Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adeno-associated viruses as a method to induce atherosclerosis in mice and hamsters.

Atherogenesis involves multiple cell types and organs and can therefore only be recapitulated in animal models. The most widely used mouse models to study atherosclerosis include mice deficient in apolipoprotein E ( Apoe −/− mice) or the low-density lipoprotein receptor ( Ldlr −/− mice). 1 Apoe −/− mice develop advanced plaques on a chow diet, which is accelerated by Western-type diet (WTD) feeding, whereas Ldlr −/− mice require WTD feeding to develop advanced atherosclerosis and show only foam cell–rich plaques on chow.1 Wild-type mice do not develop atherosclerotic plaques unless fed with the Paigen diet, but this diet is preferably avoided in these studies because it contains cholate that induces steatohepatitis.1,2 Article, see p 1684 To study the contribution of genes and pathways to atherogenesis, crossbreeding with the above-mentioned models is required. In this issue of Circulation Research , Bjorklund et al3 propose an alternative to this procedure and elegantly show that a single injection of recombinant adeno-associated virus 8 (rAAV8) expressing either a mouse or a human gain-of-function mutant for proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) in combination with WTD feeding induces atherosclerosis in mice and hamsters. PCSK9 is a secreted protein that is predominantly produced in the liver and binds an extracellular domain of the LDLR to target it to the lysosome for degradation.4 Bjorklund et al3 used rAAV8 expressing mouse D377Y-PCSK9 (rAAV8-D377Y-mPCSK9) or human D374Y-PCSK9 (rAAV8-D374Y-hPCSK9) to induce atherosclerosis in C57BL/6NTac mice.3 For both rAAV8s, stable PCSK9 plasma levels were reached 7 to 14 days after injection, leading to >95% reduced hepatic LDLR abundance. As …
A Dual-Element Dual-Band MIMO Antenna System With Enhanced Isolation for Mobile Terminals

A novel dual-band 4-shaped printed multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system of two elements is designed and fabricated for Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless handheld and portable terminals. The low frequency band covered is 803-823 MHz, and the high frequency band covered is 2440-2900 MHz. The isolation between the two elements was more than 17 dB in the low band after using a defected ground plane structure (DGS) between the two antenna elements. The overall size of the printed MIMO antenna system was 50× 100×1.56 mm3.
Event-Related Oscillations (ERO) and Event-Related Potentials (ERP) in Emotional Face Recognition

The study aims to explore the significance of event-related potentials (ERPs) and event-related brain oscillations (EROs) (delta, theta, and alpha power) in response to emotional face during 180–250 poststimulus time interval. Twenty-one adults looked at emotional (sad, happy, fearful) or neutral faces. The results demonstrated that the emotional face elicited a negative peak at approximately 230 ms (N230). Moreover EEG measures showed that motivational significance of face (stimulus type) can modulate the amplitude of EEG, especially for theta and delta. Regression analysis showed that theta oscillations mainly effect as oscillation activity at the N2 latency. Thus, this frequency band variation could represent a complex set of cognitive processes, whereby selective attention becomes focused on an emotional relevant stimulus.
3D Thermal and Mechanical Analysis of a Single Event Burnout

This paper presents a study related to thermal and mechanical behavior of power DMOS transistors during a Single Event Burnout (SEB) process. We use a cylindrical heat generation region for emulating the thermal and mechanical phenomena related to the SEB. In this way, it is avoided the complexity of the mathematical treatment of the ion-device interaction. This work considers locating the heat generation region in positions that are more realistic than the ones used in previous work. For performing the study, we formulate and validate a new 3D model for the transistor that maintains the computational cost at reasonable level. The resulting mathematical models are solved by means of the Finite Element Method. The simulations results show that the failure dynamics is dominated by the mechanical stress in the metal layer. Additionally, the time to failure depends on the heat source position, for a given power and dimension of the generation region. The results suggest that 3D modeling should be considered for a detailed study of thermal and mechanical effects induced by SEBs.
Cost-Effectiveness of Perirectal Surveillance Cultures for Controlling Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus

Background: Several hospitals opting not to use active surveillance cultures to identify carriers of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) have reported that adoption of other parts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guideline for controlling VRE has had little to no impact. Because use of surveillance cultures and contact isolation controlled a large outbreak at this hospital, their costs were estimated for comparison with the excess costs of VRE bacteremias occurring at a higher rate at a hospital not employing these measures. Setting: Two university hospitals. Methods: Inpatients deemed high risk for VRE acquisition at this hospital underwent weekly perirectal surveillance cultures. Estimated costs of cultures and resulting isolation during a 2-year period were compared with the estimated excess costs of more frequent VRE bacteremias at another hospital of similar size and complexity not using surveillance cultures to control spread throughout the hospital. Results: Of 54,052 patients admitted, 10,400 had perirectal swabs taken. Cultures and isolation cost an estimated $253,099. VRE culture positivity was limited to 193 (0.38%) and VRE bacteremia to 1 (0.002%) as compared with 29 bacteremias at the comparison hospital. The estimated attributable cost of VRE bacteremia at the comparison hospital of $761,320 exceeded the cost of the control program at this hospital by threefold. Conclusions: The excess costs of VRE bacteremia may justify the costs of preventive measures. The costs of VRE infections at other body sites, of deaths from untreatable infections, and of dissemination of genes for vancomycin resistance also help to justify the costs of implementing an effective control program.
Productividad de cruzas simples de maíz con calidad de proteína en Valles Altos de México

La incorporacion de androesterilidad en genotipos de con calidad de proteina de maiz (QPM) por sus siglas en ingles, que representan quality protein maize [M1] ( Zea mays L.) facilita la produccion de semilla y ofrece un grano de maiz con mejor calidad de proteina ademas de ventajas agronomicas. En el ciclo primavera verano de 2014 se establecieron experimentos en Cuautitlan Izcalli y Santa Lucia de Prias, Texcoco, Estado de Mexico, para determinar la productividad de cruzas simples de maiz entre seis lineas androesteriles y tres lineas elite, todas ellas QPM. Se evaluaron 18 cruzas simples y los hibridos trilineales H 47 AE y TSIRI PUMA de calidad normal como testigos, en un diseno experimental de bloques completos al azar con tres repeticiones. Se estimo el rendimiento de grano, dias a floracion masculina, altura de planta y mazorca, numero de hileras por mazorca, numero de granos por hilera y numero de granos por mazorca. Las mejores cruzas simples de maiz de calidad de proteina (QPM) fueron LAEQ5 CML354, LAEQ4 CML173 y LAEQ3 CML173 en ambas localidades, con rendimientos mayores a 8 t ha -1 , superando el rendimiento de los testigos comerciales de 43 a 57 %. Estas cruzas podrian participar en la conformacion de hibridos trilineales superiores al combinarlas con una tercera linea que genere un buen hibrido. Por su participacion en las cruzas superiores, las mejores lineas androesteriles QPM fueron LAEQ3, LAEQ4 y LAEQ5, mientras que las mejores lineas elite QPM fueron CML 173 y CML 354.
Mercury concentrations in fish from forest harvesting and fire‐impacted Canadian Boreal lakes compared using stable isotopes of nitrogen

otal mercury (Hg)concentration was determined in several piscivorous and nonpiscivorous species of fish from 38 drainage lakes with clear‐cut, burnt, or undisturbed catchments located in the Canadian Boreal Shield. Mercury concentrations increased with increasing fish trophic position as estimated using stable isotopes of nitrogen (N; r2 = 0.52, 0.49, and 0.30 for cut, reference, and burnt lakes, respectively; p < 0.01). Mercury biomagnification per %‰ δ15N varied from 22 to 29% in the three groups of lakes. Mercury availability to organisms at the base of the food chain in lakes with cut catchments was higher than that in reference lakes. In cut lakes, Hg concentrations in fish were significantly related to ratio of the clear‐cut area to lake area (or lake volume; r = +0.82 and +0.74, respectively, p < 0.01). Both impact ratios were, in turn, significantly correlated with dissolved organic carbon. These findings suggest that differential loading of organic matter–bound Hg to lakes can affect Hg cycling. In addition, Hg concentrations exceeded the advisory limit for human consumption (0.5 μg/g wet wt) from the World Health Organization in all top predatory species (northern pike, walleye, and burbot) found in cut and in two partially burnt lakes. Thus, high Hg concentrations in fish from forest‐harvested and partially burnt lakes may reflect increased exposure to Hg relative to that in lakes not having these watershed disturbances.
Culex nigripalpus Theobald (Diptera, Culicidae) feeding habit at the Parque Ecológico do Tietê, São Paulo, Brazil

The blood feeding of a population of Cx. nigripalpus from Parque Ecologico do Tiete (PET) was investigated using an indirect ELISA protocol. Mosquitoes were captured outside houses. Five hundred sixteen engorged females collected in a reforested area and 25 in an open area were tested. Rodents and dogs were the most common blood sources, accounting for approximately 65.3% of blood meals. Human blood was detected in 10.9%, dog blood in 26.1%, chicken blood in 2.4%, and rodent blood in 39.2% of the 541 insects tested. ELISA failed in identifying the blood sources of 233 engorged females, indicating that the mosquitoes may have fed on a host which was not tested. One hundred six individuals were positive for more than one host. The unweighted human blood index was 0.14 and the rodent/human, human/chicken, and dog/rodent feeding index values were 2.70, 1.51, and 1.33, respectively. Furthermore, rodents are defensive hosts for this haematophagous insect which looks for another host to complete blood-feeding. Considering that rodents are potential reservoirs for Mucambo virus and Saint Louis encephalitis virus and that Cx. nigripalpus feed on the blood of those mammals, we hypothesize that mosquito population in PET could participate in the transmission cycle of those arboviruses. Additionally, this species might be involved in the transmission of Dirofilaria immitis to dogs at this area.
Laparoscopy in solid organ transplantation: a comprehensive review of the literature.

In the last decades, laparoscopy has revolutionized the field of surgery. Video-laparoscopy was officially born in 1987, when Prof. Phillipe Mouret performed the first cholecystectomy in Lyon, France (1). Many procedures previously performed with the open technique are now performed with the laparoscopic approach. Several advantages are commonly observed adopting laparoscopic surgery versus an open procedure: these include reduced pain due to smaller incisions and hemorrhaging, shorter hospital length of stay and a lower incidence of wound infections. Similarly, organ transplantation has revolutionized the care for many patients with end-organ failure. Today, several organs could be transplanted, obtaining excellent results in terms of survival. The first transplant experiences were performed in the 50ies and 60ies (2,3), but only clinical introduction of new immunosuppressive drugs in 80ies has been related to an effective increase in the results (4). Combination of these two medical fields, which represent ones of the most continuously in evolution, represents an evident scientific progress. Nowadays, well selected groups of solid-organ recipients can safety undergo a laparoscopic procedure. Intent of our review is to underline the current role of diagnostic and therapeutic laparoscopy in solid-organ transplant recipients.
DRD2/AKT1 interaction on D2 c-AMP independent signaling, attentional processing, and response to olanzapine treatment in schizophrenia

The D2/AKT1/GSK-3β signaling pathway has been involved in the downstream intracellular effects of dopamine, in the pathophysiology of cognitive deficits and related brain activity in schizophrenia, as well as in response to treatment with antipsychotics. Polymorphisms in the D2 (DRD2 rs1076560) and AKT1 (AKT1 rs1130233) genes have been associated with their respective protein expression and with higher-order cognition and brain function, including attention. Given the strong potential for their relationship, we investigated the interaction of these polymorphisms on multiple molecular and in vivo phenotypes associated with this signaling pathway. We measured AKT1 and GSK-3β proteins and phosphorylation in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, functional MRI cingulate response during attentional control, behavioral accuracy during sustained attention, and response to 8 wk of treatment with olanzapine in a total of 190 healthy subjects and 66 patients with schizophrenia. In healthy subjects, we found that the interaction between the T allele of DRD2 rs1076560 and the A allele of AKT1 rs1130233 was associated with reduced AKT1 protein levels and reduced phosphorylation of GSK-3β, as well as with altered cingulate response and reduced behavioral accuracy during attentional processing. On the other hand, interaction of these two alleles was associated with greater improvement of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores in patients with schizophrenia after treatment with olanzapine. The present results indicate that these functional polymorphisms are epistatically associated with multiple phenotypes of relevance to schizophrenia. Our results also lend support to further investigation of this downstream molecular pathway in the etiology and treatment of this disorder.
Effects of computer-supported collaboration script and incomplete concept maps on web design skills in an online design-based learning environment

Web design skills are an important component of media literacy. The aim of our study was to promote university students’ web design skills through online design-based learning (DBL). Combined in a 2x2-factorial design, two types of scaffolding were implemented in an online DBL environment to support the students through their effort to design, build, modify, and publish web sites on processes and outcomes measures, namely collaboration scripts and incomplete concept maps. The results showed that both treatments had positive effects on collaborative (content-related discourse quality, collaboration skills, and quality of published web sites) and individual (domain-specific knowledge and skills related to the design and building of websites) learning outcomes. There was synergism between the two scaffolds in that the combination of the collaboration script and incomplete concept maps produced the most positive results. To be effective, online DBL thus needs to be enhanced by appropriate scaffolds, and both collaboration scripts and incomplete concept maps are effective examples.
T-cell-independent Antitumor Effects of CD40 Ligation

CD40 ligation has been shown to induce antitumor effects in mice and cancer patients. Most of the studies have focused on the ability of an agonistic anti-CD40 mAb to either directly kill CD40-positive tumor cells or activate T-cell immune responses. In this review the authors focus on the ability of CD40 ligation to activate antitumor effector mechanisms of the cells of innate immunity such as macrophages and NK cells.
Brazilian normative data for the Short Form 36 questionnaire, version 2.

METHODS The study Pesquisa Dimensões Sociais das Desigualdades (PDSD) (Social Dimensions of Inequalities) involves 12,423 randomly selected Brazilian men and women aged 18 years old or more from urban and rural areas of the five Brazilian regions, and the information collected included the SF-36 as a measure of health-related quality of life. This provided a unique opportunity to develop age and gender-adjusted normative data for the Brazilian population. RESULTS Brazilian men scored substantially higher than women on all eight domains and the two summary component scales of the SF-36. Brazilians scored less than their international counterparts on almost all of SF-36 domains and both summary component scales, except on general health status (US), pain (UK) and vitality (Australia, US and Canada). CONCLUSION The differences in the SF-36 scores between age groups, genders and countries confirm that these Brazilian norms are necessary for comparative purposes. The data will be useful for assessing the health status of the general population and of patient populations, and the effect of interventions on health-related quality of life.
Characterization of Degree of Approximation for Neural Networks with One Hidden Layer

There have been various studies on approximation ability of feedforward neural networks (FNNs). Most of the existing studies are, however, only concerned with density or upper bound estimation on how a function can be approximated by an FNN, and consequently, the essential approximation ability of an FNN can not been revealed. In this paper, by establishing both upper and lower bound estimations on degree of approximation, the essential approximation ability of a class of FNNs is clarified in terms of the modulus of smoothness of functions to be approximated. The involved FNNs can not only approximate any continuous functions arbitrarily well, but also provide an explicit lower bound on number of hidden units required. By making use of approximation tools, it is shown that when the functions to be approximated are Lipschitzian, the approximation speed of the FNNs is determined by modulus of smoothness of the functions
Who presents worst? a study on expressions of negative feedback in different intergroup contexts

We studied the effect of two intergroup contexts (in-group and out-group) on the way people use verbal and nonverbal signals when giving feedback. Participants evaluated another person’s low quality oral presentation by filling out evaluation forms and by making a personal video message for the speaker. Participants were led to believe that the addressee was either a fellow student (in-group condition) or a student from another university (outgroup condition). We found no intergroup effect on written feedback. Next, independent judges rated feedback givers’ appreciation in the video messages (spoken feedback) based on verbal and nonverbal expressions. When judging only the verbal content, messages addressed to out-group members were more appreciative than messages addressed to in-group members. When these messages were judged on the speaker’s nonverbal expressions, messages addressed to in-group members were more appreciative than the messages to out-group members.
Photoautotrophic production of macular pigment in a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strain generated by using DNA‐free CRISPR‐Cas9 RNP‐mediated mutagenesis

Lutein and zeaxanthin are dietary carotenoids reported to be protective against age‐related macular degeneration. Recently, the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has received attention as a photosynthetic cell factory, but the potential of this alga for carotenoid production has not yet been evaluated. In this study, we selected the C. reinhardtii CC‐4349 strain as the best candidate among seven laboratory strains tested for carotenoid production. A knock‐out mutant of the zeaxanthin epoxidase gene induced by preassembled DNA‐free CRISPR‐Cas9 ribonucleoproteins in the CC‐4349 strain had a significantly higher zeaxanthin content (56‐fold) and productivity (47‐fold) than the wild type without the reduction in lutein level. Furthermore, we produced eggs fortified with lutein (2‐fold) and zeaxanthin (2.2‐fold) by feeding hens a diet containing the mutant. Our results clearly demonstrate the possibility of cost‐effective commercial use of microalgal mutants induced by DNA‐free CRISPR‐Cas9 ribonucleoproteins in algal biotechnology for the production of high‐value products.
Identity Development, Personality, and Well‐Being in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

The present chapter reviews what is known about adolescent and emerging adult identity—including both personal and cultural dimensions of identity. We review major approaches to personal identity, including Marcia's (1966) identity status model and other models that have been developed based on identity status. We also highlight the role of agency and self-direction in the development of identity, and how the role of agency differs between Western and non-Western cultural contexts. We also describe the embeddedness of identity within personality and within the self-narratives that individuals create to make sense of their lives. In terms of cultural identity, we discuss acculturation and other cultural processes as manifestations of identity, and we highlight the need for integrative work between personal and cultural dimensions of identity, given the rapidly increasing ethnic diversity in the United States and other Western nations. Finally, several fruitful areas for future research are reviewed. Keywords: identity; personality; culture; adolescence; emerging adulthood; agency; ethnicity
Long-term Survival and Metastatic Pattern of Pancreatic and Periampullary Cancer After Adjuvant Chemoradiation or Observation: Long-term Results of EORTC Trial 40891

Background:The role of adjuvant chemoradiation in pancreatic cancer remains unclear. This report presents the long-term follow-up results of EORTC trial 40891, which assessed the role of chemoradiation in resectable pancreatic cancer. Methods:Two hundred eighteen patients were randomized after resection of the primary tumor. Eligible patients had T1–2 N0-N1a M0 pancreatic cancer or T1–3 N0-N1a M0 periampullary cancers, all histologic proven. Patients in the treatment group (n = 110) underwent postoperative chemoradiation (40 Gy plus 5-FU). Patients in the control group (n = 108) had no further adjuvant treatment. Findings:After a median follow-up of 11.7 years, 173 deaths (79%) have been reported. The overall survival did not differ between the 2 treatment groups (Chemoradiation treatment vs. Controls: death rate ratio 0.91, 95% CI: 0.68–1.23, P value 0.54). The 10-year overall survival was 18% in the whole population of patients (8% in the pancreatic head cancer group and 29% in the periampullary cancer group). Interpretation:These results confirm the previous short-term analysis, indicating no benefit of adjuvant chemoradiation over observation in patients with resected pancreatic cancer or periampullary cancer. Patients with pancreatic cancer may survive more than 10 years. Only 1 of 31 cases recurred after year 7.