Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of Trypanolytic ApoL1 Variants with Kidney Disease in African Americans

Out of Africa Kidney disease is more common in African Americans than in Americans of European descent, and genetics is likely to be a major contributing factor. Genovese et al. (p. 841, published online 15 July) now show that African Americans who carry specific sequence variants in a gene on chromosome 22 encoding apolipoprotein L-1 (APOL1) have an increased risk of developing hypertension-attributed end-stage kidney disease or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. These variants are absent from European chromosomes. Among the functions ascribed to APOL1 is the ability to lyse and kill trypanosomes. Intriguingly, APOL1 derived from the risk alleles, but not the “wild-type” allele, killed Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, which causes African sleeping sickness. Genetic variants associated with kidney disease in African Americans may confer protection against trypanosomes. African Americans have higher rates of kidney disease than European Americans. Here, we show that, in African Americans, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and hypertension-attributed end-stage kidney disease (H-ESKD) are associated with two independent sequence variants in the APOL1 gene on chromosome 22 {FSGS odds ratio = 10.5 [95% confidence interval (CI) 6.0 to 18.4]; H-ESKD odds ratio = 7.3 (95% CI 5.6 to 9.5)}. The two APOL1 variants are common in African chromosomes but absent from European chromosomes, and both reside within haplotypes that harbor signatures of positive selection. ApoL1 (apolipoprotein L-1) is a serum factor that lyses trypanosomes. In vitro assays revealed that only the kidney disease–associated ApoL1 variants lysed Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. We speculate that evolution of a critical survival factor in Africa may have contributed to the high rates of renal disease in African Americans.
On Capacity-Achieving Distributions for Complex AWGN Channels Under Nonlinear Power Constraints and Their Applications to SWIPT

The capacity of a complex and discrete-time memoryless additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel under three constraints, namely, input average power, input amplitude and output delivered power is studied. The output delivered power constraint is modelled as the average of linear combination of even moments of the channel input being larger than a threshold. It is shown that the capacity of an AWGN channel under transmit average power and receiver delivered power constraints is the same as the capacity of an AWGN channel under an average power constraint. However, depending on the two constraints, the capacity can be either achieved by a Gaussian distribution or arbitrarily approached by using time-sharing between a Gaussian distribution and On-Off Keying. As an application, a simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) problem is studied, where an experimentally-validated nonlinear model of the harvester is used. It is shown that the delivered power depends on higher order moments of the channel input. Two inner bounds, one based on complex Gaussian inputs and the other based on further restricting the delivered power are obtained for the Rate-Power (RP) region. For Gaussian inputs, the optimal inputs are zero mean and a tradeoff between transmitted information and delivered power is recognized by considering asymmetric power allocations between inphase and quadrature subchannels. Through numerical algorithms, it is observed that input distributions (obtained by restricting the delivered power) attain larger RP region compared to Gaussian input counterparts. The benefits of the newly developed and optimized input distributions are also confirmed and validated through realistic circuit simulations. The results reveal the crucial role played by the energy harvester (EH) nonlinearity on SWIPT and provide new engineering guidelines on how to exploit this nonlinearity in the design of SWIPT modulation, signal and architecture.
DECISION SCIENCES INSTITUTE

With a rapid growth of smart phone users, mobile banking has gained significant importance and the growth of the field is accelerating. To remain competitive, banking services realize the need to run their business to suit the convenience of their customers. However, despite many benefits and popularity of mobile banking, not all consumers are ready to embrace this technology, especially in the developing countries. The objective of this study is to explore determinants of mobile banking adoption in Thailand. The findings reveal factors influencing consumers’ attitude toward the usage of mobile banking.
Linear least‐squares method for unbiased estimation of T1 from SPGR signals

The longitudinal relaxation time, T1, can be estimated from two or more spoiled gradient recalled echo images (SPGR) acquired with different flip angles and/or repetition times (TRs). The function relating signal intensity to flip angle and TR is nonlinear; however, a linear form proposed 30 years ago is currently widely used. Here we show that this linear method provides T1 estimates that have similar precision but lower accuracy than those obtained with a nonlinear method. We also show that T1 estimated by the linear method is biased due to improper accounting for noise in the fitting. This bias can be significant for clinical SPGR images; for example, T1 estimated in brain tissue (800 ms < T1 < 1600 ms) can be overestimated by 10% to 20%. We propose a weighting scheme that correctly accounts for the noise contribution in the fitting procedure. Monte Carlo simulations of SPGR experiments are used to evaluate the accuracy of the estimated T1 from the widely‐used linear, the proposed weighted‐uncertainty linear, and the nonlinear methods. We show that the linear method with weighted uncertainties reduces the bias of the linear method, providing T1 estimates comparable in precision and accuracy to those of the nonlinear method while reducing computation time significantly. Magn Reson Med 60:496–501, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mechanisms and management of stress fractures in physically active persons.

OBJECTIVE To describe the anatomy of bone and the physiology of bone remodeling as a basis for the proper management of stress fractures in physically active people. DATA SOURCES We searched PubMed for the years 1965 through 2000 using the key words stress fracture, bone remodeling, epidemiology, and rehabilitation. DATA SYNTHESIS Bone undergoes a normal remodeling process in physically active persons. Increased stress leads to an acceleration of this remodeling process, a subsequent weakening of bone, and a higher susceptibility to stress fracture. When a stress fracture is suspected, appropriate management of the injury should begin immediately. Effective management includes a cyclic process of activity and rest that is based on the remodeling process of bone. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS Bone continuously remodels itself to withstand the stresses involved with physical activity. Stress fractures occur as the result of increased remodeling and a subsequent weakening of the outer surface ofthe bone. Once a stress fracture is suspected, a cyclic management program that incorporates the physiology of bone remodeling should be initiated. The cyclic program should allow the physically active person to remove the source of the stress to the bone, maintain fitness, promote a safe return to activity, and permit the bone to heal properly.
Cerebral Malaria: Mechanisms of Brain Injury and Strategies for Improved Neurocognitive Outcome

Cerebral malaria is the most severe neurological complication of infection with Plasmodium falciparum. With >575,000 cases annually, children in sub-Saharan Africa are the most affected. Surviving patients have an increased risk of neurological and cognitive deficits, behavioral difficulties, and epilepsy making cerebral malaria a leading cause of childhood neurodisability in the region. The pathogenesis of neurocognitive sequelae is poorly understood: coma develops through multiple mechanisms and there may be several mechanisms of brain injury. It is unclear how an intravascular parasite causes such brain injury. Understanding these mechanisms is important to develop appropriate neuroprotective interventions. This article examines possible mechanisms of brain injury in cerebral malaria, relating this to the pathogenesis of the disease, and explores prospects for improved neurocognitive outcome.
The risk of arthropod vector configuration in Europe.

In recent years several vector-borne, parasitic or zoonotic diseases have (re)-emerged and spread in Europe with major health, ecological, socio-economical and political consequences. The problem of increasing risk of vector-borne diseases in Europe is widely discussed at periodic international conferences like International Jena Symposium on Tick-borne Diseases or the conference organized by European branch of Society for Vector Ecology ESOVE. The problem takes also effect in establishment of international projects (e.g. EDEN, VBORNET). Mosquitoes and ticks are the most remarkable disease vectors transmitting microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, parasitic protozoans) or metazoan parasites (nematodes). In Europe mosquitoes have a strong effect on human life quality, tourism and economic development because of being a nuisance. However, the changing climatic conditions make mosquito-borne diseases which have already been eradicated, or newly appearing diseases, a threat to human health. Among tick-borne diseases in Europe, the most common is Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis, but the list of pathogens identified in ticks keeps increasing and it is expected to increase the number of cases of tick-borne infections. Assessment of vector-borne risk is enhanced by very helpful Geographic Information System – a notable technique for comprehensive analysis of both abiotic and biotic data.
Calcium signaling in mammalian egg activation and embryo development: The influence of subcellular localization

Calcium (Ca2+) signals drive the fundamental events surrounding fertilization and the activation of development in all species examined to date. Initial studies of Ca2+ signaling at fertilization in marine animals were tightly linked to new discoveries of bioluminescent proteins and their use as fluorescent Ca2+ sensors. Since that time, there has been rapid progress in our understanding of the key functions for Ca2+ in many cell types and of the impact of cellular localization on Ca2+ signaling pathways. In this review, which focuses on mammalian egg activation, we consider how Ca2+ is regulated and stored at different stages of oocyte development and examine the functions of molecules that serve as both regulators of Ca2+ release and effectors of Ca2+ signals. We then summarize studies exploring how Ca2+ directs downstream effectors mediating both egg activation and later signaling events required for successful preimplantation embryo development. Throughout this review, we focus attention on how localization of Ca2+ signals influences downstream signaling events, and attempt to highlight gaps in our knowledge that are ripe for future research. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79: 742–756, 2012. Published 2012. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
Hyperspectral image classification based on Empirical Mode Decomposition

This paper proposes hyperspectral image classification based on EMD (empirical mode decomposition). Each hyperspectral image band is decomposed to its intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) using EMD and classification is done over these intrinsic mode functions. After EMD is performed for each band, new values of each band is expressed as sum of the IMFs which are obtained in high level. Support vector machine (SVM) is used to show the performance of the proposed algorithm. Experimental results show that, using first three IMFs and first four IMFs significantly increases the SVM classification accuracy results compared to original SVM.
Ranibizumab as needed therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration combined with serous pigment epithelial detachment

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of ranibizumab on wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) combined with serous pigment epithelium detachment (PED). Design: Retrospective, noncomparative case series. Methods: Thirteen eyes of 13 patients with wAMD and associated serious PED were included in the study. All the patients were treated with intravitreal ranibizumab as needed from the first injection and followed up for 12 months. The follow-up data included the best-corrected ETDRS letter score, maximum PED height, PED area and PED volume, and central retinal thickness (CRT) on ocular coherence tomography (OCT). Results: The mean ETDRS letter score was 57.54 ± 10.28 at the last visit compared to 46.69 ± 11.58 at the baseline (t = -3.47, P < 0.05). The mean change of the ETDRS letter score was 10.85 ± 10.84. The mean maximum PED height, area and volume at the baseline and month 12 were 342.38 ± 176.39 μm and 189.23 ± 134.69 μm (z = -2.83, P < 0.05), 5.12 ± 4.69 mm2 and 2.74 ± 2.89 mm2 (z = -2.67, P < 0.05), 1.07 ± 1.73 mm3 and 0.25 ± 0.46 mm3 (z = -2.90, P < 0.05), respectively. The CRT were decreased from 331.54 ± 60.08 μm at the baseline to 286.85 ± 82.47 μm at month 12 (t = 1.85, P > 0.05). The mean number of injections during the study period was 3.3 ± 1.1. Conclusions: Intravitreal ranibizumab as needed for treatment of wAMD combined with sPED was shown to be effective.
Estimation and Stabilization of Humanoid Flexibility Deformation Using Only Inertial Measurement Units and Contact Information

Most robots are today controlled as being entirely rigid. But often, as for HRP-2 robot, there are flexible parts, intended for example to absorb impacts. The deformation of this flexibility modifies the orientation of the robot and endangers balance. Nevertheless, robots have usually inertial sensors inertial measurement units (IMUs) to reconstruct their orientation based on gravity and inertial effects. Moreover, humanoids have usually to ensure a firm contact with the ground, which provides reliable information on surrounding environment. We show in this study how important it is to take into account these information to improve IMU-based position/orientation reconstruction. We use an extended Kalman filter to rebuild the deformation, making the fusion between IMU and contact information, and without making any assumption on the dynamics of the flexibility. We show how, with this simple setting, we are able to compensate for perturbations and to stabilize the end-effector's position/orientation in the world reference frame. We show also that this estimation is reliable enough to enable a closed-loop stabilization of the flexibility and control of the center of mass (CoM) position with the simplest possible model.
Differential role of CXCR3 in inflammation and colorectal cancer

Chemokines (CXCR3) and their ligands (CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11) exert exquisite control over T-cell trafficking and are critical for activation, differentiation and effector T cell function. CXCR3 is important for CD4 Th1 cells, CD8 effectors, memory cells, and for the function of natural killer and natural killer T cells. The presence of high cytotoxic CXCR3 ligand expression on CD8 T cells in colorectal cancerous tissue has been well documented in the past. CXCR3 and its ligands are differentially expressed at sites of inflammation and within the tumors. Further, the expression of CXCR3 and its ligands has been correlated with both the presence of effector T cells within tumor tissue and disease-free survival of patients. However, effector T cell infiltration into primary and metastatic tumors is highly variable and, in fact, often absent. Thus, understanding why T cells fail to infiltrate into tumors and determining the way to improve effector T cell entry into tumors would be important advances in efforts to harness the power of the immune system to fight cancer. To this end, the recent exciting discovery that CXCR3 is functionally expressed on regulatory T cells and also induces the differentiation of peripheral CD4 T cells into regulatory T cells, might address the novel clinically relevant question of the therapeutic potential of the CXCR3 system. This is also coupled with the fact that increases in CXCR3 expression also improves effector T cell function. This review describes the differential role of CXCR3 induction on peripheral and tumor microenvironment inflammation. Further, this review, tied with important findings from our laboratory, demonstrates that polyphenols induce CXCR3 expression on regulatory T cells and increases CXCR3 ligands in the tumor microenvironment, which act together to suppress colorectal cancer through a differential mechanism discussed herewith.
Topographical and Temporal Diversity of the Human Skin Microbiome

The Close and Personal Biome Fortunately, our skin is readily accessible for ecological studies of the microbial communities that influence health and disease states. Grice et al. (p. 1190) present a metagenomic survey of body sites from 10 healthy human individuals sampled over time. Although, altogether 18 phyla were discovered, only a few predominated. The most diverse communities were found on the forearm and the least behind the ear, but between people the microorganisms living behind the knees, in the elbow, and behind the ear were most similar. This finding might have some bearing on the common occurrence of atopic dermatitis in these zones, although no similar relationship was discerned between skin microbial flora and psoriasis. The human skin provides a landscape of dry, damp, and greasy niches for a diversity of symbiotic microorganisms. Human skin is a large, heterogeneous organ that protects the body from pathogens while sustaining microorganisms that influence human health and disease. Our analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences obtained from 20 distinct skin sites of healthy humans revealed that physiologically comparable sites harbor similar bacterial communities. The complexity and stability of the microbial community are dependent on the specific characteristics of the skin site. This topographical and temporal survey provides a baseline for studies that examine the role of bacterial communities in disease states and the microbial interdependencies required to maintain healthy skin.
Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system. Although MS has been known since the 19th century, cognitive impairment (CI) was only recognised as an important feature of MS over the past 30 years. The reason is that, until recently, MS was perceived exclusively as a white matter disease, and cognition was thought to depend solely on the cortex. This article aims to review the prevalence, risk factors, profile and diagnosis of CI in MS. Imaging correlates and treatment will also be briefly discussed.
Free and shape-controlled flows of smoke

We describe novel methods to simulate the smoke's physics-based free flows and shape-controlled flows. Free flows and shape-controlled flows can be easily switched to each other with a time-varying method. By adding two control forces, the shape-controlled method is introduced to control the smoke's shapes that can be changing and moving. The vertex-resampled and volume-based methods are employed to improve appearances in the thin parts of the shape. These methods can produce the simulations: the smoke flows out somewhere and move freely maintaining realistic effects, after the user-specified time, the smoke starts to form the user-specified shape sequence represented by a geometric model sequence, or form a shape-moving object. By preprocessing, the additional computation on the Navier-Stokes solver is negligible.
The Predictive Value of Tissue Doppler for Left Ventricular Recovery and Remodeling after Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background: The main goal in the management of ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is an early restoration of coronary artery flow in order to preserve viable myocardium. Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) is a simple modality that measures tissue velocity during cardiac cycle. Objective: To assess the role of DTIine valuation of LV recovery after PCI. Methods: Fifty patients were included in this study with STEMI, and were candidate for primary PCI. Cardiac enzymes and ECG were done during admission and 12 hours after PCI for assessment of noninvasive criteria for reperfusion. Echocardiography with DTI was performed for all patients to assess LV recovery and remodeling at baseline and one month after PCI. Primary PCI was performed and patients were divided into two groups: Group A with good reperfusion, and group B with poor reperfusion. Results: In patients of group A (78%), there was a statistically significant improvement of the LV EF more than 5% one month after primary PCI (LV recovery) (p <0.001), while in group B, there was a statistically significant increase in LVED volume more than 20% (LV remodeling) (P < 0.01). The mean systolic (S) velocity showed a cutoff value of 4.83cm/sec or more for prediction of recovery of global systolic function with a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 90% respectively. Out of 11 patients in group B, 3 patients (27.27%) developed MACE and admitted to CCU, 2 of them with heart failure, while other one needed revascularization.