Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Die fetale Gehirnentwicklung nach moderater mütterlicher Nahrungsrestriktion zum Zeitpunkt 0,5 der Gestation beim Primaten

Ich habe die Effekte von 30%iger globaler mutterlicher Nahrungsrestriktion (MNR) auf die fruhe Reifung des fetalen Primatengehirns untersucht. Trachtige Paviane wurden entweder ad libitum (n=8) oder mit 70% der ad libitum Diat (n=6) ab dem 30. Tag der Trachtigkeit gefuttert. Zum Zeitpunkt 0.5 der Gestationszeit wurde im fetalen Gehirn die Zellproliferation, der programmierte Zelltod, die neuronale und gliale Differenzierung, die Myelinisierung und das neuronale Netzwerk, die zytoskelettalen Proteine MAP1B und MAP2a,b, die Glukosetransportproteine (GLUT) 1 und 3, sowie die Glukokortikoidrezeptoren untersucht. Diese Untersuchungen fanden in der Subventrikularzone (SVZ), der Intermediarzone (IZ) und der kortikalen Platte (CP) statt. In der SVZ fanden sich radiale Gliazellen, als Leitstrukturen fur migrierende Neurone, sowie unreife Astrozyten und neuronale Vorlauferzellen. Reife Neurone fanden sich hauptsachlich in der CP. MNR reduzierte die Breite der SVZ (p<0.05), was zu einer Erhohung der Zelldichte in dieser Zone fuhrte. Ursache ist moglicherweise eine Storung der extrazellularen Matrix. Nach MNR war die Zahl der apoptotischen Zellen erhoht (p<0.05), jedoch blieb die Gesamtzahl proliferierender Zellen unbeeintrachtigt. Unreife Astrozyten nahmen in der SVZ nach MNR ab (p<0.05). Die ubrige gliale und neuronale Reifung blieb unbeeintrachtigt. In der CP fuhrte MNR zu einer Storung des neuronalen Netzwerkes und der beginnenden Myelinisierung (p<0.05). MAP1B und MAP2a,b, sowie GLUT1 und 3 wurden nicht beeinflusst. Glukokortikoidrezeptoren nahmen in der IZ nach MNR zu (p<0.05). MNR fuhrte zu einer Storung der Reifung des Gehirns auf der Ebene des proliferativen Zelltodes und der Entwicklung des kortikal neuronalen Netzwerkes. Ursache dieser Veranderungen sind eine spezifische Hemmung von IGF-I und BDNF und eine Storung der fetalen Stressachse. Folgestudien sind notig, um das Potenzial zum Aufholen der gezeigten Veranderungen und die funktionellen Folgen zu untersuchen.
Serum neurofilament light chain in early relapsing remitting MS is increased and correlates with CSF levels and with MRI measures of disease severity

Background/objectives: Neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients correlate with the degree of neuronal injury. To date, little is known about NfL concentrations in the serum of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients and their relationship with CSF levels and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of disease severity. We aimed to validate the quantification of NfL in serum samples of RRMS, as a biofluid source easily accessible for longitudinal studies. Methods: A total of 31 RRMS patients underwent CSF and serum sampling. After a median time of 3.6 years, 19 of these RRMS patients, 10 newly recruited RRMS patients and 18 healthy controls had a 3T MRI and serum sampling. NfL concentrations were determined by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Results: NfL levels in serum were highly correlated to levels in CSF (r = 0.62, p = 0.0002). Concentrations in serum were higher in patients than in controls at baseline (p = 0.004) and follow-up (p = 0.0009) and did not change over time (p = 0.56). Serum NfL levels correlated with white matter (WM) lesion volume (r = 0.68, p < 0.0001), mean T1 (r = 0.40, p = 0.034) and T2* relaxation time (r = 0.49, p = 0.007) and with magnetization transfer ratio in normal appearing WM (r = −0.41, p = 0.029). Conclusion: CSF and serum NfL levels were highly correlated, and serum concentrations were increased in RRMS. Serum NfL levels correlated with MRI markers of WM disease severity. Our findings further support longitudinal studies of serum NfL as a potential biomarker of on-going disease progression and as a potential surrogate to quantify effects of neuroprotective drugs in clinical trials.
Fuzzing : The State of the Art Executive Summary

Fuzzing is an approach to software testing where the system being tested is bombarded with test cases generated by another program. The system is then monitored for any flaws exposed by the processing of this input. While the fundamental principles of fuzzing have not changed since the term was first coined, the complexity of the mechanisms used to drive the fuzzing process have undergone significant evolutionary advances. This paper is a survey of the history of fuzzing, which attempts to identify significant features of fuzzers and recent advances in their development, in order to discern the current state of the art in fuzzing technologies, and to extrapolate them into the future. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
Randomized Split-Face Controlled Study to Evaluate 1550-nm Fractionated Erbium Glass Laser for Treatment of Acne Vulgaris—An Image Analysis Evaluation

BACKGROUND Novel and promising results in acne treatment with infrared lasers have been reported. The 1,550-nm erbium glass laser is one of the infrared lasers that may be useful in the treatment of acne. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an erbium glass laser in treatment of active acne and to study the effect of this type of laser on sebaceous glands. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty-four patients with active acne lesions were treated using 1,550-nm (30–40 mJ) fractional erbium glass laser. Every patient received 4 sessions with a 2-week interval. Follow-up was done every 3 months for 1 year. The image analyzer computer system was used to measure the sebaceous gland size. RESULTS A significant reduction (p < .0001) in the mean count of lesions was observed after treatment and in the follow-up period. A significant reduction in the size of sebaceous glands was also evident after laser treatment. CONCLUSION Treatment of active acne with the 1,550-nm erbium glass laser is effective. Papules, pustules, and nodules all respond well to therapy. The sebaceous gland size decreased significantly, which accounts for the long remission period.
On the use of automatic tools for the formal analysis of IEEE 802.11 key-exchange protocols

It is well known that the design and development of complex distributed systems, such as those used in modern factory automation and process control environments, can obtain significant benefits from the adoption of formal methods during the specification and verification phases. The importance of using formal techniques for verifying the design correctness is even more evident when aspects such as security and safety are considered and a class of protocols, known as “cryptographic” protocols, is taken into account. Cryptographic protocols, in fact, are becoming more and more used in industrial networks to support security-related services such as cryptographic keys exchange/distribution and authentication, due to the ever increasing use of internet/intranet-based connections and the introduction of wireless communications. This paper reports on some experimental investigations on the formal verification of two cryptographic protocols, that are commonly used in industrial wireless 802.11 networks. Investigations are carried out by means of fully automatic and publicly available tools that are based on state-exploration techniques. The aim of our work is twofold: first we intend to offer a contribution in understanding whether or not the current prototype tools can be considered mature enough for helping the designer with the analysis of real protocols, and second we wish to develop some (preliminary) considerations on their characteristics and performance.
Evaluations of Body-Centric Wireless Communication Channels in a Range From 3 MHz to 3 GHz

In recent years, body-centric wireless communications have been studied because they have potential to improve the qualities of various kinds of applications. Since the prospective frequencies for the body-centric wireless communications are in an extremely wide range from megahertz to gigahertz, an objective idea on how to select a right frequency band for individual applications is required. However, few publications have tackled this need. In this paper, the frequency dependence of the communication channels in the range of 3 MHz to 3 GHz is assessed based on numerical analyses.
Photovoltaic reliability model development and validation

The 3D simulation of moisture ingress into a photovoltaic module was performed in FlexPDE, employing a finite element approach with restriction to bulk Fickian diffusion to determine the Time-To-Saturation (TTS) for moisture for a given module construction and steady state environmental conditions. The TTS, characteristics of the module and environmental conditions were used to fit the normalized efficiency results obtained from accelerated and outdoor testing using JMP™ statistical software. The fit was well behaved and statistically significant parametric relationships were obtained. These relationships were then used to predict the normalized efficiency over time for various module constructions and environmental exposures. This unique approach has the potential to significantly reduce the time and effort for reliability determination of new photovoltaic module designs.
The apoptosis/autophagy paradox: autophagic vacuolization before apoptotic death

Autophagic cell death is morphologically characterized by an accumulation of autophagic vacuoles. Here, we show that inactivation of LAMP2 by RNA interference or by homologous recombination leads to autophagic vacuolization in nutrient-depleted cells. Cells that lack LAMP2 expression showed an enhanced accumulation of vacuoles carrying the marker LC3, yet a decreased colocalization of LC3 and lysosomes, suggesting that the fusion between autophagic vacuoles and lysosomes was inhibited. While a fraction of mitochondria from starved LAMP2-expressing cells colocalized with lysosomal markers, within autophagolysosomes, no such colocalization was found on removal of LAMP2 from the experimental system. Of note, LAMP1 depletion had no such effects and did not aggravate the phenotype induced by LAMP2-specific small interfering RNA. Serum and amino acid-starved LAMP2-negative cells exhibited an accumulation of autophagic vacuoles and then succumbed to cell death with hallmarks of apoptosis such as loss of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, caspase activation and chromatin condensation. While caspase inhibition retarded cell death, it had no protective effect on mitochondria. Stabilization of mitochondria by overexpression of Bcl-2 or the mitochondrion-targeted cytomegalovirus protein vMIA, however, blocked all signs of apoptosis. Neither caspase inhibition nor mitochondrial stabilization antagonized autophagic vacuolization in LAMP2-deficient cells. Altogether, these data indicate that accumulation of autophagic vacuoles can precede apoptotic cell death. These findings argue against the clear-cut distinction between type 1 (apoptotic) and type 2 (autophagic) cell death.
Altered Pathogenesis of a Mutant of the Murine Coronavirus MHV-A59 Is Associated with a Q159L Amino Acid Substitution in the Spike Protein☆

Abstract C12, an attenuated, fusion delayed, very weakly hepatotropic mutant of mouse hepatitis virus strain A59 (MHV-A59) has been further characterized. We have previously shown that C12 has two amino acid substitutions relative to wild type virus in the spike protein, Q159L (within a region of S1 shown to bind to viral receptor in anin vitroassay) and H716D (in the proteolytic cleavage recognition site). We have sequenced the rest of the 31-kb genome of C12 and compared it to wild type virus. Only three additional amino acids substitutions were found, all encoded within the replicase gene. Analysis of C12in vivoin C57Bl/6 mice has shown that despite the fact that this virus replicates in the brain to titers at least as high as wild type and causes acute encephalitis similar to wild type, this virus causes a minimal level of demyelination and only at very high levels of virus inoculation. Thus acute encephalitis is not sufficient for the induction of demyelination by MHV-A59. Analysis of mutants isolated at earlier times from the same persistently infected glial cell culture as C12, as well as mutants isolated from a second independent culture of persistently infected glial cells, suggests that both the weakly demyelinating and the weakly hepatotropic phenotypes of C12 are associated with the Q159L amino acid substitution.
Overexpression of microRNA-145 in atherosclerotic plaques from hypertensive patients

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, non-coding, short, single-stranded RNAs and represent a new class of gene regulators. Recent evidence supports a role for miRNAs in cardiovascular pathophysiology and atherosclerosis development. We have previously demonstrated that miR-145 is widely expressed in human atherosclerotic lesions and its downregulation has been correlated with vascular smooth muscle cell dedifferentiation, a cardinal step in the development of atherosclerosis. However, no evidences are available at this time about modulation of miR-145 in the setting of hypertension. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the expression of miR-145 in complicated hypertension. Materials and methods: Atherosclerotic plaques were obtained from 22 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy for high-grade internal carotid artery stenosis. Plaques were subdivided into hypertension (n = 15) and control (n = 7) groups according to the presence or absence of hypertension (as defined by blood pressure > 140/90 mmHg or current antihypertensive treatment). In study plaques, miR-145 values were evaluated using real-time PCR. The level of induction has been tested by using ΔΔ cycle threshold method. Results: We found that miR-145 was significantly more expressed in atherosclerotic plaques of hypertensive patients than in control plaques (1.201 ± 0.260 vs 0.483 ± 0.148 fold induction ± SE; p = 0.026). Moreover, a post-hoc analysis showed that treatment with angiotensin receptor blockers may be associated with the maximum increase in miR-145 levels, although these data did not show any statistical significance probably due to the limited sample size. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first demonstration that hypertension may upregulate miR-145 expression in human atherosclerotic plaques. Future investigations will be necessary to establish the molecular readout of miR-145 upregulation in atherosclerotic lesions in hypertension.
ENERGY SAVING IN WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS : URBAN TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT APPLICATION

Since ten years, researches on the technology of wireless sensor network (WSN) in the field of urban traffic management succeed without proposing a reliable solution for all the constraints suffered. In this article, we study the scenario of using a wireless sensor network to control traffic lights an urban transport network and optimize its functioning by reducing the average waiting time of users and traffic fluidity. We are interested in a simple network at an intersection. Our study provides primarily, a study of the researches work that were done, and who are at the present time, in order to solve the number of communication problem between network of sensor node and the traffic light controller (each node collects data and sends them) with the consideration of energy consumption. it is termed the energy of communication. Note that the energy of communication represents the largest portion of the energy consumed by a sensor node. So, it is necessary minimize energy costs, because energy is a key constraint in sensor networks. For this, we have proposed an algorithm to reduce the number of packets sent by the sensor. The results of our simulations show that our algorithm is effective and practical.
Solution Structure of the 162 Residue C-terminal Domain of Human Elongation Factor 1Bγ*

The multisubunit elongation factor 1 (eEF1) is required for the elongation step of eukaryotic protein synthesis. The eEF1 complex consists of four subunits: eEF1A, a G-protein that shuttles aminoacylated tRNAs to the ribosome; eEF1Bα and eEF1Bβ, two guanine nucleotide exchange factors, and eEF1Bγ. Although its exact function remains unknown, this latter subunit is present in all eukaryotes. Recombinant human eEF1Bγ has been purified and shown to consist of two independent domains. We have utilized high resolution NMR to determine the three-dimensional structure of the 19 kDa C-terminal fragment (domain 2). The structure consists of a five-stranded anti-parallel β-sheet surrounded by α-helices and resembles a contact lens. Highly conserved residues are mainly located on the concave face, suggesting thereby that this side of the molecule might be involved in some biologically relevant interface(s). Although the isolated domain 2 appears to be mostly monomeric in solution, biochemical and structural data indicate a potential homodimer. The proposed dimer model can be further positioned within the quaternary arrangement of the whole eEF1 assembly.
The impact of platelet transfusion characteristics on posttransfusion platelet increments and clinical bleeding in patients with hypoproliferative thrombocytopenia.

Platelet characteristics, such as platelet dose, platelet source (apheresis vs pooled), platelet donor-recipient ABO compatibility, and duration of platelet storage, can affect posttransfusion platelet increments, but it is unclear whether these factors impact platelet transfusion efficacy on clinical bleeding. We performed secondary analyses of platelet transfusions given in the prospective randomized Platelet Dose Study, which included 1272 platelet-transfused hematology-oncology patients who received 6031 prophylactic platelet transfusions. The primary outcome of these analyses was time from first transfusion to first World Health Organization ≥ grade 2 bleeding. Platelet transfusion increments were assessed at 0.25 to 4 hours and 16 to 32 hours after platelet transfusion. There were 778 patients evaluable for analysis of time to bleeding. Adjusted models showed that randomized dose strategy, platelet source, ABO compatibility, and duration of storage did not predict this outcome. Platelet increments were generally higher for transfusions of apheresis platelets, ABO-identical platelets, and platelets stored 3 days versus 4 to 5 days. Thus, although platelet source, ABO compatibility, and duration of storage exert a modest impact on both absolute and corrected posttransfusion platelet increments, they have no measurable impact on prevention of clinical bleeding. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as #NCT00128713.
Smoke Detection in Video Surveillance Using Optical Flow and Green ’ s Theorem

Finding smoke in surveillance videos can be crucial in early detection of fire emergencies. Such early detections improve damage prevention and control by enabling the authorities to take the necessary precautionary steps. This paper describes a smoke detection technique developed for videos taken in visual band. The method makes use of optical flow and color filtering to detect smoke covered regions and the associated smoke sources. Next it extracts dynamic smoke features such as average upwards motion above the source and divergence around the source via Green’s theorem. This determines whether the selected region contains smoke. In turn, the extracted dynamic characteristics of the smoke pattern greatly improve detection accuracy of the method and produce highly robust results as demonstrated in the experimental results.
Regularized multilevel B-spline registration: Application to cardiac motion estimation

In this paper, we propose a new method for image registration based on multilevel b-splines. We improve the transformation estimation by introducing some constraints in the general scheme that regularize the grid of control points. Our method is computationally effective and results in smooth transformations that are representative of the motion between the images. Comparative results are presented on ultrasound image registration to estimate the motions of the cardiac walls.
Medial-Based Deformable Models in Nonconvex Shape-Spaces for Medical Image Segmentation

We explore the application of genetic algorithms (GA) to deformable models through the proposition of a novel method for medical image segmentation that combines GA with nonconvex, localized, medial-based shape statistics. We replace the more typical gradient descent optimizer used in deformable models with GA, and the convex, implicit, global shape statistics with nonconvex, explicit, localized ones. Specifically, we propose GA to reduce typical deformable model weaknesses pertaining to model initialization, pose estimation and local minima, through the simultaneous evolution of a large number of models. Furthermore, we constrain the evolution, and thus reduce the size of the search-space, by using statistically-based deformable models whose deformations are intuitive (stretch, bulge, bend) and are driven in terms of localized principal modes of variation, instead of modes of variation across the entire shape that often fail to capture localized shape changes. Although GA are not guaranteed to achieve the global optima, our method compares favorably to the prevalent optimization techniques, convex/nonconvex gradient-based optimizers and to globally optimal graph-theoretic combinatorial optimization techniques, when applied to the task of corpus callosum segmentation in 50 mid-sagittal brain magnetic resonance images.
A Subset of Human Dendritic Cells Expresses IgA Fc Receptor (CD89), Which Mediates Internalization and Activation Upon Cross-Linking by IgA Complexes

Immature dendritic cells (DC) sample Ags within nonlymphoid tissues and acquire exogenous proteins/pathogens via scavenger receptors or Ig FcR such as FcγR and FcεR. IgA is present in a significant proportion among serum Ig and is the main isotype in mucosae, where DC are numerous. We found that a functional FcαR (CD89) was expressed in situ and in vitro on interstitial-type DC but not on Langerhans cell-type DC. Interstitial-type DC expressed CD89 as a 50- to 75-kDa glycoprotein with a 32-kDa protein core, which was down-regulated upon addition of TGF-β1. DC, FcαR specifically, bound IgA1 and IgA2. Cross-linking of CD89 on DC triggered endocytosis in time-dependent manner. In addition, internalization of polymeric IgA complexes induced the production of IL-10 and DC activation, as reflected by up-regulation of CD86 costimulatory molecules, class II MHC expression, and increased allostimulatory activity. Therefore, interstitial-type DC may use FcαR-mediated Ag sampling in the subepithelium to check tissue integrity while Langerhans cells inside epithelial layers may neglect IgA immune complexes.