Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lipids in association with serum magnesium in diabetes mellitus patients.

AIM To investigate whether and how serum Magnesium (Mg) concentrations influence the serum lipids in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. The cross-sectional study was conducted on diabetic mellitus (DM) patients with various kidney functions not yet on dialysis. PATIENTS AND METHODS Serum lipoprotein(a), glycosilated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum magnesium (Mg), serum creatinine (creat), serum lipids consisting of triglycerids (Tg), cholesterol (Chol), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were measured. RESULTS Study patients included 122 patients (82F, 40M). The mean patients' age was 63 (+/- 10) years. The mean length of time they were diabetic was 7.4 (+/- 5.8) years (median: 6 years). The mean serum Mg was 2 (+/- 0.4) mg/dl (median: 1.99 mg/dl). The mean creatinine clearance was 64 (+/- 24) cc/min (median: 64 cc/min). In this study significant inverse correlations of serum Mg with serum cholesterol and LDL as well as nonsignificant correlations of serum Mg with serum Lp(a), HDL, Tg and with serum HgbA1c were seen. More over a significant inverse correlation of serum Mg with ages of the patients and a significant positive correlation of serum Mg with serum creatinine were seen too. CONCLUSIONS It seems that in diabetic patients, kidney function is a key role in the regulation of serum Lp(a) levels instead of other factors like serum Mg level. Our finding further supports the importance of Mg supplementation in diabetes mellitus patients. In our study no significant correlation between serum Mg with serum HDL and Tg were found, which needs further investigation (Tab. 1, Fig. 4, Ref. 53).
Acyl acceptor recognition by Enterococcus faecium l,d‐transpeptidase Ldtfm

In Mycobacterium tuberculosis and ampicillin‐resistant mutants of Enterococcus faecium, the classical target of β‐lactam antibiotics is bypassed by l,d‐transpeptidases that form unusual 3 → 3 peptidoglycan cross‐links. β‐lactams of the carbapenem class, such as ertapenem, are mimics of the acyl donor substrate and inactivate l,d‐transpeptidases by acylation of their catalytic cysteine. We have blocked the acyl donor site of E. faecium l,d‐transpeptidase Ldtfm by ertapenem and identified the acyl acceptor site based on analyses of chemical shift perturbations induced by binding of peptidoglycan fragments to the resulting acylenzyme. An nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)‐driven docking structure of the complex revealed key hydrogen interactions between the acyl acceptor and Ldtfm that were evaluated by site‐directed mutagenesis and development of a cross‐linking assay. Three residues are reported as critical for stabilisation of the acceptor in the Ldtfm active site and proper orientation of the nucleophilic nitrogen for the attack of the acylenzyme carbonyl. Identification of the catalytic pocket dedicated to the acceptor substrate opens new perspectives for the design of inhibitors with an original mode of action that could act alone or in synergy with β‐lactams.
A Perspective on the Future of High-Throughput RNAi Screening

For more than a decade, RNA interference (RNAi) has brought about an entirely new approach to functional genomics screening. Enabling high-throughput loss-of-function (LOF) screens against the human genome, identifying new drug targets, and significantly advancing experimental biology, RNAi is a fast, flexible technology that is compatible with existing high-throughput systems and processes; however, the recent advent of clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas, a powerful new precise genome-editing (PGE) technology, has opened up vast possibilities for functional genomics. CRISPR-Cas is novel in its simplicity: one piece of easily engineered guide RNA (gRNA) is used to target a gene sequence, and Cas9 expression is required in the cells. The targeted double-strand break introduced by the gRNA–Cas9 complex is highly effective at removing gene expression compared to RNAi. Together with the reduced cost and complexity of CRISPR-Cas, there is the realistic opportunity to use PGE to screen for phenotypic effects in a total gene knockout background. This review summarizes the exciting development of CRISPR-Cas as a high-throughput screening tool, comparing its future potential to that of well-established RNAi screening techniques, and highlighting future challenges and opportunities within these disciplines. We conclude that the two technologies actually complement rather than compete with each other, enabling greater understanding of the genome in relation to drug discovery.
Machine learning versus statistical modeling

This is a discussion of the following papers: “Probability estimation with machine learning methods for dichotomous and multicategory outcome: Theory” by Jochen Kruppa, Yufeng Liu, Gérard Biau, Michael Kohler, Inke R. König, James D. Malley, and Andreas Ziegler; and “Probability estimation with machine learning methods for dichotomous and multicategory outcome: Applications” by Jochen Kruppa, Yufeng Liu, Hans‐Christian Diener, Theresa Holste, Christian Weimar, Inke R. König, and Andreas Ziegler.
GMSim: a tool for compositional GSMP modeling

The development of a discrete-event simulation tool, called GMSim, based on the generalized semi-Markov process (GSMP) formalism is described. The GSMP representation comprises both analysis and simulation in a unified framework. This paper focuses on the simulation aspect and how to deal with a combinatorially exploding state space. A compositional GSMP modeling methodology is proposed, which in turn is combined with an object-oriented programming approach. A key feature of the resulting tool is the close resemblance with the underlying mathematical structure. This facilitates coherent modeling and also an efficient implementation. The tool is completely generic and extendible by Tcl script programming. Application specific components are developed by C++ programming in combination with M4 macro processing.
An Enhancement of Daskins Algorithm for Solving P -centre Problem

An Enhancement to the exact algorithm of Daskin (1995) to solve the vertex P center problem is proposed. A simple enhancement which uses tighter initial lower and upper bounds, and a more appropriate binary search method are introduced to reduce the number of subproblems to be solved. These ideas are tested on a well known set of problems from the literature (i.e., TSP-Lib problems) with encouraging results.
Left atrial dyssynchrony time measured by tissue Doppler imaging to predict atrial fibrillation recurrences after pulmonary vein isolation:Is this a mirage or the panacea?

and Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, P. Debyelaan 25, PO Box 5800, 6229 HX Maastricht, 6202AZ, Maastricht-The Netherlands Phone: +31 43 3877070 Fax: +31-43-3875104 E-mail: drnarendra007kr@gmail.com Accepted Date: 25.10. 2014 Available Online Date: 21.01. 2015 ©Copyright 2015 by Turkish Society of Cardiology Available online at www.anakarder. com DOI:10.5152/akd.2015. 14399 Editorial Comment
Age-Enhanced Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Contributes to Increased Atg9A Inhibition of STING-Mediated IFN-β Production during Streptococcus pneumoniae Infection

Pneumococcal infections remain a leading cause of death in persons ≥65 y of age. Recent reports have illustrated detrimental changes in the endoplasmic reticulum stress response or unfolded protein response in aging and age-related diseases; however, the relationship between aging, the unfolded protein response, and innate immune responses to Streptococcus pneumoniae has not been fully elucidated. Our results illustrate that stimulator of IFN genes–mediated production of IFN-β during S. pneumoniae infection is decreased in aged hosts. Enhanced endoplasmic reticulum stress in response to S. pneumoniae augmented inositol-requiring protein 1/X-box binding protein 1–mediated production of autophagy-related gene 9 (Atg9a). Knockdown of Atg9a or treatment with gemcitabine HCl resulted in enhanced stimulator of IFN genes–mediated production of IFN-β by aged macrophages. Consecutive treatments with gemcitabine during in vivo S. pneumoniae infection decreased morbidity and mortality in aged hosts, which was associated with decreased Atg9a expression, increased IFN-β production, and improved bacterial clearance from lung tissue. Taken together, data presented in this study provide new evidence as to why older persons are more susceptible to S. pneumoniae, and provide a possible mechanism to enhance these responses, thereby decreasing morbidity and mortality in this population.
Analysis of crosstalk in the mechanomyographic signals generated by forearm muscles during different wrist postures

In this study, we analyzed the crosstalk in mechanomyographic (MMG) signals generated by the extensor digitorum (ED), extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU), and flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) muscles of the forearm during wrist flexion (WF) and extension (WE) and radial (RD) and ulnar (UD) deviations.
Zero-Error Information Theory

The problem of error-free transmission capacity of a noisy channel was posed by Shannon in 1956 and remains unsolved, Nevertheless, partial results for this and similar channel and source coding problems have had a considerable impact on information theory, computer science, and mathematics. We review the techniques, results, information measures, and challenges encountered in this ongoing quest.
The Strength of Absent Ties: Social Integration via Online Dating

We used to marry people to which we were somehow connected to: friends of friends, schoolmates, neighbours. Since we were more connected to people similar to us, we were likely to marry someone from our own race. However, online dating has changed this pattern: people who meet online tend to be complete strangers. Given that one-third of modern marriages start online, we investigate theoretically, using random graphs and matching theory, the effects of those previously absent ties in the diversity of modern societies. We find that when a society benefits from previously absent ties, social integration occurs rapidly, even if the number of partners met online is small. Our findings are consistent with the sharp increase in interracial marriages in the U.S. in the last two decades.
Efecto de la composicion botanica de la dieta sobre la produccion y composicion de la leche al principio, mitad y final de la lactancia en cabras en un matorral inerme parvifolio

1.Determinar el efecto de la capacidad de produccion de leche de las cabras sobre la composicion botanica de la dieta de las cabras en un matorral inerme parvifolio. 2.Determinar la asociacion que existe entre la composicion botanica de la dieta y la produccion y composicion de la leche de las cabras en agostadero.
Influence of Noise on the Phase and Amplitude of Second-Order Oscillators

We investigate noise effects in second-order oscillators described in terms of amplitude and phase. We show that phase noise in an oscillator is a convection-diffusion problem, i.e., noise is responsible for both phase diffusion and frequency shift. The magnitude of a noise-induced frequency shift depends on both the noise intensity and on the curvature of iscohrons, i.e., manifolds describing the phase of a nonlinear oscillator. We discuss this dependence and to what extent amplitude fluctuations can be neglected. In the case of additive noise, ignoring amplitude fluctuations gives a trivial phase macromodel that can be integrated directly, and the resulting phase variable is a Gaussian-distributed random process.
Recent Progress on Silica Coating of Nanoparticles and Related Nanomaterials

In recent years, new strategies for silica coating of inorganic nanoparticles and organic nanomaterials, which differ from the classical methodologies, have emerged at the forefront of materials science. Silica as a coating material promises an unparalleled opportunity for enhancement of colloidal properties and functions by using core–shell rational designs and profiting from its synthetic versatility. This contribution provides a brief overview of recent progress in the synthesis of silica‐coated nanomaterials and their significant impact in different areas such as spectroscopy, magnetism, catalysis, and biology.
Impact of time-zero and NBTI variability on sub-20nm FinFET based SRAM at low voltages

BSIM-CMG based HSPICE framework is developed for simulating time-zero and Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI) variability of SRAM performance parameters. Time-zero variability of Read Static Noise Margin, Hold Static Noise Margin and Flip-Time for different process corners are simulated. Models used for SPICE simulation are foundry qualified sub-20nm FinFET for two types of 6T SRAM cells, High-Speed and High-Density cells. The Impact of stochastic BTI for DC and AC activity stress on these parameters are studied for relevant worst-case process corner. The impact of Vdd reduction on time-zero and post-BTI SRAM parameter variability is also studied. Critical failure situations are identified.
The Interaction of Preserved Pragmatics and Impaired Syntax in Japanese and English Aphasic Speech

Elicited narrative studies have shown that the underlying pragmatic factor of empathy is relatively preserved in aphasic speakers of Japanese and English (7 Japanese and 14 English-speaking aphasics of varied diagnostic types). Occasional "reversal errors" can be explained in terms of a conflict between the normal encoding of the empathic characteristics of an event and the syntactic limitations imposed by impaired production processes. To account for these findings, we propose a production model following Levelt (1989) for making pragmatic choices among syntactic forms. We also suggest that preferential access to "canonical form" might be a matter of surface morphosyntax, rather than involving semantics or more abstracts levels of syntax.
Optimal Control of Inspired Perfluorocarbon Temperature for Ultrafast Hypothermia Induction by Total Liquid Ventilation in an Adult Patient Model

Goal: Recent preclinical studies have shown that therapeutic hypothermia induced in less than 30 min by total liquid ventilation (TLV) strongly improves the survival rate after cardiac arrest. When the lung is ventilated with a breathable perfluorocarbon liquid, the inspired perfluorocarbon allows us to control efficiently the cooling process of the organs. While TLV can rapidly cool animals, the cooling speed in humans remains unknown. The objective is to predict the efficiency and safety of ultrafast cooling by TLV in adult humans. Methods: It is based on a previously published thermal model of ovines in TLV and the design of a direct optimal controller to compute the inspired perfluorocarbon temperature profile. The experimental results in an adult sheep are presented. The thermal model of sheep is subsequently projected to a human model to simulate the optimal hypothermia induction and its sensitivity to physiological parameter uncertainties. Results: The results in the sheep showed that the computed inspired perfluorocarbon temperature command can avoid arterial temperature undershoot. The projection to humans revealed that mild hypothermia should be ultrafast (reached in fewer than 3 min (−72 °C/h) for the brain and 20 min (−10 °C/h) for the entire body). Conclusion: The projection to human model allows concluding that therapeutic hypothermia induction by TLV can be ultrafast and safe. Significance: This study is the first to simulate ultrafast cooling by TLV in a human model and is a strong motivation to translate TLV to humans to improve the quality of life of postcardiac arrest patients.
Therapeutic Effects of Iranian Traditional Medicine on a Patient With Cryptogenic Cirrhosis

Introduction: There are several disorders that cause hepatic cirrhosis. However, if there is no known cause for cirrhosis, it is called cryptogenic cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is believed to be irreversible in its late stages. In these cases, liver transplantation is the only solution. Case Presentation: The study case was a 29-year-old man, admitted to the hospital four years ago due to esophageal variceal hemorrhage. A biopsy of his liver showed cryptogenic cirrhosis; thus, he was a candidate for liver transplant. The patient visited the outpatient Iranian traditional medicine center, Behesht Clinic, in Tehran, Iran, two years after his bleeding course and began treatment with traditional herbal medicine. In the following month, he stopped taking his previous medications. During the 18-month follow up, he was visited 16 times. During this time, his general health improved and his hemoglobin level increased. Based on the ultrasound reports, the spleen size, the gallbladder wall edema, and the portal vein diameter decreased. Even though the ascites disappeared, the patient gained weight. His model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score reduced from 10 (prior to the Iranian traditional medicine treatment) to 8. The bilirubin level decreased as well. The alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels increased and the serum albumin level and platelet count decreased. Conclusions: In this patient, traditional medicine treatment improved the patient's general well-being, hematopoiesis and portal hypertension. Furthermore, it improved his quality of life, although it had no effect on his liver function. We recommend more clinical trials on therapeutic effects of Iranian traditional medicine on cryptogenic cirrhosis.
Evaluation of Etest for susceptibility testing of rapidly growing mycobacteria

MICs of amikacin, cefoxitin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, doxycycline, and imipenem were determined by Etest for 100 clinical strains of rapidly growing mycobacteria and compared with MICs determined by a reference agar dilution method. Etest MICs were also determined by an alternative inoculum application (agar overlay) method and compared with MICs determined by the inoculum application method recommended by the manufacturer (swabbing). Agreement between Etest and agar dilution MICs within +/- 1 log2 dilution was 85% (511 of 600), and agreement within +/- 2 log2 dilutions was 97% (580 of 600). The rate of complete category agreement was 88%, and rates of major and minor errors were 2.2 and 11.7%, respectively. No very major errors were detected for Etest MICs. Interlaboratory agreement between MICs determined at two separate laboratories was 81% (121 of 149) within +/- 1 log2 dilution and 92% (137 of 149) within +/- 2 log2 dilutions. Agreement between laboratories by interpretive category was 92%. Exact agreement between agar overlay and swab application MICs was 52.3%, and agreement within +/- 1 log2 dilution was 82.3%. Diffuse ellipse edges and trailing growth were still a problem with the overlay method, and in some cases results were more difficult to interpret than they were with the corresponding swab-prepared plate. In summary, our data suggest that Etest may be an accurate and reproducible method for determining susceptibility of rapidly growing mycobacteria.
Perceiving and Representing Both Health and the Environment: An Exploratory Investigation

This article describes an exploratory study that examined the perceptions of both health and environment among men and women in higher and lower status areas in Hamilton, Canada. Situated in the literatures on health perceptions and environmental concerns, it not only describes health and environment perceptions, but also explores their interconnections, arguing that concern for self is more salient than that for any other, including environment, and that this salience is predicated on notions of control and responsibility. The article concludes by speculating on reasons for these findings by suggesting an empirically derived cultural model for representation of health-environment relations and the bases of information processing in this arena.
Robust scaling of strength and elastic constants and universal cooperativity in disordered colloidal micropillars

Significance The mechanical response of glassy materials is important in numerous technological and natural processes, yet the link between the embryonic stages of plastic deformation and macroscopic mechanical failure remains elusive. The incipient inelastic rearrangements are believed to be highly cooperative and characterized by a scaling of yield strength and elastic constants. Whether this behavior transcends the nature of bonding is still an open question. Here, we show that disordered colloidal micropillars spanning the spectrum of glassy packing also demonstrate a robust scaling of elastic and plastic properties. Our measured relationship and deduced cooperative rearrangement strains bear striking resemblance to other glassy systems with disparate bonding, implying a universal building block for macroscopic flow. We study the uniaxial compressive behavior of disordered colloidal free-standing micropillars composed of a bidisperse mixture of 3- and 6-μm polystyrene particles. Mechanical annealing of confined pillars enables variation of the packing fraction across the phase space of colloidal glasses. The measured normalized strengths and elastic moduli of the annealed freestanding micropillars span almost three orders of magnitude despite similar plastic morphology governed by shear banding. We measure a robust correlation between ultimate strengths and elastic constants that is invariant to relative humidity, implying a critical strain of ∼0.01 that is strikingly similar to that observed in metallic glasses (MGs) [Johnson WL, Samwer K (2005) Phys Rev Lett 95:195501] and suggestive of a universal mode of cooperative plastic deformation. We estimate the characteristic strain of the underlying cooperative plastic event by considering the energy necessary to create an Eshelby-like ellipsoidal inclusion in an elastic matrix. We find that the characteristic strain is similar to that found in experiments and simulations of other disordered solids with distinct bonding and particle sizes, suggesting a universal criterion for the elastic to plastic transition in glassy materials with the capacity for finite plastic flow.
A Metric Between Unrooted and Unordered Trees and its Bottom-Up Computing Method

Proposes a distance measure between unrooted and unordered trees based on the strongly structure-preserving mapping (SSPM). SSPM can make correspondences between the vertices of similar substructures of given structures more strictly than previously proposed mappings. The time complexity of computing the distance between trees T/sub a/ and T/sub b/ is O(m/sub bsup 3/N/sub a/N/sub b/), where N/sub a/ and N/sub b/ are the number of vertices in trees T/sub a/ and T/sub b/, respectively; m/sub a/ and m/sub b/ are the maximum degrees of a vertex in T/sub a/ and T/sub b/, respectively; and m/sub aspl les/m/sub b/ is assumed. The space complexity of the method is O(N/sub a/N/sub b/). >
Eap1p, an Adhesin That Mediates Candida albicans Biofilm Formation In Vitro and In Vivo

ABSTRACT Candida albicans is the leading cause of systemic fungal infections in immunocompromised humans. The ability to form biofilms on surfaces in the host or on implanted medical devices enhances C. albicans virulence, leading to antimicrobial resistance and providing a reservoir for infection. Biofilm formation is a complex multicellular process consisting of cell adhesion, cell growth, morphogenic switching between yeast form and filamentous states, and quorum sensing. Here we describe the role of the C. albicans EAP1 gene, which encodes a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored, glucan-cross-linked cell wall protein, in adhesion and biofilm formation in vitro and in vivo. Deleting EAP1 reduced cell adhesion to polystyrene and epithelial cells in a gene dosage-dependent manner. Furthermore, EAP1 expression was required for C. albicans biofilm formation in an in vitro parallel plate flow chamber model and in an in vivo rat central venous catheter model. EAP1 expression was upregulated in biofilm-associated cells in vitro and in vivo. Our results illustrate an association between Eap1p-mediated adhesion and biofilm formation in vitro and in vivo.