Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring longitudinal associations between neighborhood disadvantage and cortisol levels in early childhood

Abstract Children who grow up in poverty are more likely to experience chronic stressors that generate “wear” on stress regulatory systems including the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. This can have long-term consequences for health and well-being. Prior research has examined the role of proximal family and home contributions to HPA axis functioning. However, there is evidence to suggest that more distal levels of context, including neighborhoods, also matter. Prior evidence has primarily focused on adolescents and adults, with little evidence linking the neighborhood context with HPA activity in infancy and toddlerhood. We tested whether neighborhood disadvantage (indexed by US Census data) was associated with basal salivary cortisol levels at 7, 15, and 24 months of child age in a large sample of families (N = 1,292) residing in predominately low-income and rural communities in the United States. Multilevel models indicated that neighborhood disadvantage was positively associated with salivary cortisol levels and that this effect emerged across time. This effect was moderated by the race/ethnicity of children such that the association was only observed in White children in our sample. Findings provide preliminary evidence that the neighborhood context is associated with stress regulation during toddlerhood, elucidating a need for future work to address possible mechanisms.
A Hybrid Artificial Immune Algorithm for Feature Selection of Ovarian Cancer Data

The paper presents a novel hybrid immune algorithm (HAIA) and applies it to the feature selection of SELDI-TOF MS ovarian cancer data to select the best subset of features for medical decision. Based on an immune metaphor, the algorithm is integrated with clonal selection, bone marrow model, ant colony optimization, and K nearest neighbor classifier. Clonal selection presents a local search and suppression mechanism which is different from traditional search methods, showing an effective performance on this problem. Bone marrow model creates macrophages for antigen presentation, and ant colony optimization is applied to training vaccines without any experience. The selected subsets are tested by K nearest neighbor classifier and evaluated with classification accuracies. The feature selection and classification of ovarian cancer datasets are done with 5-fold cross validation method. The experiment results of the classification accuracy, number of resources and classification time with this new algorithm are compared with some reported methods and traditional algorithms which are applied to related problems. HAIA, reaching a classification accuracy of 93.2% for ovarian cancer, obtained the highest classification accuracy among those algorithms. Besides, HAIA gains another advantage over those algorithms by reducing the cardinality of the selected subset to 25 from the whole 84 features. For these reasons, HAIA manifests that it could be used as a much effective way for medical problems.
Geolithological mapping of carbonate system deposits for hydrocarbon exploration using hyperspectral imagery

Hyperspectral remote sensing can support exploration activities helping in the recognition of lithologycal outcrops over extended areas. This is mainly due to the nature of the mineral reflectance spectra which feature very narrow absorption peaks, therefore requiring hyperspectral sensors to be assessed. In this work, the capabilities for geolithology recognition of aerial hyperspectral data have been tested to map outcrops in an Alpine carbonates test basin, located in the North-Eastern part of Italy. Two hyperspectral datasets, from MIVIS and SASI sensors, have been classified to retrieve the geolithological map of the test basin. The classification procedure was based on a decision tree approach, in order to combine different spectral and morphological features, in a flexible, robust and scalable solution. Despite the geological complexity of the study area (Alpine environment, spread vegetation cover, strong presence of shadow areas and presence of transitional geologic formations) the results, as compared to reference geological maps, prove satisfactory mapping capabilities, particularly for carbonatic rocks. In fact, the use of aerial hyperspectral data not only allows their accurate detection, but also the distinction between dolostones and limestones. The main classification issues are related to the outcrops' extent which, in a such lithology-fragmented area, avoids the detection of many small outcrops.
Targeting lipid sensing in the central nervous system: new therapy against the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes

Introduction: The hypothalamus plays a major role in the control of energy balance, by sensing circulating lipids. Several studies conducted over the past decade suggest that disruption of lipid sensing can lead to hypothalamic lipotoxicity, thereby contributing to the development of various diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Areas covered: The physiological role of ‘lipid sensing' as a regulator of neuronal activity involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis will be reviewed. Next, the emerging evidence that alterations of hypothalamic systems that regulate energy balance during overnutrition can lead to the development of obesity and associated pathologies such as type 2 diabetes will be described. Expert opinion: Several studies have highlighted the role of malonyl-CoA and PKCθ and also autophagy within the hypothalamus as signals of nutrient abundance by critical neurons regulating food intake. Besides the physiological role of hypothalamic lipid sensing, it has been shown that overnutrition can also induce hypothalamic lipotoxicity through an inflammatory process. In conclusion, lipid toxicity could be the starting point of perturbations of the central control of energy balance which will favor the appearance of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Lipid sensing in the hypothalamus could be considered as a potential target for anti-obesity/diabetic strategies.
Current State of Type 1 Diabetes Treatment in the U.S.: Updated Data From the T1D Exchange Clinic Registry

To examine the overall state of metabolic control and current use of advanced diabetes technologies in the U.S., we report recent data collected on individuals with type 1 diabetes participating in the T1D Exchange clinic registry. Data from 16,061 participants updated between 1 September 2013 and 1 December 2014 were compared with registry enrollment data collected from 1 September 2010 to 1 August 2012. Mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was assessed by year of age from <4 to >75 years. The overall average HbA1c was 8.2% (66 mmol/mol) at enrollment and 8.4% (68 mmol/mol) at the most recent update. During childhood, mean HbA1c decreased from 8.3% (67 mmol/mol) in 2–4-year-olds to 8.1% (65 mmol/mol) at 7 years of age, followed by an increase to 9.2% (77 mmol/mol) in 19-year-olds. Subsequently, mean HbA1c values decline gradually until ∼30 years of age, plateauing at 7.5–7.8% (58–62 mmol/mol) beyond age 30 until a modest drop in HbA1c below 7.5% (58 mmol/mol) in those 65 years of age. Severe hypoglycemia (SH) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) remain all too common complications of treatment, especially in older (SH) and younger patients (DKA). Insulin pump use increased slightly from enrollment (58–62%), and use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) did not change (7%). Although the T1D Exchange registry findings are not population based and could be biased, it is clear that there remains considerable room for improving outcomes of treatment of type 1 diabetes across all age-groups. Barriers to more effective use of current treatments need to be addressed and new therapies are needed to achieve optimal metabolic control in people with type 1 diabetes.
EVOLUTION OF INCOMPATIBILITY‐INDUCING MICROBES AND THEIR HOSTS

In many insect species, males infected with microbes related to Wolbachia pipientis are “incompatible” with uninfected females. Crosses between infected males and uninfected females produce significantly fewer adult progeny than the other three possible crosses. The incompatibility‐inducing microbes are usually maternally transmitted. Thus, incompatibility tends to confer a reproductive advantage on infected females in polymorphic populations, allowing these infections to spread. This paper analyzes selection on parasite and host genes that affect such incompatibility systems. Selection among parasite variants does not act directly on the level of incompatibility with uninfected females. In fact, selection favors rare parasite variants that increase the production of infected progeny by infected mothers, even if these variants reduce incompatibility with uninfected females. However, productivity‐reducing parasites that cause partial incompatibility with hosts harboring alternative variants can be favored once they become sufficiently abundant locally. Thus, they may spread spatially by a process analogous to the spread of underdominant chromosome rearrangements. The dynamics of modifier alleles in the host are more difficult to predict, because such alleles will occur in both infected and uninfected individuals. Nevertheless, the relative fecundity of infected females compared to uninfected females, the efficiency of maternal transmission and the mutual compatibility of infected individuals all tend to increase under within‐population selection on both host and parasite genes. In addition, selection on host genes favors increased compatibility between infected males and uninfected females. Although vertical transmission tends to harmonize host and parasite evolution, competition among parasite variants will tend to maintain incompatibility.
Control of In Vivo Contraction/Relaxation Kinetics by Myosin Binding Protein C: Protein Kinase A Phosphorylation–Dependent and –Independent Regulation

Background— Cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) is a thick-filament protein whose presence and phosphorylation by protein kinase A (PKA) regulates cross-bridge formation and kinetics in isolated myocardium. We tested the influence of cMyBP-C and its PKA-phosphorylation on contraction/relaxation kinetics in intact hearts and revealed its essential role in several classic properties of cardiac function. Methods and Results— Comprehensive in situ cardiac pressure–volume analysis was performed in mice harboring a truncation mutation of cMyBP-C (cMyBP-C(t/t)) that resulted in nondetectable protein versus hearts re-expressing solely wild-type (cMyBP-CWT:(t/t)) or mutated protein in which known PKA-phosphorylation sites were constitutively suppressed (cMyBP-CAllP-:(t/t)). Hearts lacking cMyBP-C had faster early systolic activation, which then terminated prematurely, limiting ejection. Systole remained short at faster heart rates; thus, cMyBP-C(t/t) hearts displayed minimal rate-dependent decline in diastolic time and cardiac preload. Furthermore, prolongation of pressure relaxation by afterload was markedly blunted in cMyBP-C(t/t) hearts. All 3 properties were similarly restored to normal in cMyBP-CWT:(t/t) and cMyBP-CAllP-:(t/t) hearts, which supports independence of PKA-phosphorylation. However, the dependence of peak rate of pressure rise on preload was specifically depressed in cMyBP-CAllP-:(t/t) hearts, whereas cMyBP-C(t/t) and cMyBP-CAllP-:(t/t) hearts had similar blunted adrenergic and rate-dependent contractile reserve, which supports linkage of these behaviors to PKA-cMyBP-C modification. Conclusions— cMyBP-C is essential for major properties of cardiac function, including sustaining systole during ejection, the heart-rate dependence of the diastolic time period, and relaxation delay from increased arterial afterload. These are independent of its phosphorylation by PKA, which more specifically modulates early pressure rise rate and adrenergic/heart rate reserve.
Does the Leishmania major paradigm of pathogenesis and protection hold for New World cutaneous leishmaniases or the visceral disease?

Summary: Parasitic protozoa of the genus Leishmania have provided a useful perspective for immunologists in terms of host defense mechanisms critical for the resolution of infection caused by intracellular pathogens. These organisms, which normally reside in a late endosomal, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II+ compartment within host macrophages cells, require CD4+ T‐cell responses for the control of disease. The paradigm for the CD4+ T‐helper 1 (Th1)/Th2 dichotomy is largely based on the curing/non‐curing responses, respectively, to Leishmania major infection. However, this genus of parasitic protozoa is evolutionarily diverse, with the cutaneous disease‐causing organisms of the Old World (L. major) and New World (Leishmania mexicana/ Leishmania amazonensis) having diverged 40–80 million years ago. Further adaptations to survive within the visceral organs (for Leishmania donovani, Leishmania chagasi, and Leishmania infantum) must have been required. Consequently, significant differences in host–parasite interactions have evolved. Different virulence factors have been identified for distinct Leishmania species, and there are profound differences in the immune mechanisms that mediate susceptibility/resistance to infection and in the pathology associated with disease. These variations not only point to interesting features of the host–pathogen interaction and immunobiology of this genus of parasitic protozoa, but also have important implications for immunotherapy and vaccine development.
Are the Tax Systems of the EU Member States Converging

The convergence of tax systems in the European Union is one possible solution to the issue of harmful tax competition among Member States. This study aims to establish if the tax system of the EU Member States are indeed converging. The overall tax burden was used as a proxy for the tax system of a Member States. The convergence analysis is based on sigma convergence calculated using the Theil index. The database includes annual information for all the 28 EU Member States, for the time period between 1965 and 2013. The results show tax convergence tendencies up until 2007 and tax divergence afterward.
Genome-Wide Screening, Cloning, Chromosomal Assignment, and Expression of Full-Length Human Endogenous Retrovirus Type K

ABSTRACT The human genome harbors 25 to 50 proviral copies of the endogenous retrovirus type K (HERV-K), some of which code for the characteristic retroviral proteins Gag, Pol, and Env. For a genome-wide cloning approach of full-length and intact HERV-K proviruses, a human P1 gene library was screened with a gag-specific probe. Both HERV-K type 1 and 2 clones were isolated. Sixteen HERV-K type 2 proviral genomes were characterized by direct coupled in vitro transcription-in vitro translation assays to analyze the coding potential of isolatedgag, pol, and env amplicons from individual P1 clones. After determination of long terminal repeat (LTR) sequences and adjacent chromosomal integration sites by inverse PCR techniques, two HERV-K type 2 proviruses displaying long retroviral open reading frames (ORFs) were assigned to chromosomes 7 (C7) and 19 (C19) by using a human-rodent monochromosomal cell hybrid mapping panel. HERV-K(C7) shows an altered (YIDD-to-CIDD) motif in the reverse transcriptase domain. HERV-K(C19) is truncated in the 5′ LTR and harbors a defective protease gene due to a point mutation. Direct amplification of proviral structures from single chromosomes by using chromosomal flanking primers was performed by long PCR for HERV-K(C7) and HERV-K(C19) and for type 1 proviruses HERV-K10 and HERV-K18 from chromosomes 5 and 1, respectively. HERV-K18, in contrast to HERV-K10, bears no intact gag ORF and shows close homology to HERV-K/IDDMK1,222. In transfection experiments, HERV-K(C7) and HERV-K cDNA-based expression vectors yielded the proteins Gag and cORF whereas HERV-K10 vectors yielded Gag alone. The data suggest that the human genome does not contain an entire, intact proviral copy of HERV-K.
An analysis of the chemical control of polarized form in hydra.

Development and maintenance of polarized form in Hydra is controlled chemically by a diffusible factor, concentrated in, and probably produced by nerves in the hypostomal region of the animal. This polarizing (or inductive) factor may be isolated from tissue homogenates of Hydra. It is recovered from the supernatant fraction after centrifugating the homogenate at 25,000 × G for 50 minutes. Concentrated amounts of the extracted substance induce “heteropolarity” in regenerating annuli of Hydra pirardi. Heteropolarity is expressed through the development of supernumerary tentacles and “head” regions. Over 40 tentacles may be induced in heteropolar individuals, compared to the normal number of eight. The polarizing effect of this material is not species specific; H. viridis, H. littoralis, and H. pirardi contain extractable amounts of the active factor. Heterogeneous invertebrate tissue such as Dugesia extract does not induce heteropolarity. Because the active material is both dialyzable and can be digested by trypsin, it is suggested that it may be a peptide. Although the mechanism of action of the polarizing component has not been fully determined, the active material probably is bound by the tissues of the assay animal during the incubation period. It appears to act by directing the differentiation of interstitial cells. Interstitial cells in the annulus tested probably bind excessive amounts of the inducer and differentiate into nerve cells. Secretion of additional inducer from these nerve centers initiates the heteropolar state. The fact that heteropolar animals possess more extractable material per animal than do normal unipolarized hydra substantiates this conclusion, and suggests that a single inductive substance, varying quantitatively apico-basally, controls the direction of differentiation of neoblast cells in Hydra.
Control of voltage source inverter using FPGA implementation of ADALINE-FLL

Power electronics converters like Voltage source inverters (VSI) are normally employed as the power interface in many applications including the uninterruptible power systems (UPS) and the renewable energy systems. Both, stand alone operation and grid connected operation of VSI need an accurate voltage and frequency control (V-F control) to keep a stable operation and a good output power control. A correct V-F control is mandatory for the parallel operation of inverters like in UPS and micro-grid systems. This paper presents a control structure for voltage and frequency control of VSI based on the Adaptive Linear Neuron with Frequency Locked Loop (ADALINE-FLL). The proposed structure offers a good transient and steady state response. The proposed structure has been implemented in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the validity of the proposition.
Review of the Carriage of Zoonotic Bacteria by Arthropods, with Special Reference to Salmonella in Mites, Flies and Litter Beetles

This systematic review considers the relationship between arthropods commonly found in and around livestock premises and zoonotic bacteria. The principal focus is upon insects and arachnids on poultry units, where houses, litter and manure provide good conditions for the growth, multiplication and protection of flies, beetles and mites, and where zoonotic pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter are prevalent. Other members of the Enterobacteriaceae and the taxa Clostridium, Helicobacter, Erysipelas and Chlamydiaceae are also discussed. Salmonella is widely distributed in the flies of affected livestock units and is detectable to a lesser degree in beetles and mites. Persistent carriage appears to be common and there is some field and experimental evidence to support arthropod‐mediated transmission between poultry flocks, particularly carry‐over from one flock to the next. Campylobacter may readily be isolated from arthropods in contact with affected poultry flocks, although carriage is short‐lived. There appears to be a role for flies, at least, in the breaching of biosecurity around Campylobacter‐negative flocks. The carriage of other zoonotic bacteria by arthropods has been documented, but the duration and significance of such associations remain uncertain in the context of livestock production.
Can vestibular rehabilitation exercises help patients with concussion? A systematic review of efficacy, prescription and progression patterns

Objective Concussion symptoms normally resolve within 7–10 days but vertigo, dizziness and balance dysfunction persist in 10–30% of cases causing significant morbidity. This study systematically evaluated the evidence supporting the efficacy, prescription and progression patterns of vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) in patients with concussion. Design Systematic Review, guided by PRISMA guidelines and presenting a best evidence synthesis. Data sources Electronic databases PubMed (1949 to May 2015), CINAHL (1982 to May 2015), EMBASE (1947 to May 2015), SPORTDiscus (1985 to May 2015), Web of Science (1945 to May 2015) and PEDRO (1999 to May 2015), supplemented by manual searches and grey literature. Eligibility criteria for study selection Article or abstract of original research, population of patients with concussion/mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) with vestibular symptoms, interventions detailing VRT, measurement of outcomes pre-VRT/post-VRT. Study type was not specified. Results Following a double review of abstract and full-text articles, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria: randomised controlled trial (n=2), uncontrolled studies (n=3) and case studies (n=5). 4 studies evaluated VRT as a single intervention. 6 studies incorporated VRT in multimodal interventions (including manual therapy, strength training, occupational tasks, counselling or medication). 9 studies reported improvement in outcomes but level I evidence from only 1 study was found that demonstrated increased rates (OR 3.91; 95% CI 1.34 to 11.34; p=0.002) of medical clearance for return to sport within 8 weeks, when VRT (combined with cervical therapy) was compared with usual care. Heterogeneity in study type and outcomes precluded meta-analysis. Habituation and adaptation exercises were employed in 8 studies and balance exercises in 9 studies. Prescription and progression patterns lacked standardisation. Conclusions Current evidence for optimal prescription and efficacy of VRT in patients with mTBI/concussion is limited. Available evidence, although weak, shows promise in this population. Further high-level studies evaluating the effects of VRT in patients with mTBI/concussion with vestibular and/or balance dysfunction are required.