Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
wNT/β-catenin pathway activation in hepatocellular carcinoma: a clinical perspective

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant global health concern which requires multidisciplinary approaches in its management. However, apart from surgical resection of the tumor, molecularly targeted therapeutics remains limited to sorafenib. New targets and drugs are urgently needed to broaden the currently limited treatment options for HCC to allow more efficacious clinical interventions and ultimately to improve the overall survival of HCC patients. The WNT/β-catenin pathway controls multiple biological functions throughout embryonic development and adult homeostasis; its dysregulation underlies a wide range of pathologies including cancer. In particular, many lines of evidence suggest that hyperactivation of this pathway is associated with the initiation and development of HCC. The critical role of the WNT to WNT/β-catenin pathway in HCC lends itself to rationally designed approaches to intervene with various aberrant loci along its signaling cascade to achieve therapeutic effects in HCC. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on WNT/β-catenin pathway deregulation in HCC, and how this pathway may be exploited for therapeutic interventions.
Cardiorespiratory fitness, exercise haemodynamics and birth outcomes: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study

Determine associations of cardiorespiratory fitness, exercise systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate recovery (HRR) following a maximal exercise test performed years preceding pregnancy with odds of preterm birth (PTB; <37 weeks' gestation) and small for gestational age (SGA; birthweight <10th percentile) delivery.
Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Resistant and Susceptible Wheat to Injury by Russian Wheat Aphid

Abstract We examined the physiological and biochemical responses of resistant (‘Halt’ and ‘Prairie Red’) and susceptible (‘TAM 107′) wheat, Triticum aestivum L. , to injury by the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko). Photosynthetic capacity was evaluated by measuring assimilation/internal CO2 (A/Ci) curves, chlorophyll fluorescence, chlorophyll, and nonstructural carbohydrate content. Total protein and peroxidase specific activity also were determined. No significant differences were detected in chlorophyll concentration between aphid-infested and control TAM 107 plants. The aphid-infested resistant cultivars had similar or significantly higher chlorophyll concentrations compared with their respective control plants. Measurements over time showed that infested Halt plants had delays in photosynthetic senescence, Prairie Red plants had photosynthetic rate changes that were similar to control plants, and TAM 107 plants displayed accelerated photosynthetic senescence patterns. The photochemical and nonphotochemical quenching coefficients were significantly higher in infested Halt plants compared with their respective control plants on day 3. Infested TAM 107 plants had significantly higher photochemical quenching compared with control plants at all times evaluated, and they had significantly higher nonphotochemical quenching on day 3. Throughout the experiment, infested Prairie Red plants exhibited photochemical and nonphotochemical quenching coefficient values that were not significantly different from control plants. Total protein content was not significantly different between aphid-infested and control plants for all cultivars. Differences between physiological responses of infested susceptible and resistant cultivars, particularly temporal changes in photosynthetic activity, imply that resistant Halt and Prairie Red wheat tolerate some impacts of aphid injury on photosynthetic integrity.
Evaluation of Methods for the Concentration and Extraction of Viruses from Sewage in the Context of Metagenomic Sequencing

Viral sewage metagenomics is a novel field of study used for surveillance, epidemiological studies, and evaluation of waste water treatment efficiency. In raw sewage human waste is mixed with household, industrial and drainage water, and virus particles are, therefore, only found in low concentrations. This necessitates a step of sample concentration to allow for sensitive virus detection. Additionally, viruses harbor a large diversity of both surface and genome structures, which makes universal viral genomic extraction difficult. Current studies have tackled these challenges in many different ways employing a wide range of viral concentration and extraction procedures. However, there is limited knowledge of the efficacy and inherent biases associated with these methods in respect to viral sewage metagenomics, hampering the development of this field. By the use of next generation sequencing this study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of four commonly applied viral concentrations techniques (precipitation with polyethylene glycol, organic flocculation with skim milk, monolithic adsorption filtration and glass wool filtration) and extraction methods (Nucleospin RNA XS, QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit, NucliSENS® miniMAG®, or PowerViral® Environmental RNA/DNA Isolation Kit) to determine the viriome in a sewage sample. We found a significant influence of concentration and extraction protocols on the detected viriome. The viral richness was largest in samples extracted with QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit or PowerViral® Environmental RNA/DNA Isolation Kit. Highest viral specificity were found in samples concentrated by precipitation with polyethylene glycol or extracted with Nucleospin RNA XS. Detection of viral pathogens depended on the method used. These results contribute to the understanding of method associated biases, within the field of viral sewage metagenomics, making evaluation of the current literature easier and helping with the design of future studies.
Morphological and functional changes in the vertebral column with increasing aquatic adaptation in crocodylomorphs

The lineage leading to modern Crocodylia has undergone dramatic evolutionary changes in morphology, ecology and locomotion over the past 200+ Myr. These functional innovations may be explained in part by morphological changes in the axial skeleton, which is an integral part of the vertebrate locomotor system. Our objective was to estimate changes in osteological range of motion (RoM) and intervertebral joint stiffness of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae with increasing aquatic adaptation in crocodylomorphs. Using three-dimensional virtual models and morphometrics, we compared the modern crocodile Crocodylus to five extinct crocodylomorphs: Terrestrisuchus, Protosuchus, Pelagosaurus, Steneosaurus and Metriorhynchus, which span the spectrum from terrestrial to fully aquatic. In Crocodylus, we also experimentally measured changes in trunk flexibility with sequential removal of osteoderms and soft tissues. Our results for the more aquatic species matched our predictions fairly well, but those for the more terrestrial early crocodylomorphs did not. A likely explanation for this lack of correspondence is the influence of other axial structures, particularly the rigid series of dorsal osteoderms in early crocodylomorphs. The most important structures for determining RoM and stiffness of the trunk in Crocodylus were different in dorsoventral versus mediolateral bending, suggesting that changes in osteoderm and rib morphology over crocodylomorph evolution would have affected movements in some directions more than others.
STIMATION VIA S TOCHASTIC B ATCH N ORMALIZATION

In this work, we investigate Batch Normalization technique and propose its probabilistic interpretation. We propose a probabilistic model and show that Batch Normalization maximizes the lower bound of its marginalized log-likelihood. Then, according to the new probabilistic model, we design an algorithm which acts consistently during train and test. However, inference becomes computationally inefficient. To reduce memory and computational cost, we propose Stochastic Batch Normalization – an efficient approximation of proper inference procedure. This method provides us with a scalable uncertainty estimation technique. We demonstrate the performance of Stochastic Batch Normalization on popular architectures (including deep convolutional architectures: VGG-like and ResNets) for MNIST and CIFAR-10 datasets.
Deletion of Efemp1 Is Protective Against the Development of Sub-RPE Deposits in Mouse Eyes

Purpose EFEMP1 (fibulin-3) is mutated in Malattia Leventinese/Doyne's honeycomb retinal dystrophy (ML/DHRD), an inherited macular dystrophy similar to AMD. Both ML/DHRD and AMD are characterized by the presence of sub-RPE deposits. Efemp1 knockout mice do not develop sub-RPE deposits. This study was to test whether sub-RPE deposits can be induced in Efemp1 knockout mice by experimentally applied stress conditions that cause wild-type mice to develop sub-RPE deposits. Methods Efemp1 knockout and control mice at 6, 18, or 24 months old were fed with a synthetic high-fat diet (HFD). Beginning 1 month after starting the HFD, one group of mice was exposed to cigarette smoke daily for 1 month, and another group of mice was subjected to photochemical injury every other day for 2 weeks from a 488-nm argon laser. After the treatments, histologic analysis was performed to assess whether sub-RPE deposits were induced. Results Basal laminar deposits (BLamDs), a form of sub-RPE deposits, were observed in the 18- and 24-month-old wild-type mice but not in Efemp1 knockout mice in any age groups after exposure to HFD and cigarette smoke or laser injury. Conclusions Mice lacking fibulin-3 do not develop sub-RPE deposits. Environmental oxidative stressors (HFD/cigarette smoke or HFD/laser) known to cause BLamD formation in wild-type mice failed to induce BLamD formation in Efemp1 knockout mice. These results suggest that fibulin-3 is a central player in the development of BLamD, and deletion of fibulin-3 is protective against the development of BLamD.
Unraveling the diversification history of grasshoppers belonging to the “Trimerotropis pallidipennis” (Oedipodinae: Acrididae) species group: a hotspot of biodiversity in the Central Andes

The Andean Mountain range has been recognized as one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. The proposed mechanisms for such species diversification, among others, are due to the elevation processes occurring during the Miocene and the intensive glacial action during the Pleistocene. In this study we investigated the diversification history of the grasshopper Trimerotropis pallidipennis species complex which shows a particularly wide latitudinal and altitudinal distribution range across the northern, central and southern Andes in South America. Many genetic lineages of this complex have been so far discovered, making it an excellent model to investigate the role of the central Andes Mountains together with climatic fluctuations as drivers of speciation. Phylogenetics, biogeographic and molecular clock analyses using a multi-locus dataset revealed that in Peru there are at least two, and possibly four genetic lineages. Two different stocks originated from a common ancestor from North/Central America—would have dispersed toward southern latitudes favored by the closure of the Panama Isthmus giving rise to two lineages, the coastal and mountain lineages, which still coexist in Peru (i.e., T. pallidipennis and T. andeana). Subsequent vicariant and dispersal events continued the differentiation process, giving rise to three to six genetic lineages (i.e., clades) detected in this study, which were geographically restricted to locations dispersed over the central Andes Mountains in South America. Our results provide another interesting example of “island diversification” motored by the topography plus unstable climatic conditions during the Pleistocene, pointing out the presence of a hotspot of diversification in the Andean region of Peru.
Transfer effects of prompted and self-reported analogical comparison and self-explanation

We compared types of transfer facilitated by instructions to engage in analogical comparison or self-explanation. Participants received learning materials and worked examples with prompts supporting analogical comparison, selfexplanation, or instructional explanation study. Learners also self-reported their use of analogical comparison and selfexplanation on a series of questionnaires. We evaluated condition effects on self-reports and transfer, and the relations between self-reports and transfer. Receiving materials with analogical-comparison support and reporting greater levels of analogical comparison were both associated with worse transfer performance, while reporting greater levels of selfexplanation was associated with better performance. Learners’ self-reports of analogical comparison and selfexplanation were not related to condition assignment, suggesting that the questionnaires did not measure the same processes promoted by the intervention, or that individual differences are robust even when learners are instructed to engage in analogical comparison or self-explanation.
Sensor Sticker for Detection of Fungi Spore Contamination on Bananas

Fungi growth on bananas during transportation not only results in loss of food but it also incurs considerable transport losses. To investigate the influence of spores on the development of fungi growth on the bananas we present a sensor sticker. The sticker can be put on the banana surface for the detection of spore concentration. The designed sensor comprises of a thin layer of culture medium (PDA agarose) coated on a capacitive sensor fabricated on a polyimide foil (5 μm). As spores germinate, the capacitance of the culture medium changes which is measured by the interdigital capacitive element that contains 2 electrodes (with 428 fingers) that have a length of 3 mm, a width and a gap of 7 μm. In addition to the culture medium one of the major requirements for the fungi to grow is air. As air cannot diffuse through the sticker, air cavities are integrated in the culture medium layer to provide the necessary amount of air for fungi growth. This method was successfully applied to determine different concentrations of Fusarium Oxysporum, a major fungi species responsible for banana contamination. Measured capacitance change after a fixed time interval depends on the initial concentration of spores. The measurement takes typically 6 hours.
Three-Dimensional Mean-Shift Edge Bundling for the Visualization of Functional Connectivity in the Brain

Functional connectivity, a flourishing new area of research in human neuroscience, carries a substantial challenge for visualization: while the end points of connectivity are known, the precise path between them is not. Although a large body of work already exists on the visualization of anatomical connectivity, the functional counterpart lacks similar development. To optimize the clarity of whole-brain and complex connectivity patterns in three-dimensional brain space, we develop mean-shift edge bundling, which reveals the multitude of connections as derived from correlations in the brain activity of cortical regions.
Enhancement in Mechanical Properties of Polystyrene Filled with Carbon Nano-Particulates (CNPs)

The idea of adding reinforcing materials, or fillers, to polymers has been around for many decades. The reason for the creation of polymer composite materials came about due of the need for materials with specific properties for specific applications. For example, composite materials are unique in their ability to allow brittle and ductile materials to become softer and stronger. It is expected that good tribological properties can be obtained for polymers filled with nano-scale fillers. A soft plastic can become harder and stronger by the addition of a light weight high stiffness material. In the present work, the effect of adding different percentages of carbon nano-particulates to polystyrene (PS) on the mechanical properties of nano-composites produced was investigated. Based on the experimental observations, it was found that as the percentage of the carbon nano-particulates (CNPS) increased hardness increased and consequently friction coefficient remarkably decreased.
Paradoxical changes in alcohol consumption and CAGE ratings between 1996 and 2006 in the general population of Geneva.

AIMS To assess changes between 1996 and 2006 in alcohol use and dependence in the general population of Geneva, Switzerland. METHODS Postal surveys of alcohol consumption patterns in representative samples of the general population were compared. The four-item CAGE (Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener) screener was used to estimate alcohol dependence. RESULTS There were 742 participants in 1996 (response rate 75%) and 1487 in 2006 (76%). The proportions of daily drinkers (1996: 18%; 2006: 10%; P < 0.001), and of heavy drinkers (>14 drinks/week) decreased between 1996 (13%) and 2006 (7%; P < 0.001). However, decreases in heavy drinking were limited to men aged 30+ and women aged 30-49. The average number of drinks/week decreased from 6.4 in 1996 to 5.0 in 2006 (P < 0.001). Perception of safe drinking levels decreased between 1996 (4 drinks/day) and 2006 (3 drinks/day, P < 0.001). The prevalence of alcohol dependence, defined as a CAGE score ≥ 2, increased among women (1996: 6%; 2006: 14%; P = 0.001), but not among men (1996: 18%, 2006: 19%). Two of the CAGE items were endorsed more frequently by women in 2006 than in 1996: 'guilty' (1996: 9%; 2006: 15%; P = 0.018) and 'should cut down' (1996: 12%; 2006: 18%; P = 0.04). Drinking and driving did not change significantly over time (2006: 21% of men, 9% of women). CONCLUSION Alcohol consumption, heavy drinking and perceived levels of safe drinking decreased over these 10 years, but not drunk driving or alcohol dependence. Paradoxically, alcohol dependence even increased among women, driven by CAGE items 'guilty' and 'should cut down', suggesting that changes in CAGE scores reflected changes in the social acceptability of drinking rather than changes in dependence.
Certain Adenylated Non-Coding RNAs, Including 5′ Leader Sequences of Primary MicroRNA Transcripts, Accumulate in Mouse Cells following Depletion of the RNA Helicase MTR4

RNA surveillance plays an important role in posttranscriptional regulation. Seminal work in this field has largely focused on yeast as a model system, whereas exploration of RNA surveillance in mammals is only recently begun. The increased transcriptional complexity of mammalian systems provides a wider array of targets for RNA surveillance, and, while many questions remain unanswered, emerging data suggest the nuclear RNA surveillance machinery exhibits increased complexity as well. We have used a small interfering RNA in mouse N2A cells to target the homolog of a yeast protein that functions in RNA surveillance (Mtr4p). We used high-throughput sequencing of polyadenylated RNAs (PA-seq) to quantify the effects of the mMtr4 knockdown (KD) on RNA surveillance. We demonstrate that overall abundance of polyadenylated protein coding mRNAs is not affected, but several targets of RNA surveillance predicted from work in yeast accumulate as adenylated RNAs in the mMtr4KD. microRNAs are an added layer of transcriptional complexity not found in yeast. After Drosha cleavage separates the pre-miRNA from the microRNA's primary transcript, the byproducts of that transcript are generally thought to be degraded. We have identified the 5′ leading segments of pri-miRNAs as novel targets of mMtr4 dependent RNA surveillance.
Barycentric subspace analysis on manifolds

This paper investigates the generalization of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to Riemannian manifolds. We first propose a new and more general type of family of subspaces in manifolds that we call barycen-tric subspaces. They are implicitly defined as the locus of points which are weighted means of k + 1 reference points. As this definition relies on points and not on tangent vectors, it can also be extended to geodesic spaces which are not Riemannian. For instance, in stratified spaces, it naturally allows principal subspaces that span several strata, which is impossible in previous generalizations of PCA. We show that barycentric subspaces locally define a submanifold of dimension k which generalizes geodesic subspaces. Second, we rephrase PCA in Euclidean spaces as an optimization on flags of linear subspaces (a hierarchy of properly embedded linear sub-spaces of increasing dimension). We show that the Euclidean PCA minimizes the sum of the unexplained variance by all the subspaces of the flag, also called the Area-Under-the-Curve (AUC) criterion. Barycentric subspaces are naturally nested, allowing the construction of hierarchically nested subspaces. Optimizing the AUC criterion to optimally approximate data points with flags of affine spans in Riemannian manifolds lead to a particularly appealing generalization of PCA on manifolds, that we call Barycentric Subspaces Analysis (BSA).
Complex Structure Workspace Sweeping Using Semiautonomous Vacuum

The paper presents the study of design and synthesis of the system dedicated for sweeping large and complex spaces using a team of cleaning robots. The problems of coordination of activities of individual robotic-unit is discussed. Application of the Game Theory for creation of coordination algorithms is proposed. The paper deals also with design and implementation of algorithms of movement of autonomous (or semiautonomous) vacuum cleaner, that would be able to work inside of a flat, but not free of obstacles workspaces. In the paper several proposed algorithms of surface covering are discussed. The two algorithms were selected as the most appropriate and presented in this work. Experimental validation of efficiency of the proposed approach were done and the results of the validation are discussed in the paper. Key-Words: Mobile robotics, game theory, multi-robot, semiautonomous systems, vacuum cleaners, surface covering
Nehovah: A Neologism Creator Nomen Ipsum

In this paper, we describe a system called Nehovah that generates neologisms from a set of base words provided by a user. Nehovah focuses on creating “good” neologisms by evaluating various attributes of a neologism such as how well it communicates the source concepts and how “catchy” it is. Because Nehovah depends on the user to weight the importance of various attributes of the neologism and to choose the source concepts, it is at this point most appropriately considered a collaborative system rather than an autonomous one. To demonstrate the utility of the system, we show several examples of system output and discuss the creativity of Nehovah with respect to several characteristics critical for any computational creative system: appreciation, imagination, skill and accountability.
Adaptive NOX Soft Sensor for Aftertreatment of Diesel Engines

As environmental regulations become stricter, diesel engines must become cleaner. Hence, in addition to combustion control, aftertreatment of the exhaust is important to reduce emissions involving NO X and diesel particulate matter (DPM). NO X is eliminated by a chemical reaction with ammonia, which is generated by hydrolysis of injected urea. Although the NO X concentration must be accurately detected to ensure the appropriate quantity of urea is used, the response speed of the current NO X sensor is too slow to follow transient operations. In this paper, a new NO X adaptive soft sensor for aftertreatment of diesel engines is described, and its basic characteristics are confirmed via an engine bench test.