Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
N‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids do not alter immune and inflammation measures in endurance athletes

We tested the influence of 2.4 g/day n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n‐3 PUFA) over 6 weeks on exercise performance, inflammation, and immune measures in 23 trained cyclists before and after a 3‐day period of intensified exercise. Subjects were randomized to n‐3 PUFA (N=11) (2,000 mg eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA, 400 mg docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) or placebo (N=12) groups, and ingested supplements under double blinded methods for 6 weeks prior to and during a 3‐d period in which subjects cycled for 3 h/day at ~57% Wattsmax with 10‐km time trials iduring the final 15 minutes of each 3‐h bout. Blood and saliva were collected before and after the 6‐week supplementation period, immediately following the 3‐h exercise bout on the third day, and 14‐h post‐exercise. Supplementation with n‐3 PUFA significantly increased plasma EPA and DHA, but had no effect on 10‐km time trial performance, pre‐exercise measures, and exercise‐induced increases in plasma cytokines, myeloperoxidase, blood total leukocytes, serum C‐reactive protein, and creatine kinase, or the decrease in the salivary IgA:protein ratio. In conclusion, 6 weeks supplementation with n‐3 PUFAs increased plasma EPA and DHA, but had no effect on exercise performance or in countering measures of inflammation and immunity before or after a 3‐day period of nine hours of heavy exertion.
Identification of the miRNA-target gene regulatory network in intracranial aneurysm based on microarray expression data

Intracranial aneurysm (IA) remains one of the most devastating neurological conditions. However, the pathophysiology of IA formation and rupture still remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to identify the crucial microRNA (miRNA/miR) and genes involved in IAs and elucidate the mechanisms underlying the development of IAs. In the present study, novel miRNA regulation activities in IAs were investigated through the integration of public gene expression data of miRNA and mRNA using the Gene Expression Omnibus database, combined with bioinformatics prediction. A total of 15 differentially expressed miRNA and 1,447 differentially expressed mRNA between IAs and controls were identified. A number of miRNA-target gene pairs (770), whose expression levels were inversely correlated, were used to construct a regulatory network of miRNA-target genes in IAs. The biological functions and pathways of these target genes were revealed to be associated with IAs. Specific miRNA and genes, such as hsa-let-7f, hsa-let-7d, hsa-miR-7, RPS6KA3, TSC1 and IGF1 may possess key roles in the development of IAs. The integrated analysis in the present study may provide insights into the understanding of underlying molecular mechanisms of IAs and novel therapeutic targets.
dynamics in strongly heterogeneous domains Upscaled phase-field models for interfacial

References html#ref-list-1 http://rspa.royalsocietypublishing. org/content/468/2147/3705.full. This article cites 35 articles, 1 of which can be accessed free Subject collections (86 articles) fluid mechanics  (69 articles) differential equations  (231 articles) applied mathematics  Articles on similar topics can be found in the following collections Email alerting service here the box at the top right-hand corner of the article or click Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article sign up in
Mining a clinical data warehouse to discover disease-finding associations using co-occurrence statistics

This paper applies co-occurrence statistics to discover disease-finding associations in a clinical data warehouse. We used two methods, chi2 statistics and the proportion confidence interval (PCI) method, to measure the dependence of pairs of diseases and findings, and then used heuristic cutoff values for association selection. An intrinsic evaluation showed that 94 percent of disease-finding associations obtained by chi2 statistics and 76.8 percent obtained by the PCI method were true associations. The selected associations were used to construct knowledge bases of disease-finding relations (KB-chi2, KB-PCI). An extrinsic evaluation showed that both KB-chi2 and KB-PCI could assist in eliminating clinically non-informative and redundant findings from problem lists generated by our automated problem list summarization system.
Phase II Trial of Estramustine and Etoposide in Androgen-Sensitive Metastatic Prostate Carcinoma

Background:Early chemohormonal therapy in metastatic prostate cancer may offer an advantage by simultaneously targeting androgen-dependent and -independent clones. Hence, a phase II trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of estramustine and etoposide in hormone-sensitive metastatic prostate cancer. Patient and Methods:Eligibility consisted of untreated metastatic prostate cancer, adequate organ function, and a performance status of 0 to 2 by Zubrod criteria. A 21-day schedule of oral estramustine (10 mg/kg/day) and etoposide (50 mg/m2/day) was administered every 28 days. Hormonal therapy was allowed at the end of the protocol therapy. Toxicity was assessed weekly, PSA levels were assessed with each cycle, and objective response was evaluated every 3 cycles. Results:Twenty-one patients were enrolled (10 white, 11 black) with a median age of 59.5 years (range, 42–79 years), a median PSA of 338 ng/mL (range, 0.9–20,000 ng/mL), and a median Gleason score of 8 points. Ten patients had bone-only metastases, 11 had measurable disease, of whom 4 had visceral metastases. A total of 128 cycles were administered (median, 6 cycles). No dose reductions were required. Nineteen patients were able to be evaluated for response. Severe toxicities included thromboembolic events and anemia in 2 patients each and fatigue in 1 patient. There were no episodes of febrile neutropenia. Response was observed in 8 of 11 patients (73%) with measurable disease. Median PSA nadir after therapy was 0.45 ng/mL, and undetectable PSA (<0.1 ng/mL) was achieved in 4 patients. Median time to PSA progression was 16.65 months. At a median follow-up of 34 months, 18 patients were alive. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival rates were 90%, 82%, and 72% respectively. Median survival has not yet been reached. Conclusion:The combination of estramustine and etoposide is well tolerated, and has promising activity in newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer.
A Stack algorithm with limited tree-search

Due to the capacity achievable, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems witnessed more interest in recent years. Several data detection algorithms are available for MIMO systems, especially the tree-search ones which offer lower complexity comparing to the ML receiver. In this paper, we are interested in one of tree-search algorithms, which is the Stack decoder. Nevertheless, the stack decoder is only proposed to decode MIMO systems employing finite constellations, as the QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation). In this work, we introduce a new Stack decoder capable of decoding lattice and we call it the M-Stack decoder. The principle idea behind it is to generate M nodes at each tree-level and so to reduce the infinite alphabet of the lattice to only M components at each step. Then, we propose to adapt it to decode QAM constellations. This one is compared to the known QRD-Stack algorithm. While both visit the same number of nodes, the proposed M-Stack algorithm offers lower computational complexity and it is much faster than the QRD-Stack one.
Brief report: Utility of a short screening scale for DSM-IV PTSD in primary care

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate Breslau’s 7-item screen for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for use in primary care.DESIGN: One hundred and thirty-four patients were recruited from primary care clinics at a large medical center. Participants completed the self-administered 7-item PTSD screen. Later, psychologists blinded to the results of the screen-interviewed patients using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios (LR) were calculated using the CAPS as the criterion for PTSD.RESULTS: The screen appears to have test-retest reliability (r=.84), and LRs range from 0.04 to 13.4. CONCLUSIONS: Screening for PTSD in primary care is time efficient and has the potential to increase the detection of previously unrecognized PTSD.
The Candida albicans CaACE2 gene affects morphogenesis, adherence and virulence

Morphogenesis between yeast and hyphal growth is a characteristic associated with virulence in Candida albicans and involves changes in the cell wall. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the transcription factor pair Ace2p and Swi5p are key regulators of cell wall metabolism. Here, we have characterized the CaACE2 gene, which encodes the only C. albicans homologue of S. cerevisiae ACE2 and SWI5. Deleting CaACE2 results in a defect in cell separation, increased invasion of solid agar medium and inappropriate pseudohyphal growth, even in the absence of external inducers. The mutant cells have reduced adherence to plastic surfaces and generate biofilms with distinctly different morphology from wild‐type cells. They are also avirulent in a mouse model. Deleting CaACE2 has no effect on expression of the chitinase gene CHT2, but expression of CHT3 and the putative cell wall genes CaDSE1 and CaSCW11 is reduced in both yeast and hyphal forms. The CaAce2 protein is localized to the daughter nucleus of large budded cells at the end of mitosis. C. albicans Ace2p therefore plays a major role in morphogenesis and adherence and resembles S. cerevisiae Ace2p in function.
Reduced Mismatch Repair of Heteroduplexes Reveals “Non”-interfering Crossing Over in Wild-Type Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Using small palindromes to monitor meiotic double-strand-break-repair (DSBr) events, we demonstrate that two distinct classes of crossovers occur during meiosis in wild-type yeast. We found that crossovers accompanying 5:3 segregation of a palindrome show no conventional (i.e., positive) interference, while crossovers with 6:2 or normal 4:4 segregation for the same palindrome, in the same cross, do manifest interference. Our observations support the concept of a “non”-interference class and an interference class of meiotic double-strand-break-repair events, each with its own rules for mismatch repair of heteroduplexes. We further show that deletion of MSH4 reduces crossover tetrads with 6:2 or normal 4:4 segregation more than it does those with 5:3 segregation, consistent with Msh4p specifically promoting formation of crossovers in the interference class. Additionally, we present evidence that an ndj1 mutation causes a shift of noncrossovers to crossovers specifically within the “non”-interference class of DSBr events. We use these and other data in support of a model in which meiotic recombination occurs in two phases—one specializing in homolog pairing, the other in disjunction—and each producing both noncrossovers and crossovers.
Autoimmune Myocarditis, Valvulitis, and Cardiomyopathy

Myocarditis and valvulitis are inflammatory diseases affecting myocardium and valve. Myocarditis, a viral‐induced disease of myocardium, may lead to dilated cardiomyopathy and loss of heart function. Valvulitis leads to deformed heart valves and altered blood flow in rheumatic heart disease. Animal models recapitulating these diseases are important in understanding the human condition. Cardiac myosin is a major autoantigen in heart, and antibodies and T cells to cardiac myosin are evident in inflammatory heart diseases. This unit is a practical guide to induction and evaluation of experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) in several mouse strains and the Lewis rat. Purification protocols for cardiac myosin and protocols for induction of EAM by cardiac myosin and its myocarditis‐producing peptides, and coxsackievirus CVB3, are defined. Protocols for assessment of myocarditis and valvulitis in humans and animal models provide methods to define functional autoantibodies targeting cardiac myosin, β‐adrenergic, and muscarinic receptors, and their deposition in tissues. Curr. Protoc. Immunol. 101:15.14. 1‐15.14. 51. © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Preconditioning by Isoflurane Elicits Mitochondrial Protective Mechanisms Independent of Sarcolemmal KATP Channel in Mouse Cardiomyocytes

Abstract: Cardiac mitochondria and the sarcolemmal (sarc)KATP channels contribute to cardioprotective signaling of anesthetic-induced preconditioning. Changes in mitochondrial bioenergetics influence the sarcolemmal ATP-sensitive K+ (sarcKATP) channel function, but whether this channel has impacts on mitochondria is uncertain. We used the mouse model with deleted pore-forming Kir6.2 subunit of sarcKATP channel (Kir6.2 KO) to investigate whether the functional sarcKATP channels are necessary for isoflurane activation of mitochondrial protective mechanisms. Ventricular cardiomyocytes were isolated from C57Bl6 wild-type (WT) and Kir6.2 KO mouse hearts. Flavoprotein autofluorescence, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production, and mitochondrial membrane potential were monitored by laser-scanning confocal microscopy in intact cardiomyocytes. Cell survival was assessed using H2O2-induced stress. Isoflurane (0.5 mM) increased flavoprotein fluorescence to 180% ± 14% and 190% ± 15% and reactive oxygen species production to 118% ± 2% and 124% ± 6% of baseline in WT and Kir6.2 KO myocytes, respectively. Tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester fluorescence decreased to 84% ± 6% in WT and to 86% ± 4% in Kir6.2 KO myocytes. This effect was abolished by 5HD. Pretreatment with isoflurane decreased the stress-induced cell death from 31% ± 1% to 21% ± 1% in WT and from 44% ± 2% to 35% ± 2% in Kir6.2 KO myocytes. In conclusion, Kir6.2 deletion increases the sensitivity of intact cardiomyocytes to oxidative stress, but does not alter the isoflurane-elicited protective mitochondrial mechanisms, suggesting independent roles for cardiac mitochondria and sarcKATP channels in anesthetic-induced preconditioning by isoflurane.
Empirical Assessment of the Practices of Accountability System in the Public Sector of Malaysia

As the recent Auditor General's report discovered some corruptions, weakness, and lack of control in asset management in the public sector of Malaysia, this study is an attempt to assess the status of current practices of accountability in public sector of Malaysia. This study collected primary data based on a set of questionnaire survey that was distributed by email using the Google Doc application among the head of department of 682 departments and agencies under 24 federal ministries including the Prime Minister Department in Malaysia. Finally, based on the email responses, the final sample of the study is 109 respondents. The data were collected based on the opinion about ten factors of accountability practices in the department or agency by using seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The data are analysed under descriptive statistics and factor analysis. Further, the reliability of the data is tested by using Cronbach alpha test, and the validity of data is tested by checking the normality of data through Shapiro Wilk test and graphically. Overall, 87.3% of the respondents mentioned that overall they practice accountability in their department. However, the priority of these ten factors of accountability differs among the services schemes. The accountability in the administrative & diplomatic, education, and medical & health is below the overall average accountability. The accountability in the financial and information system schemes is also not strong enough. Therefore the public sector in Malaysia needs to be transformed into becoming a reliable and efficient sector by ensuring proper accountability and its proper assessment system.
A re-ranking approach to video retrieval on the peer-to-peer network

This paper presents a re-ranking method for retrieval of video clips in a distributed database system. The method employs a peer-to-peer architecture to implement a network of distributed computing and storage of video files. The retrieval can be started by a query node forwarding query packets to its peer nodes, and followed by the pseudo-relevance feedback within all peers. The retrieval accuracy can be improved by the forward-backward propagation of signal between the query node and the peer nodes. This process is done automatically and has no requirement for the transmission of video files over the network during the pseudo-relevance feedback learning process. This reduces the required bandwidth utilization. Based on the experimental result, the proposed re-ranking method appears to be very effective for retrieval of video clips stored in the peer-to-peer database and converges in a few iterations.
Regulation of Metabolic Responses by Adipocyte/ Macrophage Fatty Acid–Binding Proteins in Leptin-Deficient Mice

Fatty acid–binding proteins (FABPs) are cytosolic fatty acid chaperones that play a critical role in systemic regulation of lipid and glucose metabolism. In animals lacking the adipocyte/macrophage FABP isoforms aP2 and mal1, there is strong protection against diet-induced obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and hypercholesterolemic atherosclerosis. On high-fat diet, FABP-deficient mice also exhibit enhanced muscle AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) and reduced liver stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1) activities. Here, we performed a cross between aP2−/−, mal1−/−, and leptin-deficient (ob/ob) mice to elucidate the role of leptin action on the metabolic phenotype of aP2-mal1 deficiency. The extent of obesity in the ob/ob-aP2-mal1−/− mice was comparable with ob/ob mice. However, despite severe obesity, ob/ob-aP2-mal1−/− mice remained euglycemic and demonstrated improved peripheral insulin sensitivity. There was also a striking protection from liver fatty infiltration in the ob/ob-aP2-mal1−/− mice with strong suppression of SCD-1 activity. On the other hand, the enhanced muscle AMPK activity in aP2-mal1−/− mice was lost in the ob/ob background. These results indicated that both decreased body weight and enhanced muscle AMPK activity in aP2-mal1−/− mice are potentially leptin dependent but improved systemic insulin sensitivity and protection from liver fatty infiltration are largely unrelated to leptin action and that insulin-sensitizing effects of FABP deficiency are, at least in part, independent of its effects on total-body adiposity.
Improving patent retrieval system using ontology

The importance of patents is increasing as intellectual property becomes a core part of any industry. Most commercial patent retrieval systems are based on Boolean models, which are not capable of ranking similarity between queries and documents. In this study, we developed a patent retrieval system (PISS: patent information service system) which uses a vector space model and ontology to improve precision of search results and rank them by similarity. In other to evaluate the performance of query expansion, we tested ten queries, and found that the precision of search results was improved by an average of 36.2%. Ontology and additional search terms are automatically displayed next to search results for users' convenience.
Reinforcing customer loyalty through service employees’ competence and benevolence

ABSTRACT The present study aims to investigate how service employees’ competence and benevolence can influence customer loyalty. A hierarchical multiple regression with interaction analysis was performed on data collected from 1296 customers in a financial service provider. The results show a significant interaction between competence and benevolence in their influence on customer loyalty. These results reinforce the idea that benevolence can be used to enhance the effect of competence on customer loyalty. The managerial and research implications of the reported study are discussed.
The Prodrug 4-Chlorokynurenine Causes Ketamine-Like Antidepressant Effects, but Not Side Effects, by NMDA/GlycineB-Site Inhibition

Currently approved antidepressant drug treatment typically takes several weeks to be effective. The noncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine has shown efficacy as a rapid-acting treatment of depression, but its use is associated with significant side effects. We assessed effects following blockade of the glycineB co-agonist site of the NMDA receptor, located on the GluN1 subunit, by the selective full antagonist 7-chloro-kynurenic acid (7-Cl-KYNA), delivered by systemic administration of its brain-penetrant prodrug 4-chlorokynurenine (4-Cl-KYN) in mice. Following administration of 4-Cl-KYN, 7-Cl-KYNA was promptly recovered extracellularly in hippocampal microdialysate of freely moving animals. The behavioral responses of the animals were assessed using measures of ketamine-sensitive antidepressant efficacy (including the 24-hour forced swim test, learned helplessness test, and novelty-suppressed feeding test). In these tests, distinct from fluoxetine, and similar to ketamine, 4-Cl-KYN administration resulted in rapid, dose-dependent and persistent antidepressant-like effects following a single treatment. The antidepressant effects of 4-Cl-KYN were prevented by pretreatment with glycine or the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonist 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzo[f]quinoxaline-2,3-dione (NBQX). 4-Cl-KYN administration was not associated with the rewarding and psychotomimetic effects of ketamine, and did not induce locomotor sensitization or stereotypic behaviors. Our results provide further support for antagonism of the glycineB site for the rapid treatment of treatment-resistant depression without the negative side effects seen with ketamine or other channel-blocking NMDA receptor antagonists.
Role of Microthrombus Formation in the Development of Ischemia/Reperfusion-induced Liver Injury in Rats

Summary Although tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) has been shown to play a critical role in the pathologic process leading to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced liver injury in rats by activating neutrophils, it is not clear whether or not microthrombus formation induced by TNF-α contributes to the liver injury. In the present study, we investigated the role of microthrombus formation in I/R-induced liver injury in rats. Hepatic tissue levels of TNF-α were significantly increased after reperfusion, and these were higher in animals subjected to 120 min-hepatic I/R than in those subjected to 60 min-hepatic I/R. Fibrin deposition was observed histologically in the hepatic sinusoidal space only in animals subjected to 120 min-hepatic I/R. Both the decrease in hepatic tissue blood flow and the extent of liver injury in animals subjected to 60 minand 120 min-hepatic I/R were significantly inhibited by pretreatment with anti-rat TNF-α antibody. Although neutrophil elastase inhibitors inhibited the decrease in hepatic tissue blood flow and reduced liver injury in animals subjected to 60 min-hepatic I/R, anticoagulants did not show any effects. Both anticoagulants and neutrophil elastase inhibitors inhibited the decrease in hepatic tissue blood flow and reduced liver injury in animals subjected to 120 min-hepatic I/R. Therapeutic effects of anti-rat TNF-α antibody on the120 min-I/R-induced liver injury were more marked than those of each anticoagulant or each neutrophil elastase inhibitor, and were comparable to those of combined use of anticoagulants and neutrophil elastase inhibitors. These observations strongly suggest that TNF-α induces I/R-induced liver injury primarily by activating neutrophils, and it exacerbates liver injury by inducing microthrombus formation when the production of TNF-α is further increased.