Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lateral organization of liquid-crystalline cholesterol-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers. Evidence for domains with hexagonal and centered rectangular cholesterol superlattices.

The lateral organization of fluid cholesterol-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayers was studied by measuring the response of fluorescent membrane probes, dipyrenylphosphatidylcholines (diPyrxPCs) or merocyanine 540, to the variation of cholesterol concentration. Parallel absorbance and light-scattering measurements were also carried out. The excimer-to-monomer ratio of diPyrxPCs displayed abrupt deviations at particular cholesterol mole fractions (CMFs). The most notable of these occurred at CMFs of 0.15, 0.33, and 0.67. Deviations were also frequently observed at CMFs of 0.12, 0.20, 0.25, and 0.40. Merocyanine 540 reproducibly reported deviations at CMFs of 0.15 and 0.33 and frequently reported values close to 0.12, 0.20, and 0.25. In absorbance (turbidity) and light scattering versus CMF plots, well-defined kinks were observed at CMFs of 0.16, 0.33, 0.52, and 0.67. The occurrence of kinks or other deviations at those particular CMFs is most readily explained in terms of a superlattice model previously developed to explain the lateral distribution of pyrenylphospholipids in bilayers [Somerharju, et al. (1985) Biochemistry 24, 2773-2781; Virtanen, J. A. , et al. (1988) J. Mol. Electron. 4, 233-236]. This model is based on the assumptions that (i) each cholesterol molecule replaces a single acyl chain in a hexagonal lattice, (ii) cholesterol molecules, because of their larger size, perturb the lattice, (iii) this perturbation is minimized when the cholesterol molecules are maximally separated from each other, and (iv) the maximal separation is achieved when the cholesterol molecules form a hexagonal or centered rectangular superlattice. All detected critical CMFs, except that at CMF 0.67, are predicted by the model, thus strongly supporting its validity. The critical CMF at 0.67 is a limiting case, which can be accounted for by assuming that cholesterol and phospholipid molecules form alternating rows, i.e., formation of a cholesterol superlattice with rectangular symmetry. As predicted by the superlattice model, composition-driven order-to-disorder transitions occur between the critical CMFs, as indicated by increased data scatter and sample fluctuations in those regions. Another important prediction of the superlattice model is that domains with different cholesterol superlattices should coexist at most cholesterol concentrations. Such domains do not have to be extensive to account for the critical events observed here; rather, they are expected to be dynamic entities of limited size. It is very likely that such microscopic domains with distinct cholesterol superlattices also coexist in biological membranes. This is expected to have remarkable effects on both the structure and functions of these membranes.
Infectious mononucleosis-linked HLA class I single nucleotide polymorphism is associated with multiple sclerosis

Background: Multiple sclerosis is a presumed autoimmune disease associated with genetic and environmental risk factors such as infectious mononucleosis. Recent research has shown infectious mononucleosis to be associated with a specific HLA class I polymorphism. Objectives: Our aim was to test if the infectious mononucleosis-linked HLA class I single nucleotide polymorphism (rs6457110) is also associated with multiple sclerosis. Methods: Genotyping of the HLA-A single nucleotide polymorphism rs6457110 using TaqMan was performed in 591 multiple sclerosis cases and 600 controls. The association of multiple sclerosis with the HLA-A single nucleotide polymorphism was tested using logistic regression adjusted for age, sex and HLA-DRB1*1501. Results: HLA-A minor allele (A) is associated with multiple sclerosis (OR = 0.68; p = 4.08 × 10 -5). After stratification for HLA-DRB1*1501 risk allele (T) carrier we showed a significant OR of 0.70 (p = 0.003) for HLA-A. Conclusions: HLA class I single nucleotide polymorphism rs6457110 is associated with infectious mononucleosis and multiple sclerosis, independent of the major class II allele, supporting the hypothesis that shared genetics may contribute to the association between infectious mononucleosis and multiple sclerosis.
The Physiological Stimulus for the BarA Sensor Kinase

ABSTRACT The two-component signal transduction system (TCS) BarA/UvrY activates transcription of CsrB and CsrC noncoding RNAs, which act by sequestering the RNA-binding global regulatory protein CsrA. Here, we show that the metabolic end products formate and acetate provide a physiological stimulus for this TCS and thus link posttranscriptional regulation by the Csr system to the metabolic state of the cell.
Addiction and suicide: A review.

BACKGROUND Addiction specialists frequently find themselves faced with suicidal behavior in their addictions patients. Although many addiction treatment programs will not accept clients with recent suicidal behavior, up to 40% of patients seeking treatment for substance dependence report a history of suicide attempt(s). (1-3) Risk factors for suicide have been studied in the general population and among people with mental illness, less is known about risk factors in those with substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders. METHODS Studies, psychological autopsies and recent reviews on risk factors for suicide and suicide attempts in patients with alcohol and drug use disorders and the relationship with co-occurring mental illness were examined. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Suicidal behavior is a significant problem for people with co-occurring disorders seeking addiction treatment. Several predisposing and precipitating risk factors such as marital and interpersonal relationship disruption, occupational and financial stressors, recent heavy substance use and intoxication as well as a history of previous suicide attempts and sexual abuse combine in an additive fashion with personality traits and mental illnesses to intensify risk for suicidal behavior in addiction patients. Major depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder are especially associated with suicidal behavior in people with addictive disorders. DISCUSSION AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE Treatment implications of these findings are discussed. Addiction treatment providers should routinely gather information about client's suicidal histories, thoughts, and plans in order to assess risk and develop treatment plans for suicidality at various points in treatment.
RAPID NITRATE UPTAKE RATES AND LARGE SHORT‐TERM STORAGE CAPACITIES MAY EXPLAIN WHY OPPORTUNISTIC GREEN MACROALGAE DOMINATE SHALLOW EUTROPHIC ESTUARIES 1

We quantified the effects of initial macroalgal tissue nitrogen (N) status (depleted and enriched) and varying pulses of nitrate (NO3−) concentration on uptake and storage of nitrogen in Ulva intestinalis L. and Ulva expansa (Setch.) Setch. et N. L. Gardner using mesocosms modeling shallow coastal estuaries in Mediterranean climates. Uptake of NO3− (μmol · g dry weight [dwt]−1 · h−1) was measured as loss from the water after 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h and storage as total tissue nitrogen (% dwt) and nitrate (ppm). Both species of algae exhibited a high affinity for NO3− across all N pulses and initial tissue contents. There was greater NO3− removal from the water for depleted than enriched algae across all time intervals. In the low‐N‐pulse treatment, U. intestinalis and U. expansa removed all measurable NO3− within 8 and 12 h, respectively, and in the medium and high treatments, removal was high and then decreased over time. Maximum mean uptake rates of nitrate were greater for U. expansa (∼300 μmol · g dwt−1 · h−1) than U. intestinalis (∼100 μmol · g dwt−1 · h−1); however, uptake rates were highly variable over time. Overall, U. expansa uptake rates were double those of U. intestinalis. Maximum tissue NO3− for U. expansa was >1,000 ppm, five times that of U. intestinalis, suggesting that U. expansa has a greater storage capacity in this cellular pool. These results showed that opportunistic green algae with differing tissue nutrient histories were able to efficiently remove nitrate from the water across a wide range of N pulses; thus, both are highly adapted to proliferate in estuarine environments with pulsed nutrient supplies.
Imaging – the interface with pharmacology: looking to the future

Basic research is constantly adopting novel, innovative and powerful approaches to enable a deeper interrogation of the specific subject matter. A clear example of this strategy is the development of multiple imaging modalities, both in vitro and in vivo based, that have revolutionized medical research, drug discovery, diagnosis and clinical monitoring. In this themed section of the British Journal of Pharmacology, we highlight a number of imaging platforms which are discussed in relation to their applicability for pharmacological experiments, including longitudinal studies. As such, the authors endeavour to describe the technology, its limitations and how these approaches can complement pharmacological research. In addition, there is discussion of the role of pharmacological imaging from a clinical perspective.
Peri-ischemic Aminoguanidine Fails to Ameliorate Neurologic and Histopathologic Outcome After Transient Spinal Cord Ischemia

Inhibition of neurotoxic events that lead to delayed cellular damage may prevent motor function loss after transient spinal cord ischemia. An important effect of the neuroprotective substance aminoguanidine (AG) is the inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), a perpetrator of focal ischemic damage. The authors studied the protective effects of AG on hind limb motor function and histopathologic outcome in an experimental model for spinal cord ischemia, and related these findings to the protein content of iNOS in the spinal cord. Temporary spinal cord ischemia was induced by 28 minutes of infrarenal balloon occlusion of the aorta in 40 anesthetized New Zealand White rabbits. Animals were assigned randomly to two treatments: saline (n = 20) or AG (n = 20; 100 mg/kg intravenously before occlusion). Postoperatively, treatment was continued with subcutaneous injections twice daily (saline or 100 mg/kg AG). Normothermia (38°C) was maintained during ischemia, and rectal temperature was assessed before and after subcutaneous injections. Animals were observed for 96 hours for neurologic evaluation (Tarlov score), and the lumbosacral spinal cord was examined for ischemic damage after perfusion and fixation. Lastly, iNOS protein content was determined using Western blot analysis 48 hours after ischemia in five animals from each group. Neurologic outcome at 96 hours after reperfusion was the same in both groups. The incidence of paraplegia was 67% in the saline-treated group versus 53% in the AG-treated group. No differences in infarction volume, total number of viable motoneurons, or total number of eosinophilic neurons were present between the groups. At 48 hours after reperfusion, iNOS protein content in the spinal cord was increased in one animal in the AG-treated group and in three animals in the control group. The data indicate that peri-ischemic treatment with high-dose AG in rabbits offers no protection against a period of normothermic spinal cord ischemia. There was no conclusive evidence of spinal cord iNOS inhibition after treatment with AG.
Strategies to improve male involvement in PMTCT Option B+ in four African countries: a qualitative rapid appraisal

Background The World Health Organization recommends that antiretroviral therapy be started as soon as possible, irrespective of stage of HIV infection. This ‘test and treat’ approach highlights the need to ensure that men are involved in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). This article presents findings from a rapid appraisal of strategies to increase male partner involvement in PMTCT services in Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, and Côte d'Ivoire in the context of scale-up of Option B+ protocol. Design Data were collected through qualitative rapid appraisal using focus groups and individual interviews during field visits to the four countries. Interviews were conducted in the capital city with Ministry of Health staff and implementing partners (IPs) and at district level with district management teams, facility-based health workers and community health cadres in each country. Results Common strategies were adopted across the countries to effect social change and engender greater participation of men in maternal, child and women's health, and PMTCT services. Community-based strategies included engagement of community leaders through dialogue and social mobilization, involving community health workers and the creation and strengthening of male peer cadres. Facility-based strategies included provision of incentives such as shorter waiting time, facilitating access for men by altering clinic hours, and creation of family support groups. Conclusions The approaches implemented at both community and facility levels were tailored to the local context, taking into account cultural norms and geographic regional variations. Although intentions behind such strategies aim to have positive impacts on families, unintended negative consequences do occur, and these need to be addressed and strategies adapted. A consistent definition of ‘male involvement’ in PMTCT services and a framework of indicators would be helpful to capture the impact of strategies on cultural and behavioral shifts. National policies around male involvement would be beneficial to streamline approaches across IPs and ensure wide-scale implementation, to achieve significant improvements in family health outcomes.
Introduction. Les enquêtes Emploi du temps: une source majeure pour l'étude des inégalités sociales et de genre

[fre] Le dossier que propose ce numero d’Economie et Statistique reunit huit articles mobilisant les donnees de l’enquete Emploi du temps 2010 (EDT2010), collectee entre septembre 2009 et septembre 2010. Cette enquete est la cinquieme d’une serie realisee depuis les annees 1970 par l’Insee a un rythme a peu pres decennal ; son elaboration a beneficie de nombreuses collaborations scientifiques et de contributions financieres du Ministere du Travail (Dares), du Ministere de l’Education nationale (Depp), du Ministere des Affaires sociales (Drees), ainsi que de la Cnaf. Les enquetes Emploi du temps decrivent de facon precise l’usage que les individus font de leur temps, renseignant non seulement sur les activites effectuees, mais aussi leur duree, le moment et le contexte de leur deroulement. De telles enquetes sont conduites depuis plusieurs decennies dans de nombreux pays. Leur methodologie est desormais largement commune, heritee des travaux impulses dans les annees 1960 par Alexander Szalai. Ces travaux, presentes dans l’ouvrage The Use of Time (Szalai, 1972), proposaient notamment un codage des activites et des etudes empiriques comparatives basees sur les donnees collectees dans une douzaine de pays (dont la France). Ils ont eu une influence considerable sur la methodologie des enquetes et sur le developpement de la recherche sur les usages du temps. C’est dans cette lignee que s’est developpe, dans les annees 1980 sous la houlette de Jonathan Gershuny, le Multinational Time Use Study (MTUS), une base internationale de donnees harmonisees qui rassemble maintenant une soixante d’enquetes menees dans 25 pays, et qu’a pris naissance l’International Association for Time Use Research (IATUR). Les recherches menees dans ce cadre international et pluridisciplinaire ont servi d’appui aux efforts d’harmonisation entrepris a partir de la fin des annees 1990 pour la collecte des enquetes europeennes dans le projet Hetus (Harmonised European Time Use Study) . Les recommandations issues de ce cadre (Eurostat, 2008) ont ete mises en oeuvre dans l’EDT2010.
Dynamic Task Allocation Models for Large Distributed Computing Systems

Dynamic task allocation for distributed computing systems (DCS) is an important goal to be achieved for engineering applications. The purpose of dynamic task allocation is to increase the system throughput in a dynamic environment, which can be done by balancing the utilization of computing resources and minimizing communication between processors during run time. In this paper, we propose two dynamic task allocation models which are: 1) the clustering simulated annealing model (CSAM); and 2) the mean field annealing model (MFAM). Both of these models combine characteristics of statistical and deterministic approaches. These models provide the rapid convergence characteristic of the deterministic approaches while preserving the solution quality afforded by simulated annealing. Simulation results of the CSAM and MFAM provide a stable and balanced system with 50% and 10% of the convergence time needed by simulated annealing, respectively. The results of this research are important in that it presents the feasibility of applying statistically based task allocation models on large DCSs in a dynamic environment. Solutions of these models depend on the annealing process instead of the structures of the input data, providing the possibility of obtaining better solutions by using more efficient computing hardware.
A novel low complexity TV video OCR system

Recent market report on Consumer Electronics shows that TV with Internet is going to be one of the most demanding products for the near future. As a consequence the demand of recognizing the TV context also increases among the research community. Lots of information about the TV video can be obtained from the meta data in case of digital TV broadcast. But in the developing countries like India, still the penetration of digital TV is only about 10%. So there is a need for video OCR system that can recognize the textual context of the TV video, since fair amount of contextual information can be obtained from the graphical text of the TV video. In this paper a low complexity video OCR system has been presented, that can be deployed on an embedded platform. The novelty of the proposed method is the use of low processing cycle and memory and yet getting a recognition accuracy of 84.23% which is higher than the usual video OCR recognition accuracy. Moreover, the proposed method can recognize about 180 characters on average per frame in 26.34 milliseconds.
1 RUNNING TITLE : Mercury , dissolved organic matter , and microbiomes Trends in dissolved organic matter cycling , sediment microbiomes , and methylmercury production across vegetation heterogeneity in a Great Lakes wetland

1 Recent advances have allowed for greater investigation into microbial regulation of 2 mercury toxicity in the environment. In wetlands in particular, dissolved organic matter (DOM) 3 may influence methylmercury (MeHg) production both through chemical interactions and 4 through substrate effects on microbiomes. We conducted microcosm experiments in two 5 disparate wetland environments (unvegetated and vegetated sediments) to examine the impacts 6 of plant leachate and inorganic mercury loadings on microbiomes, DOM cycling, and MeHg 7 production in the St. Louis River Estuary, which has a legacy of mercury contamination. Overall, 8 our research reveals the greater relative capacity for mercury methylation in vegetated over 9 unvegetated sediments in this environment. Further, oligotrophic unvegetated sediments 10 receiving leachate produced more MeHg than unamended microcosms, pointing to the role of 11 organic matter and vegetation patterns as an important control on MeHg production in these 12 sediments.We also show that while leachate influenced the microbiome in both environment 13 types, sediment with high organic carbon content was more resistant to change than oligotrophic 14 sediment. Our work supports emerging research suggesting that Clostridia may be important 15 methylators in oligotrophic environments. We demonstrate changes in community structure 16 towards Clostridia and metagenomic shifts toward fermentation as well as degradation of 17 complex DOM and MeHg production in unvegetated microcosms receiving leachate. Together, 18 our work shows the importance of wetland vegetation in driving MeHg production in the Great 19 Lakes region and provides evidence that this may be due to both enhanced microbial activity as 20 well as differences in the composition of microbiomes associated with higher DOM levels. 21
Cultural Integration and Export Variety Overlap Across Countries

This paper assesses the role of a larger degree of common language use between the populations of two countries on the so-called extensive product margin of trade. We focus on the overlap of products exported or imported between any pair of countries. The results suggest that the effect of varying aspects of sharing a common language on the variety overlap is both positive and important. The effect of sharing a common spoken language exceeds the one of common native language, implying that a larger overlap in language proficiency is quantitatively more important than a higher cultural proximity.
Techniques and solutions for addressing ransomware attacks

Ransomware is a form of extortion-based attack that locks the victim's digital resources and requests money to release them. Although the concept of ransomware is not new (i.e., such attacks date back at least as far as the 1980s), this type of malware has recently experienced a resurgence in popularity. In fact, over the last few years, a number of high-pro le ransomware attacks were reported. Very recently, WannaCry ransomware infected thousands of vulnerable machines around the world, and substantially disrupted critical services such as British healthcare system. Given the size and variety of threats we are facing today, having solutions to e ectively detect and analyze unknown ransomware attacks seems necessary. In this thesis, we argue that it is possible to develop novel defense mechanisms, and protect user data from a large number of ransomware attacks with zero data loss. We show that such an approach is both feasible and e ective. To support this claim, we investigate how a successful ransomware attack interacts with the operating system resources. In the rst part of this thesis, we perform an evolutionary-based analysis to understand the destructive behavior of these attacks. We show that by monitoring lesystem activity, it is possible to design practical defense systems that could stop a large number of ransomware attacks, even those using sophisticated encryption capabilities. In the second part, we propose a novel dynamic analysis system, called Unveil, that is designed to analyze ransomware attacks, and model their interactions with the lesystem. In the third and the last part, we propose an end-point framework, called Redemption, to protect user data from ransomware attacks. We demonstrate that our proposed solution can be retro tted into existing operating systems, and achieve zero data loss against current ransomware families without introducing alarm fatigue.