Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IRF9 is a Key Factor for Eliciting the Antiproliferative Activity of IFN-α

A number of tumors are still resistant to the antiproliferative activity of human interferon (IFN)-α. The Janus kinases/Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (JAK-STAT) pathway plays an important role in initial IFN signaling. To enhance the antiproliferative activity of IFN-α, it is important to elucidate which factors in the JAK-STAT pathway play a key role in eliciting this activity. In human ovarian adenocarcinoma OVCAR3 cells sensitive to both IFN-α and IFN-γ, only IFN regulatory factor 9 (IRF9)-RNA interference (RNAi) completely inhibited the antiproliferative activity of IFN-α among the intracellular JAK-STAT pathway factors. Conversely, Stat1-RNAi did not inhibit the antiproliferative activity of IFN-α, whereas it partially inhibited that of IFN-γ. As a cell death pathway, it is reported that tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis through TRAIL-receptor (R) 1 and TRAIL-R2. In IFN-α-treated OVCAR3 cells, IRF9-RNAi inhibited transcription of TRAIL whereas Stat1-RNAi did not, suggesting that the transcription of TRAIL induced by IFN-α predominantly required IRF9. Furthermore, IFN-stimulated response element-like motifs of TRAIL bound to IFN-stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3) complex after IFN-α treatment. Subsequently, TRAIL-R2-RNAi inhibited both antiproliferative activities of IFN-α and TRAIL, suggesting that TRAIL-R2 mediated both IFN-α and TRAIL signals to elicit their antiproliferative activities. Finally, IRF9 overexpression facilitated IFN-α-induced apoptosis in T98G (human glioblastoma multiforme) cells, which were resistant to IFN-α. Thus, this study suggests that IRF9 is the key factor for eliciting the antiproliferative activity of IFN-α and TRAIL may be one of the potential mediators.
Structural connectome disruption at baseline predicts 6‐months post‐stroke outcome

In this study, models based on quantitative imaging biomarkers of post‐stroke structural connectome disruption were used to predict six‐month outcomes in various domains. Demographic information and clinical MRIs were collected from 40 ischemic stroke subjects (age: 68.1 ± 13.2 years, 17 female, NIHSS: 6.8 ± 5.6). Diffusion‐weighted images were used to create lesion masks, which were uploaded to the Network Modification (NeMo) Tool. The NeMo Tool, using only clinical MRIs, allows estimation of connectome disruption at three levels: whole brain, individual gray matter regions and between pairs of gray matter regions. Partial Least Squares Regression models were constructed for each level of connectome disruption and for each of the three six‐month outcomes: applied cognitive, basic mobility and daily activity. Models based on lesion volume were created for comparison. Cross‐validation, bootstrapping and multiple comparisons corrections were implemented to minimize over‐fitting and Type I errors. The regional disconnection model best predicted applied cognitive (R2 = 0.56) and basic mobility outcomes (R2 = 0.70), while the pairwise disconnection model best predicted the daily activity measure (R2 = 0.72). These results demonstrate that models based on connectome disruption metrics were more accurate than ones based on lesion volume and that increasing anatomical specificity of disconnection metrics does not always increase model accuracy, likely due to statistical adjustments for concomitant increases in data dimensionality. This work establishes that the NeMo Tool's measures of baseline connectome disruption, acquired using only routinely collected MRI scans, can predict 6‐month post‐stroke outcomes in various functional domains including cognition, motor function and daily activities. Hum Brain Mapp, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Implementation of a cryptographic co-processor

In this paper a high-speed cryptographic co-processor, named HSSec, is presented. The core embeds two hash functions, SHA-1 and SHA-512, and the symmetric block cipher AES. The architecture of HSSec renders it suitable for widely spread applications with security demands. The presented coprocessor can be used inevery system integrating standards such as IPSec or the upcoming JPSec and P1619. The main characteristic of the proposed implementation is common use of the available resources, to minimize further area requirements. Additionally the cryptographic primitives can operate in parallel, providing high throughput whenever needed. Finally the system can operate in ECB or CBC modes. The HSSec co-processor has relatively small area and its performance reaches 1 Gbps (AES, SHA-1 and SHA-512) for XILINX's Virtex II FPGA family.
Advances in stroke: recovery and rehabilitation.

Developments in this area are now moving faster than ever before. It is evident that recovery drugs and techniques promoting recovery after brain ischemia deserve separate consideration and special efforts. A large number of trials are ongoing, and several new methods are being tested in single or combination mode. We have decided to report Cochrane data, meta-analyses, or (when both not available) to select 1 or 2 major papers representative for each area to illustrate the achieved results and to point to the many promising experimental, clinical, and field trials currently underway. Several drugs have been tested for efficacy in motor recovery in recent years, but none has evolved with such clear significance as is the case for Fluoxetine for Motor Recovery in Acute Ischemic Stroke (FLAME) study.1 This study investigated whether fluoxetine enhances motor recovery if given to patients with motor deficits within the first 10 days after stroke. One hundred eighteen patients with ischemic stroke and hemiplegia or hemiparesis had Fugl-Meyer motor scale (FMMS) scores of ≤55 and were randomly assigned to fluoxetine (n=59; 20 mg once per day, orally) or placebo (n=59) for 3 months starting 5 to 10 days after the onset of stroke. All patients had physiotherapy. The primary outcome measure was the change in the FMMS score between day 0 and day 90 after the start of the study drug. Two patients died before day 90 and 3 withdrew from the study. The remaining 113 showed FMMS improvement at day 90 to be significantly greater in the fluoxetine group (adjusted mean, 34.0 points; 95% confidence interval [CI], 29.7–38.4]) than in the placebo group (24.3 points [19.9–28.7]; P =0.003). The main frequent adverse events in the fluoxetine versus placebo groups were transient and not severe. They included nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain (14 [25%] versus …
Epidemiologic characterization of the 1918 influenza pandemic summer wave in Copenhagen: implications for pandemic control strategies.

BACKGROUND The 1918-1919 A/H1N1 influenza pandemic killed approximately 50 million people worldwide. Historical records suggest that an early pandemic wave struck Europe during the summer of 1918. METHODS We obtained surveillance data that were compiled weekly, during 1910-1919, in Copenhagen, Denmark; the records included medically treated influenza-like illnesses (ILIs), hospitalizations, and deaths by age. We used a Serfling seasonal regression model to quantify excess morbidity and mortality, and we estimated the reproductive number (R) for the summer, fall, and winter pandemic waves. RESULTS A large epidemic occurred in Copenhagen during the summer of 1918; the age distribution of deaths was characteristic of the 1918-1919 A/H1N1 pandemic overall. That summer wave accounted for 29%-34% of all excess ILIs and hospitalizations during 1918, whereas the case-fatality rate (0.3%) was many-fold lower than that of the fall wave (2.3%). Similar patterns were observed in 3 other Scandinavian cities. R was substantially higher in summer (2.0-5.4) than in fall (1.2-1.6) in all cities. CONCLUSIONS The Copenhagen summer wave may have been caused by a precursor A/H1N1 pandemic virus that transmitted efficiently but lacked extreme virulence. The R measured in the summer wave is likely a better approximation of transmissibility in a fully susceptible population and is substantially higher than that found in previous US studies. The summer wave may have provided partial protection against the lethal fall wave.
Reforming a complicated income tax system: The political economics perspective

In this paper we analyze the political economics of different strategies to implement revenue neutral reforms of a complicated income tax system (”tax-cut-cum-base-broadening”). We set up a straightforward social choice model where individuals initially have two deduction possibilities from the tax base. The government wants to cut back the tax base exemptions and it can do so symmetrically or asymmetrically. Asymmetrical approaches face the difficulty that even such individuals can vote against an isolated cut (or an abolishment) of a single tax concession who benefit below average from it. In some constellations a symmetrical cut is in fact the only politically feasible option, whereas all asymmetrical reforms would not be supported by the public.
Complete Genome Sequences of Six Human Bocavirus Strains from Patients with Acute Gastroenteritis in the North Region of Brazil

ABSTRACT Human bocavirus (HBoV) is commonly associated with acute respiratory tract illness and gastroenteritis. We report six complete genomic sequences of HBoV strains from patients with gastroenteritis in Belém do Pará and Tocantins in the North Region of Brazil. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the six HBoV strains belong to genotypes 1, 2, and 3.
Identifying Urine Patches on Intensively Managed Grassland Using Aerial Imagery Captured From Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems

The deposition of livestock urine and faeces in grazed fields results in a sizable input of available nitrogen (N) in these soils; therefore significantly increasing potential nitrogen pollution from agricultural areas in the form of nitrous oxide (N2O), ammonia (NH3) and nitrate (NO3-). Livestock deposition events bring in high spatial variability within the field and the prevention of detailed accountability when assessing the contribution that animal waste has on nitrogen pollution pathways. This study investigated an innovative technique for identifying the spatial coverage of urine deposition in grasslands without the need for manual soil measurements. A Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) using a twin camera system was used to identify urine patches in a 5 ha field, which had been grazed by sheep three weeks previous to measurements. The imagery was processed using Agisoft Photoscan (Agisoft LLC) to produce true and false colour orthomosaic imagery of the entire field. Imagery of five areas (225 m2) within the field were analysed using a custom R script. For a total of 1125 m2 of grassland, 12.2 % of the area consisted of what was classified as urine patch. A simple up-scaling method was applied to these data to calculate N2O emissions for the entire field providing an estimate of 1.3 to 2.0 kg N2O-N ha-1 emissions from urine and fertiliser inputs.
Weak-Periodic Stochastic Resonance in a Parallel Array of Static Nonlinearities

This paper studies the output-input signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) gain of an uncoupled parallel array of static, yet arbitrary, nonlinear elements for transmitting a weak periodic signal in additive white noise. In the small-signal limit, an explicit expression for the SNR gain is derived. It serves to prove that the SNR gain is always a monotonically increasing function of the array size for any given nonlinearity and noisy environment. It also determines the SNR gain maximized by the locally optimal nonlinearity as the upper bound of the SNR gain achieved by an array of static nonlinear elements. With locally optimal nonlinearity, it is demonstrated that stochastic resonance cannot occur, i.e. adding internal noise into the array never improves the SNR gain. However, in an array of suboptimal but easily implemented threshold nonlinearities, we show the feasibility of situations where stochastic resonance occurs, and also the possibility of the SNR gain exceeding unity for a wide range of input noise distributions.
Competitive Networking For SME: A Case Study Of Its Success In Italy

Small and Medium Enterprises have limited financial resources, which hampers development possibilities. For small and medium entities, the ambition toward a foreign-market driven income is on the increase. However, going international seems to be harder because of its peculiar financial restraint. This paper intends to give evidence to an empirical case of excellence, which is emerging as a prototype in the agri-food industry since its establishment: the Agribusiness Cluster Brixia (hereafter, ACB). The Agribusiness Cluster Brixia is a well-defined group of companies highly specialized in technology, the Cluster shares. This company integrates skills at every stage of the supply chain, from farm production to food distribution, storing, and processing. The aim of this paper is to test if it has really provided advantages for the partners, and how. These advantages can be in reducing some competitive costs for the partners involved, entering new markets, or by developing new and cooperative solutions to the customers needs.
The Cytoplasmic Tail of the T Cell Receptor CD3 ε Subunit Contains a Phospholipid-Binding Motif that Regulates T Cell Functions1

The CD3 ε subunit of the TCR complex contains two defined signaling domains, a proline-rich sequence and an ITAM. We identified a third signaling sequence in CD3 ε, termed the basic-rich stretch (BRS). Herein, we show that the positively charged residues of the BRS enable this region of CD3 ε to complex a subset of acidic phospholipids, including PI(3)P, PI(4)P, PI(5)P, PI(3,4,5)P3, and PI(4,5)P2. Transgenic mice containing mutations of the BRS exhibited varying developmental defects, ranging from reduced thymic cellularity to a complete block in T cell development. Peripheral T cells from BRS-modified mice also exhibited several defects, including decreased TCR surface expression, reduced TCR-mediated signaling responses to agonist peptide-loaded APCs, and delayed CD3 ε localization to the immunological synapse. Overall, these findings demonstrate a functional role for the CD3 ε lipid-binding domain in T cell biology.
Brain tumor resection guided by fluorescence imaging and MRI image guidance

Recent evidence suggests a correlation between extent of tumor resection and patient prognosis, making maximal tumor resection a clinical ideal for neurosurgeons. Our group is currently undertaking a clinical study using fluorescence-based detection of tumor coupled with a standard 3-D image guidance system to study the effectiveness of fluorescence-based detection in the neurosurgical operating room. For fluorescence-based detection, we used 5-aminolevulinic acid to induce accumulation of protoporphyrin IX in malignant tissues. In this paper, we chose one prototypical, highly fluorescent case of glioblastoma multiforme, a high-grade glioma, to highlight some of the key findings and methodology used in our study of fluorescence-based detection and resection of brain tumors.
Amantadine extended-release capsules for levodopa-induced dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) is a common motor complication in patients with Parkinson’s disease on chronic levodopa therapy. The management of LID is important as dyskinesia can be disabling and impair quality of life. Currently, there are limited treatment options for the medical management of LID. Amantadine extended-release capsules (Gocovri™) is the first medication that received US Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of LID. The following is a review of the pharmacodynamics, efficacy and safety profile, and current state of treatment of amantadine for LID.
The effects of adoption openness and type on the mental health, delinquency, and family relationships of adopted youth

ABSTRACT Analyzing the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents, this study examines the impact of open adoption, demographics, and other factors on adopted children’s mental health, delinquent behavior, and family relationships. Specifically, we compare findings for youth in private and public (i.e., foster care) adoptions and identify key similarities and differences between predictors of children’s well-being across these two types of adoption. We find that youth in open foster care adoptions are more likely to receive an attachment disorder diagnosis than those in closed foster care adoptions but are also more likely to have family relationships characterized by trust and adoptive parents’ willingness to recommend adoption to others. Further, we find children in both public and private adoptions who are older at placement are more likely to have posttraumatic stress disorder diagnoses. For children in private adoptions, no statistically significant predictors affected youths’ delinquency outcomes or family relationships, with the exception of parents of private adoptees in households characterized by lower levels of poverty indicating they would be more likely to recommend adoption to others. The implications of the key findings are discussed with regard to service provision for multiple types of adoptive families.
Assessment of Thrombus in Acute Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Using Thin-Slice Nonenhanced Computed Tomography Reconstructions

Background and Purpose— We sought to evaluate how accurately length and volume of thrombotic clots occluding cerebral arteries of patients with acute ischemic stroke can be assessed from nonenhanced CT (NECT) scans reconstructed with different slice widths. Methods— NECT image data of 58 patients with acute ischemic stroke with vascular occlusion proven by CT angiography were reconstructed with slice widths of 1.25 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.75 mm, and 5 mm. Thrombus lengths and volumes were quantified based on these NECT images by detecting and segmenting intra-arterial hyperdensities. The results were compared with reference values of thrombus length and volume obtained from CT angiography images using Bland-Altman analysis and predefined levels or tolerance to find NECT slice thicknesses that allow for sufficiently accurate thrombus quantification. Results— Thrombus length can be measured with high accuracy using the hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign detected in NECT images with slice thicknesses of 1.25 mm and 2.5 mm. We found mean deviations from the reference values and limits of agreement of −0.1 mm±0.6 mm with slice widths of 1.25 mm and 0.1 mm±0.7 mm for slice widths of 2.5 mm. Thrombus length measurements in NECT images with higher slice width and all evaluated thrombus volume measurements exhibited severe dependence on the level and did not match the accuracy criteria. Conclusion— The length of the hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign as detected on thin-slice NECT reconstructions in patients with acute ischemic stroke can be used to quantify thrombotic burden accurately. Thus, it might qualify as a new diagnostic parameter in acute stroke management that indicates and quantifies the extent of vascular obliteration.
Association of expression of DRD2 rs1800497 polymorphism with migraine risk in Han Chinese individuals

Background Previous studies suggested that single-nucleotide polymorphisms in dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) are the susceptibility loci for migraine. This study was aimed at evaluating the contribution of DRD2 rs1800497 and its expression to migraine risk in Han Chinese subjects. Methods In total, 250 patients with migraine and 250 age- and sex-matched control subjects were included in this study. TaqMan allelic discrimination assay was used for DRD2 rs1800497 genotyping. Plasma DRD2 concentration was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Significant associations were observed for the rs1800497 genotype (c2=6.37, p=0.041) and allele (c2=4.69, p=0.03; odds ratio [OR]=1.33, 95% CI=1.03–1.72, power=58%) frequencies between the migraine and control groups. Sex analysis indicated a positive association for rs1800497 between female patients with migraine and control individuals (genotype: c2=7.84, p=0.019; allele: c2=6.60, p=0.010; OR=1.61, 95% CI=1.12–2.30, power=73.4%). Furthermore, a significant association was observed only in female patients with migraine without aura (MO) (genotype: c2=6.88, p=0.032; allele: c2=5.65, p=0.017; OR=1.59, 95% CI=1.08–2.36, power=65.1%). The mean plasma DRD2 levels in the control group (mean±SD: 24.20±2.78) were significantly lower than those in the migraine with aura (MA) (30.86±3.69, p<0.0001) and MO groups (31.88±4.99, p<0.0001). Additionally, there was a sex-based difference in DRD2 expression in the MA (male vs female: 29.46±3.59 vs 32.27±3.27, p<0.01) and MO groups (male vs female: 29.18±3.50 vs 34.58±4.84, p<0.0001). Moreover, plasma DRD2 levels in patients were significantly different among the three genotypes (CC vs CT vs TT: 24.76±3.76 vs 30.93±3.85 vs 37.06±3.95, p<0.0001). Similar results were observed both in the MA (CC vs CT vs TT: 25.09±3.84 vs 28.57±2.84 vs 33.37±1.58, p<0.0001) and MO groups (CC vs CT vs TT: 24.65±3.79 vs 31.65±3.86 vs 38.29±3.74, p<0.0001). Conclusion Our case–control study suggested that the DRD2 polymorphism rs1800497 was significantly associated with the risk of migraine in Han Chinese females. Additionally, the plasma DRD2 level was high in patients with migraine. Females with migraine had considerably higher DRD2 levels than males with migraine. DRD2 expression may be regulated by DRD2 rs1800497 genotype in patients with migraine.
Self‐rated health and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis over three years: Data from a multicenter observational cohort study

To determine if a previously published model of the influence of self‐rated health on physical, mental, and social health among patients with joint replacement surgery could be generalized to persons with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). Our second purpose was to determine if self‐rated health mediated changes in physical, mental, and social health.
Automated Glaucoma Detection using Cup to Disc Ratio

The aim of this paper is to design and implement an automated system for glaucoma detection using cup to disc ratio. Glaucoma is a chronic eye disease affecting the optic nerve which leads to blindness. It is second leading cause for blindness. Glaucoma affects Optic nerve head. Some methods for glaucoma detection include measurement of intraocular pressure, assessment of abnormal visual field and assessment of damaged optic nerve head. Calculation of cup to disc ratio is one of the methods in assessment of damaged optic nerve head. Optic Disc and Optic Cup are parts of nerve head. First, retinal fundus image is acquired. Then optic disc is localized using thresholding. This is preprocessing step. Accurate localization is very important marker for many computer aided design techniques. Superpixel segmentation (which uses simple linear iterative clustering algorithm) is used to extract correct disc and cup boundaries. Number of superpixels is the only parameter for superpixel segmentation. Center Surround statistics is used for feature extraction purpose. This is because area around disc looks similar to disc(Paripappilary Atrophy) in color but differs in texture. Artificial neural network is used as classifier. Then vertical cup diameter to vertical disc diameter ratio is calculated. If it is greater than normal value then that is glaucomatous. Objectives of project are correct localization of optic disc and finding cup inside disc. Resulting images show disc and cup boundaries and cup to disc ratio. Sensitivity and accuracy are two main parameters for evaluation purpose. Success rate achieved in this method is 89.18%.
Measurements of transient thermal impedance of ferrite cores

The aim of the paper is to characterise thermal proprieties of ferrite cores with the use of the compact thermal model. The method of measurements of transient thermal impedance of such cores is proposed. Some results of measurements of waveforms of transient thermal impedance of the selected ferrite cores of different dimensions are shown and discussed.