Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional definition of seizure provides new insight into post-traumatic epileptogenesis

Experimental animals’ seizures are often defined arbitrarily based on duration, which may lead to misjudgement of the syndrome and failure to develop a cure. We employed a functional definition of seizures based on the clinical practice of observing epileptiform electrocorticography and simultaneous ictal behaviour, and examined post-traumatic epilepsy induced in rats by rostral parasagittal fluid percussion injury and epilepsy patients evaluated with invasive monitoring. We showed previously that rostral parasagittal fluid percussion injury induces different types of chronic recurrent spontaneous partial seizures that worsen in frequency and duration over the months post injury. However, a remarkable feature of rostral parasagittal fluid percussion injury is the occurrence, in the early months post injury, of brief (<2 s) focal, recurrent and spontaneous epileptiform electrocorticography events (EEEs) that are never observed in sham-injured animals and have electrographic appearance similar to the onset of obvious chronic recurrent spontaneous partial seizures. Simultaneous epidural-electrocorticography and scalp-electroencephalography recordings in the rat demonstrated that these short EEEs are undetectable by scalp electrocorticography. Behavioural analysis performed blinded to the electrocorticography revealed that (i) brief EEEs lasting 0.8–2 s occur simultaneously with behavioural arrest; and (ii) while behavioural arrest is part of the rat's behavioural repertoire, the probability of behavioural arrest is greatly elevated during EEEs. Moreover, spectral analysis showed that EEEs lasting 0.8–2 s occurring during periods of active behaviour with dominant theta activity are immediately followed by loss of such theta activity. We thus conclude that EEEs lasting 0.8–2 s are ictal in the rat. We demonstrate that the assessment of the time course of fluid percussion injury-induced epileptogenesis is dramatically biased by the definition of seizure employed, with common duration-based arbitrary definitions resulting in artificially prolonged latencies for epileptogenesis. Finally, we present four human examples of electrocorticography capturing short (<2 s), stereotyped, neocortically generated EEEs that occurred in the same ictal sites as obvious complex partial seizures, were electrographically similar to rat EEEs and were not noted during scalp electroencephalography. When occurring in the motor cortex, these short EEEs were accompanied by ictal behaviour detectable with simultaneous surface electromyography. These data demonstrate that short (<2 s) focal recurrent spontaneous EEEs are seizures in both rats and humans, that they are undetectable by scalp electroencephalography, and that they are typically associated with subtle and easily missed behavioural correlates. These findings define the earliest identifiable markers of progressive post-traumatic epilepsy in the rat, with implications for mechanistic and prophylactic studies, and should prompt a re-evaluation of the concept of post-traumatic silent period in both animals and humans.
High plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein levels may favour reduced incidence of cardiovascular events in men with low triglycerides.

AIMS High cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) concentrations are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in subjects with high triglycerides. We determined the relationship of plasma CETP with incident CVD in a population with relatively low triglycerides. METHODS AND RESULTS A nested case-control study was performed in men participating in the prospective PREVEND study, after exclusion of CVD, diabetes mellitus, and lipid-lowering drugs use at baseline. Plasma CETP was measured in 111 men who developed a cardiovascular event (cases) during follow-up and in 116 controls who remained free of CVD. Fasting total cholesterol (P < 0.001) and triglycerides (P < 0.001) were higher, HDL cholesterol was lower (P = 0.001), but CETP was similar in cases and controls (P = 0.39). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that CVD risk tended to be lower with higher plasma CETP after adjustment for age and lipids (hazard ratio 0.84; 95% CI 0.69-1.03, P = 0.10). Plasma CETP was lower in cases than in controls (P = 0.05) with triglycerides < or = 1.38 mmol/L (median), but not with higher triglycerides. The age-adjusted hazard ratio for CVD was 0.46 (95% CI 0.24-0.90) in men with triglycerides < or = 1.38 mmol/L and CETP > 2.26 mg/L (median) compared with men with similarly low triglycerides and CETP < or = 2.26 mg/L. With higher triglycerides, the hazard ratio for CVD was similar in both CETP categories. CONCLUSION Relatively high plasma CETP may favour reduced CVD risk in the context of low triglycerides.
The implication of neurovascular unit signaling in controlling the subtle balance between injury and repair following ischemic stroke

Neurovascular unit (NVU): Brain microvasculature has a close structural and functional relationship with brain parenchyma, an aspect governed by the NVU (Hermann and ElAli, 2012). The concept of it was introduced by the Stroke Progress Review Group who defined it as triad of neurons, glia (astrocytes and microglia), and adjacent vasculature (arterioles and capillaries) [The Stroke Progress Review Group (SPRG) 2002. Stroke Priorities for the 21st Century. http://www.ninds. nih.gov/about_ninds/groups/stroke_prg/sprg_overview. pdf]. More precisely, the NVU constitutes an integrative biological system comprising tightly sealed endothelial cells, forming the blood-brain barrier (BBB), that interact with extracellular matrix proteins, pericytes, astrocyte endfeet, microglia and neurons (Herman and ElAli, 2012). The NVU is a site of dynamic and complex biochemical and cellular interactions that work in concert to enable proper brain homeostasis and functioning (Hermann and ElAli, 2012). It maintains an optimal biochemical microenvironment suitable for neuronal function and viability by controlling neurovascular coupling, adjusting regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and regulating BBB function (Hermann and ElAli, 2012). Besides, the NVU constitutes an important checkpoint that shapes the adaptive and innate immune responses of the brain (Lampron et al., 2013). More precisely, pericytes and perivascular macrophages have an antigen presentation potential in adaptive immunity, whereas endothelial cells and microglia are richly endowed with innate immunity (Lampron et al., 2013).
Chorionic villus sampling before multifetal pregnancy reduction.

OBJECTIVE This study was undertaken to determine the technical feasibility and accuracy of chorionic villus sampling before multifetal pregnancy reduction and to determine whether sampling increases the pregnancy loss rate after the reduction procedure. STUDY DESIGN Between January 22, 1986, and January 20, 2000, a total of 1183 patients underwent first-trimester multifetal pregnancy reduction at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Chorionic villus sampling was attempted in 86 patients before the reduction procedure. Information on the technical success and accuracy of chorionic villus sampling, as well as pregnancy outcome, was collected on all patients. Pregnancy loss rates before 24 weeks' gestation in patients undergoing chorionic villus sampling before multifetal pregnancy reduction were compared with rates in patients not undergoing sampling. RESULTS Chorionic villus sampling was successfully completed in 85 (98.8%) of 86 patients in whom sampling was attempted. Of 166 fetuses, 165 (99.4%) were successfully sampled. Of 165 fetuses, 3 (1.8%) had karyotypic abnormalities. Sampling errors were probably made in 2 (1.2%) of 165 fetuses. Of the 73 patients who have been delivered or are beyond 24 weeks' gestation, only 1 patient (1.4%) had a pregnancy loss after the multifetal pregnancy reduction. CONCLUSIONS Chorionic villus sampling before multifetal pregnancy reduction is technically feasible and accurate, with an acceptably low sampling error rate. Chorionic villus sampling before multifetal pregnancy reduction appears to be safe and does not increase the risk of loss after the reduction procedure.
Acute carpal tunnel syndrome of the hand following a cat bite

Cat bites at the hand are common situation in emergency departments. Neglected or poorly supported, these lesions sometimes lead to serious injuries that may compromise the function of the hand. Pasteurellamultocida is the most offending germ in these lesions, despite their sensitivity to antibiotics; it can sometimes lead to deep infections involving the skin, bones and joints. Acute carpal tunnel syndrome is exceptional after cat bite. We report a case of a 56 Year old female presenting with an acute carpal tunnel syndrome associated with compartment syndrome of the right hand 6 days after a cat bite of her right thumb. The patient was treated by surgery to relieve the median nerve. Microbiology identified PasteurellaMultocida.
Time and wavelength division multiaccess with acoustooptic tunable filters

Abstract In this article we propose a novel time and wavelength division multiple access (T/WDMA) scheme for a metropolitan area network based on a passive optical star. This scheme supports circuit-switched traffic in an environment with a large number of users with applications that span a broad range of data rates (from voice to full motion video). The scheme can be implemented using acoustooptic tunable filters characterized by a relatively large tuning range (around 100 wavelengths) and a relatively low tuning speed (around 10 μs). Performance of this scheme is studied by simulation for the uniform, single-rate, point-to-point traffic case. We also show how the multiwavelength filtering capability of acoustooptic tunable filters can be used to improve the performance of the proposed T/WDMA scheme.
An efficient parallel algorithm for accelerating computational protein design

Motivation: Structure-based computational protein design (SCPR) is an important topic in protein engineering. Under the assumption of a rigid backbone and a finite set of discrete conformations of side-chains, various methods have been proposed to address this problem. A popular method is to combine the dead-end elimination (DEE) and A* tree search algorithms, which provably finds the global minimum energy conformation (GMEC) solution. Results: In this article, we improve the efficiency of computing A* heuristic functions for protein design and propose a variant of A* algorithm in which the search process can be performed on a single GPU in a massively parallel fashion. In addition, we make some efforts to address the memory exceeding problem in A* search. As a result, our enhancements can achieve a significant speedup of the A*-based protein design algorithm by four orders of magnitude on large-scale test data through pre-computation and parallelization, while still maintaining an acceptable memory overhead. We also show that our parallel A* search algorithm could be successfully combined with iMinDEE, a state-of-the-art DEE criterion, for rotamer pruning to further improve SCPR with the consideration of continuous side-chain flexibility. Availability: Our software is available and distributed open-source under the GNU Lesser General License Version 2.1 (GNU, February 1999). The source code can be downloaded from http://www.cs. duke.edu/donaldlab/osprey.php or http://iiis.tsinghua.edu.cn/∼compbio/software.html. Contact: zengjy321@tsinghua.edu.cn Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
What Is Love?

SUMMARY A theory to explain the phenomena of love is suggested. The construct of love is dissected into physiological and psychodynamic components. Love is explained first via its adaptive function, then by its physiological arousal which is interpreted as either anxiety or excitement, which is activated via goodness-of-fit of each individual's internal love model. The leap to love is contingent on the complex constellation of the above-mentioned idiosyncratic components finding synthesis within individuals and between mates. Intimacy can be nurtured, but love, similar to humans and life itself, appears to be greater than the sum of its parts.
Real time Multiple Generalized Predictive Control based on a Neuro-fuzzy model

This paper presents an implementation of Multiple Generalized Predictive Control (MGPC) based a Neuro-fuzzy model to control a real time gaseous nonlinear process. Firstly, a Neuro-fuzzy model, which describes the dynamic characteristics of the process is identified and optimized. Because the consequent part of the identified Neuro-fuzzy model is represented as a form of several Auto-Regressive Exogenous (ARX) sub models, MGPC are then designed based on the ARX sub models to work collaboratively to control the process. To validate the improvement of the proposed control strategy, two real time closed loop tests, referred as set-point tracking and disturbance rejection are investigated. In both tests, the performances of the proposed MGPC are benchmarked to the performances of traditional single GPC, which is designed based on a single ARX model. Results from the comparison show that the MGPC based Neuro-fuzzy model is able to improve the performance of nonlinear control system.
Semantics-Driven Interoperability on the Future Internet

The Internet as we know it today is in an extending success: more than 1,3 billions people are connected to the Web across the globe and more than 700 EB of informations were created or replicated world wide. The development is driven by users, as well as by technology. Web 2.0 changed users to creators of content. Intelligent devices, clothes, fridges, machines and factories are connected and interact automatically without direct human involvement. But since the current Internet consist mostly of unstructured data and resources, most of the data and resources are unusable for the average user. The fact is, the current Internet is broken. We still have not one Web, but a vast variety of different unlinked data. The Future Internet will have to change. This paper proposes a roadmap for research and development in the field of the Future Internet. The roadmap surveys the main challenges to be addressed within the core cross-domain areas of the Future Internet, challenges that need to be solved if a successful Future Internet is to emerge. Each of these challenges is described in a dedicated section that analyzes the state of the art, proposes solutions on how to overcome the major problems, and elaborates on the role of semantic technologies in the resolution of these problems.
Photonic-Crystal Demultiplexer With Improved Crosstalk by Second-Order Cavity Filtering

In this paper, we implement on a silicon-on-insulator (SoI) platform a photonic-crystal demultiplexer that operates on the principle of mini-stopbands of broader waveguides. Previous InP-based membrane versions showed modest crosstalk at 10 nm spacing. Here, we implement a second cavity in the form of a second parallel waveguide almost identical to the core one. Simulations employing three-modes coupled-mode theory and finite-difference time-domain help optimizing the coupling. The experimental realization with deep ultraviolet exposure and grating couplers is the first of this demux strategy on SoI. It successfully shows crosstalk in the 15-20 dB range on a very small footprint.
Widespread deficits in adult neurogenesis precede plaque and tangle formation in the 3xTg mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects cognitive modalities that are known to be regulated by adult neurogenesis, such as hippocampal‐ and olfactory‐dependent learning and memory. However, the relationship between AD‐associated pathologies and alterations in adult neurogenesis has remained contentious. In the present study, we performed a detailed investigation of adult neurogenesis in the triple transgenic (3xTg) mouse model of AD, a unique model that generates both amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the hallmark pathologies of AD. In both neurogenic niches of the brain, the hippocampal dentate gyrus and forebrain subventricular zone, we found that 3xTg mice had decreased numbers of (i) proliferating cells, (ii) early lineage neural progenitors, and (iii) neuroblasts at middle age (11 months old) and old age (18 months old). These decreases correlated with major reductions in the addition of new neurons to the respective target areas, the dentate granule cell layer and olfactory bulb. Within the subventricular zone niche, cytological alterations were observed that included a selective loss of subependymal cells and the development of large lipid droplets within the ependyma of 3xTg mice, indicative of metabolic changes. Temporally, there was a marked acceleration of age‐related decreases in 3xTg mice, which affected multiple stages of neurogenesis and was clearly apparent prior to the development of amyloid plaques or neurofibrillary tangles. Our findings indicate that AD‐associated mutations suppress neurogenesis early during disease development. This suggests that deficits in adult neurogenesis may mediate premature cognitive decline in AD.
Hearing the Maximum Entropy Potential of neuronal networks

We consider a spike-generating stationary Markov process whose transition probabilities are known. We show that there is a canonical potential whose Gibbs distribution, obtained from the Maximum Entropy Principle (MaxEnt), is the equilibrium distribution of this process. We provide a method to compute explicitly and exactly this potential as a linear combination of spatio-temporal interactions. In particular, our results establish an explicit relation between Maximum Entropy models and neuro-mimetic models used in spike train statistics.
The yeast two-hybrid system detects interactions between Bacillus subtilis sigmaB regulators

SigmaB, the general stress response sigma factor of Bacillus subtilis, is regulated by the products of seven genes (rsbR, S, T, U, V, W, and X) with which it is cotranscribed. Biochemical techniques previously revealed physical associations among RsbW, RsbV, and sigmaB but failed to detect interactions of RsbR, S, T, U, or X with each other or RsbV, RsbW, or sigmaB. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we have now obtained evidence for such interactions. The yeast reporter system was activated when RsbS was paired with either RsbR or RsbT, RsbR was paired with RsbT, and RsbV was paired with either RsbU or RsbW. In addition, RsbW2 and RsbR2 dimer formation was detected. RsbX failed to show interactions with itself or any of the other sigB operon products.
Integrative Transcriptome, Genome and Quantitative Trait Loci Resources Identify Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Candidate Genes for Growth Traits in Turbot

Growth traits represent a main goal in aquaculture breeding programs and may be related to adaptive variation in wild fisheries. Integrating quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and next generation sequencing can greatly help to identify variation in candidate genes, which can result in marker-assisted selection and better genetic structure information. Turbot is a commercially important flatfish in Europe and China, with available genomic information on QTLs and genome mapping. Muscle and liver RNA-seq from 18 individuals was carried out to obtain gene sequences and markers functionally related to growth, resulting in a total of 20,447 genes and 85,344 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Many growth-related genes and SNPs were identified and placed in the turbot genome and genetic map to explore their co-localization with growth-QTL markers. Forty-five SNPs on growth-related genes were selected based on QTL co-localization and relevant function for growth traits. Forty-three SNPs were technically feasible and validated in a wild Atlantic population, where 91% were polymorphic. The integration of functional and structural genomic resources in turbot provides a practical approach for QTL mining in this species. Validated SNPs represent a useful set of growth-related gene markers for future association, functional and population studies in this flatfish species.
The role of the human Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines in malaria susceptibility: current opinions and future treatment prospects

The Duffy antigen receptor for chemokine (DARC) is a nonspecific receptor for several proinflammatory cytokines. It is homologous to the G-protein chemokine receptor superfamily, which is suggested to function as a scavenger in many inflammatory-and proinflammatory-related diseases. G-protein chemokine receptors are also known to play a critical role in infectious diseases; they are commonly used as entry vehicles by infectious agents. A typical example is the chemokine receptor CCR5 or CXCR4 used by HIV for infecting target cells. In malaria, DARC is considered an essential receptor that mediates the entry of the human and zoonotic malaria parasites Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium knowlesi into human reticulocytes and erythrocytes, respectively. This process is mediated through interaction with the parasite ligand known as the Duffy binding protein (DBP). Most therapeutic strategies have been focused on blocking the interaction between DBP and DARC by targeting the parasite ligand, while strategies targeting the receptor, DARC, have not been intensively investigated. The rapid increase in drug resistance and the lack of new effective drugs or a vaccine for malaria constitute a major threat and a need for novel therapeutics to combat disease. This review explores strategies that can be used to target the receptor. Inhibitors of DARC, which block DBP–DARC interaction, can potentially provide an effective strategy for preventing malaria caused by P. vivax.
The effect of the Family Case Management Program on 1996 birth outcomes in Illinois.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine if birth outcomes for Medicaid recipients were improved with participation in the Illinois Family Case Management Program. METHODS Health program data files were linked with the 1996 Illinois Vital Records linked birth-death certificate file. Logistic regression was used to characterize the variation in birth outcomes as a function of Family Case Management participation while statistically controlling for measurable factors found to be confounders. RESULTS Results of the logistic regression analysis show that women who participated in the Family Care Management Program were significantly less likely to give birth to very low birth weight infants (odds ratio [OR] = 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.75, 0.99) and low birth weight infants (OR = 0.83, CI = 0.79, 0.89). For infant mortality, however, the adjusted OR (OR = 0.98, CI = 0.82, 1.17), although under 1, was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the Family Case Management Program may be effective in reducing very low birth weight and low birth weight rates among infants born to low-income women.