Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What controls hair follicle cycling?

Despite more than a hundred years of professinal hair research, and substantial recent progress in unravelling the molecular controls of hair follicle morphogenesis, the chronobiological control system that cyclically drives the hair follicle through dramatic remodelling processes between phases of growth (anagen), regression (catagen), and relative resting (telogen) have remained disappointingly obscure. In view of the vast literature that has become available over the past decades on numerous genetic, biochemical, cellular and pharmacological aspects of hair growth control under physiological and pathological conditions, it is astounding how comparatievely few researchers in the field have published theoretical concepts that explore how hair follicle cycling might be controlled. Since this question is at the very heart of basic and clinically applied hair biology, it deserves a much more systematic and serious public exploration, which the following contributions are designed to stimulate.
The Ability of Bifidobacteria To Degrade Arabinoxylan Oligosaccharide Constituents and Derived Oligosaccharides Is Strain Dependent

ABSTRACT Arabinoxylan oligosaccharides (AXOS) are prebiotic carbohydrates with promising health-promoting properties that stimulate the activity of specific colon bacteria, in particular bifidobacteria. However, the mechanisms by which bifidobacterial strains break down these compounds in the colon is still unknown. This study investigates AXOS consumption of a large number of bifidobacterial strains (36), belonging to 11 different species, systematically. To determine their degradation mechanisms, all strains were grown on a mixture of arabinose and xylose, xylo-oligosaccharides, and complex AXOS molecules as the sole added energy sources. Based on principal component and cluster analyses of their different arabinose substituent and/or xylose backbone consumption patterns, five clusters that were species independent could be distinguished among the bifidobacterial strains tested. In parallel, the strains were screened for the presence of genes encoding several putative AXOS-degrading enzymes, but no clear-cut correlation could be made with the different degradation mechanisms. The intra- and interspecies differences in the consumption patterns of AXOS indicate that bifidobacterial strains could avoid competition among each other or even could cooperate jointly to degrade these complex prebiotics. The knowledge gained on the AXOS degradation mechanisms in bifidobacteria can be of importance in the rational design of prebiotics with tailor-made composition and thus increased specificity in the colon.
Comparison and cross‐species expression of the acetyl‐CoA synthetase genes of the ascomycete fungi, Aspergillus nidulans and Neurospora crassa

The genes encoding the acetate‐inducible enzyme acetyl‐coenzyme A synthetase from Neurospora crassa and Aspergillus nidulans (acu‐5 and facA, respectively) have been cloned and their sequences compared. The predicted amino acid sequence of the Aspergillus enzyme has 670 amino acid residues and that of the Neurospora enzyme either 626 or 606 residues, depending upon which of the two possible initiation codons is used. The amino acid sequences following the second alternative AUG show 86% homology between the two species; the extended N‐terminal sequences show no homology. The Neurospora protein is characterized by the appearance of the S(T)PXX sequence motif where the amino acid homologies break down. The codon usage is biased in both genes, with a marked deficiency, especially in Neurospora, of codons with A in the third position.
Cardio-respiratory interactions and relocation of heartbeats within the respiratory cycle during spontaneous and paced breathing

The capability of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) to generate privileged locations for the occurrence of R-peaks within the respiratory cycle has been questioned in recent works, challenging the hypothesis that RSA might play a role in improving pulmonary gas exchange. We assessed such a capability submitting healthy humans to spontaneous and paced breathing (SB and PB) protocols, estimating the fraction of beats occurring during inspiration, at low, medium, and high respiratory volumes, and during the first and second half of inspiration and expiration. Then, the same fractions were computed assuming a random uniform distribution of heartbeats, and the differences were compared. The results found are as follows: (1) during PB at 6 rpm, heartbeats redistribute toward inspiration; (2) during SB and PB at 12 rpm, heartbeats tend to cluster when respiratory volume is high; (3) since such redistributions are limited in magnitude, it is possible that its physiological relevance is marginal, for instance, in terms of within-cycle variations in lung perfusion; (4) two groups of subjects with considerably different levels of RSA showed similar redistribution of heartbeats, suggesting that this phenomenon might be an underlying effect of the overall cardio-respiratory interactions, and not directly of RSA.
Continuous, High-frequency Objective Tinnitus Caused by Middle Ear Myoclonus

Myoclonus of the middle ear is a rare condition characterized by abnormal repetitive muscle contractions of the tympanic cavity. In this paper we describe what we believe is the first reported case of continuous high-frequency objective tinnitus caused by middle ear myoclonus. During exploratory tympanomastoidectomy it was hypothesized that a small dural arteriovenous malformation not identified on previous tests was the cause of the tinnitus. However, complete disappearance of the tinnitus during administration of curare for anesthesia led us to believe that the tinnitus might have been caused by myoclonus of the middle ear. Sectioning of the stapedius and tensor tympani tendons rendered the patient asymptomatic and confirmed the diagnosis of middle ear myoclonus. At follow-up of one year, the patient's quality of life had improved substantially; the tinnitus did not recur and she no longer had vertigo.
Pathway of Cytosolic Starch Synthesis in the Model Glaucophyte Cyanophora paradoxa

ABSTRACT The nature of the cytoplasmic pathway of starch biosynthesis was investigated in the model glaucophyte Cyanophora paradoxa. The storage polysaccharide granules are shown to be composed of both amylose and amylopectin fractions, with a chain length distribution and crystalline organization similar to those of green algae and land plant starch. A preliminary characterization of the starch pathway demonstrates that Cyanophora paradoxa contains several UDP-glucose-utilizing soluble starch synthase activities related to those of the Rhodophyceae. In addition, Cyanophora paradoxa synthesizes amylose with a granule-bound starch synthase displaying a preference for UDP-glucose. A debranching enzyme of isoamylase specificity and multiple starch phosphorylases also are evidenced in the model glaucophyte. The picture emerging from our biochemical and molecular characterizations consists of the presence of a UDP-glucose-based pathway similar to that recently proposed for the red algae, the cryptophytes, and the alveolates. The correlative presence of isoamylase and starch among photosynthetic eukaryotes is discussed.
A scheme for morphological skeleton pruning

This paper reports a pruning scheme specifically for morphological skeletons. We polished the boundary/axis ratio significance measure by H. Blum and R. N. Nagel to a contour length significance measure, CLSM. We analyzed its advantages compared to two recently proposed pruning approaches, and designed an adequate algorithm for it, based on a firm mathematical MAT theory by H. I. Choi et al. After a thorough analysis on skeletons generated by a typical morphological skeletonization function, Matlab bwmorph, we proposed and implemented suitable preprocessing techniques such as single lining and end extending. We then formulated a perfect pruning scheme and showed its power via experiments on a standard data set, the part B of the MPEG-7 CE-Shape-1 data set. Algorithmic analysis showed that the scheme has linear computational complexity with respect to n, the pixel number in the initial skeleton.
Reducing Lateral Visual Biases in Displays

The human visual system is composed of multiple physiological components that apply multiple mechanisms in order to cope with the rich visual content it encounters. The complexity of this system leads to non‐trivial relations between what we see and what we perceive, and in particular, between the raw intensities of an image that we display and the ones we perceive where various visual biases and illusions are introduced. In this paper, we describe a method for reducing a large class of biases related to the lateral inhibition mechanism in the human retina where neurons suppress the activity of neighbouring receptors. Among these biases are the well‐known Mach bands and halos that appear around smooth and sharp image gradients as well as the appearance of false contrasts between identical regions. The new method removes these visual biases by computing an image that contains counter biases such that when this laterally compensated image is viewed on a display, the inserted biases cancel the ones created in the retina. User study results confirm the usefulness of the new approach for displaying various classes of images, visualizing physical data more faithfully and improving the ability to perceive constancy in brightness.
Early cellular responses to Salmonella infection: dendritic cells, monocytes, and more

Summary: Dendritic cells (DCs), monocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils are myeloid‐derived phagocytes critical to controlling bacterial infections, and these cells have complementary functions to ensure host survival. Recent data have shed light on the dynamics and function of myeloid cells at the early stage of infection. In particular, murine infection models with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium have been useful for understanding the host response required to develop immunity to systemic salmonellosis. This review summarizes the early cellular responses in the intestinal lymphoid tissues to Salmonella and discusses Peyer's patch‐dependent and ‐independent penetration of bacteria through the intestinal epithelium. Once Salmonella accesses host tissue, phagocytes respond by recruitment, redistribution, and activation in intestinal tissues. Recruited monocytes are specialized in controlling bacterial replication by producing anti‐microbial molecules but are poor antigen‐presenting cells. In contrast, DCs undergo maturation by direct (bacteria‐mediated) and indirect (cytokine‐mediated) pathways in vivo to optimize their antigen presentation capacity, and directly matured DCs have unique mechanisms to ensure T‐cell stimulation. Toll‐like receptor signaling is critical to DC maturation and myeloid cell recruitment during Salmonella infection, and the role of myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88)‐dependent and MyD88‐independent pathways as well as proinflammatory cytokines and type 1 interferons in these processes are discussed.
Article in press-uncorrected proof Review Oxytocin : recent developments

Oxytocin is a neurohypophyseal hormone that is produced centrally by neurons in the paraventricular nucleus and supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus. It is released directly into higher brain centres and into the peripheral circulation where it produces a multitude of effects. Classically, oxytocin is known for inducing uterine contractions at parturition and milk ejection during suckling. Oxytocin also acts in a species and gender specific manner as an important neuromodulator. It can affect behaviours associated with stress and anxiety, as well social behaviours including sexual and relationship behaviours, and maternal care. Additionally, oxytocin has been shown to have a variety of physiological roles in peripheral tissues, many of which appear to be modulated largely by locally produced oxytocin, dispelling the notion that oxytocin is a purely neurohypophyseal hormone. Oxytocin levels are altered in several diseases and the use of oxytocin or its antagonists have been identified as a possible clinical intervention in the treatment of mood disorders and pain conditions, some cancers, benign prostatic disease and osteoporosis. Indeed, oxytocin has already been successful in clinical trials to treat autism and schizophrenia. This review will report briefly on the known functions of oxytocin, it will discuss in depth the data from recent clinical trials and highlight future targets for oxytocinergic modulation.
Modeling and control of a high step-up active-clamp dc-dc converter applied to a hybrid architecture of PV converters

Hybrid architectures inverters for photovoltaic (PV) systems are an alternative to increase energy production in PV systems under partial shading conditions. For such systems, non-shaded modules are arranged in series, whereas shaded modules are set in parallel. To match the voltage of both arrays, a high step-up active-clamp dc-dc converter is used to increase the voltage of the parallel array allowing its connection in parallel with the series array. This paper presents a dynamic modeling of this dc-dc converter considering the generalized modeling approach. A control system is also designed. Simulation results have been carried out to validate the modeling technique and the designed control system.
Therapeutic trajectory of hyaluronic acid versus corticosteroids in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of intraarticular hyaluronic acid with corticosteroids for knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS Our data sources were Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, BIOSIS, and the Cochrane database, as well as hand- searched reviews, manuscripts, and supplements. For unpublished data we used author contacts. Randomized trials that reported effects of intraarticular hyaluronic acid versus corticosteroids on knee OA were selected based on inclusion criteria. Two reviewers extracted data independently. Using a random-effects model, we computed effect sizes for pain change from baseline at 2, 4, 8, 12, and 26 weeks. We also performed multivariate analyses accounting for within and between-study covariance. We performed sensitivity analyses for trials that reported intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis and blinding, and directly compared Hyalgan with methylprednisolone. RESULTS The 7 eligible trials included 606 participants. Five reported ITT analyses. At week 2 the effect size was -0.39 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], -0.65, -0.12) favoring corticosteroids; at week 4 it was -0.01 (95% CI -0.23, 0.21) suggesting equal efficacy. At week 8 the effect size was 0.22 (95% CI -0.05, 0.49) favoring hyaluronic acid, and at week 12 it was 0.35 (95% CI 0.03, 0.66) favoring hyaluronic acid. At week 26 the effect size was 0.39 (95% CI 0.18, 0.59), favoring hyaluronic acid. The multivariate analyses and sensitivity analyses generated consistent results. CONCLUSION From baseline to week 4, intraarticular corticosteroids appear to be relatively more effective for pain than intraarticular hyaluronic acid. By week 4, the 2 approaches have equal efficacy, but beyond week 8, hyaluronic acid has greater efficacy. Understanding this trend is useful to clinicians when treating knee OA.
Detection DDoS attacks based on neural-network using Apache Spark

Network security issues are becoming serious with the growth of Internet, in many types of network attacks, The Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) has become the vital threat, The Akamai report reveals first quarter of 2015 there are more than doubled attacks in the same quarter last year, In addition, the types of DDoS attacks changing frequency, in the past, attackers used huge volumes of traffic in short time to make victim host unavailable, but now some attackers used low volumes of traffic for a long time making attacks difficult to detect. Nowadays, there already have many methods for the DDoS detection, but no one can fully detect, the difficulty lies in DDoS attacks often have huge volumes of traffic, in first quarter of 2015, there were 8 attacks exceeding 100 Gbps, and their characteristic highly variable, make hard to detect, in order to overcome it, this paper propose DDoS detection method based on Neural Networks, implemented in the Apache Spark cluster, we used 2000 DARPA LLDOS 1.0 dataset to train and perform experiments to our detection system in a real network environment, the results show our detection system able to detect attacks in real time and average detection rates were over 94%.
Neurexin‐1 regulates sleep and synaptic plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster

Neurexins are cell adhesion molecules that are important for synaptic plasticity and homeostasis, although links to sleep have not yet been investigated. We examined the effects of neurexin‐1 perturbation on sleep in Drosophila, showing that neurexin‐1 nulls displayed fragmented sleep and altered circadian rhythm. Conversely, the over‐expression of neurexin‐1 could increase and consolidate night‐time sleep. This was not solely due to developmental effects as it could be induced acutely in adulthood, and was coupled with evidence of synaptic growth. The timing of over‐expression could differentially impact sleep patterns, with specific night‐time effects. These results show that neurexin‐1 was dynamically involved in synaptic plasticity and sleep in Drosophila. Neurexin‐1 and a number of its binding partners have been repeatedly associated with mental health disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia and Tourette syndrome, all of which are also linked to altered sleep patterns. How and when plasticity‐related proteins such as neurexin‐1 function during sleep can provide vital information on the interaction between synaptic homeostasis and sleep, paving the way for more informed treatments of human disorders.
Human Salivary Acidic Proline-rich Protein Polymorphisms and Biosynthesis Studied by High-performance Liquid Chromatography

Human salivary acidic proline-rich proteins (PRPs) constitute a significant fraction of the total salivary protein and possess important biological activities. Different genetic and post-translationally processed forms of the PRPs exhibit significant quantitative variations in several of these activities, especially the modulation of salivary calcium phosphate chemistry and oral bacterial adhesion. To quantify and understand these differences, we have developed a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method to identify and measure individual PRPs in saliva. The data obtained permit the identification of PRP polymorphisms and phenotypes, the determination of the relative amounts of PRPs derived from the two loci, PRH1 and PRH2, and the measurement of the extent of post-translational cleavage of the primary polypeptide products. Substantial inter-gland and inter-individual variations were found in relative amounts of PRPs derived from the two loci (at least two-fold), and in post-translational cleavage (greater than two-fold), both of which are likely to be biologically significant. Also in this study, the presence of what appear to be minor amounts of numerous variant PRPs in glandular secretions was observed, and two uncommon PRP polymorphisms were identified in the 127 subjects studied.
Anaemia, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease: integrating new knowledge in 2002

Purpose of reviewThe present review assesses recent publications, from 2001 until the present, which address the relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and anaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease. Recent findingsInsights from the recently published basic science literature have helped to place findings from clinical studies into a new context, and thereby assist us to understand and further explore the complex relationship between haemoglobin level and survival in chronic kidney disease. The effects of erythropoietin molecules and the presence of receptors in vascular endothelium, mycoardium and other tissues are described. Both observational and interventional clinical studies are examined, and limitations in the methodology and statistical analysis of clinical studies are emphasized, but are given context within the body of literature preceding the past year's publications. SummaryData suggest that development of CVD in patients with kidney disease is multifactorial. Several factors associated with CVD are also associated with anaemia, thereby making causal arguments for the role of anaemia in CVD and survival difficult. Arguments are made for the importance of prevention of anaemia and of individualizing therapeutic goals for its treatment. Well designed prospective studies with both CVD events and mortality as outcomes, and with enrolment beginning before the start of dialysis, are essential if we are to determine the optimal therapeutic strategies.
HDAC8, A Potential Therapeutic Target for the Treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors (MPNST)

Introduction HDAC isoform-specific inhibitors may improve the therapeutic window while limiting toxicities. Developing inhibitors against class I isoforms poses difficulties as they share high homology among their catalytic sites; however, HDAC8 is structurally unique compared to other class I isoforms. HDAC8 inhibitors are novel compounds and have affinity for class I HDAC isoforms demonstrating anti-cancer effects; little is known about their activity in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST). Recently, we demonstrated anti-MPNST efficacy of HDAC8i in human and murine-derived MPNST pre-clinical models; we now seek to consider the potential therapeutic inhibition of HDAC8 in MPNST. Methods Four Human MPNST cell lines, a murine-derived MPNST cell line, and two HDAC8 inhibitors (PCI-34051, PCI-48012; Pharmacyclics, Inc. Sunnyvale, CA) were studied. Proliferation was determined using MTS and clonogenic assays. Effects on cell cycle were determined via PI FACS analysis; effects on apoptosis were determined using Annexin V-PI FACS analysis and cleaved caspase 3 expression. In vivo growth effects of HDAC8i were evaluated using MPNST xenograft models. 2D gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry were used to identify potential HDAC8 deacetylation substrates. Results HDAC8i induced cell growth inhibition and marked S-phase cell cycle arrest in human and murine-derived MPNST cells. Relative to control, HDAC8i induced apoptosis in both human and murine-derived MPNST cells. HDAC8i exhibited significant effects on MPNST xenograft growth (p=0.001) and tumor weight (p=0.02). Four potential HDAC8 substrate targets were identified using a proteomic approach: PARK7, HMGB1, PGAM1, PRDX6. Conclusions MPNST is an aggressive sarcoma that is notoriously therapy-resistant, hence the urgent need for improved anti-MPNST therapies. HDAC8 inhibition may be useful for MPNST by improving efficacy while limiting toxicities as compared to pan-HDACis.