Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antithrombotic therapy for stable coronary artery disease: the difficult quest for the holy balance.

This editorial refers to ‘Efficacy and safety of ticagrelor for long-term secondary prevention of atherothrombotic events in relation to renal function: insights from the PEGASUS-TIMI 54 trial’, by G. Magnani et al. , doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehv482. From a pathophysiologic standpoint, coronary artery disease is of an atherothrombotic nature and therefore hopes to improve its prognosis rely on the treatment of both its atheromatous and thrombotic components. The way these components can be targeted, however, differs greatly in that atheroma can be targeted with medications (such as lipid-lowering agents or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) that do not carry specific safety issues, whereas antithrombotic agents have well-known adverse effects, with an increased risk of bleeding apparent as soon as they are administered and persisting for the duration of treatment. The search for more potent antithrombotic agents to more adequately prevent thrombotic complications during the course of the disease is therefore hampered by a potential increase in bleeding complications. Finding new antithrombotic agents that will truly benefit the patient has now become a quest for the holy balance between ischaemic and bleeding risks. As nature is complex, it is unlikely that this balance will be the same for every single patient, and it is therefore laudable to try and single-out specific populations where it would be the most favourable. In this regard, Magnani et al. 1 should be commended for providing a detailed analysis of the impact of ticagrelor, a potent, reversible P2Y12 inhibitor, according to renal function, using data from …
Statistical multiplexing using scalable video coding for layered multicast

To provide heterogeneous device capability in the video multicasting/broadcasting, the layered multicast can be exploited. However, previous statistical multiplexing system do not consider to support layered multicast. In order to support heterogenous capability for broadcasting, this paper presents statistical multiplexing system for layered multicast. In proposed system, video sequences for multiple programs are encoded to one base layer stream and several enhancement layer streams, and base layer streams of each program are multiplexed into one single CBR channel and multiple enhancement layers of each program are separately multiplexed into multiple single CBR channels. Furthermore, we allocated different bandwidth for each program using complexity measure in order to achieve similar visual quality among all programs in all layers. Experimental results show that the proposed statistical multiplexing system can efficiently support multiple multiplexed streams for layered multicast and provides a smooth video quality change across programs.
Impact of Intracellular Delays and Target-Cell Dynamics on In Vivo Viral Infections

The dynamics of an in-host model with general form of target-cell dynamics, nonlinear incidence, and distributed delay are investigated. The model can describe the in vivo infection dynamics of many viruses such as HIV-I, HCV, and HBV. We derive the basic reproduction number $R_{0}$ for the viral infection and establish that the global dynamics are completely determined by the values of $R_{0}$: if $R_{0}\leq1$, the infection-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable, and the virus is cleared; if $R_{0}>1$, then the infection persists, and the chronic-infection equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable. An implication of our results is that intracellular delays will lead to periodic oscillations in in-host models only with the right kind of target-cell dynamics.
Streptococcus pneumoniae Endocarditis: Persistence of DNA on Heart Valve Material 7 Years after Infectious Episode

ABSTRACT We amplified by PCR and sequenced Streptococcus pneumoniae rpoB from DNA of the cardiac valve of a man who had presented with pneumococcal endocarditis 7 years earlier. Histopathologically, the valve did not show evidence of endocarditis. This case raises the question of persistence of DNA without any evidence of infection.
Evaluation of Kinect skeletal tracking in a virtual reality rehabilitation system for upper limb hemiparesis

This study evaluated the kinematic validity of Microsoft Kinect skeletal tracking for use with an upper limb virtual reality rehabilitation system. We determined the extent to which Kinect tracking of hand position, elbow angle, and trunk position matched that recorded by a motion tracking system over a range of Kinect camera positions. The optimal Kinect camera position was between 1.45m and 1.75m from the user at 0.15m left or right. Tracking error of the Kinect should be considered when the system is used in the clinical setting.
Protein classification using family profiles

Protein classification plays an important role in the research in Bioinformatics. Many discriminative methods, including the SVM based algorithms are used to do this job. In order to use these methods, variable length protein sequences must be converted into fixed-length dimensional vectors. The current work presents a new method of converting sequences into vectors. The method first constructs profile sequences for each protein domain family, then the alignment values of every family profile sequence with a single protein sequence, is used as the protein's according vectors. Then classification algorithms are used to train and predict protein sequences involved. Experiments were presented to test the ability of the SVM algorithm and the LS_StaticEField algorithm to recognize previously unknown sequences via this converting method. Experimental results show that the converting method is good enough and that the LS_StaticEField algorithm is comparable with the SVM one.
VARIABILITY OF THE PULSED RADIO EMISSION FROM THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD PULSAR PSR J0529−6652

We have studied the variability of PSR J0529−6652, a radio pulsar in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), using observations conducted at 1390 MHz with the Parkes 64 m telescope. PSR J0529−6652 is detectable as a single pulse emitter, with amplitudes that classify the pulses as giant pulses. This makes PSR J0529−6652 the second known giant pulse emitter in the LMC, after PSR B0540−69. The fraction of the emitted pulses detectable from PSR J0529−6652 at this frequency is roughly two orders of magnitude greater than it is for either PSR B0540−69 or the Crab pulsar (if the latter were located in the LMC). We have measured a pulse nulling fraction of 83.3% ± 1.5% and an intrinsic modulation index of 4.07 ± 0.29 for PSR J0529−6652. The modulation index is significantly larger than values previously measured for typical radio pulsars but is comparable to values reported for members of several other neutron star classes. The large modulation index, giant pulses, and large nulling fraction suggest that this pulsar is phenomenologically more similar to these other, more variable sources, despite having spin and physical characteristics that are typical of the unrecycled radio pulsar population. The large modulation index also does not appear to be consistent with the small value predicted for this pulsar by a model of polar cap emission outlined by Gil & Sendyk. This conclusion depends to some extent on the assumption that PSR J0529−6652 is exhibiting core emission, as suggested by its simple profile morphology, narrow profile width, and previously measured profile polarization characteristics.
Overcoming Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria Using Bioactive Magnetic Nanoparticles and Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields

Nisin is a known bacteriocin, which exhibits a wide spectrum of antimicrobial activity, while commonly being inefficient against Gram-negative bacteria. In this work, we present a proof of concept of novel antimicrobial methodology using targeted magnetic nisin-loaded nano-carriers [iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) (11–13 nm) capped with citric, ascorbic, and gallic acids], which are activated by high pulsed electric and electromagnetic fields allowing to overcome the nisin-resistance of bacteria. As a cell model the Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Gram-negative Escherichia coli were used. We have applied 10 and 30 kV cm-1 electric field pulses (100 μs × 8) separately and in combination with two pulsed magnetic field protocols: (1) high dB/dt 3.3 T × 50 and (2) 10 mT, 100 kHz, 2 min protocol to induce additional permeabilization and local magnetic hyperthermia. We have shown that the high dB/dt pulsed magnetic fields increase the antimicrobial efficiency of nisin NPs similar to electroporation or magnetic hyperthermia methods and a synergistic treatment is also possible. The results of our work are promising for the development of new methods for treatment of the drug-resistant foodborne pathogens to minimize the risks of invasive infections.
Joint Computation Offloading and Interference Management in Wireless Cellular Networks with Mobile Edge Computing

Mobile edge computing (MEC) has attracted great interests as a promising approach to augment computational capabilities of mobile devices. An important issue in the MEC paradigm is computation offloading. In this paper, we propose an integrated framework for computation offloading and interference management in wireless cellular networks with MEC. In this integrated framework, we formulate the computation offloading decision, physical resource block (PRB) allocation, and MEC computation resource allocation as optimization problems. The MEC server makes the offloading decision according to the local computation overhead estimated by all user equipments (UEs) and the offloading overhead estimated by the MEC server itself. Then, the MEC server performs the PRB allocation using the graph coloring method. The outcomes of the offloading decision and PRB allocation are then used to distribute the computation resource of the MEC server to the UEs. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme with different system parameters.
Comparison of laser safe scanning patterns for second generation LiDAR deflection units

The calculation of the maximum permissible optical energy for two scanning patterns of miniaturized scanning LiDAR systems is presented. The scanning patterns are selected to be suitable for next generation systems based on MEMS mirrors and Optical Phased Arrays alike. Two different wavelengths are compared. Based on the current version of the laser safety standard IEC 60825-1 the maximum energy is determined for the two patterns and two wavelengths. For a wavelength of 1550 nm no differences are revealed. At 905 nm, patterns allowing a large spatial and temporal separation between subsequent measurements are favored.
What happens at the aroma of coffee beans after roasting?

Abstract The coffee aroma is one of the most important quality evaluation criteria employed for coffee commercialization and consumption. The purpose of this study was following the roasting process VOCs creations with the novel Electronic Nose equipped whit 2 of 6 MOX nanowire sensors. The nanowires exhibit exceptional crystalline quality and a very high length-to-width ratio, resulting in enhanced sensing capability as well as long-term material stability for prolonged operation. Four different methods of roasting, made by ROSTAMATIC (Table 1) machine, were applied to gain a clearer picture of the differences in roasted coffee aromas by means of a volatile compound analysis. Different methods applied on four different origins of green coffee (India, Indonesia, Honduras, Santos and Nicaragua). The commercial coffees products are made from a blending from minimum five different kinds of coffee and the consumers have developed an addiction/expectation to a specific flavor and taste. Different methods of roasting process will provide the coffee different aroma that will add flexibility to those one that already posses the matrix due to different origins. This work tests and illustrates the broad spectrum of potential uses of the EN technique in food quality control.
Incorporating spatial information for microaneurysm detection in retinal images

Article history: Received : 07 April, 2017 Accepted : 12 May, 2017 Online: 04 June, 2017 The presence of microaneurysms(MAs) in retinal images is a pathognomonic sign of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). This is one of the leading causes of blindness in the working population worldwide. This paper introduces a novel algorithm that combines information from spatial views of the retina for the purpose of MA detection. Most published research in the literature has addressed the problem of detecting MAs from single retinal images. This work proposes the incorporation of information from two spatial views during the detection process. The algorithm is evaluated using 160 images from 40 patients seen as part of a UK diabetic eye screening programme which contained 207 MAs. An improvement in performance compared to detection from an algorithm that relies on a single image is shown as an increase of 2% ROC score, hence demonstrating the potential of this method.
Global pulses scenario: status and outlook

Although pulse production grew significantly by 1.3% between 1980 and 2013, its per capita availability remained stagnant at around 6.5 kg/capita/year. In 1961, its availability was 9.3 kg/capita/year. One consequence of slower growth in its production is rising pulse prices, which are twice that of cereals. The declining availability of pulses also triggered a boom in its trade, with 19% of the global pulse production traded in 2011 compared with 7% in 1980. In absolute terms, there has been a more than fourfold increase in pulse trade, compared with an only 1.5‐fold increase for cereals. To meet the export demand, pulse production diversified, with developed countries emerging as the main exporters while developing countries were the main importers. The exceptions were Southeastern Asia (Myanmar) and Eastern Africa, which also emerged as important exporters. Projections using an International Model for Policy Analysis of Agricultural Commodities and Trade indicate that the demand for pulses will continue to grow in the short‐to‐medium term in developing counties owing to growing population, rising per capita incomes among the lower‐income groups, and increasing demand for snack/processed foods due to growing urbanization.
Forecasting Chaotic Time Series Based on Improved Genetic Wnn

The chaotic time series forecast was researched by using wavelet neural networks (WNN) in this paper. An improved training method for WNN was presented. The method combines the genetic algorithm (GA) with gradient descent BP algorithm; the BP method was embedded in the GA operation in order to resolve the GA's limitation in detail search capability. In the last step of the method the WNN searches the best solution using BP method once again. The experiment on predicting the chaotic time series from Henon map illustrates the performance of the method; the experimental result also shows the method can assure the WNN convergence quickly and have the higher forecasting precision.
The Influence of Restoration on Salt Marsh Microbial Communities and Senetrification Capacity

Salt marshes play a large role in filtering pollution and nutrients as well as providing habitat for a wide array of species; their importance was undermined until recent history and while restoration efforts are ongoing, their efficiency in creating a “healthy” marsh leaves many questions unanswered, especially in their microbial community composition. In order to assess the effectiveness of marsh restoration, we measured bacterial diversity and potential denitrification rates from two Boston-area marshes with samples taken at three marsh states; restored, degraded, and intact.
Characterization of Natriuretic Peptide Receptors in Cultured Cells

To elucidate physiological and clinical implications of the natriuretic peptide family, the expression of receptors for natriuretic peptides has been examined in cultured cells (a rat pheochromocytoma cell line [PC12], bovine endothelial cells, rat aortic smooth muscle cells, human mesangial cells, and a porcine kidney epithelial cell line [LLC-PK1]) by Northern blot analysis and cyclic GMP production method for the ANP-A and ANP-B receptors and by Northern blot analysis and binding assay for the clearance receptor. The ANP-A receptor was predominantly expressed in PC12 cells, bovine endothelial cells, and LLC-PK, cells but was barely expressed in rat aortic smooth muscle cells and human mesangial cells. By contrast, the ANP-B receptor was the major subtype of the biologically active receptors in rat aortic smooth muscle cells and human mesangial cells. Only a small amount of the ANP-B receptor was detected in PC12 cells, bovine endothelial cells, and LLC-PK, cells. The clearance receptor was abundantly expressed in rat aortic smooth muscle cells and human mesangial cells and was also present in bovine endothelial cells, but it was undetectable in PC12 cells and LLC-PK1 cells. These results demonstrate that the expression of three natriuretic peptide receptors varies from cell to cell, which is relevant to cell- or tissue-specific action of the natriuretic peptide family.
NF-gB-like Factors Mediate Interleukin 1 Induction cmu Gene Transcription in Fibroblasts

Interleukin 1 (IL-1) is a pluripotent cytokine involved in mediating a variety of physiological processes, including induction of cell proliferation upon wound healing. Treatment of quiescent FS-4 human dermal fibroblast cells with II~l activates c-myc gene transcription, and nuclear localization of NF-xB. Previously, we have noted that the murine c-myc gene contains two functional NF-t~B sites located at -1101 to -1081 bp (upstream regulatory element [URE]) and +440 to +459 bp (internal regulatory element [IRE]) relative to the P1 promoter. Here we have demonstrated that IL-1 treatment induced binding of NF-/~B-like proteins (p50/p65) to these c-myc elements. Heterologous promoter-CAT constructs driven by multiple copies of either the URE or IRE were IL-1 inducible when transfected into FS-4 cells. In contrast, constructs harboring elements with two G to C residue conversions, such that they were no longer able to bind NFKB, were not responsive to I~1. Mutation of these two base pairs at both NF-xB sites within a c-myc promoter/exon I-CAT construct, resulted in loss of inducibility with IL-1 upon transfection into quiescent FS-4 cells. Thus, Ibl significantly induces c-myc expression through positive regulation by NF-KB, suggesting a role for this family of factors in activation of proliferation associated with wound healing.
Are Social Bots on Twitter Political Actors? Empirical Evidence from a Ukrainian Social Botnet

A considerable amount of data in social networks like Twitter is not generated by humans but by automatic programs (bots). Some of these bots are mimicking humans (socialbots) and can hardly be identified. In this article, we analyze a social botnet involved in the Ukrainian/Russian conflict. Based on text mining and unsupervised learning, we can identify three different behaviors: mimicry, window dressing, and reverberation.
Serum metabolomics in animal models and human disease

Purpose of reviewThe aim of this study is to highlight some recent uses of serum metabolomics in human and animal studies. The main themes are the importance of understanding the underlying variation in human metabolism and the use of serum metabolomics in disease profiling. Recent findingsSeveral studies have attempted to use serum metabolomics to develop noninvasive biomarkers of disease and/or track the consequences of nutritional and genetic interventions. Many advances have been made with common changes being identified in ageing, the menopause and cancer but several problems of interpretation have emerged from these studies. These include the small sample sizes in most human studies and the differences between human and rodent metabolomes. However, a metabolic screen of over 1000 ‘healthy’ humans (the Humsermet project) has highlighted many variables that may be used to refine the interpretation and design of previous and future human studies alike, in addition to data mining. SummarySome common serum metabolome alterations have been identified but many inconsistencies remain. The construction of a human serum metabolome database should be informative in the design of future human and animal model studies.
The Effects of Sodium Butyrate on Transcription Are Mediated through Activation of a Protein Phosphatase*

In this study we have investigated the molecular mechanism by which sodium butyrate modulates gene expression when added to cultured cells. As a model system we used hepatoma tissue culture cells in which sodium butyrate treatment increases histone H1° mRNA level and decreases c-myc mRNA level. Because we observed that stimulation of histone H1° gene expression could take place in the absence of protein neosynthesis, we hypothesized that sodium butyrate induced a post-translational modification of a factor involved in the transcription process. Using different types of well known kinase and phosphatase inhibitors, we studied the implication of kinase or phosphatase activity in this pathway. Interestingly, cell treatment with potent serine-threonine-phosphatase inhibitors, calyculin A or okadaic acid, prevented the regulation of both histone H1° and c-myc gene expressions by sodium butyrate. On the other hand, the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, vanadate, or the protein kinase C inhibitor, staurosporine, did not significantly modify sodium butyrate effects. Using protein phosphatase 1 and 2A forin vitro assays, we found a 45% increase of phosphatase activity after cell treatment by sodium butyrate, possibly due to a protein phosphatase 1-type protein phosphatase. These data strongly suggest that signaling pathway(s) triggered by sodium butyrate to modulate gene expression involve(s) a serine-threonine-phosphatase activity.