Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nicotinamide riboside regulates inflammation and mitochondrial markers in AML12 hepatocytes

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES The NAD+ precursor nicotinamide riboside (NR) is a type of vitamin B3 found in cow's milk and yeast-containing food products such as beer. Recent studies suggested that NR prevents hearing loss, high-fat diet-induced obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and mitochondrial myopathy. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of NR on inflammation and mitochondrial biogenesis in AML12 mouse hepatocytes. MATERIALS/METHODS A subset of hepatocytes was treated with palmitic acid (PA; 250 µM) for 48 h to induce hepatocyte steatosis. The hepatocytes were treated with NR (10 µM and 10 mM) for 24 h with and without PA. The cell viability and the levels of sirtuins, inflammatory markers, and mitochondrial markers were analyzed. RESULTS Cytotoxicity of NR was examined by PrestoBlue assay. Exposure to NR had no effect on cell viability or morphology. Gene expression of sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) and Sirt3 was significantly upregulated by NR in PA-treated hepatocytes. However, Sirt1 activities were increased in hepatocytes treated with low-dose NR. Hepatic pro-inflammatory markers including tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 were decreased in NR-treated cells. NR upregulated anti-inflammatory molecule adiponectin, and, tended to down-regulate hepatokine fetuin-A in PA-treated hepatocytes, suggesting its inverse regulation on these cytokines. NR increased levels of mitochondrial markers including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1, uncoupling protein 2, transcription factor A, mitochondrial and mitochondrial DNA in PA-treated hepatocytes. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrated that NR attenuated hepatic inflammation and increased levels of mitochondrial markers in hepatocytes.
The Readability of Malaysian English Children Books: A Multilevel Analysis

These days, there are more English books for children published by local publishers in Malaysia. It is a positive development because the books will be more accessible to the children. However, the books have never been studied and evaluated in depth yet. One important factor in assessing reading materials is readability. Readability determines whether a text is easy or difficult to understand and a balanced mix of both can promote learning and language development. Various researchers mentioned a multilevel framework of discourse that any language assessment on a text should take into account. The levels that were proposed were word, syntax, textbase, situation model and genre and rhetorical structures. Traditional readability measures such as Flesh Reading Ease Formula, Gunning Readability Index, Fog Count, and Fry Grade Level are not able to address the multilevel because they are based on shallow variables. In contrast, Coh-metrix TERA provided five indices that are correlated to grade level and aligned to the multilevel framework. This study analyzed ten Malaysian English chapter books for children using this Coh-metrix TERA. The result revealed that the Malaysian English children books were easy in shallow level but there was a possible difficulty in textbase and situation model level because of the lack of cohesion. In conclusion, more attention should be given on deeper level of text rather than just word and syntax level.
Greater eosinophil counts at first COPD hospitalization are associated with more readmissions and fewer deaths

Purpose The impacts of high blood eosinophil count (HBEC) at admission for COPD exacerbation on posthospitalization outcomes are still unclear. Previous studies have focused on its associations with first readmission rates; yet, its impacts on longitudinal outcomes such as subsequent readmissions still have to be explored. The main objective of this study is to investigate outcomes associated with HBEC following a first hospitalization for COPD exacerbation. Patients and methods This is an observational cohort study design. We retrospectively analyzed data of patients with a first hospitalization within 5 years for COPD exacerbation between April 2006 and March 2013. Patients were stratified into the HBEC group if the blood eosinophil count at admission was ≥200 cells/µL and/or ≥2% of the total white blood cells. With information on exact dates of subsequent hospitalizations and death, we modeled readmissions and death as states in a multi-state Markov model and estimated transition probabilities to the next states. Sensitivity analyses were performed by varying thresholds for the definition of HBEC (≥300 cells/µL and/or ≥3%). Results A total of 479 patients were included, of which 173 had HBEC. The transition probabilities for a first readmission was 74% (95% CI, 66%–83%) for patients with HBEC vs 70% (95% CI, 63%–77%) for patients with normal blood eosinophil count (NBEC). The transition probabilities for a second readmission were 91% (95% CI, 84%–100%) for HBEC patients in contrast with 83% (95% CI, 74%–92%) for NBEC patients. Meanwhile, transition probability for death was lower in patients with HBEC. The differences enlarged in sensitivity analyses with higher cutoff. Conclusion Greater blood eosinophil cell counts during a first hospitalization for COPD predict increased susceptibility to up to two readmissions. These patients may however have a lower risk of death.
Synthesis of the exosporium during sporulation of Bacillus cereus

Summary: Techniques of antigenic analysis were used to examine the synthesis of the exosporium during sporulation of Bacillus cereus. An antiserum to a soluble extract of exosporium from mature spores was used to analyse extracts of cells from various stages of the Bacillus life cycle by the technique of one-dimensional immunoelectrophoresis. Exosporium antigens were absent from vegetative cell extracts and were first detected in extracts of cells at stage III of sporulation, where they appeared simultaneously in the soluble and particulate cellular fractions. The results indicate that the exosporium contains antigens which are spore specific.
Incomplete trimorphic incompatibility expression in Oxalis compacta Gill. ex Hook. et Arn. subsp. compacta in the central Chilean Andes

Se investigo la expresion de incompatibilidad trimorfica en una poblacion de Oxalis compacta subsp. compacta distribuida en la zona alpina superior de los Andes de Chile central. Se determino la reciprocidad de los estigmas y anteras (dos poblaciones), representacion de morfos florales (7 poblaciones), capacidad para autofecundacion no asistida y polinizacion abierta (6 poblaciones). O. compacta subsp. compacta es altamente dependiente de polinizadores externos. No obstante la presencia de flores tristilicas, las dos categorias ilegitimas de polinizacion dieron semillas. La produccion de frutos mediante polinizacion abierta fluctuo entre 9-83% y en promedio fue menor en las poblaciones de mayor elevacion. Se plantea que la capacidad de formar semillas mediante polinizacion ilegitima permitira el uso mas eficaz del recurso limitado de polinizacion en la zona andina superior, donde los niveles de fructificacion varian entre anos y existe evidencia preliminar de limitacion de polen en Oxalis compacta subsp. compacta.
Dynamics of Laterality in Lake Tanganyika Scale-Eaters Driven by Cross-Predation

Scale-eating cichlid fishes, Perissodus spp. , in Lake Tanganyika have laterally asymmetrical bodies, and each population is composed of righty and lefty morphs. Righty morphs attack the right side of prey and lefty morphs do the opposite. This anti-symmetric dimorphism has a genetic basis. Temporal changes in the frequencies of morphs in two cohabiting scale-eating species (Perissodus microlepis and P. straeleni) were investigated over a 31-year period on a rocky shore at the southern end of the lake. Dimorphism was maintained dynamically during the period in both species, and the frequencies oscillated with a period of about four years in a semi-synchronized manner. Recent studies have indicated that this type of anti-symmetric dimorphism is shared widely among fishes, and is maintained by frequency-dependent selection between predator and prey species. The combinations of laterality in each scale-eater and its victim were surveyed. The results showed that “cross-predation”, in which righty predators catch lefty prey and lefty predators catch righty prey, occurred more frequently than the reverse combination (“parallel-predation”). The cause of the predominance of cross-predation is discussed from the viewpoint of the physical and sensory abilities of fishes.
Vajra: step-by-step programming with natural language

Building natural language programming systems that are geared towards end-users requires the abstraction of formalisms inherently introduced by programming languages, capturing the intent of natural language inputs and mapping it to existing programming language constructs. We present a novel end-user programming paradigm for Python, which maps natural language commands into Python code. The proposed semantic parsing model aims to reduce the barriers for producing well-formed code (syntactic gap) and for exploring third-party APIs (lexico-semantic gap). The proposed method was implemented in a supporting system and evaluated in a usability study involving programmers as well as non-programmers. The results show that both groups are able to produce code with or without prior programming experience.
On the exact decomposition threshold for even cycles

A graph G has a C k ‐decomposition if its edge set can be partitioned into cycles of length k . We show that if δ ( G ) ≥ 2 ∣ G ∣ ∕ 3 − 1 , then G has a C 4 ‐decomposition, and if δ ( G ) ≥ ∣ G ∣ ∕ 2 , then G has a C 2 k ‐decomposition, where k ∈ N and k ≥ 4 (we assume G is large and satisfies necessary divisibility conditions). These minimum degree bounds are best possible and provide exact versions of asymptotic results obtained by Barber, Kühn, Lo and Osthus. In the process, we obtain asymptotic versions of these results when G is bipartite or satisfies certain expansion properties.
Exercise and Garlic Modulate microRNAs Involved in Diabetic Cardiopathy

DOI: 10.5935/abc.20180259 Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disorders and stroke development and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.1 The prevalence of diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. Indeed, according to estimates of the International Diabetes Federation, 552 million people are expected to be diabetic in 2030.2 Although a definitive cure is not on the horizon, with proper management, diabetic patients can attenuate the development of serious complications that reduce life quality and expectancy. Facing a considerable rate of occurrence and prognosis complications, studies focusing on high efficiency and low toxicity treatments are of great importance.3
The management of elderly patients with brain metastases from breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common type of malignancy diagnosed in women worldwide, as well as the second most common cause of metastatic brain lesions in the general population. Most breast cancer patients enrolled in clinical trials are relatively young. Elderly patients, as compared to their younger counterparts, pose unique clinical scenarios because there is limited data in this subpopulation of patients with brain metastases from breast cancer. Elderly patients are commonly treated with less aggressive therapies, perhaps due to comorbid conditions, patient preference, or other age-related concerns. Current treatment modalities offering more favorable toxicity profiles, along with more accurate prognosis, can represent an opportunity to offer improved care for this patient population. From the few efforts studying brain metastatic disease in the elderly, it is be possible to infer that age alone may not play an independent role in treatment selection and that a patient-specific evaluation and ultimate clinical judgment should guide clinical decision-making.
Management of Blood Pressure During and After Recanalization Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Ischemic stroke is a common neurologic condition and can lead to significant long term disability and death. Observational studies have demonstrated worse outcomes in patients presenting with the extremes of blood pressure as well as with hemodynamic variability. Despite these associations, optimal hemodynamic management in the immediate period of ischemic stroke remains an unresolved issue, particularly in the modern era of revascularization therapies. While guidelines exist for BP thresholds during and after thrombolytic therapy, there is substantially less data to guide management during mechanical thrombectomy. Ideal blood pressure targets after attempted recanalization depend both on the degree of reperfusion achieved as well as the extent of infarction present. Following complete reperfusion, lower blood pressure targets may be warranted to prevent reperfusion injury and promote penumbra recovery however prospective clinical trials addressing this issue are warranted.
The Spatial and Social Patterning of Property and Violent Crime in Toronto Neighbourhoods: A Spatial-Quantitative Approach

Criminal activities are often unevenly distributed over space. The literature shows that the occurrence of crime is frequently concentrated in particular neighbourhoods and is related to a variety of socioeconomic and crime opportunity factors. This study explores the broad patterning of property and violent crime among different socio-economic stratums and across space by examining the neighbourhood socioeconomic conditions and individual characteristics of offenders associated with crime in the city of Toronto, which consists of 140 neighbourhoods. Despite being the largest urban centre in Canada, with a fast-growing population, Toronto is under-studied in crime analysis from a spatial perspective. In this study, both property and violent crime data sets from the years 2014 to 2016 and census-based Ontario-Marginalisation index are analysed using spatial and quantitative methods. Spatial techniques such as Local Moran’s I are applied to analyse the spatial distribution of criminal activity while accounting for spatial autocorrelation. Distance-to-crime is measured to explore the spatial behaviour of criminal activity. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) linear regression is conducted to explore the ways in which individual and neighbourhood demographic characteristics relate to crime rates at the neighbourhood level. Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) is used to further our understanding of the spatially varying relationships between crime and the independent variables included in the OLS model. Property and violent crime across the three years of the study show a similar distribution of significant crime hot spots in the core, northwest, and east end of the city. The OLS model indicates offender-related demographics (i.e., age, marital status) to be a significant predictor of both types of crime, but in different ways. Neighbourhood contextual variables are measured by the four dimensions of the Ontario-Marginalisation Index. They are significantly associated with violent and property crime in different ways. The GWR is a more suitable model to explain the variations in observed property crime rates across different neighbourhoods. It also identifies spatial non-stationarity in relationships. The study provides implications for crime prevention and security through an enhanced understanding of crime patterns and factors. It points to the need for safe neighbourhoods, to be built not only by the law enforcement sector but by a wide range of social and economic sectors and services.
MATE CHOICE AND GENETIC VARIATION IN MALE COURTSHIP SONG IN DROSOPHILA MONTANA

This thesis deals with factors affecting mate choice as well as with genetic variation in male courtship song in Drosophila montana. Males, which produced song with a high carrier frequency, were found to court females, and also to succeed in their courtship more often than the males producing low frequency song. Male mating success correlated with the carrier frequency of his song recorded after, but not before, an artificial winter, which suggests that a sexually selected male trait is sensitive to environmental factors. A high carrier frequency of male courtship song correlated positively with the survival rate of the males progeny from egg to adulthood (indirect benefit for the female), but not with the fecundity of his mating partner (no direct benefit for the female). The heritabilities and the amount of additive and residual variation in male courtship song characters were measured in two populations using father-son regression and sib analysis. The songs of the males from one of these populations were analysed for a second time after the cold treatment. Most heritability values were insignificant, largely due to high residual variation. During the cold treatment, the additive variation increased and the residual variation decreased in almost all song traits. Increased variation in sexually selected traits may help the females to exercise selection between the males during the mating season of the flies in the wild in spring. This, and the fact that male song gives the female information about the male"s condition/genetic quality suggests that in this species the evolution of female preferences for male song characters could have evolved through condition-dependent viability selection as postulated by "good genes" models. Variation and inbreeding depression/heterosis were studied in traits associated with fly reproduction using inbred D. montana strains. Songs, hydrocarbons and some behavioural traits of the flies varied significantly between strains. The strain of both sexes affected female egg-laying, and the female strain, also, the survival rate of the flies progeny, in different intraand interspecific combinations. Heterosis was found in the mating propensity of the flies and in the carrier frequency of the male song. Diallel analysis revealed unidirectional dominance towards higher carrier frequency. This direction is the same as the direction of sexual selection exercised by the females of this species suggesting that sexual selection could be a driving force in evolution of this song trait.
When people and algorithms meet: user-reported problems in intelligent everyday applications

The complex nature of intelligent systems motivates work on supporting users during interaction, for example through explanations. However, there is yet little empirical evidence on specific problems users face in such systems in everyday use. This paper investigates such problems as reported by users: We analysed 35,448 reviews of three apps on the Google Play Store (Facebook, Netflix and Google Maps) with sentiment analysis and topic modelling to reveal problems during interaction that can be attributed to the apps' algorithmic decision-making. We enriched this data with users' coping and support strategies through a follow-up online survey (N=286). In particular, we found problems and strategies related to content, algorithm, user choice, and feedback. We discuss corresponding implications for designing user support, highlighting the importance of user control and explanations of output, not processes. Our work thus contributes empirical evidence to facilitate understanding of users' everyday problems with intelligent systems.
Examining sexual functions of women before and after menopause in Turkey

Background Sexuality is an important factor that completes the lives of individuals and affects people in all age groups. Objectives To examine the sexual functions of women before and after menopause. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Family Health Centers in Tunceli Turkey,\ between September 2014 and February 2015. The study data were obtained using a Questionnaire and the Female Sexual Function Index. The data were analyzed by number, percentage distribution, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and using binary logistic regression analysis. Results The mean Female Sexual Function Index score of the women was 23.8±8.0. The Female Sexual Function Index score of 59.7% of women was below the cut-off score (26.55) and was accepted indicative of sexual dysfunction. Low educational level (P < 0.01), low income (P < 0.01), and menopausal status (P < 0.0001) of the women were risk factors for sexual dysfunction. Conclusion Prevalence of sexual dysfunction in the women was very high and they indicated no effort to seek medical care. Low educational and income level and menopausal status of the women were three factors increasing the risk of sexual dysfunction. Awareness of the society and the healthcare professionals about the issue should be increased.
Knee locked in flexion: incarcerated semitendinosus tendon around a proximal tibial osteochondroma

Abstract This case reports on a knee locked in flexion due to incarceration of the semitendinosus tendon around an osteochondroma in a patient with a history of multiple hereditary exostoses (MHE). An 18-year-old female with history of MHE presented with acute right medial knee pain and inability to extend her knee. Radiographs confirmed multiple lower extremity osteochondromas, notably a large, 3-cm pedunculated osteochondroma about her right medial proximal tibia. This was assessed as a locked knee secondary to incarcerated hamstring tendons around an osteochondroma. Excision of the osteochondroma restored normal flexion and extension of her knee. At the 3-month follow-up visit, she had returned to all activities with no recurrent medial knee pain or locking. The differential diagnosis for a locked knee joint can be broad, but tendon incarceration should be considered in appropriate patients with significant symptoms. In patients with a history of MHE, osteochondromas may be the cause of tendon entrapment.