Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tannic Acid Is a Natural β-Secretase Inhibitor That Prevents Cognitive Impairment and Mitigates Alzheimer-like Pathology in Transgenic Mice*

Background: Recent focus has been given to anti-amyloidogenic naturally occurring polyphenols known as flavonoids. Results: The polyphenol tannic acid prevented behavioral impairment and mitigated Alzheimer disease-like pathology. Conclusion: Tannic acid may be prophylactic for Alzheimer disease by inhibiting β-secretase activity and mitigating brain pathology. Significance: This nutraceutical approach offers a new class of drug for inhibiting β-secretase with few if any side effects. Amyloid precursor protein (APP) proteolysis is essential for production of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides that form β-amyloid plaques in brains of Alzheimer disease (AD) patients. Recent focus has been directed toward a group of naturally occurring anti-amyloidogenic polyphenols known as flavonoids. We orally administered the flavonoid tannic acid (TA) to the transgenic PSAPP mouse model of cerebral amyloidosis (bearing mutant human APP and presenilin-1 transgenes) and evaluated cognitive function and AD-like pathology. Consumption of TA for 6 months prevented transgene-associated behavioral impairment including hyperactivity, decreased object recognition, and defective spatial reference memory, but did not alter nontransgenic mouse behavior. Accordingly, brain parenchymal and cerebral vascular β-amyloid deposits and abundance of various Aβ species including oligomers were mitigated in TA-treated PSAPP mice. These effects occurred with decreased cleavage of the β-carboxyl-terminal APP fragment, lowered soluble APP-β production, reduced β-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 protein stability and activity, and attenuated neuroinflammation. As in vitro validation, we treated well characterized mutant human APP-overexpressing murine neuron-like cells with TA and found significantly reduced Aβ production associated with less amyloidogenic APP proteolysis. Taken together, these results raise the possibility that dietary supplementation with TA may be prophylactic for AD by inhibiting β-secretase activity and neuroinflammation and thereby mitigating AD pathology.
Positive and negative loading and mechanical output in maximum vertical jumping.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of external loading on mechanics of vertical jumping. We hypothesized that the muscular mechanical output could be higher under no-load conditions than in the presence of either positive or negative external loads. METHODS Fifteen physically active men performed maximal countermovement jumps (CMJ) on a force plate while a pulley system provided approximately constant vertical force acting in a way to either reduce or increase the body weight. As a result, the weight of the body approximately corresponded to the gravity acceleration from 0.70 to 1.30 g (g = 9.81 m.s(-2)). RESULTS Regarding the jumping kinematics, we observed a significant (P < 0.001) load-associated decrease in both the peak velocity and lowering of the center of mass during the eccentric jump phase, but not in the duration of the subsequent concentric jump phase. Regarding the muscular mechanical output, both the mean power (P ) and peak momentum (M) revealed significant (P < 0.001) changes associated with loading, and further post hoc analyses revealed significantly higher values (P < 0.05-0.001) of both P and M for 1.00 g compared with most of the other loading conditions applied. CONCLUSION The results suggest that subject's own body provides the optimal load for producing maximum mechanical output in vertical jumping. If corroborated by the results of future studies performed on other rapid movement, our findings could support the hypothesis that the muscular system is designed for producing maximum mechanical output in rapid movements when loaded only with the weight and inertia of its own body.
Interactive Language Acquisition with One-shot Visual Concept Learning through a Conversational Game

Building intelligent agents that can communicate with and learn from humans in natural language is of great value. Supervised language learning is limited by the ability of capturing mainly the statistics of training data, and is hardly adaptive to new scenarios or flexible for acquiring new knowledge without inefficient retraining or catastrophic forgetting. We highlight the perspective that conversational interaction serves as a natural interface both for language learning and for novel knowledge acquisition and propose a joint imitation and reinforcement approach for grounded language learning through an interactive conversational game. The agent trained with this approach is able to actively acquire information by asking questions about novel objects and use the just-learned knowledge in subsequent conversations in a one-shot fashion. Results compared with other methods verified the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Distributed models for sparse attack construction and state vector estimation in the smart grid

Two distributed attack models and two distributed state vector estimation methods are introduced to handle the sparsity of smart grid networks in order to employ unobservable false data injection attacks and estimate state vectors. First, Distributed Sparse Attacks in which attackers process local measurements in order to achieve consensus for an attack vector are introduced. In the second attack model, called Collective Sparse Attacks, it is assumed that the topological information of the network and the measurements is available to attackers. However, attackers employ attacks to the groups of state vectors. The first distributed state vector estimation method, called Distributed State Vector Estimation, assumes that observed measurements are distributed in groups or clusters in the network. The second method, called Collaborative Sparse State Vector Estimation, consists of different operators estimating subsets of state variables. Therefore, state variables are assumed to be distributed in groups and accessed by the network operators locally. The network operators compute their local estimates and send the estimated values to a centralized network operator in order to update the estimated values.
Capacitive sensor interface with improved dynamic range and stability

This paper presents a capacitive sensor interface (CSI) based on the charge balancing method. Compared with previously reported works, the circuit is optimized with respect to the dynamic range while dissipating only 45 mW of electric power in proximity to the sensor area. The implemented conversion principle uses resistance, resistance ratio and time as references, thus achieving good initial accuracy and very high stability over temperature and time. The interface is realized at the PCB level with off-the-shelf components, and measures up to six sensors consecutively. The capacitance measurement range is 8 pF. The resolution of the converter is 0.18 fF (~16 bits dynamic range) with 0.35 ms conversion time.
Western Blot Assay for Quantitative and Qualitative Antigen Detection in Vaccine Development

Immunological methods for quantitative measurement, antigenic characterization, and monitoring the stability of active immunogenic component(s) are a critical need in the vaccine development process. This unit describes an enhanced chemiluminescence‐based western blot for quantitative detection of Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP), a major malaria candidate vaccine antigen. The most salient features of this assay are its high sensitivity and reproducibility; it can reliably detect ∼5 to 10 pg PfCSP expressed on native parasites or recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli. Although described for a specific vaccine antigen, this assay should be applicable for any antigen‐antibody combination for which relevant detection reagents are available. Detailed stepwise experimental procedures and methods for data acquisition and analysis are described. Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 33:18.4. 1‐18.4. 11. © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Self-esteem and hope mediate the relations between social support and post-traumatic stress disorder and growth in adolescents following the Ya’an earthquake

ABSTRACT Background and objective: Although posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) can co-exist, and several theories suggest that social support, self-esteem, and hope can predict both PTSD and PTG, no study to date has examined the combined role of social support, self-esteem, and hope in PTSD and PTG. The present study aimed to simultaneously examine the mediating roles of self-esteem and hope in the relations between social support and PTSD, and between social support and PTG. Design: This study included 397 adolescents living in Lushan County, China, who were affected by the Ya’an earthquake. Method: The participants completed the self-report questionnaires at two and a half years after the earthquake. Structural equation models were built to examine the roles of social support, self-esteem, and hope in PTSD and PTG. Results: Social support directly and negatively predicted PTSD and positively predicted PTG. Moreover, social support negatively predicted PTSD via self-esteem, and positively predicted PTG via hope. In addition, social support positively predicted PTG through multiple mediating paths from self-esteem to hope. Conclusions: PTSD and PTG had different predictive paths. Specifically, social support reduced PTSD through enhanced self-esteem and promoted PTG through hope, or through the path from self-esteem to hope.
Factors influencing dairy calcium intake in women.

OBJECTIVES Most national dietary studies have reported inadequate calcium (Ca) intake by women, indicating that marketing and educational efforts have not effected dietary behavior changes. The purpose of this study was to identify knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors which influence dairy Ca intake. METHODS A questionnaire was developed to accomplish these objectives, and piloted for clarity and content validity. Dietary Ca intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. After revisions, women were sampled from four sources: a health spa, elderhostel classes, through a Cooperative Extension Service program, and from the Illinois Older Women's League. The response rate was 66.5%. RESULTS Mean total reported Ca intake (n = 351) was 591 +/- 355 mg/day. Over 40% of the women reported Ca intakes below 60% of the RDA and could therefore be considered to have deficient intake. Unfortunately, 27.1% of these with deficient intake believed they were meeting the Ca RDA. Significant differences (p < or = 0.01) were found in attitudes and beliefs about dairy Ca when comparing women whose intake was below 60% of the RDA with those whose intake was above 60%. The most commonly mentioned beliefs of the entire sample concerned cholesterol (16.5%), high calories (13.7%) and gastrointestinal discomfort (12.8%). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest an important discrepancy between perceived and actual Ca intake which could influence receptiveness to education. Non-dairy Ca rich food sources need to be clarified as does the caloric and cholesterol content of dairy foods.
Progress in allogeneic bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma: a comparison between transplants performed 1983–93 and 1994–98 at European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation centres

Out of 690 allogeneic matched sibling donor transplants for multiple myeloma reported to the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) registry, 334 were performed during the period 1983–93 (all with bone marrow) and 356 during 1994–98 [223 with bone marrow and 133 with peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs)]. The median overall survival was 10 months for patients transplanted during the earlier time period and 50 months for patients transplanted with bone marrow during the later period. The use of PBSCs was associated with earlier engraftment but no significant survival benefit compared to bone marrow transplants during the same time period. The improvement in survival since 1994 was the result of a significant reduction in transplant‐related mortality, which was 38%, 21% and 25% at 6 months and 46%, 30% and 37% at 2 years during the earlier period, and the later period with bone marrow and PBSCs respectively. Reasons for the reduced transplant‐related mortality appeared to be fewer deaths owing to bacterial and fungal infections and interstitial pneumonitis, in turn a result of earlier transplantation and less prior chemotherapy. Better supportive treatment and more frequent use of cytokines may also play a role. The improvement in survival was not directly related to the increased use of PBSCs.
Mechanisms of increased insulin resistance in non‐cirrhotic patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection

Background and Aim: Evidence showing a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been accumulating. However, the reason why chronic HCV infection promotes DM remains unknown. In the present study, the authors focused on non‐cirrhotic and non‐diabetic patients with chronic HCV infection and evaluated the factors responsible for increases in insulin resistance.
Measurement of Nitric Oxide Levels in the Red Cell

The tri-iodide-based chemiluminescence assay is the most widely used methodology for the detection of S-nitrosothiols (RSNOs) in biological samples. Because of the low RSNO levels detected in a number of biological compartments using this assay, criticism has been raised that this method underestimates the true values in biological samples. This claim is based on the beliefs that (i) acidified sulfanilamide pretreatment, required to remove nitrite, leads to RSNO degradation and (ii) that there is auto-capture of released NO by heme in the reaction vessel. Because our laboratories have used this assay extensively without ever encountering evidence that corroborated these claims, we sought to experimentally address these issues using several independent techniques. We find that RSNOs of glutathione, cysteine, albumin, and hemoglobin are stable in acidified sulfanilamide as determined by the tri-iodide method, copper/cysteine assay, Griess-Saville assay and spectrophotometric analysis. Quantitatively there was no difference in S-nitroso-hemoglobin (SNOHb) or S-nitroso-albumin (SNOAlb) using the tri-iodide method and a recently described modified assay using a ferricyanide-enhanced reaction mix at biologically relevant NO:heme ratios. Levels of SNOHb detected in human blood ranged from 20–100 nm with no arterial-venous gradient. We further find that 90% of the total NO-related signal in blood is caused by erythrocytic nitrite, which may partly be bound to hemoglobin. We conclude that all claims made thus far that the tri-iodide assay underestimates RSNO levels are unsubstantiated and that this assay remains the “gold standard” for sensitive and specific measurement of RSNOs in biological matrices.
Levels of alpha1 acid glycoprotein and ceruloplasmin predict future albumin levels in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND Serum albumin concentration predicts mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. While serum albumin concentration correlates with serum concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) and is dependent upon CRP in multiple regression models in cross sectional studies, CRP does not predict future albumin levels, possibly because CRP changes rapidly, yielding large month-to-month variability in CRP. If inflammation causes rather than is simply associated with hypoalbuminemia, then changes in the levels of acute phase proteins should precede changes in serum albumin concentration. METHODS The levels of long-lived positive and negative acute-phase proteins (APPs) (C-reactive protein, ceruloplasmin, alpha1 acid glycoprotein, transferrin and albumin) were measured longitudinally in 64 HD patients and a regression model was constructed to predict future albumin levels. Normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR) was measured monthly. The number of repeated measurements ranged from 9 to 39 in each patient (median 22 and a mean of 23 measurements). To construct a model that would predict serum albumin concentration at any time j, values of all longitudinally measured APPs, positive and negative at any time j - 1, approximately 30 days prior to time j, were used. Other demographic factors (such as, race, access type, and cause of renal failure) also were incorporated into the model. RESULTS The model with the best fit for predicting serum albumin at time j included albumin, ceruloplasmin, and alpha1 acid glycoprotein measured at time j - 1. The only demographic variable with subsequent predictive value was diabetes. CONCLUSIONS The finding that changes in the concentration of the long lived APPs measured one month earlier are associated with predictable changes in the future concentration of serum albumin suggest that changes in inflammation are likely to be causal in determining serum albumin concentration in hemodialysis patients.
Sequencing of bulks of segregants allows dissection of genetic control of amylose content in rice

Summary Amylose content (AC) is a key quality trait in rice. A cross between Oryza glaberrima (African rice) and Oryza sativa (Asian rice) segregating for AC was analysed by sequencing bulks of individuals with high and low AC. SNP associated with the granule bound starch synthase (GBSS1) locus on chromosome 6 were polymorphic between the bulks. In particular, a G/A SNP that would result in an Asp to Asn mutation was identified. This amino acid substitution may be responsible for differences in GBSS activity as it is adjacent to a disulphide linkage conserved in all grass GBSS proteins. Other polymorphisms in genomic regions closely surrounding this variation may be the result of linkage drag. In addition to the variant in the starch biosynthesis gene, SNP on chromosomes 1 and 11 linked to AC was also identified. SNP was found in the genes encoding the NAC and CCAAT‐HAP5 transcription factors that have previously been linked to starch biosynthesis. This study has demonstrated that the approach of sequencing bulks was able to identify genes on different chromosomes associated with this complex trait.
Degradation of vertical GaN FETs under gate and drain stress

The aim of this paper is to report the first experimental analysis of the degradation of GaN-based vertical transistors (VFETs) subjected to gate- and drain step-stress. Based on combined pulsed measurements and step stress tests we demonstrate the following original results: (i) the analyzed devices (optimized for 200 V operation) do not show significant current collapse up to VD = 200 V; (ii) under positive gate bias (VGstress > 0 V) the devices show a positive threshold voltage shift, which is ascribed to the injection of electrons into the gate dielectric, and an increase in the sub-threshold slope (SS, mV/dec), which is ascribed to the detrapping of electrons from the gate-insulator to the gate metal. Under the same conditions of stress we observe an initial decrease in the on-resistance, which is ascribed to a reduced scattering at the dielectric/GaN interface. 2D simulations were carried out to support the interpretation of the experimental data.
Joint Task Offloading and Resource Allocation for Multi-Server Mobile-Edge Computing Networks

Mobile-edge computing (MEC) is an emerging paradigm that provides a capillary distribution of cloud computing capabilities to the edge of the wireless access network, enabling rich services and applications in close proximity to the end users. In this paper, an MEC enabled multi-cell wireless network is considered where each base station (BS) is equipped with a MEC server that assists mobile users in executing computation-intensive tasks via task offloading. The problem of joint task offloading and resource allocation is studied in order to maximize the users’ task offloading gains, which is measured by a weighted sum of reductions in task completion time and energy consumption. The considered problem is formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear program (MINLP) that involves jointly optimizing the task offloading decision, uplink transmission power of mobile users, and computing resource allocation at the MEC servers. Due to the combinatorial nature of this problem, solving for optimal solution is difficult and impractical for a large-scale network. To overcome this drawback, we propose to decompose the original problem into a resource allocation (RA) problem with fixed task offloading decision and a task offloading (TO) problem that optimizes the optimal-value function corresponding to the RA problem. We address the RA problem using convex and quasi-convex optimization techniques, and propose a novel heuristic algorithm to the TO problem that achieves a suboptimal solution in polynomial time. Simulation results show that our algorithm performs closely to the optimal solution and that it significantly improves the users’ offloading utility over traditional approaches.
Will-They-Won’t-They: A Very Large Dataset for Stance Detection on Twitter

We present a new challenging stance detection dataset, called Will-They-Won’t-They (WT--WT), which contains 51,284 tweets in English, making it by far the largest available dataset of the type. All the annotations are carried out by experts; therefore, the dataset constitutes a high-quality and reliable benchmark for future research in stance detection. Our experiments with a wide range of recent state-of-the-art stance detection systems show that the dataset poses a strong challenge to existing models in this domain.
Genistein down‐regulates the constitutive activation of nuclear factor‐κB in human multiple myeloma cells, leading to suppression of proliferation and induction of apoptosis

Because of the central role of transcription factor nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) in cell survival and proliferation in human multiple myeloma, the possibility of using it as a target for myeloma treatment was explored using genistein, an agent known to have very little or no toxicity in humans. It was found that NF‐κB was constitutively active in two human myeloma cell lines examined and that genistein, a chemopreventive agent, down‐regulated NF‐κB in two cell lines as indicated by the electrophoretic mobility gel shift assay and prevented the nuclear retention of p65 as shown by immunocytochemistry. Two myeloma cell lines showed constitutively active Akt phosphorylation. Genistein suppressed the constitutive Akt phosphorylation. Genistein also down‐regulated the expression of NF‐κB‐regulated gene products, including bcl‐2, bcl‐xl, cyclin D1 and ICAM‐1. This led to the suppression of proliferation and induction of apoptosis. Overall, the results indicate that genistein down‐regulates NF‐κB and phospho‐Akt in human myeloma cells, leading to the suppression of proliferation and induction of apoptosis, thus providing the molecular basis for the treatment of myeloma patients with this pharmacologically safe agent. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.