Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanism of bisphenol AF‐induced progesterone inhibition in human chorionic gonadotrophin‐stimulated mouse Leydig tumor cell line (mLTC‐1) cells

Bisphenol AF (BPAF) has been shown to inhibit testicular steroidogenesis in male rats. However, the precise mechanisms related to the toxic effects of BPAF on reproduction remain poorly understood. In the present study, a mouse Leydig tumor cell line (mLTC‐1) was used as a model to investigate the mechanism of steroidogenic inhibition and to identify the molecular target of BPAF. Levels of progesterone and the concentration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in cells exposed to BPAF were detected, and expression of key genes and proteins in steroid biosynthesis was assessed. The results showed that BPAF exposure decreased human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG)‐stimulated progesterone production in a dose‐dependent manner. The 24‐h IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) value for BPAF regarding progesterone production was 70.2 µM. A dramatic decrease in cellular cAMP concentration was also observed. Furthermore, BPAF exposure inhibited expression of genes and proteins involved in cholesterol transport and progesterone biosynthesis. Conversely, the protein levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) were not altered, and those of progesterone were still decreased upon 22R‐hydroxycholesterol treatment of cells exposed to higher doses of BPAF. Together, these data indicate that BPAF exposure inhibits progesterone secretion in hCG‐stimulated mLTC‐1 cells by reducing expression of scavenger receptor class B type I (SR‐B1) and cytochrome P450 (P450scc) due to the adverse effects of cAMP. However, StAR might not be the molecular target in this process.
Organohalide respiration in pristine environments: implications for the natural halogen cycle

Halogenated organic compounds, also termed organohalogens, were initially considered to be of almost exclusively anthropogenic origin. However, over 5000 naturally synthesized organohalogens are known today. This has also fuelled the hypothesis that the natural and ancient origin of organohalogens could have primed development of metabolic machineries for their degradation, especially in microorganisms. Among these, a special group of anaerobic microorganisms was discovered that could conserve energy by reducing organohalogens as terminal electron acceptor in a process termed organohalide respiration. Originally discovered in a quest for biodegradation of anthropogenic organohalogens, these organohalide-respiring bacteria (OHRB) were soon found to reside in pristine environments, such as the deep subseafloor and Arctic tundra soil with limited/no connections to anthropogenic activities. As such, accumulating evidence suggests an important role of OHRB in local natural halogen cycles, presumably taking advantage of natural organohalogens. In this minireview, we integrate current knowledge regarding the natural origin and occurrence of industrially important organohalogens and the evolution and spread of OHRB, and describe potential implications for natural halogen and carbon cycles.
Graphene: Three-Dimensional Graphene—A Prospective Architecture for High-Performance Supercapacitors

For many years, a range of problems including fossil fuel exhaustion, environmental pollution, and climate change have been taking place due to the changing global landscape, such as industrial development and growing human population. According to the aforementioned issues, energy has emerged as a promising candidate, which is a solution of a primary concern of the major world powers and scientific community. In addition to excavating and utilizing new energy, such as solar or wind energy [1–4], there is urgent need for the development of efficient energy storage systems (ESSs) as well as new technologies associated with energy conversion and storage. In this regard, one of the greatest challenges attracting significant research interest is how to construct highly efficient, low-cost, and environment-friendly ESS devices including highly efficient, low-cost, and environment-friendly properties. Thereby, portable electronic devices, extreme progress of memory backup devices, and the development of hybrid electric vehicles have come up with a fast-increasing demand for ESSs. Many effective and practical technologies for ESSs, such as lithium batteries [5–7], fuel cells [8–11], and electrochemical supercapacitors (SCs) [12–14], therefore, have been reported. Among those ESSs, SCs, which also known as electrochemical capacitors or ultracapacitors, are expected to be the best potential candidate owing to the high power density, rapid charging/discharging, and long cyclic life compared to batteries and fuel cells [15–17]. Further developments have unfolded that SCs can be a sublime candidate in complementing batteries or fuel cells in their energy storage functions by providing backup power supplies to protect against power disruptions [18]. To the best of our knowledge, SCs can be divided into two categories: electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) and pseudocapacitors. EDLCs are built from two carbon-based electrodes an electrolyte and a separator (Figure 153) [19]. In EDLCs, there is no transfer of charge or ion exchange between the electrode and electrolyte and electrostatic charge taking place during the working process. As the voltage is applied, charge accumulates on the electrode surfaces. The diffusion of ions from the electrolyte to the separator via the pores of the electrode of the opposite charge occurs. Hence, the electrodes are designed to preclude the CONTENTS
The Unexpected Role of Calcium‐Activated Potassium Channels: Limitation of NO‐Induced Arterial Relaxation

Background Multiple studies have shown that an NO‐induced activation of vascular smooth muscle BK channels contributes to the NO‐evoked dilation in many blood vessels. In vivo, NO is released continuously. NO attenuates vessel constrictions and, therefore, exerts an anticontractile effect. It is unknown whether the anticontractile effect of continuously present NO is mediated by BK channels. Methods and Results This study tested the hypothesis that BK channels mediate the vasodilatory effect of continuously present NO. Experiments were performed on rat and mouse tail and rat saphenous arteries using isometric myography and FURA‐2 fluorimetry. Continuously present NO donors, as well as endogenous NO, attenuated methoxamine‐induced vasoconstrictions. This effect was augmented in the presence of the BK channel blocker iberiotoxin. Moreover, the contractile effect of iberiotoxin was reduced in the presence of NO donors. The effect of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside was abolished by an NO scavenger and by a guanylyl cyclase inhibitor. In addition, the effect of sodium nitroprusside was reduced considerably by a protein kinase G inhibitor, but was not altered by inhibition of H2S generation. Sodium nitroprusside attenuated the intracellular calcium concentration response to methoxamine. Furthermore, sodium nitroprusside strongly reduced methoxamine‐induced calcium influx, which depends entirely on L‐type calcium channels. It did not affect methoxamine‐induced calcium release. Conclusions In summary, this study demonstrates the following: (1) continuously present NO evokes a strong anticontractile effect on rat and mouse arteries; (2) the iberiotoxin‐induced augmentation of the effect of NO is associated with an NO‐induced reduction of the effect of iberiotoxin; and (3) NO evoked a reduction of calcium influx via L‐type calcium channels.
(q, t)-Characters of Kirillov-Reshetikhin Modules of Type Ar as Quantum Cluster Variables

Nakajima introduced a $t$-deformation of $q$-characters, $(q,t)$-characters for short, and their twisted multiplication through the geometry of quiver varieties. The Nakajima $(q,t)$-characters of Kirillov-Reshetikhin modules satisfy a $t$-deformed $T$-system. The $T$-system is a discrete dynamical system that can be interpreted as a mutation relation in a cluster algebra in two different ways, depending on the choice of direction of evolution. In this paper, we show that the Nakajima $t$-deformed $T$-system of type $A_r$ forms a quantum mutation relation in a quantization of exactly one of the cluster algebra structures attached to the $T$-system.
A High‐Fat Diet Rich in Saturated and Mono‐Unsaturated Fatty Acids Induces Disturbance of Thyroid Lipid Profile and Hypothyroxinemia in Male Rats

SCOPE Increasing evidence has shown that the disturbance of lipid metabolism might make a possible contribution to the pathogenesis of organ dysfunction, including thyroid, yet it is unknown whether excess intake of dietary fat interferes in thyroid lipid profile. We investigate the effects of dietary fat toward the thyroid lipid profile and thyroid function. METHODS AND RESULTS Male Sprague-Dawley rats are fed with high-fat diet (HFD) rich in saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids or chow diet for 18 weeks. LC-MS analysis of thyroid shows that total free fatty acids (FFAs) content is significantly higher in HFD rats. The concentration of highly saturated triglycerides significantly increases in HFD rats, whereas the polyunsaturated triglyceride significantly decreases, indicating the decrease in unsaturation in the HFD group. Significant increase of lysophosphatidylcholines (LPC) is observed in HFD rats. Thyroid function tests show hypothyroxinemia (total thyroxine [TT4 ] and free thyroxine [FT4 ]) in HFD rats, and elevated thyrotropin (TSH) concentration. The HFD rats also show decreased thyroid uptake of iodine. CONCLUSION Excess intake of dietary fat induces disturbance of thyroid lipid profile and hypothyroxinemia, indicating thyroid dysfunction. We speculate that it may provide a new prospect in understanding the pathogenesis of hypothyroidism.
The heme auxotroph Caenorhabditis elegans can cleave the thioether bonds of c‐type cytochromes

Heme is essential and synthesized via highly regulated processes. For this reason, most organisms strive to recycle it or acquire it from their environment. When heme is bound to proteins noncovalently, degradation of the polypeptide is sufficient to release it. However, in some hemoproteins, such as c‐type cytochromes, heme is covalently bound to the protein backbone. We use the heme auxotroph Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate if cytochromes c can be a heme source, and we show that this organism must encode a novel system which specifically cleaves the thioether bonds of c‐type cytochromes. We also find that at limiting heme concentrations, while somatic tissues develop normally the germline fails to proliferate, suggesting the presence of a heme‐sensing checkpoint in C. elegans.
Pre-processing Analysis for Chinese Text Sentiment Analysis

Nowadays, businesses and organizations are very eager to analyze emotional tendencies of the information generated by the consumers on the internet. Most of the current researches focus on the classification methods and vectorization of the text, there is a lack of research on the effects of pre-processing for Chinese text on sentiment analysis, especially for Chinese as a tonal language requires to deal with the problem of word segmentation. In this paper, we study the different effects of the eight short text pre-processing operations on the results of sentiment analysis, and we use the machine learning methods to carry on the sentiment classification. The classification methods include Naive Bayes, Support Vector Machine, Convolutional Neural Network and Long Short-Term Memory. The experimental results show that the effects of Chinese pre-processing and English pre-processing have some similarities. However, compared with english, the stop words in chinese contain more valuable information, and Convolutional Neural Network is more suitable for the case of fewer features.
Vertical SnO2 nanosheet@SiC nanofibers with hierarchical architecture for high-performance gas sensors

Increasing demands for detection of harmful gases in harsh environments have stimulated considerable efforts to develop a novel gas sensor with high sensitivity, superior thermal/chemical stability and fast response/recovery rate. In this paper, we report the vertical growth of ultrathin SnO2 nanosheets (SnO2 NSs) on quasi-one-dimensional SiC nanofibers (SiC NFs) forming a hierarchical architecture via a simple hydrothermal method. In comparison to pure SnO2 NSs, the SnO2 NS@SiC NF hierarchical composite shows an ultrafast response/recovery rate, high sensitivity, and simultaneously excellent reproducibility to various target gases including ethanol, methanol, hydrogen, isopropanol, acetone and xylene, even at high temperature. The response times are less than 5 s with corresponding recovery times <15 s. Furthermore, the SnO2 NS@SiC NF gas sensor shows a superior sensing selectivity and long-term stability to ethanol. The hierarchical architecture and synergetic effect of the SnO2–SiC heterojunction as well as plenty of active sites from the vertically ultrathin SnO2 NSs have critical effect on the superior sensing performance of SnO2 NS@SiC NFs. This work highlights the possibility to develop a novel high-performance gas sensor for application in harsh environments.
Scalable realization of conductive graphene films for high-efficiency microwave antennas

A fabricated antenna based on highly conductive graphene films is demonstrated with an efficiency averaging 79% over a bandwidth from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz. This is the highest reported value for graphene antennas in the microwave region due to the combination of high conductivity, substantial thickness and efficiency-driven antenna design.
A Mapping Methodology of Boolean Logic Circuits on Memristor Crossbar

Alternatives to CMOS logic circuit implementations are under research for future scaled electronics. Memristor crossbar-based logic circuit is one of the promising candidates to at least partially replace CMOS technology, which is facing many challenges such as reduced scalability, reliability, and performance gain. Memristor crossbar offers many advantages including scalability, high integration density, nonvolatility, etc. The state-of-the-art for memristor crossbar logic circuit design can only implement simple and small circuits. This paper proposes a mapping methodology of large Boolean logic circuits on memristor crossbar. Appropriate place-and-route schemes, to efficiently map the circuits on the crossbar, as well as several optimization schemes are also proposed. To illustrate the potential of the methodology, a multibit adder and other nine more complex benchmarks are studied; the delay, area and power consumption induced by both crossbar and its CMOS control part are evaluated.
Alfalfa Intervention Alters Rumen Microbial Community Development in Hu Lambs During Early Life

The pre-weaning period is crucial for rumen developmental plasticity, which can have a long-term impact on animal performance. Understanding the rumen microbiota during early life is important to elucidate its potential role in rumen development. In this study, the rumen microbiota of 10-day-old Hu lambs fed either milk replacer (B-10), milk replacer and starter (STA) or milk replacer and starter supplemented with alfalfa (S-ALF) in the pre- (d17, 24, and 38) and post-weaning periods (d45 and 66) were assessed to characterize rumen microbial colonization during early life and its response to fiber intervention. In the rumens of B-10 lambs, 498 operational taxonomic units belonging to 33 predominant genera were observed, and the top six predicted functions included “Membrane transport,” “carbohydrate metabolism,” “amino acid metabolism,” “replication and repair,” “translation,” and “energy metabolism. ” Prevotella, Succinivibrio, Bifidobacterium, and Butyrivibrio abundances were increased at d38 for both STA and S-ALF groups compared to the B-10 group, whereas fibrolytic bacteria of the taxa Lachnospiraceae and Treponema were only increased in the S-ALF group at d38. A number of saccharolytic bacteria (Bacteroidaceae), organic acid-producing bacteria (Coprococcus and Actinomyces), proteolytic and amino acid fermenters (Fusobacterium) and fibrolytic bacteria (unclassified Ruminococcaceae) were significantly decreased in the STA lambs but not in the S-ALF lambs at d38. After weaning and exposed to alfalfa, the rumen microbial composition in the STA group started to appear similar to that of the S-ALF lambs. The relative abundance of unclassified Clostridiales was higher in S-ALF lambs than STA lambs after weaning. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed positive relationships between unclassified Lachnospiraceae, unclassified Clostridiales, Treponema, unclassified Bacteroidales, Coprococcus and crude protein intake, neutral detergent fiber intake, and plasma β-hydroxybutyrate. The unclassified Lachnospiraceae and Treponema were also positively correlated with average daily gain. Our results revealed that alfalfa stimulated changes in rumen microbiota during the pre- and post-weaning periods and was consistent with rumen development for better feed intake and animal performance before and after weaning. The findings of this study provide clues for strategies to improve rumen function through manipulation of the rumen microbiota during early life.
A taxonomy of reliable request-response protocols

Reliable request-response interactions, in which the server never executes a given request more than once, are being used to support business and safety-critical operations in diverse sectors, such as banking, E-commerce, or healthcare. This form of interactions can be quite difficult to implement, because the client, server, or communication channel may fail, potentially requiring diverse and complex recovery procedures, which may result in duplicate messages being processed at the server. In this paper we address the following question: could we provide a meaningful taxonomy of reliable request-response protocols? We generate valid sequences of client and server actions, organize the generated sequences into a prefix tree, and classify them according to their reliability semantics and memory requirements. The tree reveals three families of protocols matching common real-world implementations that try to deliver exactly-once or at-most-once. The strict organization of the protocols provides a solid foundation for creating correct services, and we show that it also serves to easily identify fallacies and pitfalls of existing implementations.
Trust-based collection of information in distributed reputation networks

Distributed reputation systems establish trust among strangers in online communities and provide incentives for users to contribute. In these systems, each user monitors the interactions of others and computes the reputations accordingly. Collecting information for computing the reputations is challenging for the users due to their vulnerability to attacks, their limited resources, and the burst of their interactions. The low cost of creating accounts in most reputation systems makes them popular to million of users, but also enables malicious users to boost their reputations by performing Sybil attacks. Furthermore, the burst of user interactions causes an information overload. To avoid the impact of malicious users and information overload, we propose EscapeLimit, a sybil attack-resistant, computationally simple, and fully distributed method for information collection. EscapeLimit leverages user interactions as indicators of trust and similarity between the corresponding users, and collects relevant and trusted information by limiting the escape probability into the Sybil area. We evaluate it by emulating interaction patterns derived from synthetic and real-world networks. Our evaluation shows EscapeLimit's effectiveness in terms of its resilience to Sybil attacks, its scalability, and its ability to provide relevant information to each user.
A Generalizable, Data-Driven Approach to Predict Daily Risk of Clostridium difficile Infection at Two Large Academic Health Centers

OBJECTIVE An estimated 293,300 healthcare-associated cases of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) occur annually in the United States. To date, research has focused on developing risk prediction models for CDI that work well across institutions. However, this one-size-fits-all approach ignores important hospital-specific factors. We focus on a generalizable method for building facility-specific models. We demonstrate the applicability of the approach using electronic health records (EHR) from the University of Michigan Hospitals (UM) and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). METHODS We utilized EHR data from 191,014 adult admissions to UM and 65,718 adult admissions to MGH. We extracted patient demographics, admission details, patient history, and daily hospitalization details, resulting in 4,836 features from patients at UM and 1,837 from patients at MGH. We used L2 regularized logistic regression to learn the models, and we measured the discriminative performance of the models on held-out data from each hospital. RESULTS Using the UM and MGH test data, the models achieved area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) values of 0.82 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80–0.84) and 0.75 ( 95% CI, 0.73–0.78), respectively. Some predictive factors were shared between the 2 models, but many of the top predictive factors differed between facilities. CONCLUSION A data-driven approach to building models for estimating daily patient risk for CDI was used to build institution-specific models at 2 large hospitals with different patient populations and EHR systems. In contrast to traditional approaches that focus on developing models that apply across hospitals, our generalizable approach yields risk-stratification models tailored to an institution. These hospital-specific models allow for earlier and more accurate identification of high-risk patients and better targeting of infection prevention strategies. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:425–433
Simultaneous detection of ABL1 mutation and IKZF1 deletion in Philadelphia chromosome‐positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia using a customized target enrichment system panel

Recent clinical outcomes of pediatric Philadelphia chromosome‐positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ALL) vastly improved owing to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). However, the genetic status would be different in each case with ABL1 gene mutation or copy number variants (CNVs) such as IKZF1 deletion. In particular, the TKI resistant clone with ABL1 kinase mutation remains problematic. The comprehensive assessment of genetic status including mutation, insertion and deletion (indel) and CNVs is necessary.