Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-Flow-Induced Arterial Remodeling in Rats with Different Susceptibilities to Cerebral Aneurysms

Background: The higher incidence of cerebral aneurysms (CAs) induced by enhanced arterial blood flow in Long Evans (LE) compared to Brown Norway (BN) rats suggests that intrinsic differences in high-flow arterial remodeling may be involved in determining CA susceptibility. Some aspects of this remodeling were compared in LE and BN rats after creation of an abdominal aortocaval fistula (ACF). Methods and Results: At 4 days with ACF, aortic luminal cross-sectional area (LCSA) determined by morphometry was increased by 20% in LE but not in BN rats. mRNA levels, determined by RT-PCR, were higher in LE than in BN rats for collagen α1(I), collagen α1(III), MMP2 and its inhibitor TIMP1 at 19 days with ACF. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) mRNA levels were higher in LE rats at 4 days for the inducible (NOS2) isoform and at 4 and 19 days for the neuronal (NOS1) isoform. Aortic LCSA and NOS1 mRNA levels were tightly correlated and NOS inhibition prevented ACF-induced aortic remodeling in the LE rat. MMP2 and MMP7 activity, evaluated by zymography at 4 days with ACF, did not greatly differ between BN and LE. Conclusions: These data suggest that a higher intrinsic ability for high-flow-induced arterial enlargement associated with NOS gene overexpression may be a possible genetic determinant in CA susceptibility.
Baculovirus Expression of Chimeric Hepatitis B Virus Core Particles with Hepatitis E Virus Epitopes and Their Use in a Hepatitis E Immunoassay

ABSTRACT Two hepatitis B core proteins bearing the immunodominant region of the hepatitis E virus (HEV) capsid protein, one at the C terminus of hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAg) and the other within the HBcAg immunodominant loop, were constructed. Both chimeric proteins exhibited HEV reactivity, but only the first construct retained HBcAg reactivity. The second construct was used to develop an anti-HEV test which is equivalent to a commercial test for the detection of anti-HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) but is more sensitive for the detection of anti-HEV IgM.
The Role of Marketer- and User-Generated Content in Sustaining the Growth of a Social Media Brand Community

While recent research has increasingly indicated social media brand communities can bring about desired benefits for firms, the trade press has cautioned the unsustainable growth issue of such communities. Given that the realization of their benefits is contingent on sustained growth, this study investigates the role of two types of content central to sustaining these communities i.e., marketer-generated content (MGC) and user-generated content (UGC). Furthermore, we delineate between content of product-related (for product promotion) and social-related (for relationship building) nature. Our findings show that both social- and product-related UGC can promote growth over time, but only social-related MGC is effective in this regard. However, MGC regardless of their nature may stimulate UGC. Overall our findings suggest that sustaining the growth of a brand community requires a symphony of both marketer effort and consumer response, thus providing a more comprehensive and balanced view of their role.
Docker Overlay Networks Performance analysis in high-latency environments

With the advent of Docker, deploying microservices in application containers has become increasingly popular. The recent incorporation of libnetwork in Docker provides out of the box support for connecting distributed containers via either a native or a third party overlay driver. However, overlay networks introduces an implicit overhead. Additionally, geographic dispersion of containers may have an adverse effect on performance. In this paper, we explore the performance of various Docker overlay solutions when deployed in a high latency environment. We evaluate the deployment feasibility of various overlay solutions in the GÉANT Testbeds Service. Subsequently we measure the performance of the native Docker overlay driver and third party solutions Flannel and Weave via means of a synthetic point-to-point benchmark and a streaming media application benchmark. In either benchmark no significant performance deterioration was identified regarding latency or jitter. UDP and TCP throughput measurements exhibit irregular behavior and require further investigation.
Ionized calcium measurements are influenced by albumin – should ionized calcium be corrected?

Abstract Measurement of ionized calcium (CaI) has been reported to be dependent on albumin concentration. We examined the correlation between albumin and CaI measured on different ion selective electrode analyzers and in different groups of patients in a large dataset, extracted from the laboratory information system. In 17,281 outpatients and 16,194 inpatients, significantly positive correlations were found between CaI and albumin, with changes in CaI per 10 g/L change in albumin ranging from 0.007–0.043 mmol/L and 0.017–0.028 mmol/L, respectively. Correlations were found to be significantly different when using different analyzers. In order to examine whether the difference in correlations between the analyzers were really due to different patient populations investigated on the different analyzers, data analyzed on the same type of analyzer from inpatients from four different wards (intensive care unit, medical ward, surgical ward and orthopedic ward) were examined. There was no significant difference in correlations between patients from the four wards. Although, these results points towards technical causes behind the observed differences it cannot be entirely ruled out that clinical diseases or treatment might influence albumin interaction with CaI measurements. Combining all data from both out- and inpatients, a correction formula using a change in CaI of 0.03 mmol/L per 10 g/L change in albumin, was constructed. However, the albumin influence on CaI is only a minor part of the total CaI variation and, in most situations, the relatively small effect of changes in albumin on CaI-results is most likely of no clinical importance.
The SCFHOS/β-TRCP-ROC1 E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Utilizes Two Distinct Domains within CUL1 for Substrate Targeting and Ubiquitin Ligation

ABSTRACT We describe a purified ubiquitination system capable of rapidly catalyzing the covalent linkage of polyubiquitin chains onto a model substrate, phosphorylated IκBα. The initial ubiquitin transfer and subsequent polymerization steps of this reaction require the coordinated action of Cdc34 and the SCFHOS/β-TRCP-ROC1 E3 ligase complex, comprised of four subunits (Skp1, cullin 1 [CUL1], HOS/β-TRCP, and ROC1). Deletion analysis reveals that the N terminus of CUL1 is both necessary and sufficient for binding Skp1 but is devoid of ROC1-binding activity and, hence, is inactive in catalyzing ubiquitin ligation. Consistent with this, introduction of the N-terminal CUL1 polypeptide into cells blocks the tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced and SCF-mediated degradation of IκB by forming catalytically inactive complexes lacking ROC1. In contrast, the C terminus of CUL1 alone interacts with ROC1 through a region containing the cullin consensus domain, to form a complex fully active in supporting ubiquitin polymerization. These results suggest the mode of action of SCF-ROC1, where CUL1 serves as a dual-function molecule that recruits an F-box protein for substrate targeting through Skp1 at its N terminus, while the C terminus of CUL1 binds ROC1 to assemble a core ubiquitin ligase.
A naturalistic examination of the temporal patterns of affect and eating disorder behaviors in anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE Evidence supports the presence of significant variability in the timing of affective experiences and eating disorder (ED) behaviors across ED populations. This study examined the naturalistic timing of affective states and ED behaviors in anorexia nervosa (AN). METHODS Women (N = 118) with full or subthreshold DSM-IV AN completed 2 weeks of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) involving self-reports of affect and ED behaviors. Patterns of positive affect, negative affect, and tension/anxiety across hours of the day and days of the week were examined using linear mixed models. Variation in ED behavior occurrence (i.e., binge eating, vomiting, exercise, meal skipping, and self-weighing) across hours of the day and days of the week was examined using general estimating equations. RESULTS Results revealed significant variation in tension/anxiety across hours of the day; there were no significant associations between time of day and negative or positive affect. All affective variables significantly varied across days of the week, with both negative affect and tension/anxiety highest in the middle of the week and lowest on the weekends. The ED behaviors all significantly varied across hours of the day, with binge eating and vomiting most common in later hours, exercise and self-weighing most common in earlier hours, and meal skipping most common at times corresponding to breakfast and lunch. ED behaviors did not significantly vary across days of the week. CONCLUSION The significant patterns of variation in the timing of affective experiences and ED behaviors may have utility in informing theories and interventions for AN.
Dynamic Changes in Arousal Threshold during Sleep in the Human Infant

Failure to arouse from sleep is a possible mechanism leading to sudden infant death. Using a controlled pulsatile air jet applied alternately to the nostrils we have made multiple measures of arousal threshold both between and within sleep states. Infants (n = 22) born at term were studied at 2-3 wk postterm (mean age 13 d, range 9-17 d, study 1) and again at 2-3 mo postterm (mean age 78 d, range 56-98 d, study 2). Arousal threshold (stimulus driving pressure, cm H2O) was determined in both active sleep (AS) and quiet sleep (QS). At both ages arousal threshold in QS was significantly higher (251 ± 24 and 298 ± 35) than in AS (163 ± 19 and 144 ± 29) (p < 0.001). In a morning sleep period, the first and second QS epochs were compared in each baby. In both study 1 and study 2, respectively, arousal thresholds were significantly higher in the second QS epoch (270 ± 34 and 497 ± 100) than in the first QS epoch (198 ± 29 and 252 ± 69) (p < 0.05 and p < 0.02). There was a significant correlation in individual infants between arousal thresholds in the two states at both ages (p< 0.005 and p < 0.007, respectively). Regression analysis showed no correlation between the length of time the infant had been in a particular sleep state and the arousal threshold in either state in study 1 or in AS in study 2; however, arousal threshold increased significantly(p < 0.01) with time in QS in study 2. This study has expanded on previous findings that arousability is sleep state-dependent by demonstrating that arousability in QS is also altered by the length of time that the infant has been asleep.
Fabrication, characterization, and biocompatibility assessment of a novel elastomeric nanofibrous scaffold: A potential scaffold for soft tissue engineering.

With regard to flexibility and strength properties requirements of soft biological tissue, elastomeric materials could be more beneficial in soft tissue engineering applications. The present work investigates the use of an elastic polymer, (polycaprolactone fumarate [PCLF]), for fabricating an electrospun scaffold. PCLF with number-average molecular weight of 13,284 g/mol was synthetized, electrospun PCLF:polycaprolactone (PCL) (70:30) nanofibrous scaffolds were fabricated and a novel strategy (in situ photo-crosslinking along with wet electrospinning) was applied for crosslinking of PCLF in the structure of PCLF:PCL nanofibers was presented. Sol fraction results, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and mechanical tests confirmed occurrence of crosslinking reaction. Strain at break and Young's modulus of crosslinked PCLF:PCL nanofibers fabricated was found to be 114.5 ± 3.9% and 0.6 ± 0.1 MPa, respectively, and dynamic mechanical analysis results revealed elasticity of nanofibers. MTS assay showed biocompatibility of PCLF:PCL (70:30) nanofibrous scaffolds. Our overall results showed that electrospun PCLF:PCL nanofibrous scaffold could be considered as a candidate for further in vitro and in vivo experiments and its application for engineering of soft tissues subjected to in vivo cyclic mechanical stresses. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 2371-2383, 2018.
Collagen type IV‐specific tripeptides for selective adhesion of endothelial and smooth muscle cells

Controlling the balance of endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in blood vessels is critically important to minimize the risk associated with vascular implants. Extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key role in controlling the cellular balance, suggesting a promising source of cell‐selective peptides. To obtain EC‐ or SMC‐selective peptides, we start by highlighting sequence differences found among ECM molecules as enriched targets for cell‐selective peptides. We explored the EC‐ or SMC‐selective performance of tripeptides that are specifically enriched only in collagen type IV, but not in types I, II, III, and V. Collagen type IV was chosen since it is the major ECM in the basement membrane of blood vessels, which separates ECs and SMCs. Among 114 collagen type IV‐derived tripeptides pre‐screened from in silico analysis, 22 peptides (19%) were found to promote cell‐selective adhesion, as determined by peptide array. One of the best performing EC‐selective peptides (Cys‐Ala‐Gly (CAG)) was mixed into an electrospun fine‐fiber, a vascular graft material, for practical application. Compared to unmodified fiber, the CAG containing fiber surface was found to enhance adhesion of ECs (+190%) while limiting SMCs (−20%). These results are not only consistent with the hypothesis of ECM as a source of cell selective peptides, but also suggest a new genre of EC‐ or SMC‐selective peptides for tissue engineering applications. Collectively, these findings favorably support the screening approach used to discover new peptides for these purposes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:1808–1816. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
JLA Survival Rates in Peripheral Artery Disease

Survival Rates in Peripheral Artery Disease Shin Yi Jang, Seung Woo Park, Young-Wook Kim, Duk-Kyung Kim Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Heart Vascular Stroke Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Heart Vascular Stroke Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Production of 8 Sand 10 S-hydroxy polyunsaturated fatty acids by recombinant Escherichia coli cells expressing mouse arachidonate 8 S-lipoxygenase

Objective To quantitatively hydroxylate 8Sand 10S-positions on polyunsaturated fatty acids by recombinant Escherichia coli cells expressing mouse arachidonate 8S-lipoxygenase (8S-LOX). Results Hydroxylated products gained from the conversion of arachidonic acid (20:4, AA), eicosapentanoic acid (20:5, EPA), and (22:6, DHA) by recombinant E. coli cells containing 8S-LOX from mouse were identified as 8S-hydroxy-5,9,11,14(Z,E,Z,Z)eicosatetranoic acid (8S-HETE), 8S-hydroxy5,9,11,14,17(Z,E,Z,Z,Z)-eicosapentanoic acid (8SHEPE), and 10S-hydroxy-4,8,12,14,16,19(Z,E,Z,Z, Z,Z)-docosahexaenoic acid (10S-HDoHE), respectively. Under the optimal hydroxylation conditions of pH 7.5, 30 C, 5% (v/v) ethanol, 15 g cells l, and 5 mM substrate, AA, EPA, and DHA were hydroxylated into 4.37 mM 8S-HETE, 3.77 mM 8SHEPE, and 3.13 mM 10S-HDoHE for 60, 90, and 60 min, with 87, 75, and 63% molar conversions, respectively. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitatively biotechnological production of 8SHETE, 8S-HEPE, and 10S-HDoHE.
Temporal big data for tire industry tactical sales forecasting

We propose a forecasting method to improve accuracy for tactical sales predictions at a major supplier to the tire industry. This level of forecasting serves as direct input for the demand planning, steering the global supply chain and is typically up to a year ahead. The case company has a product portfolio that is strongly sensitive to external events. Univariate statistical methods, which are common in practice, are unable to anticipate and forecast changes in the market, while human expert forecasts are known to be biased and inconsistent. The proposed method is able to automatically identify key leading indicators that drive sales from a massive set of macro-economic indicators, across different regions and markets and produce accurate forecasts. Our method is able to handle the additional complexity of the short and long term dynamics from the product sales and the external indicators. We find that accuracy is improved by 16.1% over current practice with proportional benefits for the supply chain. Furthermore, our method provides transparency to the market dynamics, allowing managers to better understand the events and economic variables that affect the sales of their products.
[Endovascular treatment of atherosclerotic arterial stenoses and occlusions of the supraaortic arteries: mid-term results from a single center analysis].

OBJECTIVE To determine mid-term patency rates after endovascular treatment of supraaortic atherosclerotic arterial stenoses and occlusions using percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and stent placement. PATIENTS AND METHODS During a period of 83 months, 48 patients (18 female, 30 male; mean age 61 years, range 31-82 years) were included into this prospective single-center study. Fifty-five lesions of the brachial and cephalic arteries (subclavian/axillary artery n = 42, innominate artery n = 7, origin common carotid artery n = 6) were treated using PTA (n = 38), PTA plus stent (n = 11) or primary stent placement (n = 6). For anticoagulation, patients received a bolus of heparin (5000 IU) intraarterially during the intervention followed by intravenous application for 24h. At discharge, life-time application of ASA (100mg/day) was initiated. Follow-up protocol included clinical examination, colour-coded duplex ultrasound and intraarterial angiography in case of re-stenosis. RESULTS PTA and stent placement were technically successful in all patients (100%). No major complications occurred. Of seven patients presenting with total occlusions, six were treated with stent placement. Stent implantation was also performed in all lesions located at the origin of the supraaortic arteries (n = 6). In 38 lesions, the result of PTA was satisfactory. Mean follow-up time is 22 months (range 1-83 months). During follow-up examinations, re-stenoses occurred in 10 cases (at 1 month n = 2, at 6 months n = 2, at 12 months n = 3, at 24 months n = 3). In 9 lesions, re-interventions were performed (PTA n = 7; PTA plus stent n = 2). According to Kaplan-Meier life-table analysis, cumulative primary and primary assisted patency rates are 69.5% (patients at risk n = 15; standard error 9%) and 90.6% (patients at risk n = 16; standard error 6.3%) at 20 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Endovascular treatment of atherosclerotic obstructive disease in brachial and cephalic arteries is a safe procedure showing promising mid-term patency rates.
Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Angiography of the Thoracic Vessels: An Intraindividual Comparison of Different k-Space Acquisition Strategies

Objectives:The combination of parallel acquisition (generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisitions) and time-resolved three-dimensional (3D) view-sharing techniques is a promising tool for dynamic contrast-enhanced 3D-magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). We evaluated the influence of different k-space acquisition strategies on image quality for a recently developed time-resolved echo-shared angiographic technique during a contrast-enhanced 3D-MRA of the thoracic vessels. Materials and Methods:In 20 patients (16 men, 4 women; range, 28–75 years), 2 dynamic MRA protocols with different k-space acquisition strategies were performed on a 1.5-T whole-body scanner (MAGNETOM Avanto, Siemens AG, Erlangen, Germany) during injection of 5 mL (flow-rate, 3 mL/s) gadobutrol. For protocol 1, the central-region which was updated with every cycle included 20% of the entire k-space (protocol 2: 10%), the peripheral-region was undersampled by a factor of 10 (protocol 2: 5%). Image quality and details were compared visually. Signal-to-noise ratio and sharpness of vessel borders were estimated. Results:Morphologic and functional assessment of the pulmonary arteries and the aorta was significantly improved for protocol 1. The sharpness of vessel borders (3.3 mm vs. 4.1 mm; P = 0.001), image quality, and the visibility of image details were significantly improved for protocol 1 compared with protocol 2. Conclusion:The size of the central region that is updated for every frame seems to be more crucial for image quality of echo-shared angiographic techniques than the sampling density in the periphery of the k-space.
Visceral Machines: Reinforcement Learning with Intrinsic Rewards that Mimic the Human Nervous System

The human autonomic nervous system has evolved over millions of years and is essential for survival and responding to threats. As people learn to navigate the world, "fight or flight" responses provide intrinsic feedback about the potential consequence of action choices (e.g., becoming nervous when close to a cliff edge or driving fast around a bend.) We present a novel approach to reinforcement learning that leverages a task-independent intrinsic reward function that mimics human autonomic nervous system responses based on peripheral pulse measurements. Our hypothesis is that such reward functions can circumvent the challenges associated with sparse and skewed rewards in reinforcement learning settings and can help improve sample efficiency. We test this in a simulated driving environment and show that it can increase the speed of learning and reduce the number of collisions during the learning stage.
Interaction of Syntaxins with the Amiloride-sensitive Epithelial Sodium Channel*

Amiloride-sensitive sodium channels mediate sodium entry across the apical membrane of epithelial cells in variety of tissues. The rate of Na+ entry is controlled by the regulation of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) complex. Insertion/retrieval of the ENaC complex into the apical membrane as well as direct kinetic effects at the single channel level are recognized mechanisms of regulation. Recent data suggest that the syntaxin family of targeting proteins interact with and functionally regulate a number of ion channels and pumps. To evaluate the role of these proteins in regulating ENaC activity, we co-expressed rat ENaC cRNA (α, β, γ subunits) with syntaxin 1A or 3 cRNAs inXenopus oocytes. Basal ENaC currents were inhibited by syntaxin 1A and stimulated by syntaxin 3. Both syntaxin 1A and syntaxin 3 could be co-immunoprecipitated with ENaC subunit proteins, suggesting physical interaction. Interestingly, immunofluorescence data suggest that with either syntaxin isoform the ENaC-associated epifluorescence on the oocyte surface is enhanced. These data indicate that (i) both syntaxin isoforms increase the net externalization of the ENaC channel complex, (ii) that the functional regulation is isoform specific, and (iii) suggest that ENaC may be regulated through mechanisms involving protein-protein interactions.