Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epigenetic Regulatory Mechanisms Associated with Infertility

Infertility is a complex human condition and is known to be caused by numerous factors including genetic alterations and abnormalities. Increasing evidence from studies has associated perturbed epigenetic mechanisms with spermatogenesis and infertility. However, there has been no consensus on whether one or a collective of these altered states is responsible for the onset of infertility. Epigenetic alterations involve changes in factors that regulate gene expression without altering the physical sequence of DNA. Understanding these altered epigenetic states at the genomic level along with higher order organisation of chromatin in genes associated with infertility and pericentromeric regions of chromosomes, particularly 9 and Y, could further identify causes of idiopathic infertility. Determining the association between DNA methylation, chromatin state, and noncoding RNAs with the phenotype could further determine what possible mechanisms are involved. This paper reviews certain mechanisms of epigenetic regulation with particular emphasis on their possible role in infertility.
A Distributed, Asynchronous and Incremental Algorithm for Nonconvex Optimization: An ADMM Based Approach

The alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) has been popular for solving many signal processing problems, convex or nonconvex. In this paper, we study an asynchronous implementation of the ADMM for solving a nonconvex nonsmooth optimization problem, whose objective is the sum of a number of component functions. The proposed algorithm allows the problem to be solved in a distributed, asynchronous and incremental manner. First, the component functions can be distributed to different computing nodes, who perform the updates asynchronously without coordinating with each other. Two sources of asynchrony are covered by our algorithm: one is caused by the heterogeneity of the computational nodes, and the other arises from unreliable communication links. Second, the algorithm can be viewed as implementing an incremental algorithm where at each step the (possibly delayed) gradients of only a subset of component functions are update d. We show that when certain bounds are put on the level of asynchrony, the proposed algorithm converges to the set of stationary solutions (resp. optimal solutions) for the nonconvex (resp. convex) problem. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed ADMM implementation can tolerate the highest degree of asynchrony, among all known asynchronous variants of the ADMM. Moreover, it is the first ADMM implementation that can deal with nonconvexity and asynchrony at the same time.
Why Use A BCI If You Are Healthy ?

Brain – computer interface (BCI) systems are typically used to provide disabled users with the functionality normally afforded by conventional interfaces. As BCI progress continues, BCIs may become useful for healthy users in specific situations. This paper briefly reviews existing BCI applications for healthy users and discusses several relevant considerations. Many potential applications are presented, followed by brief discussion of likely early adopters of BCI technology.
Sur le terrain de l’océanographie politique : carnets de terrain, ethnographie multi-sites et modes de gouvernement de la Mer au croisement des sciences sociales et des sciences de la nature

This article presents a part of the ‘Field notebooks’ of the members of the International Multidisciplinary Thematic Network (RTPi) of CNRS ApoliMer (political anthropology of the sea), which focuses on the form of government of the sea, at the crossroads of the social sciences policy and natural sciences. Throughout the text, some of the ethnographic materials from the team’s fieldwork surveys are used to describe how ApoliMer tracks governance on marine and coastal lands in an interdisciplinary manner. This article is also an opportunity to expose the genesis and evolution of the RTPi, through the various ‘seasons’ of research that has marked its existence since its birth in 2013–2014.
Group recommendation in context

The 2011 Challenge on Context-Aware Movie Recommendation (CAMRa2011) was held in conjunction with the Fifth ACM Conference on Recommender Systems (RecSys2011). The challenge focused on group-based recommendation for households, as well as identification of household members who had rated specific movies. The participants were provided with anonymized datasets from a real world online movie recommendation community and competed against each other for obtaining the highest recommendation accuracy. Over 45 teams from 23 countries participated in the challenge. Their participation was summarized by the nine papers accepted to the CAMRa2011 workshop. This paper presents an overview of the tracks and datasets of CAMRa2011.
Simultaneous EUV and X-ray variability of NGC 4051

ABSTRA C T We present a flux variability study of simultaneous RXTE and EUVE observations of the highly variable Seyfert galaxy NGC 4051. We find a strong correlation between variability in the EUV and medium-energy X-ray bands, indicating that both are sampling the same power-law continuum. The lag between the two bands is less than 20 ks and, depending on model assumptions, may be ,1 ks. We examine the consequences of such a small lag in the context of simple Comptonization models for the production of the power-law continuum. A lag of ,1 ks implies that the size of the Comptonizing region is less than 20 Schwarzschild radii for a black hole of mass . 10 6 M(.
Characteristics of successful alien plants

Herbert Baker arguably initiated the search for species characteristics determining alien plant invasion success, with his formulation of the ‘ideal weed’. Today, a profusion of studies has tested a myriad of traits for their importance in explaining success of alien plants, but the multiple, not always appropriate, approaches used have led to some confusion and criticism. We argue that a greater understanding of the characteristics explaining alien plant success requires a refined approach that respects the multistage, multiscale nature of the invasion process. We present a schema of questions we can ask regarding the success of alien species, with the answering of one question in the schema being conditional on the answer of preceding questions (thus acknowledging the nested nature of invasion stages). For each question, we identify traits and attributes of species we believe are likely to be most important in explaining species success, and we make predictions as to how we expect successful aliens to differ from natives and from unsuccessful aliens in their characteristics. We organize the findings of empirical studies according to the questions in our schema that they have addressed, to assess the extent to which they support our predictions. We believe that research on plant traits of alien species has already told us a lot about why some alien species become successful after introduction. However, if we ask the right questions at the appropriate scale and use appropriate comparators, research on traits may tell us whether they are really important or not, and if so under which conditions.
Transmission routes of African swine fever virus to domestic pigs: current knowledge and future research directions

African swine fever (ASF) is a major threat to the pig industry in Europe. Since 2007, ASF outbreaks have been ongoing in the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries, causing severe economic losses for many pig farmers and pork producers. In addition, the number of ASF cases in wild boar populations has dramatically increased over the past few years. Evidence supports direct contact with infectious domestic pigs and wild boars, and consumption of contaminated feed, as the main transmission routes of ASF virus (ASFV) to domestic pigs. However, significant knowledge gaps highlight the urgent need for research to investigate the dynamics of indirect transmission via the environment, the minimal infective doses for contaminated feed ingestion, the probability of effective contacts between infectious wild boars and domestic pigs, the potential for recovered animals to become carriers and a reservoir for transmission, the potential virus persistence within wild boar populations and the influence of human behaviour for the spread of ASFV. This will provide an improved scientific basis to optimise current interventions and develop new tools and strategies to reduce the risk of ASFV transmission to domestic pigs.
A case for uniform memory access multiprocessors

Virtually all the shared-memory architectures that have appeared in recent times are of the NUMA (Non-Uniform Memory Access) type. A centralized memory that is uniformly accessible by all the nodes of a multiprocessor, rather than memory that is distributed among the nodes, leads to a simpler platform for software to run on. Certain performance advantages gained by distributing memory among nodes are not all that clearcut. The same penalties are being paid, albeit in a different form, and at a different time in the execution of a program.Ring based multiprocessors built from fast point-to-point links can be the next generation of medium scalable UMA machines, replacing the shared-bus kind. One such architecture is described along with details of how any snooping protocol, including those of the write-broadcast variety, can be ported to this new environment.
Declining Incidence of Candidemia and the Shifting Epidemiology of Candida Resistance in Two US Metropolitan Areas, 2008–2013: Results from Population-Based Surveillance

Background Recent reports have demonstrated a decline in bacterial bloodstream infections (BSIs) following adherence to central line insertion practices; however, declines have been less evident for BSIs due to Candida species. Methods We conducted active, population-based laboratory surveillance for candidemia in metropolitan Atlanta, GA and Baltimore, MD over a 5-year period. We calculated annual candidemia incidence and antifungal drug resistance rates. Results We identified 3,848 candidemia cases from 2008–2013. Compared with 2008, candidemia incidence per 100,000 person-years decreased significantly by 2013 in both locations (GA: 14.1 to 9.5, p<0.001; MD: 30.9 to 14.4, p<0.001). A total of 3,255 cases (85%) had a central venous catheter (CVC) in place within 2 days before the BSI culture date. In both locations, the number of CVC-associated cases declined (GA: 473 to 294; MD: 384 to 151). Candida albicans (CA, 36%) and Candida glabrata (CG, 27%) were the most common species recovered. In both locations, the proportion of cases with fluconazole resistance decreased (GA: 8.0% to 7.1%, −10%; MD: 6.6% to 4.9%, −25%), while the proportion of cases with an isolate resistant to an echinocandin increased (GA: 1.2% to 2.9%, +147%; MD: 2.0% to 3.5%, +77%). Most (74%) echinocandin-resistant isolates were CG; 17 (<1%) isolates were resistant to both drug categories (multidrug resistant [MDR], 16/17 were CG). The proportion of CG cases with MDR Candida increased from 1.8% to 2.6%. Conclusions We observed a significant decline in the incidence of candidemia over a five-year period, and increases in echinocandin-resistant and MDR Candida. Efforts to strengthen infection control practices may be preventing candidemia among high-risk patients. Further surveillance for resistant Candida is warranted.
O ct 2 00 5 Simulation of thin hyperelastic shells with the Material Point Method

A non-linear shell theory that includes transverse shear strains and its implementation in the material point method framework are discussed. The applicability of the shell implementation to model large deformations of thin shells is explored. Results suggest that an implicit time stepping scheme may be required for improved modeling of thin shells by the material point method. The continuum-based approach to shell theory has been chosen because of the relative ease of implementation of constitutive models in this approach compared to exact geometrical descriptions of the shell. In order to include transverse shear strains in the shell, a modified Reissner-Mindlin assumption is used. The major assumptions of the shell formulation are [1, 2] 1. The normal to the mid-surface of the shell remains straight but not necessarily normal. The direction of the initial normal is called the " fiber " direction and it is the evolution of the fiber that is tracked. 2. The stress normal to the mid-surface vanishes (plane stress) 3. The momentum due to the extension of the fiber and the momentum balance in the direction of the fiber are neglected. 4. The curvature of the shell at a material point is neglected. The shell formulation is based on a plate formulation by Lewis et al. [2]. A discussion of the formulation follows. The velocity field in the shell is given by w(α, β) = u(α, β) + z ω(α, β) × n(α, β) + ˙ z n(α, β) (1) where w is the velocity of a point in the shell, u is the velocity of the center of mass of the shell, n is the normal or director vector, ω is the angular velocity of the director, (α, β) are orthogonal coordinates on the mid-surface of the shell, z is the perpendicular distance from the mid-surface of the shell, and ˙ z is the rate of change of the length of the shell director.
A compact model for the compliant humanoid robot COMAN

This work reports on the modelling of a compliant humanoid robot. The introduction of intrinsic compliance in some of the joints of the COmpliant huMANoid robot (COMAN) affects its dynamics making no trivial the generation of walking gaits. To permit the development of effective gait generators which take into account these additional dynamic effects due to intrinsic compliance, an appropriate model which can predict the robot motion dynamics is required. To predict the motion of the centre of mass (COM) of the compliant robot we propose a new model for compliant humanoid systems which combines the inverted pendulum model approach with a three dimensional compliant model (Cartesian) at the level of the COM. The derivation of the model is introduced followed by experimental validation which demonstrates the adequate performance achieved by the proposed reduced model. In particular the efficacy of the model was experimentally validated on the COMAN humanoid platform using a series of ZMP based walking gaits.
A Literature Review of Consumer Attitudinal Ambivalence and Prospects

The development of network economy and the increase in consumer demand often lead to consumer attitudinal ambivalence in consumption decisions. Compared to traditional unidimensional attitude,attitudinal ambivalence can shed light on consumer psychology more accurately and also help to explain consumer behavior. Based on existing domestic and foreign research on consumer attitudinal ambivalence,this paper mainly describes the concept,measurement,antecedents,consequences and management strategy against consumer attitudinal ambivalence. Then it gives future research directions.
Key Practices Circumscribing the Construction Complexities: Challenge for Chinese Construction Industry

This research contribution has been drafted to explore the basic complexity traits which trigger the construction projects towards complex premises. Complexity cannot be avoided during project execution but it can be managed by rehearsing key construction management practices. This research determines the impacts of key practices on construction projects in Chinese economy. To address the primary aim, a survey was conducted to determine correlations between variables. The analyses has evoked that weak design verification, business politics, ambiguities among stakeholders, ignorance of user inputs, lack of trust among stakeholders, commercialized glazing of construction industry and bureaucratic environment are major items of construction complexity continuum which make the construction projects complex. The key practices positively related to construction projects. Project managers from Chinese construction industry participating in this research are agreed that these practices are necessary to achieve optimal environment for executing construction projects.
The Baker's Yeast Diploid Genome Is Remarkably Stable in Vegetative Growth and Meiosis

Accurate estimates of mutation rates provide critical information to analyze genome evolution and organism fitness. We used whole-genome DNA sequencing, pulse-field gel electrophoresis, and comparative genome hybridization to determine mutation rates in diploid vegetative and meiotic mutation accumulation lines of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The vegetative lines underwent only mitotic divisions while the meiotic lines underwent a meiotic cycle every ∼20 vegetative divisions. Similar base substitution rates were estimated for both lines. Given our experimental design, these measures indicated that the meiotic mutation rate is within the range of being equal to zero to being 55-fold higher than the vegetative rate. Mutations detected in vegetative lines were all heterozygous while those in meiotic lines were homozygous. A quantitative analysis of intra-tetrad mating events in the meiotic lines showed that inter-spore mating is primarily responsible for rapidly fixing mutations to homozygosity as well as for removing mutations. We did not observe 1–2 nt insertion/deletion (in-del) mutations in any of the sequenced lines and only one structural variant in a non-telomeric location was found. However, a large number of structural variations in subtelomeric sequences were seen in both vegetative and meiotic lines that did not affect viability. Our results indicate that the diploid yeast nuclear genome is remarkably stable during the vegetative and meiotic cell cycles and support the hypothesis that peripheral regions of chromosomes are more dynamic than gene-rich central sections where structural rearrangements could be deleterious. This work also provides an improved estimate for the mutational load carried by diploid organisms.
Expression Level of IL-6 Secreted by Bone Marrow Stromal Cells in Mice with Aplastic Anemia

Parasecretion of the hematopoietic cytokines is considered as one of the mechanisms account for bone marrow hematopoiesis disorder. In this study, the level of IL-6 secreted by bone marrow stromal cells from a mouse model of aplastic anemia was analyzed. The aplastic anemia mouse model was established with cyclophosphamide in combination with chloramphenicol and 60Coγ radiation. The impairment of bone marrow hematopoiesis induced by irradiation and chemotherapeutic drugs was subsequently characterized by peripheral blood cell count, pathomorphological changes, and apoptosis rate. Furthermore, the in vitro proliferation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) and the IL-6 secretion levels of BMSC were analyzed. In our model of aplastic anemia, the number of peripheral blood cells and bone marrow cells (BMC) were notably decreased, and the apoptosis rate of BMC increased. Furthermore, the proliferation of BMSC was obviously impeded while the IL-6 secretion levels of BMSC significantly increased. The findings of our study suggested that the IL-6 secretion level may be enhanced to some extent by the induction of aplastic anemia caused by irradiation and chemotherapeutic drugs and that the abnormal level of IL-6 might probably interfere with the stability of the bone marrow hematopoietic microenvironment.
Salt-marsh foraminifera and their potential for sea-level studies in the North Sea region

Coastlines are determined by natural processes (such as wind, waves, tides, sea-level fluctuations) and man-made interventions (dike and dam building, agriculture usage). Coastlines include intertidal and salt-marsh ecosystems, vulnerable to all these processes. Salt marshes react by waxing or waning, mainly determined by varying marine submergence. This enables studies on ecosystem changes which are archived in salt-marsh sediments, for example on past sea-level fluctuations. One proxy for studying these fluctuations is based on salt-marsh foraminifera. Salt marshes are densely populated by indicative foraminiferal assemblages. They are indicative, because, ideally, foraminiferal assemblages are vertically zoned with respect to the tidal frame, although this zonation can be also triggered by other environmental parameters, such as salinity, or be modified due to human influence. Kustenregionen werden einerseits beeinflusst durch naturliche Prozesse, wie Wind, Wellen, Gezeiten und Meeresspiegelanderungen, andererseits werden sie auch durch menschliche Einflusse gepragt, wie z.B. durch den Bau von Deichen und Dammen oder durch landwirtschaftliche Nutzungen. Salzmarschen als Teil der Kusten reagieren auf diese Einflusse, indem sie wachsen oder schrumpfen. Masgeblich wird dies gesteuert durch die wechselhafte marine Uberflutung. Dies macht es moglich, Okosystemanderungen, z.B. des Meeresspiegels anhand von Salzmarschsedimenten zu rekonstruieren. Ein Proxy fur die Rekonstruktion solcher Veranderungen in Salzmarschsedimenten sind Foraminiferen. Diese leben in hoher Zahl in den Marschen und sind indikativ fur bestimmte Marsch-Hohenlagen entlang des Gezeitenbereiches, wobei die Zonierung modifiziert sein kann durch andere Umweltparameter, wie z.B. Unterschiede im Salzgehalt, oder auch durch den menschlichen Einfluss.
Apoptotic Mechanism of Human Leukemia K562/A02 Cells Induced by Magnetic Ferroferric Oxide Nanoparticles Loaded with Wogonin

Background:Traditional Chinese medicine wogonin plays an important role in the treatment of leukemia. Recently, the application of drug-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to increase water solubility of the drug and to enhance its chemotherapeutic efficiency has attracted much attention. Drugs coated with MNPs are becoming a promising way for better leukemia treatment. This study aimed to assess the possible molecular mechanisms of wogonin-coated MNP-Fe3O4 (Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4) as an antileukemia agent. Methods:After incubated for 48 h, the antiproliferative effects of MNPs, wogonin, or Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4 on K562/A02 cells were determined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The apoptotic rates of K562/A02 cells treated with either wogonin or Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4 were determined by flow cytometer (FCM) assay. The cell cycle arrest in K562/A02 cells was determined by FCM assay. The elementary molecular mechanisms of these phenomena were explored by Western blot and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results:With cell viabilities ranging from 98.76% to 101.43%, MNP-Fe3O4 was nontoxic to the cell line. Meanwhile, the wogonin and Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4 had little effects on normal human embryonic lung fibroblast cells. The cell viabilities of the Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4 group (28.64–68.36%) were significantly lower than those of the wogonin group (35.53–97.28%) in a dose-dependent manner in 48 h (P < 0.001). The apoptotic rate of K562/A02 cells was significantly improved in 50 &mgr;mol/L Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4 group (34.28%) compared with that in 50 &mgr;mol/L wogonin group (23.46%; P < 0.001). Compared with those of the 25 and 50 &mgr;mol/L wogonin groups, the ratios of G0/G1-phase K562/A02 cells were significantly higher in the 25 and 50 &mgr;mol/L Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4 groups (all P < 0.001). The mRNA and protein expression levels of the p21 and p27 in the K562/A02 cells were also significantly higher in the Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4 group compared with those of the wogonin group (all P < 0.001). Conclusions:This study demonstrated that MNPs were the effective drug delivery vehicles to deliver wogonin to the leukemia cells. Through increasing cells arrested at G0/G1-phase and inducing apoptosis of K562/A02 cells, MNPs could enhance the therapeutic effects of wogonin on leukemia cells. These findings indicated that MNPs loaded with wogonin could provide a promising way for better leukemia treatment.