Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gene expression drives local adaptation in humans

The molecular basis of adaptation—and, in particular, the relative roles of protein-coding versus gene expression changes—has long been the subject of speculation and debate. Recently, the genotyping of diverse human populations has led to the identification of many putative “local adaptations” that differ between populations. Here I show that these local adaptations are over 10-fold more likely to affect gene expression than amino acid sequence. In addition, a novel framework for identifying polygenic local adaptations detects recent positive selection on the expression levels of genes involved in UV radiation response, immune cell proliferation, and diabetes-related pathways. These results provide the first examples of polygenic gene expression adaptation in humans, as well as the first genome-scale support for the hypothesis that changes in gene expression have driven human adaptation.
Detection of dried figs with black mold by using hyperspectral images

Hyperspectral imaging systems have been recently popular for food quality and safety assessment, due to their ability to reflect unique spectral properties of materials at narrow band intervals. They help detection of contamination in foods such as dash, mold, crush, fungi. We propose such a system for effective detection of black molds in dried figs to avoid the high cost of manual process. The proposed system depends on finding the best discriminative spectral band and the optimum local spatial characteristics using forward feature selection with commonly used classifiers. The preliminary accuracies of upto 93.58% are promising for an operational system.
Distributed Algorithms for Aggregative Games on Graphs

We consider a class of Nash games, termed as aggregative games, being played over a networked system. In an aggregative game, a player’s objective is a function of the aggregate of all the players’ decisions. Every player maintains an estimate of this aggregate, and the players exchange this information with their local neighbors over a connected network. We study distributed synchronous and asynchronous algorithms for information exchange and equilibrium computation over such a network. Under standard conditions, we establish the almost-sure convergence of the obtained sequences to the equilibrium point. We also consider extensions of our schemes to aggregative games where the players’ objectives are coupled through a more general form of aggregate function. Finally, we present numerical results that demonstrate the performance of the proposed schemes.
Serum IGF 1 , metabolic syndrome , and incident cardiovascular disease in older people : a population-based study

Serum IGF1, metabolic syndrome, and incident cardiovascular disease in older people: a population-based study Christa C van Bunderen, Mirjam M Oosterwerff, Natasja M van Schoor, Dorly J H Deeg, Paul Lips and Madeleine L Drent Departments of Internal Medicine, section Endocrinology ZH 4A62 and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Impact of Ramadan Fasting on Healthy Adult Males: Immuno-Bio-Chemical Study

Background: The mandatory month is Ramadan on Muslim’s fasting. Muslims cease from ingestion of food and water starting onset to grass widower to who wants to be fasting in this month that’s according to the lunar calendar; so many immunological, physiological and biochemical changes may happen. Objective: To evaluate some vitamins, hormones and immunological markers in the first and the 28th day of fasting. Patients and Methods: Twenty five healthy adult male who were subjected to this study. The age range was 24-49 years with mean ± SD (31.6±7.07). Body weight, BMI, serum glucose, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C), triglyceride (TG), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total serum bilirubin (TSB), serum creatinine, blood urea, serum electrolytes (Na, K, Cl,) haemoglobin concentration (Hb), haematocrit, vitamin-D, testosterone and C-reactive protein (CRP) were estimated in the 1st day and the 28th day of Ramadan month. The while-interval of study was 27 days. Human privacy, statistical analyses and P value were used. Results : Serum glucose, LDL, ALT, TSB, serum creatinine, blood urea, vitamin D and CRP were significantly decreased in 28th day of fasting (P=0.0002, P=0.005, P=0.009, P=0.00004, P=0.013, P=0.0074, P=0.0109, respectively). There were no significance change in total cholesterol, VLDL-C, TG, AST, ALP, K, Cl, Hb, haematocrit, testosterone (P>0.05). While HDL-C and serum Na were increased significantly in this study (P= 0=0.004, P=0.0214, respectively). Conclusion : Consuming two meals per a day during month of Ramadan has a balancing effect on biochemical, enzymes and CRP in fasted men.
Work Stress in Aging Police Officers

Data are sparse regarding the impact of psychosocial work stress on the health and well-being of aging workers, even for employees working in high-stress occupations, such as law enforcement. To improve our understanding of this issue in older workers, we assessed and characterized work stress, coping strategies, and stress-related health outcomes in a sample of police officers aged 50 years and older (n = 105). The most important risk factors associated with officers’ perceived work stress were maladaptive coping behaviors (eg, excessive drinking or problem gambling) (odds ratio [OR], 4.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.11 to 11.6) and exposure to critical incidents (eg, shootings) (OR, 3.84; 95% CI, 1.71 to 8.65). In turn, perceived work stress was significantly associated with anxiety (OR, 6.84; 95% CI, 2.81 to 16.65), depression (OR, 9.27; 95% CI, 3.81 to 22.54), somatization (OR, 5.74; 95% CI, 2.47 to 13.33), posttraumatic stress symptoms (OR, 2.89; 95% CI, 1.29 to 6.47), symptoms of “burnout” (OR, 5.93; 95% CI, 2.54 to 13.86), chronic back pain (OR, = 3.55; 95% CI, 1.57 to 8.06), alcohol abuse (OR, 3.24; 95% CI, 1.45 to 7.22), and inappropriately aggressive behavior (OR, 4.00; 95% CI, 1.34 to 11.88). These data suggest that older workers in high-stress jobs may be at increased risk for work stress–related health problems, especially if they rely on risky health behaviors to cope with stress. Given the size of the rapidly aging US workforce and the likelihood that many are employed in high-stress jobs, interventions are urgently needed to address this emerging public health issue.
Peak Traffic Volume Prediction Method Based on Machine Learning

DDoS defense nowadays relies on expensive and proprietary hardware appliances. When a massive attack begins, improper choices such as choosing fewer appliances or those without enough capacity may lead to more severe damage. As the previous work proposed[1], the choice heavily depends on the peak volume of the attack traffic(measured by packets per second). However, no prediction methods have been proposed to the best of our knowledge. In this paper we propose a method called DDoSPVPredictor to predict the peak volume of the DDoS traffic both effectively and efficiently. Based on machine learning, DDoSPVPredictor can predict the peak with only 24 features and for each attack the procedure can be finished in about 1.2s. We evaluate our solution’s prediction accuracy using the 1998 MIT DARPA dataset. Result shows that DDoSPVPredictor is able to predict the peak volume of attack traffic with an accuracy of 85%. Therefore DDoSPVPredictor can help a lot in defending against massive DDoS attacks by optimizing its mitigation method using the predicted outcome.
Characterization of bovine keratin genes: similarities of exon patterns in genes coding for different keratins.

Four different genomic clones which contain the genes coding for epidermal keratins Ia (mol. wt. approximately 68 000), Ib (68 000), III (60 000) and VIb (54 500) have been selected using cDNA probes and identified by hybrid‐selection translation. The genes vary considerably in length, primarily due to differences in intron sizes: keratin Ia, 9.3 kb (approximately 2.55 kb total exons); keratin Ib, 6.0 kb (2.25 kb exons); keratin III, 6.0 kb (2.2 kb exons); keratin VIb, 4.4 kb (1.85 kb exons). The genes for all three representatives of the basic (type II) cytokeratin subfamily, i.e., keratins Ia, Ib and III, contain eight introns of variable sizes (0.1‐1.8 kb) and their exon patterns are very similar. The gene coding for keratin VIb, a representative of the acidic (type I) subfamily, contains seven introns, and the size pattern of its five innermost exons closely resembles that of the genes of the type II keratins. Most of the introns are located in regions coding for the alpha‐helical cores of these proteins. Mapping of the intron positions by the S1 nuclease technique and sequencing of some exon‐intron boundaries has revealed that some of the introns of all four keratin genes have similar positions to each other and to those of the hamster vimentin gene. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Invited commentary: "race," racism, and the practice of epidemiology.

Imagine that you are an epidemiologist investigating the health status of the city Metropolis. You document that the east side of the city has twice the prevalence of disease X as the west side of the city. You become interested in the determinants of disease X. How will you proceed? 1. Vigorously explore the basis of the east-west difference in the prevalence of disease X, using all currently available data and collecting new data as necessary. 2. Focus on understanding other determinants of disease X in Metropolis, adjusting for the side of the city from which subjects come or restricting analyses to just one side of the city. Most readers would agree that option 1 is the preferable response to the findings in Metropolis. That is because option 1 treats the large east-west difference as an important clue to understanding the etiology of disease X, and it attempts to vigorously explore the basis of that difference. Option 2, on the other hand, merely treats the east-west difference as a confounder in understanding other determinants of disease X. Under option 2, the basis of the large east-west difference goes unexamined and therefore is likely to remain unknown. So consider now how we as epidemiologists typically deal with differences in health status observed by “race. ” Race-associated differences in health outcomes are routinely documented in this country (1‐4), yet for the most part their basis remains poorly explained. Instead of vigorously investigating the basis of these differences, we tend to simply adjust for race in our analyses or restrict our studies to a single “racial” group (5). In this issue of the Journal, Kaufman and Cooper (6) provide guidelines for the appropriate use of race and ethnicity in etiologic research. However, their discussion is limited in two important ways. First, even as Kaufman and Cooper admit that race is a social construct and not a biologic reality (7, 8), they still conceptualize race as an individual characteristic and a matter of self-identity akin to ethnicity. Second, even as they thoughtfully assess the potential validity of five different uses of race by epidemiologists, they do not discuss how two of these uses that they judge to have high validity may actually diminish our ability to understand root causes of racial disparities. In this invited commentary, I discuss the meanings of race and make the case that race is a contextual variable, not a characteristic of the person. I also examine the practice of epidemiology with regard to the use of race and place the five uses of race discussed by Kaufman and Cooper in the larger context of the questions that we decide or neglect to ask. Finally, I urge epidemiologists to take an interest in elucidating the underlying causes of race-associated differences in health outcomes and conclude with eight recommendations for practice that will move us toward that goal.
Selective ex vivo expansion of cytomegalovirus‐specific CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes using dendritic cells pulsed with a human leucocyte antigen A*0201‐restricted peptide

Adoptive transfer of ex vivo‐generated cytomegalovirus (CMV)‐specific T lymphocytes may be effective in preventing CMV disease in allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. We developed a procedure for expansion of CMV‐specific T lymphocytes based on the antigen‐presenting function of donor dendritic cells (DCs), pulsed with a human leucocyte antigen A*0201‐restricted pp65 nonamer peptide. CMV‐specific T lymphocytes were identified following induction of interferon γ (IFN‐γ) secretion prompted by peptide exposure. Both CD8+ and CD4+ CMV‐specific T lymphocytes were selectively produced in these cultures and showed CMV‐restricted cytotoxicity. The simultaneous and selective expansion of CD4+ and CD8+ CMV‐specific lymphocytes might be instrumental for more efficient in vivo function of infused CMV‐specific lymphocytes.
Antarctic climate change and the environment

Abstract The Antarctic climate system varies on timescales from orbital, through millennial to sub-annual, and is closely coupled to other parts of the global climate system. We review these variations from the perspective of the geological and glaciological records and the recent historical period from which we have instrumental data (∼the last 50 years). We consider their consequences for the biosphere, and show how the latest numerical models project changes into the future, taking into account human actions in the form of the release of greenhouse gases and chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere. In doing so, we provide an essential Southern Hemisphere companion to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment.
Characterization of a Novel Anti-Human HB-EGF Monoclonal Antibody Applicable for Paraffin-Embedded Tissues and Diagnosis of HB-EGF-Related Cancers

Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is a member of the EGF family of growth factors that bind to and activate the EGF receptor (EGFR/ErbB1) and ErbB4. HB-EGF plays pivotal roles in pathophysiological processes, including cancer. Thus, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for HB-EGF detection could be an important tool in the therapeutic diagnosis of HB-EGF-related cancers and other diseases. However, few mAbs, especially those applicable for immunohistochemistry (IHC), have been established to date. In this study, we generated a clone of hybridoma-derived mAb 2-108 by immunizing mice with recombinant human HB-EGF protein expressed by human cells. The mAb 2-108 specifically bound to human HB-EGF but not to mouse HB-EGF and was successful in immunoblotting, even under reducing conditions, immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence for unfixed as well as paraformaldehyde-fixed cells. Notably, this mAb was effective in IHC of paraffin-embedded tumor specimens. Epitope mapping analysis showed that mAb 2-108 recognized the N-terminal prodomain in HB-EGF. These results indicate that this new anti-HB-EGF mAb 2-108 would be useful in the diagnosis of HB-EGF-related cancers and would be a strong tool in both basic and clinical research on HB-EGF.
Study greatly underestimates the cost effectiveness of statin treatment

EDITOR,—The analysis of P D P Pharoah and W Hollingworth of the cost effectiveness of lowering cholesterol concentration is flawed.1 With respect to secondary prevention, the authors do not take account of the significant reductions in the incidence of strokes and transient ischaemic attacks, chronic heart failure, and unstable angina requiring admission with simvastatin in the Scandinavian simvastatin survival study.2 …
Emotional Activation and Habituation During Imaginal Exposure for PTSD Among Women With Borderline Personality Disorder.

The current study examined patterns and outcomes of emotional activation and habituation during imaginal exposure for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants were 16 women with borderline personality disorder (BPD), PTSD, and recent suicidal and/or self-injurious behavior who received imaginal exposure for PTSD concurrently with dialectical behavior therapy. The intensity of global distress and 6 specific emotions were assessed before and after imaginal exposure trials. Results indicated that significant within-session habituation (WSH) occurred for global distress (Hedge's g effect size = -2.52) and fear (g = -0.80), whereas significant between-session habituation (BSH) occurred for global distress (g = -2.18), fear (g = -1.89), guilt (g = -1.14), shame (g = -0.74), and disgust (g = -0.41). BSH significantly predicted PTSD diagnostic status at posttreatment, whereas activation and WSH were unrelated to outcome. Clients who remitted from PTSD showed significantly more BSH in global distress than nonremitters (η(2) = . 39). In addition, remitters reported reductions in sadness and anger across trials, whereas sadness and anger increased for those who did not remit (η(2) = . 54 and . 40, respectively). Overall, BPD clients exhibited patterns of activation and habituation during imaginal exposure comparable to other client populations, and there was no evidence of persistent emotional engagement or habituation problems.
Alpha-galactosyl epitope-mediated activation of porcine aortic endothelial cells: type II activation.

BACKGROUND Xenoreactive natural antibodies (XNAs) and complement mediate hyperacute rejection of discordant xenografts. Inhibition of complement alone results in some prolongation of graft survival, but delayed xenograft rejection still precludes long-term graft survival. In vitro data provide evidence for the direct proinflammatory activation of endothelial cells (ECs) by XNAs. These antibodies are primarily directed against galactose alpha(1-3)-galactose (alpha-gal), the major xenoantigen in the pig to primate xenotransplant model. Previous studies have shown EC activation by XNAs but failed to address the question of whether alpha-gal-specific ligands can induce EC activation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether agonist binding to the alpha-gal epitope by alpha-gal-specific lectins as compared with XNAs or elicited xenoreactive antibodies can directly elicit type II porcine aortic EC (PAEC) activation (i.e., activation that requires protein synthesis). METHODS AND RESULTS The tetravalent, alpha-gal-binding Bandeiraea simplicifolia lectin I (BS-I), the wholly alpha-gal-specific BS-I isolectin B4, and elicited primate anti-pig xenoreactive antibodies (decomplemented cynomolgus monkey anti-porcine serum) induced E-selectin protein expression in PAECs. This induction was alpha-gal-specific, as preincubation with synthetic alpha-gal carbohydrate or adsorption of lectin or serum to rabbit, but not human, red blood cells removed the activating component. E-selectin expression, induced by BS-I, was inhibited in the presence of genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and by mepacrine, an inhibitor of phospholipase A2. Human and primate XNAs lacked this activity when tested at relevant concentrations; however, stimulation of PAECs with affinity-purified human XNA (IgM and IgG) resulted in slightly increased interleukin-8 and P-selectin mRNA levels but had no apparent effects on E-selectin transcription. BS-I strongly induced E-selectin, P-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and interleukin-8 mRNA in an NF-kappaB-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS Several agonists that specifically bind to alpha-gal can evoke type II EC activation. Hence, anti-Gal antibodies may contribute directly to xenograft rejection in the absence of complement activation.
Parasitic ringing and design issues of digitally controlled high power interleaved boost converters

High power boost converter has become the essential part of the distributed power system that enables energy to be fully utilized in fuel cell powered electric vehicles and stationary power systems. This paper presents analysis and design of a high-power multileg interleaved boost converter with a digital signal processor (DSP) based controller. A 20-kW converter was designed with coupled inductors to allow core-loss reduction and designed with high frequency switching to minimize the component size and eliminate the switching losses under discontinuous conducting mode operation. A dual-loop average current mode current control method implemented in DSP is employed to achieve the fast transient response. It was found through circuit analysis, simulation and experiment that the boost inductor interacted with the device parasitic capacitor and created unnecessary oscillating current whenever it reached zero current. Two high-power devices were used in both simulation and experiment to verify the analysis and design for a wide load range. Simulation and experiment results of the 20-kW boost converter under startup condition and load transient condition are also presented. Different anti-windup schemes for a typical PI-controller are evaluated. The results show that this typical controller with proper anti-windup scheme achieves better transient performance than without anti-windup scheme.
A systolic array for 2-D DFT and 2-D DCT

A new approach for computing the 2-D DFT (discrete Fourier transform) and 2-D DCT (discrete cosine transform) is presented. A new design of a systolic array for transposed matrix multiplication is also shown in this paper. The new 2-D DFT/DCT avoids the need for the array transposer that was required by earlier implementations, and all processing can be pipelined easily. This approach employs a simple and regular structure that is well suited for VLSI implementation. This array can be easily scaled without modifying the basic control scheme and PE structure. <<ETX>>
Automatic Children Detection in Digital Images

Distinguishing children from adults in digital images is beneficial for enabling ambient intelligent applications. For example, when an ambient intelligent shop window detects a child, it could adapt its content to the particular limitations and needs of children. This article presents a method to automatically detect children in digital images. The method is based on the fact that the size of a person's iris is practically constant after birth while the head grows as the person grows adult. Therefore adults can be distinguished from children based on the face/iris size ratio. The faces are detected using a standard Viola-Jones face detection technique. The irises are found and measured by using iterative Canny edge detection and a modified circular Hough transform. Our results show an accuracy of over 80% when tested on a set of 289 real life photographs of frontal faces.
Mehr Entwicklung - mehr Migration? Der "migration hump" und seine Bedeutung für die entwicklungspolitische Zusammenarbeit mit Subsahara-Afrika

Viele sehen in der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit einen Schlüssel zur Reduzierung der irregulären Zuwanderung aus Subsahara-Afrika. Doch Kritiker wenden ein, mehr sozio-ökonomische Entwicklung führe erfahrungsgemäß nicht zu weniger, sondern zu mehr Migration. Tatsächlich haben historische und ländervergleichende Untersuchungen gezeigt, dass in der Regel Auswanderung erst einmal zunimmt, wenn Länder durch Wirtschaftswachstum und entsprechend steigende Einkommen den Status eines „Low Income Country“ hinter sich lassen. Erst wenn sie den Status eines „Upper Middle Income Country“ erreichen, ist mit einer Abnahme der internationalen Migration zu rechnen. Dieser als „migration hump“ bezeichnete Zusammenhang zwischen Entwicklung und Migration gilt auch für Subsahara-Afrika. Allerdings lässt er sich nicht nur durch steigende Einkommen und höhere Bildung erklären. Vielmehr wird er auch durch andere Faktoren begünstigt. Dazu zählen: demographischer Wandel, wirtschaftlicher Strukturwandel, Nachahmungseffekte bei Migrationsprozessen, steigende Ungleichheit, Kreditrestriktionen und sinkende Migrationsbarrieren.