Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ethanol Iris tenuifolia extract reduces brain damage in a mouse model of cerebral ischaemia

In the previous experiments, the neuroprotective role of Iris tenuifolia Pall. (IT) in the model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was investigated. In addition, the concentrations of the cytokines tumour necrosis factor‐alpha and interleukin‐6 in blood plasma were measured. It was found that IT administered 1 hr prior to MCAO or immediately after MCAO reduced infarct volume significantly. IT application 1 and 4 hr after MCAO, respectively, was without any effect on infarct volume. There were no significant changes as regards tumour necrosis factor‐alpha, whereas interleukin‐6 concentrations were increased in blood plasma. This is the first evidence that flavonoids from Iris tenuifolia exert protective effects in the in vivo MCAO model. Our results suggest that these flavonoids are likely to be beneficial to humans by virtue of their ability to reduce infarct volume.
PMDP: A Framework for Preserving Multiparty Data Privacy in Cloud Computing

The amount of Internet data is significantly increasing due to the development of network technology, inducing the appearance of big data. Experiments have shown that deep mining and analysis on large datasets would introduce great benefits. Although cloud computing supports data analysis in an outsourced and cost-effective way, it brings serious privacy issues when sending the original data to cloud servers. Meanwhile, the returned analysis result suffers from malicious inference attacks and also discloses user privacy. In this paper, to conquer the above privacy issues, we propose a general framework for P reserving M ultiparty D ata P rivacy ( PMDP for short) in cloud computing. The PMDP framework can protect numeric data computing and publishing with the assistance of untrusted cloud servers and achieve delegation of storage simultaneously. Our framework is built upon several cryptography primitives (e.g., secure multiparty computation) and differential privacy mechanism, which guarantees its security against semihonest participants without collusion. We further instantiate PMDP with specific algorithms and demonstrate its security, efficiency, and advantages by presenting security analysis and performance discussion. Moreover, we propose a security enhanced framework sPMDP to resist malicious inside participants and outside adversaries. We illustrate that both PMDP and sPMDP are reliable and scale well and thus are desirable for practical applications.
Longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging after pediatric traumatic brain injury: Impact of age at injury and time since injury on pathway integrity

Following pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging may characterize alterations in initial recovery and subsequent trajectory of white matter development. Our primary aim examined effects of age at injury and time since injury on pathway microstructure in children ages 6–15 scanned 3 and 24 months after TBI. Microstructural values generated using tract‐based spatial statistics extracted from core association, limbic, and projection pathways were analyzed using general linear mixed models. Relative to children with orthopedic injury, the TBI group had lower fractional anisotropy (FA) bilaterally in all seven pathways. In left‐hemisphere association pathways, school‐aged children with TBI had the lowest initial pathway integrity and showed the greatest increase in FA over time suggesting continued development despite incomplete recovery. Adolescents showed limited change in FA and radial diffusivity and had the greatest residual deficit suggesting relatively arrested development. Radial diffusivity was persistently elevated in the TBI group, implicating dysmyelination as a core contributor to chronic post‐traumatic neurodegenerative changes. The secondary aim compared FA values over time in the total sample, including participants contributing either one or two scans to the analysis, to the longitudinal cases contributing two scans. For each pathway, FA values and effect sizes were very similar and indicated extremely small differences in measurement of change over time in the total and longitudinal samples. Statistical approaches incorporating missing data may reliably estimate the effects of TBI and provide increased power to identify whether pathways show neurodegeneration, arrested development, or continued growth following pediatric TBI. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3929–3945, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Transcriptional Regulation of CYP11A1

Steroid hormones are important physiological regulators that control our glucose and salt balance, as well as sexual characteristics. The synthesis of steroid hormones is under tight control; disturbed secretion of steroids often leads to diseases. The mechanism controlling the secretion of steroids, namely steroidogenesis, has been the focus of intensive studies. CYP11A1 controls the first and rate-limiting step of steroid biosynthesis. It is expressed in the adrenal cortex and gonads, under the control of pituitary hormones, through the cAMP-signaling pathway. The promoter of the CYP11A1 gene contains sequences that bind to transcription factor SF-1, which plays an important role in the tissue-specific and hormonally regulated expression of steroidogenic genes. Detailed transcriptional analysis documents the importance of SF-1 in activating CYP11A1 in vitro and in vivo. Other factors like c-Jun are also involved. The assembly of various transcription factors forming protein-DNA complexes appears to be the key step in CYP11A1 transcription.
Prognostic Factors in Infants and Very Young Children with Intracranial Ependymomas

The Pediatric Oncology Group (1986–1990) conducted a study in which 48 children <3 years of age with intracranial ependymomas were treated with prolonged postoperative chemotherapy (CT) and delayed RT. Thirty-one children, 0–23 months of age at diagnosis (Gp A) received 2 years of CT followed by RT; while 17 children, 24–36 months of age at diagnosis (Gp B) received CT for 1 year followed by radiation. One-year survivals were 87% (Gp A) and 94% (Gp B) and 2-year survivals were 67% (Gp A) and 82% (Gp B). In subsequent years a significant divergence in survivals according to age has been noted (p = 0.04). Five-year survivals were 25.7% (Gp A) vs. 63.3% (Gp B). The curves began to diverge 1 year following diagnosis. Other than age, the only significant prognostic factor was degree of surgical resection: 5-year survivals were 66% (total resection) vs. 25% (subtotal resection). Neither the presence of metastases, degree of anaplasia nor the degree of surgical resection varied significantly according to age at diagnosis. The most likely reason for the difference in survivals between the two age groups relates to the timing of radiation following CT, i.e., 1-year delay in children 24–36 months of age compared to a 2-year delay in children 0–23 months of age. An alternative but less likely hypothesis is that ependymomas in the younger children have a more aggressive biology. In contrast, survivals in the 24- to 36-month group are much better than previous reports in the literature suggesting that prolonged postoperative CT may allow both a delay in CRT as well as provide improved survivals. Based on these results, future treatment trials should emphasize maximal surgical resection and a delay in radiation of no more than 1 year.
Highly efficient optical parametric amplifier tunable from near- to mid-IR for driving extreme nonlinear optics in solids.

We have developed a robust optical parametric amplifier (OPA) based on three-AgGaS2-crystal pumping by a Cr:Forsterite GW femtosecond laser system, generating 150 fs pulses in dual bands of 1.6-2.0 μm (signal wave) and 3.5-5.5 μm (idler wave). By introducing a negative prechirp to the pump, a combined efficiency in two waves of greater than 10% was achieved, with signal energy up to 110 μJ and idler energy up to 43 μJ. Operation parameters of the system (intensity up to 90 TW/cm2) make OPA a promising tool for driving nonlinear optical phenomena, including generation of optical harmonics and laser-induced extreme states of matter in solids and liquids. As a proof of principle, we generated harmonics up to the sixth order and sum frequencies in 5 mm thick polycrystalline ZnSe.
A basic recursion concept inventory

Recursion is both an important and a difficult topic for introductory Computer Science students. Students often develop misconceptions about the topic that need to be diagnosed and corrected. In this paper, we report on our initial attempts to develop a concept inventory that measures student misconceptions on basic recursion topics. We present a collection of misconceptions and difficulties encountered by students when learning introductory recursion as presented in a typical CS2 course. Based on this collection, a draft concept inventory in the form of a series of questions was developed and evaluated, with the question rubric tagged to the list of misconceptions and difficulties.
Exosomes from HIV-1-infected Cells Stimulate Production of Pro-inflammatory Cytokines through Trans-activating Response (TAR) RNA*

HIV-1 infection results in a chronic illness because long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy can lower viral titers to an undetectable level. However, discontinuation of therapy rapidly increases virus burden. Moreover, patients under highly active antiretroviral therapy frequently develop various metabolic disorders, neurocognitive abnormalities, and cardiovascular diseases. We have previously shown that exosomes containing trans-activating response (TAR) element RNA enhance susceptibility of undifferentiated naive cells to HIV-1 infection. This study indicates that exosomes from HIV-1-infected primary cells are highly abundant with TAR RNA as detected by RT-real time PCR. Interestingly, up to a million copies of TAR RNA/μl were also detected in the serum from HIV-1-infected humanized mice suggesting that TAR RNA may be stable in vivo. Incubation of exosomes from HIV-1-infected cells with primary macrophages resulted in a dramatic increase of proinflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and TNF-β, indicating that exosomes containing TAR RNA could play a direct role in control of cytokine gene expression. The intact TAR molecule was able to bind to PKR and TLR3 effectively, whereas the 5′ and 3′ stems (TAR microRNAs) bound best to TLR7 and -8 and none to PKR. Binding of TAR to PKR did not result in its phosphorylation, and therefore, TAR may be a dominant negative decoy molecule in cells. The TLR binding through either TAR RNA or TAR microRNA potentially can activate the NF-κB pathway and regulate cytokine expression. Collectively, these results imply that exosomes containing TAR RNA could directly affect the proinflammatory cytokine gene expression and may explain a possible mechanism of inflammation observed in HIV-1-infected patients under cART.
Hepta-Band Coupled-Fed Loop Antenna For LTE/WWAN Unbroken Metal-Rimmed Smartphone Applications

A hepta-band coupled-fed loop antenna for LTE/WWAN unbroken metal-rimmed smartphone applications is proposed. The unbroken metal rim is designed as a part of the loop antenna radiation structure, which is also composed of a system ground, a coupled-fed U-shaped microstrip line, and an L-shaped microstrip line. The feeding and L-shaped microstrip lines are located on an ungrounded area of 72 × 8 mm2 along the top short edge of the system ground plane on an FR4 substrate. The operating band of the antenna is widened by the matching circuit elements on the feeding line. Combining multiple resonant modes generated by the coupling loop, the proposed antenna can operate on two wide operating bands of 824–960 and 1710–2690 MHz. The detailed working principles of the proposed antenna are described. Good antenna radiation characteristics are obtained. Both experimental and simulation results are presented and discussed.
SCMA Uplink Decoding with Codebook Collision

Sparse code multiple access (SCMA) is a non-orthogonal multiplexing technique proposed to the 5G mobile communication system, which can improve the system performance in massive connectivity scenarios. However, during the random access phase of the SCMA system, the codebook used by a user is unknown to the base station. It is very likely some of the users will choose the same codebook in the same time-frequency resource. Therefore all the data in this resource block will be corrupted and can not be recovered. This paper proposes a new method to deal with collision situation by dividing the decoding process into two parts. First, we use a short pilot to detect the codebook used by each user in an SCMA system. Then, with the knowledge of codebook usage, the decoding of actual user data can be simplified. Using the proposed method, codebook collision can be detected. Although the conflicted users can't be decoded by the receiver, other users using the same resource block can still be recovered with relatively low performance penalty. The random access protocol we propose here is called SCMA-Aloha. Its peak throughput can be 20 percent higher than traditional slotted-Aloha.
Fecal Microbiota Differences According to the Risk of Advanced Colorectal Neoplasms

Goals and Background: This study aimed to compare differences in the fecal microbiota according to the risk of advanced colorectal neoplasia (ACN) based on a risk-score model in a large Korean cohort. Study: Stool samples were collected from 1122 health screening recipients: 404 enrolled in the average risk (AR) group, 514 in the moderate risk (MR) group, and 204 in the high risk (HR) group, in accordance with their risk of ACN. The fecal microbiota was characterized using pyrosequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA genes. Results: The overall microbial diversity was significantly reduced with an increased risk of ACN [false discovery rate (FDR), P<0.001], and the composition was significantly different between the risk groups (Bonferroni corrected, P<0.05). On taxonomic comparison, 6 of 11 phyla and 39 of 88 genera were significantly different among the risk groups (all FDR P<0.05). These included under-representation of Bacteroides, Ruminococcus, and Bifidobacterium, and over-representation of Prevotella and Fusobacterium with an increased risk of ACN. In particular, we observed that the unknown genus of Ruminococcaceae were relatively abundant (16.2%) in the AR group and significantly depleted with an increased risk of ACN (13.5% in the HR group; FDR P<0.001). Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that the fecal microbiota is different according to the risk of ACN. An unknown genus of Ruminococcaceae, as novel potential butyrate producers, might have a possible role in colorectal tumorigenesis in the Korean population.
Dynamic management of a partial reconfigurable hardware architecture for pedestrian detection in regions of interest

In this paper, we propose a video streaming architecture implementing an IP core design based on Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) algorithm, by using a high-level synthesis workflow. Also, we present a decision algorithm for a dynamically reconfigurable architecture, applied to people detection in video over a Region Of Interest (ROI). Our method dynamically manages the resource consumption in our hardware accelerator. In the test performed with only one reconfigurable module, our method achieves a power reduction up to 7% and a speed of 51 fps, but these results could be improved according to the number of reconfigurable modules. For implementation, we used a Xilinx Zynq 7000 series platform and our experimental results are compared with other software and hardware implementations. Our hardware architecture can be used in a vast number of vision systems, including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
Diverse effects of mycobacterial proline‐proline‐glutamic acid proteins upon interaction with host macrophages

Abstract The proline‐proline‐glutamic acid (PPE) family proteins are abundant only in pathogenic Mycobacteria, but their general functions are far from unveiled. To investigate their roles in how Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) resists killing by the host, 25 PPE recombinant Mycobacterium smegmatis strains that overexpress Mtb PPE proteins were constructed. During phagocytosis, a similar amount of intracellular bacteria was observed at 2 h post‐infection (hpi) for 24 PPE recombinants, while a 50% reduction of entrance was observed for the PPE29 recombinant. In addition, we found that 20 ppe genes significantly influenced the survival of mycobacteria within macrophage cells. Mycobacterial survival was promoted by overexpression of 18 of these genes and inhibited by the other two. Highest survival was observed for the PPE27 recombinant. We also measured the levels of proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor‐alpha and interleukin‐6 secreted by macrophages. The overall effects varied among the different PPE recombinants. Moreover, we also found that various PPE recombinants exhibited increased resistance against oxidative, acidic and sodium dodecyl sulfate stresses that could be encountered in vivo. Together, our results indicate that PPE proteins play distinct roles in mycobacterial survival in macrophages. The findings described here broaden our understanding of mycobacterial pathogenicity.
Plant evolution: landmarks on the path to terrestrial life.

Contents Summary 1428 I. The singularity of plant terrestrialization 1428 II. Adaptation vs exaptation - what shaped the land plant toolkit? 1430 III. Trait mosaicism in (higher-branching) streptophyte algae 1431 IV. CONCLUSIONS a streptophyte algal perspective on land plant trait evolution 1432 Acknowledgements 1432 ORCID 1433 References 1433 SUMMARY: Photosynthetic eukaryotes thrive anywhere there is sunlight and water. But while such organisms are exceptionally diverse in form and function, only one phototrophic lineage succeeded in rising above its substrate: the land plants (embryophytes). Molecular phylogenetic data show that land plants evolved from streptophyte algae most closely related to extant Zygnematophyceae, and one of the principal aims of plant evolutionary biology is to uncover the key features of such algae that enabled this important transition. At the present time, however, mosaic and reductive evolution blur our picture of the closest algal ancestors of plants. Here we discuss recent progress and problems in inferring the biology of the algal progenitor of the terrestrial photosynthetic macrobiome.
Modeling the effects of two different land cover change data sets on the carbon stocks of plants and soils in concert with CO2 and climate change

A geographically explicit terrestrial carbon cycle component of the Integrated Science Assessment Model (ISAM) is used to examine the response of plant and soil carbon stocks to historical changes in cropland land cover, atmospheric CO2, and climate. The ISAM model is forced with two different land cover change data sets for cropland: one spatially resolved set based on cropland statistics (Ramankutty and Foley, 1998, 1999) and another regionally specific set based on deforestation rates (Houghton and Hackler, 1999, 2001; Houghton, 1999, 2000, 2003). To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to incorporate Houghton's regionally specific land cover change data into a spatially resolved terrestrial model. Our model results indicate that globally aggregated land use emissions are not sensitive to the spatially explicit location of the natural vegetation converted for croplands within a region. The ISAM estimated land use emissions based on Houghton's data were substantially higher during the 1980s than those based on Ramankutty and Foley's data. Although our results are consistent with previous model results, they do not support the ideas that the differences between the two land use emissions for cropland changes can either be related to modeling framework or global land use practices. This study suggests that differences between the two sets of land use fluxes are primarily due to the differences in the rates of changes in land area amount for croplands. The ISAM model estimates a larger contribution to net CO2 uptake from CO2 fertilization (−2.0 GtC/yr), and a smaller contribution from biospheric CO2 release due to the climate effect (0.7 GtC/yr) during the 1980s. The negative CO2 fertilization feedback is most pronounced in the tropics and midlatitudes, whereas the positive temperature effect on CO2 uptake is most pronounced in the high‐latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The ISAM estimated land use emissions due to land cover changes for croplands and pasturelands during the 1980s vary between 1.60 and 2.06 GtC/yr. Most importantly, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates based on the CO2 and O2 data indicate that terrestrial ecosystems become a sink for atmospheric CO2 in the 1980s (−0.2 ± 0.7 GtC/yr), whereas they remain a source in simulations based on the ISAM (0.63 ± 0.20 GtC/yr). Our results leave open the possibility that the discrepancy in the magnitudes of the modeled and data‐based net terrestrial uptakes for the 1980s decade reflect weaknesses in the terrestrial biosphere model and/or uncertainties in the land cover, O2 data, or data‐based estimates.
FOXN1 Transcription Factor in Epithelial Growth and Wound Healing

ABSTRACT FOXN1 is a prodifferentiation transcription factor in the skin epithelium. Recently, it has also emerged as an important player in controlling the skin wound healing process, as it actively participates in reepithelialization and is thought to be responsible for scar formation. FOXN1 positivity is also a feature of pigmented keratinocytes, including nevi, and FOXN1 is an attribute of benign epithelial tumors. The lack of FOXN1 favors the skin regeneration process displayed by nude mice, pointing to FOXN1 as a switch between regeneration and reparative processes. The stem cell niche provides a functional source of cells after the loss of tissue following wounding. The involvement of prodifferentiation factors in the regulation of this pool of stem cells is suggested. However, the exact mechanism is still under question, and we speculate that the FOXN1 transcription factor is involved in this process. This review analyzes the pleiotropic effects of FOXN1 in the skin, its function in the tumorigenesis process, and its potential role in depletion of the stem cell niche after injury, as well as its suggested mechanistic role, acting in a cell-autonomous and a non-cell-autonomous manner during skin self-renewal.
Age-related differences in the release of luteinizing hormone and gonadotropin-releasing hormone in ovariectomized rats.

The effect of aging on the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in vitro and of luteinizing hormone (LH) both in vivo and in vitro in ovariectomized (Ovx) rats was studied. Old (21-24 months) and young (3-4 months) rats were Ovx before use. They were injected subcutaneously with estradiol benzoate (25 micrograms/kg) or sesame oil for 3 days and then challenged with GnRH (0.5, 2 or 10 micrograms/kg) via a jugular catheter. Blood samples were collected immediately before and at 5, 10, 20, 40 and 60 min following GnRH injection. For in vitro study, Ovx rats were decapitated. The anterior pituitary glands (APs) were incubated with GnRH (0.1 or 10 nM) and estradiol (0, 0.1, 1 or 10 nM) at 37 degrees C for 30 min. The mediobasal hypothalamus was superfused with Locke's solution at 37 degrees C for 210 min, and stimulated with 60 mM KCl at 90 and 150 min. The medium samples were collected at 10-min intervals. Concentrations of GnRH and LH in plasma and medium samples were measured by radioimmunoassay. In all rats, the basal and GnRH-stimulated levels of plasma LH were lower in old than in young rats. The spontaneous release of LH in vitro from APs of Ovx rats was increased by aging, whereas GnRH-stimulated release of LH in vitro was lower in old than in young animals. The potassium-stimulated, but not spontaneous, release of GnRH was lower in old than in young Ovx rats. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)