Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The long and short of translational control in male germ cells†

The pace of scientiﬁc discovery is not always a steady jog, but moves in sudden bursts followed by long periods of quiescence. Translational control was proposed as an important mode of gene regulation in the male germ line of vertebrates during groundbreaking work on protamines by Gordon Dixon in the 1970s [1]. His group learned to isolate protamine mRNA from 3 cellular fractions: the nucleus, ribonuclearprotein complexes (RNPs), and polysomes, and observed striking differences in the distribution of the transcript among these compartments throughout spermatogenesis. This led them to propose a model where protamine mRNAs are produced much earlier than they are translated, and where many of these “translationally controlled” transcripts are stored in RNPs for some time before being moved to the polysomes during spermiogenesis. The biological signiﬁcance of this strategy becomes evident when considering the waves of transcription silencing during spermatogenesis. Chromatin availability is limited by its condensation
Strategies to reduce heart failure readmissions--reply.

Strategies to Reduce Heart Failure Readmissions To the Editor The Viewpoint by Dr Butler and colleagues1 seems to misinterpret our recent work2 by suggesting that none of the 10 widely promoted strategies for reducing readmission for patients with heart failure was effective. Our study2 evaluated the relationship between riskstandardized readmission rates and hospital strategies to improve transitions in care. A total of 599 hospitals (91% response rate) enrolled in the Hospital-to-Home quality campaign sponsored by the American College of Cardiology completed the survey. We found several individual strategies that were associated with significantly lower risk-standardized 30-day readmission rates in multivariable analysis. These strategies included partnering with community physicians and physician groups, partnering with local hospitals, having nurses responsible for medication reconciliation, arranging for follow-up visits before discharge, having a process in place to send all discharge or electronic summaries directly to the patient’s primary care physician, and assigning staff to follow up on test results after the patient is discharged. Hospitals that implemented more strategies had lower readmission rates by a clinically significant margin, although the magnitude of effects for any single strategy was modest. Physicians and researchers may be more satisfied with a magic bullet that single-handedly reduces readmissions; however, it is prudent to recognize the complexity of these processes and accept that multiple simultaneous interventions are needed to lower readmissions. If findings such as ours are misinterpreted to conclude nothing works, the national goals for improving important patient outcomes are unlikely to be achieved.
Visualization of Delay Uncertainty and its Impact on Train Trip Planning: A Design Study

Uncertainty about possible train delays has an impact on train trips, as the exact arrival time is unknown during trip planning. Delays can lead to missing a connecting train at the transfer station, or to coming too late to an appointment at the destination. Facing this uncertainty, the traveler may wish to use an earlier train or a different connection arriving well before the appointment. Currently, train trip planning is based on scheduled times of connections between two stations. Information about approximate delays is only available shortly before train departure. Although several visualization approaches can show temporal uncertainty, we are not aware of any visual design specifically supporting trip planning, which can show delay uncertainty and its impact on the connections. We propose and evaluate a visual design which extends train trip planning with delay uncertainty. It shows the scheduled train connections together with their expected train delays as well as their impacts on both the arrival time, and the potential of missing a transfer. The visualization also includes information about alternative connections in case of these critical transfers. In this way the user is able to judge which train connection is suitable for a trip. We conducted a user study with 76 participants to evaluate our design. We compared it to two alternative presentations that are prominent in Germany. The study showed that our design performs comparably well for tasks concerning train schedules. The additional uncertainty display as well as the visualization of alternative connections was appreciated and well understood. The participants were able to estimate when they would likely arrive at their destination despite possible train delays while they were unable to estimate this with existing presentations. The users would prefer to use the new design for their trip planning.
Ground truth for automatic music mood classification

Automatic music classification based on audio signals provides a core technology for tools that help users to manage and browse their music collections. Since “mood” is also used as a browsing criterium, automatic mood classification could support the creation of the necessary metadata. We have developed a method to obtain a reliable “ground truth” database for automatic music mood classification. Our results confirm that excerpt selection is a non-trivial issue and that there are some mood labels that are relatively consistent across subjects.
"Westernizing" women's risks? Breast cancer in lower-income countries.

Some 45% of the new cases of breast cancer diagnosed each year, and more than 55% of breast-cancer–related deaths, occur in low- and middle-income countries. Dr. Peggy Porter writes that the most widely cited reason for the global increase in breast cancer is the “Westernization” of the developing world. Dr. Peggy Porter discusses the increasing incidence of breast cancer in lower-income countries and the need for improved data, awareness, screening, and standards of care. Dr. Porter is a cancer biology researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and a professor of pathology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle.
Factors controlling black carbon distribution in the Arctic

Abstract. We investigate the sensitivity of black carbon (BC) in the Arctic, including BC concentration in snow (BCsnow, ng g−1) and surface air (BCair, ng m−3), as well as emissions, dry deposition, and wet scavenging using the global three-dimensional (3-D) chemical transport model (CTM) GEOS-Chem. We find that the model underestimates BCsnow in the Arctic by 40 % on average (median = 11.8 ng g−1). Natural gas flaring substantially increases total BC emissions in the Arctic (by ∼ 70 %). The flaring emissions lead to up to 49 % increases (0.1–8.5 ng g−1) in Arctic BCsnow, dramatically improving model comparison with observations (50 % reduction in discrepancy) near flaring source regions (the western side of the extreme north of Russia). Ample observations suggest that BC dry deposition velocities over snow and ice in current CTMs (0.03 cm s−1 in the GEOS-Chem) are too small. We apply the resistance-in-series method to compute a dry deposition velocity (vd) that varies with local meteorological and surface conditions. The resulting velocity is significantly larger and varies by a factor of 8 in the Arctic (0.03–0.24 cm s−1), which increases the fraction of dry to total BC deposition (16 to 25 %) yet leaves the total BC deposition and BCsnow in the Arctic unchanged. This is largely explained by the offsetting higher dry and lower wet deposition fluxes. Additionally, we account for the effect of the Wegener–Bergeron–Findeisen (WBF) process in mixed-phase clouds, which releases BC particles from condensed phases (water drops and ice crystals) back to the interstitial air and thereby substantially reduces the scavenging efficiency of clouds for BC (by 43–76 % in the Arctic). The resulting BCsnow is up to 80 % higher, BC loading is considerably larger (from 0.25 to 0.43 mg m−2), and BC lifetime is markedly prolonged (from 9 to 16 days) in the Arctic. Overall, flaring emissions increase BCair in the Arctic (by ∼ 20 ng m−3), the updated vd more than halves BCair (by ∼ 20 ng m−3), and the WBF effect increases BCair by 25–70 % during winter and early spring. The resulting model simulation of BCsnow is substantially improved (within 10 % of the observations) and the discrepancies of BCair are much smaller during the snow season at Barrow, Alert, and Summit (from −67–−47 % to −46–3 %). Our results point toward an urgent need for better characterization of flaring emissions of BC (e.g., the emission factors, temporal, and spatial distribution), extensive measurements of both the dry deposition of BC over snow and ice, and the scavenging efficiency of BC in mixed-phase clouds. In addition, we find that the poorly constrained precipitation in the Arctic may introduce large uncertainties in estimating BCsnow. Doubling precipitation introduces a positive bias approximately as large as the overall effects of flaring emissions and the WBF effect; halving precipitation produces a similarly large negative bias.
Machine learning approaches to predict basketball game outcome

Sports prediction has always been a spellbinding research area for sports fans, teams, team managers, team players and a growing number of gamblers. Nowadays, companies are spending more effort in machine learning to predict the sport outcomes. Support Vector Machines (SVMs) are powerful techniques that handle classification problems effectively and efficiently. However, SVM models lack in rule generation. So, this examination leads towards the development of Hybrid Fuzzy-SVM model (HFSVM) by integrating fuzzy approach and SVM technique for prediction of the basketball game outcomes that help the coaches, teams and players to enhance their performance. The HFSVM model combines the advantage of both SVM technique and fuzzy approach, which is a unique strength of SVM and rule generation ability of fuzzy approach using fuzzy membership functions. The HFSVM model is compared with SVM model and the empirical results showed that the HFSVM model not only provides better results than SVM model but also provides relatively satisfactory prediction accuracy. Therefore, promising results can be obtained using HFSVM model when analyzing the outcomes of basketball competitions.
The mammalian mineralocorticoid receptor: tying down a promiscuous receptor

The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) has been called a promiscuous receptor because its intrinsic affinity for aldosterone, cortisol and corticosterone is similar. Since glucocorticoids circulate in concentrations 100‐ to 1000‐fold those of aldosterone, stoichiometry dictates that MR should be activated by glucocorticoids, not aldosterone, yet MRs are expressed in many tissues and regulate diverse functions, many of them under the regulation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system. A relatively small number of brain MRs are aldosterone selective and modulate blood pressure. Evidence for possible mechanisms conferring ligand specificity in the context of mineralocorticoid‐induced hypertension and the brain are discussed. These include factors (or mechanisms) intrinsic to the receptor, such as alternative splice variants and translation start sites, and extrinsic to the MR, including differential access through the blood–brain barrier, differential recruitment of co‐regulators and scaffolding proteins, 11β‐steroid dehydrogenase activity, synthesis of potent acylated aldosterone derivatives and the synthesis of relevant amounts of aldosterone in areas of the brain that modulate blood pressure.
The effectiveness of affinity-based scheduling in multiprocessor network protocol processing (extended version)

Techniques for avoiding the high memory overheads found on many modern shared-memory multiprocessors are of increasing importance in the development of high-performance multiprocessor protocol implementations. One such technique is processor-cache affinity scheduling, which can significantly lower packet latency and substantially increase protocol processing throughput. We evaluate several aspects of the effectiveness of affinity-based scheduling in multiprocessor network protocol processing, under packet-level and connection-level parallelization approaches. Specifically, we evaluate the performance of the scheduling technique (1) when a large number of streams are concurrently supported, (2) when processing includes copying of uncached packet data, (3) as applied to send-side protocol processing, and (4) in the presence of stream burstiness and source locality, two well-known properties of network traffic. We find that affinity-based scheduling performs well under these conditions, emphasizing its robustness and general effectiveness in multiprocessor network processing. In addition, we explore a technique which improves the caching behavior and available packet-level concurrency under connection-level parallelism, and find performance improves dramatically.
Anonymization of Longitudinal Electronic Medical Records

Electronic medical record (EMR) systems have enabled healthcare providers to collect detailed patient information from the primary care domain. At the same time, longitudinal data from EMRs are increasingly combined with biorepositories to generate personalized clinical decision support protocols. Emerging policies encourage investigators to disseminate such data in a deidentified form for reuse and collaboration, but organizations are hesitant to do so because they fear such actions will jeopardize patient privacy. In particular, there are concerns that residual demographic and clinical features could be exploited for reidentification purposes. Various approaches have been developed to anonymize clinical data, but they neglect temporal information and are, thus, insufficient for emerging biomedical research paradigms. This paper proposes a novel approach to share patient-specific longitudinal data that offers robust privacy guarantees, while preserving data utility for many biomedical investigations. Our approach aggregates temporal and diagnostic information using heuristics inspired from sequence alignment and clustering methods. We demonstrate that the proposed approach can generate anonymized data that permit effective biomedical analysis using several patient cohorts derived from the EMR system of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The Three Domains of Disgust Scale

This investigation examined the measurement properties of the Three Domains of Disgust Scale (TDDS). Principal components analysis in Study 1 (n = 206) revealed three factors of Pathogen, Sexual, and Moral Disgust that demonstrated excellent reliability, including test–retest over 12 weeks. Confirmatory factor analyses in Study 2 (n = 406) supported the three factors. Supportive evidence for the validity of the Pathogen and Sexual Disgust subscales was found in Study 1 and Study 2 with strong associations with disgust/contamination and weak associations with negative affect. However, the validity of the Moral Disgust subscale was limited. Study 3 (n = 200) showed that the TDDS subscales differentially related to personality traits. Study 4 (n = 47) provided evidence for the validity of the TDDS subscales in relation to multiple indices of disgust/contamination aversion in a select sample. Study 5 (n = 70) further highlighted limitations of the Moral Disgust subscale given the lack of a theoretically consistent association with moral attitudes. Lastly, Study 6 (n = 178) showed that responses on the Moral Disgust scale were more intense when anger was the response option compared with when disgust was the response option. The implications of these findings for the assessment of disgust are discussed.
Fetal heart rate classification proposed by the perinatology committee of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology: reproducibility and clinical usefulness.

AIM Intrapartum management guidelines based on fetal heart rate classification comprising a 5-tier system (Levels 1-5) was proposed by the Perinatology Committee of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG). This study aimed to assess the reproducibility and clinical usefulness of this classification. METHODS For assessing intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility in the interpretation of fetal heart rate tracing, 2 obstetricians reviewed 247 fetal heart rate tracings using the JSOG classification (Level 1, normal; Level 2, benign variant; Level 3, mild variant; Level 4, moderate variant; and Level 5, severe variant) and a subjective 3-tier classification (normal, equivocal, and ominous). In a separate series, we investigated whether the JSOG classification is related to early neonatal outcome and the delivery mode in 96 deliveries. RESULTS Weighted kappa coefficients of intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility in the interpretation of fetal heart rate tracings based on the JSOG classification were 0.73 to 0.77 and 0.70, respectively. In the subjective classification, these values were 0.69 to 0.72 and 0.59. There was a progressive increase in the rate of instrumental or cesarean deliveries across the 5 levels of the JSOG classification (P<0.001). Although, level 5 of the JSOG classification had a lower Apgar score and umbilical artery pH than did the other 4 levels (p<0.05), there were no significant differences among the other levels in regard to early neonatal outcome. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that both intraobserver reproducibility and interobserver reproducibility of the JSOG classification for interpreting FHR tracings were clinically acceptable. The results also suggest that the intervention according to the JSOG classification is useful for avoiding worsening early neonatal outcomes.
Towards Technology-Based Interventions for Improving Emotional and Cognitive Control

In this paper, we address designing for the delivery of timely cues to initiate skill-building exercises for improving emotional and cognitive control. W focus on adults with ADHD, as they frequently experience difficulties related to such control. We describe the design and current user experience evaluation of TimeOut - a skill-building assistive technology to be used by adults with ADHD to improve long-term mastery of self-regulatory abilities. TimeOut, in its current iteration, consists of a wristband monitoring physiological signals, visualization of these signals, an algorithm to prompt interventions, and the delivery of a skill-building exercise on a mobile phone.
Threat posed by unproven drugs in medical oncology

Despite the advances obtained with new agents developed in recent years in oncology, most patients with metastatic solid tumours remain incurable. Oncologists face these patients on a daily basis and know that often this situation leads to denial and the search for non-scientific, sometimes called ‘alternative’, treatments.1 Although they lack scientific evidence they hold the advantage of being able to ‘promise’ results to patients. Although patients have the right to seek such treatments, at a societal level and, more significantly, at the level of healthcare system planning, the widespread use of such agents can pose a threat when they receive approval by regulatory agencies, such as in the case of the agent Ukrain, or when …
Nutrients for the aging eye

The incidence of age-related eye diseases is expected to rise with the aging of the population. Oxidation and inflammation are implicated in the etiology of these diseases. There is evidence that dietary antioxidants and anti-inflammatories may provide benefit in decreasing the risk of age-related eye disease. Nutrients of interest are vitamins C and E, β-carotene, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. While a recent survey finds that among the baby boomers (45–65 years old), vision is the most important of the five senses, well over half of those surveyed were not aware of the important nutrients that play a key role in eye health. This is evident from a national survey that finds that intake of these key nutrients from dietary sources is below the recommendations or guidelines. Therefore, it is important to educate this population and to create an awareness of the nutrients and foods of particular interest in the prevention of age-related eye disease.
Applications of the Phytomedicine Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) in Infectious Diseases

Extracts of Echinacea purpurea (EP, purple coneflower) have been used traditionally in North America for the treatment of various types of infections and wounds, and they have become very popular herbal medicines globally. Recent studies have revealed that certain standardized preparations contain potent and selective antiviral and antimicrobial activities. In addition, they display multiple immune-modulatory activities, comprising stimulation of certain immune functions such as phagocytic activity of macrophages and suppression of the proinflammatory responses of epithelial cells to viruses and bacteria, which are manifested as alterations in secretion of various cytokines and chemokines. These immune modulations result from upregulation or downregulation of the relevant genes and their transcription factors. All these bioactivities can be demonstrated at noncytotoxic concentrations of extract and appear to be due to multiple components rather than the individual chemical compounds that characterize Echinacea extracts. Potential applications of the bioactive extracts may go beyond their traditional uses.
Moving Ground Target Tracking in Dense Obstacle Areas Using UAVs

Abstract Tracking moving ground targets using unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) has important applications in several areas. Keeping a close line of sight from a UAV to a target in a densely populated area is a challenging task because of many constraints. An algorithm for several UAVs to track a moving target cooperatively is proposed. From random samples on the ground and obstacles, a cost inversely proportional to chance to keep the target inside the camera field of view is defined. The centre of the flight path and the separation angles between UAVs along the circular flight path is optimally determined to minimise the cost. The efficiency of the algorithm is tested by Monte-Carlo simulations based on random scenario generators.