Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods in the Management of Hyperlipidemia

Hyperlipidemia is one of the major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. Hypolipidemic nutraceuticals and functional foods help improve serum lipid profiles as reducing total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, while elevating high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The effectiveness of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, phytosterols, dietary fiber, and tea catechin in management of hyperlipidemia has been clearly demonstrated in epidemiological and interventional trials. Studies on mechanism reveal that they act as inhibitor or activator of critical enzyme, agonist or inhibitor of transcription factor, competitor of transporter, and sequestrant of bile acid to modulate lipid homeostasis. Hypolipidemic effects are also claimed in dietary proteins, many polyphenols, other phytochemicals, raw extract, or even whole food. This review attempts to give an overview of lipid homeostasis and summarize recent findings of hypolipidemic nutraceuticals and functional foods according to their active ingredients, focusing on the efficacy and underlying mechanisms.
Viral MHC class I inhibition evades CD8+ T-cell effector responses in vivo but not CD8+ T-cell priming

Although viral MHC class I inhibition is considered a classic immune-evasion strategy, its in vivo role is largely unclear. Mutant cowpox virus lacking its MHC class I inhibitors is markedly attenuated during acute infection because of CD8+ T-cell–dependent control, but it was not known how CD8+ T-cell responses are affected. Interestingly, we found no major effect of MHC class I down-regulation on priming of functional cowpox virus-specific CD8+ T cells. Instead, we demonstrate that, during acute infection in vivo, MHC class I down-regulation prevents primed virus-specific CD8+ T cells from recognizing infected cells and exerting effector responses to control the infection.
Inhibition of N‐linked oligosaccharide trimming mannosidases blocks human B cell development.

Deoxymannojirimycin (dMM) or swainsonine (SW), which block conversion of high‐mannose to complex‐type N‐linked glycans, strongly inhibited the production of immunoglobulin (Ig) when added to cultures of human lymphocytes together with the polyclonal B cell activators pokeweed mitogen (PWM) and Staphylococcus aureus (SAC). To obtain the inhibitory effect, inhibitor had to be present during the first 36 h of culture. Addition at later timepoints was less effective and showed that neither inhibitor interfered with rate of production or secretion of Ig as such. Viability and proliferation of the lymphocytes, as defined by cell number and rate of DNA synthesis, were not influenced by the presence of dMM or SW, and no changes in the relative number of helper (T4+) or suppressor (T8+) cells were observed. Thus, for normal differentiation of human B lymphocytes into Ig secreting (plasma) cells in response to PWM and SAC, conversion of high‐mannose to complex N‐linked glycans is essential.
A socially assistive robot for people with motor impairments

We present a control architecture for nonverbal HRI that allows an anthropomorphic assistant robot with a pro-active and anticipatory behaviour. The control architecture coordinates action and goal coordination between a motor impaired human and the robot as a dynamic process that combines contextual cues, shared task knowledge, and predicted outcomes of the human behaviour. The control architecture is formalized through a coupled system of dynamic neural fields, representing a distributed network of local but connected neural populations with specific functionalities. Each subpopulation encodes relevant information about action means, goals, and context as self-sustained activation patterns. These patterns are triggered by the input and evolve continuously in time under the influence of recurrent interactions. The architecture is validated in an assistive task where the robot acts as an assistant of a person with motor impairments. We show that the context dependent mapping from action observation onto appropriate complementary actions allows the robot to cope with dynamically changing situations. This includes adaptation to different users and mutual compensation of physical limitations.
Molecular analysis of pyrogenic exotoxins from Streptococcus pyogenes isolates associated with toxic shock-like syndrome

Toxic shock-like syndrome (TSLS) is characterized by hypotension or shock, fever, multiorgan system involvement, and a concurrent group A streptococcal infection. We analyzed 34 streptococcal strains isolated from patients with clinically well-documented TSLS for their pyrogenic toxin profiles and M-protein types. Although strains of nine different M types were represented in the sample, 74% of the isolates were of either M type 1 or 3. It was determined that 53% produced streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin type A under in vitro growth conditions and that 85% contained the gene encoding this toxin. These values are in contrast to the published value of 15% for the incidence of this gene in a sample of general group A streptococcal isolates. As has been found with all group A streptococci examined to date, regardless of disease association, 100% of TSLS-associated isolates contained the gene encoding pyrogenic exotoxin type B. This toxin was detectably produced by 59% of isolates. The gene encoding pyrogenic toxin type C was found in only 21% of isolates. We conclude that the pyrogenic exotoxin type A gene is associated with group A streptococcal strains isolated from patients with TSLS and may play a causative role in this illness. However, other factors are also likely to be important, since not all strains from patients with TSLS contained the A toxin gene.
Muon spin rotation study of the correlation between Tc and ns/m* in overdoped Tl2Ba2CuO6+ delta.

The muon spin depolarization rate \ensuremath{\sigma} was measured in overdoped ${\mathrm{Tl}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Ba}}_{3}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{6+\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$. \ensuremath{\sigma}(T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0) was found to decrease proportional to the superconducting transition temperature ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ as doping \ensuremath{\delta} is increased. In the framework of the clean-limit London model, \ensuremath{\sigma}(0)\ensuremath{\sim}${\ensuremath{\lambda}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2}$\ensuremath{\sim}${\mathit{n}}_{\mathit{s}}$/${\mathit{m}}^{\mathrm{*}}$, this implies that the depression of ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ by overdoping is associated with a decrease of the superconducting condensate density ${\mathit{n}}_{\mathit{s}}$ in spite of the increasing normal-state carrier density. This can be largely accounted for in terms of strong pair breaking, which depresses both the condensate density and ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ with increased doping.
High Rates of Undiagnosed HIV Infections in a Community Sample of Gay Men in Melbourne, Australia

AbstractUndiagnosed HIV infections contribute disproportionately to the HIV epidemic. We recruited 639 gay men attending social venues, who completed a cross-sectional survey with oral fluid collection for HIV testing in 2008. We calculated HIV and undiagnosed HIV prevalence and used &khgr;2 tests and logistic regression to examine associations between participant characteristics and HIV status. Among 639 men, 61 (9.5%, 95% confidence interval: 7.4% to 12.1%) tested HIV positive, of which 19 (31.1%, 95%confidence interval: 19.9% to 44.3%) were classified as undiagnosed HIV positive. Almost a third of HIV-positive men were unaware of their HIV status, and of these men, a large proportion engaged in high-risk behaviors.
Mode of Dinitroaniline Herbicide Action: II. CHARACTERIZATION OF [C]ORYZALIN UPTAKE AND BINDING.

The intracellular binding of dinitroaniline herbicides was studied in order to analyze the mechanism of their colchicine-like action. When corn root apices (5 millimeters) are incubated in [(14)C]oryzalin (a dinitroaniline herbicide), the (14)C is taken up rapidly, reaching a plateau in about 4 hours, which corresponds to the minimum incubation time in oryzalin required to get maximum inhibition of elongation. At 4 hours, the [(14)C]oryzalin concentration inside the roots is 35 times higher than that in the incubation medium. Since this accumulation of [(14)C]oryzalin is not affected by 1 millimolar sodium azide and there is no metabolism of [(14)C]oryzalin under these conditions, the [(14)C]oryzalin must be accumulated (bound) in corn root apices by a process not requiring metabolic energy.Molecular sieve chromatography (Sephadex G-200) does not show any binding of [(14)C]oryzalin to any protein with molecular weight similar to the microtubule-subunit protein in rat brain or corn root extracts. However, a massive binding of [(14)C]oryzalin occurs in the insoluble fraction of corn root extracts. This binding is not localized in any particle size range, is not affected by sonication, is of high capacity, and is a loose (low affinity) association with the binding sites. These binding sites could be solubilized with membrane detergents, which suggests that oryzalin may bind to cellular membranes. Since boiling the homogenate does not affect [(14)C]oryzalin binding, oryzalin more likely binds to a lipid rather than a protein component of cellular membranes.
Content and implementation of clinical decisions in the routine care of people with severe mental illness

Abstract Background: Clinical decision making (CDM) in the treatment of people with severe mental illness relates to a wide range of life domains. Aims: To examine content of CDM in mental health care from the perspectives of service users and staff and to investigate variation in implementation of decisions for differing content. Method: As part of the European multicenter study clinical decision making and outcome in routine care for people with severe mental illness (ISRCTN75841675), 588 service users and their clinicians were asked to identify the decisions made during their last meeting. Decisions were then coded into content categories. Two months later, both parties reported if these decisions had been implemented. Results: Agreement between patients and staff regarding decision making was moderate (κ = 0.21–0.49; p < 0.001). Decisions relating to medication and social issues were most frequently identified. Overall reported level of implementation was 73.5% for patients and 74.7% for staff, and implementation varied by decision content. Conclusions: A variety of relevant decision topics were shown for mental health care. Implementation rates varied in relation to topic and may need different consideration within the therapeutic dyad.
Framework for a Hospitality Big Data Warehouse: The Implementation of an Efficient Hospitality Business Intelligence System

In order to increase the hotel's competitiveness, to maximize its revenue, to meliorate its online reputation and improve customer relationship, the information about the hotel's business has to be managed by adequate information systems IS. Those IS should be capable of returning knowledge from a necessarily large quantity of information, anticipating and influencing the consumer's behaviour. One way to manage the information is to develop a Big Data Warehouse BDW, which includes information from internal sources e.g., Data Warehouse and external sources e.g., competitive set and customers' opinions. This paper presents a framework for a Hospitality Big Data Warehouse HBDW. The framework includes a 1 Web crawler that periodically accesses targeted websites to automatically extract information from them, and a 2 data model to organize and consolidate the collected data into a HBDW. Additionally, the usefulness of this HBDW to the development of the business analytical tools is discussed, keeping in mind the implementation of the business intelligence BI concepts.
COMBINED TRANSVENTRICULAR AND SUPRACEREBELLAR INFRATENTORIAL APPROACH PRESERVING THE VERMIS IN GIANT PEDIATRIC POSTERIOR FOSSA MIDLINE TUMORS

OBJECTIVE Giant pediatric midline tumors of the posterior fossa involving the fourth ventricle and the tectal region are difficult to approach and present a high risk of postoperative neurological deficits. Children with sequelae such as cerebellar mutism and ataxia experience a compromise in their quality of life. Here, we present our combined transventricular and supracerebellar infratentorial approach to avoid complications of vermian splitting. METHODS The combined transventricular and supracerebellar infratentorial approach described here was used in a total of four pediatric patients. A medial suboccipital craniotomy with opening of the foramen magnum and resection of the C1 lamina was performed with the patient in the semisitting position. The tumor mass filling the fourth ventricle was removed via a transventricular telovelar route through the foramen of Magendie, preserving the vermis. The rostral tumor portions in the peritectal region extruding up to the thalami were exposed and resected via an infratentorial supracerebellar route to preserve the venous drainage of the cerebellum. RESULTS There were no new neurological deficits postoperatively. Two patients had low-grade astrocytomas, and two patients had malignant tumors. Complete tumor resection was achieved in two patients, and near-total tumor removal in the two others. CONCLUSION The combined transventricular and supracerebellar infratentorial approach offers a unique possibility of safely removing giant pediatric midline tumors. Splitting of the cerebellar vermis is not necessary for removal of such tumors.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Degenerative Disc Disease of Cervical Spine in Symptomatic Patients.

BACKGROUND The pathophysiological findings demonstrated in cervical spine in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can explain only partly the occurrence of neck and shoulder pain. This study aims to evaluate the occurrence of cervical degenerative disc pathologies in symptomatic patient with neck pain and radiculopathy. METHODS The study was a retrospective and institutional record based descriptive study carried out for the duration of 3yrs in a well-equipped imaging center. Only MRI performed for neck pain with or without radiculopathy with complete clinical form was included in the study. MRI findings were entered in SPSS spread sheet and analyzed using SPSS 19.0. RESULTS A total of 750 MRI was reviewed among which 571(76.13%) had cervical degenerative disc pathology. Disc degeneration and disc bulge was the most common finding, followed by neural foramina stenosis, disc herniation and myelopathic changes. Disc degeneration and disc bulge was seen more frequently in patients older than 40 years than those less than 40 years. Disc herniation was rare in extremes of age and noted predominantly in productive population between 3 rd and 6 th decade of life. CONCLUSIONS Disc degeneration and global disc bulge were predominant findings in symptomatic patients increasing with the age. Disc herniation and neural foraminal stenosis were common changes seen associated with neck pain with or without radiculopathy and were predominant in productive age group.
Reduced Function of CD4+25+ Regulatory T Cell Fraction in Silicosis Patients

The quality and quantity of CD4+25+ regulatory T cells (Treg) in silicosis patients (SIL) were examined and compared with results from healthy donors (HD) because SIL often develop autoimmune diseases along with pulmonary disorders. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 57 SIL and 50 HD were analyzed for Treg. Treg frequency and clinical parameters were subjected to a factor analysis. Treg and CD4+25- T cells (Tneg) from five HD and five SIL, sorted by flow-cytometer, were used for functional assays of Treg, the expression pattern of Treg specific genes (FoxP3, GITR and CTLA-4) and activation-related genes (CD122 and CD123;. Although the actual frequency of Treg did not differ between SIL and HD, the age-corrected level was reduced in SIL. The factor analysis showed that Treg frequency was positively associated with the serum level of IL-2. The inhibitory effect of Treg on Tneg activation was decreased when the Treg:Tneg ratio was 1:¼ to ½. In addition, Treg dominancy of FoxP3 and CTLA-4 expression and Tneg dominancy of CD132 expression found in HD were lost in SIL. These results indicated that the Treg fraction in SIL may be substituted with chronically activated T cells due to recurrent exposure to silica, resulting in a reduction in the frequency and function of Treg. Since the reduction of Treg may precede the clinical manifestation, as silicosis may be a pre-clinical status for autoimmune diseases, control of Treg function using cell and/or gene therapy may be a good way to manage autoimmune disease.
Cytoadherence characteristics of rosette-forming Plasmodium falciparum

Sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes to the capillary endothelium can cause obstruction and localized tissue damage. Occlusion of vessels in falciparum malaria infection has been related to two properties of the parasite: adhesion to endothelial cells and rosette formation. Our study on P. falciparum isolates from Thailand producing variable numbers of rosettes suggests the involvement of rosettes in capillary blockage caused by direct adhesion of the rosette-forming infected erythrocytes to various target cells, e.g., live human umbilical vein endothelial cells, monocytes, and platelets. These rosettes did not bind Formalin-fixed target cells, nor did they bind to live or fixed C32 or G361 melanoma cells. Classification of the receptors involved in cytoadherence of endothelial cells and monocytes by specific antibody blocking and flow cytometry indicated that CD36 was involved in the adherence of monocytes but that other receptors besides CD36 may be involved in parasite adherence to endothelial cells. The cytoadherence of infected erythrocytes to monocytes was also associated with CD54 (ICAM-1). Further, differentiation of adherent monocytes resulted in an inversion of CD36 and CD54 levels on the cell surface which correlated with a decrease in surface binding of infected erythrocytes. This observation suggests that the state of cell activation and differentiation may also contribute to sequestration of parasites and to the pathogenesis of malaria.
Phylogeny Reconstructions Come of Age

Die Rekonstruktion phylogenetischer Baeume ist eine wichtige Aufgabe in der molekularen Biologie. In dieser Arbeit fuehren wir verschieden Algorithmen ein, die es erlauben phylogenetische Baeume in O(n^2)-Zeit zu rekonstruieren. Im Vergleich zu anderen Methoden gibt unsere Methode eine hoehere Genauigkeit.
Exploiting the Mutual Coupling Effect on Dipole Antennas for RF Energy Harvesting

Energy harvesting is an essential technology for future Internet of Things (IoT) networks. In this letter, the advantage of the mutual coupling effect for radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting is presented by analyzing the equivalent circuit model and conducting two half-wavelength dipole antenna array experiments. When mutual coupling exists with the spacing of antennas near half a wavelength, the total received power can be as much as 5.10 μW, 1.47 times larger than the value without mutual coupling, showing that the received power of the half-wavelength dipole antenna can be increased by exploiting mutual coupling. In addition, based on theoretical analysis, we attempt to generalize the mutual coupling effect for more than two dipole antennas. Analytical results show that the received power gain with mutual coupling can be more than 50%, compared to the uncoupled case.
Dynamics of the Cytokine Response to Mycobacterium ulcerans during Antibiotic Treatment for M. ulcerans Disease (Buruli Ulcer) in Humans

ABSTRACT We have studied the evolution of the gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) responses after Mycobacterium ulcerans sonicate stimulation of whole blood from patients with early M. ulcerans lesions during treatment with rifampin and streptomycin for 8 weeks. Among the 26 patients, secretion of IFN-γ increased during treatment, with a significant increase at 4 weeks and a further increase after 8 weeks overall. The increase was more rapid in patients with large or ulcerative lesions, becoming significant by 4 weeks. For small lesions, there was only a minor increase, which did not reach significance. There was no significant change in the median IL-10 response during antibiotic therapy, and there was no inverse correlation between IFN-γ and IL-10 responses. These results demonstrate that an IFN-γ secretory response to M. ulcerans developed, independently of IL-10 secretion, in patients whose M. ulcerans disease healed during antibiotic therapy.
Plasma matrix metalloproteinase‐9 levels and blood pressure in short children born small for gestational age and effects of growth hormone treatment

Context Short small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) children have an increased systolic blood pressure (BP) that decreases during long‐term GH treatment. The underlying mechanism is still unknown. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc‐dependent endoproteinases that are involved in the remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and are thought to play a role in atherosclerosis. High MMP‐9 levels are found in hypertensive patients and predict cardiovascular mortality.
Study of B Decays to Charmonium States $B\to \eta_{c}K$ and $B\to \chi_{C0}K$

In a sample of $9.66\times 10^6 B\bar{B}$ pairs collected with the CLEO detector we make the first observation of B decays to an $\eta_c$ and a kaon. We measure branching fractions $BR(B^+\to\eta_c K^+) = (0.69 + 0.26 - 0.21 +- 0.08 +- 0.20)\times 10^{-3}$ and $BR(B^0\to\eta_c K^0) = (1.09 + 0.55 - 0.42 +- 0.12 +- 0.31)\times 10^{-3}$, where the first error is statistical, the second is systematic and the third is from the $\eta_c$ branching fraction uncertainty. From these we extract the $\eta_c$ decay constant in the factorization approximation, $f_{\eta_c} = 335 +- 75$ MeV. We also search for B decays to a $\chi_{c0}$ and a kaon. No evidence for a signal is found and we set 90% CL upper limits: $BR(B^+\to\chi_{c0} K^+) < 4.8\times 10^{-4}$ and $BR(B^0\to\chi_{c0} K^0) < 5.0\times 10^{-4}$.
The interacting effects of clumped seed dispersal and distance‐ and density‐dependent mortality on seedling recruitment patterns

1. Seed dispersal and natural enemies both influence spatial patterns of seedlings, which in turn influence future abiotic and biotic interactions, with consequences for plant populations, distributions and diversity. Clumped seed deposition is common, especially for vertebrate‐dispersed seeds, and has the potential to significantly affect interactions with density‐responsive enemies, yet has received relatively little attention.