Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low folate status is associated with impaired cognitive function and dementia in the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging.

BACKGROUND Low folate status is associated with poor cognitive function and dementia in the elderly. Since 1998, grain products in the United States have been fortified with folic acid, which has reduced the prevalence of folate deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia. OBJECTIVE We investigated whether folate status is associated with cognitive function and dementia in a cohort of elderly Latinos (aged >or= 60 y; n = 1789) exposed to folic acid fortification. DESIGN Global cognitive function was assessed by the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MSE) and specific cognitive functions by cross-culturally validated neuropsychological tests. Dementia was diagnosed according to the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition revised, and California Alzheimer Disease Diagnostic and Treatment criteria. Red blood cell (RBC) folate was measured by automated chemiluminescence and total plasma homocysteine by HPLC. RESULTS The prevalence of folate deficiency (RBC folate <or= 160 ng/mL) was <1%. After control for confounding by homocysteine, vitamin B-12, creatinine, demographic variables, and depressive symptom score, RBC folate was directly associated with 3MSE (P = 0.005) and delayed recall (P = 0.007) scores. In addition, adjusted odds ratios for low 3MSE score (<or=78) and dementia diagnosis per unit increase in RBC folate were significantly below unity (P <or= 0.008), which indicated that the relative risks of cognitive impairment and dementia decreased with increasing RBC folate concentration. In contrast, adjusted odds ratios for low 3MSE score and dementia diagnosis per unit increase in homocysteine were not significant. CONCLUSION RBC folate is directly associated with cognitive function scores and is inversely associated with dementia in elderly Latinos despite folic acid fortification.
High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant non-Western women in The Hague, Netherlands.

BACKGROUND Vitamin D deficiency is common in dark-skinned persons living in northern countries. Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy may have serious consequences for both mother and child. OBJECTIVE The objective was to ascertain the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women of several ethnic backgrounds who were living in The Hague, a large city in the Netherlands. DESIGN Midwives whose practice was visited by a large number of non-Western immigrants added the assessment of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] to the standard blood test given to women who visited the practice during week 12 of pregnancy. Subsequently, the Municipal Health Service collected additional data from the midwives' files (June 2002 through March 2004): background variables, use of tobacco or alcohol or drugs, and infectious diseases. The women were grouped ethnically as Western, Turkish, Moroccan, and other non-Western. RESULTS The vitamin D concentrations of 358 women were found in the midwives' files. Of these women, 29% were Western, 22% were Turkish, and 19% were Moroccan. Mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations in Turkish (15.2 +/- 12.1 nmol/L), Moroccan (20.1 +/- 13.5 nmol/L), and other non-Western women (26.3 +/- 25.9 nmol/L) were significantly (P </= 0.001) lower than those in Western women (52.7 +/- 21.6 nmol/L). Serum 25(OH)D was below the detection limit in 22% of the Turkish women. The differences between ethnic groups were not confounded by other determinants such as age, socioeconomic status, or parity. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant non-Western women in the Netherlands is very high, and screening should be recommended.
The effect of TMEFF2 methylation on the tumor stage and survival outcome of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

AIM This study aimed to investigate the methylation status of EGF-like and two follistatin-like domains 2 (TMEFF2) promoter and its correlation with tumor stage and survival outcome in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS Paraffin-embedded specimens from 42 RCC patients were analyzed for TMEFF2 methylation by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. The distribution of TNM/AJCC stages and survival time were compared among patients with unmethylated and methylated TMEFF2. RESULTS There were 25 (59.5%) and 17 (40.5%) cases with methylated (M group) and unmethylated (M group) TMEFF2, respectively. There were more early-stage cancer patients in U group than in M group. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that U group had a better but not significant survival outcome than M group (P = 0.123). CONCLUSION These findings showed that TMEFF2 methylation is not rare in RCC, and methylation may play an important role in the tumorigenesis of ccRCC.
The Effects of Time Lag and Cure Rate on the Global Dynamics of HIV-1 Model

In this research article, a new mathematical model of delayed differential equations is developed which discusses the interaction among CD4 T cells, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and recombinant virus with cure rate. The model has two distributed intracellular delays. These delays denote the time needed for the infection of a cell. The dynamics of the model are completely described by the basic reproduction numbers represented by R0, R1, and R2. It is shown that if R0 < 1, then the infection-free equilibrium is locally as well as globally stable. Similarly, it is proved that the recombinant absent equilibrium is locally as well as globally asymptotically stable if 1 < R0 < R1. Finally, numerical simulations are presented to illustrate our theoretical results. Our obtained results show that intracellular delay and cure rate have a positive role in the reduction of infected cells and the increasing of uninfected cells due to which the infection is reduced.
Learning to overeat: maternal use of restrictive feeding practices promotes girls' eating in the absence of hunger.

BACKGROUND Experimental findings causally link restrictive child-feeding practices to overeating in children. However, longitudinal data are needed to determine the extent to which restrictive feeding practices promote overeating. OBJECTIVES Our objectives were to determine whether restrictive feeding practices foster girls' eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) and whether girls' weight status moderates the effects of restrictive feeding practices. DESIGN Longitudinal data were used to create a study design featuring 2 maternal restriction factors (low and high), 2 weight-status factors (nonoverweight and overweight), and 3 time factors (ages 5, 7, and 9 y). RESULTS Mean EAH increased significantly (P < 0.0001) from 5 to 9 y of age. Higher levels of restriction at 5 y of age predicted higher EAH at 7 y of age (P < 0.001) and at 9 y of age (P < 0.01). Girls who were already overweight at 5 y of age and who received higher levels of restriction had the highest EAH scores at 9 y of age (P < 0.05) and the greatest increases in EAH from 5 to 9 y of age (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The developmental increase in EAH from 5 to 9 y of age may be especially problematic in obesigenic environments. These longitudinal data provide evidence that maternal restriction can promote overeating. Girls who are already overweight at 5 y of age may be genetically predisposed to be especially responsive to environmental cues. These findings are not expected to be generalized to boys or to other racial and ethnic groups.
The Role of the Ikaros Family of Transcription Factors in Regulatory T cell Development and Function

Regulatory T (Treg) cells are a subset of immune cells that maintain homeostasis by promoting immune tolerance and suppressing the immune response via a variety of mechanisms such as secreting cytokines, killing reactive immune cells, and inducing anergy. Dysfunction of Treg cells has been implicated in inflammatory diseases such as autoimmunity and transplant rejection. Conversely, too many or hyperresponsive Treg cells has been observed in cancer and chronic infections. Treg cells have proven to be difficult to study as there are no definitive Treg surface markers. Additionally, Tregs can gain pro-inflammatory phenotype depending on stimuli. In this commentary, we discuss the expression and function of members of the Ikaros family of transcription factors during Treg cell development and activation.
Stability of Pain Measures in a Different Stimuli Context

Pain in any context is always associated with high interand intra-individual variability. There are several paininducement methods and numerous pain measurement methods at researchers’ disposal in experimental settings; since none of them is without limitations, the increasing number of researchers decides upon a multimethod approach. In doing so, clarity and unambiguity of the results may vary – depending on the reliability of the certain method in a specific stimuli context. The aim of this study was to explore the stability of the pain perception in the same subject sample between different pain contexts and also within the same one. 52 female students participated in three methodologically identical repeated measurements, conducted a week apart. The pain was experimentally induced in two different ways – first by thermal and then by electrical stimuli. Participants reported on pain threshold and tolerance during stimulation and assessed pain intensity and unpleasantness right after each stimulation. Results demonstrated that the stability of pain perception depends on both the stimuli context and the type of pain measurement. Pain experience was proven to be more stable in thermal-stimuli context, where pain threshold and tolerance remained unchanged in all repeated measurements. In electrical-stimuli context pain threshold and tolerance successively increased with each following measurement. In both pain modalities, the assessment of the pain unpleasantness increased with each measurement, while the assessment of the pain intensity remained unchanged. Observed contextual differences could be due to different familiarity with specific pain stimuli context and different level of anxiety associated with it.
Microstructural and Magnetic Properties of Ti2+-Mn4+ Substituted Barium Hexaferrite

In this paper we report the microstructure and magnetic properties of Ti4+-Mn4+ ions substitued barium hexaferrites (BHF) with formula of BaFe12-2xMnxTixO19 (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8) which prepared by mechanical alloying and successive sintering at 1100 °C. Ti4+-Mn4+ ions were obtained from TiO2 and MnO precursors which were mechanically alloyed together with BaCO3 and Fe2O3 precursors. X-ray diffraction patterns for sintered samples confirmed that the materials are consisted with single phase BHF structure. Unit cell volume and crystallite size was found increase with increasing x. The crystallite size for all samples was below 70 nm, but microstructure observation shown that the particle size is in range of 200 - 400 nm, which concluded that the grains are polycrystalline. The saturation magnetization is increases up to x = 0.4 and decrease for higher x values, while the coercivity remain decreases monotonically. These results were interpreted in terms of the site preferential occupation of Ti2+ and Mn4+ at low level substitution.
PERFORMANCE AND PROPERTIES OF STRUCTURAL CONCRETE MADE WITH RECYCLED CONCRETE AGGREGATE

Prior studies on recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) have largely been limited to the manufacture of nonstructural-grade concrete of up to 32 MPa strength, due to undesirable physical properties of RCA. The restriction seriously limits its market and, consequently, diminishes use of RCA as a construction material. The use of RCA in higher-strength (50 MPa) structural concrete gives beneficial environmental consequences by further conserving rock resources currently used to produce concrete aggregate. This paper aims to improve the surface properties of RCA and report on the influence of the improved RCA on the strength development and durability properties of 50 MPa-strength concrete. Drying shrinkage, alkali-aggregate reaction, sulfate resistance, and chloride permeability were also examined. Results show RCA can be used to produce 50 MPa structural concrete with durability properties comparable to concrete made with virgin aggregate.
The Crumbs3-Pals1 complex participates in the establishment of polarity in mammalian epithelial cells

In Drosophila, the Crumbs–Stardust–Discs-lost complex is required during the establishment of polarized epithelia. Embryos that lack a component of this complex or overexpress Crumbs exhibit defects in epithelial morphogenesis. We recently cloned a novel mammalian epithelial Crumbs isoform, Crumbs3 (CRB3). CRB3 exists in a complex at tight junctions (TJs) with Pals1 and PATJ, the mammalian homologues of Stardust and Discs lost, respectively. Here, we observe that overexpression of CRB3 leads to delayed TJ formation in MDCK epithelial cell monolayers and disruption of polarity in MDCK cysts cultured in collagen. Both phenomena require the last four residues of CRB3. Next, we expressed, in MDCK cells, a dominant-negative Myc-Lin-2–Pals1 chimeric protein, where the PDZ domain of Lin-2 was replaced with that of Pals1. TJ and apical polarity defects were also observed in these cells. Collectively, this suggests that the CRB-Pals1 interaction is important for formation of TJs and polarized epithelia. These results provide insight into the function of the mammalian Crumbs complex during TJ formation and epithelial polarization.
Dynamic Phosphorylation of the Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2Cα1 Splice Variant Promotes Skeletal Muscle Regeneration and Hypertrophy

The transcription factor MEF2C (Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2C) plays an established role in the early steps of myogenic differentiation. However, the involvement of MEF2C in adult myogenesis and in muscle regeneration has not yet been systematically investigated. Alternative splicing of mammalian MEF2C transcripts gives rise to two mutually exclusive protein variants: MEF2Cα2 which exerts a positive control of myogenic differentiation, and MEF2Cα1, in which the α1 domain acts as trans‐repressor of the MEF2C pro‐differentiation activity itself. However, MEF2Cα1 variants are persistently expressed in differentiating cultured myocytes, suggesting a role in adult myogenesis. We found that overexpression of both MEF2Cα1/α2 proteins in a mouse model of muscle injury promotes muscle regeneration and hypertrophy, with each isoform promoting different stages of myogenesis. Besides the ability of MEF2Cα2 to increase differentiation, we found that overexpressed MEF2Cα1 enhances both proliferation and differentiation of primary myoblasts, and activates the AKT/mTOR/S6K anabolic signaling pathway in newly formed myofibers. The multiple activities of MEF2Cα1 are modulated by phosphorylation of Ser98 and Ser110, two amino acid residues located in the α1 domain of MEF2Cα1. These specific phosphorylations allow the interaction of MEF2Cα1 with the peptidyl‐prolyl isomerase PIN1, a regulator of MEF2C functions. Overall, in this study we established a novel regulatory mechanism in which the expression and the phosphorylation of MEF2Cα1 are critically required to sustain the adult myogenesis. The described molecular mechanism will represent a new potential target for the development of therapeutical strategies to treat muscle‐wasting diseases. Stem Cells 2017;35:725–738
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Transection–Induced Cellular and Extracellular Events in Menisci: Implications for Osteoarthritis

Background: The meniscus plays an important role in knee joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA). Meniscal injuries can be accompanied by joint catabolic events initiated by inflammation, leading to articular cartilage destruction, but the cellular events responsible for intrinsic meniscal injury and the extracellular matrix changes necessary for meniscal degradation are not well known. Purpose: To explore the cellular and matrix-related changes of menisci based on a mouse OA model of anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT). Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A mouse ACLT OA model was established by transection of anterior cruciate ligaments on the right knee joints of 8-week-old male (n = 34) and female (n = 34) C57 mice. The knee joints were collected at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after ACLT surgery, and the meniscal changes were analyzed by radiography, histology, immunohistochemistry, immunoblot, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: The deterioration of menisci was more extensive than that of articular cartilage and subchondral bone at 4 weeks after ACLT surgery. The rapid loss of collagen II and Sox9 in chondrocyte-like cells in the white-white zone of menisci was confirmed, and the activation of potential meniscus progenitor cells and chondroblasts was identified based on the increase of CD90, CD105, and Runx2. Further, the intrinsic inflammation in the bone marrow–like zone of menisci was activated by enhancement of dendritic cells (CD11c+), T cells (CD3+), and macrophages (F4/80+) with the increase of the inflammatory factors interleukin 1β and tumor necrosis factor α. Finally, the extracellular matrix events involving changes in chemokines, increases of matrix proteases (matrix metalloproteinases and ADAMTS5), and decreases of lysyl oxidase family were elucidated. Conclusion: ACLT-induced meniscal changes not only could explain the contribution of the meniscus to the progress of OA but also could provide a cue for initiation of preventive treatments in the early stages of OA. Clinical Relevance: This study provides support for better protection of menisci in ACL injury–induced conditions such as OA and indicates that menisci should be considered in the development of clinical pharmacological interventions.
The Ecological Conditions That Favor Tool Use and Innovation in Wild Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops sp.)

Dolphins are well known for their exquisite echolocation abilities, which enable them to detect and discriminate prey species and even locate buried prey. While these skills are widely used during foraging, some dolphins use tools to locate and extract prey. In the only known case of tool use in free-ranging cetaceans, a subset of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in Shark Bay, Western Australia habitually employs marine basket sponge tools to locate and ferret prey from the seafloor. While it is clear that sponges protect dolphins' rostra while searching for prey, it is still not known why dolphins probe the substrate at all instead of merely echolocating for buried prey as documented at other sites. By ‘sponge foraging’ ourselves, we show that these dolphins target prey that both lack swimbladders and burrow in a rubble-littered substrate. Delphinid echolocation and vision are critical for hunting but less effective on such prey. Consequently, if dolphins are to access this burrowing, swimbladderless prey, they must probe the seafloor and in turn benefit from using protective sponges. We suggest that these tools have allowed sponge foraging dolphins to exploit an empty niche inaccessible to their non-tool-using counterparts. Our study identifies the underlying ecological basis of dolphin tool use and strengthens our understanding of the conditions that favor tool use and innovation in the wild.
On the completeness of sidewalk information in OpenStreetMap , a case study of Germany

The quality of OpenStreetMap (OSM) data has always been of main concern for use in different projects. In our study, in order to understand the fitness for use of OSM data for a routing and navigation system for people with limited mobility, we have assessed the completeness of OSM data with regards to sidewalk information. Relevant attributes for sidewalk information have been considered, and thorough an intrinsic quality analysis we present the number of sidewalk information (at object and attribute level) for five selected cities in Germany. The results are discussed and an outlook for future research study is presented.
The Pyruvate and α-Ketoglutarate Dehydrogenase Complexes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Catalyze Pyocyanin and Phenazine-1-carboxylic Acid Reduction via the Subunit Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase*

Phenazines are a class of redox-active molecules produced by diverse bacteria and archaea. Many of the biological functions of phenazines, such as mediating signaling, iron acquisition, and redox homeostasis, derive from their redox activity. Although prior studies have focused on extracellular phenazine oxidation by oxygen and iron, here we report a search for reductants and catalysts of intracellular phenazine reduction in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Enzymatic assays in cell-free lysate, together with crude fractionation and chemical inhibition, indicate that P. aeruginosa contains multiple enzymes that catalyze the reduction of the endogenous phenazines pyocyanin and phenazine-1-carboxylic acid in both cytosolic and membrane fractions. We used chemical inhibitors to target general enzyme classes and found that an inhibitor of flavoproteins and heme-containing proteins, diphenyleneiodonium, effectively inhibited phenazine reduction in vitro, suggesting that most phenazine reduction derives from these enzymes. Using natively purified proteins, we demonstrate that the pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes directly catalyze phenazine reduction with pyruvate or α-ketoglutarate as electron donors. Both complexes transfer electrons to phenazines through the common subunit dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase, a flavoprotein encoded by the gene lpdG. Although we were unable to co-crystallize LpdG with an endogenous phenazine, we report its X-ray crystal structure in the apo-form (refined to 1.35 Å), bound to NAD+ (1.45 Å), and bound to NADH (1.79 Å). In contrast to the notion that phenazines support intracellular redox homeostasis by oxidizing NADH, our work suggests that phenazines may substitute for NAD+ in LpdG and other enzymes, achieving the same end by a different mechanism.
Probabilistic Community Using Link and Content for Social Networks

Community detection is one of the most important problems in social network analysis in the context of the structure of underlying graphs. Many researchers have proposed methods, which only consider the network structure of social networks, for discovering dense regions in social networks. However, increasing media information in networks, such as images, videos, user tags, and comments, are observed with the development and application of Web 2.0. Abundant content information is available to provide a different view for community detection process. In this paper, we propose an overlapping community detection method, namely, latent Dirichlet allocation-based link partition (LBLP), which uses a graphical model and considers network structure and content information. Two feature integration strategies are proposed to combine the influence of network structure and content information on the network generation process. Experimental results on synthetic and real-world networks show that the LBLP method is effective, and content information is beneficial in mining community structure.