Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Liver cirrhosis in HIV/HCV‐coinfected individuals is related to NK cell dysfunction and exhaustion, but not to an impaired NK cell modulation by CD4+ T‐cells

HIV worsens HCV‐related liver disease by accelerating fibrosis progression; however, progression rates are extremely variable among HIV/HCV‐coinfected individuals. NK cells are associated with modulation of liver fibrosis and are profoundly altered during HCV and HIV infections. CD4+ T‐cells modulate NK cell function, and are also affected by HIV infection. Here, we aim to characterize the association of hepatic fibrosis with both the phenotype and function of peripheral NK cells and their regulation by CD4+ T‐cells, in HIV/HCV‐coinfected individuals.
Long-Acting Injectable versus Oral Antipsychotics for Restoration of Competency to Stand Trial

Treatment with antipsychotics is a mainstay of trial competency restoration, particularly given that most defendants deemed incompetent to stand trial have psychotic illnesses. We explored the association between competency restoration and antipsychotic type in a retrospective sample of defendants diagnosed with psychotic disorders and deemed incompetent to stand trial. Using regression models, we calculated the odds ratio of being competent to stand trial, adjusting for relevant confounders. We found that the use of long-acting injectable antipsychotics was not significantly associated with increased odds of restoration of trial competency. Our results highlight the need for larger, longitudinal studies to further explore the efficacy and tolerability of long-acting injectable drugs compared with oral antipsychotics. Future research will help develop treatment guidelines within the setting of trial competency restoration.
Electrical Vestibular Stimulation in Humans: A Narrative Review

Background: In patients with bilateral vestibulopathy, the regular treatment options, such as medication, surgery, and/or vestibular rehabilitation, do not always suffice. Therefore, the focus in this field of vestibular research shifted to electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS) and the development of a system capable of artificially restoring the vestibular function. Key Message: Currently, three approaches are being investigated: vestibular co-stimulation with a cochlear implant (CI), EVS with a vestibular implant (VI), and galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS). All three applications show promising results but due to conceptual differences and the experimental state, a consensus on which application is the most ideal for which type of patient is still missing. Summary: Vestibular co-stimulation with a CI is based on “spread of excitation,” which is a phenomenon that occurs when the currents from the CI spread to the surrounding structures and stimulate them. It has been shown that CI activation can indeed result in stimulation of the vestibular structures. Therefore, the question was raised whether vestibular co-stimulation can be functionally used in patients with bilateral vestibulopathy. A more direct vestibular stimulation method can be accomplished by implantation and activation of a VI. The concept of the VI is based on the technology and principles of the CI. Different VI prototypes are currently being evaluated regarding feasibility and functionality. So far, all of them were capable of activating different types of vestibular reflexes. A third stimulation method is GVS, which requires the use of surface electrodes instead of an implanted electrode array. However, as the currents are sent through the skull from one mastoid to the other, GVS is rather unspecific. It should be mentioned though, that the reported spread of excitation in both CI and VI use also seems to induce a more unspecific stimulation. Although all three applications of EVS were shown to be effective, it has yet to be defined which option is more desirable based on applicability and efficiency. It is possible and even likely that there is a place for all three approaches, given the diversity of the patient population who serves to gain from such technologies.
Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Yatein-Induced Cell-Cycle Arrest and Microtubule Destabilization in Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells

Yatein is an antitumor agent isolated from Calocedrus formosana Florin leaves extract. In our previous study, we found that yatein inhibited the growth of human lung adenocarcinoma A549 and CL1-5 cells by inducing intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. To further uncover the effects and mechanisms of yatein-induced inhibition on A549 and CL1-5 cell growth, we evaluated yatein-mediated antitumor activity in vivo and the regulatory effects of yatein on cell-cycle progression and microtubule dynamics. Flow cytometry and western blotting revealed that yatein induces G2/M arrest in A549 and CL1-5 cells. Yatein also destabilized microtubules and interfered with microtubule dynamics in the two cell lines. Furthermore, we evaluated the antitumor activity of yatein in vivo using a xenograft mouse model and found that yatein treatment altered cyclin B/Cdc2 complex expression and significantly inhibited tumor growth. Taken together, our results suggested that yatein effectively inhibited the growth of A549 and CL1-5 cells possibly by disrupting cell-cycle progression and microtubule dynamics.
Characterizing the involvement of FaMADS9 in the regulation of strawberry fruit receptacle development

Abstract FaMADS9 is the strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) gene that exhibits the highest homology to the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) RIN gene. Transgenic lines were obtained in which FaMADS9 was silenced. The fruits of these lines did not show differences in basic parameters, such as fruit firmness or colour, but exhibited lower Brix values in three of the four independent lines. The gene ontology MapMan category that was most enriched among the differentially expressed genes in the receptacles at the white stage corresponded to the regulation of transcription, including a high percentage of transcription factors and regulatory proteins associated with auxin action. In contrast, the most enriched categories at the red stage were transport, lipid metabolism and cell wall. Metabolomic analysis of the receptacles of the transformed fruits identified significant changes in the content of maltose, galactonic acid‐1,4‐lactone, proanthocyanidins and flavonols at the green/white stage, while isomaltose, anthocyanins and cuticular wax metabolism were the most affected at the red stage. Among the regulatory genes that were differentially expressed in the transgenic receptacles were several genes previously linked to flavonoid metabolism, such as MYB10, DIV, ZFN1, ZFN2, GT2, and GT5, or associated with the action of hormones, such as abscisic acid, SHP, ASR, GTE7 and SnRK2.7. The inference of a gene regulatory network, based on a dynamic Bayesian approach, among the genes differentially expressed in the transgenic receptacles at the white and red stages, identified the genes KAN1, DIV, ZFN2 and GTE7 as putative targets of FaMADS9. A MADS9‐specific CArG box was identified in the promoters of these genes.
The Potential of Seaweeds as a Source of Functional Ingredients of Prebiotic and Antioxidant Value

Two thirds of the world is covered by oceans, whose upper layer is inhabited by algae. This means that there is a large extension to obtain these photoautotrophic organisms. Algae have undergone a boom in recent years, with consequent discoveries and advances in this field. Algae are not only of high ecological value but also of great economic importance. Possible applications of algae are very diverse and include anti-biofilm activity, production of biofuels, bioremediation, as fertilizer, as fish feed, as food or food ingredients, in pharmacology (since they show antioxidant or contraceptive activities), in cosmeceutical formulation, and in such other applications as filters or for obtaining minerals. In this context, algae as food can be of help to maintain or even improve human health, and there is a growing interest in new products called functional foods, which can promote such a healthy state. Therefore, in this search, one of the main areas of research is the extraction and characterization of new natural ingredients with biological activity (e.g., prebiotic and antioxidant) that can contribute to consumers’ well-being. The present review shows the results of a bibliographic survey on the chemical composition of macroalgae, together with a critical discussion about their potential as natural sources of new functional ingredients.
Fatty Acid-Treated Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Human Cardiomyocytes Exhibit Adult Cardiomyocyte-Like Energy Metabolism Phenotypes

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) (iPSC-CMs) are a promising cell source for myocardial regeneration, disease modeling and drug assessment. However, iPSC-CMs exhibit immature fetal CM-like characteristics that are different from adult CMs in several aspects, including cellular structure and metabolism. As an example, glycolysis is a major energy source for immature CMs. As CMs mature, the mitochondrial oxidative capacity increases, with fatty acid β-oxidation becoming a key energy source to meet the heart’s high energy demand. The immaturity of iPSC-CMs thereby limits their applications. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the energy substrate fatty acid-treated iPSC-CMs exhibit adult CM-like metabolic properties. After 20 days of differentiation from human iPSCs, iPSC-CMs were sequentially cultured with CM purification medium (lactate+/glucose-) for 7 days and maturation medium (fatty acids+/glucose-) for 3–7 days by mimicking the adult CM’s preference of utilizing fatty acids as a major metabolic substrate. The purity and maturity of iPSC-CMs were characterized via the analysis of: (1) Expression of CM-specific markers (e.g., troponin T, and sodium and potassium channels) using RT-qPCR, Western blot or immunofluorescence staining and electron microscopy imaging; and (2) cell energy metabolic profiles using the XF96 Extracellular Flux Analyzer. iPSCs-CMs (98% purity) cultured in maturation medium exhibited enhanced elongation, increased mitochondrial numbers with more aligned Z-lines, and increased expression of matured CM-related genes, suggesting that fatty acid-contained medium promotes iPSC-CMs to undergo maturation. In addition, the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) linked to basal respiration, ATP production, and maximal respiration and spare respiratory capacity (representing mitochondrial function) was increased in matured iPSC-CMs. Mature iPSC-CMs also displayed a larger change in basal and maximum respirations due to the utilization of exogenous fatty acids (palmitate) compared with non-matured control iPSC-CMs. Etomoxir (a carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 inhibitor) but not 2-deoxyglucose (an inhibitor of glycolysis) abolished the palmitate pretreatment-mediated OCR increases in mature iPSC-CMs. Collectively, our data demonstrate for the first time that fatty acid treatment promotes metabolic maturation of iPSC-CMs (as evidenced by enhanced mitochondrial oxidative function and strong capacity of utilizing fatty acids as energy source). These matured iPSC-CMs might be a promising human CM source for broad biomedical application.
Toxicity Prediction Method Based on Multi-Channel Convolutional Neural Network

Molecular toxicity prediction is one of the key studies in drug design. In this paper, a deep learning network based on a two-dimension grid of molecules is proposed to predict toxicity. At first, the van der Waals force and hydrogen bond were calculated according to different descriptors of molecules, and multi-channel grids were generated, which could discover more detail and helpful molecular information for toxicity prediction. The generated grids were fed into a convolutional neural network to obtain the result. A Tox21 dataset was used for the evaluation. This dataset contains more than 12,000 molecules. It can be seen from the experiment that the proposed method performs better compared to other traditional deep learning and machine learning methods.
A Content Analysis of Officer Perceptions of Detailing.

Abstract : Navy officer perceptions of the detailing process were investigated by analysis of officer responses to the open-ended portion of the '1980 URL Officer Feedback Survey'. Coding results are presented in detail by the respondents' perceptions and evaluation of the interactions with the detailer and the outcome of the negotiations, the effects of the new billet assignment on the officer and his or her family, and recommendations offered for modifying and improving the placement/assignment process. Officers satisfied with detailing tended to receive billet assignments that were communicated to the detailers as a preference. Officers dissatisfied with detailing tended to receive billet assignments that were not a preference. Both satisfied and dissatisfied officers expressed dissatisfaction with delays in receipt of formal orders to facilitate personal planning. (Author)
Relaciones entre la expresión de celo, tamaño del folículo y ovulación en vacas de leche en pastoreo

espanolPara maximizar el porcentaje de prenez en vacas de leche es importante hacer coincidir el momento de la inseminacion con el momento de la ovulacion; este puede ser predicho por la ocurrencia del celo (aceptacion de la monta). Actualmente en sistemas lecheros intensivos menos de la mitad de las vacas muestran sintomas de celo en concordancia con la ovulacion y mas aun el intervalo entre el celo y la ovulacion es muy variable. Para poder predecir el momento de la ovulacion de una vaca mas precisamente, este estudio examina las relaciones entre el intervalo del inicio del celo a la ovulacion con la intensidad del comportamiento estral y el diametro del foliculo dominante. Se registraron varios signos de comportamiento de celo en 44 vacas Holando durante tres periodos de observacion diarios de 3 horas cada uno. Desde que se identifico el primer comportamiento de celo se realizo ultrasonografia ovarica dos veces por dia para medir el diametro del foliculo dominante y determinar el momento de ovulacion. Se observaron correlaciones negativas entre el intervalo celo a ovulacion y: escore de celo (r = -0,43; P = 0,004) y el diametro folicular (r = -0,32; P = 0,036) y una correlacion positiva entre escore de celo y diametro folicular (r = 0,53; P EnglishTo maximize pregnancy rates in dairy cattle it is important to synchronize the moment of ovulation with insemination time and the latter can be predicted by the occurrence of standing heat. However, less then half of the cows show standing heat at estrus. Furthermore, the interval between standing heat and ovulation varies widely. To be able to predict the moment of ovulation of an individual cow more precisely, this study examines the relations between the interval from estrus to ovulation with the intensity of estrous behavior and diameter of the dominant follicle. The various signs of estrous behavior of 44 cows were recorded during three daily observation periods of 30 minutes each. From the moment a cow was considered to be in estrus, transrectal ultrasonography was carried out twice daily to measure the diameter of the dominant follicle and to determine the moment of ovulation. Negative correlations were observed between the estrus score and the interval estrus to ovulation (r = -0.43; P = 0.004), the follicle diameter and the interval estrus to ovulation (r = -0.32; P = 0.036), and a positive correlation between the estrus score and the follicle diameter (r = 0.53; P
How did students perceive their experiences with the standard and expanded captions ?

As mandated by law, virtually all television programs may now be viewed with captions. These captions are a text display of the audio component of the television program, which is generally displayed at the bottom of the television screen (Lewis & Jackson, 2001). Captions may be open, where everyone viewing the video sees the captions, or closed, where the viewer must set the closed-captioned decoder, which is contained in virtually all television sets, so that it displays captions. A major reason for the production of captions is to provide deaf people access to the audio component of television programming. (The term deaf is used in the present article to refer to the full range of individuals with hearing loss, including members of the Deaf culture.) Producers of captions and educators have both been concerned whether individuals who are deaf are able to understand captions that are presented at relatively fast speeds (e.g., greater than 140 words per minute) and that sometimes contain complex grammatical forms. This concern is based on the limited reading proficiency of many persons who are deaf (Ward, Wang, Paul, & Loeterman, 2007). WENTY-TWO COLLEGE STUDENTS who were deaf viewed one instructional video with standard captions and a second with expanded captions, in which key terms were expanded in the form of vocabulary definitions, labeled illustrations, or concept maps. The students performed better on a posttest after viewing either type of caption than on a pretest; however, there was no difference in comprehension between standard and expanded captions. Camtasia recording software enabled examination of the extent to which the students accessed the expanded captions. The students accessed less than 20% of the available expanded captions. Thus, one explanation for the lack of difference in comprehension between the standard and expanded captions is that the students did not access the expanded captions sufficiently. Despite limited use of the expanded captions, the students stated, when interviewed, that they considered these captions beneficial in learning from the instructional video. MICHAEL S. STINSON AND SUSAN STEVENSON
Comparison of Intercostal Stretch Technique Versus Diaphragmatic Breathing on Dyspnoea , Chest Expansion And Functional Capacity in Stable Copd

Background : The use of diaphragmatic breathing and various proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) techniques has become more prevalent in cardiorespiratory physiotherapy to improve pulmonary functions. However, limited evidence exists regarding evaluation of their effectiveness in stable COPD. Hence, the objective of the study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of intercostal stretch technique versus diaphragmatic breathing on dyspnoea, chest expansion and functional capacity in stable COPD. Methodology : Eighteen subjects were recruited based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Dyspnoea score, chest expansion at three levels and 6 minute walking distance (6MWD) were obtained. Subjects were, then, randomly assigned to two groups. In group A, subjects underwent PNF technique using intercostal stretch for ten breaths in expiratory phase in supine lying position along with conventional chest physiotherapy, while in the group B, diaphragmatic breathing was given along with conventional chest physiotherapy. Result : Intragroup analysis of dyspnoea score showed a very significant change in both groups (p=0.0039), 6MWD showed a very significant change (p=0.0028) in group A and a significant change in group B (p=0.0196), chest expansion changed non significantly at the axillary level (p=0.1690), extremely significantly at nipple level (p=0.0005) and at xiphisternal level (p<0.0001) in group A while it changed non-significantly (p=0.0805) at the axilla level, very significantly (p=0.0081) at nipple level and extremely significantly (p<0.0001) at xiphisternal level in group B. Intergroup analysis of dyspnoea score, 6MWD and chest expansion at all three levels showed a non significant change. Conclusion : Both intercostal stretch technique and diaphragmatic breathing are equally effective in reducing dyspnoea, improving chest expansion and functional capacity in stable COPD.
Influence of the CEO Characteristics in Mergers and Acquisitions in the Pharmaceutical Industry

It is the purpose of this study to make an analysis of the Mergers and Acquisitions, affected by the CEO characteristics and mediated by the Environmental Munificence. The motive of this paper is the high economic scope of the cross border M&A in the pharmaceutical industry. The characteristics to analyze would be the CEO’s tenure, functional background and education. It is being recognized that a long tenure of the CEO is in direct relation to the M&A intensity. A last factor is the CEO education. It appears that there is a positive correlation of the education with the M&A performance.
Title : Predicting Activity Type from Accelerometer Data

approved: Weng-Keen Wong The study of physical activity is important in improving people’s health as it can help people understand the relationship between physical activity and health. Accelerometers, due to its small size, low cost, convenience and its ability to provide objective information about the frequency, intensity, and duration of physical activity, has become the method of choice in measuring physical activity. Machine learning algorithms based on the featurized representation of accelerometer data have become the most widely used approaches in physical activity prediction. To improve the classification accuracy, this thesis first explored the impact of the choice of data (raw vs processed) as well as the choice of features on the performance of various classifiers. The empirical results showed that the machine learning algorithms with strong regularization capabilities always performed better if provided with the most comprehensive feature set extracted from raw accelerometer signal. Based on the hypothesis that for some time series, the most discriminative information could be found at subwindows of various sizes, the Subwindow Ensemble Model (SWEM) was proposed. The SWEM was designed for the accelerometer-based physical activity data, and classified the time series based on the features extracted from subwindows. It was evaluated on six time series datasets. Three of them were accelerometerbased physical activity data, which the SWEM was designed for, and the rest were different types of time series data chosen from other domains. The empirical results indicated a strong advantage of the SWEM over baseline models on the accelerometerbased physical activity data. Further analysis confirmed the hypothesis that the most discriminative features could be extracted from subwindows of different sizes, and they were effectively used by the SWEM.
A comparative study on the Dutch and English buy-to-let market

In both the Netherlands and England, the share of private rental dwellings has increased in the past years. This growth can be mainly attributed to an increase in the number of relatively small private landlords, the buy-to-let landlords. Although the number of private rental dwellings is increasing in both countries, the characteristics of both market are not necessarily the same. This is because of the different housing market context. It is therefore interesting to study the portfolios of these buy-to-let landlords and to investigate whether these are related to certain contextual factors. To gain insight into these portfolios, data of the Dutch Land Registry and English surveys have been used. The characteristics of these portfolios have been related to the historical development of the private rental sector in both countries and the use of investment mortgages. It has been found that the average portfolio size of English buy-to-let landlords is smaller. It also seems as the Dutch buy-to-let market is slightly more professional. This is interesting because the English buy-to-let market started to grow earlier. Furthermore, the use of investment mortgages is more common in England, but these mortgages are particularly used by the larger landlords. It is not expected that the Dutch buy-to-let market will converge towards the English buy-to-let market in the near future. More in-depth research is needed on both buy-to-let markets to better understand the differences and the potential reasons for these differences.