Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vasa Vasorum Angiogenesis: Key Player in the Initiation and Progression of Atherosclerosis and Potential Target for the Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease

Plaque microvascularization and increased endothelial permeability are key players in the development of atherosclerosis, from the initial stages of plaque formation to the occurrence of acute cardiovascular events. First, endothelial dysfunction and increased permeability facilitate the entry of diverse inflammation-triggering molecules and particles such as low-density lipoproteins into the artery wall from the arterial lumen and vasa vasorum (VV). Recognition of entering particles by resident phagocytes in the vessel wall triggers a maladaptive inflammatory response that initiates the process of local plaque formation. The recruitment and accumulation of inflammatory cells and the subsequent release of several cytokines, especially from resident macrophages, stimulate the expansion of existing VV and the formation of new highly permeable microvessels. This, in turn, exacerbates the deposition of pro-inflammatory particles and results in the recruitment of even more inflammatory cells. The progressive accumulation of leukocytes in the intima, which trigger proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the media, results in vessel wall thickening and hypoxia, which further stimulates neoangiogenesis of VV. Ultimately, this highly inflammatory environment damages the fragile plaque microvasculature leading to intraplaque hemorrhage, plaque instability, and eventually, acute cardiovascular events. This review will focus on the pivotal roles of endothelial permeability, neoangiogenesis, and plaque microvascularization by VV during plaque initiation, progression, and rupture. Special emphasis will be given to the underlying molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic strategies to selectively target these processes.
Methionine catabolism inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Philippe Perpète, Olivier Duthoit, Simon De Maeyer, Louise Imray, Andrew I. Lawton, Konstantinos E. Stavropoulos, Virginia W. Gitonga, Michael J. E. Hewlins & J. Richard Dickinson Unité de Brasserie et des Industries Alimentaires, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; and Cardiff School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
Iron metabolism in heterozygotes for hemoglobin E (HbE), α-thalassemia 1, or β-thalassemia and in compound heterozygotes for HbE/β-thalassemia

BACKGROUND: Despite large populations carrying traits for thalassemia in countries implementing universal iron fortification, there are few data on the absorption and utilization of iron in these persons. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether iron absorption or utilization (or both) in women heterozygous for beta-thalassemia, alpha-thalassemia 1, or hemoglobin E (HbE) differed from that in control subjects and compound HbE/beta-thalassemia heterozygotes. DESIGN: In Thai women (n = 103), red blood cell indexes, iron status, non-transferrin-bound iron, and growth differentiation factor 15 were measured, and body iron was calculated. Fractional iron absorption was measured from meals fortified with isotopically labeled ((57)Fe) Fe sulfate, and iron utilization was measured by the infusion of ((58)Fe) Fe citrate. RESULTS: Iron utilization was approximately 15% lower in alpha-thalassemia 1 or beta-thalassemia heterozygotes than in controls. When corrected for differences in serum ferritin, absorption was significantly higher in the alpha- and beta-thalassemia groups, but not the HbE heterozygotes, than in controls. HbE/beta-thalassemia compound heterozygotes had lower iron utilization and higher iron absorption and body iron than did controls. Nontransferrin-bound iron and growth differentiation factor 15 were higher in the compound heterozygotes, but not in the other groups, than in the controls. CONCLUSIONS: In alpha-thalassemia 1 and beta-thalassemia heterozygotes with ineffective erythropoesis, dietary iron absorption is not adequately down-regulated, despite a modest increase in body iron stores. In populations with a high prevalence of these traits, a program of iron fortification could include monitoring for possible iron excess and for iron deficiency.
Exploring the evolution of post-acupuncture resting-state networks combining ICA and multivariate Granger causality

The sustained effects of acupuncture have been widely applied to clinical treatment, thus it can be assumed that the relatively functional specificity of acupoints may evolve as the function of time. In this study, we originally combined ICA and multivariate Granger causality analysis to explore the causal interactions within and among the post-acupuncture resting-state networks (RSNs) at a hearing-related acupoint GB40, with the cognition-related acupoint KI3 as a control. Following acupuncture at GB40, the superior temporal gyrus (STG) and anterior insula (AI) within auditory network appeared persistent bidirectional connection with maximal strength, and the interactions between the auditory network and others became more complex as time passed. For KI3, both the superior parietal lobule (SPL) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), as vital nuclei of cognitive function, emerged increased causal outflows and inflows as time went on. We concluded that acupuncture at different acupoints may exert different evolutive effects on causal interactions within and across the RSNs during segmented post-stimulus resting states.
A Survey of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Virulence Factors: The First 25 Years and 13 Genomes

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a human pathogen that was first identified from a foodborne outbreak in 1982, and in the 25 years that followed, many new strains were identified and emerged in numerous outbreaks of human disease. Extensive research has been conducted to identify virulence factor genes involved in the pathogenesis of E. coli O157:H7 and many genome sequences of E. coli O157:H7 strains have become available to the scientific community. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the research that has been conducted over the first 25 years to identify 394 known or putative virulence factor genes present in the genomes of E. coli O157:H7 strains. Finally, an examination of the conservation of these 394 virulence factor genes across additional genomes of E. coli O157:H7 is provided which summarizes the first 25 years and 13 genomes of this human pathogen.
Gas, Dust, Stars, Star Formation and their Evolution in M33 at Giant Molecular Cloud Scales

We report on a multi parameter analysis of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in the nearby spiral galaxy M33. A catalog of GMCs identifed in 12CO(J=3-2) was used to compile associated 12CO(J=1-0), dust, stellar mass and star formation rate. Each of the 58 GMCs are categorized by their evolutionary stage. Applying the principal component analysis on these parameters, we construct two principal components PC1 and PC2 which retain 75% of the information in the original dataset. PC1 is interpreted as expressing the total interstellar matter content, and PC2 as the total activity of star formation. Young (<10Myr) GMCs occupy a distinct region in the PC1-PC2 plane, with lower ISM content and star formation activity compared to intermediate age and older clouds. Comparison of average cloud properties in different evolutionary stages imply that GMCs may be heated or grow denser and more massive via aggregation of diffuse material in their first ~10 Myr. The PCA also objectively identified a set of tight relations between ISM and star formation. The ratio of the two CO lines is nearly constant, but weakly modulated by massive star formation. Dust is more strongly correlated with the star formation rate than the CO lines, supporting recent findings that dust may trace molecular gas better than CO. Stellar mass contributes weakly to the star formation rate, reminiscent of an extended form of the Schmidt Kennicutt relation with the molecular gas term substituted by dust.
Learning dynamics with social comparisons and limited memory

We study models of learning in games where agents with limited memory use social information to decide when and how to change their play. When agents only observe the aggregate distribution of payoffs and only recall information from the last period, aggregate play comes close to Nash equilibrium for generic games, and pure equilibria are generally more stable than mixed equilibria. When agents observe both the payoff distribution of other agents and the actions that led to those payoffs and can remember this for some time, the length of their memory plays a key role: With short memories, aggregate play may not come close to Nash equilibrium unless the game satisfies an acyclicity condition. When agents have sufficiently long memory generically aggregate play comes close to Nash equilibrium. However, unlike in the model where social information is solely about how well other agents are doing, mixed equilibria can be favored over pure ones.
Genome‐wide Hi‐C analysis reveals extensive hierarchical chromatin interactions in rice

The non-random spatial packing of chromosomes in the nucleus plays a critical role in orchestrating gene expression and genome function. Here, we present a Hi-C analysis of the chromatin interaction patterns in rice (Oryza sativa L.) at hierarchical architectural levels. We confirm that rice chromosomes occupy their own territories with certain preferential inter-chromosomal associations. Moderate compartment delimitation and extensive TADs (Topologically Associated Domains) were determined to be associated with heterogeneous genomic compositions and epigenetic marks in the rice genome. We found subtle features including chromatin loops, gene loops, and off-/near-diagonal intensive interaction regions. Gene chromatin loops associated with H3K27me3 could be positively involved in gene expression. In addition to insulated enhancing effects for neighbor gene expression, the identified rice gene loops could bi-directionally (+/-) affect the expression of looped genes themselves. Finally, web-interleaved off-diagonal IHIs/KEEs (Interactive Heterochromatic Islands or KNOT ENGAGED ELEMENTs) could trap transposable elements (TEs) via the enrichment of silencing epigenetic marks. In parallel, the near-diagonal FIREs (Frequently Interacting Regions) could positively affect the expression of involved genes. Our results suggest that the chromatin packing pattern in rice is generally similar to that in Arabidopsis thaliana but with clear differences at specific structural levels. We conclude that genomic composition, epigenetic modification, and transcriptional activity could act in combination to shape global and local chromatin packing in rice. Our results confirm recent observations in rice and A. thaliana but also provide additional insights into the patterns and features of chromatin organization in higher plants.
Novel flexible dry PU/TiN-multipin electrodes: First application in EEG measurements

Dry biosignal electrodes for electro-encephalography (EEG) are an essential step for realization of ubiquitous EEG monitoring and brain computer interface technologies. We propose a novel electrode design with a specific shape for hair layer interfusion and reliable skin contact. An electrically conductive Titanium-Nitride (TiN) thin layer is deposited on a polyurethane substrate using a multiphase DC magnetron sputtering technique. In the current paper we describe the development and manufacturing of the electrode. Furthermore, we perform comparative EEG measurements with conventional Ag/AgCl electrodes in a 6-channel setup. Our results are promising, as the primary shape of the EEG is preserved in the signals of both electrodes sets, according to recordings of spontaneous EEG and visual evoked potentials. The variance of both signals is in the same order of magnitude. The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney two-sample rank-sum test revealed no significant differences for 25 of the 28 compared signal episodes. Hence, our novel electrodes show equivalent signal quality compared to conventional Ag/AgCl electrodes.
Effects of mTOR-Is on malignancy and survival following renal transplantation: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials with a minimum follow-up of 24 months

Background mTOR-Is positively influence the occurrence and course of certain tumors after solid organ transplantation. The effect of mTOR-Is on the overall incidence of tumors irrespective of their origin is not entirely clear. Furthermore, conflicting data have been shown on mortality under mTOR-Is. Methods The current literature was searched for prospective randomized controlled renal transplantation trials. There were 1415 trials screened of which 13 could be included (pts. = 5924). A minimum follow-up of 24 months was mandatory for inclusion. Incidence of malignancies and patient survival was assessed in meta-analyses. Results The average follow-up of all trials was 40.6 months. Malignancy was significantly reduced under mTOR-Is compared to CNIs (RR 0.70, CI 0.49–0.99, p = 0.046). This effect remained stable when combined with CNIs (RR 0.58, CI 0.34–1.00, p = 0.05). When NMSCs were excluded the risk for malignancy remained significantly reduced under mTOR-I therapy (mono and combi) (RR 0.43, CI 0.24–0.77, p = 0.0046). Graft survival was minimally decreased under mTOR-Is (RR 0.99, CI 0.98–1.00, p = 0.054). This effect was abrogated when mTOR-Is were combined with CNIs (RR 0.99, CI 0.97–1.02, p = 0.50). Patient survival was not different (RR 1.00, CI 0.99–1.01, p = 0.54). Conclusions Posttransplant patients have a lower incidence of malignancy when treated with an mTOR-I no matter if it is used in combination with CNIs or not. This beneficial effect remains significant even when NMSCs are excluded. With currently used mTOR-I-based regimen patient and graft survival is not different compared to CNI therapies.
The Distributional Similarity of Sub-Parses

This work explores computing distributional similarity between sub-parses, i. e. , fragments of a parse tree, as an extension to general lexical distributional similarity techniques. In the same way that lexical distributional similarity is used to estimate lexical semantic similarity, we propose using distributional similarity between subparses to estimate the semantic similarity of phrases. Such a technique will allow us to identify paraphrases where the component words are not semantically similar. We demonstrate the potential of the method by applying it to a small number of examples and showing that the paraphrases are more similar than the non-paraphrases.
How to Increase the Value of Volatile Cloud Resources : Resource Management and Information Disclosure

Cloud providers sell unreliable or “volatile” resources that are unused by foreground (reserved/high priority) workloads. The value users can extract from these resources depends on (i) the volatile resource management algorithm, and (ii) the information provided to users about the volatile resources. We describe and evaluate four volatile resource management approaches (Random, FIFO, LIFO, LIFO-pools) using commercial cloud resource traces drawn from 608 Amazon EC2 instance pools. We also consider several information models (MTTR, limited statistics, Full distribution, and Oracle) that statistically characterize the resources for users. Our results show volatile resource management algorithms can increase user value by 30 to 45%. Slightly richer information models (90pctile) combined with LIFO and LIFO-pools volatile resource management increase user value by as much as 10x. Our results suggest that cloud providers should pay significant attention to what statistical information they provide to users. And, these results broadly characterize the vast majority (475 of 608) of instance pools. Finally, we provide a detailed drilldown showing how the volatile resource management algorithms affect resource interval durations, and thus potential user value. We further show how the information model shapes user targeting, success rate, and user value.
A Distributed Coevolution Algorithm for Black Box Optimization of Demand Response

Demand side management is an efficient way of reducing the grid fluctuation and enhancing the net profit in the smart grid. As the increasing complexity of the real-world applications, e.g., NP-hard and non-polynomial problems, a distributed coevolution algorithm is proposed to cope with this challenge. In the proposed algorithm, the management system is modeled as a hierarchical structure. The user side locates at the lowest level and upper levels represent the system operators. The system operators manage users’ energy consumption behavior through the real-time pricing strategy. The genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization are modified to play the role of the smart scheduler and the smart pricing generator. The end users conduct appliance commitment using the smart scheduler which considers the users’ comfort level and the electricity cost. The decision of the lower level depends directly on the real-time pricing strategy released by its adjacent upper level. The real-time pricing is developed by the smart pricing generator which considers the net profit and the grid fluctuation. Three types of experiments are conducted on a distributed platform to investigate and ascertain the performance of the proposed algorithm. For the operator side, the experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm improves the grid fluctuation, and enhances the net profit. As for the user side, it improves the comfort level and achieves budget saving.
Boy Smokers’ Rationalisations for Engaging in Potentially Fatal Behaviour: In-Depth Interviews in The Netherlands

Adolescent smokers engage in cognitive rationalisation processes that lower perceptions of personal vulnerability to the health consequences of smoking. There is, however, hardly any evidence that provides in-depth insights on adolescents’ recurring rationalisations. Therefore, we explored how boy smokers deal with the knowledge that they are engaging in potentially fatal behaviour. Interviews were held with 16 boy smokers aged 16 to 17 years old. The qualitative analysis focussed on combining boys’ reasons about why they think they will not experience severe health consequences into coherent rationalisations that recurred among interviewees. Three rationalisations emerged from the analysis. First, boys trivialize the immediate consequences and think these can be compensated for and are outweighed by the benefits of smoking. Second, boys assume that smoking will only take place during adolescence and they will, therefore, recover from the damage inflicted. Third, boys believe that they have control over the amount and frequency of smoking and, thereby, can ensure that they will not experience fatal consequences. Boys’ recurring rationalisations build on their view that they are supposed to have fun and will not become typical adult smokers. Interventions should address these rationalisations in order to increase adolescents’ perceptions of personal vulnerability, and thereby contribute to decreasing adolescent smoking.
Does a Consumer-Targeted Deprescribing Intervention Compromise Patient-Healthcare Provider Trust? †

One in four community-dwelling older adults is prescribed an inappropriate medication. Educational interventions aimed at patients to reduce inappropriate medications may cause patients to question their prescriber’s judgment. The objective of this study was to determine whether a patient-focused deprescribing intervention compromised trust between older adults and their healthcare providers. An educational brochure was distributed to community-dwelling older adults by community pharmacists in order to trigger deprescribing conversations. At baseline and 6-months post-intervention, participants completed the Primary Care Assessment Survey, which measures patient trust in doctors and pharmacists. Changes in trust were ascertained post-intervention. Proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and logistic regression were used to determine a shift in trust and associated predictors. 352 participants responded to the questionnaire at both time points. The majority of participants had no change or gained trust in their doctors for items related to the choice of medical care (78.5%, 95% CI = 74.2–82.8), communication transparency (75.4%, 95% CI = 70.7–79.8), and overall trust (81.9%, 95% CI = 77.9–86.0). Similar results were obtained for participants’ perceptions of their pharmacists, with trust remaining intact for items related to the choice of medical care (79.4%, 95% CI = 75.3–83.9), transparency in communicating (82.0%, 95% CI = 78.0–86.1), and overall trust (81.6%, 95% CI = 77.5–85.7). Neither age, sex nor the medication class targeted for deprescribing was associated with a loss of trust. Overall, the results indicate that patient-focused deprescribing interventions do not shift patients’ trust in their healthcare providers in a negative direction.
Borrelia miyamotoi sensu lato in Père David Deer and Haemaphysalis longicornis Ticks

By sequence analysis of 16S rRNA, flaB, p66, and glpQ, we identified Borrelia miyamotoi in 1 of 4 Père David deer (n = 43) seropositive for Borrelia spp. and 1.2% (3/244) of Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks from Dafeng Elk National Natural Reserve, China. Future studies should assess Borrelia pathogenesis in deer.
Does the MTHFR 677 C / T variant affect the Recommended Dietary Allowance for folate in the US population ? 1 – 4

Background: The MTHFR 677C/T variant is associated with reduced enzyme activity, abnormalities of folate metabolism, and potential increase in folate requirement. The effect of this variant on the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for folate is unclear. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the MTHFR 677C/T polymorphism on the current folate RDA for US adults aged 19 y (400 lg/d) by race and ethnicity. Design: We calculated the projected RDA for folate for each racial and ethnic group according to the methods of the Institute of Medicine. We modeled the projected RDA with different hypothetical effect sizes ranging from 5% to 50%. The RDA value was then weighted according to the US prevalence of the TT (or the combined CT/TT) genotype in each racial and ethnic group. Results: The projected RDA ranges were based on TT genotype frequencies and on different effect sizes (5–50%) that ranged from 400 to 421 lg/d for non-Hispanic whites, 401–436 lg/d for Mexican Americans, and 400–402 lg/d for non-Hispanic blacks. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the current RDA for folate differs little for non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Mexican Americans irrespective of the MTHFR TT genotype, and, from a population perspective, the MTHFR 677C/T variant does not warrant modifications to the current RDA for dietary folate at this time. Am J Clin Nutr 2009;89:1269–73.