Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cascading Failure Tolerance of Modular Small-World Networks

Many real-world networks have a modular structure, and their component may undergo random errors and/or intentional attacks. More devastating situations may happen if the network components have a limited load capacity; the errors and attacks may lead to a cascading component removal process, and consequently, the network may lose its desired performance. In this brief, we investigate the tolerance of cascading errors and attacks in modular small-world networks. This brief studies the size of the largest connected component of the networks when cascading errors or attacks occur. The robustness of the network is tested as a function of both the intermodular connection and intramodular rewiring probabilities, i.e., the rewiring probability of original Watts-Strogatz networks that the individual modules are based on. We find that intermodular connections play an important role in determining the robustness of the networks against cascading failures. We also study cascaded failure in a number of real networks with different modularity levels and find that the more the modularity level of a network, the less its robustness against cascaded failures.
Maternal undernutrition programs the apelinergic system of adipose tissue in adult male rat offspring

Based on the Developmental Origin of Health and Disease concept, maternal undernutrition has been shown to sensitize adult offspring to metabolic pathologies such as obesity. Using a model of maternal 70% food restriction in pregnant female rats throughout gestation (called FR30), we previously reported that obesity-prone adult male rat offspring displayed hyperleptinemia with modifications in leptin and leptin receptor messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in white adipose tissue (WAT). Apelin is a member of the adipokine family that regulates various aspects of energy metabolism and WAT functionality. We investigated whether apelin and its receptor APJ could be a target of maternal undernutrition. Adult male rat offspring from FR30 dams showed increased plasma apelin levels and apelin gene expression in WAT. Post-weaning high-fat diet led to marked increase in APJ mRNA and protein levels in offspring’s WAT. We demonstrate that maternal undernutrition and post-weaning diet have long-term consequences on the apelinergic system of adult male rat offspring.
Model for invasion of human tissue culture cells by Neisseria gonorrhoeae

A tissue culture model has been developed for studying the ability of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to invade eucaryotic cells. The cell line HecIB, a human adenocarcinoma endometrial cell line, was found to support gonococcal invasion. The bactericidal antibiotic gentamicin was used to kill those bacteria that had not entered the HecIB cells, allowing us to quantitate internalized bacteria. Kinetic studies showed an increase in the titer of gentamicin-protected gonococci at 4 h postinfection followed by a decrease; a second increase occurred after 6 h. The state of piliation did not affect the degree of invasion when the bacteria were spun down onto the monolayer. Gonococcal invasion was inhibited when the HecIB cells were preincubated with cytochalasin D before bacterial infection. N. lactamica was used as a negative control. No internalized N. lactamica cells were observed by electron microscopy. Electron microscopy documented the intracellular location of the gonococci in HecIB cells and the eventual destruction of the invaded HecIB cells. After 24 h, clusters of gonococci encased in a matrix of cell debris were observed.
Necrotic enteritis: Effect of barley, wheat and corn diets on proliferation of Clostridium perfringens type A

Necrotic enteritis, caused by Clostridium perfringens type A, is more prevalent in broilers fed wheat or barley diets than in those fed a corn diet. We compared the effects of wheat, barley and corn diets on in vitro proliferation of C. perfringens type A. Bacteria were inoculated into the supernatants delivered from either digested or non-digested barley, wheat and corn diets mixed with thioglycollate medium (1:3). Colony forming units were counted following incubation for 6 h at 40°C. There were no significant differences in clostridial proliferation among non-digested diets. Bacterial proliferation in the digested wheat and barley diets was significantly higher than in the digested corn diet. These findings suggest that the increased incidence of necrotic enteritis in broilers fed barley and wheat diets compared with those fed a corn diet may be due in part to increased clostridial proliferation associated with the wheat and barley diets, or to decreased proliferation associated with the corn diet.
Estimating 3-D Point-of-Regard in a Real Environment Using a Head-Mounted Eye-Tracking System

Unlike conventional portable eye-tracking methods that estimate the position of the mounted camera using 2-D image coordinates, the techniques that are proposed here present richer information about person's gaze when moving over a wide area. They also include visualizing scanpaths when the user with a head-mounted device makes natural head movements. We employ a Visual SLAM technique to estimate the head pose and extract environmental information. When the person's head moves, the proposed method obtains a 3-D point-of-regard. Furthermore, scanpaths can be appropriately overlaid on image sequences to support quantitative analysis. Additionally, a 3-D environment is employed to detect objects of focus and to visualize an attention map.
Persistently high levels of periodontal pathogens associated with preterm pregnancy outcome.

BACKGROUND Few studies examining the association between periodontal diseases and preterm birth have explored the underlying microbial and antibody responses associated with oral infection. METHODS A nested case-control study was performed using data from a recent interventional trial following the delayed-treatment control group of 31 subjects with periodontal diseases. The levels of eight oral bacteria and the maternal immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses in serum to these bacteria were measured at antepartum and postpartum visits to determine the relationship to cases (preterm delivery <37 weeks' gestation) and controls (term delivery). RESULTS Antepartum, the levels of periodontal pathogens tended to be higher in the preterm (case group) deliveries compared to the term deliveries (control group). Maternal anti-Porphyromonas gingivalis IgG was significantly lower in the preterm group compared to the term group (P = 0.028). Postpartum, levels of P. gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Prevotella intermedia, and Prevotella nigrescens were statistically significantly higher in preterm births compared to term deliveries, adjusting for baseline levels. The joint effects of red and orange microbial clusters were significantly higher in the preterm group compared to the term group. CONCLUSIONS High levels of periodontal pathogens and low maternal IgG antibody response to periodontal bacteria during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk for preterm delivery. Further studies elucidating the role of the microbial load and maternal immune response as related to pregnancy outcome seem merited.
Sediment and Vegetation as Reservoirs of Vibrio vulnificus in the Tampa Bay Estuary and Gulf of Mexico

ABSTRACT The opportunistic pathogen Vibrio vulnificus occurs naturally in estuarine habitats and is readily cultured from water and oysters under warm conditions but infrequently at ambient conditions of <15°C. The presence of V. vulnificus in other habitats, such as sediments and aquatic vegetation, has been explored much less frequently. This study investigated the ecology of V. vulnificus in water by culture and quantitative PCR (qPCR) and in sediment, oysters, and aquatic vegetation by culture. V. vulnificus samples were taken from five sites around Tampa Bay, FL. Levels determined by qPCR and culture were significantly correlated (P = 0.0006; r = 0.352); however, V. vulnificus was detected significantly more frequently by qPCR (85% of all samples) compared to culture (43%). Culturable V. vulnificus bacteria were recovered most frequently from oyster samples (70%), followed by vegetation and sediment (∼50%) and water (43%). Water temperature, which ranged from 18.5 to 33.4°C, was positively correlated with V. vulnificus concentrations in all matrices but sediments. Salinity, which ranged from 1 to 35 ppt, was negatively correlated with V. vulnificus levels in water and sediments but not in other matrices. Significant interaction effects between matrix and temperature support the hypothesis that temperature affects V. vulnificus concentrations differently in different matrices and that sediment habitats may serve as seasonal reservoirs for V. vulnificus. V. vulnificus levels in vegetation have not been previously measured and reveal an additional habitat for this autochthonous estuarine bacterium.
Influence of fingertip and object shape on the manipulation ability of underactuated hands

This paper presents a kinetostatic framework to analyze the grasping and in-hand object manipulation abilities of two-finger underactuated hands. The framework includes a procedure to compute the Grasp Matrix and the Hand Jacobian for objects and fingertips of arbitrary shape considering rolling contacts without slipping. The usefulness of the proposed approach is illustrated in a case study of a pair of underactuated fingers driven by a tendon-pulley differential transmission mechanism and capable of performing in-hand object manipulation. The manipulability region for different object and fingertip shapes is computed and the results are discussed.
Active components and clinical applications of olive oil.

The olive tree, Olea europaea, is native to the Mediterranean basin and parts of Asia Minor. The fruit and compression-extracted oil have a wide range of therapeutic and culinary applications. Olive oil also constitutes a major component of the "Mediterranean diet. " The chief active components of olive oil include oleic acid, phenolic constituents, and squalene. The main phenolics include hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, and oleuropein, which occur in highest levels in virgin olive oil and have demonstrated antioxidant activity. Antioxidants are believed to be responsible for a number of olive oil's biological activities. Oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid, has shown activity in cancer prevention, while squalene has also been identified as having anticancer effects. Olive oil consumption has benefit for colon and breast cancer prevention. The oil has been widely studied for its effects on coronary heart disease (CHD), specifically for its ability to reduce blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Antimicrobial activity of hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, and oleuropein has been demonstrated against several strains of bacteria implicated in intestinal and respiratory infections. Although the majority of research has been conducted on the oil, consumption of whole olives might also confer health benefits.
Perceptual processing affects the reactivation of a sensory dimension during a categorization task

According to grounded theories of cognition, knowledge is grounded in its sensory-motor features. Therefore, perceptual and conceptual processing should be based on the same distributed system so that conceptual and perceptual processes should interact. The present study assesses whether gustatory stimulation (participants tasted a sweet or a nonsweet yoghurt) could influence performance on a categorization task that involves the reactivation of the same sensory dimension. The results indicate that participants were slower (Experiment 1) or faster (Experiment 2), respectively, at categorizing pictures as representing edible sweet stimuli when they either simultaneously or had previously tasted a sweet yoghurt as compared to a nonsweet yoghurt. These results confirm the significant overlap between perceptual and memory mechanisms and suggest the functional equivalence between perceptually present and perceptually absent (memory reactivated) dimensions.
Control-Theoretic Dynamic Thermal Management of Automotive Electronics Control Units

There has been a large body of research on dynamic thermal management (DTM) to manage the die temperature of integrated circuits against their high power density. Control-theoretic DTM is one of the most effective DTM schemes that guarantee stability criteria while meeting several performance requirements such as response time, steady-state error, overshoot, undershoot, phase margin, gain margin, and so forth. Conventional control-theoretic DTM schemes show reasonable stability and performance for general-purpose processors, but they may not fulfill those requirements for vehicle electronics control units (ECUs) primarily because the ambient temperature of an ECU is dependent on the associated unit temperature that often exceeds 100 °C. This results in a high steady-state die temperature and a very narrow temperature headroom. Furthermore, the unit temperature dynamically changes according to the driving condition that acts as a major disturbance to the DTM system. This paper introduces an advanced control-theretic DTM mechanism for high-performance vehicle ECUs. We model such ambient temperature variation as a disturbance, and adopt a disturbance predictor and compensator that effectively mitigates the effects of ambient temperature variations. We demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to the previous control-theoretic DTM in terms of RMS errors, peak temperature, and thermal violation.
EFFECT OF NORMAL PREGNANCY UPON THE GLYCOSYLATED HAEMOGLOBINS

In this cross‐sectional study total glycosylated haemoglobin (Hb AmtmannIa+b+c) has been measured in 20 healthy non‐pregnant women and in five groups of 20 healthy women at various times during pregnancy. A statistically significant decrease occurs in these minor haemoglobin fractions by about 20 weeks gestation and this reduced level is maintained throughout the rest of pregnancy. If diabetic patients are to have their control assessed during pregnancy by determination of these fractions this fact might be relevant.
Radiographic Assessment of Dental Maturation in Children With Dental Agenesis.

BACKGROUND Dental agenesis is the most common developmental anomaly in humans, frequently associated with disorders in dental development and maturation. AIM The purpose of this study is to determine radiographic variations in dental maturation in a group of Venezuelan children with dental agenesis. STUDY DESIGN 1,188 panoramic radiographs, from healthy patients ages 5 to 12 years old were studied for agenesis of permanent teeth. Dental maturation was assessed by relative eruption and dental age according to Nolla, comparing children affected with dental agenesis to a stratified control group selected from the same population, excluding children with premature loss of primary teeth in the left quadrants and unclear radiographs. Descriptive analysis, and differences between means and medians (Student t test, Kruskall-Wallis p=0.05) were performed. RESULTS Medians for Nolla stages were similar between groups, with delay in tooth formation in the agenesis group for second molars (p<0.05) and maxillary lateral incisors and second premolars. Dental age was significantly underestimated for both groups, -0.89 (±0.78) for the control group and -1.20 (±0.95) for the study group. Tooth eruption was similar between groups. CONCLUSION Dental age was significantly delayed in Venezuelan children with dental agenesis, with variable significance for tooth formation of studied teeth.
CARDIAC‐SPECIFIC OVEREXPRESSION OF THE HUMAN SHORT CLC‐3 CHLORIDE CHANNEL ISOFORM IN MICE

1 ClC‐3 has been proposed as a molecular candidate responsible for volume‐sensitive outwardly rectifying anion channels (VSOAC) in cardiac and smooth muscle cells. To further test this hypothesis, we produced a novel line of transgenic mice with cardiac‐specific overexpression of the human short ClC‐3 isoform (hsClC‐3). 2 Northern and western blot analyses demonstrated that mRNA and protein levels of the short isoform (sClC‐3) in the heart were significantly increased in hsClC‐3‐overexpressing (OE) mice compared with wild‐type (WT) mice. Heart weight : bodyweight ratios for OE mice were significantly smaller compared with age‐matched WT mice. 3 Electrocardiogram recordings indicated no difference at rest, whereas echocardiographic recordings revealed consistent reductions in left ventricular diastolic diameter, left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end of diastole and interventricular septum thickness in diastole in OE mice. 4 The VSOAC current densities in atrial cardiomyocytes were significantly increased by ClC‐3 overexpression compared with WT cells. No differences in VSOAC current properties in OE and WT atrial myocytes were observed in terms of outward rectification, anion permeability (I− > Cl− > Asp−) and inhibition by 4,4′‐diisothiocyanatostilbene‐2,2′‐disulphonic acid and glibenclamide. The VSOAC in atrial myocytes from both groups were totally abolished by phorbol‐12,13‐dibutyrate (a protein kinase C activator) and by intracellular dialysis of an N‐terminal anti‐ClC‐3 antibody. 5 Cardiac cell volume measurements revealed a significant acceleration of the rate of regulatory volume decrease (RVD) in OE myocytes compared with WT. 6 In conclusion, enhanced VSOAC currents and acceleration of the time‐course of RVD in atrial myocytes of OE mice is strong evidence supporting an essential role of sClC‐3 in native VSOAC function in mouse atrial myocytes.
Central Sympathetic Control of Cardiovascular Function

Cardiovascular function is regulated by a dynamic balance comprised of sympathetic and parasympathetic influences. Sympathetic regulatory centers include the rostra ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) and paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus (PVN). Pre-sympathetic neurons (PSNs) in these centers project directly to sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the intermediolateral nucleus of the thoracic spinal cord. Altered function of PSNs along with impaired cardiac vagal activity may lead to autonomic imbalance. Enhanced sympathetic activity has been associated with hypertension, heart failure, stroke and cardiac arrhythmias. In this review, we will discuss the central physiological mechanisms of sympathetic cardiovascular regulation and how alteration in these mechanisms may lead to cardiovascular dysfunction reported in individuals with hypertension and sleep apnea.
Relative Importance of Monaural Sound Deprivation and Bilateral Significant Hearing Loss in Predicting Cochlear Implantation Outcomes

Objectives: Making evidence-based recommendations to prospective unilateral cochlear implant recipients on the potential benefits of implanting one or the other ear is challenging for cochlear implant teams. This particularly occurs in cases where a hearing aid has only been used in one ear for many years (referred to here as the “hearing ear”), and the contralateral ear has, in essence, been sound-deprived. In such cases, research to date is inconclusive, and little anecdotal evidence exists to inform the debate and support best clinical practice. Design: Retrospective data on speech recognition outcomes of 16 adult participants who received a cochlear implant in an ear deprived of sound for a minimum of 15 yr were analyzed. All subjects were implanted through the Quebec Cochlear Implant Program and were provided with personalized intensive rehabilitation services. Data obtained from clinical records included demographic data and speech recognition scores measured after implantation with the sentences of a multimedia auditory test battery in the auditory-only condition. Speech recognition outcomes were compared with the duration of auditory deprivation in the implanted ear, bilateral significant hearing loss, and auditory stimulation before bilateral significant hearing loss. Results: Using nonparametric correlation analyses, a strong negative correlation was demonstrated between speech recognition scores and the duration of bilateral significant hearing loss and with the duration of auditory stimulation before bilateral significant hearing loss. No significant correlation with the duration of auditory deprivation or with the duration of prior auditory stimulation in the implanted ear was found. Conclusions: These findings suggest that functional outcomes of cochlear implantation for unilateral sound deprivation may be more strongly influenced by central processes than peripheral effects stemming from the deprivation per se. This indicates the relevance of considering the client's history of binaural hearing rather than the hearing in each ear individually when discussing possible outcomes with a cochlear implant.
Differences in Surface-Exposed Antigen Expression between Helicobacter pylori Strains Isolated from Duodenal Ulcer Patients and from Asymptomatic Subjects

ABSTRACT We have analyzed possible qualitative and quantitative differences in antigen expression between Helicobacter pylori strains isolated from the antrum and different locations in the duodenum of 21 duodenal ulcer (DU) patients and 20 asymptomatic subjects (AS) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and inhibition ELISA. Almost all antral and duodenal strains grown in vitro expressed theN-acetyl-neuroaminyllactose-binding hemagglutinin, flagellins (subunits FlaA and FlaB), urease, a 26-kDa protein, and a neutrophil-activating protein. In 75% of both the DU patients and the AS, antral H. pylori strains expressed either the blood group antigen Lewis y (Ley) alone or together with the Lex antigen. However, duodenal H. pyloristrains of DU patients expressed Ley antigen more frequently than corresponding strains of AS (P < 0.05). Presence of Ley on H. pylori was related to the degree of active duodenitis (P < 0.05). Duodenal H. pylori strains isolated from AS were significantly more often Lewis nontypeable than duodenal strains of DU patients (P < 0.01). Presence of H. pylori blood group antigen-binding adhesin (BabA) was significantly higher on both antral and duodenal strains isolated from DU patients than on corresponding strains isolated from AS (P < 0.05). BabA-positive duodenal H. pylori strains isolated from DU patients were associated with active duodenitis more frequently than corresponding strains isolated from AS (P < 0.01). Infection with H. pylori strains positive for Ley and BabA in the duodenum is associated with development of duodenal ulcer formation.
Inhibition of T Cell Signaling by Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase-targeted Hematopoietic Tyrosine Phosphatase (HePTP)*

Activation of T lymphocytes to produce cytokines is regulated by the counterbalance of protein-tyrosine kinases and protein-tyrosine phosphatases, many of which have a high degree of substrate specificity because of physical association with their targets. Overexpression of hematopoietic protein-tyrosine phosphatase (HePTP) results in suppression of T lymphocyte activation as measured by T cell antigen receptor-induced activation of transcription factors binding to the 5′ promoter of the interleukin-2 gene. Efforts to pinpoint the exact site of action and specificity of HePTP in the signaling cascade revealed that HePTP acts directly on the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases Erk1 and 2 and consequently reduces the magnitude and duration of their catalytic activation in intact T cells. In contrast, HePTP had no effects on N-terminal c-Jun kinase or on events upstream of the MAP kinases. The specificity of HePTP correlated with its physical association through its noncatalytic N terminus with Erk and another MAP kinase, p38, but not Jnk or other proteins. We propose that HePTP plays a negative role in antigen receptor signaling by specifically regulating MAP kinases in the cytosol and at early time points of T cell activation before the activation-induced expression of nuclear dual-specific MAP kinase phosphatases.