Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diurnality as an energy-saving strategy: energetic consequences of temporal niche switching in small mammals

ABSTRACT Endogenous daily (circadian) rhythms allow organisms to anticipate daily changes in the environment. Most mammals are specialized to be active during the night (nocturnal) or day (diurnal). However, typically nocturnal mammals become diurnal when energetically challenged by cold or hunger. The circadian thermo-energetics (CTE) hypothesis predicts that diurnal activity patterns reduce daily energy expenditure (DEE) compared with nocturnal activity patterns. Here, we tested the CTE hypothesis by quantifying the energetic consequences of relevant environmental factors in mice. Under natural conditions, diurnality reduces DEE by 6–10% in energetically challenged mice. Combined with night-time torpor, as observed in mice under prolonged food scarcity, DEE can be reduced by ∼20%. The dominant factor determining the energetic benefit of diurnality is thermal buffering provided by a sheltered resting location. Compared with nocturnal animals, diurnal animals encounter higher ambient temperatures during both day and night, leading to reduced thermogenesis costs in temperate climates. Analysis of weather station data shows that diurnality is energetically beneficial on almost all days of the year in a temperate climate region. Furthermore, diurnality provides energetic benefits at all investigated geographical locations on European longitudinal and latitudinal transects. The reduction of DEE by diurnality provides an ultimate explanation for temporal niche switching observed in typically nocturnal small mammals under energetically challenging conditions. Diurnality allows mammals to compensate for reductions in food availability and temperature as it reduces energetic needs. The optimal circadian organization of an animal ultimately depends on the balance between energetic consequences and other fitness consequences of the selected temporal niche. Highlighted Article: Computational modeling reveals energetic benefits for diurnal small mammals as predicted by the circadian thermo-energetics hypothesis.
Real‐time continuous glucose monitoring as a tool to prevent severe hypoglycaemia in selected pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes – an observational study

Among women with Type 1 diabetes who have had severe hypoglycaemia the year before pregnancy, 70% also experience this complication in pregnancy, and particularly in the first half of pregnancy. We evaluated whether routine use of real‐time continuous glucose monitoring from early pregnancy onwards could prevent severe hypoglycaemia in these women.
Ground bounce reduction in power gating circuits using input vector control

Power gating is one of the most effective ways to reduce leakage power by shutting off the idle blocks in a system-on-a-chip. However, a current surge occurs when the gated blocks wake up from sleep mode, causing voltage fluctuations on the power rails, which is called ground bounce effect. In this paper, input vector control method is used to reduce the ground bounce. Genetic algorithm is applied to generate the proper input vector. Simulation results show that by selecting input vector properly, the maximum voltage fluctuation induced by ground bounce can be reduced by 28% at most on the benchmark circuits.
Accurate Settling-Time Modeling and Design Procedures for Two-Stage Miller-Compensated Amplifiers for Switched-Capacitor Circuits

We present modeling techniques for accurate estimation of settling errors in switched-capacitor (SC) circuits built with Miller-compensated operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs). One distinctive feature of the proposal is the computation of the impact of signal levels (on both the model parameters and the model structure) as they change during transient evolution. This is achieved by using an event-driven behavioral approach that combines small- and large-signal behavioral descriptions and keeps track of the amplifier state after each clock phase. Also, SC circuits are modeled under closed-loop conditions to guarantee that the results remain close to those obtained by electrical simulation of the actual circuits. Based on these models, which can be regarded as intermediate between the more established small-signal approach and full-fledged simulations, design procedures for dimensioning SC building blocks are presented whose targets are system-level specifications (such as ENOB and SNDR) instead of OTA specifications. The proposed techniques allow to complete top-down model-based designs with 0.3-b accuracy.
What contributed to the major decline in per capita cigarette consumption during California’s comprehensive tobacco control programme?

Objectives: California experienced a notable decline in per capita cigarette consumption during its comprehensive tobacco control programme. This study examines what proportion of the decline occurred from: (1) fewer ever smokers in the population, (2) more ever smokers quitting, and (3) current smokers smoking less. Design, subjects: Per capita cigarette consumption computed from cigarette sales and from adult respondents to the large, cross-sectional, population-based California Tobacco Surveys of 1990 (n = 24 296), 1996 (n = 18 616) and 2002 (n = 20 525) were examined for similar trends. Main outcome measure: Changes (period 1: 1990–1996; period 2: 1996–2002) in per capita cigarette consumption from self-reported survey data were partitioned for the entire population and for demographic subgroups into the three components mentioned above. Results: In periods 1 and 2, most of the decline in per capita cigarette consumption for the population as a whole was from current smokers smoking less followed by a reduction in ever smokers. The decline from smokers smoking less was particularly evident among young adults (18–29 years) in period 1. While the portion of the decline due to quitting in the entire population in period 1 was negligible, in period 2 it accounted for 22% of the total per capita decline. The decline from quitting in period 2 was mostly observed among women. Conclusions: Rather than near-term benefits from smokers quitting, population health benefits from reduced per capita cigarette consumption will likely occur over the longer term from fewer people becoming ever smokers, and more less-addicted smokers eventually quitting successfully.
Nerve‐terminal and Schwann‐cell response after nerve injury in the absence of nitric oxide

Dystrophic muscles show alterations in the dystrophin–glycoprotein complex and a lack of neuronal nitric oxide (NO) synthase. In mdx mice, presynaptic expression of neuronal NO synthase is decreased, suggesting that presynaptic signaling may be altered in dystrophic muscle. In this study, we examined the nerve‐terminal and Schwann‐cell responses after a crush lesion in control and NO‐deficient mice. Seven days after nerve crush, 24% of control neuromuscular junctions (n = 200) showed ultraterminal sprouts, whereas in NO‐deficient mice this frequency was 28.5% (n = 217; P > 0.05 compared to controls; chi‐square test). Schwann‐cell response did not change in the absence of NO, after a nerve lesion of 7‐day duration. Fourteen days after the lesion, nerve terminals sprouted and Schwann cells showed an extensive network of processes away from the synaptic site in controls. In the absence of NO, there was a dramatic decrease in nerve‐terminal sprouting and Schwann‐cell processes failed to extend away from the endplate. These results show that NO is involved in the nerve‐terminal and Schwann‐cell response to nerve injury. They also suggest that presynaptic molecular signaling may be impaired in dystrophic muscles, and this could influence the innervation and survival of newly formed myofibers generated by cell‐mediated therapies. Muscle Nerve, 2006
LRRK2 exonic variants and risk of multiple system atrophy

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between common exonic variants in the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene and risk of multiple system atrophy (MSA). Methods: One series from the United States (92 patients with pathologically confirmed MSA, 416 controls) and a second series from the United Kingdom (85 patients with pathologically confirmed MSA, 352 controls) were included in this case-control study. We supplemented these data with those of 53 patients from the United States with clinically probable or possible MSA. Seventeen common LRRK2 exonic variants were genotyped and assessed for association with MSA. Results: In the combined series of 177 patients with pathologically confirmed MSA and 768 controls, there was a significant association between LRRK2 p.M2397T and MSA (odds ratio [OR] = 0.60, p = 0.002). This protective effect was observed more strongly in the US series (OR = 0.46, p = 0.0008) than the UK series (OR = 0.82, p = 0.41). We observed other noteworthy associations with MSA for p.G1624G (OR = 0.63, p = 0.006) and p.N2081D (OR = 0.15, p = 0.010). The p.G1624G-M2397T haplotype was significantly associated with MSA in the US series (p < 0.0001) and combined series (p = 0.003) but not the UK series (p = 0.67). Results were consistent when additionally including the US patients with clinical MSA, where the strongest single-variant association was again observed for p.M2397T (OR = 0.59, p = 0.0005). Conclusions: These findings provide evidence that LRRK2 exonic variants may contribute to susceptibility to MSA. Validation in other series and meta-analytic studies will be important.
Viridans Streptococci Isolated by Culture from Blood of Cancer Patients: Clinical and Microbiologic Analysis of 50 Cases

ABSTRACT Clinical and microbiologic studies of 50 cases of viridans streptococcal bacteremia in cancer patients were performed. The bacteria were identified to species level by sequencing analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. At least nine Streptococcus spp. were found, including S. mitis (25 strains, 50.0% of 50); currently unnamed Streptococcus spp. (11 strains); S. parasanguis (five strains); S. anginosus (three strains); S. salivarius (two strains); and one strain each of S. gordonii, S. sanguis, S. sobrinus, and S. vestibularis. There were no S. oralis strains. Among 11 antibiotics of nine classes tested, no resistance to vancomycin, linezolid, or quinupristin-dalfopristin was seen. Resistance to penicillin (MIC, 4 to 12 μg/ml) was noted only among S. mitis strains (28.0%, 7/25) and not non-S. mitis strains (0/25) (P = 0.004). Significantly more S. mitis strains than non-S. mitis strains were resistant to fluoroquinolones and to ≥3 classes of antibiotics. Isolation of quinolone-resistant organisms was associated with the prior usage of quinolones (P = 0.002). Quantitative blood cultures showed that the strains resistant to levofloxacin or gatifloxacin were associated with higher colony counts than were their corresponding nonresistant strains. The young and elderly patients also had higher levels of bacteremia caused predominantly by S. mitis. Septic shock was present in 17 (34.0% of 50) patients, and 13 of those cases were caused by S. mitis (P = 0.007). These results suggest that S. mitis is the most common cause of viridans streptococcal bacteremia in cancer patients and is more resistant to antibiotics than other species.
Ribozyme Targeting Demonstrates That the Nuclear Receptor Coactivator AIB1 Is a Rate-limiting Factor for Estrogen-dependent Growth of Human MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells*

Human breast tumorigenesis is promoted by the estrogen receptor pathway, and nuclear receptor coactivators are thought to participate in this process. Here we studied whether one of these coactivators, AIB1 (amplified inbreast cancer 1), was rate-limiting for hormone-dependent growth of human MCF-7 breast cancer cells. We developed MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines in which the expression of AIB1 can be modulated by regulatable ribozymes directed against AIB1 mRNA. We found that depletion of endogenous AIB1 levels reduced steroid hormone signaling via the estrogen receptor α or progesterone receptor β on transiently transfected reporter templates. Down-regulation of AIB1 levels in MCF-7 cells did not affect estrogen-stimulated cell cycle progression but reduced estrogen-mediated inhibition of apoptosis and cell growth. Finally, upon reduction of endogenous AIB1 expression, estrogen-dependent colony formation in soft agar and tumor growth of MCF-7 cells in nude mice was decreased. From these findings we conclude that, despite the presence of different estrogen receptor coactivators in breast cancer cells, AIB1 exerts a rate-limiting role for hormone-dependent human breast tumor growth.
Cerebral Structure and Metabolism and Long-Term Outcome in Small-for-Gestational-Age Preterm Neonates

In the present study, we compared brain development and metabolism of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) infants using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). We tested the hypothesis that intrauterine growth retardation caused by placental insufficiency is associated with changes in cerebral metabolism and is followed by an adverse neurodevelopmental outcome at the age of 2 y. Twenty-six AGA and 14 SGA (birth weight <P 2.3) preterm infants with no major ultrasound abnormalities were enrolled prospectively. At 32 and 41 wk postmenstrual age, 1H-MRS and magnetic resonance imaging were performed. For 1H-MRS, a volume of interest was placed in the basal ganglia and in the periventricular white matter. Using echo times of 31 and 144 ms N-acetylaspartate/choline (NAA/Cho), lactate/Cho, myo-inositol/Cho (mI/Cho), and glutamate-glutamine-γ-aminobutyric acid/Cho (Glx/Cho) ratios were compared between AGA and SGA groups. Griffiths' developmental quotient (DQ) values were assessed at 24 mo corrected age. Griffiths' DQ (AGA, 104 ± 10; SGA, 99 ± 9) and brain development assessed using magnetic resonance imaging showed no significant differences between both AGA and SGA groups, and NAA/Cho, Lac/Cho, mI/ Cho, and Glx/Cho ratios were not significantly different between the groups. NAA/Cho ratios increased from 32 to 41 wk, whereas mI/Cho ratios decreased in both groups. No differences in cerebral metabolism, brain development, and DQ values between AGA and severely SGA infants could be demonstrated.
Mining Frequent Items Based on Bloom Filter

This paper introduce the algorithm MIBFD (mining frequent items using bloom filter based on damped model) for mining recent frequent items in data streams. Based on an efficient data structure named extensible and scalable bloom filter(ESBF), MIBFD is able to adjust the size of memory used dynamically. Theoretical analysis and experiments show that MIBFD is efficient both in processing time and in memory usage.
TISSUE TRANSGLUTAMINASE ANTIBODY DETERMINATION IN CELIAC DISEASE. ANALYSIS OF DIAGNOSTIC SPECIFICITY OF ANTI-HUMAN IgA-TYPE ASSAYS

ABSTRACT Biopsy is onerous and, for this reason, immunodiagnostics in sera of celiac disease patients are an “additional diagnostic standard. ” The objective of the study was to investigate the variability in diagnostic specificity of ELISAs for the detection of IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies in serum of celiac disease patients who underwent biopsy. All patients were included in the study on the basis that they had a small intestinal biopsy. We studied 18 patients with histological proven celiac disease (7 male, 11 female, mean age ± SD: 35 ± 19 years) from Graz, Austria. Healthy control subjects were also entered into the study. The determinations of the anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies were simultaneously performed together with the endomysium and gliadin antibody markers. We analysed the 216 serum values according to Cochran's non-parametric Q-test. The complexity to the analysis reflects the complexity of the diagnostic situation with the patients. No real differences were found in the reactions of the anti-human IgA-type anti-tissue transglutaminase ELISAs. Based on these results, an association was established between the outcomes of anti-human IgA-type ELISAs for the specific antigen and patients with histologically proven celiac disease, treated for celiac disease after histology was carried out and the diagnosis was made, and healthy controls. The detection of IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies in serum is a promising alternative to the indirect immunofluorescence determination of IgA-type endomysium antibodies. One ELISA for the specific antigen showed some advantage with respect to its extended scale of detection. Immunopathology of celiac disease can be based on the results of the appropriate IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase ELISAs under uncomplicated gastrointestinal conditions.
Serotonergic neurons in the brainstem of the wallaby, Macropus eugenii

The organisation and cytoarchitecture of the serotonergic neurons in a diprotodont marsupial were examined by using serial sections of the brainstem processed for serotonin immunohistochemistry and routine histology. The topographic distribution of serotonergic neurons in the brainstem of the adult wallaby (Macropus eugenii) was similar to that of eutherian mammals. Serotonergic neurons were divided into rostral and caudal groups, separated by an oblique boundary through the pontomedullary junction. Approximately 52% of the serotonergic neurons in the wallaby brainstem were located in the rostral midline nuclei (caudal linear nucleus, dorsal, median, and pontine raphe nuclei and the interpeduncular nucleus), whereas 21% were found in the caudal midline region (nuclei raphe magnus, obscurus, and pallidus). The remaining serotonergic neurons (27%) were located in more lateral regions such as the pedunculopontine tegmental nuclei, the supralemniscal nuclei (B9 group), and the ventrolateral medulla. The largest serotonergic group, the dorsal raphe, contained one‐third of the brainstem serotonergic neurons and showed five subdivisions, similar to that described in other species. In contrast, the median raphe did not show clear subdivisions. The internal complexity of the raphe nuclei and the degree of lateralisation of serotonergic neurons suggest that the wallaby serotonergic system is similar in organisation to that described for the cat and rabbit. This study supports the suggestion that the serotonergic system is evolutionally well conserved and provides baseline data for a quantitative study of serotonergic innervation of the developing cortex in the wallaby. J. Comp. Neurol. 411:535–549, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reduction of the neuroprotective transcription factor Npas4 results in increased neuronal necrosis, inflammation and brain lesion size following ischaemia

Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the most frequent cause of adult disability. Neuronal Per-Arnt-Sim domain protein 4 (Npas4) is an activity-dependent transcription factor whose expression is induced in various brain insults, including cerebral ischaemia. Although previous studies have demonstrated that Npas4 plays a critical role in protecting neurons against neurodegenerative insults, the neuroprotective effect of Npas4 in response to ischaemic brain injury remains unknown. In this study, we used a loss-of-function approach to examine the neuroprotective potential of Npas4 in the context of ischaemic damage. Using oxygen and glucose deprivation, we demonstrated that the knockdown of Npas4 in mouse cortical neurons resulted in increased susceptibility to cell death. The protective effect of Npas4 was further investigated in vivo using a photochemically-induced stroke model in mice. We found a significantly larger lesion size and increased neurodegeneration in Npas4 knockout mice as compared to wild-type mice. Moreover, we also showed that ablation of Npas4 caused an increase in activated astrocytes and microglia, pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor alpha levels and a switch from apoptotic to necrotic cell death. Taken together, these data suggest that Npas4 plays a neuroprotective role in ischaemic stroke by limiting progressive neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation.
Diagnosis of thyroid cancer: state of art.

INTRODUCTION Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer in the USA and its incidence is increasing worldwide. Thyroid fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) and cytologic analysis is the most cost-effective approach to distinguish between malignant and benign thyroid nodules. However, up to 30% of thyroid FNA biopsy results are inconclusive. AREAS COVERED In this article, the authors provide an update on the current status and emerging approaches for improving thyroid cancer diagnosis. This review covers imaging, genetic and genomic approaches being used or in development to help distinguish between malignant and benign thyroid nodules. EXPERT OPINION There has been considerable progress in improving thyroid cancer diagnosis. The molecular markers analysis to avoid diagnostic surgeries seems to be promising. However, the clinical utility and accuracy of some markers reported in this review are not conclusive and need to be validated as clinical diagnostic tool.
Linear-time diagram: A set visualisation technique for personal visualisation to understand social interactions over time

With the advent of pervasive social networks and social communication media, people are connected all the time and messages arrive endlessly on their devices, generating an enormous quantity of personal content, such as: textual messages, photos, audio clips and videos. However, when an individual desires to go back in the time, recalling or reflecting on what happened months ago about his/her conversation with friends, he/she needs to continuously frenzy scroll over all the past messages and so far there is no visualisation support that can help in recalling personal chats. This work contributes in the emerging field of the Personal Visual Analytics, introducing the Linear-time diagrams, a combination of linear diagram along with a time line, to easily identify “who interacted with whom and what topic” in a particular period of time. Since, there are no specific tools to visualise and represent set relationships (friendships through messages) over time, but there are many well-known set visualisation tools (without time consideration), such as Euler diagrams, Venn diagrams, Linear diagrams, Spherule diagrams etc. This paper merges Linear diagrams for their scalability in representing set relationships and time-series to represent sequence of events occurred over a period of time to glint the novelty. A prototype tool has been developed, using an anonymous Facebook chat log from the wild. We conducted a workshop with social media users to gain insights about the existing social media without visualisation support and how our visualisation aims in supporting it. The outcomes of the preliminary workshop will help us in enhancing the tool with user-interactions and also consider gestalt principles, perceptual and cognitive theories to navigate easily, analyse and interpret data efficiently.
Expression of membrane-associated and secreted variants of gp160 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in vitro and in continuous cell lines

The gene encoding the 856-amino-acid envelope glycoprotein, gp160, of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 was mutagenized and transfected into Chinese hamster ovary cells. Continuous cell lines that constitutively produced gp160 variants were isolated and used to study the biosynthesis and orientation of gp160 in cellular membranes. In vivo studies of gp160 variants failed to reveal domains upstream of amino acid residue 665 that could serve as stop transfer sequences. Analyses of gp160 variants expressed in vitro in a translation-coupled translocation system were consistent with the in vivo studies and provided evidence that gp160 is a simple bitopic membrane protein. A model for the orientation and function of gp160 in cellular membranes is presented. The cell lines described provide a convenient source of the gp120-gp41 complex.