Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exercise training combined with angiotensin II receptor blockade limits post-infarct ventricular remodelling in rats.

AIMS Our aim was to test the hypothesis that angiotensin II receptor blockade combined with exercise training after myocardial infarction (MI) could attenuate post-MI left ventricular remodelling and preserve cardiac function. METHODS AND RESULTS Sprague-Dawley rats underwent ligation of the left descending coronary artery, resulting in MI, or a sham operation. Losartan treatment and exercise training were initiated 1 week after infarction and continued for 8 weeks, either as a single intervention or combined. Collagen volume fraction in the sedentary MI (MISed) group was significantly higher than other MI groups treated with exercise training and/or losartan. Compared with MISed group, hearts of rats receiving exercise and/or losartan treatment had lower tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP) 1. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2 or MMP-9 did not differ among all groups. Additionally, the level of angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1) protein significantly decreased in response to exercise training. Furthermore, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) binding was markedly lower in hearts receiving exercise training than in the MISed hearts. Cardiac function was preserved in rats receiving exercise training, and the beneficial effect was further improved by exercise combined with losartan treatment in comparison to the MISed group. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that post-MI exercise training and/or AngII receptor blockade reduces TIMP-1 expression and mitigates the expressions of ACE and AT1 receptor. These improvements, in turn, attenuate myocardial fibrosis and preserve post-MI cardiac function.
A Personalized Recommendation System for NetEase Dating Site

With the popularity of internet, more and more people try to find friends or dating partners on online dating web sites. Recommending appropriate partners from a large amount of candidates becomes an interesting and challenging problem in the field of recommendation system. Various types of recommendation techniques (e.g., content based recommendation, collaborative filtering and association rule mining) have be proposed to tackle this problem. However most of them ignore the personalization concerns that they (1) mainly consider the hot users or frequent items, (2) cover only a portion of users especially ignoring the long tails, (3) and cannot deal with the cold start problem properly. In this paper, we present a regression based hybrid recommendation system that makes use of matching degree, fancy degree, activity, sincerity, popularity and enthusiasm, to recommend appropriate partners. The experimental evaluation of our recommendation system on a real dating web site shows our strategy is more effective and efficient than its previous version which follows the principle of giving higher priority to the recent active users.
Synthetic small inhibiting RNAs: Efficient tools to inactivate oncogenic mutations and restore p53 pathways

Single base pair mutations that alter the function of tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes occur frequently during oncogenesis. The guardian of the genome, p53, is inactivated by point mutation in more than 50% of human cancers. Synthetic small inhibiting RNAs (siRNAs) can suppress gene expression in mammalian cells, although their degree of selectivity might be compromised by an amplification mechanism. Here, we demonstrate that a single base difference in siRNAs discriminates between mutant and WT p53 in cells expressing both forms, resulting in the restoration of WT protein function. Therefore, siRNAs may be used to suppress expression of point-mutated genes and provide the basis for selective and personalized antitumor therapy.
Compact and stable modeling of partial inductance and reluctance matrices

The sparsification of the reluctance matrix L/sup -1/ (where L denotes the usual inductance matrix L) has been widely used in several recent investigations to make the problem of simulation of interconnects tractable. Although these sparsification techniques work well in practice, the stability of these approximations has not been established, i.e., the sparsified reluctance and inductance matrices are not guaranteed to be positive-definite. In this work, we propose a band matching method that enjoys two advantages: First, we exploit the elegant structure of the inverse of banded matrices so as to construct an approximate inductance matrix L/sup ~/ whose band entries match the band entries of original L, and whose inverse is a banded matrix. This approach yields a compact representation of both inductance and reluctance matrices. Second, we establish that the compact approximant L/sup ~/ is guaranteed to be positive-definite. Simulation results show that our approach enjoys an approximation accuracy that is comparable to that of existing methods.
Understanding differences between search requests in XML element retrieval

XML retrieval, a very active branch of IR, studies the focused retrieval of semi-structured data. Although much progress has been made, especially through the annual INitiative for the Evaluation of XML retrieval (INEX), very little is known about XML element retrieval in action: What do users expect from an element retrieval system? What kind of information needs do they have? What sort of results do they request? Etc. In an effort to recover some of the answers, an extensive questionnaire was part of the peer topic creation process at INEX 2006. In this paper we present an analysis of the responses of topic authors. Our main general finding is that there is a great variety in the responses, and hence in the expectations about XML element retrieval.
The Challenge of Pathological Diagnosis for Precancerous Cervical Lesions

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer after breast and colorectal cancers worldwide, and the second most common gynecological malignancy after endometrial cancer. Cervical cancer screening was first described by Papanicolaou in 1941 using the PAP smear test. The incidence of invasive cervical cancer clearly reduced with the common use of PAP smear in developed countries. The basic methods used for diagnosis of premalignant lesions of the cervix are determination with colposcopy, biopsy and HPV DNA typing. Cervical premalignant lesions cannot be observed with the naked eye, other than exophytic or papillary lesions of condyloma acuminatum. Condyloma acuminatum are simultaneously LSIL. LSIL and HSIL differentiation cannot be made with colposcopy. Due to better repeatability and interobserver compliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 2-layer HSIL/LSIL system. In the 3-layer CIN system, CIN1 is equivalent to LSIL, while CIN3 equivalent is HSIL. The lesions are frequently encountered in routine biopsies, and in some cases, differential diagnosis may be difficult. Basal cell hyperplasia, atrophy, reactive and repair-induced atypia and immature squamous metaplasia may mimic precancerous lesions. Although histomorphology is gold standard, P16 and Ki-67 are beneficial immunohistochemical ancillary testes. However, it should be kept in mind that p16 can be positive in LSIL, and negative in HSIL.
Carrier sense adaptive transmission (CSAT) in unlicensed spectrum

Systems and methods for Carrier Sense Adaptive Transmission (CSAT) and related operations in unlicensed spectrum are disclosed to reduce interference between co-existing Radio Access Technologies (RATs). The parameters for a given CSAT communication scheme may be adapted dynamically based on received signals from a transceiver for a native RAT to be protected and an identification of how that RAT is utilizing a shared resource such as an unlicensed band. Other operations such as Discontinuous Reception (DRX) may be aligned with a CSAT Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) communication pattern by way of a DRX broadcast / multicast message. Different TDM communication patterns may be staggered in time across different frequencies. Channel selection for a co-existing RAT may also be configured to afford further protection to native RATs by preferring operation on secondary channels as opposed to primary channels.
Batch codes through dense graphs without short cycles

Consider a large database of n data items that need to be stored using m servers. We study how to encode information so that a large number k of read requests can be performed in parallel while the rate remains constant (and ideally approaches one). This problem is equivalent to the design of multiset Batch Codes introduced by Ishai, Kushilevitz, Ostrovsky and Sahai [1]. We give families of multiset batch codes with asymptotically optimal rates of the form 1 - 1/poly(k) and a number of servers m scaling polynomially in the number of read requests k. An advantage of our batch code constructions over most previously known multiset batch codes is explicit and deterministic decoding algorithms and asymptotically optimal fault tolerance. Our main technical innovation is a graph-theoretic method of designing multiset batch codes using dense bipartite graphs with no small cycles. We modify prior graph constructions of dense, high-girth graphs to obtain our batch code results. We achieve close to optimal tradeoffs between the parameters for bipartite graph based batch codes.
The Influence of Green External Integration on Firm Performance: Does Firm Size Matter?

Although the importance of green external integration has been widely recognized, our understanding of how firm size influences its link with firm performance is still limited. This study develops a conceptual framework in which firm size is proposed to moderate the relationships between green external integration, the time-to-market of environmentally friendly products and firm performance. We examine this model using data collected from 176 Chinese manufacturing companies. The results reveal that firm size moderates the relationship between green customer integration and business performance, the relationship between green supplier integration and operational performance, and the relationship between the time-to-market of environmentally friendly products and business performance. In addition, green customer and supplier integration improve both operational and business performance entirely by decreasing the time-to-market of environmentally friendly products for large firms, while green customer integration enhances operational performance entirely by shortening the time-to-market of environmentally friendly products for small and medium firms. These findings have important implications for research and practice in the fields of green supply chain integration and green innovation.
Switching generic antiepileptic drug manufacturer not linked to seizures

Objective: With more antiepileptic drugs (AED) becoming available in generic form, we estimated the risk of seizure-related events associated with refilling generic AEDs and the effect of switching between different manufacturers of the same generic drug. Methods: We designed a population-based case-crossover study using the Medicaid Analytic eXtract and a US commercial health insurance database. We identified 83,001 generic AED users who experienced a seizure-related hospital admission or emergency room visit between 2000 and 2013 and assessed whether they received a refill of the same AED from the same manufacturer or a different manufacturer. Patients served as their own controls and conditional logistic regression was used to compare exposure to a refill during the hazard period, defined as days 2–36 preceding the seizure-related event, to exposure during the control period, defined as days 51–85 preceding the seizure-related event. Results: Generic AED refilling was associated with an 8% increase in the odds of seizure-related events (odds ratio [OR] 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–1.11). The OR following a switch to a different manufacturer of the same AED was 1.09 (95% CI 1.03–1.15); however, after adjusting for the process of refilling, there was no association between switching and seizure-related hospital visits (OR 1.00; 95% CI 0.94–1.07). Conclusions: Among patients on a generic AED, refilling the same AED was associated with an elevated risk of seizure-related event; however, there was no additional risk from switching during that refill to a different manufacturer. Generic AEDs available to US patients, with Food and Drug Administration–validated bioequivalence, appear to be safe clinical choices.
Peroxidase-Like Activity of Ferruginous Bodies Isolated by Exploiting their Magnetic Property

Ferruginous bodies (FB) are polymorphic structures whose formation is macrophage dependent, and are composed of a core, which may consist of an asbestos fiber coated with proteins, among which ferritin is the main component. Within ferritin, the ferric and ferrous ions are coordinated as ferrihydrite, which is the main iron (Fe) storage compound. However, when ferritin accumulates in some tissues following Fe overload it also contains magnetite along with ferrihydrite, which endows it with magnetic properties. Recently studies showed that magnetite exerts peroxidase-like activity, and since ferruginous bodies display magnetic properties, it was postulated that these particular structures may also contain magnetite within the ferritin coating, and thus may also exert peroxidase-like activity. Histochemical analysis for peroxidase of isolated FB smears demonstrated positive staining. Samples isolated from 4 different autopsy lung fragments were also able to oxidize 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl-benzidine to a blue colored compound that absorbs at 655 nm. This activity was (1) azide and heat insensitive with optimal pH from 5 to 6, and (2) highly variable, changing more than 25-fold from one sample to another. These findings, together with evidence that the peroxidase-like activity of ferruginous bodies has a hydrogen peroxide and substrate requirement different from that of human myeloperoxidase, can exclude that this enzyme gives a significant contribution to the formation of FB. Standard Fe-rich asbestos fibers also express a peroxidase-like activity, but this appears negligible compared to that of ferruginous bodies. Strong acidification of standard Fe-containing asbestos fibers or magnetically isolated ferruginous bodies liberates a high amount of peroxidase-like activity, which is probably accounted for by the release of Fe ions. Further, FB also damage mesothelial cells in vitro. Data suggest that FB exert peroxidase-like activity and cytotoxic activity against mesothelial cells, and hence may be an important factor in pathogenesis of asbestos-related diseases.
Tumor Environmental Factors Glucose Deprivation and Lactic Acidosis Induce Mitotic Chromosomal Instability – An Implication in Aneuploid Human Tumors

Mitotic chromosomal instability (CIN) plays important roles in tumor progression, but what causes CIN is incompletely understood. In general, tumor CIN arises from abnormal mitosis, which is caused by either intrinsic or extrinsic factors. While intrinsic factors such as mitotic checkpoint genes have been intensively studied, the impact of tumor microenvironmental factors on tumor CIN is largely unknown. We investigate if glucose deprivation and lactic acidosis – two tumor microenvironmental factors – could induce cancer cell CIN. We show that glucose deprivation with lactic acidosis significantly increases CIN in 4T1, MCF-7 and HCT116 scored by micronuclei, or aneuploidy, or abnormal mitosis, potentially via damaging DNA, up-regulating mitotic checkpoint genes, and/or amplifying centrosome. Of note, the feature of CIN induced by glucose deprivation with lactic acidosis is similar to that of aneuploid human tumors. We conclude that tumor environmental factors glucose deprivation and lactic acidosis can induce tumor CIN and propose that they are potentially responsible for human tumor aneuploidy.
MEMS fixtures for handling and assembly of microparts

Fixtures are used to locate and hold parts during automated inspection, machining, or assembly. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are tiny devices built in batch processes derived from integrated circuit fabrication. We describe a design for an array of MEMS microfixtures for parallel inspection, transport, and assembly of microfabricated parts. In a microfixture array, parts are brought near the fixture by random motion provided e.g. by vibratory agitation. The fixture clamps actively close when the parts enter the fixture. In large future fixture arrays, electrostatic or optical sensors integrated into the fixture cell can trigger this clamping function. Each cell operates autonomously and no global control is necessary. We fabricated a prototype cell consisting of two upfoldable fixture walls and a bimorph thermal actuator using a standard CMOS process. This approach allows batch fabrication of large numbers of cells on a single silicon wafer, as well as easy integration of sensors and actuators that autonomously close each cell when filled.
Delia radicum

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) released by plants are involved in different orientation processes of herbivorous insects and consequently play a crucial role in their reproductive success. In the context of developing new strategies for crop protection, several studies have previously demonstrated the possibility to limit insect density on crops using either host or non-host plants releasing attractive or repellent VOCs respectively. The cabbage root fly, Delia radicum, is an important pest of brassicaceous crops for which control methods have to be implemented. Several studies have shown that plant odours influence cabbage root fly behavior but only few VOCs have been identified so far. The present study aims at selecting both plants and olfactory stimuli that could be used in the development of a “pushpull” strategy against the cabbage root fly. Our olfactometer results revealed that plants belonging to the same family, even to the same species may exhibit different levels of attractiveness toward D. radicum. Plants that were determined as attractive through our behavioral observations were characterized by high release rates of distinct terpenes such as linalool, β-caryophyllene, humulene and α-farnesene. This study represents a first step to identify both attractive plants of agronomic interest and additional volatiles that could be used in the context of trap crops to protect broccoli fields against the cabbage root fly.
PositivelyPregnant: Using guided prompts in a stress-management app for pregnant women

This paper reports on our interdisciplinary research on stress management for pregnant women. We developed a mobile app – PositivelyPregnant – for supporting the mental wellbeing of pregnant women in New Zealand. The app aims to support women in using the time during pregnancy to build resilience and plan a healthy future for the whole family. We report the results from a study using PositivelyPregnant, carried out at 24 weeks gestation with 88 women. We particularly explored the use of prompts for continued engagement.
FREEZE-FRACTURING OF NERVE GROWTH CONES AND YOUNG FIBERS

Neural and non-neural cellular processes have been studied in organotypic cultures of spinal cord and olfactory bulb by means of the freeze-fracturing technique. Identification of specific cellular elements in replicas has been achieved by comparison with thin-sectioned material in which differences in shape and contents are evident. Freeze-fracturing reveals that neural growth cones may be distinguished from glial pseudopodia by the low number of intramembranous particles within their plasma membrane; the counts of particles within the growth cone membrane average 85/µm2 (for the inner leaflet) as opposed to hundreds per square micrometer in glial pseudopodia. Whereas the intramembranous particle number in glial pseudopodia is only slightly lower than in their perikaryal plasmalemma, the number of particles in outgrowing axons increases about eightfold from the periphery towards the perikaryon. Furthermore, with prolonged time of growth in culture, the particle density in the young nerve fibers increases by about the same factor. The same phenomenon, i.e. a low intramembranous particle level at earlier stages and an increase in numbers as the nerve fiber matures, is observed in fetal nerve tissue in vivo. These findings suggest that the plasmalemma of the outgrowing nerve, and especially of the growth cone, is immature and that maturation is accompanied by the insertion of intramembranous particles. Furthermore, these data indicate that the chemistry of the growth cone membrane is distinct from that of the neuron soma which may be significant for the mechanisms of guidance and recognition in the growing nerve tip.
How many supernovae are we missing at high redshift

Near-infrared and radio searches for core-collapse supernovae (CC SNe) in the local universe have shown that the vast majority of the events occurring in massive starburst are missed by the current optical searches as they explode in very dusty environments. Recent infrared observations have shown that the fraction of star formation activity that takes place in very luminous dusty starbursts sharply increases with redshift and becomes the dominant star formation component at z 0.5. As a consequence, an increasing fraction of SNe are expected to be missed by high-redshift optical searches. We estimate that 5‐10 per cent of the local CC SNe are out of reach of the optical searches. The fraction of missing events rises sharply towards z = 1, when about 30 per cent of the CC SNe will be undetected. At z = 2 the missing fraction will be about 60 per cent. Correspondingly, for Type Ia SNe, our computations provide missing fractions of 15 per cent at z = 1 and 35 per cent at z = 2. Such large corrections are crucially important to compare the observed SN rate with the expectations from the evolution of the cosmic star formation history, and to design the future SN searches at high redshifts.
Race and Gender Differences in 1-Year Outcomes for Community-Dwelling Stroke Survivors With Family Caregivers

Background and Purpose— Previous research has reported worse outcomes after stroke for women and for African Americans, but few prospective population-based studies have systematically examined demographic differences on long-term stroke outcomes. Race and gender differences in 1-year stroke outcomes were examined using an epidemiologically derived sample of first-time stroke survivors from the national REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. Methods— Participants of REGARDS who reported a first-time stroke event during regular surveillance calls were interviewed by telephone and then completed an in-home evaluation approximately 1 year after the verified first-time stroke event (N=112). A primary family caregiver was also enrolled and interviewed for each stroke survivor. Measures from the in-home evaluation included previously validated stroke outcomes assessments of neurological deficits, functional impairments, and patient-reported effects of stroke in multiple domains. Results– African American stroke survivors were less likely to be living with their primary family caregivers than white participants. Analyses that controlled for age, education, and whether the stroke survivors lived with their primary family caregivers indicated that African Americans and women showed significantly greater deficits on multiple 1-year outcome measures compared to whites and men, respectively. Conclusions— Among community-dwelling stroke survivors with family caregivers, women and African Americans are at heightened risk for poor long-term outcomes 1 year after first-time stroke events. Rehabilitation services and public health policies aimed at enhancing stroke recovery rates should address these disparities in poststroke outcomes.