Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Pilot Study to Determine if Vitamin D Repletion Improves Endothelial Function in Lupus Patients

Background:The endothelium is important not only in regulating vascular tone but also in modulating inflammation. Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have deficits in these endothelial functions. Vitamin D is a nuclear hormone that regulates vascular endothelial nitric oxide synthase activity and expression. Many SLE patients have insufficient levels of vitamin D. The effect of this hormone on vascular endothelial function in SLE patients is not known. This study was designed to determine the effect size of repleting vitamin D levels on endothelial function in patients with SLE and vitamin D deficiency. Methods:SLE patients with 25(OH) vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels <20 ng/mL were randomized to oral vitamin D3 (D3) doses that did or did not raise 25(OH)D levels to ≥32 ng/mL. Endothelial function was measured with flow-mediated dilation (FMD) before and after 16 weeks of vitamin D3 supplementation. Results:Half of those who achieved 25(OH)D levels of ≥32 ng/mL experienced increases in FMD, whereas none of those with continued low 25(OH)D levels did. Those with increases in FMD had significantly higher final 25(OH)D levels. Using the effect size from this study, future studies designed to test the effect of repleting 25(OH)D on FMD in vitamin D–deficient SLE patients will require 35 patients in each group. Conclusions:These results suggest a potential role for vitamin D in SLE-related endothelial dysfunction and that an adaptive, multi-arm, treat-to-target, serum-level trial design may increase the efficiency and likelihood of success of such a study.
Wild Populations of Triatoma infestans Are Highly Connected to Intra-Peridomestic Conspecific Populations in the Bolivian Andes

Triatoma infestans, the major vector of Chagas disease south of the Amazon in South America, has a large distribution of wild populations, contrary to what has previously been stated. These populations have been suspected of being the source of reinfestation of human habitats and could impede the full success of vector control campaigns. This study examined gene flow between intra-peridomestic populations and wild populations collected in the surround areas in three Andean localities in Bolivia. The populations were defined according to temporal, ecological, and spatial criteria. After DNA extraction from the legs of each insect, the samples were analyzed using seven microsatellite markers. First, the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) detected an absence of differentiation between wild and intra-peridomestic populations, although strong structuring was observed between the populations within each environment. Then for some populations, the Bayesian method of assignment to inferred populations showed very similar assignment patterns of the members of wild or intra-peridomestic populations in each locality. Finally, the detection of the first-generation migrants within the different populations provided evidence of insect displacement from the wild to the intra-peridomestic environment. This result indicates that, after control campaigns in the Andes, controlling this new paradigm of vector transmission risk stemming from the invasion of human habitats by wild populations of T. infestans requires long-term maintenance of public monitoring to keep the risk at a minimal level. Since wild populations of T. infestans have also been detected elsewhere in Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile, there is an urgent need to take these populations into account in future monitoring of Chagas disease transmission.
A New Fungal Endophyte, Scolecobasidium humicola, Promotes Tomato Growth under Organic Nitrogen Conditions

A new fungal endophyte, Scolecobasidium humicola, was identified as a common dark septate endophytic fungal (DSE) species under both natural and agricultural conditions. This fungus was found to grow endophylically in the roots of tomato seedlings. Light microscopy of cross-sections of colonized tomato roots showed that the intercellular, pigmented hyphae of the fungus were mostly limited to the epidermal layer and formed outer mantle-like structures. Two isolates of S. humicola, H2-2 and F1-3, have shown the ability to increase plant biomass with an organic nitrogen source. This finding is the first report of S. humicola as an endophyte and could help to improve plant growth with organic nitrogen sources.
The Damping of Coronal Loop Oscillations

Motivated by recent Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) observations of damped oscillations in coronal loops, we consider analytically the motion of an inhomogeneous coronal magnetic tube of radius a in a zero-β plasma. An initially perturbed tube may vibrate in its kink mode of oscillation, but those vibrations are damped. The damping is due to resonant absorption, acting in the inhomogeneous regions of the tube, which leads to a transfer of energy from the kink mode to Alfvén (azimuthal) oscillations within the inhomogeneous layer. We determine explicitly the decrement γ (decay time γ-1) for a coronal flux tube whose plasma density varies only in a thin layer of thickness ℓ on the tube boundary. The effect of viscosity is also considered. We show that, in general, the problem involves two distinct timescales, γ-1 and ωR1/3, where R is the Reynolds number and ωk is the frequency of the kink mode. Under coronal conditions (when γ-1 ≪ ωR1/3), the characteristic damping time of global oscillations is γ-1. During this time, most of the energy in the initial perturbation is transferred into a resonant absorption layer of thickness of order ℓ2/a, with motions in this layer having an amplitude of order a/ℓ times the initial amplitude. We apply our results to the observations, suggesting that loop oscillations decay principally because of inhomogeneities in the loop. Our theory suggests that only those loops with density inhomogeneities on a small scale (confined to within a thin layer of order aγ/ωk in thickness) are able to support coherent oscillations for any length of time and so be observable. Loops with a more gradual density variation, on the scale of the tube radius a, do not exhibit pronounced oscillations.
Automatic Contrast-Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization With Dual Gamma Correction

We propose automatic contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) for image contrast enhancement. We automatically set the clip point for CLAHE based on textureness of a block. Also, we introduce dual gamma correction into CLAHE to achieve contrast enhancement while preserving naturalness. First, we redistribute the histogram of the block in CLAHE based on the dynamic range of each block. Second, we perform dual gamma correction to enhance the luminance, especially in dark regions while reducing over-enhancement artifacts. Since automatic CLAHE adaptively enhances contrast in each block while boosting luminance, it is very effective in enhancing dark images and daylight ones with strong dark shadows. Moreover, automatic CLAHE is computationally efficient, i.e., more than 35 frames/s at $1024\times682$ resolution, due to the independent block processing for contrast enhancement. Experimental results demonstrate that automatic CLAHE with dual gamma correction achieves good performance in contrast enhancement and outperforms state-of-the-art methods in terms of visual quality and quantitative measures.
Effect of prior deformation on creep behaviour of AISI 316H austenitic stainless steels

Effect of Prior Deformation on Creep Behaviour of AISI 316H Austenitic Stainless Steels Analytical, numerical and experimental investigations on the influence of prior deformation on creep relaxation and creep crack growth behaviour of cracked austenitic steel specimens have been carried out in this work. The evolution of the creep characterising parameters in the presence of residual stress has been examined, initially for single edge notched bend, SEN(B), and tension, SEN(T), specimens and then for compact tension, C(T), specimens. The level of conservatism of available analytical expressions has also been examined in each case. Creep experiments on 316H pre-compressed (pre-stressed) and pre-strained C(T) specimens have been carried out under constant creep loads, and the creep data have been compared with the results from finite element (FE) analysis. Subsequent neutron diffraction measurements have been carried out to quantify the residual stress field within the specimens and useful discussions and comparison with the FE results have been provided. Creep crack growth simulations have also been carried out using the FE method and, after examining the effect of material and geometrical parameters, recommendations have been summarised to provide reasonable agreement with the experiments.
Comparison of Septic Shock Due to Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii or Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase-Producing K. pneumoniae in Intensive Care Unit Patients

ABSTRACT A significant cause of mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU) is multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria, such as MDR Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) and Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp). The aim of the present study was to compare the clinical features, therapy, and outcome of patients who developed septic shock due to either MDR-AB or KPC-Kp. We retrospectively analyzed patients admitted to the ICU of a teaching hospital from November 2010 to December 2015 who developed septic shock due to MDR-AB or KPC-Kp infection. Data from 220 patients were analyzed: 128 patients (58.2%) were diagnosed with septic shock due to KPC-Kp, and 92 patients (41.8%) were diagnosed with septic shock due to MDR-AB. The 30-day mortality rate was significantly higher for the MDR-AB group than the KPC-Kp group (84.8% versus 44.5%, respectively; P < 0.001). Steroid exposure and pneumonia were associated with MDR-AB infection, whereas hospitalization in the previous 90 days, primary bacteremia, and KPC-Kp colonization were associated with KPC-Kp infection. For patients with KPC-Kp infections, the use of ≥2 in vitro-active antibiotics as empirical or definitive therapy was associated with higher 30-day survival, while isolation of colistin-resistant strains was linked to mortality. Patients with MDR-AB infections, age >60 years, and a simplified acute physiology score II (SAPS II) of >45 points were associated with increased mortality rates. We concluded that septic shock due to MDR-AB infection is associated with very high mortality rates compared to those with septic shock due to KPC-Kp. Analysis of the clinical features of these critically ill patients might help physicians in choosing appropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy.
Polyglot Semantic Parsing in APIs

Traditional approaches to semantic parsing (SP) work by training individual models for each available parallel dataset of text-meaning pairs. In this paper, we explore the idea of polyglot semantic translation, or learning semantic parsing models that are trained on multiple datasets and natural languages. In particular, we focus on translating text to code signature representations using the software component datasets of Richardson and Kuhn (2017b,a). The advantage of such models is that they can be used for parsing a wide variety of input natural languages and output programming languages, or mixed input languages, using a single unified model. To facilitate modeling of this type, we develop a novel graph-based decoding framework that achieves state-of-the-art performance on the above datasets, and apply this method to two other benchmark SP tasks.
Neuropsychological performance in patients with asymptomatic HIV-1 infection

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) lead to neurocognitive disorders; however, there is still much knowledge to be gained regarding HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. The purpose of this study was to assess the cognitive performance, instrumental activities of daily living, depression, and anxiety in patients with asymptomatic HIV-1 infections compared with seronegative participants without neurocognitive impairment. We studied a sample consisted of 60 patients with asymptomatic HIV-1 infections and 60 seronegative participants without neurocognitive impairment from the city of Barranquilla, Colombia, with a mean age of 36.07 years. A protocol of neuropsychological and psychopathological tests was applied to the participants. The group of patients with asymptomatic HIV infections significantly underperformed on tasks that assessed global cognitive screening, attention span, learning, phonemic verbal fluency, auditory-verbal comprehension, information processing speed, cognitive flexibility, and motor skills compared to the group of seronegative participants. No significant differences were found in memory, visual confrontation naming, vocabulary, inhibition, and instrumental activities of daily living. Additionally, the patients with asymptomatic HIV-1 infection had a higher anxiety index than the seronegative participants, but no significant difference was found in depression. A correlation was found between depression and anxiety. In conclusion, the patients with asymptomatic HIV-1 infection had lower cognitive performances than the seronegative participants in the cognitive functions mentioned above and more anxiety but still performed the instrumental activities of daily living.
The Rice Rolled Fine Striped (RFS) CHD3/Mi-2 Chromatin Remodeling Factor Epigenetically Regulates Genes Involved in Oxidative Stress Responses During Leaf Development

In rice (Oryza sativa), moderate leaf rolling increases photosynthetic competence and raises grain yield; therefore, this important agronomic trait has attracted much attention from plant biologists and breeders. However, the relevant molecular mechanism remains unclear. Here, we isolated and characterized Rolled Fine Striped (RFS), a key gene affecting rice leaf rolling, chloroplast development, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging. The rfs-1 gamma-ray allele and the rfs-2 T-DNA insertion allele of RFS failed to complement each other and their mutants had similar phenotypes, producing extremely incurved leaves due to defective development of vascular cells on the adaxial side. Map-based cloning showed that the rfs-1 mutant harbors a 9-bp deletion in a gene encoding a predicted CHD3/Mi-2 chromatin remodeling factor belonging to the SNF2-ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling family. RFS was expressed in various tissues and accumulated mainly in the vascular cells throughout leaf development. Furthermore, RFS deficiency resulted in a cell death phenotype that was caused by ROS accumulation in developing leaves. We found that expression of five ROS-scavenging genes [encoding catalase C, ascorbate peroxidase 8, a putative copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD), a putative SOD, and peroxiredoxin IIE2] decreased in rfs-2 mutants. Western-blot and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays demonstrated that rfs-2 mutants have reduced H3K4me3 levels in ROS-related genes. Loss-of-function in RFS also led to multiple developmental defects, affecting pollen development, grain filling, and root development. Our results suggest that RFS is required for many aspects of plant development and its function is closely associated with epigenetic regulation of genes that modulate ROS homeostasis.
A Novel Blockchain-Based Product Ownership Management System (POMS) for Anti-Counterfeits in the Post Supply Chain

For more than a decade now, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has been quite effective in providing anti-counterfeits measures in the supply chain. However, the genuineness of RFID tags cannot be guaranteed in the post supply chain, since these tags can be rather easily cloned in the public space. In this paper, we propose a novel product ownership management system (POMS) of RFID-attached products for anti-counterfeits that can be used in the post supply chain. For this purpose, we leverage the idea of Bitcoin’s blockchain that anyone can check the proof of possession of balance. With the proposed POMS, a customer can reject the purchase of counterfeits even with genuine RFID tag information, if the seller does not possess their ownership. We have implemented a proof-of-concept experimental system employing a blockchain-based decentralized application platform, Ethereum, and evaluated its cost performance. Results have shown that, typically, the cost of managing the ownership of a product with up to six transfers is less than U.S. $1.
The Impact of Intense Exercise on Semen Quality

With expanding knowledge on the health benefits of exercise, there is an increasing demand for information on the andrological consequences of participating in sports. These consequences are especially important in the context of infertility problems worldwide. The so-called “male factor” is reported in up to 50% of couples having trouble with conception. The answer to the question, “Is physical activity good for male reproductive health? ” is not straightforward. A number of studies have suggested that significant changes in semen parameters may occur due to sports training of certain types, intensities, and durations. The changes to these parameters vary in scope, direction, and magnitude. Findings in recreational athletes have also differed from those in professional athletes. This review of the current literature suggests that intense physical activity may affect the semen concentration, as well as the number of motile and morphologically normal spermatozoa. Training at higher intensities and with increased loads seems to be associated with more profound changes in semen quality. In recreational athletes, exercise has either a positive or neutral effect on semen parameters. Due to many limitations (e.g., global sperm count trends, concerns about the quality control of sperm evaluations, and new standards for semen analysis), comparisons among historical data and their interpretation are difficult.
Maternal Influenza Immunization and Adverse Birth Outcomes: Using Data and Practice to Inform Theory and Research Design

Maternal influenza immunization can reduce influenza-attributable morbidity and mortality among pregnant women and infants who are too young to be vaccinated. Data from empirical studies also support the hypothesis that immunization can protect the fetus against adverse outcomes if the mother is exposed to influenza. In their theoretical analysis in the Journal, Hutcheon et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2016;184(3):227–232) critiqued the existing evidence of the fetal benefits of maternal influenza immunization by calculating the sample sizes needed to demonstrate hypothetical reductions in risk and concluded that the benefits observed in empirical studies are likely implausible. However, in their analysis, they did not take into account multiple fundamental characteristics of influenza epidemiology, including the time-variable effects of influenza illness and vaccination during pregnancy, or well-known differences in disease epidemiology between seasons, populations, and geographic regions. Although these and other factors might affect the magnitude of fetal benefit conferred by maternal influenza immunization, studies in which investigators have accounted for influenza circulation have demonstrated a consistent protective effect against a variety of adverse birth outcomes; those studies include the only randomized controlled trial designed a priori and adequately powered to do so. Only a comprehensive and nuanced assessment of the evidence base will allow for effective translation of these data into a global immunization policy.
Joint Space-Time Block-Coding and Beamforming for the Multiuser Radio Over Plastic Fiber Downlink

An all-optical processing aided multifunctional wireless multiple-input multiple-output architecture is designed, where both diversity and beamforming gains can be attained. Explicitly, we propose an architecture, where the twin-antenna Alamouti space-time block coded symbols are transmitted using a single Mach–Zenhder Modulator (MZM) over a plastic optical fiber. The signal is then transmitted through a set of fiber Bragg gratings for attaining the appropriate phase shifts for beamforming, followed by transmission over the wireless channel. The attainable angular beamsteering range is about 150°, where beamsteering is realized without the need for a large number of complex electronic phase shifter networks. The tuning of the beamsteering angle can be readily implemented by carefully controlling the drive voltage in the MZM, where we use MZM aided multiwavelength generation for supporting a large number of antennas.
Characterization of spatial distribution of reinforcement in powder metallurgy route Al/SiCp metal matrix composites. II: Techniques based on local energy dispersive X-ray analysis

A technique for the characterisation of the spatial distribution of second phases, based on measurement of the variation in local energy dispersive X-ray analysis is outlined in the present paper. The technique is applied to powder metallurgy route Al-4Cu/20SiC P (wt-%) metal matrix composites. Computer simulation of idealised microstructures shows that it is possible to distinguish between random dispersions of different volume fractions and between microstructures with clusters of different sizes and aspect ratios. Measurements from actual materials indicate that the technique is sensitive to small differences in the spatial distribution of the reinforcement and that it is a useful tool for measuring the quality of the microstructures. MST/2082
How Do Birds Cope with Losing Members of Their Group?

Have you ever wondered how animals might respond to losing a member of their group? Many human activities, like hunting or changing the environment animals live in, can cause the loss of individual animals. However, how this loss affects the remaining animals in a group is still widely unknown. We wanted to investigate this question, so we tracked wild birds known as great tits. These birds form small groups within their population, called flocks. By removing individual birds from the wild, we were able to monitor how birds responded to losing a flockmate. Interestingly, the birds that lost their flockmates responded by making new flockmates and also by spending more time with their previous flockmates. These findings show us that losing animals from a population can affect how the remaining animals behave. This research could help improve people’s understanding of the effects of losing animals.
The expression of B7-H3 and B7-H4 in human gallbladder carcinoma and their clinical implications.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the expression of B7-H3 and B7-H4 and their clinical implications in human gallbladder carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS The expression of B7-H3 and B7-H4 in the 252 samples (126 cases of chronic cholecystitis and 126 cases of gallbladder cancer) was detected by the streptavidin-peroxidase immunohistochemical method, and their associations with tumor classification, clinical grade, and recurrence were assessed. RESULTS In chronic cholecystitis tissue, B7-H3 and B7-H4 were not detected. In 126 cases of gallbladder carcinoma, the positive rates of B7-H3 and B7-H4 expression were 66.67% and 69.05% respectively (p < 0.05). The positive rate of B7-H3 in the primary-onset group was 53.57%, and that in recurrence group was 92.86% (p < 0.05). The positive rate of B7-H4 in the primary-onset group was 85.19%, and that in recurrence group was 40.00% (p < 0.05). Expression of B7-H3 was consistent with B7-H4 expression in gallbladder carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS B7-H3 and B7-H4 were up-regulated in gallbladder cancer; the high expression of B7-H3 may contribute to the early diagnosis of gallbladder carcinoma and the assessment of postoperative survival and recurrence. B7-H4 may play an important role in the incidence of gallbladder cancer. B7-H3 and B7-H4 may play a synergetic role in gallbladder carcinoma. Combined tests were available for the diagnosis, degree assessment and prognosis of gallbladder carcinoma, which may be a new target for molecular targeted therapy of gallbladder carcinoma.