Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The shifting probability distribution of global daytime and night‐time temperatures

Using a global observational dataset of daily gridded maximum and minimum temperatures we investigate changes in the respective probability density functions of both variables using two 30‐year periods; 1951–1980 and 1981–2010. The results indicate that the distributions of both daily maximum and minimum temperatures have significantly shifted towards higher values in the latter period compared to the earlier period in almost all regions, whereas changes in variance are spatially heterogeneous and mostly less significant. However asymmetry appears to have decreased but is altered in such a way that it has become skewed towards the hotter part of the distribution. Changes are greater for daily minimum (night‐time) temperatures than for daily maximum (daytime) temperatures. As expected, these changes have had the greatest impact on the extremes of the distribution and we conclude that the distribution of global daily temperatures has indeed become “more extreme” since the middle of the 20th century.
Getting it right before transplantation: example of a stem cell model with regenerative potential for the CNS

The burden of neurodegenerative disorders in an aging population has become a challenge for the modern world. While the biomarkers available and the methods of diagnosis have improved to detect the onset of these diseases at early stages, the question of adapted and efficient therapies is still a major issue. The prospect of replacing the loss of functional neural cells remains an attractive but still audacious approach. A huge progress has been made in the generation of neurons derived from human stem cell lines and transplantation assays are tested in animals for a wide range of pathologies of the central nervous system. Here we take one step back and examine neuronal differentiation and the characterization of neural progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells. We gather results from our previous studies and present a cell model that was successfully used in functional analyses and engraftment experiments. These neuronal precursors exhibit spontaneous and evoked activity, indicating that their electrophysiological and calcium handling properties are similar to those of matured neurons. Hence this summarized information will serve as a basis to design better stem cell-based therapies to improve neural regeneration.
The Effect of Oleate on Pancreatic and Bile Secretion in the Conscious Rat

Abstract The effects of sodium oleate infused into either the duodenum or the terminal ileum on bile and pancreatic secretion were examined in the conscious rat. Rats were prepared with cannulae draining pure bile and pancreatic juice separately, and with an ileal and two duodenal cannulae. A 40 mM taurocholate solution containing 7 mg/ml bovine trypsin was infused into the duodenum throughout the experiment to replace diverted bile-pancreatic juice to maintain the normal regulation of pancreatic secretion. The intraduodenal infusion of sodium oleate significantly increased pancreatic juice flow, protein, and bicarbonate outputs, whereas it did not affect bile secretion. Intravenous infusion of proglumide (300 mg/kg/hr) did not inhibit pancreatic secretion stimulated by intraduodenal infusion of sodium oleate. An intravenous infusion of atropine (100 μg/kg/hr) attenuated protein and fluid secretions but not that of bicarbonate in response to intraduodenal oleate. In contrast, the intraileal infusion of oleate had no effect on pancreatic secretion, whereas it decreased bile flow, bicarbonate, and bile salt outputs. In conclusion, sodium oleate introduced in the duodenum stimulates pancreatic secretion but oleate in the terminal ileum inhibits bile secretion.
The Impact of Trades on Daily Volatility

This article proposes a trading-based explanation for the asymmetric effect in daily volatility of individual stock returns. Previous studies propose two major hypotheses for this phenomenon: leverage effect and time-varying expected returns. However, leverage has no impact on asymmetric volatility at the daily frequency and, moreover, we observe asymmetric volatility for stocks with no leverage. Also, expected returns may vary with the business cycle, that is, at a lower than daily frequency. Trading activity of contrarian and herding investors has a robust effect on the relationship between daily volatility and lagged return. Consistent with the predictions of the rational expectation models, the non-informational liquidity-driven (herding) trades increase volatility following stock price declines, and the informed (contrarian) trades reduce volatility following stock price increases. The results are robust to different measures of volatility and trading activity. (JEL C30, G11, G12) Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.
The Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory: Measurement Invariance and Psychometric Properties among Portuguese Youths

The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI) among a mixed-gender sample of 782 Portuguese youth (M = 15.87 years; SD = 1.72), in a school context. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the expected three-factor first-order structure. Cross-gender measurement invariance and cross-sample measurement invariance using a forensic sample of institutionalized males were also confirmed. The Portuguese version of the YPI demonstrated generally adequate psychometric properties of internal consistency, mean inter-item correlation, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and criterion-related validity of statistically significant associations with conduct disorder symptoms, alcohol abuse, drug use, and unprotected sex. In terms of known-groups validity, males scored higher than females, and males from the school sample scored lower than institutionalized males. The use of the YPI among the Portuguese male and female youth population is psychometrically justified, and it can be a useful measure to identify adolescents with high levels of psychopathic traits.
The ethics of research on deep brain stimulation for depression: decisional capacity and therapeutic misconception

Research on deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment‐resistant depression appears promising, but concerns have been raised about the decisional capacity of severely depressed patients and their potential misconceptions about the research. We assessed 31 DBS research participants with the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT‐CR), a well‐validated capacity measure, and with a scale to measure therapeutic misconception, which occurs when subjects do not recognize key differences between treatment and clinical research. Correlations with baseline depressive symptoms were explored. Subjects’ performance on the MacCAT‐CR was excellent, but therapeutic misconception was still apparent. A trend toward significance was found in the correlation between baseline depression ratings and total therapeutic misconception score. Responses to open‐ended prompts revealed both reassuring and concerning statements related to expectations of risk, benefit, and individualization. Even severely depressed patients did not manifest impairments in their capacity to consent to DBS research. Therapeutic misconception, however, remained prevalent.
Epigallocatechin Gallate: A Review of Its Beneficial Properties to Prevent Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity and being overweight are linked with a cluster of metabolic and vascular disorders that have been termed the metabolic syndrome. This syndrome promotes the incidence of cardiovascular diseases that are an important public health problem because they represent a major cause of death worldwide. Whereas there is not a universally-accepted set of diagnostic criteria, most expert groups agree that this syndrome is defined by an endothelial dysfunction, an impaired insulin sensitivity and hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity and hypertension. Epidemiological studies suggest that the beneficial cardiovascular health effects of diets rich in green tea are, in part, mediated by their flavonoid content, with particular benefits provided by members of this family such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Although their bioavailability is discussed, various studies suggest that EGCG modulates cellular and molecular mechanisms of various symptoms leading to metabolic syndrome. Therefore, according to in vitro and in vivo model data, this review attempts to increase our understanding about the beneficial properties of EGCG to prevent metabolic syndrome.
Predictors of Rebleeding in Upper Gastrointestinal Dieulafoy Lesions

Background/Aims Dieulafoy lesions (DLs) are a rare but significant cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. We aimed to define the clinical significance of rebleeding and identify the predictors of rebleeding and mortality in upper gastrointestinal Dieulafoy lesions (UGIDLs). Methods Patients diagnosed with UGIDLs between January 2004 and June 2013 were retrospectively evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to define the predictors of rebleeding and mortality in patients with UGIDLs. Results The study group consisted of 81 male and 36 female patients. Primary hemostasis was achieved in 115 out of 117 patients (98.3%) with various endoscopic therapies. Rebleeding occurred in 10 patients (8.5%). The mortality rate was significantly higher in patients with rebleeding than in those without rebleeding (30.0% vs. 4.7%, p=0.020). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that kidney disease (p=0.006) and infection (p=0.005) were significant predictors of rebleeding in UGIDLs and that kidney disease (p=0.004) and platelet count (p=0.013) were significant predictors of mortality. Conclusions Rebleeding has an important prognostic significance in patients with UGIDLs. Kidney disease and infection are major predictors of rebleeding and mortality in patients with UGIDLs.
Amino acid polymorphisms in the fibronectin-binding repeats of fibronectin-binding protein A affect bond strength and fibronectin conformation

The Staphylococcus aureus cell surface contains cell wall-anchored proteins such as fibronectin-binding protein A (FnBPA) that bind to host ligands (e.g. fibronectin; Fn) present in the extracellular matrix of tissue or coatings on cardiac implants. Recent clinical studies have found a correlation between cardiovascular infections caused by S. aureus and nonsynonymous SNPs in FnBPA. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and molecular simulations were used to investigate interactions between Fn and each of eight 20-mer peptide variants containing amino acids Ala, Asn, Gln, His, Ile, and Lys at positions equivalent to 782 and/or 786 in Fn-binding repeat-9 of FnBPA. Experimentally measured bond lifetimes (1/koff) and dissociation constants (Kd = koff/kon), determined by mechanically dissociating the Fn·peptide complex at loading rates relevant to the cardiovascular system, varied from the lowest-affinity H782A/K786A peptide (0.011 s, 747 μm) to the highest-affinity H782Q/K786N peptide (0.192 s, 15.7 μm). These atomic force microscopy results tracked remarkably well to metadynamics simulations in which peptide detachment was defined solely by the free-energy landscape. Simulations and SPR experiments suggested that an Fn conformational change may enhance the stability of the binding complex for peptides with K786I or H782Q/K786I (Kdapp = 0.2–0.5 μm, as determined by SPR) compared with the lowest-affinity double-alanine peptide (Kdapp = 3.8 μm). Together, these findings demonstrate that amino acid substitutions in Fn-binding repeat-9 can significantly affect bond strength and influence the conformation of Fn upon binding. They provide a mechanistic explanation for the observation of nonsynonymous SNPs in fnbA among clinical isolates of S. aureus that cause endovascular infections.
Molecular mechanics applied to single-walled carbon nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes, with stiffness of 1.0 TPa and strength of 60 GPa, are a natural choice for high strength materials. A problem, however, arises when experimental data are compiled. The large variability of experimental data leads to the development of numerical models denominated molecular mechanics, which is a "symbiotic" association of molecular dynamics and solid mechanics. This paper deals with molecular mechanics simulations of single-walled carbon nanotubes. To be able to evaluate the molecular mechanics model, the three major carbon nanotube configurations (armchair, zigzag and chiral) were simulated. It was proven that the carbon nanotube configuration has influence on stiffness. By varying the radius, hence the curvature, the Young's modulus changed from 0.95 TPa to 5.5 TPa, and the Poisson's ratio ranged from 0.15 to 0.29. The numerical simulations were in good agreement with those presented in the literature.
Real-time collision-free motion planning of a mobile robot using a Neural Dynamics-based approach

A neural dynamics based approach is proposed for real-time motion planning with obstacle avoidance of a mobile robot in a nonstationary environment. The dynamics of each neuron in the topologically organized neural network is characterized by a shunting equation or an additive equation. The real-time collision-free robot motion is planned through the dynamic neural activity landscape of the neural network without any learning procedures and without any local collision-checking procedures at each step of the robot movement. Therefore the model algorithm is computationally simple. There are only local connections among neurons. The computational complexity linearly depends on the neural network size. The stability of the proposed neural network system is proved by qualitative analysis and a Lyapunov stability theory. The effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach are demonstrated through simulation studies.
A Replication-Incompetent Adenovirus Vector with the Preterminal Protein Gene Deleted Efficiently Transduces Mouse Ears

ABSTRACT Adenoviruses offer great potential as gene therapy agents but are limited by the strong inflammatory response that occurs in response to the recombinant virus. Since the degree of inflammation correlates in part with the potential of the viral vector for replication, we constructed a preterminal protein (pTP) deletion mutant adenovirus type 5 vector, Ad5dl308ΔpTPβ-gal, that is replication incompetent due to deletion of the pTP gene and that has the E1 genes replaced by the Escherichia coli lacZ reporter gene under the control of the cytomegalovirus major immediate-early promoter. This virus was compared with a first-generation, replication-defective adenovirus vector, Ad5dl308β-gal, that is isogenic except that it contains a wild-type pTP gene. To examine transduction efficiency and induction of inflammation, we developed a novel system involving intradermal injection of BALB/c mouse ears. Mouse ears can be accurately measured to determine the degree of edema as an indirect measurement of inflammation. Edema and inflammation were induced in a dose- and time-dependent manner by both viruses and correlated well. LacZ activity correlated inversely with edema and inflammation. The pTP-defective vector Ad5dl308ΔpTPβ-gal transduced mouse ears much more efficiently and induced edema and inflammatory cell infiltration approximately 10-fold less efficiently than the first-generation vector Ad5dl308β-gal. The diminished inflammatory response and increased efficiency of transduction observed with Ad5dl308ΔpTPβ-gal indicate its promise as a gene therapy agent for other tissues. The results also demonstrate that the mouse ear model offers potential for the study of adenovirus-induced inflammation because of the ready access of the ears, the relative ease of continuous measurement, and the sensitivity to adenovirus transducing vectors.
Driver Frustration Detection from Audio and Video in the Wild

We present a method for detecting driver frustration from both video and audio streams captured during the driver’s interaction with an in-vehicle voice-based navigation system. The video is of the driver’s face when the machine is speaking, and the audio is of the driver’s voice when he or she is speaking. We analyze a dataset of 20 drivers that contains 596 audio epochs (audio clips, with duration from 1 sec to 15 sec) and 615 video epochs (video clips, with duration from 1 sec to 45 sec). The dataset is balanced across 2 age groups, 2 vehicle systems, and both genders. The model was subject-independently trained and tested using 4fold cross-validation. We achieve an accuracy of 77.4 % for detecting frustration from a single audio epoch and 81.2 % for detecting frustration from a single video epoch. We then treat the video and audio epochs as a sequence of interactions and use decision fusion to characterize the trade-off between decision time and classification accuracy, which improved the prediction accuracy to 88.5 % after 9 epochs.
Group B Streptococci Causing Neonatal Infections in Barcelona Are a Stable Clonal Population: 18-Year Surveillance

ABSTRACT We analyzed 212 group B streptococci (GBS) from newborns with invasive infections in the area of Barcelona, Spain, between 1992 and 2009, with the aim of documenting changes in the prevalences of serotypes, antimicrobial resistance, and genetic lineages and evaluating their associations with either early-onset disease (EOD) or late-onset disease (LOD). Serotypes III (n = 118) and Ia (n = 47) together accounted for nearly 78% of the isolates. All isolates carried an alpha or alpha-like protein gene, and specific associations between genes and serotypes, such as serotype Ib and bca, serotype II and bca, serotype III and rib, and serotype V and alp3, reflected the presence of particular genetic lineages. Macrolide resistance (14.2%) was significantly associated with serotype V. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) clustering was an excellent predictor of serotype and antibiotic resistance. The combination of PFGE and multilocus sequence typing revealed a large number of genetically distinct lineages. Still, specific lineages were dominant in our collection, particularly the serotype III/ST17/rib lineage, which had enhanced potential to cause LOD. Serotype Ia was concentrated in a single PFGE cluster composed of two genetic lineages: ST23/eps and ST24/bca. The ST24/bca sublineage of serotype Ia, which is found infrequently elsewhere, may be emerging as an important cause of neonatal invasive infections in the Mediterranean region. In spite of the introduction of prophylaxis, resulting in a pronounced decline in the frequency of EOD, the study revealed a remarkably stable clonal structure of GBS causing neonatal infections in Barcelona over a period of 18 years.
Proteome Analysis of Maternal Serum Samples for Trisomy 21 Pregnancies Using ProteinChip Arrays and Bioinformatics

A surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight (SELDI-TOF)-based ProteinChip System was used as a tool for rapid discovery and identification of protein patterns in serum that discriminate between trisomy 21 and unaffected pregnancies. We analyzed 24 serum samples from women carrying a trisomy 21 pregnancy and 32 with an unaffected pregnancy, ranging from 10.0 to 14.0 weeks of gestation. The resulting protein profiles were submitted to a clustering algorithm, a rule extraction, a rating, and a rule base construction step. For the generated combined rule base, the specificity and sensitivity for the prediction of a trisomy 21 pregnancy reach 97% and 91%, respectively.
Exploiting potential citation papers in scholarly paper recommendation

To help generate relevant suggestions for researchers, recommendation systems have started to leverage the latent interests in the publication profiles of the researchers themselves. While using such a publication citation network has been shown to enhance performance, the network is often sparse, making recommendation difficult. To alleviate this sparsity, we identify "potential citation papers" through the use of collaborative filtering. Also, as different logical sections of a paper have different significance, as a secondary contribution, we investigate which sections of papers can be leveraged to represent papers effectively. On a scholarly paper recommendation dataset, we show that recommendation accuracy significantly outperforms state-of-the-art recommendation baselines as measured by nDCG and MRR, when we discover potential citation papers using imputed similarities via collaborative filtering and represent candidate papers using both the full text and assigning more weight to the conclusion sections.
AICAR Protects against High Palmitate/High Insulin-Induced Intramyocellular Lipid Accumulation and Insulin Resistance in HL-1 Cardiac Cells by Inducing PPAR-Target Gene Expression

Here we studied the impact of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside (AICAR), a well-known AMPK activator, on cardiac metabolic adaptation. AMPK activation by AICAR was confirmed by increased phospho-Thr172-AMPK and phospho-Ser79-ACC protein levels in HL-1 cardiomyocytes. Then, cells were exposed to AICAR stimulation for 24 h in the presence or absence of the AMPK inhibitor Compound C, and the mRNA levels of the three PPARs were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR. Treatment with AICAR induced gene expression of all three PPARs, but only the Ppara and Pparg regulation were dependent on AMPK. Next, we exposed HL-1 cells to high palmitate/high insulin (HP/HI) conditions either in presence or in absence of AICAR, and we evaluated the expression of selected PPAR-targets genes. HP/HI induced insulin resistance and lipid storage was accompanied by increased Cd36, Acot1, and Ucp3 mRNA levels. AICAR treatment induced the expression of Acadvl and Glut4, which correlated to prevention of the HP/HI-induced intramyocellular lipid build-up, and attenuation of the HP/HI-induced impairment of glucose uptake. These data support the hypothesis that AICAR contributes to cardiac metabolic adaptation via regulation of transcriptional mechanisms.
Structural and Electronic Properties of ScC and NbC: A First Principles Study

We study the structural and electronic properties of scandium carbide ScC and niobium carbide NbC in both the sodium chloride rock salt (NaCl) and wurtzite structures by means of accurate first principles total energy calculations. The calculations were performed employing the full-potential linearized plane wave method (FP-LAPW). We used the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) of Perdew Burke and Ernzerhof for the exchange and correlation potential. Volume optimization and density of states including spin (DOS) of the systems are presented.