Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Caenorhabditis elegans ALG-1 antimorphic mutations uncover functions for Argonaute in microRNA guide strand selection and passenger strand disposal

Significance Loading of Argonautes with the correct strand of the pre-miRNA duplex and disposal of the other strand are essential steps in microRNA biogenesis. Here we report characterization of the protein and microRNA populations associated with mutant ALG-1 Argonautes that are defective in transitioning from microRNA processing to target repression. We show that mutant Argonaute erroneously associates with the normally discarded microRNA* strands, signifying a role for Argonaute ALG-1 in microRNA strand selection. Accumulation of microRNA* is dependent on the microRNA identity, suggesting that specific microRNA features allow wild-type Argonautes to distinguish among different microRNAs. These findings are relevant to understanding Argonaute roles in microRNA biogenesis and, more broadly, to the functions of microRNAs in development and disease. MicroRNAs are regulators of gene expression whose functions are critical for normal development and physiology. We have previously characterized mutations in a Caenorhabditis elegans microRNA-specific Argonaute ALG-1 (Argonaute-like gene) that are antimorphic [alg-1(anti)]. alg-1(anti) mutants have dramatically stronger microRNA-related phenotypes than animals with a complete loss of ALG-1. ALG-1(anti) miRISC (microRNA induced silencing complex) fails to undergo a functional transition from microRNA processing to target repression. To better understand this transition, we characterized the small RNA and protein populations associated with ALG-1(anti) complexes in vivo. We extensively characterized proteins associated with wild-type and mutant ALG-1 and found that the mutant ALG-1(anti) protein fails to interact with numerous miRISC cofactors, including proteins known to be necessary for target repression. In addition, alg-1(anti) mutants dramatically overaccumulated microRNA* (passenger) strands, and immunoprecipitated ALG-1(anti) complexes contained nonstoichiometric yields of mature microRNA and microRNA* strands, with some microRNA* strands present in the ALG-1(anti) Argonaute far in excess of the corresponding mature microRNAs. We show complex and microRNA-specific defects in microRNA strand selection and microRNA* strand disposal. For certain microRNAs (for example mir-58), microRNA guide strand selection by ALG-1(anti) appeared normal, but microRNA* strand release was inefficient. For other microRNAs (such as mir-2), both the microRNA and microRNA* strands were selected as guide by ALG-1(anti), indicating a defect in normal specificity of the strand choice. Our results suggest that wild-type ALG-1 complexes recognize structural features of particular microRNAs in the context of conducting the strand selection and microRNA* ejection steps of miRISC maturation.
Cross-Lingual Abstract Meaning Representation Parsing

Abstract Meaning Representation (AMR) research has mostly focused on English. We show that it is possible to use AMR annotations for English as a semantic representation for sentences written in other languages. We exploit an AMR parser for English and parallel corpora to learn AMR parsers for Italian, Spanish, German and Chinese. Qualitative analysis show that the new parsers overcome structural differences between the languages. We further propose a method to evaluate the parsers that does not require gold standard data in the target languages. This method highly correlates with the gold standard evaluation, obtaining a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.95.
Joint Altitude and Beamwidth Optimization for UAV-Enabled Multiuser Communications

We study multiuser communication systems enabled by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is equipped with a directional antenna of adjustable beamwidth. We propose a fly-hover-and-communicate protocol, where the ground terminals are partitioned into disjoint clusters that are sequentially served by the UAV as it hovers above the corresponding cluster centers. We jointly optimize the UAV’s flying altitude and antenna beamwidth for throughput optimization in three fundamental multiuser communication models, namely, UAV-enabled downlink multicasting, downlink broadcasting, and uplink multiple access. Results show that the optimal UAV altitude and antenna beamwidth critically depend on the communication model considered.
In-plane shear behaviour of multiscale hybrid composites based on multiwall carbon nanotubes and long carbon fibres

Both in-plane shear modulus and in-plane shear strength of multiscale hybrid composites have been studied. Carbon fibre-based laminates have been fabricated including functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes by means of solvent spraying method and hot compression process. Mechanical in-plane shear characterization has been carried out using off-axis three-point flexure test. Fibre volume fraction of multiscale hybrid composites has been determined through thermogravimetric analysis and fracture surfaces after testing have been imaged by scanning electron microscopy. Results reveal that the inclusion of functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes on laminates has a small influence on in-plane shear modulus, although it increases up to 15% of the in-plane shear strength. Multiwall carbon nanotube functionalization improves shear stress transmission between matrix and carbon nanotubes, which represents a reinforcement effect responsible for the increase in in-plane shear strength. Scanning electron micrographs have confirmed in-plane shear tests results.
Flexible Stereo: Constrained, Non-Rigid, Wide-Baseline Stereo Vision for Fixed-Wing Aerial Platforms

This paper proposes a computationally efficient method to estimate the time-varying relative pose between two visual-inertial sensor rigs mounted on the flexible wings of a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The estimated relative poses are used to generate highly accurate depth maps in real-time and can be employed for obstacle avoidance in low-altitude flights or landing maneuvers. The approach is structured as follows: Initially, a wing model is identified by fitting a probability density function to measured deviations from the nominal relative baseline transformation. At runtime, the prior knowledge about the wing model is fused in an Extended Kalman filter (EKF) together with relative pose measurements obtained from solving a relative perspective N-point problem (PNP), and the linear accelerations and angular velocities measured by the two inertial measurement units (IMU) which are rigidly attached to the cameras. Results obtained from extensive synthetic experiments demonstrate that our proposed framework is able to estimate highly accurate baseline transformations and depth maps.
Validation of the Spanish Version of the LASSI-L for Diagnosing Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND The Loewenstein-Acevedo Scale for Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L) is a novel cognitive test that measures recovery from proactive semantic interference, which may be an early cognitive marker of Alzheimer's disease (AD). OBJECTIVE To generate normative data for a Spaniard population and to validate the LASSI-L for the diagnosis of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and mild AD. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study in which 97 healthy participants, 34 with aMCI, and 33 with mild AD were studied with LASSI-L and a comprehensive neuropsychological protocol. The overlapping strategy analysis was used to maximize the sample size and to provide age- and education-adjusted normative data using a logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Internal consistency was 0.932. Convergent validity with the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test was moderate. LASSI-L raw scores were correlated with age and years of education, but not gender. The area under the curve for discriminating between healthy controls and aMCI was 0.909, and between healthy controls and mild AD was 0.986. LASSI-L sub-scores representing maximum storage capacity, recovery from proactive interference, and delayed recall yielded the highest diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS The LASSI-L is a reliable and valid test for the diagnosis of aMCI and mild AD. The age and education influences on the performance of the test and normative data are provided. LASSI-L merits further studies to evaluate its ability to detect preclinical AD and predict progression to aMCI and early dementia.
Complex Biochemical Analysis of Fruiting Bodies from Newly Isolated Polish Flammulina velutipes Strains

Abstract The present study examined Polish strains of Flamulina velutipes as a potential source of nutraceuticals and found that their nutritional value is dependent on the fruiting bodies gathering time. To prove the above hypothesis protein, carbohydrate and phenolic substances concentration were determined. Moreover, catalase, superoxide dismutase, cellobiose dehydrogenase activities were assayed. In order to prove the healing properties of Enoki fruiting bodies the obtained extracts were tested for antioxidant and bacteriostatic abilities. We have proved that Polish F. velutipes fruiting bodies may be a rich source of antioxidants and that they are capable of inhibiting Staphylococcus aureus growth.
Strength and Stability of Orthotropic Shells

The work investigates thin walled orthotropic shells. Their deformation model is built taking into account the geometrical non-linearity and transverse shifts. The investigation algorithm of this model is based on the Ritz method and the method of continuing solution employing the best parameter. This enables the study of strength and stability of the shells under consideration. For analysis of special points (upper and lower critical loads, bifurcation points) the Jacobian matrix of linear equation systems is used. Based on the developed algorithm, a software product is made. A study was carried out on the strength and stability of some versions of sloping shells from different types of carbon fiber-re inforced plastic. It has been shown that the loss of stability of thin-walled shells under consideration occurs before the strength is lost. The loss of strength in different shells takes place in different components of maximum tension. It was established that in case of a geometrically non-linear approach, the critical loads in the event of strength reduction are essentially lower than in case of the linear computing method.
Efficient Depth Enhancement Using a Combination of Color and Depth Information

Studies on depth images containing three-dimensional information have been performed for many practical applications. However, the depth images acquired from depth sensors have inherent problems, such as missing values and noisy boundaries. These problems significantly affect the performance of applications that use a depth image as their input. This paper describes a depth enhancement algorithm based on a combination of color and depth information. To fill depth holes and recover object shapes, asynchronous cellular automata with neighborhood distance maps are used. Image segmentation and a weighted linear combination of spatial filtering algorithms are applied to extract object regions and fill disocclusion in the object regions. Experimental results on both real-world and public datasets show that the proposed method enhances the quality of the depth image with low computational complexity, outperforming conventional methods on a number of metrics. Furthermore, to verify the performance of the proposed method, we present stereoscopic images generated by the enhanced depth image to illustrate the improvement in quality.
The changing 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of cisplatin: a pilot study on the artifacts of the MTT assay and the precise measurement of density-dependent chemoresistance in ovarian cancer

Inconsistencies in the half-maximal (50%) inhibitory concentration (IC50) data for anticancer chemotherapeutic agents have yielded irreproducible experimental results and thus reciprocally contradictory theories in modern cancer research. The MTT assay is currently the most extensively used method for IC50 measurements. Here, we dissected the critical reasons behind MTT-dependent IC50 inconsistencies. We showed that IC50 errors caused by the technical deficiencies of the MTT assay are large and not adjustable (range: 300–11,000%). To overcome severe MTT artifacts, we developed an unbiased direct IC50 measurement method, the limiting dilution assay. This detection technique led us to the discovery of the inherent density-dependent chemoresistance variation of cancer cells, which is manifold and unpredictable in its forms. The subsequent intracellular signaling pathway analysis indicated that pAkt and p62 expression levels correlated with alterations in the IC50 values for cisplatin in ovarian cancer, providing an explainable mechanism for this property. An in situ pAkt-and-p62-based immunohistochemical (IHCpAkt+p62) scoring system was thereby established. Both the limiting dilution assay and the IHCpAkt+p62 scoring system accurately predicted the primary chemoresistance against cisplatin in ovarian cancer patients. Furthermore, two distinct chemoresistant recurrence patterns were uncovered using these novel detection tools, which were linked to two different forms of density-chemoresistance relationships (positively vs. negatively correlated), respectively. An interpretation was given based on the cancer evolution theory. We concluded that the density-related IC50 uncertainty is a natural property of the cancer cells and that the precise measurement of the density-dependent IC50 spectrum can benefit both basic and clinical cancer research fields.
Generalized Models Reveal Stabilizing Factors in Food Webs

Untangling Food Webs The factors affecting the stability of food webs are important in conservation and ecological restoration. Gross et al. (p. 747) used a generalized modeling approach to evaluate billions of replicates of food webs in order to reveal the properties that stabilize (or destabilize) food webs. Variability in the strength of trophic links between predator and prey strength affected stability in different ways depending on the size of the web—stabilizing only in relatively small food webs and destabilizing in larger ones. Universal topological rules were extracted for the patterns of network links that enhance food-web stability. Analysis of several billion replicates of food webs reveals universal topological rules affecting their stability. Insights into what stabilizes natural food webs have always been limited by a fundamental dilemma: Studies either need to make unwarranted simplifying assumptions, which undermines their relevance, or only examine few replicates of small food webs, which hampers the robustness of findings. We used generalized modeling to study several billion replicates of food webs with nonlinear interactions and up to 50 species. In this way, first we show that higher variability in link strengths stabilizes food webs only when webs are relatively small, whereas larger webs are instead destabilized. Second, we reveal a new power law describing how food-web stability scales with the number of species and their connectance. Third, we report two universal rules: Food-web stability is enhanced when (i) species at a high trophic level feed on multiple prey species and (ii) species at an intermediate trophic level are fed upon by multiple predator species.
Surgical Treatment of Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability Using an Inferior Extensor Retinaculum Flap: A Retrospective Study

&NA; Chronic lateral ankle instability causes significant problems with physical activity. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the results of ligamentous retensioning combined with reinforcement using an extensor retinaculum flap. A consecutive series of 38 patients were included with a minimum follow‐up duration of 2 years. The functional results were assessed using the Karlsson and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society scale scores. The pre‐ and postoperative radiologic assessment was performed using stress radiographs to measure varus tilt and anterior drawer tests. All 38 patients were followed up for 2.5 to 7.2 years, and 35 patients were satisfied. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society scale score had improved significantly from 57 (range 20 to 70) points preoperatively to 95 (range 80 to 100) points postoperatively (p < .0001), and 35 patients believed their ankle was more stable after surgery. The patients had returned to their previous sports activities an average of 4.7 (range 2 to 12) months after surgery. On the stress radiographs, the mean talar tilt angle had improved significantly from 15.2° (range 6° to 26°) preoperatively to 3.8° (range 1° to 8°) at the final follow‐up visit (p < .001), and the mean anterior talar had improved significantly from 13.2 (range 8 to 18) mm preoperatively to 4 (range 4 to 7) mm at the final follow‐up visit (p < .002). Regarding the prognostic factors, a link was found between the functional result and residual radiologic laxity measured on the stress radiographs. Reconstruction of the lateral ligaments for chronic ankle instability combining capsuloligamentous retensioning and reinforcement with an extensor retinaculum flap resulted in successful outcomes, excellent ankle stability, and preservation of ankle joint mobility. This technique addressed both lateral ankle and subtalar instability by developing an extraarticular interosseous ligament. &NA; Level of Clinical Evidence: 3
Smashing SDN "built-in" actions: Programmable data plane packet manipulation in hardware

Recently, with new hardware architectures such as Reconfigurable Match Tables and languages such as P4, the Software Defined Networking community has started to bring linerate data plane programmatic flexibility inside switching chipsets. Starting from the original OpenFlow's match/action abstraction, most of the work has so far focused on key improvements in matching flexibility. Conversely, the "action" part, i.e. the set of operations (such as encapsulation or header manipulation) performed on packets after the forwarding decision, has received way less attention: the OpenFlow community has limited to standardize the set of supported actions, whereas their implementation has been delegated to each specific vendor/device. Goal of this paper is to move beyond the idea of "atomic", pre-implemented, actions, and rather make them programmable while retaining high speed multi-gbps operation. In this work we propose a domain-specific HW architecture, called Packet Manipulation Processor (PMP), able to efficiently support microprograms implementing such actions. We describe three non trivial use cases (tunneling, NAT, and ARP reply generation), and assess the relevant throughput performance.
HYPOLIPIDEMIC ACTIVITY OF AERVA LANATA ON ETHYLENE GLYCOL INDUCED CALCIUM OXALATE UROLITHIASIS IN RATS

Summary The hypolipidemic activity of Aerva lanata was assessed on ethylene glycol induced calcium oxalate urolithic rats. Total lipids, total cholesterol and triglycerides levels were significantly increased in serum, liver and kidney of calcium oxalate urolithic rats. Besides, phospholipids (PL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) levels were altered in calcium oxalate urolithic rats. On supplementation of A. lanata aqueous suspension, the above changes were reverted to near normal. These results indicate that A. lanata aqueous suspension act as a hypolipidemic agent in calcium oxalate urolithiasis.
Novel imaging approaches for small animal models of lung disease (2017 Grover Conference series)

Imaging in small animal models of lung disease is challenging, as existing technologies are limited either by resolution or by the terminal nature of the imaging approach. Here, we describe the current state of small animal lung imaging, the technological advances of laboratory-sourced phase contrast X-ray imaging, and the application of this novel technology and its attendant image analysis techniques to the in vivo imaging of the large airways and pulmonary vasculature in murine models of lung health and disease.
A Theory-Driven Distribution Algorithm for Peer-to-Peer Real Time Streaming

Many distribution algorithms have been proposed up to now for P2P real time streaming. However, due to the lack of basic theoretical results and bounds, common sense and intuitions and heuristics have driven their design so far. The consequence is that we can find in the literature a large variety of different choices about the main aspects of a P2P system, such as overlay topology, scheduling process and upload strategy. In this situation, it is difficult to establish unambiguously the absolute goodness of a particular algorithm or even the rationale behind a particular choice or solution. In this paper we propose and evaluate a theory-driven distribution algorithm for P2P real time streaming. We take advantage from a previous theoretical study, where: i) we derived a theoretical performance bound for forest-based overlay topologies regarding the number of nodes reachable in a given time interval or equivalently the time required to reach a given number of nodes; ii) we proved the optimality of streamline, a distribution algorithm based on the serial transmission over forest-based topologies, in terms of its capability to reach such a bound. The streamline algorithm is based on some ideal assumptions that prevent its practical implementation. In this paper we remove these assumptions and present a practical and working algorithm, named operational streamline or simply O-Streamline. We also evaluate the performance of O-Streamline, comparing them with the optimal bounds of streamline.
Melatonin intake since weaning ameliorates steroidogenic function and sperm motility of streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats

Melatonin may be used as an antioxidant in therapy against systemic sequelae caused by oxidative stress in diabetes. However, as melatonin has a major role in regulating reproductive activity, its consequence on reproductive parameters under diabetes needs to be better clarified. We have studied whether prior and concomitant treatment of juvenile Wistar rats with low doses of melatonin interferes in reproductive damage induced by experimental diabetes after 1 and 8 weeks. The consequences of melatonin administration since weaning on reproductive parameters of healthy rats at adulthood were also evaluated. Melatonin was provided in drinking water (10 μg/kg b.w./day) after weaning (5‐week‐old). Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin injection (4.5 mg/100 g b.w.) at 13‐week‐old rats, and rats were euthanized 1 and 8 weeks after disease onset. Diabetes decreased circulating testosterone levels (~35% to 1 week; ~62% to 2 months; p < 0.01) but did not affect testes sperm counts. Two months of diabetes reduced the sperm reserve and led to atrophy of epididymal cauda. Both 1‐week and 2‐month diabetes impaired sperm motility, decreased the number of spermatozoa with progressive movement, and increased the number of immotile sperm. Melatonin intake reduced serum testosterone levels ~29% in healthy 14‐week‐old and ~23% in 21‐week‐old rats and reduced daily testicular sperm production ~26% in the latter disease stage, but did not interfere in sperm reserves and transit time for both experimental periods. Exogenous melatonin prevented the serum testosterone decrease and damage to sperm motility in diabetic rats and attenuated reduction in sperm counts and transit time induced by 1‐week diabetes but did not avoid this decrease at 2‐month diabetes. Low doses of melatonin administered prior to and during experimental diabetes attenuated damage to testicular steroidogenic activity and preserved sperm motility, but not sperm reserves in the rat. Our data indicated a differential action of melatonin in normoglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions, particularly in sperm motility and testosterone production by Leydig cells.