Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain Tumor promotes axon growth across the midline through interactions with the microtubule stabilizing protein Apc2

Commissural axons must cross the midline to establish reciprocal connections between the two sides of the body. This process is highly conserved between invertebrates and vertebrates and depends on guidance cues and their receptors to instruct axon trajectories. The DCC family receptor Frazzled (Fra) signals chemoattraction and promotes midline crossing in response to its ligand Netrin. However, in Netrin or fra mutants, the loss of crossing is incomplete, suggesting the existence of additional pathways. Here, we identify Brain Tumor (Brat), a tripartite motif protein, as a new regulator of midline crossing in the Drosophila CNS. Genetic analysis indicates that Brat acts independently of the Netrin/Fra pathway. In addition, we show that through its B-Box domains, Brat acts cell autonomously to regulate the expression and localization of Adenomatous polyposis coli-2 (Apc2), a key component of the Wnt canonical signaling pathway, to promote axon growth across the midline. Genetic evidence indicates that the role of Brat and Apc2 to promote axon growth across the midline is independent of Wnt and Beta-catenin-mediated transcriptional regulation. Instead, we propose that Brat promotes midline crossing through directing the localization or stability of Apc2 at the plus ends of microtubules in navigating commissural axons. These findings define a new mechanism in the coordination of axon growth and guidance at the midline.
Suicidal hanging donors for lung transplantation

Abstract In the context of limited donor pool in cardiothoracic transplantation, utilization of organs from high risk donors, such as suicidal hanging donors, while ensuring safety, is under consideration. We sought to evaluate the outcomes of lung transplantations (LTx) that use organs from this group. Between January 2011 and December 2015, 265 LTx were performed at our center. Twenty-two recipients received lungs from donors after suicidal hanging (group 1). The remaining 243 transplantations were used as a control (group 2). Analysis of recipient and donor characteristics as well as outcomes was performed. No statistically significant difference was found in the donor characteristics between analyzed groups, except for higher incidence of cardiac arrest, younger age and smoking history of hanging donors (P < .001, P = .022 and P = .0042, respectively). Recipient preoperative and perioperative characteristics were comparable. Postoperatively in group 1 there was a higher incidence of extracorporeal life support (27.3 vs 9.1%, P = .019). There were no significant differences in chronic lung allograft dysfunction-free survival between group 1 and 2: 92.3 vs 94% at 1 year and 65.9 vs 75.5% at 3 years (P = .99). The estimated cumulative survival rate was also similar between groups: 68.2 vs 83.2% at 1 year and 68.2% versus 72% at 3 years (P = .3758). Hanging as a donor cause of death is not associated with poor mid-term survival or chronic lung allograft dysfunction following transplantation. These results encourage assessment of lungs from hanging donors, and their consideration for transplantation.
Psyllium (Plantago ovata) Husk: A Wonder Food for Good Health

The aim of the study was to explore the health promoting effects of psyllium husk and its successful applications in food industries. Psyllium Husk (Isabgol) has been popularly used as therapeutic agent. Dietary fibers from psyllium husk have been used extensively both as pharmacological supplements and food ingredients and in processed food. Several papers were reviewed to find out psyllium husk role in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. People are unaware of its benefits in treatment of diabetes, weight loss, obesity, high blood pressure, constipation, diarrhea and hypercholesterolemia, heart disease. Though much researches have been conducted to investigate the health promoting effects of psyllium husk, a very few studies have been done on developing food products fortified with psyllium.
Corpus Design for Biomedical Natural Language Processing

This paper classifies six publicly available biomedical corpora according to various corpus design features and characteristics. We then present usage data for the six corpora. We show that corpora that are carefully annotated with respect to structural and linguistic characteristics and that are distributed in standard formats are more widely used than corpora that are not. These findings have implications for the design of the next generation of biomedical corpora.
Species rediscovery or lucky endemic? Looking for the supposed missing species Leistus punctatissimus through a biogeographer’s eye (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Abstract Is it correct to look for a supposedly missing species by focusing research at the type locality? A species can be declared extinct because for an unusual amount of time it has not been seen again; however, in the frame of the climate change it is likely that a supposedly missing species is a lucky survivor not seen because it was not searched for in the correct environment. We used the strictly endemic Leistus punctatissimus Breit, 1914 (Coleoptera, Carabidae) as the case study for testing the latter hypothesis vs. the type locality approach. On the basis of past unsuccessful searches in the Dolomites (a mountain range in the eastern Alps, Italy) driven by the type locality approach, a study area was selected where climate change may have exerted environmental constraints on endemic species. Five pitfall traps were used in each of seven sample sites, at an average altitude of 2600 m a.s. l. , within a high altitude alpine plateau covered by scarce patchy vegetation. Leistus punctatissimus was rediscovered, far from its type locality, after one hundred years since its first collection. It was part of a group of species well adapted to the extreme ecological factors of the alpine environments above the vegetation line. Following a biogeographical approach (i.e., the biogeographer’s eye rather than the collector’s eye) it was possible to find an endemic species of the alpine ecological landscape in places from where it probably had never disappeared. The supposed refugial area was a nunatak during the last glacial period, where Leistus punctatissimus found suitable habitat conditions, and from where it alternated between downward and uphill changes in its distribution range after the last glacial period, under the effect of climate change. From such a perspective, it can be concluded that the type locality may be the wrong place to look for a supposedly extinct species.
Somatosensory evoked potentials elicited by stimulating two fingers from one hand — Usable for BCI?

Steady-state somatosensory evoked potentials (SSSEPs) have been elicited using vibro-tactile stimulation on two fingers of the right hand. Fourteen healthy subjects participated in this study. A screening session, stimulating each participant's thumb, was conducted to determine individual optimal resonance-like frequencies. After this screening session, two stimulation frequencies per subject were selected. Stimulation was then applied simultaneously on the participant's thumbs and middle finger. It was investigated whether it is possible to classify SSSEP changes based on an attention modulation task to determine possible BCI applications. A cue indicated the participants to shift their attention to either the thumb or the middle finger. Offline classification with a lock-in analyzer system (LAS) and a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classifier was performed. One bipolar channel and no further optimization methods were used. All participants except one reached classification results above chance level classifying a reference period without focused attention against focused attention either to the thumb or the middle finger. Only two subjects reached accuracies above chance, classifying focused attention to the thumb vs. attention to the middle finger.
Amblyopia: Challenges and Opportunities The Lasker/IRRF Initiative for Innovation in Vision Science

The shift in ocular dominance (OD) of binocular neurons induced by monocular deprivation is the canonical model of synaptic plasticity confined to a postnatal critical period. Developmental constraints on this plasticity not only lend stability to the mature visual cortical circuitry but also impede the ability to recover from amblyopia beyond an early window. Advances with mouse models utilizing the power of molecular, genetic, and imaging tools are beginning to unravel the circuit, cellular, and molecular mechanisms controlling the onset and closure of the critical periods of plasticity in the primary visual cortex (V1). Emerging evidence suggests that mechanisms enabling plasticity in juveniles are not simply lost with age but rather that plasticity is actively constrained by the developmental up-regulation of molecular ‘brakes’. Lifting these brakes enhances plasticity in the adult visual cortex, and can be harnessed to promote recovery from amblyopia. The reactivation of plasticity by experimental manipulations has revised the idea that robust OD plasticity is limited to early postnatal development. Here, we discuss recent insights into the neurobiology of the initiation and termination of critical periods and how our increasingly mechanistic understanding of these processes can be leveraged toward improved clinical treatment of adult amblyopia.
Cardiovascular markers of inflammation and serum lipid levels in HIV-infected patients with undetectable viraemia

Successfully treated HIV‐infected patients may still have an increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, which might be related not only to traditional risks, but also to inflammation and dyslipidemia induced by HIV and/or antiretroviral therapy [ 1 , 2 ]. We examined the relationship of serum lipid levels with plasma biomarkers of inflammation using a composite inflammatory burden score (IBS) from the following seven markers of inflammation: CD40L, tPA, MCP‐1, IL‐8, IL‐6, hCRP and P‐selectin.
Cd2+-Doped Amorphous TiO2 Hollow Spheres for Robust and Ultrasensitive Photoelectrochemical Sensing of Hydrogen Sulfide.

Hydrogen sulfide is a highly toxic molecule to human health, but high-performance detection of it remains a challenge. Herein, we report an ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor for H2S by modifying indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes with Cd2+-doped amorphous TiO2 hollow spheres, which are prepared by templating against colloidal silica particles followed by a cadmium-sodium cation exchange reaction. The amorphous TiO2 hollow spheres act as both the probing cation carrier and the photoelectric beacon. Upon exposure to sulfide ions, the photocurrent of the functionalized photoanode proportionately decreases in response to the formation of CdS nanoparticles. The decreased photocurrent could be attributed to the mismatching bandgap between the amorphous TiO2 and CdS nanoparticles: the photoexcited electrons and holes from amorphous TiO2 are transferred to the conduction band and valence band of CdS, respectively, and then recombined. The decrease in photocurrent is linear with the concentration of sulfide ions in the range from 1 to 10 000 pmol L-1 with a detection limit of 0.36 pmol L-1. Enabled by a unique sensitization mechanism, this PEC sensor features excellent performance in a wide linear range, high selectivity and sensitivity, high stability, and low fabrication cost.
Surface XRF mapping for intraparticle heterogeneity assessment and particle grade estimation

ii LAY ABSTRACT . iii PREFACE . iv TABLE OF CONTENTS . v LIST OF TABLES . viii LIST OF FIGURES . ix LIST OF SYMBOLS . xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . xiii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . xiv
Numerical Simulation of Bubble Motions in a Gate Slot

Abstract —A Lagrangian-Eulerian numerical scheme for the investigation of bubble motion in tu rbulent flow is developed. The flow is analyzed in the Eulerian reference frame while the bubble motion is simulated in the Lagrangian one. Finite volume scheme is used, and SIMPLEC algorithm is utilized for the pressure and velocity linkage. The Reynolds stresses are modeled by the RSTM model of Launder. Upwind scheme is used to model convective fluxes. The Results obtained of flow field simulation were compared with the experimental results and was shown good agreement with experimental data. The Gaussian Filter White Noise is incorporated to simulate the turbulent fluctuation velocities. The bubble diameter is found by the use of Rayleigh-Plesset equation. Various forces in the equation of motion of the bubble are considered. The Buoyancy, Saffman lift, drag, pressure, and change of volume forces are carefully applied. The effects of all of these forces on bubble path are also examined. The bubbles are created in the low pressure zones, and then traced in the flow field. It is observed that the bubble diameter is highly dependent on the mean stream pressure, and its location. The results are compared with the other published works, and have an acceptable accuracy.
Oxylipins from both pathogen and host antagonize jasmonic acid-mediated defence via the 9-lipoxygenase pathway in Fusarium verticillioides infection of maize.

Oxylipins are a newly emerging group of signals that serve defence roles or promote virulence. To identify specific host and fungal genes and oxylipins governing the interactions between maize and Fusarium verticillioides, maize wild-type and lipoxygenase3 (lox3) mutant were inoculated with either F. verticillioides wild-type or linoleate-diol-synthase 1-deleted mutant (ΔFvlds1D). The results showed that lox3 mutants were more resistant to F. verticillioides. The reduced colonization on lox3 was associated with reduced fumonisin production and with a stronger and earlier induction of ZmLOX4, ZmLOX5 and ZmLOX12. In addition to the reported defence function of ZmLOX12, we showed that lox4 and lox5 mutants were more susceptible to F. verticillioides and possessed decreased jasmonate levels during infection, suggesting that these genes are essential for jasmonic acid (JA)-mediated defence. Oxylipin profiling revealed a dramatic reduction in fungal linoleate diol synthase 1 (LDS1)-derived oxylipins, especially 8-HpODE (8-hydroperoxyoctadecenoic acid), in infected lox3 kernels, indicating the importance of this molecule in virulence. Collectively, we make the following conclusions: (1) LOX3 is a major susceptibility factor induced by fungal LDS1-derived oxylipins to suppress JA-stimulating 9-LOXs; (2) LOX3-mediated signalling promotes the biosynthesis of virulence-promoting oxylipins in the fungus; and (3) both fungal LDS1- and host LOX3-produced oxylipins are essential for the normal infection and colonization processes of maize seed by F. verticillioides.
Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emissions from Dairy Manure Management Systems

Manure produced from dairy animals can improve or maintain soil health and provide valuable nutrients for crop production when applied to the land. On average, a 1,400-pound lactating dairy cow produces nearly 54,000 pounds of manure each year, containing approximately 360 pounds of nitrogen, 40 pounds of phosphorus and 260 pounds of potassium, in addition to a number of plant-essential secondary macroand micronutrients (Aguirre-Villegas et al. 2015). Using average 2016 nutrient prices for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and assuming 80% plant availability for phosphorus and potassium and 50% for nitrogen (Laboski and Peters 2012), the annual nutrient value of manure produced by a single dairy cow is estimated at approximately $160. While manure provides some value, it also costs money to manage. If you assume a $0.02 per gallon hauling cost, the yearly manure produced by one dairy cow requires $130 to take to the field. It is therefore critical to understand the many aspects of manure management systems to reduce costs and environmental impacts while taking advantage of manure’s value.
Cheat-Proof Distributed Power Control in Full-Duplex Small Cell Networks: A Repeated Game With Imperfect Public Monitoring

We address the problem of distributed power control in a two-tier cellular network, where full-duplex small cells underlay a macro cell in a co-channel deployment scenario. We first formulate the distributed power control problem as a non-cooperative game and then extend it to a repeated game with imperfect public monitoring. The repeated game formulation prevents deceitful small cells from deviating from the social optimal solution for their own benefit. We establish the existence and uniqueness of the Nash equilibrium in the formulated non-cooperative game. We also characterize the set of public perfect equilibrium for the repeated game. A two-phase distributed algorithm is proposed to achieve and enforce a Pareto optimal transmit power profile. The solution obtained by this algorithm is also social optimal. Phase 1 of the algorithm is a fully distributed learning phase based on perturbed Markov chains, where each base station individually learns a Pareto optimal operating point. Phase 2 is composed of two rules: 1) a detection rule based on Page-Hinckley test to detect cheating and 2) a punishment rule to motivate cheating base stations to cooperate. Through theoretical analysis, we prove that the proposed distributed power control mechanism achieves a public perfect equilibrium point of the formulated repeated game. The power control algorithm is also cheat-proof and needs only a small amount of information exchange among network nodes. The effectiveness of the algorithm is shown through numerical analysis. Our proposed model, algorithm, and analysis are also valid for a half-duplex system as a special case.
Leveraging Program Analysis to Reduce User-Perceived Latency in Mobile Applications

Reducing network latency in mobile applications is an effective way of improving the mobile user experience and has tangible economic benefits. This paper presents PALOMA, a novel client-centric technique for reducing the network latency by prefetching HTTP requests in Android apps. Our work leverages string analysis and callback control-flow analysis to automatically instrument apps using PALOMA's rigorous formulation of scenarios that address "what" and "when" to prefetch. PALOMA has been shown to incur significant runtime savings (several hundred milliseconds per prefetchable HTTP request), both when applied on a reusable evaluation benchmark we have developed and on real applications.
Deep Generative Networks For Sequence Prediction

This thesis investigates unsupervised time series representation learning for sequence prediction problems, i.e. generating nice-looking input samples given a previous history, for high dimensional input sequences by decoupling the static input representation from the recurrent sequence representation. We introduce three models based on Generative Stochastic Networks (GSN) for unsupervised sequence learning and prediction. Experimental results for these three models are presented on pixels of sequential handwritten digit (MNIST) data, videos of low-resolution bouncing balls, and motion capture data. The main contribution of this thesis is to provide evidence that GSNs are a viable framework to learn useful representations of complex sequential input data, and to suggest a new framework for deep generative models to learn complex sequences by decoupling static input representations from dynamic time dependency representations.
Is there a mismatch between real-world feature models and product-line research?

Feature modeling has emerged as the de-facto standard to compactly capture the variability of a software product line. Multiple feature modeling languages have been proposed that evolved over the last decades to manage industrial-size product lines. However, less expressive languages, solely permitting require and exclude constraints, are permanently and carelessly used in product-line research. We address the problem whether those less expressive languages are sufficient for industrial product lines. We developed an algorithm to eliminate complex cross-tree constraints in a feature model, enabling the combination of tools and algorithms working with different feature model dialects in a plug-and-play manner. However, the scope of our algorithm is limited. Our evaluation on large feature models, including the Linux kernel, gives evidence that require and exclude constraints are not sufficient to express real-world feature models. Hence, we promote that research on feature models needs to consider arbitrary propositional formulas as cross-tree constraints prospectively.
Fully Automated Production and Characterization of 64Cu and Proof‐of‐Principle Small‐Animal PET Imaging Using 64Cu‐Labelled CA XII Targeting 6A10 Fab

64Cu is a cyclotron‐produced radionuclide which offers, thanks to its characteristic decay scheme, the possibility of combining positron emission tomography (PET) investigations with radiotherapy. We evaluated the Alceo system from Comecer SpA to automatically produce 64Cu for radiolabelling purposes. We established a 64Cu production routine with high yields and radionuclide purity in combination with excellent operator radiation protection. The carbonic anhydrase XII targeting 6A10 antibody Fab fragment was successfully radiolabelled with the produced 64Cu, and proof‐of‐principle small‐animal PET experiments on mice bearing glioma xenografts were performed. We obtained a high tumor‐to‐contralateral muscle ratio, which encourages further in vivo investigations of the radioconjugate regarding a possible application in diagnostic tumor imaging.
Effect of a high-fat ketogenic diet on plasma levels of lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins in children.

CONTEXT Little prospective long-term information is available on the effect of a ketogenic diet on plasma lipoproteins in children with difficult-to-control seizures. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect in children with intractable seizures of a high-fat ketogenic diet on plasma levels of the major apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very LDL (VLDL); and the major apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I)-containing lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein (HDL). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS A 6-month prospective cohort study of 141 children (mean [SD] age, 5.2 [3.8] years for 70 boys and 6.1 [4.4] years for 71 girls) with difficult-to-treat seizures who were hospitalized for initiation of a high-fat ketogenic diet and followed up as outpatients. This cohort constituted a subgroup of the 371 patients accepted into the ketogenic diet program between 1994 and 2001. A subset of the cohort was also studied after 12 (n = 59) and 24 (n = 27) months. INTERVENTION A ketogenic diet consisting of a high ratio of fat to carbohydrate and protein combined (4:1 [n = 102], 3.5:1 [n = 7], or 3:1 [n = 32]). After diet initiation, the calories and ratio were adjusted to maintain ideal body weight for height and maximal urinary ketosis for seizure control. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Differences at baseline and 6-month follow-up for levels of total, VLDL, LDL, HDL, and non-HDL cholesterol; triglycerides; total apoB; and apoA-I. RESULTS At 6 months, the high-fat ketogenic diet significantly increased the mean plasma levels of total (58 mg/dL [1.50 mmol/L]), LDL (50 mg/dL [1.30 mmol/L]), VLDL (8 mg/dL [0.21 mmol/L]), and non-HDL cholesterol (63 mg/dL [1.63 mmol/L]) (P<.001 vs baseline for each); triglycerides (58 mg/dL [0.66 mmol/L]) (P<.001); and total apoB (49 mg/dL) (P<.001). Mean HDL cholesterol decreased significantly (P<.001), although apoA-I increased (4 mg/dL) (P =.23). Significant but less marked changes persisted in children observed after 12 and 24 months. CONCLUSIONS A high-fat ketogenic diet produced significant increases in the atherogenic apoB-containing lipoproteins and a decrease in the antiatherogenic HDL cholesterol. Further studies are necessary to determine if such a diet adversely affects endothelial vascular function and promotes inflammation and formation of atherosclerotic lesions.