Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vision using multiple distinct rod opsins in deep-sea fishes

Fish catch color with rods Vertebrates are typically thought to have a consistent system for processing light, in which multiple cone opsins permit color vision during the day, but a single rod opsin provides only monochrome vision in the dark. Musilova et al. analyzed more than 100 deep-sea fish genomes and found a previously unknown proliferation of rod opsin genes that generate rod opsin photopigments that are tuned to different wavelengths of light. These receptors may allow the fish to perceive bioluminescent signals that pervade their deep-sea environment. These results reveal a previously undescribed visual system that allows for color vision in the dark. Science, this issue p. 588 Rod opsin proliferation in deep-sea fish allows for light limited color vision. Vertebrate vision is accomplished through light-sensitive photopigments consisting of an opsin protein bound to a chromophore. In dim light, vertebrates generally rely on a single rod opsin [rhodopsin 1 (RH1)] for obtaining visual information. By inspecting 101 fish genomes, we found that three deep-sea teleost lineages have independently expanded their RH1 gene repertoires. Among these, the silver spinyfin (Diretmus argenteus) stands out as having the highest number of visual opsins in vertebrates (two cone opsins and 38 rod opsins). Spinyfins express up to 14 RH1s (including the most blueshifted rod photopigments known), which cover the range of the residual daylight as well as the bioluminescence spectrum present in the deep sea. Our findings present molecular and functional evidence for the recurrent evolution of multiple rod opsin–based vision in vertebrates.
Performance Study of Parallel Programming on Cloud Computing Environments Using MapReduce

Divisible load applications have such a rich source of parallelism that their parallelization can significantly reduce their total completion time on cloud computing environments. However, it is a challenge for cloud users, probably scientists and engineers, to develop their applications which can exploit the computing power of the cloud. Using MapReduce, novice cloud programmers can easily develop a high performance cloud application. To examine the performance of programs developed by this approach, we apply this pattern to implement three kinds of applications and conduct experiments on our cloud test-bed. Experimental results show that MapReduce programming is suitable for regular workload applications.
Dose-response effect of baclofen in reducing daily alcohol intake in alcohol dependence: secondary analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

AIMS To explore the effect of baclofen in a dose of 20 mg three times per day, compared with the already studied dose of 10 mg three times per day, in the treatment of alcohol dependence. METHODS We present a secondary analysis of a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial with two doses of baclofen, specifically 10 mg t.i. d. and 20 mg t.i. d. Out of 94 subjects consecutively screened, 42 were randomized into the study. Fourteen of the 42 patients were randomly allocated to placebo, 14 to the group treated with baclofen 10 mg t.i. d. (B10 mg) and 14 to the group treated with baclofen 20 mg t.i. d. (B20 mg). RESULTS Compared with patients allocated to placebo, patients allocated to the B10 mg group had a 53% reduction in the number of drinks per day (P < 0.0001) and patients allocated to the B20 mg group had a 68% reduction in the number of drinks per day (P < 0.0001), with respect to the number of drinks per day during the 28 days before randomization. The effect of baclofen 20 mg t.i. d. was greater than that of baclofen 10 mg t.i. d. (P = 0.0214, Wald test) showing a dose-effect relationship. Both doses of baclofen were well tolerated. CONCLUSION This is provisional evidence of a dose-response effect for baclofen in the treatment of alcohol dependence.
The CACNA1F Gene Encodes an L-Type Calcium Channel with Unique Biophysical Properties and Tissue Distribution

Glutamate release from rod photoreceptors is dependent on a sustained calcium influx through L-type calcium channels. Missense mutations in the CACNA1F gene in patients with incomplete X-linked congenital stationary night blindness implicate the Cav1.4 calcium channel subtype. Here, we describe the functional and pharmacological properties of transiently expressed human Cav1.4 calcium channels. Cav1.4 is shown to encode a dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channel with unusually slow inactivation kinetics that are not affected by either calcium ions or by coexpression of ancillary calcium channel β subunits. Additionally, the channel supports a large window current and activates near -40 mV in 2 mM external calcium, making Cav1.4 ideally suited for tonic calcium influx at typical photoreceptor resting potentials. Introduction of base pair changes associated with four incomplete X-linked congenital night blindness mutations showed that only the G369D alteration affected channel activation properties. Immunohistochemical analyses show that, in contrast with previous reports, Cav1.4 is widely distributed outside the retina, including in the immune system, thus suggesting a broader role in human physiology.
Phytosterol Supplementation Could Improve Atherogenic and Anti-Atherogenic Apolipoproteins: A Systematic Review and Dose–Response Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract Phytosterol and phytostanol (PS) supplementation is reported to improve atherogenic and anti-atherogenic apolipoproteins (Apo). The purpose of the present study is to critically investigate the effectiveness of PS supplementation on Apo in adults. A comprehensive search was conducted of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted up to September 2018 in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. Mean difference with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using a random-effects model (DerSimonian-Laird method). Fifty-one arms from 37 RCTs were included in the present meta-analysis. Findings showed that PS supplementation and fortification increased Apo-AI (weighted mean difference [WMD]: 0.014 mg/dl, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.028, p = 0.042) and Apo-CII (WMD: 0.303 mg/dl, 95% CI: 0.084, 0.523, p = 0.007) and lowered Apo-B (WMD: −0.063 mg/dl, 95% CI: −0.075, −0.051, p < 0.001), Apo-B/Apo-A-I ratio (WMD: −0.044 mg/dl, 95% CI: −0.062, −0.025, p < 0.001), and Apo-E (WMD: −0.255 mg/dl, 95% CI: −0.474, −0.036, p = 0.023). However, PS supplementation did not have significant effects on Apo-AII and Apo-CIII. PS supplementation or fortification significantly changes Apo-E (r = −0.137, p nonlinearity = 0.006) and Apo-CIII (r = 1.26, p nonlinearity = 0.028) based on PS dosage (mg/d) and Apo-CIII (r = 3.34, p nonlinearity = 0.013) and Apo-CII (r = 1.09, p nonlinearity = 0.017) based on trial duration (weeks) in a nonlinear fashion. Based on our findings, supplements or fortified foods containing PS might have a considerable favorite effect in achieving Apo profile target; however, due to high heterogeneity among included studies, results must be interpreted with caution. KEY TEACHING POINTS Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) recognized as main public health concern worldwide with considerable mortality of all global deaths. Apo-lipoproteins are amphipathic molecules involved in the lipoprotein metabolism which introduced as biomarkers in the evaluation of CVD risk. Phytosterols bioactive components of plants have important biological functions in cholesterol metabolism in humans. Here we showed that phytosterols and phytostanols improve apo-lipoproteins profile of humans; finding from meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Phytosterols supplementation lowered atherogenic apo-lipoproteins (Apo-B and Apo-E) and increased anti-atherogenic apo-lipoproteins (Apo-AI, Apo-CII).
TRANSCULTURAL DIABETES CARE IN THE UNITED STATES - A POSITION STATEMENT BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS.

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) has created a transculturalized diabetes chronic disease care model that is adapted for patients across a spectrum of ethnicities and cultures. AACE has conducted several transcultural activities on global issues in clinical endocrinology, and completed a 3-city series of conferences in December 2017 that focused on diabetes care for ethnic minorities in the U.S. Proceedings from the "Diabetes Care Across America" series of transcultural summits are presented here. Information from community leaders, practicing health care professionals, and other stakeholders in diabetes care is analyzed according to biological and environmental factors. Four specific U.S. ethnicities are detailed: African Americans, Latino/Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. A core set of recommendations to culturally adapt diabetes care is presented that emphasizes culturally appropriate terminology, transculturalization of white papers, culturally adapting clinic infrastructure, flexible office hours, behavioral medicine especially motivational interviewing and building trust, culturally competent nutritional messaging and health literacy, community partnerships for care delivery, technology innovation, clinical trial recruitment and retention of ethnic minorities, and more funding for scientific studies on epigenetic mechanisms of cultural impact on disease expression. It is hoped that through education, research, and clinical practice enhancements, diabetes care can be optimized in terms of precision and clinical outcomes for the individual and U.S. population as a whole.
A joint acoustic-articulatory study of nasal spectral reduction in read versus spontaneous speaking styles

Data on nasal articulation obtained through real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are jointly used with acoustic analyses of the speech signal to analyze nasal production differences in read and spontaneous speech, especially focusing on the details of acoustic spectral reduction. In this exploratory study, vowel-nasal-vowel (VNV) segments from one speaker were examined and measures corresponding to the speed of the velum and spectral center-of-gravity of the nasal were extracted. It is observed that lower velum speeds in spontaneous nasal production could result in more vowel nasalization and hence a ‘lowering’ of the center-of-gravity of the acoustic spectrum. Such an analysis has implications for understanding speech planning and for informing design of automatic speech analysis algorithms.
Domestic Tourism in Russian Federation: Population Estimations, Resources and Development Constraints

Russia is the country of contrasts, the country with a great tourist and recreational potential and rich cultural and historical heritage, but the Russian domestic tourism figures are relatively low. In this regard, according to the authors' opinion, the study of factors that prevent the development of Russian territory tourist attractiveness by the analysis of social expectations, preferences and the satisfaction of tourists with proposed domestic market of tourist services is very important one. The empirical base was represented by the results of the study conducted by All-Russian Council of Local Self-Government (with the participation of authors) in order to analyze the tendencies of tourist and cultural potential development in respect of Russian Federation municipal entities and the determination of limiting factors in the activities of local authorities. The sample consisted of 514 experts (heads of local authorities from Russian Federation municipal bodies). There was also a sociological study conducted by the team of authors in the municipal districts of Moscow region, during which 680 people were interviewed. Questionnaire survey was the leading research method. The performed study and the analysis of tourism industry development factors allowed to determine a number of problems that hinder the development of domestic tourism in Russian Federation: an underdeveloped tourist infrastructure, a poor quality of service (unprofessional staff), weak promotion of a national tourist product and area image, the absence of national tourism industry promotion, the lack of effective mechanisms for investment climate state stimulation in Russian tourism industry. Expert survey results showed that infrastructure problems become the main reason for territory competitiveness reduction within the tourist market for most municipalities in present conditions. In order to address the identified problems related to the lack of funding or the absence of finance in municipalities, the authors propose and justify the introduction of local tourist taxes. The solution of the problem concerning an insufficient level of information and advertising support for the local tourism potential and the promotion of domestic tourism product is considered by the authors as the development of an interactive general "Russian Federation tourist map" published in Internet.
Comparison of Screw-In Forces during Movement of Endodontic Files with Different Geometries, Alloys, and Kinetics

This study compared the maximum screw-in forces of various instruments during their movements. Forty simulated canals in resin blocks were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10): ProTaper Universal F2, ProTaper Gold F2, WaveOne Primary, and WaveOne Gold Primary. To standardize a lumen size, all artificial canals were prepared with ProTaper Universal F1. The rotation speed was set at 350 rpm with an automated 4 mm pecking motion at a speed of 1 mm/s. The pecking depth was increased by 1 mm for each pecking motion until the file reached the working length. During instrumentation, screw-in forces were automatically recorded by customized software. Maximum screw-in forces were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc comparison with the significance level at 0.05. WaveOne Gold files generated the lowest maximum screw-in forces, followed by ProTaper Gold, WaveOne, and ProTaper Universal (p < 0.05). Under the condition of this study, heat-treated nickel–titanium (NiTi) files with smaller cross-sectional area, fewer contact points, and reciprocating movements resulted in a lower screw-in effect.
Designing Good Semi-structured

Semi-structured data has become prevalent with the growth of the Internet and other on-line information repositories. Many organizational databases are presented on the web as semi-structured data. Designing a \good" semi-structured database is increasingly crucial to prevent data redundancy, inconsistency and updating anomalies. In this paper, we deene a semi-structured schema graph and identify the various anomalies that may occur in the graph. A normal form for semi-structured schema graph, S3-NF, is proposed. We present two approaches to design S3-NF database, namely, restructuring by decomposition and the ER approach. The rst approach consists of a set of rules to decompose a semi-structured schema graph into S3-NF. The second approach uses the ER model to remove anomalies at the semantic level.
Mode-Wise Thermal Conductivity of Bismuth Telluride

Thermal properties and transport control are important for many applications, for example, low thermal conductivity is desirable for thermoelectrics. Knowledge of modewise phonon properties is crucial to identify dominant phonon modes for thermal transport and to design effective phonon barriers for thermal transport control. In this paper, we adopt time-domain (TD) and frequency-domain (FD) normal-mode analyses to investigate mode-wise phonon properties and to calculate phonon dispersion relations and phonon relaxation times in bismuth telluride. Our simulation results agree with the previously reported data obtained from ultrafast time-resolved measurements. By combining frequency-dependent anharmonic phonon group velocities and lifetimes, mode-wise thermal conductivities are predicted to reveal the contributions of heat carriers with different wavelengths and polarizations. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4024356]
Context-based access control for ubiquitous service provisioning

Pervasive user mobility, wireless connectivity and the widespread diffusion of portable devices raise new challenges for ubiquitous service provisioning. In particular, mobility of users/devices causes frequent and unpredictable changes in physical user location and in consequently available resources and services. Users can also change portable access devices, with different capabilities, even at runtime and during the same service session, thus forcing us to consider very dynamic aspects even due to client heterogeneity. Access control to resources is crucial to leverage the provision of ubiquitous services and calls for novel solutions based on various context information, e.g., user/device location, device properties, user needs, local resource visibility. This work presents a novel access control model built upon the concept of context as the first-class design principle to rule access to resources. As key features, this model allows to associate access control permissions with contexts where users operate and users acquire/lose their permissions when entering/leaving a specific context. Unlike traditional access control solutions where user identity/role triggers policy evaluation when requesting resource access, this model exploits the user context to fully determine the set of available permissions. In addition, the proposed model allows to express context-based access control policies at a high level of abstraction cleanly separate from service logic implementation, thus promoting dynamic policy modification with no impact on the service code. The paper shows the implementation of the proposed model in the UbiCOSM framework and presents a mobile office service provisioning scenario.
Health Promoting Effects of Brassica-Derived Phytochemicals: From Chemopreventive and Anti-Inflammatory Activities to Epigenetic Regulation

A high intake of brassica vegetables may be associated with a decreased chronic disease risk. Health promoting effects of Brassicaceae have been partly attributed to glucosinolates and in particular to their hydrolyzation products including isothiocyanates. In vitro and in vivo studies suggest a chemopreventive activity of isothiocyanates through the redox-sensitive transcription factor Nrf2. Furthermore, studies in cultured cells, in laboratory rodents, and also in humans support an anti-inflammatory effect of brassica-derived phytochemicals. However, the underlying mechanisms of how these compounds mediate their health promoting effects are yet not fully understood. Recent findings suggest that brassica-derived compounds are regulators of epigenetic mechanisms. It has been shown that isothiocyanates may inhibit histone deacetylase transferases and DNA-methyltransferases in cultured cells. Only a few papers have dealt with the effect of brassica-derived compounds on epigenetic mechanisms in laboratory animals, whereas data in humans are currently lacking. The present review aims to summarize the current knowledge regarding the biological activities of brassica-derived phytochemicals regarding chemopreventive, anti-inflammatory, and epigenetic pathways.
Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Dilator reserve of the coronary microvasculature is diminished in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Although increased extravascular compressive forces, tachycardia, and increased myocardial mass can explain some impairment, recent evidence suggests the possibility of intrinsic microvascular disease. We tested the hypothesis that impairment of endothelium-dependent dilation of the microvasculature could be a contributing mechanism. We infused the endothelium-dependent dilator acetylcholine (Ach) (10-8 to 10-6 M) and the smooth muscle vasodilator adenosine (AD) (10-6 to 10`M) into the left anterior descending coronary artery in eight patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (mean ejection fraction, 28%) and seven controls (atypical chest pain). Small vessel resistance was assessed by measuring coronary blood flow (CBF) at constant arterial pressure with a Doppler velocity catheter (corrected for cross-sectional area by angiography). With Ach, control patients increased CBF 232+40%1 (mean+SEM), whereas CBF did not significantly change in cardiomyopathy patients (41+24%) (p<0.0001, control vs. cardiomyopathy). With AD, control patients increased CBF 422+±56% and cardiomyopathy patients increased CBF 268+±43% (p=0.13). An index of the proportion of coronary flow reserve attributable to endothelium-dependent vasodilation was obtained by standardizing each patient's Ach dose response to his maximal AD flow response. In seven control patients receiving both Ach and AD, 56±9%o of the maximal AD flow response was attained with the endothelium-dependent vasodilator Ach, whereas in seven cardiomyopathy patients receiving both Ach and AD, only 23±14% of the maximal AD response was attained (p<0.01). Thus, endothelium-dependent vasodilator function is impaired in the coronary microvasculature of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. There might be pathogenetic links between dysfunction of the endothelium and myocardial failure. (Circulation 1990;81:772-779)
The promoter associated non-coding RNA pncCCND1_B assembles a protein-RNA complex to regulate cyclin D1 transcription in Ewing sarcoma.

Most Ewing sarcomas are characterized by the in frame chromosomal translocation t(11;22), generating the EWS-FLI1 oncogene. EWS-FLI1 protein interacts with the RNA helicase DHX9 and affects transcription and processing of genes involved in neoplastic transformation, including CCND1 (the cyclin D1 gene), which contributes to cell cycle dysregulation in cancer. In this study, we found that CCND1 expression is significantly higher in Ewing sarcoma patients compared to other sarcomas and that the pncCCND1_B RNA, a previously uncharacterized CCND1 promoter-associated non-coding (pnc) transcript, is expressed in Ewing sarcoma cells. PncCCND1_B interacted with the RNA-binding protein Sam68 and repressed CCND1 expression. Notably, knockdown of Sam68 affected pncCCND1_B subcellular localization and cyclin D1 expression. Pharmacologic impairment of DHX9/EWS-FLI1 interaction promoted RNA-dependent association of Sam68 with DHX9 and recruitment of Sam68 to the CCND1 promoter, thus repressing it. Conversely, mitogenic stimulation of Ewing sarcoma cells with IGF-1 impaired Sam68/DHX9 interaction and positively regulated CCND1 expression. These studies uncover a fine-tuned modulation of the proto-oncogene CCND1 in Ewing sarcoma cells via alternative complexes formed by DHX9 with either EWS-FLI1 or pncCCND1_B-Sam68.
SNF1 controls the glycolytic flux and mitochondrial respiration

The switch between mitochondrial respiration and fermentation as the main ATP production pathway through an increase glycolytic flux is known as the Crabtree effect. The elucidation of the molecular mechanism of the Crabtree effect may have important applications in ethanol production and lay the groundwork for the Warburg effect, which is essential in the molecular etiology of cancer. A key piece in this mechanism could be Snf1p, which is a protein that participates in the nutritional response including glucose metabolism. Thus, this work aimed to recognize the role of the SNF1 gene on the glycolytic flux and mitochondrial respiration through the glucose concentration variation to gain insights about its relationship with the Crabtree effect. Herein, we found that SNF1 deletion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells grown at 1% glucose, decreased glycolytic flux, increased NAD(P)H concentration, enhanced HXK2 gene transcription, and decreased mitochondrial respiration. Meanwhile, the same deletion increased the mitochondrial respiration of cells grown at 10% glucose. Altogether, these findings indicate that SNF1 is important to respond to glucose concentration variation and is involved in the switch between mitochondrial respiration and fermentation.