Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Altered dietary carbohydrates significantly affect gene expression of the major glucosensing components in Brockmann bodies and hypothalamus of rainbow trout.

Carnivorous fish have a limited capacity to utilize dietary carbohydrates even though glucosensing components exist in the hypothalamus and Brockmann bodies. Therefore, we fed trout for 10 days with two experimental diets containing a high level of carbohydrates (20%) or a carbohydrate-free level (<0.3%) to test the capacity of dietary carbohydrates to regulate gene expression of glucosensing components. Fish were fed and killed 1, 6, and 24 h after the meal to analyze plasma glucose levels, glucosensing-related biochemical parameters, and gene expression of the major components of the glucosensing system in the hypothalamus and Brockmann bodies. Glucose facilitative transporter type 2 and glucokinase gene expression were confirmed by real-time PCR data and two new components of the glucosensing mechanism, Kir6. -like and sulfonylurea receptor-like, were detected for the first time in fish in both tissues. In addition, a clear adaptation to dietary carbohydrates was found in trout Brockmann bodies, based on increased gene expression of major components of the system as well as enhanced glucokinase activities and glycogen levels. In contrast, in the hypothalamus, only glucokinase gene expression and activity showed a response to dietary carbohydrates, supporting the key role of that enzyme in glucosensing mechanism. Finally, a differential postprandial profile was found between tissues regarding the glucosensing potential, since the hypothalamus seems to respond to hyperglycemia earlier than the Brockmann bodies, whose response took place later. Altogether, these data describe for the first time in fish a complete response of major glucosensing components to dietary carbohydrates in trout hypothalamus and Brockmann bodies, supporting an efficient adaptation of both tissues to those dietary components.
Linearized Combinatorial Model for optimal frame selection in Gen2 RFID system

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology become an important tool for items identification and tracking. In this paper we observe RFID Gen2 communication protocol between the RFID reader and the low-cost battery free passive RFID tags. To establish communication between the reader and tags, Gen2 uses Dynamic Frame Slotted ALOHA (DFSA) Medium Access Control (MAC) layer protocol with Q-Selection algorithm for frame size adaptation. DFSA constraints of Gen2 RFID reader-tag communication may become an issue in the fast identification of all tags in the interrogation area. To identify all tags as soon as possible, DFSA frame size should be selected properly so its throughput is maximized, and that can be achieved only if one can estimate number of interrogated tags correctly. In this paper we present Linearized Combinatorial Model (LCM) algorithm for the optimal frame size adaptation. Developed scheme is implemented and tested on Universal Radio Serial Peripheral 1 (USRP1) Gen2 reader application. Results analysis shows that our scheme outperforms Q-Selection algorithm.
On de Sitter radiation via quantum tunneling

This is the comment to papers by Medved (arXiv:0802.3796) and Sekiwa (arXiv:0802.3266) on de Sitter radiation via quantum tunneling. We discuss why the tunneling picture does not necessarily lead to radiation from the de Sitter horizon.
The Endoplasmic Reticulum Coat Protein II Transport Machinery Coordinates Cellular Lipid Secretion and Cholesterol Biosynthesis*

Background: Sar1 mediates the onward transport of ER cargo. Results: Sar1B promotes VLDL secretion, whereas Sar1A antagonizes this activity, and a deficit of both reduces cholesterol biosynthesis. Conclusion: Sar1B independently of and through its lipoprotein secretion function promotes the expression of genes regulating cholesterol biosynthesis. Significance: Sar1B-mediated transport activities contribute to both the functional integrity of the ER membrane and blood cholesterol levels. Triglycerides and cholesterol are essential for life in most organisms. Triglycerides serve as the principal energy storage depot and, where vascular systems exist, as a means of energy transport. Cholesterol is essential for the functional integrity of all cellular membrane systems. The endoplasmic reticulum is the site of secretory lipoprotein production and de novo cholesterol synthesis, yet little is known about how these activities are coordinated with each other or with the activity of the COPII machinery, which transports endoplasmic reticulum cargo to the Golgi. The Sar1B component of this machinery is mutated in chylomicron retention disorder, indicating that this Sar1 isoform secures delivery of dietary lipids into the circulation. However, it is not known why some patients with chylomicron retention disorder develop hepatic steatosis, despite impaired intestinal fat malabsorption, and why very severe hypocholesterolemia develops in this condition. Here, we show that Sar1B also promotes hepatic apolipoprotein (apo) B lipoprotein secretion and that this promoting activity is coordinated with the processes regulating apoB expression and the transfer of triglycerides/cholesterol moieties onto this large lipid transport protein. We also show that although Sar1A antagonizes the lipoprotein secretion-promoting activity of Sar1B, both isoforms modulate the expression of genes encoding cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes and the synthesis of cholesterol de novo. These results not only establish that Sar1B promotes the secretion of hepatic lipids but also adds regulation of cholesterol synthesis to Sar1B's repertoire of transport functions.
Affective basis of judgment-behavior discrepancy in virtual experiences of moral dilemmas

Although research in moral psychology in the last decade has relied heavily on hypothetical moral dilemmas and has been effective in understanding moral judgment, how these judgments translate into behaviors remains a largely unexplored issue due to the harmful nature of the acts involved. To study this link, we follow a new approach based on a desktop virtual reality environment. In our within-subjects experiment, participants exhibited an order-dependent judgment-behavior discrepancy across temporally separated sessions, with many of them behaving in utilitarian manner in virtual reality dilemmas despite their nonutilitarian judgments for the same dilemmas in textual descriptions. This change in decisions reflected in the autonomic arousal of participants, with dilemmas in virtual reality being perceived more emotionally arousing than the ones in text, after controlling for general differences between the two presentation modalities (virtual reality vs. text). This suggests that moral decision-making in hypothetical moral dilemmas is susceptible to contextual saliency of the presentation of these dilemmas.
A predictive model of recurrent lower extremity cellulitis in a population-based cohort.

BACKGROUND Cellulitis is common and recurs in some patients. The study described herein derived a predictive model for the recurrence of lower extremity cellulitis in a population-based cohort. METHODS We conducted a retrospective, population-based cohort study using the Rochester Epidemiology Project. We reviewed the medical records of Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents with lower extremity cellulitis occurring from January 1, 1999, to June 30, 2000. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to evaluate risk factors in patients who experienced recurrent lower extremity cellulitis within 2 years. A predictive model was developed to estimate risk of recurrence based on a score of risk factors identified by multivariate analysis. RESULTS A total of 209 episodes met the definition of lower extremity cellulitis. Thirty-five patients (16.7%) experienced recurrence within 2 years. Multivariate analysis identified tibial area involvement, prior malignancy, and dermatitis affecting the ipsilateral limb as independent risk factors for recurrence, with hazard ratios of 5.02, 3.87, and 2.99 (P<.01), respectively. A score calculated from these variables (a count of 0, 1, 2, or 3) was developed to measure risk of recurrence. Based on the predictive model, the estimated probability of recurrence (95% confidence interval [CI]) within 2 years was 5.0% (95% CI, 1.6%-8.2%), 17.3% (95% CI, 11.1%-23.0%), 50.6% (95% CI, 34.2%-63.0%), or 92.8% (95% CI, 51.9%-98.9%) for a score of 0, 1, 2 or 3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS We derived a model including tibial area involvement, history of cancer, and dermatitis to predict recurrence of lower extremity cellulitis. Potential interventions can be incorporated into treatment to diminish the proclivity for recurrence in high-risk patients.
Temperature Dependence and Postirradiation Annealing Response of the $1/f$ Noise of 4H-SiC MOSFETs

The temperature dependence of the low-frequency noise of 4H-silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs with nitrided oxides is reported over the temperature range 85-510 K. The 1/f noise decreases significantly with increasing measurement temperature. This decrease in noise results primarily from a decrease in the density of interface traps at increasing temperatures. The 1/f noise is also characterized after total ionizing dose irradiation and postirradiation annealing. No significant change in the 1/f noise is observed after the devices are irradiated to 1 Mrad (SiO2) and then annealed under bias at elevated temperature. These results show that the 1/f noise in 4H-SiC MOSFETs is dominated by the interaction of channel carriers with slow interface traps at temperatures <; 360 K and with border traps >360 K. This result contrasts with most experience with Si/SiO2-based MOSFETs, and results from the wider bandgap and greater density of slow interface traps in SiC/SiO2-based MOSFETs than in Si/SiO2-based MOSFETs.
Your Error’s Got me Feeling – How Empathy Relates to the Electrophysiological Correlates of Performance Monitoring

The error-related and feedback-related negativities (ERN and FRN) represent negative event-related potentials associated with the processing of errors and (negative) response outcomes. The neuronal source of these components is considered to be in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Monitoring one’s own behavior and the impact it may have on other people or observing other individuals perform and receive feedback for their actions may also engage empathy-related processes. Empathy is conceived of as a multifaceted construct involving both cognitive and affective components, partly also supported by the ACC. The present mini-review aims to summarize the sparse database linking the electrophysiological correlates of performance monitoring to empathy. While most studies so far provide largely indirect evidence for such an association – e.g., by pointing toward altered ERN/FRN signaling in populations characterized by deviations in empathic responding – fewer investigations establish more explicit links between the two concepts. The relationship between state and, less consistently, trait measures of empathy and action monitoring might be more pronounced for observational than for active participation.
Regression analysis of sparse asynchronous longitudinal data

We consider estimation of regression models for sparse asynchronous longitudinal observations, where time‐dependent responses and covariates are observed intermittently within subjects. Unlike with synchronous data, where the response and covariates are observed at the same time point, with asynchronous data, the observation times are mismatched. Simple kernel‐weighted estimating equations are proposed for generalized linear models with either time invariant or time‐dependent coefficients under smoothness assumptions for the covariate processes which are similar to those for synchronous data. For models with either time invariant or time‐dependent coefficients, the estimators are consistent and asymptotically normal but converge at slower rates than those achieved with synchronous data. Simulation studies evidence that the methods perform well with realistic sample sizes and may be superior to a naive application of methods for synchronous data based on an ad hoc last value carried forward approach. The practical utility of the methods is illustrated on data from a study on human immunodeficiency virus.
Resistive and Pulsatile Arterial Hemodynamics and Cardiovascular Events: The Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Background Arterial blood pressure is dependent on interactions between the heart and arteries. Resistive and pulsatile components of arterial load can be assessed by systemic vascular resistance (SVR, a microvascular property) and the ratio of stroke volume to pulse pressure (a surrogate of total arterial compliance, TAC), respectively. The relationship between arterial function and cardiovascular events in populations without cardiovascular disease is unknown. Methods and Results We studied 4806 adults enrolled in the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis who were free of clinical cardiovascular disease at baseline. SVR and stroke volume/pulse pressure (SV/PP) were derived by sphygmomanometry and magnetic resonance imaging. The relationship between these measures of arterial function and incident cardiovascular events was assessed using Cox regression. With a mean follow‐up of 7.5 years, cardiovascular events occurred in 358 participants (7.4%). There was no relationship between SVR and subsequent cardiovascular events. However, increased stroke volume/pulse pressure was associated with reduced event rate in unadjusted (hazard ratio=0.67, 95% CI=0.58 to 0.77, P<0.001) and analyses that adjusted for multiple confounders (HR=0.75; 95% CI=0.62 to 0.90; P<0.001). Conclusions Greater total arterial compliance, manifest by higher stroke volume/pulse pressure is associated with a reduced incidence of subsequent CVE. In contrast, SVR was not independently associated with CVE in subjects free of overt cardiovascular disease at baseline. These findings support the concept that alternations in the large conduit vessels, rather than changes in microvascular resistance, are primarily related to incident cardiovascular disease.
Role of bronchoalveolar lavage in immunocompromised patients with pneumonia treated with a broad spectrum antibiotic and antifungal regimen

BACKGROUND In a retrospective study the value of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in the diagnosis of pneumonia was investigated in 95 immunocompromised patients suffering from haematological disorders and receiving a regimen of broad spectrum antibiotics and antifungal agents (BSAR). METHODS With the exception of four afebrile patients, all had fever, raised C reactive protein (CRP) levels, and new infiltrates visible on chest radiography. All patients underwent BAL to identify the organism causing the pneumonia and surveillance cultures were performed regularly for pathogens at different sites. Following classification of the isolates, patients with positive cultures were subdivided into two groups, pathogenic or contaminated. We investigated whether relevant pathogens were cultured only from the BAL fluid and whether they were susceptible to BSAR. RESULTS Although 77 of the 95 patients were thrombocytopenic, bleeding during BAL occurred in only 15% of all patients. Ten days after the procedure the fever improved in 88% of patients, radiographic findings improved in 71%, and CRP levels improved in 75% of patients; 22% of patients died within 28 days. Pathologically relevant isolates were found in 65% of all patients. Respiratory pathogens were detected only in the BAL fluid of 29 of the 95 patients (35% Gram positive species, 40% Gram negative species, 11% Mycobacterium, 11% fungi, and 3% cytomegalovirus). In 16 of these 29 patients (55%) the pathogens cultured only from the BAL fluid were resistant to treatment. Pathogens detected only in the BAL fluid were not susceptible to a standard broad spectrum antibiotic and antifungal regimen including teicoplanin, ceftriaxon, tobramycin, and amphotericin B in 12 of the 29 patients (41%). CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that 12 patients were treated with broad spectrum antimicrobial agents which were not directed at the appropriate organism on in vitro sensitivity tests without BAL. BAL is a relatively safe procedure in the diagnosis of pneumonia, supplying important information in immunocompromised patients as well as in immunocompromised patients receiving BSAR.
PENGARUH KEBIJAKAN DIVIDEN, LEVERAGE KEUANGAN DAN PROFITABILITAS TERHADAP RETURN SAHAM PERUSAHAAN MANUFAKTUR YANG TERDAFTAR DI BEI PERIODE 2009 - 2013

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis kebijakan pengaruh dividen di proxy dengan Dividend Payout Ratio (DPR), leverage keuangan di proxy dengan Debt to Equity Ratio (DER) dan profitabilitas yang ditunjukkan oleh Return On Assets (ROA) dan Return On Equity (ROE) pada return saham pada perusahaan manufaktur yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia periode 2009-2013. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif. Teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan metode purposive sampling dan dipilih sesuai dengan kriteria yang telah ditetapkan. Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah laporan keuangan dan data sumber yang digunakan untuk mendapatkan data ini, yaitu Indonesian Capital Market Directory (ICMD) yang diperoleh dari Pojok Bursa Universitas Mercu Buana. Model analisis data yang digunakan adalah regresi linier berganda. Dari analisis hasil penelitian sebagai berikut, di DPR parsial berpengaruh signifikan terhadap return saham, hal ini ditujukan dengan nilai signifikansi 0,047 (0,047 <0,05). Kata kunci: Dividen Payout Ratio, Debt to Equity Ratio, Return on Assets, Return on Equity, dan Return Saham.
Wiener–Granger Causality in Network Physiology With Applications to Cardiovascular Control and Neuroscience

Since the operative definition given by C. W. J. Granger of an idea expressed by N. Wiener, the Wiener-Granger causality (WGC) has been one of the most relevant concepts exploited by modern time series analysis. Indeed, in networks formed by multiple components, working according to the notion of segregation and interacting with each other according to the principle of integration, inferring causality has opened a window on the effective connectivity of the network and has linked experimental evidences to functions and mechanisms. This tutorial reviews predictability improvement, information-based and frequency domain methods for inferring WGC among physiological processes from multivariate realizations and quantifying the strength of the cause-effect relations in network physiology. Studies relevant to cardiovascular control and neuroscience are listed as examples of applications in prominent biomedical fields in which WGC analysis led to remarkable advancements in our knowledge. The review pays special attention to procedures for checking the reliability of the WGC approaches according to the statistical framework of hypothesis testing.
A Monte Carlo Method for Assessing the Quality of Duplication-Aware Alignment Algorithms

The increasing availability of high throughput sequencing technologies poses several challenges concerning the analysis of genomic data. Within this context, duplication-aware sequence alignment taking into account complex mutation events is regarded as an important problem, particularly in light of recent evolutionary bioinformatics researches that highlighted the role of tandem duplications as one of the most important mutation events. Traditional sequence comparison algorithms do not take into account these events, resulting in poor alignments in terms of biological significance, mainly because of their assumption of statistical independence among contiguous residues. Several duplication-aware algorithms have been proposed in the last years which differ either for the type of duplications they consider or for the methods adopted to identify and compare them. However, there is no solution which clearly outperforms the others and no methods exist for assessing the reliability of the resulting alignments. This paper proposes a Monte Carlo method for assessing the quality of duplication-aware alignment algorithms and for driving the choice of the most appropriate alignment technique to be used in a specific context. The applicability and usefulness of the proposed approach are demonstrated on a case study, namely, the comparison of alignments based on edit distance with or without repeat masking.
Decoding by Sampling: A Randomized Lattice Algorithm for Bounded Distance Decoding

Despite its reduced complexity, lattice reduction-aided decoding exhibits a widening gap to maximum-likelihood (ML) performance as the dimension increases. To improve its performance, this paper presents randomized lattice decoding based on Klein's sampling technique, which is a randomized version of Babai's nearest plane algorithm [i.e., successive interference cancelation (SIC)] and samples lattice points from a Gaussian-like distribution over the lattice. To find the closest lattice point, Klein's algorithm is used to sample some lattice points and the closest among those samples is chosen. Lattice reduction increases the probability of finding the closest lattice point, and only needs to be run once during preprocessing. Further, the sampling can operate very efficiently in parallel. The technical contribution of this paper is twofold: we analyze and optimize the decoding radius of sampling decoding resulting in better error performance than Klein's original algorithm, and propose a very efficient implementation of random rounding. Of particular interest is that a fixed gain in the decoding radius compared to Babai's decoding can be achieved at polynomial complexity. The proposed decoder is useful for moderate dimensions where sphere decoding becomes computationally intensive, while lattice reduction-aided decoding starts to suffer considerable loss. Simulation results demonstrate near-ML performance is achieved by a moderate number of samples, even if the dimension is as high as 32.
Fragmentation in the vision of scenes

Natural images are highly structured in their spatial configuration. Where one would expect a different spatial distribution for every image, as each image has a different spatial layout, we show that the spatial statistics of recorded images can be explained by a single process of sequential fragmentation. The observation by a resolution limited sensory system turns out to have a profound influence on the observed statistics of natural images. The power-law and normal distribution represent the extreme cases of sequential fragmentation. Between these two extremes, spatial detail statistics deform from power-law to normal through the Weibull type distribution as receptive field size increases relative to image detail size.
TLR4 signals in B lymphocytes are transduced via the B cell antigen receptor and SYK

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in immune responses to pathogens by transducing signals in innate immune cells in response to microbial products. TLRs are also expressed on B cells, and TLR signaling in B cells contributes to antibody-mediated immunity and autoimmunity. The SYK tyrosine kinase is essential for signaling from the B cell antigen receptor (BCR), and thus for antibody responses. Surprisingly, we find that it is also required for B cell survival, proliferation, and cytokine secretion in response to signaling through several TLRs. We show that treatment of B cells with lipopolysaccharide, the ligand for TLR4, results in SYK activation and that this is dependent on the BCR. Furthermore, we show that B cells lacking the BCR are also defective in TLR-induced B cell activation. Our results demonstrate that TLR4 signals through two distinct pathways, one via the BCR leading to activation of SYK, ERK, and AKT and the other through MYD88 leading to activation of NF-&kgr;B.