Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PCSK9 Inhibitors Have Apolipoprotein C-III-Related Anti-Inflammatory Activity, Assessed by 1H-NMR Glycoprotein Profile in Subjects at High or very High Cardiovascular Risk

Highlights What are the main findings? PCSK9 inhibition significantly reduces 1H-NMR glycoprotein signals and does not affect hsCRP levels. Apolipoprotein C-III and triglycerides are also decreased by iPCSK9. The decrease in glycoproteins correlates with the decrease in apoC-III and TG. What is the implication of the main finding? PCSK9 inhibition significantly reduces inflammation Abstract Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by the accumulation of cholesterol in the intima. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (iPCSK9) can reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by 60%, but there is still no evidence that they can lower markers of systemic inflammation such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Acute-phase serum glycoproteins are upregulated in the liver during systemic inflammation, and their role as inflammatory biomarkers is under clinical evaluation. In this observational study, we evaluate the effects of iPCSK9 on glycoproteins (Glyc) A, B and F. Thirty-nine patients eligible for iPCSK9 therapy were enrolled. One sample before and after one to six months of iPCSK9 therapy with alirocumab was obtained from each patient. Lipids, apolipoproteins, hsCRP and PCSK9 levels were measured by biochemical analyses, and the lipoprotein and glycoprotein profiles were measured by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). The PCSK9 inhibitor reduced total (36.27%, p < 0.001), LDL (55.05%, p < 0.001) and non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (45.11%, p < 0.001) cholesterol, apolipoprotein (apo) C-III (10%, p < 0.001), triglycerides (9.92%, p < 0.001) and glycoprotein signals GlycA (11.97%, p < 0.001), GlycB (3.83%, p = 0.017) and GlycF (7.26%, p < 0.001). It also increased apoA-I (2.05%, p = 0.043) and HDL cholesterol levels (11.58%, p < 0.001). Circulating PCSK9 levels increased six-fold (626.28%, p < 0.001). The decrease in Glyc signals positively correlated with the decrease in triglycerides and apoC-III. In conclusion, in addition to LDL cholesterol, iPCSK9 therapy also induces a reduction in systemic inflammation measured by 1H-NMR glycoprotein signals, which correlates with a decrease in triglycerides and apoC-III.
Fate of Horizontal-Gene-Transfer Markers and Beta-Lactamase Genes during Thermophilic Composting of Human Excreta

Thermophilic composting is a suitable treatment for the recycling of organic wastes for agriculture. However, using human excreta as feedstock for composting raises concerns about antibiotic resistances. We analyzed samples from the start and end of a thermophilic composting trial of human excreta, together with green cuttings and straw, with and without biochar. Beta-lactamase genes blaCTX-M, blaIMP, and blaTEM conferring resistance to broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics, as well as horizontal gene transfer marker genes, intI1 and korB, were quantified using qPCR. We found low concentrations of the beta-lactamase genes in all samples, with non-significant mean decreases in blaCTX-M and blaTEM copy numbers and a mean increase in blaIMP copy numbers. The decrease in both intI1 and korB genes from start to end of composting indicated that thermophilic composting can decrease the horizontal spread of resistance genes. Thus, thermophilic composting can be a suitable treatment for the recycling of human excreta.
Effect of an Intervention Based on Multisensory Environment for Proprioception Assessment in Children With Down Syndrome: Case Study

A Multisensory Environment (MSE) is a tool that can be used to train and stimulate the vestibular and proprioceptive systems of users, and engage them in therapeutic activities through sensors. This manuscript aims to verify the effects of an intervention protocol with MSE through a game platform to train proprioception in children with Down syndrome (CwDS). This pilot study was carried out using a system designed with the specific purpose to evaluate the children’s functional performance through data acquired using a system based on an RGB-D camera arrangement. The children underwent a physiotherapeutic intervention protocol of 12 sessions of game therapy, with 30 minutes duration each and a frequency of one session per week. This protocol was implemented to analyze the movements of three CwDS (mean of nine years old at the beginning of experiments). The CwDS evaluated in this research had an average proprioception score established by a Psychomotor profile test of (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{m}=10.43$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) before the beginning of the intervention, showing deficient and dyspraxic profiles among the children. After the application of our MSE, the final score of this test showed an average of (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{m}=16.44$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) indicating a Typical development (TD) profile for all the children.
CO (J = 2–1) Observations of the Quasar BR 1202–0725 at Z = 4.7

A 12CO (J = 2-1) observation of the quasar BR 1202—0725 at z = 4.7, in which a huge amount of molecular gas had been detected in the 12CO (J = 5-4) emission line, was made with the Nobeyama 45-m radio telescope. An upper limit of 1.2 mK in TMB (~ 2.8 mjy) was obtained at a velocity resolution of 25 km s -1 . The physical conditions of the molecular gas were examined using the CO emission-line ratios with the LVG model; the line ratios imply that the molecular gas is dense [n(H2) ~ IO 3 - 5-5 -5 cm -3 ] with a high kinetic temperature (50-100 K). The value of the CO-to-H2 conversion factor in this system is discussed and the molecular-gas mass is estimated to be less than 5.4 x 10 11 M®. Using these values, we tried to sketch the distribution of molecular gas in this system and find the possibility that the system consists of many small dense clouds.
A novel approach to a tunneling lifetime calculation: the projected Green's function method

This paper presents a method that calculates the tunneling lifetime of a particle in a quantum well (QW) using the projected Green's function and the recursion method. The method does not have the difficulties of finding an equation's complex roots encountered in complex energy methods. The method also does not have the drawback of the transmittance methods that the accuracy of the tunneling lifetime obtained is affected by the presence of a nearby resonant level. The method can be used to study the tunneling escape of a particle from one of the wells of a multiple-quantum-well structure or tunneling in a sequential tunneling picture in which the loss of phase coherence due to inelastic scattering is important. This method is, therefore, useful in designing tunneling structures to optimize QW devices working at room temperatures. In this paper, the new method is also applied to some examples and shown to agree well with other approaches.
Resonance parameter estimation from spectral data: Cramér–Rao lower bound and stable algorithms with application to liquid sensors

A recently introduced method for robust determination of the parameters of strongly damped resonances is evaluated in terms of achievable accuracy. The method extracts and analyzes the locus of the resonant subsystem of noisy recorded complex spectra, such that the interfering influences of many environmental factors are eliminated. Estimator performance is compared to the absolute lower limit determining the Cramér–Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the variance of the estimated parameters. A generic model that is suitable for representation of a large class of sensors is used and analyzed. It is shown that the proposed robust method converges to the CRLB for low measurement noise.
Edge turbulence imaging in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak

The two-dimensional (2D) radial vs poloidal structure of edge turbulence in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak [I. H. Hutchinson, R. Boivin, P. T. Bonoli et al., Nucl. Fusion 41, 1391 (2001)] was measured using fast cameras and compared with three-dimensional numerical simulations of edge plasma turbulence. The main diagnostic is gas puff imaging, in which the visible Dα emission from a localized D2 gas puff is viewed along a local magnetic field line. The observed Dα fluctuations have a typical radial and poloidal scale of ≈1 cm, and often have strong local maxima (“blobs”) in the scrape-off layer. The motion of this 2D structure motion has also been measured using an ultrafast framing camera with 12 frames taken at 250 000 frames/s. Numerical simulations produce turbulent structures with roughly similar spatial and temporal scales and transport levels as that observed in the experiment; however, some differences are also noted, perhaps requiring diagnostic improvement and/or additional physics in the numerical m.
Distances to southern 6.7-GHz methanol masers through H i self-absorption

We present the kinematic distance ambiguity resolutions of over 400 6.7-GHz methanol masers. Using the data sets of the International Galactic Plane Survey we have extracted H i spectra towards the sites of methanol maser emission between longitudes 270° and 67° and examined them for evidence of H i self-absorption. Using well-established criteria we identify 442 resolutions (classified by reliability) with a 1.07:1.11 ratio between near and far kinematic distance assignments. For a sub-sample of 118, we compare our resolutions with those of the literature and find 85 ± 10 per cent agreement. Using the distances we examine the Galactocentric distribution and properties of the masers. We also compare 6.7-GHz maser velocities with those of CS, finding the maser mid-velocity is closely correlated with the CS velocity, typically to within 2.8 km s−1.
$\ell _{2,p}$-Norm and Mahalanobis Distance-Based Robust Fuzzy C-Means

Fuzzy C-means (FCM) is a kind of classic cluster method, which has been widely used in various fields, such as image segmentation and data mining. Euclidean distance is a frequently used distance metric in FCM, but it is only suitable for data with spherical structure. As an extension of Euclidean distance, Mahalanobis distance has been used in Gustafson–Kessel FCM and its variants to tackle ellipsoidal data. For the convenience of optimizing, most existing Mahalanobis distance-based FCM algorithms only focus on squared Mahalanobis distance. However, squared Mahalanobis distance may not be the best distance metric for FCM because it is easy to enlarge the influence of outliers. In this article, we propose a novel $\ell _{2,p}$-norm and Mahalanobis distance-based FCM model, abbreviated as LM-FCM, which can help FCM improve the ability of tackling ellipsoidal clusters and outliers. Then, in order to reduce computational complexity, we propose a more simplified model, abbreviated as SLM-FCM. Furthermore, we develop an iteratively reweighted optimization algorithm to optimize the proposed models and provide a rigorous monotonous convergence proof. Finally, compared with the existing state-of-the-art FCM algorithms, we conduct extensive experiments on both synthetic and real-world datasets to manifest the superior clustering performance and robustness of the proposed algorithms.
Metabolomics and Transcriptomics Provide Insights into Lipid Biosynthesis in the Embryos of Walnut (Juglans regia L.)

Walnut (Juglans regia L.) is an important woody oilseed tree species due to its commercial value. However, the regulation mechanism of walnut oil accumulation is still poorly understood, which restricted the breeding and genetic improvement of high-quality oil-bearing walnuts. In order to explore the metabolic mechanism that regulates the synthesis of walnut oil, we used transcriptome sequencing technology and metabolome technology to comprehensively analyze the key genes and metabolites involved in oil synthesis of the walnut embryo at 60, 90, and 120 days after pollination (DAP). The results showed that the oil and protein contents increased gradually during fruit development, comprising 69.61% and 18.32% of the fruit, respectively, during ripening. Conversely, the contents of soluble sugar and starch decreased gradually during fruit development, comprising 2.14% and 0.84%, respectively, during ripening. Transcriptome sequencing generated 40,631 unigenes across 9 cDNA libraries. We identified 51 and 25 candidate unigenes related to the biosynthesis of fatty acid and the biosynthesis of triacylglycerol (TAG), respectively. The expression levels of the genes encoding Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase), long-chain acyl-CoA synthetases (LACS), 3-oxoacyl-ACP synthase II (KASII), and glycerol-3-phosphate acyl transfer (GPAT) were upregulated at 60 DAP relative to the levels at 90 and 120 DAP, while the stearoyl-ACP-desaturase (SAD) and fatty acid desaturase 2 (FAD2) genes were highly abundantly expressed during all walnut developmental periods. We found that ABSCISIC ACID INSENSEITIVE3 (ABI3), WRINKLEDl (WRI1), LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1), and FUSCA3 (FUS3) may be key transcription factors involved in lipid synthesis. Additionally, the metabolomics analysis detected 706 metabolites derived from 18 samples, among which, 4 are implicated in the TAG synthesis, 2 in the glycolysis pathway, and 5 in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) pathway. The combined analysis of the related genes and metabolites in TAG synthesis showed that phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT) genes were highly abundantly expressed across walnut fruit developmental periods, and their downstream metabolite TAG gradually accumulated with the progression of fruit development. The FAD2 gene showed consistently higher expression during fruit development, and its downstream metabolites 18:2-PC and 18:3-PC gradually accumulated. The ACCase, LACS, SAD, FAD2, and PDAT genes may be crucial genes required for walnut oil synthesis. Our data will enrich public databases and provide new insights into functional genes related to lipid metabolism in walnut.
Evolution of a spectrally local disturbance in grid-generated, nearly isotropic turbulence

A grid-generated ‘isotropic’ turbulent flow has been subjected to a spectrally local perturbation in the form of a high wavenumber, sinusoidal ripple in the mean velocity. It is introduced as the wake of a fine wire, low solidity screen (a ‘zither’), operating below its vortex-shedding Reynolds numbers. The perturbation appears most clearly downstream as a strongly periodic component in the transverse correlation of streamwise turbulent velocity, R11(r2). Its Fourier transform, E11(k2, a ‘one-dimensional spectrum’, shows a corresponding local ‘spike’. The downstream evolution of this perturbation has been chronicled for four different spectral locations. Their decays are approximately exponential. Measurements of the one-dimensional spectrum E11(k1) at several downstream stations show evidence of energy transfer to other wavenumber regions. The decay of the velocity correlation ripple is approximately consistent with the decrease in time of the narrow-band correlation function presented by Comte-Bellot & Corrsin (1971). It is also found that the linear perturbation response calculated by Kraichnan (1959) for a disturbance wavenumber larger than those of the incident turbulence shows fair agreement with this decay.
Microcanonical Monte Carlo simulations for the two-dimensional XY model

The authors have carried out microcanonical Monte Carlo (MC) simulations for the two-dimensional (2D) classical XY model on a square lattice having 900 spins with periodic boundary conditions. The temperature dependence of the energy, specific heat, mean-square magnetization and vortex density show good agreement with the existing canonical MC simulation results. They thus demonstrate ergodicity in the microcanonical MC simulations for the 2D classical XY model. The maximum of the temperature derivative of the vortex density is found to occur at the temperature corresponding to the maximum of the specific heat.
FACTORIZATIONS OF a n ± 1, 13 a < 100

As an extension of the “Cunningham” tables [4, 5] we present tables of factorizations of a n ± 1 for 13 a < 100. The exponents n satisfy a n < 10 255 if a < 30, and n 100 if a 30. The factorizations are complete for n 46, and the tables contain no composite numbers smaller than 10 80 .
On generating pre-defined periodic motions in underactuated mechanical systems: the cart-pendulum example

Abstract We study the problem of generating oscillations in underactuated mechanical systems with a chosen time-evolution of some of the generalized coordinates. We consider a classical planar pendulum on a cart example and find conditions of existence of a solution. These conditions are expressed in terms of functions defining synchronization between the actuated and underactuated variables known as virtual holonomic constraints. Explicit expressions for these functions are computed for the cart-pendulum system where the pendulum angle is set to follow a trajectory like a pure sinusoidal waveform around the upright equilibrium. Once the valid virtual constraint has been found with the proposed method, the earlier developed techniques can be applied in order to design an orbitally stabilizing feedback control law.
A Low-Cost Marker-Based Optical Motion Capture System to Validate Inertial Measurement Units

Commercialized marker-based optical motion capture system like Vicon is very expensive and not widely available. In the development of inertial measurement units, Vicon is required only for validation so sourcing for expensive system is undesirable. In this letter, a low cost alternative, which is also a marker-based optical motion capture system, is proposed to serve the purpose of validating inertial measurement units. Basically, the proposed system uses a smartphone camera to capture the motions of red markers and then track the coordinates of the markers followed by calculating the angle. The proposed system has a low average root mean square error of 0.83° when the distance between camera and markers is 120 cm. The method to synchronize inertial measurement units and camera data is also described in this letter as the starting time and sampling rate of the two systems are most likely different.
Rubber Focal Plane for Sky Surveys

We describe progress in removing image motion over large fields of view. A camera using a new type of CCD has been commissioned and we report first results which are very promising for wide field imaging. We are embarking on a project to build a new type of astronomical CCD which should provide image motion compensation over arbitrarily large fields of view, very fast readout, autoguiding capability, good red sensitivity, and should be significantly less expensive than the present generation of CCDs.
A Parental-Report Questionnaire for Language Abilities and Pragmatics in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The aim of this study was to test and validate a parental-report questionnaire, which assesses language abilities and pragmatics, in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We report two experiments: The first served as the initial test and the second sought to provide the first assessment of convergent validity. In total, we recruited 230 parents, where approximately two-thirds had a child with ASD. Results of factor analyses showed a consistent factor structure within each subscale, and the internal consistency was excellent for both sub-scales (Cronbach’s alpha >0.90). Convergent validity was assessed by correlating the results of the questionnaire with two sub-scales of the Autism Quotient questionnaire. The correlations were all greater than 0.60. The final version of the questionnaire (following exclusion of problematic items) contains 30 items (12 for language abilities and 18 for pragmatics). We conclude that the questionnaire is a concise and practical instrument for use in a variety of contexts for assessing language functioning and communication in children with ASD.
Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor Sitagliptin Phosphate Accelerates Cellular Cholesterol Efflux in THP-1 Cells

Cholesterol efflux is a major atheroprotective function of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) which removes cholesterol from the foam cells of lipid-rich plaques in Type 2 diabetes. The dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor sitagliptin phosphate increases plasma glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) concentrations and is used to treat Type 2 diabetes. GLP-1 plays an important role in regulating insulin secretion and expression via the GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R), which is expressed in pancreatic islets as well as freshly isolated human monocytes and THP-1 cells. Here, we identified a direct role of GLP-1 and DPP-4 inhibition in HDL function. Cholesterol efflux was measured in cultivated phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-treated THP-1 cells radiolabeled with 3H-cholesterol and stimulated with liver X receptor/retinoid X receptor agonists. Contrary to vildagliptin, sitagliptin phosphate together with GLP-1 significantly (p < 0.01) elevated apolipoprotein (apo)A1-mediated cholesterol efflux in a dose-dependent manner. The sitagliptin-induced increase in cholesterol efflux did not occur in the absence of GLP-1. In contrast, adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) mRNA and protein expressions in the whole cell fraction were not changed by sitagliptin in the presence of GLP-1, although sitagliptin treatment significantly increased ABCA1 protein expression in the membrane fraction. Furthermore, the sitagliptin-induced, elevated efflux in the presence of GLP-1 was significantly decreased by a GLP-1R antagonist, an effect that was not observed with a protein kinase A inhibitor. To our knowledge, the present study reports for the first time that sitagliptin elevates cholesterol efflux in cultivated macrophages and may exert anti-atherosclerotic actions that are independent of improvements in glucose metabolism. Our results suggest that sitagliptin enhances HDL function by inducing a de novo HDL synthesis via cholesterol efflux.
A Simple Micromilled Microfluidic Impedance Cytometer with Vertical Parallel Electrodes for Cell Viability Analysis

Microfluidic impedance cytometry has been demonstrated as an effective platform for single cell analysis, taking advantage of microfabricated features and dielectric cell sensing methods. In this study, we present a simple microfluidic device to improve the sensitivity, accuracy, and throughput of single suspension cell viability analysis using vertical sidewall electrodes fabricated by a widely accessible negative manufacturing method. A microchannel milled through a 75 µm platinum wire, which was embedded into poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA), created a pair of parallel vertical sidewall platinum electrodes. Jurkat cells were interrogated in a custom low-conductivity buffer (1.2 ± 0.04 mS/cm) to reduce current leakage and increase device sensitivity. Confirmed by live/dead staining and electron microscopy, a single optimum excitation frequency of 2 MHz was identified at which live and dead cells were discriminated based on the disruption in the cell membrane associated with cell death. At this frequency, live cells were found to exhibit changes in the impedance phase with no appreciable change in magnitude, while dead cells displayed the opposite behavior. Correlated with video microscopy, a computational algorithm was created that could identify cell detection events and determine cell viability status by application of a mathematical correlation method.