there were no genotype differences in acute ethanol effects before or after chronic intermittent ethanol exposure, genotype differences were observed after LPS exposure. Using different species and sexes, different methods to inhibit TLR4 signaling, and different ethanol consumption tests, our comprehensive studies indicate that TLR4 may play a role in ethanol-induced sedation and GABAA receptor function, but does not regulate excessive drinking directly and would not be an effective therapeutic target. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a key mediator of innate immune signaling and has been implicated in alcohol responses in animal models and human alcoholics. Members of the Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA-Neuroimmune) consortium participated in the first comprehensive study across multiple laboratories to test the hypothesis that TLR4 regulates excessive alcohol consumption in different species and different models of chronic, dependence-driven, and binge-like drinking. Although TLR4 was not a critical determinant of excessive drinking, it was important in the acute sedative effects of alcohol. Current research efforts are directed at determining which neuroimmune pathways mediate excessive alcohol drinking and these findings will help to prioritize relevant pathways and potential therapeutic targets.
Retrosplenial Cortex Indexes Stability beyond the Spatial Domain

Retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is highly responsive to landmarks in the environment that remain fixed in a permanent location, and this has been linked with its known involvement in scene and spatial processing. However, it is unclear whether RSC representations of permanence are a purely spatial phenomenon or whether they extend into behavioral and conceptual domains. To test this, during functional MRI scanning, we had people (males and females) read three different types of sentences that described either something permanent or transient. The first two sentence types were imageable, with a focus either on a spatial landmark or on an action. The third type of sentence involved non-imageable abstract concepts. We found that, in addition to being more active for sentences describing landmarks with a permanent location in space, RSC was also significantly engaged by sentences describing stable and consistent behaviors or actions, as long as they were rooted within a concrete imageable setting. RSC was not responsive to abstract concepts, even those that embodied the notion of stability. Similarly, it was not engaged by imageable sentences with transient contents. In contrast, parahippocampal cortex was more engaged by imageable sentences describing landmarks, whereas the hippocampus was active for all imageable sentences. In addition, for imageable sentences describing permanence, there was bidirectional functional coupling between RSC and these medial temporal lobe structures. It appears, therefore, that RSC-mediated permanence representations could be helpful for more than spatially mapping environments and may also provide information about the reliability of events occurring within them. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is known to process information about landmarks in the environment that have a fixed, permanent location. Here we tested whether this permanence response was apparent beyond the spatial domain, which could have implications for understanding the role of the RSC more widely across cognition. We found that the RSC was engaged not only by permanent landmarks but also by stable and consistent actions. It was not responsive to transient landmarks or actions or to abstract concepts, even those that embodied the notion of stability. We conclude that the RSC might do more than help to map spatial environments, by possibly also providing information about the reliability of events occurring within them.
microRNA as a systemic intervention in the specific breast cancer subtypes with C‐MYC impacts; introducing subtype‐based appraisal tool

Breast cancer is indisputably a heterogeneous disease, in which a formidable combination of definitely dis‐regulated C‐MYC and microRNA (miRNA) profiles along with other factors are responsible to generate a specific type of breast cancer. C‐MYC as a master regulator of more than 20,000 genes can modify the expression of genes underlying to perform diverse conflicting functional frameworks. The functional spectra of miRNA in the new areas of the evolution of cell behaviors are identified. Here, we endeavor to summarize some recent advances of miRNA applications that can be recruited as combinatorial targeted therapy for patients with breast cancer. Also, it is important to indicate that some exosomal miRNAs including miR‐126, miR‐122, miR‐92‐1, miR‐19a, and miR‐29c together with circular miRNAs, such as miR‐21‐5p, miR‐96‐5p, and miR‐125b‐5p can provide a promising evaluation route in breast cancer prognosis. Furthermore, miR‐342, miR‐520 for triple negative and hormone receptor‐positive types of breast cancer, respectively in collaboration with two detected distinct cluster of miRNAs for different breast cancer cell lines can be applied for more dedicated miRNA‐based individualized targeted therapy. New DNA handling capacity of C‐MYC‐related oncogenic miRNAs through coordination with exosomal miRNAs and circulatory ones can be a potential appraisal tool in breast cancer management. Given the notion that genomic instability is a hallmark of breast cancer, the different horizons that are provided in this review can be employed for more precise and profound analyses to achieve an evaluation signature for breast cancer subtypes.
A revised model for the control of fatty acid synthesis by master regulator Spo0A in Bacillus subtilis

In starving Bacillus subtilis cells, the accDA operon encoding two subunits of the essential acetyl‐CoA carboxylase (ACC) has been proposed to be tightly regulated by direct binding of the master regulator Spo0A to a cis element (0A box) in the promoter region. When the 0A box is mutated, biofilm formation and sporulation have been reported to be impaired. Here, we present evidence that two 0A boxes, one previously known (0A‐1) and another newly discovered (0A‐2) in the accDA promoter region are positively and negatively regulated by Spo0A∼P respectively. Cells with mutated 0A boxes experience slight delays in sporulation, but eventually sporulate with high efficiency. In contrast, cells harboring a single mutated 0A‐2 box are deficient for biofilm formation, while cells harboring either a mutated 0A‐1 box or both mutated 0A boxes form biofilms. We further show that the essential ACC enzyme localizes on or near the cell membrane by directly observing a functional GFP fusion to one of the enzyme's subunits. Collectively, we propose a revised model in which accDA is primarily transcribed by a major σA‐RNA polymerase, while Spo0A∼P plays an additional role in the fine‐tuning of accDA expression upon starvation to support proper biofilm formation and sporulation.