Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Membrane domains and flagellar pocket boundaries are influenced by the cytoskeleton in African trypanosomes

A key feature of immune evasion for African trypanosomes is the functional specialization of their surface membrane in an invagination known as the flagellar pocket (FP), the cell's sole site of endocytosis and exocytosis. The FP membrane is biochemically distinct yet continuous with those of the cell body and the flagellum. The structural features maintaining this individuality are not known, and we lack a clear understanding of how extracellular components gain access to the FP. Here, we have defined domains and boundaries on these surface membranes and identified their association with internal cytoskeletal features. The FP membrane appears largely homogeneous and uniformly involved in endocytosis. However, when endocytosis is blocked, receptor-mediated and fluid-phase endocytic markers accumulate specifically on membrane associated with four specialized microtubules in the FP region. These microtubules traverse a distinct boundary and associate with a channel that connects the FP lumen to the extracellular space, suggesting that the channel is the major transport route into the FP.
A −31dBc integrated-phase-noise 29GHz fractional-N frequency synthesizer supporting multiple frequency bands for backward-compatible 5G using a frequency doubler and injection-locked frequency multipliers

To address the increasing demand for high-bandwidth mobile communications, 5G technology is targeted to support data-rates up to 10Gb/s. To reach this goal, one of challenging tasks for wireless transceivers is to generate millimeter-wave (mmW) band Lo signals that have an ultra-low integrated phase noise (IPN). The IPN of an LO signal should be reduced to less than −30dBc to satisfy the EVM requirements of high-order modulations, such as 64-QAM. Figure 23.1. 1 shows the frequency spectrum for cellular systems, including existing bands below 6GHz and new mmW bands for 5G. A key goal of the evolution of mobile communications is to ensure interoperability with past-generation standards, and this is expected to continue for 5G. Thus, LO generators eventually will be designed to cover existing bands as well as mmW bands. There are many PLLs that can generate mmW signals directly [1,2], but their ability to achieve low IPN is limited. This is because they are susceptible to increases in in-band phase noise due to their large division numbers and out-of-band phase noise due to the low Q-factors of mmW VCOs. They also require a significant amount of power to operate high-frequency circuits, such as frequency dividers. In addition, they must divide frequencies again to support bands below 6GHz, resulting in the consumption of additional power.
The Health and Wealth of Nations

People who live in richer countries live longer than people who live in poor countries. Over the last century and half, or perhaps longer, income and longevity have increased together in the now rich countries, so that people got healthier as they got wealthier. Within both rich and poor countries, people who are richer live longer. Why is there such a close correlation between wealth and health, and why does it matter? One reason to care about health and wealth is that it changes the way that we should think about poverty and deprivation. We are rightly concerned about poverty because we do not think that people should have too little income to meet basic necessities or to live a decent life. But the poor not only do not have enough money, they also have shorter lives, and lives that are more often diminished by sickness. They are poor not only in money, but also in health. If we are driven by humanitarianism, or by justice, to help the income-poor, those reasons have greater force once we realize that, taking income and health together, the poor are even poorer than we thought, and we, the rich, are richer than we thought.
Understanding the Causes of Kidney Transplant Failure : The Dominant Role of Antibody-Mediated Rejection and Nonadherence

aAlberta Transplant Applied Genomics Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada bDepartment of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Transplant Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada cDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada dDepartment of Nephrology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany eDepartment of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN *Corresponding author: Philip F. Halloran, phil.halloran@ualberta.ca
AWESoME: Big Data for Automatic Web Service Management in SDN

Software defined network (SDN) has enabled consistent and programmable management in computer networks. However, the explosion of cloud services and content delivery networks (CDNs)—coupled with the momentum of encryption—challenges the simple per-flow management and calls for a more comprehensive approach for managing Web traffic. We propose a new approach based on a “per service” management concept, which allows to identify and prioritize all traffic of important Web services, while segregating others, even if they are running on the same cloud platform, or served by the same CDN. We design and evaluate AWESoME, automatic Web service manager, a novel SDN application to address the above problem. On the one hand, it leverages big data algorithms to automatically build models describing the traffic of thousands of Web services. On the other hand, it uses the models to install rules in SDN switches to steer all flows related to the originating services. Using traffic traces from volunteers and operational networks, we provide extensive experimental results to show that AWESoME associates flows to the corresponding Web service in real-time and with high accuracy. AWESoME introduces a negligible load on the SDN controller and installs a limited number of rules on switches, hence scaling well in realistic deployments. Finally, for easy reproducibility, we release ground truth traces and scripts implementing AWESoME core components.
An empirical analysis of journal policy effectiveness for computational reproducibility

A key component of scientific communication is sufficient information for other researchers in the field to reproduce published findings. For computational and data-enabled research, this has often been interpreted to mean making available the raw data from which results were generated, the computer code that generated the findings, and any additional information needed such as workflows and input parameters. Many journals are revising author guidelines to include data and code availability. This work evaluates the effectiveness of journal policy that requires the data and code necessary for reproducibility be made available postpublication by the authors upon request. We assess the effectiveness of such a policy by (i) requesting data and code from authors and (ii) attempting replication of the published findings. We chose a random sample of 204 scientific papers published in the journal Science after the implementation of their policy in February 2011. We found that we were able to obtain artifacts from 44% of our sample and were able to reproduce the findings for 26%. We find this policy—author remission of data and code postpublication upon request—an improvement over no policy, but currently insufficient for reproducibility.
A Robust Machine Learning Method for Cell-Load Approximation in Wireless Networks

We propose a learning algorithm for cell-load approximation in wireless networks. The proposed algorithm is robust in the sense that it is designed to cope with the uncertainty arising from a small number of training samples. This scenario is highly relevant in wireless networks where training has to be performed on short time scales because of a fast time-varying communication environment. The first part of this work studies the set of feasible rates and shows that this set is compact. We then prove that the mapping relating a feasible rate vector to the unique fixed point of the non-linear cell-load mapping is monotone and uniformly continuous. Utilizing these properties, we apply an approximation framework that achieves the best worst-case performance. Furthermore, the approximation preserves the monotonicity and continuity properties. Simulations show that the proposed method exhibits better robustness and accuracy for small training sets in comparison with standard approximation techniques for multivariate data.
Whole-Community Facilitation Regulates Biodiversity on Patagonian Rocky Shores

Background Understanding the factors that generate and maintain biodiversity is a central goal in ecology. While positive species interactions (i.e., facilitation) have historically been underemphasized in ecological research, they are increasingly recognized as playing important roles in the evolution and maintenance of biodiversity. Dominant habitat-forming species (foundation species) buffer environmental conditions and can therefore facilitate myriad associated species. Theory predicts that facilitation will be the dominant community-structuring force under harsh environmental conditions, where organisms depend on shelter for survival and predation is diminished. Wind-swept, arid Patagonian rocky shores are one of the most desiccating intertidal rocky shores ever studied, providing an opportunity to test this theory and elucidate the context-dependency of facilitation. Methodology/Principal Findings Surveys across 2100 km of southern Argentinean coastline and experimental manipulations both supported theoretical predictions, with 43 out of 46 species in the animal assemblage obligated to living within the matrices of mussels for protection from potentially lethal desiccation stress and predators having no detectable impact on diversity. Conclusions/Significance These results provide the first experimental support of long-standing theoretical predictions and reveal that in extreme climates, maintenance of whole-community diversity can be maintained by positive interactions that ameliorate physical stress. These findings have important conservation implications and emphasize that preserving foundation species should be a priority in remediating the biodiversity consequences of global climate change.
Intensive blood-pressure lowering in patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage.

Clinical question Is intensive blood pressure (BP) treatment (systolic BP target 110-139 mm Hg) better than standard antihypertensive treatment (systolic BP target 140-179 mm Hg) in reducing mortality and disability in patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)? Article chosen Qureshi AI, Palesch YY, Barsan WG, et al. Intensive blood-pressure lowering in patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage. N Engl J Med 2016;375(11):1033-43. OBJECTIVE To determine the therapeutic benefit of intensive BP treatment compared to standard BP treatment in reducing death and disability after 3 months of follow-up among patients with ICH treated within 4.5 hours from onset of symptoms.
The Influence of Various Morphologic and Hemodynamic Carotid Plaque Characteristics on Neurological Events Onset and Deaths

A group of 72 patients with 111 asymptomatic carotid stenoses (ACS), mean age 65.42 ± 9.21, and a group of 36 patients with 58 symptomatic carotid stenoses (SCS), mean age 67.63 ± 8.79, were analyzed prospectively during a 3-year follow-up period. All patients underwent color duplex scan sonography (CDS), carotid arteriography, computed tomography (CT) scan, and neurological examination. The aim of the study was to analyze the correlation between echo plaque morphology (degree and plaque quality), local hemodynamic plaque characteristics, ischemic CT findings, and onset of new neurological events and deaths. The results analysis showed significantly more ACS in the group of 30–49% stenosis (p < 0.001), but significantly more SCS in the group of 70–89% (p < 0.0001) and ≥90% stenosis (p < 0.05). Fibrous plaque was more frequent in the ACS group (p < 0.001), while ulcerated and mixed plaques were more frequent in the SCS group (both p < 0.0001). In the SCS group, a significantly higher frequency of increased peak systolic and end diastolic velocities was noted at the beginning and end of the study (both p < 0.01), as well as for contralateral common (CCA) or internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively), but reduced carotid blood flow volume (p < 0.05) only at the end of the study. In the ACS group, the best correlation with new neurological events and deaths was shown with positive CT findings, peak systolic flow velocity over 210 cm/sec, end diastolic flow velocity over 110 cm/sec, plaque stenosis ≥70%, plaque ulceration, mixed plaque (all p < 0.0001); stenosis ≥50% (p < 0.001); and reduced carotid blood flow volume (p < 0.05).
Sentinels of Breach: Lexical Choice as a Measure of Urgency in Social Media

Objective This paper identifies general properties of language style in social media to help identify areas of need in disasters. Background In the search for metrics of need in social media data, much of the existing literature ignores processes of language usage. Psychological concepts, such as narrative breach, Gricean maxims, and lexical marking in cognition, may assist the recovery of disaster-relevant metrics from altered patterns of word prevalence. Method We analyzed several hundred thousand location-specific microblogs from Twitter for Hurricane Sandy, Oklahoma tornadoes, and the Boston Marathon bombing along with a fantasy football control corpus, examining the relative frequency of words in 36 antonym pairs. We compared the ratio of words within these pairs to the corresponding ratios recovered from an online word norm database. Results Partial rank correlation values between observed antonym ratios demonstrate consistent patterns across disasters. For Hurricane Sandy data, 25 antonym pairs have moderate to large effect sizes for discrepancies between observed and normative ratios. Across disasters, 7 pairs are stable and meet effect size criteria. Sentiment analysis, supplementary word frequency counts with respect to disaster proximity, and examples support a “breach” account for the observed results. Conclusion Lexical choice between antonyms, only somewhat related to sentiment, suggests that social media capture wide-ranging breaches of normal functioning. Application Antonym selection contributes to screening tools based on language style for identifying relevant content and quantifying disruption using social media without the a priori specification of content keywords.
Living and dying with advanced dementia: A prospective cohort study of symptoms, service use and care at the end of life

Background: Increasing number of people are dying with advanced dementia. Comfort and quality of life are key goals of care. Aims: To describe (1) physical and psychological symptoms, (2) health and social care service utilisation and (3) care at end of life in people with advanced dementia. Design: 9-month prospective cohort study. Setting and participants: Greater London, England, people with advanced dementia (Functional Assessment Staging Scale 6e and above) from 14 nursing homes or their own homes. Main outcome measures: At study entry and monthly: prescriptions, Charlson Comorbidity Index, pressure sore risk/severity (Waterlow Scale/Stirling Scale, respectively), acute medical events, pain (Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia), neuropsychiatric symptoms (Neuropsychiatric Inventory), quality of life (Quality of Life in Late-Stage Dementia Scale), resource use (Resource Utilization in Dementia Questionnaire and Client Services Receipt Inventory), presence/type of advance care plans, interventions, mortality, place of death and comfort (Symptom Management at End of Life in Dementia Scale). Results: Of 159 potential participants, 85 were recruited (62% alive at end of follow-up). Pain (11% at rest, 61% on movement) and significant agitation (54%) were common and persistent. Aspiration, dyspnoea, septicaemia and pneumonia were more frequent in those who died. In total, 76% had ‘do not resuscitate’ statements, less than 40% advance care plans. Most received primary care visits, there was little input from geriatrics or mental health but contact with emergency paramedics was common. Conclusion: People with advanced dementia lived with distressing symptoms. Service provision was not tailored to their needs. Longitudinal multidisciplinary input could optimise symptom control and quality of life.
Scaling waist girth for differences in body size reveals a new improved index associated with cardiometabolic risk

Our aim was to examine whether a new ratio, waist divided by height0.5 (WHT.5R), is both independent of stature and a stronger predictor of cardiometabolic risk (CMR) than other anthropometric indices. Subjects (4117 men and 646 women), aged 20–69 years, were assessed for stature (cm), mass (kg), waist, and hip girths (cm) from which body mass index (BMI), waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR), waist‐to‐height ratio (WHTR), and two new indices, a body shape index (ABSI) and WHT.5R, were determined. We used the allometric power law, W = a.HTb, to obtain a simple body shape index for waist girth (W) to be independent of stature (HT). Physical activity was determined using self‐report, and physical fitness was determined using the Bruce protocol. Glucose, total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein, high‐density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and TC/HDL ratio were determined from fasting venous blood samples. A single CMR composite score was derived from log‐transformed z‐scores of Triglycerides + average blood pressure ((diastolic + systolic)/2) + glucose + HDL (*−1). Results confirmed WHT.5R to be independent of stature and the strongest predictor of CMR, compared with BMI, WC, WHR, ABSI, and WHTR. We also found that CMR scores decline significantly with increasing fitness and physical activity, confirming that being fit and active can compensate for the adverse effects of being fat as measured by all other anthropometric indices. In conclusion, WHT.5R was the best anthropometric index associated with CMR, and being both physically fit and active has a protective effect on CMR, irrespective of weight status.
Sirt3 Impairment and SOD2 Hyperacetylation in Vascular Oxidative Stress and Hypertension

Rationale: Clinical studies have shown that Sirt3 (Sirtuin 3) expression declines by 40% by 65 years of age paralleling the increased incidence of hypertension and metabolic conditions further inactivate Sirt3 because of increased NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced form) and acetyl-CoA levels. Sirt3 impairment reduces the activity of a key mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) because of hyperacetylation. Objective: In this study, we examined whether the loss of Sirt3 activity increases vascular oxidative stress because of SOD2 hyperacetylation and promotes endothelial dysfunction and hypertension. Methods and Results: Hypertension was markedly increased in Sirt3-knockout (Sirt3−/−) and SOD2-depleted (SOD2+/−) mice in response to low dose of angiotensin II (0.3 mg/kg per day) compared with wild-type C57Bl/6J mice. Sirt3 depletion increased SOD2 acetylation, elevated mitochondrial O2· –, and diminished endothelial nitric oxide. Angiotensin II-induced hypertension was associated with Sirt3 S-glutathionylation, acetylation of vascular SOD2, and reduced SOD2 activity. Scavenging of mitochondrial H2O2 in mCAT mice expressing mitochondria-targeted catalase prevented Sirt3 and SOD2 impairment and attenuated hypertension. Treatment of mice after onset of hypertension with a mitochondria-targeted H2O2 scavenger, mitochondria-targeted hydrogen peroxide scavenger ebselen, reduced Sirt3 S-glutathionylation, diminished SOD2 acetylation, and reduced blood pressure in wild-type but not in Sirt3−/− mice, whereas an SOD2 mimetic, (2-[2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl-4-ylamino]-2-oxoethyl) triphenylphosphonium (mitoTEMPO), reduced blood pressure and improved vasorelaxation both in Sirt3−/− and wild-type mice. SOD2 acetylation had an inverse correlation with SOD2 activity and a direct correlation with the severity of hypertension. Analysis of human subjects with essential hypertension showed 2.6-fold increase in SOD2 acetylation and 1.4-fold decrease in Sirt3 levels, whereas SOD2 expression was not affected. Conclusions: Our data suggest that diminished Sirt3 expression and redox inactivation of Sirt3 lead to SOD2 inactivation and contributes to the pathogenesis of hypertension.
Uncovering Ecosystem Service Bundles through Social Preferences

Ecosystem service assessments have increasingly been used to support environmental management policies, mainly based on biophysical and economic indicators. However, few studies have coped with the social-cultural dimension of ecosystem services, despite being considered a research priority. We examined how ecosystem service bundles and trade-offs emerge from diverging social preferences toward ecosystem services delivered by various types of ecosystems in Spain. We conducted 3,379 direct face-to-face questionnaires in eight different case study sites from 2007 to 2011. Overall, 90.5% of the sampled population recognized the ecosystem’s capacity to deliver services. Formal studies, environmental behavior, and gender variables influenced the probability of people recognizing the ecosystem’s capacity to provide services. The ecosystem services most frequently perceived by people were regulating services; of those, air purification held the greatest importance. However, statistical analysis showed that socio-cultural factors and the conservation management strategy of ecosystems (i.e., National Park, Natural Park, or a non-protected area) have an effect on social preferences toward ecosystem services. Ecosystem service trade-offs and bundles were identified by analyzing social preferences through multivariate analysis (redundancy analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis). We found a clear trade-off among provisioning services (and recreational hunting) versus regulating services and almost all cultural services. We identified three ecosystem service bundles associated with the conservation management strategy and the rural-urban gradient. We conclude that socio-cultural preferences toward ecosystem services can serve as a tool to identify relevant services for people, the factors underlying these social preferences, and emerging ecosystem service bundles and trade-offs.
The determinants of integrated business intelligence and analytics in organisational performance process

The development of information and communication technologies facilitates the usage and dissemination of digital information to the user and organization in general. Information supports organizations to gain profits, increase business influence and promote innovation. The data are not only important for reporting purposes but in current demand, data analytical view may yield inclusive important for meaningful analytical process for the organisation. The needs are increasing especially in managing organizational performance. Business Intelligence (BI) is the current suitable technology for managing and analysing data. However, isolated implementation of BI and analytics today has further limited the data manipulation in performance management. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the integrated business intelligence and analytics elements in managing organizational performance. Empirical study was conducted in Malaysia by interviewing field experts to identify the essential integrated elements for business intelligence and data analytics implementation. The outcome of this study has identified 20 essential elements which may be used as the inputs to the development of business intelligence and analytics framework specifically for managing organisation performance in public sector.