Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Syndecan 4 controls lymphatic vasculature remodeling during mouse embryonic development

The role of fluid shear stress in vasculature development and remodeling is well appreciated. However, the mechanisms regulating these effects remain elusive. We show that abnormal flow sensing in lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) caused by Sdc4 or Pecam1 deletion in mice results in impaired lymphatic vessel remodeling, including abnormal valve morphogenesis. Ablation of either gene leads to the formation of irregular, enlarged and excessively branched lymphatic vessels. In both cases, lymphatic valve-forming endothelial cells are randomly oriented, resulting in the formation of abnormal valves. These abnormalities are much more pronounced in Sdc4−/−; Pecam1−/− double-knockout mice, which develop severe edema. In vitro, SDC4 knockdown human LECs fail to align under flow and exhibit high expression of the planar cell polarity protein VANGL2. Reducing VANGL2 levels in SDC4 knockdown LECs restores their alignment under flow, while VANGL2 overexpression in wild-type LECs mimics the flow alignment abnormalities seen in SDC4 knockdown LECs. SDC4 thus controls flow-induced LEC polarization via regulation of VANGL2 expression. Highlighted article: Perturbation of syndecan 4 in mouse embryos reveals a new mechanism of fluid shear stress-mediated signaling involving syndecan 4-dependent upregulation of the PCP protein Vangl2.
Serological Responses and Biomarker Evaluation in Mice and Pigs Exposed to Tsetse Fly Bites

Background Tsetse flies are obligate blood-feeding insects that transmit African trypanosomes responsible for human sleeping sickness and nagana in livestock. The tsetse salivary proteome contains a highly immunogenic family of the endonuclease-like Tsal proteins. In this study, a recombinant version of Tsal1 (rTsal1) was evaluated in an indirect ELISA to quantify the contact with total Glossina morsitans morsitans saliva, and thus the tsetse fly bite exposure. Methodology/Principal Findings Mice and pigs were experimentally exposed to different G. m. morsitans exposure regimens, followed by a long-term follow-up of the specific antibody responses against total tsetse fly saliva and rTsal1. In mice, a single tsetse fly bite was sufficient to induce detectable IgG antibody responses with an estimated half-life of 36–40 days. Specific antibody responses could be detected for more than a year after initial exposure, and a single bite was sufficient to boost anti-saliva immunity. Also, plasmas collected from tsetse-exposed pigs displayed increased anti-rTsal1 and anti-saliva IgG levels that correlated with the exposure intensity. A strong correlation between the detection of anti-rTsal1 and anti-saliva responses was recorded. The ELISA test performance and intra-laboratory repeatability was adequate in the two tested animal models. Cross-reactivity of the mouse IgGs induced by exposure to different Glossina species (G. m. morsitans, G. pallidipes, G. palpalis gambiensis and G. fuscipes) and other hematophagous insects (Stomoxys calcitrans and Tabanus yao) was evaluated. Conclusion This study illustrates the potential use of rTsal1 from G. m. morsitans as a sensitive biomarker of exposure to a broad range of Glossina species. We propose that the detection of anti-rTsal1 IgGs could be a promising serological indicator of tsetse fly presence that will be a valuable tool to monitor the impact of tsetse control efforts on the African continent.
Direct Interaction of the N-terminal Domain of Focal Adhesion Kinase with the N-terminal Transactivation Domain of p53*

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a nonreceptor kinase that is overexpressed in many types of tumors and associates with multiple cell surface receptors and intracellular signaling proteins through which it can play an important role in survival signaling. A link between FAK and p53 in survival signaling has been reported, although the molecular basis of these events has not been described. In the present study, we report that FAK physically and specifically interacts with p53 as demonstrated by pull-down, immunoprecipitation, and co-localization analyses. Using different constructs of N-terminal, central, and C-terminal fragments of FAK and p53 proteins, we determined that the N-terminal fragment of FAK directly interacts with the N-terminal transactivation domain of p53. Inhibition of p53 with small interfering p53 RNA resulted in a decreased complex of FAK and p53 proteins in 293 cells, and induction of p53 with doxorubicin in normal human fibroblasts caused an increase of FAK and p53 interaction. Introduction of the FAK plasmid into p53-null SAOS-2 cells was able to rescue these cells from apoptosis induced by expression of wild type p53. In HCT 116 colon cancer cells, co-transfection of FAK plasmid with p21, MDM-2, and BAX luciferase plasmids resulted in significant inhibition of p53-responsive luciferase activities, demonstrating that FAK can reduce transcriptional activity of p53. The results of the FAK and p53 interaction study strongly support the conclusion that FAK can suppress p53-mediated apoptosis and inhibit transcriptional activity of p53. This provides a novel mechanism for FAK-p53-mediated survival/apoptotic signaling.
A novel polymorphism in nitric oxide synthase interacting protein (NOSIP) modulates nitric oxide and mortality in Human Sepsis

Nitric oxide, synthesised by three isoforms of Nitric Oxide synthases viz., nNOS by neurons, eNOS by endothelial cells and iNOS by phagocytes, performs a wide variety of biological functions in neurons, vascular endothelial cells and immune cells. Interaction between inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and Nitric oxide synthase interacting protein (NOSIP) was observed both in human monocytes and mouse macrophages and in cell free systems by biophysical methods. A novel mutation in nitric oxide synthase interacting protein (NOSIP) determined NO levels produced by human monocytes and was associated with disease severity in Sepsis patients. The study reveals NOSIP as an important regulator of inflammation by virtue of its ability to influence nitric oxide production both in mice and in humans and opens up novel avenues for therapeutic strategies against acute inflammation. While the influence of this novel NOSIP polymorphism in cardio-vascular and neuronal functions could be a subject of future investigations, its role in determining disease severity and mortality of the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic will be of immediate relevance.
Design space exploration for a single-FPGA handwritten digit recognition system

Multilayer perceptron neural networks have widely been implemented on reconfigurable hardware to perform a variety of applications including classification and pattern recognition. This paper investigates the combined impact of neural network size and reduced precision number formats, used for the representation of the optimal parameters, on the recognition rate a neural network based handwritten digit recognition system. The MNIST database is used for training and testing in this work. After deriving the optimal reduced-precision floating-point format sufficient for achieving a desired recognition performance, we provide an estimate for the hardware resources needed to implement the network on FPGAs. Our work allows for an efficient investigation of tradeoffs in operand word-length, network size, recognition rate and hardware cost of reduced-precision neural network implementations on reconfigurable hardware.
Effect of resistive feedback on performance parameters of common source LNA

Effect of resistive feedback on performance parameters of Common-Source (CS) low noise amplifier (LNA) is studied in this paper. For this purpose, an ultra low power, low noise figure (NF), high power gain (S21) low noise amplifier (LNA) for narrowband (NB) wireless applications is proposed in this paper. The LNA is designed for 2.4 GHz narrowband (NB) using 90nm CMOS process. It has a 3-dB bandwidth of 2.189–2.637 GHz. It consists of a resistive feedback Common-Source (CS) inductive degeneration main stage followed by Common-Gate (CG) cascoded stage. A series inter-stage inductor between the main stage and the cascoded stage is used to achieve the low NF with desired stability and power gain. The proposed LNA achieves power gain (S21) of 23.4 dB, input return loss (S1I) of −2.4 dB, output return loss (S22) of −27 dB and reverse isolation (S12) less than −34.67 dB. The proposed LNA circuit provides acceptable values of input 1-dB compression (P2dB) and input third-order intercept point (IIP3) as −32.8 dBm and IIP3 −18.5 dBm respectively. The LNA has NF < 3.21 dB and consumes only 1.44 mW under a power supply of 0.8 V.
Up to Speed: A Role for Trainees in Advancing Health Information Technology

* Abbreviations: EHR — : electronic health record HIT — : health information technology The six-year old wheezed for two days before the steroids took full effect. As his airways relaxed and his retractions calmed, we prepared to send him home. When rounds finished, I ran to a computer and started the tedious process of discharge paperwork. As a last step, I leafed through a 14-page instructional binder and clicked through the dozen checkboxes required to create his asthma action plan. When I started residency, I expected that asthma care would be a “bread and butter” component of my learning. I did not anticipate, however, the time I would spend mastering the multi-click process for generating asthma action plans, among many other daily computer tasks. I certainly did not expect to spend more time working with clunky software than I spent interacting with my patients and their families. The goal of utilizing electronic health records (EHRs) in medicine is to deliver high-quality care more safely and effectively. Too often, we fall short of that goal. Whether completing asthma action plans, reconciling medications, or simply dealing with a frozen computer, many of the current digital tools in medicine fail to achieve their potential. As a result, trainees (like many other providers) are becoming increasingly frustrated. The Institute of Medicine’s 2011 report1 pointed out the quality and safety deficiencies inherent in EHR workflow and highlighted the need to examine and address the impact of EHRs in these areas. The Joint Commission has also published two “Sentinel Event Alerts,”2,3 cautioning providers about the surprisingly high incidence of … Address correspondence to James Xie, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: james.xie{at}childrens.harvard. edu
Neuroticism: The Personality Risk Factor for Stress and Impaired Health and Well-Being

Introduction The Personality-Illness Relationship: Where it Began Neuroticism as a Risk Factor for Stress & Impaired Health & Well-Being Stress as a Mediator of the Personality-Illness Relationship The 'Big Five' Traits & the Personality-Illness Relationship Neuroticism & Mental Health Explanatory Mechanisms: Mediating Processes in the Personality-Illness Relationship Neuroticism Neuroticism & Cognitive Appraisal Neuroticism & Coping Neuroticism & Health Behavior Conclusion Index.
Anaerobic Benzene Biodegradation Linked to Nitrate Reduction

ABSTRACT Benzene oxidation to carbon dioxide linked to nitrate reduction was observed in enrichment cultures developed from soil and groundwater microcosms. Benzene biodegradation occurred concurrently with nitrate reduction at a constant ratio of 10 mol of nitrate consumed per mol of benzene degraded. Benzene biodegradation linked to nitrate reduction was associated with cell growth; however, the yield, 8.8 g (dry weight) of cells per mol of benzene, was less than 15% of the predicted yield for benzene biodegradation linked to nitrate reduction. In experiments performed with [14C]benzene, approximately 92 to 95% of the label was recovered in 14CO2, while the remaining 5 to 8% was incorporated into the nonvolatile fraction (presumably biomass), which is consistent with the low measured yield. In benzene-degrading cultures, nitrite accumulated stoichiometrically as nitrate was reduced and then was slowly reduced to nitrogen gas. When nitrate was depleted and only nitrite remained, the rate of benzene degradation decreased to almost zero. Based on electron balances, benzene biodegradation appears to be coupled more tightly to nitrate reduction to nitrite than to further reduction of nitrite to nitrogen gas.
DETERMINANTS OF PILL FAILURE IN RURAL BANGLADESH

The pill is the most popular family planning method in Bangladesh. However, the failure rate of this method in Matlab, a typical rural area, has been found to be very high. It is estimated that with the current level of failure of the pill and other temporary contraceptives in Matlab, it is unlikely that fertility in Bangladesh will come down to replacement level without a change in contraceptive method mix. It is, therefore, important to know the reasons for the high failure in pill use. Data for this study came from a case-control study in Matlab. A pill failure was considered a case, and no-failure was considered a control. The study included 167 cases and 167 controls. In addition, five focus group discussions were conducted to supplement the data collected from the cases and controls to gain a deeper understanding of pill failure. Results of the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data suggested that the following were the risk factors for pill failure: no mobility of women, poor knowledge of women about the effectiveness and consequences of drop-out from pill use, weak confidence in the pill, a gap between the use of subsequence pill cycles, delay in starting the pill after menstruation for the first use, not taking any measures consistently for missing the pill, and not following the arrow sign given on the pill cycle. Extensive training of field workers and pill users, covering the reasons for pill failure identified in this study and strong supervision of the work of field workers, is likely to reduce the rate of pill failure in Bangladesh. Also, information, education and communication services for users, and management of side-effects, may be helpful in reducing pill failure.
Review: Occupational risks for voice problems

The purpose of this paper is to provide a cohesive review of the literature regarding the functional consequences of voice problems and occupational risk factors for them. The salient points are as follows. According to conservative estimates, approximately 28000000 workers in the US experience daily voice problems. Many people who experience voice problems perceive them to have a negative impact on their work and their quality of life. Estimates based on empirical data suggest that, considering only lost work days and treatment expenses, the societal cost of voice problems in teachers alone may be of the order of about $2.5 billion annually in the US. In fact, across several countries, ''teacher'' consistently emerges as the common occupation most likely to seek otorhinolaryngological (ORL) evaluation for a voice problem. Other occupational categories likely to seek ORL examination for a voice problem are singer, counselor/social worker, lawyer, and clergy. Finally, US Census data indicate that keyboard operators may be at special risk for voice problems because of a near-epidemic growth of repetitive strain injury (RSI), which can adversely affect the voice especially when speech recognition software is implemented. This paper discusses frequency data, quality of life data, and treatment considerations for these voice-related occupational issues.
The weight distributions of extended binary primitive BCH codes of length 128

In previous work, a method was presented to compute the weight distribution of a linear block code by using its trellis diagram. In this correspondence, the method is improved by using the trellis structure of linear block codes. Another method with reduced computational complexity is also proposed which uses the invariant property of a code. With these methods, the weight distributions of all extended binary primitive BCH codes of length 128 are computed, except for those for which the formulas of the weight distribution are known. It turns out that (128,64,22) extended binary primitive BCH code is formally self-dual. The probability of an undetectable error for each code is computed and its monotonicity is examined.
Early menopause predicts future coronary heart disease and stroke: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Objective Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women. Identifying women at risk of cardiovascular disease has tremendous public health importance. Early menopause is associated with increased cardiovascular disease events in some predominantly white populations, but not consistently. Our objective was to determine if self-reported early menopause (menopause at an age <46 y) identifies women as at risk for future coronary heart disease or stroke. Methods The study population came from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, a longitudinal, ethnically diverse cohort study of US men and women aged 45 to 84 years enrolled in 2000-2002 and followed up until 2008. The association between a personal history of early menopause (either natural menopause or surgical removal of ovaries at an age <46 y) and future coronary heart disease and stroke was assessed in 2,509 women (ages 45-84 y; 987 white, 331 Chinese, 641 black, and 550 Hispanic) from the Multi-ethnic Study Atherosclerosis who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. Results Of 2,509 women, 693 (28%) reported either surgical or natural early menopause. In survival curves, women with early menopause had worse coronary heart disease and stroke-free survival (log rank P = 0.008 and P = 0.0158). In models adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, Multi-ethnic Study Atherosclerosis site, and traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors, this risk for coronary heart disease and stroke remained (hazard ratio, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.17-3.70; and hazard ratio, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.11-4.32, respectively). Conclusions Early menopause is positively associated with coronary heart disease and stroke in a multiethnic cohort, independent of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Digital Image Tamper Detection Techniques - A Comprehensive Study

Photographs are considered to be the most powerful and trustworthy media of expression. For a long time, those were accepted as proves of evidences in varied fields such as journalism, forensic investigations, military intelligence, scientific research and publications, crime detection and legal proceedings, investigation of insurance claims, medical imaging etc. Today, digital images have completely replaced the conventional photographs from every sphere of life but unfortunately, they seldom enjoy the credibility of their conventional counterparts, thanks to the rapid advancements in the field of digital image processing. The increasing availability of low cost and sometimes free of cost image editing software such as Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop, Photoscape, PhotoPlus, GIMP and Pixelmator have made the tampering of digital images even more easier and a common practice. Now it has become quite impossible to say whether a photograph is a genuine camera output or a manipulated version of it just by looking at it. As a result, photographs have almost lost their reliability and place as proves of evidences in all fields. This is why digital image tamper detection has emerged as an important research area to establish the authenticity of digital photographs by separating the tampered lots from the original ones. This paper gives a brief history of image tampering and a state-of-the-art review of the tamper detection techniques.
From the Rapid Reaction Mechanism to the Instrument for Stability: The Empowerment of the European Commission in Crisis Response and Conflict Prevention

The European Union (EU) plays an increasing role in the field of international security with various instruments at its disposal, managed by several actors. This article analyses the underestimated role of one of these actors, namely the European Commission. Treating the EU as a form of security governance, it claims that the Commission has empowered its role in it from the Rapid Reaction Mechanism (RRM) to the Instrument for Stability (IfS). The first section presents a review of the existing literature in order to clarify the theoretical framework, which uses the EU security governance approach with sociological insights; and to sketch the historical background of the Commission’s role in crisis response and conflict prevention. Then, this contribution examines the Commission’s position from a relational perspective to demonstrate its gradual empowerment in the European security field. Finally, it emphasises the challenges facing the Commission and the new practices structuring EU security governance post-Lisbon.
Involvement of Mammalian RF-Amide Peptides and Their Receptors in the Modulation of Nociception in Rodents

Mammalian RF-amide peptides, which all share a conserved carboxyl-terminal Arg–Phe–NH2 sequence, constitute a family of five groups of neuropeptides that are encoded by five different genes. They act through five G-protein-coupled receptors and each group of peptide binds to and activates mostly one receptor: RF-amide related peptide group binds to NPFFR1, neuropeptide FF group to NPFFR2, pyroglutamylated RF-amide peptide group to QRFPR, prolactin-releasing peptide group to prolactin-releasing peptide receptor, and kisspeptin group to Kiss1R. These peptides and their receptors have been involved in the modulation of several functions including reproduction, feeding, and cardiovascular regulation. Data from the literature now provide emerging evidence that all RF-amide peptides and their receptors are also involved in the modulation of nociception. This review will present the current knowledge on the involvement in rodents of the different mammalian RF-amide peptides and their receptors in the modulation of nociception in basal and chronic pain conditions as well as their modulatory effects on the analgesic effects of opiates.
The LysM receptor kinase CERK1 mediates bacterial perception in Arabidopsis

Plants use pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to perceive pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMPs) and initiate defence responses. PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) plays an important role in general resistance, and constrains the growth of most microbes on plants. Despite the importance of PRRs in plant immunity, the vast majority of them remain to be identified. We recently showed that the Arabidopsis LysM receptor kinase CERK1 is required not only for chitin signalling and fungal resistance, but plays an essential role in restricting bacterial growth on plants. We proposed that CERK1 may mediate the perception of a bacterial PAMP, or an endogenous plant cell wall component released during infection, through its extracellular carbohydrate-binding LysM-motifs. Here we report reduced activation of a PAMP-induced defence response on plants lacking the CERK1 gene after treatment with crude bacterial extracts. This demonstrates that CERK1 mediates perception of an unknown bacterial PAMP in Arabidopsis.