Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microinfarct Pathology, Dementia, and Cognitive Systems

Background and Purpose— Little is known about the role of microinfarcts in dementia and cognition. We examined microinfarcts and dementia, global cognition, and 5 cognitive systems in community-dwelling older persons. Methods— Four hundred twenty-five subjects enrolled in the Religious Orders Study underwent annual clinical evaluations, including 19 neuropsychological tests and assessment for dementia, and brain autopsy (39% men; mean age at death, 87; Mini-Mental State Examination score, 21). Neuropathologic examination documented the presence, number, and location of chronic microinfarcts on 6-&mgr;m hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections from cortical and subcortical regions. Multiple regression analyses adjusted for age at death, sex, education, macroscopic infarcts, Alzheimer disease pathology, and Lewy bodies. Results— Microinfarcts were present in 129 of 425 (30%) persons (54 cortical, 80 subcortical, 49 multiple); 58 of 129 (45%) of persons with microinfarcts did not exhibit macroscopic infarcts. Persons with microinfarcts had increased odds of dementia (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.07–2.92), especially those persons with multiple cortical microinfarcts. Microinfarcts were also associated with lower average global cognition (estimate, −0.287; SE, 0.113; P=0.012), particularly for persons with multiple cortical microinfarcts. Microinfarcts were specifically associated with lower episodic memory (estimate, −0.279; SE, 0.138; P=0.044), semantic memory (estimate, −0.391; SE, 0.130; P=0.003), and perceptual speed (estimate, −0.400; SE, 0.117; P<0.001). In addition, single, multiple, and cortical microinfarcts were associated with worse semantic memory and perceptual speed (all P<0.028). Neither macroscopic infarcts nor AD pathology modified these associations (all P>0.154). Conclusions— Microinfarcts are common, and persons with multiple cortical microinfarcts have higher odds of dementia. Microinfarcts are also associated with lower cognition, specifically perceptual speed and semantic and episodic memory.
Improving QoS of Video Transmitted Over 802.11 WLANs Using Frame Aggregation

Wireless local area networks (WLANs) are widely used at home and enterprise as a connection to the Internet. In order to meet the quality service (QoS) demands for the increasing number of multimedia applications on these home and enterprise networks new features are included in the 802.11n draft. One of these features is frame aggregation at the medium access control (MAC) layer which adds the ability to the base station to serve two or more users in one frame simultaneously. In this paper we investigate how the quality of H.264 video sequences are affected when we aggregate a group of packets for one or multiple users. We show that the frame aggregation improves the video quality and the packet delay.
An Evaluation of Algorithms for Single-Echo Biosonar Target Classification

A recent neuro-spiking coding scheme for feature extraction from biosonar echoes of various plants is examined with a variety of stochastic classifiers. Feature vectors derived are employed in well-known stochastic classifiers, including nearest-neighborhood, single Gaussian and a Gaussian mixture with EM optimization. Classifiers' performances are evaluated by using cross-validation and bootstrapping techniques. It is shown that the various classifers perform equivalently and that the modified preprocessing configuration yields considerably improved results.
High Intensity Training May Reverse the Fiber Type Specific Decline in Myogenic Stem Cells in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. The myogenic stem cells (satellite cells—SCs) are instrumental to accretion of myonuclei, but remain to be investigated in MS. The present study aimed to compare the SC and myonuclei content between MS patients (n = 23) and age matched healthy controls (HC, n = 18). Furthermore, the effects of 12 weeks of high intensity training on SC and myonuclei content were explored in MS. Muscle biopsies were obtained from m. Vastus Lateralis at baseline (MS and HC) and following 12 weeks of training (MS only). Frozen biopsies were sectioned followed by immunohistochemical analysis for fiber type specific SCs (Pax7+), myonuclei (MN) and central nuclei content and fiber cross-sectional area (fCSA) was quantified using ATPase histochemistry. At baseline the SCs per fiber was lower in type II compared to type I fibers in both MS (119%, p < 0.01) and HC (69%, p < 0.05), whereas the SCs per fCSA was lower in type II fibers compared to type I only in MS (72%, p < 0.05). No differences were observed in MN or central nuclei between MS and HC. Following training the type II fiber SCs per fiber and per fCSA in MS patients increased by 165% (p < 0.05) and 135% (p < 0.05), respectively. Furthermore, the type II fiber MN content tended (p = 0.06) to be increased by 35% following training. In conclusion, the SC content is lower in type II compared to type I fibers in both MS and HC. Furthermore, high intensity training was observed to selectively increase the SC and myonuclei content in type II fibers in MS patients.
Structural basis of drugs that increase cardiac inward rectifier Kir2.1 currents.

AIMS We hypothesize that some drugs, besides flecainide, increase the inward rectifier current (IK1) generated by Kir2.1 homotetramers (IKir2.1) and thus, exhibit pro- and/or antiarrhythmic effects particularly at the ventricular level. To test this hypothesis, we analysed the effects of propafenone, atenolol, dronedarone, and timolol on Kir2.x channels. METHODS AND RESULTS Currents were recorded with the patch-clamp technique using whole-cell, inside-out, and cell-attached configurations. Propafenone (0.1 nM-1 µM) did not modify either IK1 recorded in human right atrial myocytes or the current generated by homo- or heterotetramers of Kir2.2 and 2.3 channels recorded in transiently transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. On the other hand, propafenone increased IKir2.1 (EC50 = 12.0 ± 3.0 nM) as a consequence of its interaction with Cys311, an effect which decreased inward rectification of the current. Propafenone significantly increased mean open time and opening frequency at all the voltages tested, resulting in a significant increase of the mean open probability of the channel. Timolol, which interacted with Cys311, was also able to increase IKir2.1. On the contrary, neither atenolol nor dronedarone modified IKir2.1. Molecular modelling of the Kir2.1-drugs interaction allowed identification of the pharmacophore of drugs that increase IKir2.1. CONCLUSIONS Kir2.1 channels exhibit a binding site determined by Cys311 that is responsible for drug-induced IKir2.1 increase. Drug binding decreases channel affinity for polyamines and current rectification, and can be a mechanism of drug-induced pro- and antiarrhythmic effects not considered until now.
Ox-LDL Induces ER Stress and Promotes the adipokines Secretion in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

Adipocytes behave as a rich source of adipokines, which may be the link between obesity and its complications. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in adipocytes can modulate adipokines secretion. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of oxidized low density lipoprotein（ox-LDL）treatment on ER stress and adipokines secretion in differentiated adipocytes. 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes were cultured and differentiated into mature adipocytes in vitro. Differentiated adipocytes were incubated with various concentrations of ox-LDL (0-100 µg/ml) for 48 hours; 50µg/ml ox-LDL for various times (0-48 hours) with or without tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) (0-400µM) pre-treatment. The protein expressions of ER stress markers, glucose regulated protein 78(GRP78) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein [C/EBP] homologous protein (CHOP) in adipocytes were detected by Western blot. The mRNA expressions of visfatin and resistin were measured by real-time PCR and the protein release of visfatin and resistin in supernatant were determined by ELISA. Treatment with ox-LDL could increase the cholesterol concentration in adipocytes. Ox-LDL induced the expressions of GRP78 and CHOP protein in adipocytes and promoted visfatin and resistin secretion in culture medium in dose and time-dependent manner. TUDCA could attenuate the effect of ox-LDL on GRP78 and CHOP expressions and reduce visfatin and resistin at mRNA and protein level in dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, ox-LDL promoted the expression and secretion of visfatin and resistin through its activation of ER stress, which may be related to the increase of cholesterol load in adipocytes.
IoT approach applied in the context of ITS: monitoring highways through instant messaging

Currently new technology approaches are changing the world in terms of how the people can feel or sense what is happening the whole the time. As regard of this and focusing on the transportation sector, the inhabitants of whatever country wish to know what is happening on the highways, even when they are travelling, in order to be able to take decisions in their routing and timing. There are several systems allow us knowing about the highways and its conditions, a well-known system is waze. However, waze requires a great amount of memory and phone hardware resources and many people do not have the kind of phone terminals that can supports the requirements. In this paper, we present a new way of monitoring taking advantage of an Internet of Things (IoT) approach in order to cooperate with the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). In our scope, IoT brings to ITS a composite interconnected system that allows gathering and deploying information like an instant message system for the pedestrians, travelers and drivers. We use two hardware IoT platforms like Raspberry Pi and Intel Edison in order to create an ITS application that provides traffic information about the highways through common instant messaging applications.
Solo: A Lightweight Virtual Machine

The overhead caused by virtualization makes it difficult to apply VM in the applications which require high degrees of both performance isolation and efficiency, such as the high performance computing. In this paper, we present a lightweight virtual machine, named Solo. It simplifies the design of VMM greatly by making most privileged instructions bypass the VMM, except the I/O operations. Solo allows VM running directly on hardware with the highest privileges, therefore greatly reduces the overhead caused by virtualization. Our evaluation shows that Solo not only guarantees the VM performance isolation, but also improves VM performance to the level of traditional OS, and thus meets the requirements of the high performance applications without special hardware support.
Longitudinal evaluation of leukoaraiosis with whole brain ADC histograms

FLAIR and diffusion-weighted MRI were obtained twice (mean interval 20 ± 4 months) in 10 patients with leukoaraiosis. At follow-up, visual extension of leukoaraiosis was unchanged, whereas the median of whole brain apparent diffusion coefficient (WB-ADC) histogram was increased (p = 0.008) and brain volume index (BVI) was decreased (p = 0.006). WB-ADC histogram and BVI are sensitive to leukoaraiosis and might be considered for monitoring progression of the disease.
Variables Related to Successful School-Based Practice

In this ethnographic study, 13 occupational therapists who provided school-based services were interviewed. Each therapist was asked to describe an example of a student with whom she felt particularly successful and one who was challenging or frustrating. Three themes were identified in the examples through analysis that included a follow-up focus group meeting of the participants. The frame of clinical reasoning was applied to help interpret the results. Procedural reasoning was described as “Finding the key” by the participants. This theme defined their search for the underlying reasons for the child's behaviors and performance. The key, or a way to reframe the child's behaviors, then became the basis for their intervention activities and was shared with teachers, parents, and other team members. Finding the key seemed to be particularly important to helping the team design an appropriate environment-child fit that enabled the child's best performance. The second theme, “The whole child,” emphasized the importance of the child's psychosocial core and described the therapist's use of interactive and conditional reasoning to support the student's selfimage. Because the therapists valued the child's vision of a new self, they were able to help the child achieve new social roles and improved selfesteem. A third theme, “Whose success is this? ,” told of the importance of a cohesive team, which included the parents, to the success of the child. The child's achievement of important life goals and success as a student seemed to be the result of a team effort to which occupational therapy contributed. Cohesive and collaborative teams seemed to be instrumental to the child's progress and goal attainment.
Silencing Primary Dystonia: Lentiviral-Mediated RNA Interference Therapy for DYT1 Dystonia

DYT1 is the most common inherited dystonia. Currently, there are no preventive or curative therapies for this dominantly inherited disease. DYT1 dystonia is caused by a common three-nucleotide deletion in the TOR1A gene that eliminates a glutamic acid residue from the protein torsinA. Recent studies suggest that torsinA carrying the disease-linked mutation, torsinA(ΔE) acts through a dominant-negative effect by recruiting wild-type torsinA [torsinA(wt)] into oligomeric structures in the nuclear envelope. Therefore, suppressing torsinA(ΔE) expression through RNA interference (RNAi) could restore the normal function of torsinA(wt), representing a potentially effective therapy regardless of the biological role of torsinA. Here, we have generated short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) that mediate allele-specific suppression of torsinA(ΔE) and rescue cells from its dominant-negative effect, restoring the normal distribution of torsinA(wt). In addition, delivery of this shRNA by a recombinant feline immunodeficiency virus effectively silenced torsinA(ΔE) in a neural model of the disease. We further establish the feasibility of this viral-mediated RNAi approach by demonstrating significant suppression of endogenous torsinA in mammalian neurons. Finally, this silencing of torsinA is achieved without triggering an interferon response. These results support the potential use of viral-mediated RNAi as a therapy for DYT1 dystonia and establish the basis for preclinical testing in animal models of the disease.
Neuronal guidance molecule netrin-1 attenuates inflammatory cell trafficking during acute experimental colitis

Background Inflammatory bowel diseases, encompassing Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are characterised by persistent leucocyte tissue infiltration leading to perpetuation of an inappropriate inflammatory cascade. The neuronal guidance molecule netrin-1 has recently been implicated in the orchestration of leucocyte trafficking during acute inflammation. We therefore hypothesised that netrin-1 could modulate leucocyte infiltration and disease activity in a model of inflammatory bowel disease. Design DSS-colitis was performed in mice with partial genetic netrin-1 deficiency (Ntn-1+/− mice) or wild-type mice treated with exogenous netrin-1 via osmotic pump to examine the role of endogenous and therapeutically administered netrin-1. These studies were supported by in vitro models of transepithelial migration and intestinal epithelial barrier function. Results Consistent with our hypothesis, we observed induction of netrin-1 during intestinal inflammation in vitro or in mice exposed to experimental colitis. Moreover, mice with partial netrin-1 deficiency demonstrated an exacerbated course of DSS-colitis compared to littermate controls, with enhanced weight loss and colonic shortening. Conversely, mice treated with exogenous mouse netrin-1 experienced attenuated disease severity. Importantly, permeability studies and quantitative assessment of apoptosis reveal that netrin-1 signalling events do not alter mucosal permeability or intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis. In vivo studies of leucocyte transmigration demonstrate suppression of neutrophil trafficking as a key function mediated by endogenous or exogenously administered netrin-1. Finally, genetic studies implicate the A2B adenosine receptor in netrin-1-mediated protection during DSS-colitis. Conclusions The present study identifies a previously unrecognised role for netrin-1 in attenuating experimental colitis through limitation of neutrophil trafficking.
Heterogeneous k-anonymization with high utility

Among the privacy-preserving approaches that are known in the literature, h-anonymity remains the basis of more advanced models while still being useful as a stand-alone solution. Applying h-anonymity in practice, though, incurs severe loss of data utility, thus limiting its effectiveness and reliability in real-life applications and systems. However, such loss in utility does not necessarily arise from an inherent drawback of the model itself, but rather from the deficiencies of the algorithms used to implement the model. Conventional approaches rely on a methodology that publishes data in homogeneous generalized groups. An alternative modern data publishing scheme focuses on publishing the data in heterogeneous groups and achieves higher utility, while ensuring the same privacy guarantees. As conventional approaches cannot anonymize data following this heterogeneous scheme, innovative solutions are required for this purpose. Following this approach, in this paper we provide a set of algorithms that ensure high-utility h-anonymity, via solving an equivalent graph processing problem.
Flow cytometric assessment of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium starvation-survival in seawater using rhodamine 123, propidium iodide, and oxonol

The use of flow cytometry in microbiology allows rapid characterization of cells from a nonhomogeneous population. A method based on flow cytometry to assess the effects of lethal agents and the bacterial survival in starved cultures through the use of membrane potential-sensitive dyes and a nucleic acid marker is presented. The use of propidium iodide, rhodamine, and oxonol has facilitated the differentiation of cells of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium of various states of vitality following various treatments (heat, sonication, electroporation, and incubation with gramicidin) and during starvation in artificial seawater. The fluorescence intensity is directly correlated with viable cell counts for rhodamine 123 labelling, whereas oxonol and propidium iodide labelling is inversely correlated with viable counts. The distribution of rhodamine and oxonol uptake during starvation-survival clearly indicates that single-species starved bacteria are heterogeneous populations, and flow cytometry can be a fundamental tool for quantifying this heterogeneity.
The body as research tool: embodied practice and children's geographies

Recently, attempts have been made to advance our ways of thinking and doing Children's Geographies. This paper contributes to that endeavour in two respects. Firstly it considers how the concept of heterogeneous (or hybrid) geographies may offer a new framework for the study of childhood. Secondly, and more substantively, it explores how ‘non-representational’ ideas and approaches – concerned with the non-cognitive and the profoundly practical – may be employed to inform our empirical engagements within this new theoretical framework.
Survival of the fittest: retrospective cohort study of the longevity of Olympic medallists in the modern era

Objective To determine whether Olympic medallists live longer than the general population. Design Retrospective cohort study, with passive follow-up and conditional survival analysis to account for unidentified loss to follow-up. Setting and participants 15 174 Olympic athletes from nine country groups (United States, Germany, Nordic countries, Russia, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada, and Australia and New Zealand) who won medals in the Olympic Games held in 1896-2010. Medallists were compared with matched cohorts in the general population (by country, age, sex, and year of birth). Main outcome measures Relative conditional survival. Results More medallists than matched controls in the general population were alive 30 years after winning (relative conditional survival 1.08, 95% confidence interval 1.07 to 1.10). Medallists lived an average of 2.8 years longer than controls. Medallists in eight of the nine country groups had a significant survival advantage compared with controls. Gold, silver, and bronze medallists each enjoyed similar sized survival advantages. Medallists in endurance sports and mixed sports had a larger survival advantage over controls at 30 years (1.13, 1.09 to 1.17; 1.11, 1.09 to 1.13) than that of medallists in power sports (1.05, 1.01 to 1.08). Conclusions Olympic medallists live longer than the general population, irrespective of country, medal, or sport. This study was not designed to explain this effect, but possible explanations include genetic factors, physical activity, healthy lifestyle, and the wealth and status that come with international sporting glory.
The Howard University System Submission for the Shared Task in Language Identification in Spanish-English Codeswitching

This paper describes the Howard University system for the language identiﬁcation shared task of the Second Workshop on Computational Approaches to Code Switching. Our system is based on prior work on Swahili-English token-level language identiﬁcation. Our system primarily uses character n -gram, preﬁx and sufﬁx features, letter case and special character features along with previously existing tools. These are then combined with generated label probabilities of the immediate context of the token for the ﬁnal system.
Molecular characterization influencing metal resistance in the Cupriavidus/Ralstonia genomes

Our environment is stressed with a load of heavy and toxic metals. Microbes, abundant in our environment, are found to adapt well to this metal-stressed condition. A comparative study among five Cupriavidus/Ralstonia genomes can offer a better perception of their evolutionary mechanisms to adapt to these conditions. We have studied codon usage among 1051 genes common to all these organisms and identified 15 optimal codons frequently used in highly expressed genes present within 1051 genes. We found the core genes of Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 have a different optimal codon choice for arginine, glycine and alanine in comparison with the other four bacteria. We also found that the synonymous codon usage bias within these 1051 core genes is highly correlated with their gene expression. This supports that translational selection drives synonymous codon usage in the core genes of these genomes. Synonymous codon usage is highly conserved in the core genes of these five genomes. The only exception among them is C. metallidurans CH34. This genomewide shift in synonymous codon choice in C. metallidurans CH34 may have taken place due to the insertion of new genes in its genomes facilitating them to survive in heavy metal containing environment and the co-evolution of the other genes in its genome to achieve a balance in gene expression. Structural studies indicated the presence of a longer N-terminal region containing a copper-binding domain in the cupC proteins of C. metallidurans CH3 that helps it to attain higher binding efficacy with copper in comparison with its orthologs.