Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pathophysiology of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Lifestyle-Gut-Gene Interaction

Background: The accumulation of fat droplets in the hepatic parenchyma is driven by several factors, synergistically acting to increase triglyceride flow to the liver (diet and metabolic factors, endotoxemia from gut microbiota, genetic factors). Key Messages: In the presence of unhealthy lifestyles and behavioral factors, leading to enlarged adipose tissue and insulin resistance (IR), both lipolysis and de novo lipogenesis are expected to increase the risk of hepatic lipid depots, in association with high calorie (either high-fat or high-carbohydrate) diets. The gut microbiota may also be involved via obesity, IR and hepatic inflammation generated by gut-derived toxic factors. Finally, several data also support a primary role of genetic factors. A few gene polymorphisms have also been associated with the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease development and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis progression to more fibrosis and advanced liver disease. In a few cases (e.g., patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3/adiponutrin), steatosis carries a high risk of both liver disease and cardiovascular morbidity/mortality; in other cases (e.g., transmembrane 6 superfamily 2 human gene), dissociation has been observed between the increased risk of liver disease versus cardiovascular disease. Conclusions: A variable interplay between the genetic background and the metabolic milieu is the likely physiopathologic mechanism involved in individual cases, which must be considered for implementing effective treatment strategies.
Natural and Intuitive Multimodal Dialogue for In-Car Applications: The SAMMIE System

We present SAMMIE, a laboratory demonstrator of an in-car showcase of a multimodal dialogue system developed in the TALK project TALK (Talk and Look: Tools for Ambient Linguistic Knowledge) www.talk-project.org is funded by the EU as project No. IST-507802 within the 6th Framework program. in cooperation between DFKI/USAAR/BOSCH/BMW, to show natural, intuitive mixed-initiative interaction, with particular emphasis on multimodal turn-planning and natural language generation. SAMMIE currently supports speech-centered multimodal access for the driver to a MP3-player application including search and browsing, as well as composition and modification of playlists. Our approach to dialogue modeling is based on collaborative problem solving integrated with an extended Information State Update paradigm. A formal usability evaluation of a first baseline system of SAMMIE by naive users in a simulated environment yielded positive results, and the improved final version will be integrated in a BMW research car.
Manufacturing strategy formulation, leadership style and organisational culture in small and medium-sized enterprises

This study encourages an increased focus on managerial and organisational issues in manufacturing strategy formulation. The study investigates the relationship between manufacturing strategy formulation, leadership style and organisational culture in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Manufacturing strategy formulation is studied in three cases, and it is found that the formulation is different in each case. Leadership style is more visible than organisational culture in manufacturing strategy formulation in the case companies. Owing to the small number of employees in SMEs, the top manager's decisions influence the whole organisation and the organisational culture. The leadership style and organisational culture are closely aligned in SMEs owing to the managers and to the centralised decision-making.
Measuring the effect of Chinese brand name syllable processing on consumer purchases

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine consumer reactions to product categories, online seller reputation, and brand name syllables. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses four experimental designs to explore the seller reputation, product category, and brand name syllable effects in internet shopping. The authors chose sellers of (low/high) repute from Yahoo Mall. ANOVA is used to evaluate the results. Findings – Seller reputation moderates the effect of the brand name syllable level on purchase intention and product category moderates the effect of the brand name syllable level on purchase on internet (experiment 1). Consumers take the longest time to make purchasing decisions when buying credence goods or buying from sellers of low repute and that the response time mediates the moderating role of the product category (experiment 2) or reputation (experiment 3). Moreover, the effect of brand name syllable levels chosen/assigned by sellers of low repute is weakened for consumers with lo.
An initial study on text summarisation in film stories Un estudio inicial sobre el resumen de argumentos de películas

The objective of our research is to produce summaries of films from collateral text which capture the semantic content and narrative structure and key lines of dialogue in film. Our hypothesis is that text summaries of movies can efficiently be produced by the use of text summarisation techniques on collateral texts: subtitles, audio descriptions and post-production screenplays. If time codings are available, then video summaries can be constructed from these text summaries. In this initial study, we form summaries by selecting the ten shots from the original film which contain the highest proportion of keywords. We define keywords in two ways: as mid-frequency words, since it is the mid-frequency words in a text which contain most information about the content of that text, and as named entities derived from the cast list of the film. Ye et al. (2007) argued that the quality of a summary can be evaluated based on the how many concepts in the original text are preserved after summarisation. We found that this approach to summary evaluation gave more favourable results than the ROUGE approach (Lin and Franz, 2004) of comparing the number of matching character sequences in an automatic and a
PKD knockdown inhibits pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy by promoting autophagy via AKT/mTOR pathway

Growing evidence shows that protein kinase D (PKD) plays an important role in the development of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy. However, the mechanisms involved are not clear. This study tested our hypothesis that PKD might mediate cardiac hypertrophy by negatively regulating autophagy using the technique of PKD knockdown by siRNA. Cardiac hypertrophy was induced in 8-week old male C57BL/6 mice by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). TAC mice were then divided into five groups receiving the treatments of vehicle (DMSO), an autophagy inducer rapamycin (1 mg/kg/day, i.p.), control siRNA, lentiviral PKD siRNA (2×108 transducing units/0.1 ml, i.v. injection in one day after surgery, and repeated in 2 weeks after surgery), and PKD siRNA plus 3-methyladenine (3-MA, an autophagy inhibitor, 20 mg/kg/day, i.p.), respectively. Four weeks after TAC surgery, echocardiographic study, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and Masson's staining showed mice with TAC had significantly hypertrophy and remodeling compared with sham animals. Treatments with PKD siRNA or rapamycin significantly ameliorated the cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction. Moreover, PKD siRNA increased cardiac autophagic activity determined by electron micrographic study and the biomarkers by Western blot, accompanied with the downregulated AKT/mTOR/S6K signaling pathway. All the cardiac effects of PDK knockdown were inhibited by co-treatment with 3-MA. These results suggest that PKD is involved in the development of cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting cardiac autophagy via AKT/mTOR pathway.
Noncongruent Stimuli and Tonic Adaptation

ABSTRACT The purpose of this investigation was to determine the influence of noncongruent stimuli on tonic accommodation and tonic vergence. Eight visually normal subjects were tested in a within‐subjects design. Tonic states were measured using a haploscope‐optometer immediately before and after viewing a reduced Snellen chart binocularly with suppression control in a synoptophore for 8 min. One stimulus was set at either 4 D or 4 MA, with the other set at either the maximally high (e.g., >4 D or 4 MA) or low setting (e.g., <4 D or 4 MA) that still permitted clear and single binocular vision. Significant changes in tonic vergence but not tonic accommodation were found. The results suggest that when the oculomotor system is challenged, or stressed, under such noncongruent binocular viewing conditions, it is tonic vergence and not tonic accommodation which adapts rapidly.
Principles of cellular resource allocation revealed by condition-dependent proteome profiling

Growing cells coordinate protein translation with metabolic rates. Central to this coordination is ribosome production. Ribosomes drive cell growth, but translation of ribosomal proteins competes with production of other proteins. Theory shows that cell growth is maximized when all expressed ribosomes are constantly translating. To examine whether budding yeast function at this limit of full ribosomal usage, we profiled the proteomes of cells growing in different environments. We find that cells produce an excess of ribosomal proteins, amounting to a constant ≈8% of the proteome. Accordingly, ≈25% of ribosomal proteins expressed in rapidly growing cells do not contribute to translation. This fraction increases as growth rate decreases. These excess ribosomal proteins are employed during nutrient upshift or when forcing unneeded expression. We suggest that steadily growing cells prepare for conditions that demand increased translation by producing excess ribosomes, at the expense of lower steady-state growth rate.
Network Based Linear Population Size Reduction in SHADE

This research paper presents a new approach to population size reduction in Success-History based Adaptive Differential Evolution (SHADE). The current L-SHADE algorithm uses fitness function value to select individuals which will be deleted from the current population. Algorithm variant proposed in this paper (Net L-SHADE) is using the information from evolutionary process to construct a network of individuals and the ones which would be deleted are selected based on their degree of centrality. The proposed technique is compared to state-of-art L-SHADE on CEC2015 benchmark set and the results are reported.
Oxidative DNA Damage Bypass in Arabidopsis thaliana Requires DNA Polymerase λ and Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen 2[W]

The common oxidative DNA lesion 8-oxoguanine is highly mutagenic. Here, we show that, in Arabidopsis, DNA polymerase λ plays a crucial role in the error-free bypass of this lesion, together with proliferating cell nuclear antigen 2. Expression of DNA polymerase λ is induced by UV in vivo, and altered levels of DNA polymerase λ affect the growth of transgenic plants. The oxidized base 7,8-oxoguanine (8-oxo-G) is the most common DNA lesion generated by reactive oxygen species. This lesion is highly mutagenic due to the frequent misincorporation of A opposite 8-oxo-G during DNA replication. In mammalian cells, the DNA polymerase (pol) family X enzyme DNA pol λ catalyzes the correct incorporation of C opposite 8-oxo-G, together with the auxiliary factor proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Here, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana DNA pol λ, the only member of the X family in plants, is as efficient in performing error-free translesion synthesis past 8-oxo-G as its mammalian homolog. Arabidopsis, in contrast with animal cells, possesses two genes for PCNA. Using in vitro and in vivo approaches, we observed that PCNA2, but not PCNA1, physically interacts with DNA pol λ, enhancing its fidelity and efficiency in translesion synthesis. The levels of DNA pol λ in transgenic plantlets characterized by overexpression or silencing of Arabidopsis POLL correlate with the ability of cell extracts to perform error-free translesion synthesis. The important role of DNA pol λ is corroborated by the observation that the promoter of POLL is activated by UV and that both overexpressing and silenced plants show altered growth phenotypes.
Properties of Sun-like Stars with Planets: ρ1 Cancri, τ Bootis, and υ Andromedae

Planets have been reported orbiting the Sun-like stars ρ1 Cnc, τ Boo, and υ And based on low-amplitude radial velocity variations. We have derived information on the first two stars from analysis of spectra, as well as parallel records of high-precision Strömgren b and y photometry and Ca II H + K fluxes. In the case of ρ1 Cnc, the upper limit (peak to peak) of nondetection of photometric variability at the orbital period is Δy ~ 0.0004 mag. The possibility of a planetary transit cannot be ruled out completely from the photometric data. Variations of the Ca II fluxes suggest a rotational period of ~42 days, in agreement with the inferred v sin i ~ 2 km s-1. The age of ρ1 Cnc is ~5 Gyr, based on its average Ca II flux and a relation between Ca II flux and age. The star τ Boo, unlike the other reported solar-type stars with planets, is relatively young (~2 Gyr). Despite its young age, it is photometrically nonvariable at the orbital period with an amplitude of Δ(b + y)/2 ~ 0.0004 mag (peak to peak); however, small-amplitude interseasonal variability is seen. No planetary transits were found in the photometry, which limits the inclination of the planet's orbital plane to Earth's line of sight to less than 83° (where 90° is coplanar). The Ca II record shows a weakly significant rotational period near 3.3 days, coincident with the orbital period of the companion. The Ca II record also shows a period of 116 days that has persisted for 30 years and is not seen in the photometric record. The persistence and timescale of this Ca II variation mean that it has no counterpart in Sun-like magnetic activity. The amplitude of the reflex velocity of the parent star (~450 m s-1) is much larger than the radial velocity perturbations expected from the presence of either surface inhomogeneities or line-bisector variations. Thus the anticipated perturbations from those stellar effects do not refute the inference of reflex velocities. We have few Ca II flux measurements for υ And. Its age and rotational period are estimated to be ~5 Gyr and 12 days, respectively. Our results for ρ1 Cnc and τ Boo are consistent with the explanation of planets as the cause of the velocity variations.
Exact and Approximate Inference in Associative Hierarchical Networks using Graph Cuts

Markov Networks are widely used through out computer vision and machine learning. An important subclass are the Associative Markov Networks which are used in a wide variety of applications. For these networks a good approximate minimum cost solution can be found efficiently using graph cut based move making algorithms such as alpha-expansion. Recently a related model has been proposed, the associative hierarchical network, which provides a natural generalisation of the Associative Markov Network for higher order cliques (i.e. clique size greater than two). This method provides a good model for object class segmentation problem in computer vision. Within this paper we briefly describe the associative hierarchical network and provide a computationally efficient method for approximate inference based on graph cuts. Our method performs well for networks containing hundreds of thousand of variables, and higher order potentials are defined over cliques containing tens of thousands of variables. Due to the size of these problems standard linear programming techniques are inapplicable. We show that our method has a bound of 4 for the solution of general associative hierarchical network with arbitrary clique size noting that few results on bounds exist for the solution of labelling of Markov Networks with higher order cliques.
Oral Complications in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Recipients: The Role of Inflammation

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is widely used as a potentially curative treatment for patients with various hematological malignancies, bone marrow failure syndromes, and congenital immune deficiencies. The prevalence of oral complications in both autologous and allogeneic HSCT recipients remains high, despite advances in transplant medicine and in supportive care. Frequently encountered oral complications include mucositis, infections, oral dryness, taste changes, and graft versus host disease in allogeneic HSCT. Oral complications are associated with substantial morbidity and in some cases with increased mortality and may significantly affect quality of life, even many years after HSCT. Inflammatory processes are key in the pathobiology of most oral complications in HSCT recipients. This review article will discuss frequently encountered oral complications associated with HSCT focusing on the inflammatory pathways and inflammatory mediators involved in their pathogenesis.
Sodium current in single rat heart muscle cells.

1. Rapid inward Na current (INa) was studied in isolated cells from rat ventricular myocardium by a double‐suction‐pipette voltage clamp technique. All experiments were carried out at 20‐22 degrees C. 2. INa elicited by single depolarizing voltage steps from a holding potential, VH, of ‐80 mV had a threshold between ‐70 and ‐60 mV and was maximal at ‐30 to ‐20 mV. Peak currents in Krebs‐Ringer solution containing 145 mM Na were of the order 0.9‐1.8 mA cm‐2, assuming an average cell surface area of 8000 square micrometers. 3. The reversal potential for INa was predicted by the Nernst equation for external Na in the range 1.45‐145 mM with 16 mM‐Na solution perfusing the interior of the cell. 4. Instantaneous I‐V plots were linear for potentials of ‐100 to + 10 mV. Maximum Na conductance (‐gNa) was calculated to be 25 mS cm‐2 in 145 mM‐Na solutions and gNa was constant for potentials positive to ‐10 mV. 5. INa activated with a time constant of 0.7 msec at ‐55 mV, decreasing to 100 microsec on depolarizations positive to + 10 mV. 6. Two time constants (tau h1, tau h2) were required to describe INa inactivation during a maintained depolarization, with tau h2 three to four times as long as tau h1. tau h1 was about 2 msec at ‐50 mV, decreasing to 0.9 msec at ‐10 mV. 7. The time course for recovery of INa from inactivation also exhibited two time constants (tau r1, tau r2), with the longer tau r2 having a maximum value of the order 100 msec in the potential range ‐60 to ‐80 mV. 8. INa in isolated rat cardiac cells has a low sensitivity to tetrodotoxin, requiring a concentration of 30 micrometers for complete blockade.
On the Relation of Resolution and Tableaux Proof Systems for Description Logics

This paper investigates the relationship between resolution and tableaux proof system for the satisfiability of general knowledge bases in the description logic ALC. We show that resolution proof systems can polynornially simulate their tableaux counterpart. Our resolution proof system is based on a selection refinement and utilises standard redundancy elimination criteria to ensure termination.
Treating low back pain: Alexander technique and exercise, antibiotics (!) and Paul Hodges on dynamic stability.

I am delighted that major luminaries including Professors Frank Booth and Paul Hodges have agreed to share their wisdom in this issue of BJSM . Professor Booth’s millennium review, “Waging war on modern chronic diseases”,1 is compulsory reading. It clearly trumps Machiavelli’s The Prince for top spot among the Great Literature; Macca never made it onto PubMed nor did he get cited 187 times for 1 paper in 8 short years. In his magnum opus, Professor Booth provides incontrovertible evidence that physical inactivity causes medical costs of $US 1 trillion (yes, trillion, that’s a thousand billion) annually in the USA alone. Don’t just skip over that number—it happens to equal the estimate for the projected deficit of the USA in 2009. So with just a 12.5% reduction in the cost of physical inactivity, President Obama could have it all paid off by the time he leaves the White House in 2016. Not bad. My point? If you are having trouble justifying the importance of physical activity to a patient, government representative, Dean or President/Vice Chancellor, just slap Professor Booth’s paper on the desk and remind the person that a trillion is 16 times the current population of the planet. …
Entropy-Energy inequalities and improved convergence rates for nonlinear parabolic equations

In this paper, we prove new functional inequalities of Poincare type on the one-dimensional torus $S^1$ and explore their implications for the long-time asymptotics of periodic solutions of nonlinear singular or degenerate parabolic equations of second and fourth order. We generically prove a global algebraic decay of an entropy functional, faster than exponential for short times, and an asymptotically exponential convergence of positive solutions towards their average. The asymptotically exponential regime is valid for a larger range of parameters for all relevant cases of application: porous medium/fast diffusion, thin film and logarithmic fourth order nonlinear diffusion equations. The techniques are inspired by direct entropy-entropy production methods and based on appropriate Poincare type inequalities.
Injury‐Activated Transforming Growth Factor β Controls Mobilization of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Tissue Remodeling

Upon secretion, transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) is maintained in a sequestered state in extracellular matrix as a latent form. The latent TGFβ is considered as a molecular sensor that releases active TGFβ in response to the perturbations of the extracellular matrix at the situations of mechanical stress, wound repair, tissue injury, and inflammation. The biological implication of the temporal discontinuity of TGFβ storage in the matrix and its activation is obscure. Here, using several animal models in which latent TGFβ is activated in vascular matrix in response to injury of arteries, we show that active TGFβ controls the mobilization and recruitment of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to participate in tissue repair and remodeling. MSCs were mobilized into the peripheral blood in response to vascular injury and recruited to the injured sites where they gave rise to both endothelial cells for re‐endothelialization and myofibroblastic cells to form thick neointima. TGFβs were activated in the vascular matrix in both rat and mouse models of mechanical injury of arteries. Importantly, the active TGFβ released from the injured vessels is essential to induce the migration of MSCs, and cascade expression of monocyte chemotactic protein‐1 stimulated by TGFβ amplifies the signal for migration. Moreover, sustained high levels of active TGFβ were observed in peripheral blood, and at the same time points following injury, Sca1+CD29+CD11b−CD45− MSCs, in which 91% are nestin+ cells, were mobilized to peripheral blood and recruited to the remodeling arteries. Intravenously injection of recombinant active TGFβ1 in uninjured mice rapidly mobilized MSCs into circulation. Furthermore, inhibitor of TGFβ type I receptor blocked the mobilization and recruitment of MSCs to the injured arteries. Thus, TGFβ is an injury‐activated messenger essential for the mobilization and recruitment of MSCs to participate in tissue repair/remodeling. STEM CELLS2012;30:2498–2511