Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship Between Aspartate Aminotransferase-to-Platelet Ratio Index and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Obese Adolescents with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Objective: There is increasing evidence for an association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in obese adolescents with NAFLD. Methods: Seventy-six obese adolescents and 36 lean subjects were enrolled in this cross-sectional single-centre study. The obese subjects were divided into two subgroups based on the presence or absence of fatty liver with high transaminase levels (NAFLD group and non-NAFLD group). Fasting blood samples were assayed for transaminase, glucose, and insulin levels. Insulin resistance was calculated by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). Results: APRI values were higher in both obese groups (NAFLD and non-NAFLD) in comparison with the lean group. The NAFLD group had significantly higher APRI values than the non-NAFLD obese group and the lean group. Carotid IMT was higher in both obese groups (NAFLD and non-NAFLD) in comparison with the lean group. The NAFLD group had significantly higher measurements of carotid IMT than the non-NAFLD group and the lean group. APRI was positively correlated with most of the metabolic parameters (total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR) and with carotid IMT in the NAFLD obese group. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that a significant relationship exists between APRI and carotid IMT in obese adolescents with NAFLD. We suggest that an increased APRI score in obese adolescents with NAFLD can possibly serve to predict a more adverse cardiovascular risk profile. Conflict of interest:None declared.
Algorithms for abstracting and solving imperfect information games

Game theory is the mathematical study of rational behavior in strategic environments. In many settings, most notably two-person zero-sum games, game theory provides particularly strong and appealing solution concepts. Furthermore, these solutions are efficiently computable in the complexity-theory sense. However, in most interesting potential applications in artificial intelligence, the solutions are difficult to compute using current techniques due primarily to the extremely large state-spaces of the environments. In this thesis, we propose new algorithms for tackling these computational difficulties. In one stream of research, we introduce automated abstraction algorithms for sequential games of imperfect information. These algorithms take as input a description of a game and produce a description of a strategically similar, but smaller, game as output. We present algorithms that are lossless (i.e., equilibrium-preserving), as well as algorithms that are lossy, but which can yield much smaller games while still retaining the most important features of the original game. In a second stream of research, we develop specialized optimization algorithms for finding -equilibria in sequential games of imperfect information. The algorithms are based on recent advances in nonsmooth convex optimization (namely the excessive gap technique) and provide significant improvements over previous algorithms for finding -equilibria. Combining these two streams, we enable the application of game theory to games extremely larger than was previously possible. As in illustrative example, we find near-optimal solutions for a four-round model of Texas Hold’em poker, and demonstrate that the resulting player is significantly better than previous computer poker players. In addition to the above (already completed) work, we discuss how the same techniques can be used to construct an agent for no-limit Texas Hold’em poker (a game with an infinite number of pure strategies). We propose coming up with worst-case guarantees (both ex ante and ex post) for automated abstraction algorithms. We also propose a regret-minimizing pure strategy solution concept appropriate for sequential games with many players, and propose an algorithm for computing this concept. Finally, we propose specialized interior-point algorithms for equilibrium computation in extensive form games (possibly for computing equilibrium refinements such as sequential equilibrium) as well as a prioritized updating scheme for speeding up the excessive gap technique family of algorithms.
Effect of paper and printing press variables on the rates of adhesion failure in the linting of offset printing

Lint problems occur when loosely bonded particles detach from the surface of uncoated paper and accumulate on the printing blanket. We investigated the effect of paper and the printing press variables of printing tone and ink tack on linting using a lint camera system and also by stopping the press repeatedly to wash the lint samples off the blanket. Lint particles were classified into small particles (with area 0–8000 μm²) and large particles (with area above 8000 μm²). There have been many contradictory reports about the most important paper and printing variables affecting linting because many previous researchers have not adequately addressed that linting is a dynamic process, which involves two adhesion failures and separations, driven by the splitting of the viscous ink film. The first failure is for the removal of lint particles from the paper surface to the blanket, while the second failure is for the separation of the lint particles from the blanket. The key finding of this study is that these two rates of adhesion failure are generally correlated. That is, a higher rate of lint particle separation from the paper surface is associated with a higher rate of separation from the blanket. This finding held for varying the grade of paper, the ink viscosity and the printing tone, and for small and large particles. Previous contradictory results from linting studies are because lint has only been measured after completing a printing trial, with no means of examining the two underlying adhesion failure processes.
A Mechanical Study of Spot Weld Growth in Mild Steel, 302 Austenitic Stainless Steel and Both Materials Joined

Resistance spot welding (RSW) is an important welding technology for joining two or more metals in various manufacturing industries. For instance, in today’s car manufacturing industries, a car may contain in average about 3000 – 4000 spot weld joints. The growth of a spot weld is determined by its main parameters, i.e. current, weld time and force. However, factors such as electrode deformation, dissimilar materials and materials with different thicknesses also affect weld growth. This paper looks into the effects of nuggets growth on dissimilar materials i.e., mild steel, 302 austenitic stainless steel and both materials joined together. Mechanical tensile test and hardness test have been carried out to characterize the formation of weld nugget growth in terms of strength and hardness for different welding schedules. The force of electrode was kept constant and the current and welding time were varied. The results of the experiments show that the spot weld strength is affected by the welding parameters but the hardness of the weld is not influenced by the increase of the welding parameters. Results also show that the hardness of the welded area is greater than the hardness of the un-welded area. Stainless steel welds were found to be lower in hardness compared to the mild steel welds and mixed welds but higher in strength compared to the other two welds. This shows that the stainless steel welds are more ductile than mild steels welds and mixed welds and require a higher tensile force to fracture.
Isolation of Laccase Producing Trichoderma Spp.

GOCHEV, V. K. and A. I. KRASTANOV, 2007. Isolation of laccase producing Trichoderma spp. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 13: 171-176 Based on its dye decolorization activities four Trichoderma strains were screened as laccase producers. The strains were identified as T. atroviride, T. longibrachiatum, T. reesei, and T. viride. It was determined that it was expedient to screen laccase producing Trichoderma strains among cellulase producing strains on the basis of its dye decolorization activity (correlation coefficient between was 0.87). For further studies T. atroviride, T. longibrachiatum and T. viride were screened as prospective laccase producers.
Face Inversion Decreased Information about Facial Identity and Expression in Face-Responsive Neurons in Macaque Area TE

To investigate the effect of face inversion and thatcherization (eye inversion) on temporal processing stages of facial information, single neuron activities in the temporal cortex (area TE) of two rhesus monkeys were recorded. Test stimuli were colored pictures of monkey faces (four with four different expressions), human faces (three with four different expressions), and geometric shapes. Modifications were made in each face-picture, and its four variations were used as stimuli: upright original, inverted original, upright thatcherized, and inverted thatcherized faces. A total of 119 neurons responded to at least one of the upright original facial stimuli. A majority of the neurons (71%) showed activity modulations depending on upright and inverted presentations, and a lesser number of neurons (13%) showed activity modulations depending on original and thatcherized face conditions. In the case of face inversion, information about the fine category (facial identity and expression) decreased, whereas information about the global category (monkey vs human vs shape) was retained for both the original and thatcherized faces. Principal component analysis on the neuronal population responses revealed that the global categorization occurred regardless of the face inversion and that the inverted faces were represented near the upright faces in the principal component analysis space. By contrast, the face inversion decreased the ability to represent human facial identity and monkey facial expression. Thus, the neuronal population represented inverted faces as faces but failed to represent the identity and expression of the inverted faces, indicating that the neuronal representation in area TE cause the perceptual effect of face inversion.
Semantic Role Labeling Via Integer Linear Programming Inference

We present a system for the semantic role labeling task. The system combines a machine learning technique with an inference procedure based on integer linear programming that supports the incorporation of linguistic and structural constraints into the decision process. The system is tested on the data provided in CoNLL-2004 shared task on semantic role labeling and achieves very competitive results.
Role of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in α-TEA Mediated TRAIL/DR5 Death Receptor Dependent Apoptosis

Background α-TEA (RRR-α-tocopherol ether-linked acetic acid analog), a derivative of RRR-α-tocopherol (vitamin E) exhibits anticancer actions in vitro and in vivo in variety of cancer types. The objective of this study was to obtain additional insights into the mechanisms involved in α-TEA induced apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. Methodology/Principal Findings α-TEA induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress as indicated by increased expression of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) as well as by enhanced expression or activation of specific markers of ER stress such as glucose regulated protein (GRP78), phosphorylated alpha subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (peIF-2α), and spliced XBP-1 mRNA. Knockdown studies using siRNAs to TRAIL, DR5, JNK and CHOP as well as chemical inhibitors of ER stress and caspase-8 showed that: i) α-TEA activation of DR5/caspase-8 induces an ER stress mediated JNK/CHOP/DR5 positive amplification loop; ii) α-TEA downregulation of c-FLIP (L) protein levels is mediated by JNK/CHOP/DR5 loop via a JNK dependent Itch E3 ligase ubiquitination that further serves to enhance the JNK/CHOP/DR5 amplification loop by preventing c-FLIP's inhibition of caspase-8; and (iii) α-TEA downregulation of Bcl-2 is mediated by the ER stress dependent JNK/CHOP/DR5 signaling. Conclusion Taken together, ER stress plays an important role in α-TEA induced apoptosis by enhancing DR5/caspase-8 pro-apoptotic signaling and suppressing anti-apoptotic factors c-FLIP and Bcl-2 via ER stress mediated JNK/CHOP/DR5/caspase-8 signaling.
The importance of detecting cytomegalovirus infections in studies evaluating new therapies for severe sepsis

Cytomegalovirus infection is present in the majority of the population and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Recently, this viral infection has also been reported in nonimmunocompromised critically ill patients. We hypothesize that active cytomegalovirus infection may confound survival outcomes in severe sepsis trials. Scenarios based on three published studies on activated protein C were used as real examples for statistical simulations looking for how much bias in favor of or against activated protein C would be observed in single-arm studies (scenario 1), phase II trials (scenario 2A/2B), and phase III trials (scenario 3A/3B). Scenario 1 simulations evaluated a single-arm study and demonstrated that confounding biases could cause an absolute decrease of 5.7% to an increase of 6.1% on mortality rates of similar studies. Scenarios 2A and 3A evaluated phase II and III trials assuming that activated protein C is truly effective; they showed that trials with an imbalance on the proportion of active cytomegalovirus infection between study arms could lead to false-negative rates (&bgr; errors) in up to 25% of phase II trials and up to 42% of phase III trials. Scenarios 2B and 3B assumed that activated protein C was truly ineffective; they showed that imbalanced cytomegalovirus infection between arms would cause false-positive rates (&agr; errors) in up to 5% of phase II and up to 7% of all phase III trials. The inclusion of an imbalanced proportion of patients with active cytomegalovirus infection may severely compromise the reliability of outcome results of severe sepsis trials independent of their design. Even randomized trials could have a much higher probability of false-negative rates for a new therapy than designed. Future severe sepsis trials should consider including active cytomegalovirus infection as a prospective covariate.
Neck muscle responses to stimulation of monkey superior colliculus. I. Topography and manipulation of stimulation parameters.

The role of the primate superior colliculus (SC) in orienting head movements was studied by recording electromyographic (EMG) activity from multiple neck muscles following electrical stimulation of the SC. Combining SC stimulation with neck EMG recordings provides an objective and sensitive measure of the SC drive onto neck muscle motoneurons, particularly in relation to evoked gaze shifts. In this paper, we address how neck EMG responses to SC stimulation in head-restrained monkeys depend on the rostrocaudal, mediolateral, and dorsoventral location of the stimulating electrode within the SC and vary with manipulations of the eye position prior to stimulation onset and changes in stimulation current and duration. Stimulation predominantly evoked EMG responses on the muscles obliquus capitis inferior, rectus capitis posterior major, and splenius capitis. These responses became larger in magnitude and shorter in onset latency for progressively more caudal stimulation locations, consistent with turning the head. However, evoked responses persisted even for more rostral stimulation locations usually not associated with head movements. Manipulating initial eye position revealed that the magnitude of evoked responses became stronger as the eyes attained positions contralateral to the side of stimulation, consistent with a summation between a generic command evoked by SC stimulation and the influence of eye position on tonic neck EMG. Manipulating stimulation current and duration revealed that the relationship between gaze shifts and evoked EMG responses is not obligatory: short-duration (<20 ms) or low-current stimulation evoked neck EMG responses in the absence of gaze shifts. However, long-duration stimulation (>150 ms) occasionally revealed a transient neck EMG response aligned on the onset of sequential gaze shifts. We conclude that the SC drive to neck muscle motoneurons is far more widespread than traditionally supposed and is relayed through intervening elements which may or may not be activated in association with gaze shifts.
A literature review on self-care of chronic illness: definition, assessment and related outcomes.

INTRODUCTION Chronic illnesses care represents a challenging issue for people well-being and future health systems' sustainability. Promotion of self-care is considered a key point for chronically ill patients' care. The aim of this literature was to explore: how self-care of chronic illness has been theoretically defined; how self-care can be assessed in clinical and research settings; what associations exist between self-care and health outcomes of chronically ill patients. RESULTS A wide range of definitions and terminologies related to self-care of chronic illness has been found in the literature. Although some common elements useful to explain the concept of self-care have been identified, the physical, cognitive, emotional and social processes underlying self-care remain controversial and poorly defined. Valid and reliable disease-specific assessment tools have been developed and used in a growing number of studies; however, the lack of utilization of standardized instruments in clinical practice has been referred by many authors. Significant correlations between self-care of chronic illness and outcome measures e.g. general health status, quality of life and healthcare costs, are reported by a limited number of studies. CONCLUSION Supporting patient self-care is recognized as a crucial factor in chronic illness care. A deeper analysis of variables and processes influencing self-care could help for a full description of the phenomenon. A systematic evaluation of self-care in health professionals' everyday clinical practice is strongly recommended. The development of general non-disease-specific assessment tools could facilitate the evaluation of complex patients, especially those with multiple co-morbidities. Although self-care has been recognized as a vital intermediate outcome, further large-scale studies clarifying the association between self-care and patients' and health systems' outcomes are needed.
Towards Large Scale Evaluation of Novel Sonification Techniques for Non Visual Shape Exploration

There are several situations in which a person with visual impairment or blindness needs to extract information from an image. Examples include everyday activities, like reading a map, as well as educational activities, like exercises to develop visuospatial skills. In this contribution we propose a set of 6 sonification techniques to recognize simple shapes on touchscreen devices. The effectiveness of these sonification techniques is evaluated though Invisible Puzzle, a mobile application that makes it possible to conduct non-supervised evaluation sessions. Invisible Puzzle adopts a gamification approach and is a preliminary step in the development of a complete game that will make it possible to conduct a large scale evaluation with hundreds or thousands of blind users. With Invisible Puzzle we conducted 131 tests with sighted subjects and 18 tests with subjects with blindness. All subjects involved in the process successfully completed the evaluation session, with high engagement, hence showing the effectiveness of the evaluation procedure. Results give interesting insights on the differences among the sonification techniques and, most importantly, show that, after a short training, subjects are able to identify many different shapes.
Retinoids Potentiate Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ Action in Differentiation, Gene Expression, and Lipid Metabolic Processes in Developing Myeloid Cells

Nuclear hormone receptors have been shown to be important transcription factors for regulating lipid metabolism in myeloid cells and were also implicated in differentiation processes of the myeloid lineage and macrophages. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) seems to be a key component of lipid uptake by inducing the scavenger receptor CD36 that mediates oxidized low-density lipoprotein uptake in macrophages. Retinoic acid receptors, on the other hand, were also shown to play important roles in myeloid cell differentiation. In this study, we present evidence for a cross-talk between these two nuclear receptor pathways in myeloid cells. We show that expression level of PPARγ increases with the degree of monocyte/macrophage commitment during maturation. Activation of PPARγ leads to the increased expression of maturation markers (e.g., CD14, CD36). It is interesting that retinoid treatment potentiates PPARγ's ability to induce transcription of its target genes. Retinoid-increased PPARγ response is sufficient for enhancing lipid uptake. Our data, taken together, indicate that the expression level of PPARγ increases during monocyte/macrophage development. PPARγ activity can be enhanced by retinoids at least in part via increasing PPARγ expression level. These observations can be exploited to enhance therapeutically beneficial PPAR responses in myeloid cells.
Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Loci for Salt Tolerance during Germination in Autotetraploid Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Using Genotyping-by-Sequencing

Salinity is one of major abiotic stresses limiting alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) production in the arid and semi-arid regions in US and other counties. In this study, we used a diverse panel of alfalfa accessions previously described by Zhang et al. (2015) to identify molecular markers associated with salt tolerance during germination using genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). Phenotyping was done by germinating alfalfa seeds under different levels of salt stress. Phenotypic data of adjusted germination rates and SNP markers generated by GBS were used for marker-trait association. Thirty six markers were significantly associated with salt tolerance in at least one level of salt treatments. Alignment of sequence tags to the Medicago truncatula genome revealed genetic locations of the markers on all chromosomes except chromosome 3. Most significant markers were found on chromosomes 1, 2, and 4. BLAST search using the flanking sequences of significant markers identified 14 putative candidate genes linked to 23 significant markers. Most of them were repeatedly identified in two or three salt treatments. Several loci identified in the present study had similar genetic locations to the reported QTL associated with salt tolerance in M. truncatula. A locus identified on chromosome 6 by this study overlapped with that by drought in our previous study. To our knowledge, this is the first report on mapping loci associated with salt tolerance during germination in autotetraploid alfalfa. Further investigation on these loci and their linked genes would provide insight into understanding molecular mechanisms by which salt and drought stresses affect alfalfa growth. Functional markers closely linked to the resistance loci would be useful for MAS to improve alfalfa cultivars with enhanced resistance to drought and salt stresses.