Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The hygiene hypothesis: current perspectives and future therapies

Developed countries have experienced a steady increase in atopic disease and disorders of immune dysregulation since the 1980s. This increase parallels a decrease in infectious diseases within the same time period, while developing countries seem to exhibit the opposite effect, with less immune dysregulation and a higher prevalence of infectious disease. The “hygiene hypothesis”, proposed by Strachan in 1989, aimed to explain this peculiar generational rise in immune dysregulation. However, research over the past 10 years provides evidence connecting the commensal and symbiotic microbes (intestinal microbiota) and parasitic helminths with immune development, expanding the hygiene hypothesis into the “microflora” and “old friends” hypotheses, respectively. There is evidence that parasitic helminths and commensal microbial organisms co-evolved with the human immune system and that these organisms are vital in promoting normal immune development. Current research supports the potential for manipulation of the bacterial intestinal microbiota to treat and even prevent immune dysregulation in the form of atopic disease and other immune-mediated disorders (namely inflammatory bowel disease and type 1 diabetes). Both human and animal model research are crucial in understanding the mechanistic links between these intestinal microbes and helminth parasites, and the human immune system. Pro-, pre-, and synbiotic, as well as treatment with live helminth and excretory/secretory helminth product therapies, are all potential therapeutic options for the treatment and prevention of these diseases. In the future, therapeutics aimed at decreasing the prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes, and atopic disorders will likely involve personalized microbiota and/or helminth treatments used early in life.
Prediction of Early Neurological Deterioration Using Diffusion- and Perfusion-Weighted Imaging in Hyperacute Middle Cerebral Artery Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— Early neurological deterioration (END) occurs in approximately one third of all ischemic stroke patients and is associated with a poor outcome. Our study sought to assess the value of ultra-early MRI in the prediction of END in stroke patients. Methods— Between August 1999 and November 2001, 38 stroke patients with a proven middle cerebral artery (MCA) or intracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion on MR angiography underwent perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) within 6 hours after onset, and 30 fulfilled all inclusion criteria. Control DWI and MR angiography were performed between days 3 and 5. Cranial CT was performed to rule out hemorrhagic transformation. Vascular risk factors, temperature, blood pressure, glycemia, and blood count were assessed on admission. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were obtained at baseline and at 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours. At the same time points, transcranial Doppler (TCD) examinations were conducted to assess arterial recanalization. END was defined as an increase in the NIHSS score >4. A logistic regression model was applied to detect independent predictors of END. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to evaluate the relationship between infarct growth and duration of vessel occlusion. Results— Initial MR angiography showed an occlusion of intracranial ICA in 7 patients (23.3%), of proximal MCA in 14 (46.6%), and of distal MCA in the remaining 9 (30%). A PWI-DWI mismatch >20% was observed in 28 patients (93.3%). END occurred in 7 patients (23.3%). Baseline NIHSS score (P =0.05), proximal site of occlusion (P =0.002), initial DWI (P =0.002) and PWI (P =0.003) volumes, and reduced PWI-DWI mismatch (P =0.038) were associated with END in the univariate analysis. Only hyperacute DWI volume remained as a predictor of END when a logistic regression model was applied (odds ratio, 11.5; 95% CI, 2.31 to 57.10;P =0.0028). A receiver operator characteristic curve identified a cutoff point of DWI >89 cm3 (sensitivity, 85.7%; specificity, 95.7%) to predict END. A graded response was seen in DWI lesion expansion in relation to duration of arterial occlusion (P =0.017). Conclusions— Ultra-early DWI is a powerful predictor of END after MCA or intracranial ICA occlusion.
Causality and Association: The Statistical and Legal Approaches

This paper discusses different needs and approaches to establishing "causation" that are relevant in legal cases involving statistical input based on epidemiological (or more generally observational or population-based) information. We distinguish between three versions of "cause": the first involves negligence in providing or allowing exposure, the second involves "cause" as it is shown through a scientifically proved increased risk of an outcome from the exposure in a population, and the third considers "cause" as it might apply to an individual plaintiff based on the first two. The population-oriented "cause" is that commonly addressed by statisticians, and we propose a variation on the Bradford Hill approach to testing such causality in an observational framework, and discuss how such a systematic series of tests might be considered in a legal context. We review some current legal approaches to using probabilistic statements, and link these with the scientific methodology as developed here. In particular, we provide an approach both to the idea of individual outcomes being caused on a balance of probabilities, and to the idea of material contribution to such outcomes. Statistical terminology and legal usage of terms such as "proof on the balance of probabilities" or "causation" can easily become confused, largely due to similar language describing dissimilar concepts; we conclude, however, that a careful analysis can identify and separate those areas in which a legal decision alone is required and those areas in which scientific approaches are useful.
Reconstructing surface temperature changes over the past 600 years using climate model simulations with data assimilation

Ensemble simulations have been performed with a climate model constrained to follow temperature histories obtained from a recent compilation of 56 well-calibrated surface temperature proxy records, using a new data assimilation technique. First, we demonstrate that the data assimilation technique provides a faithful representation in the Northern Hemisphere of the signal recorded by the climate proxies at both the regional and gridbox scales. Second, by varying the external forcing, the parameters of the data assimilation method, and the parameters controlling the equilibrium climate sensitivity of the climate model, we demonstrate that the uncertainty in model results is much lower in simulations using data assimilation than in those without it. This observation implies that the data assimilation, using a set of 56 proxies, is providing an efficient and robust constraint on the simulated climate variability over the past centuries. At the hemispheric and continental scales, the model reconstructions using data assimilation are in good agreement with both the instrumental record of the past 150 years and reconstructions of climate in past centuries derived from the application of traditional statistical approaches to networks of proxy data. This increases the confidence in both the data assimilation and traditional statistical approaches. Our data assimilation method, however, is unable to provide a reliable reconstruction over the North Atlantic Ocean, which we attribute to the paucity of proxy data in that region.
Perceived Attitude and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) establishment: Why households’ characteristics matters in Coastal resources conservation initiatives in Tanzania

In recent years, conservation initiatives through Marine Protected Area (MPAs) in many developing countries have been molded to win the support and participation of local communities. Increasingly, studies have been undertaken to enhance the understandings of the characteristics of rural communities. In the case of Tanzania, the level of compliance with marine and coastal resources management is constrained by lack of knowledge regarding coastal communities’ behavior and characteristics. Indeed, it is hypothesized that the knowledge about rural coastal communities will lead to an increase in compliance of conservation initiatives. Therefore, this paper provides an empirical assessment of households’ perceived attitudes towards proposed MPA establishment in two Tanzanian coastal villages (Mlingotini and Nyamanzi) and their vicinity. Based on survey data, the results indicate that 50.23% of households had favorable attitudes towards the introduction of MPA, out of which 34% belonged to the poor class. Moreover, a majority of households indicate that there is a need of public participation in planning and implementation of MPA. Subsequently, Probit regression, which featured in the analysis revealed that perceived costs and benefits accruing from MPAs establishment, awareness of MPAs objectives and rules that govern the use of marine and coastal resources, dependency on marine and coastal-based activities, perceived fishery conditions, wealth and location variables have a significant influence on perceived attitudes towards establishing of new MPA. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that conservation initiatives through the establishment of MPAs may be more beneficial and more effective when policy makers understand the characteristics and behavior of coastal communities. In addition, conservation initiatives should be based on the consensus building and participation of all stakeholders.
Low-Mass AGB Stellar Models for 0.003 ≤ Z ≤ 0.02: Basic Formulae for Nucleosynthesis Calculations

Abstract We have extended our published set of low-mass AGB stellar modelsto lower metallicities. Different mass-loss rates have been explored. We provide interpolation formulae for the luminosity, effective temperature, core mass, mass of dredge up material and maximum temperature in the convective zone generated by thermal pulses. Finally, we discuss the resultant modification of these quantities when we use an appropriate treatment of the inward propagation of the convective instability, as caused by the steeprise in radiative opacity when the convective envelope penetratesthe H-depleted region.
Optimised Energy Distributed Algorithm for Connected Coverage in Wireless Sensor Network (OEDCC)

Recent technological developments in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology, wireless communications and electronics have led to the emergence of large-scale wireless sensor networks (WSNs). One of the key research questions of the wireless sensor networks is issues of having coverage while keeping connectivity. Most of the related researches have concerned coverage, connectivity and energy conservation independently or required
Targeting Myeloid Cells to the Brain Using Non-Myeloablative Conditioning

Bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) are able to colonize the central nervous system (CNS) at sites of damage. This ability makes BMDCs an ideal cellular vehicle for transferring therapeutic genes/molecules to the CNS. However, conditioning is required for bone marrow-derived myeloid cells to engraft in the brain, which so far has been achieved by total body irradiation (TBI) and by chemotherapy (e.g. busulfan treatment). Unfortunately, both regimens massively disturb the host’s hematopoietic compartment. Here, we established a conditioning protocol to target myeloid cells to sites of brain damage in mice using non-myeloablative focal head irradiation (HI). This treatment was associated with comparatively low inflammatory responses in the CNS despite cranial radiation doses which are identical to TBI, as revealed by gene expression analysis of cytokines/chemokines such as CCL2, CXCL10, TNF-α and CCL5. HI prior to bone marrow transplantation resulted in much lower levels of blood chimerism defined as the percentage of donor-derived cells in peripheral blood (< 5%) compared with TBI (> 95%) or busulfan treatment (>50%). Nevertheless, HI effectively recruited myeloid cells to the area of motoneuron degeneration in the brainstem within 7 days after facial nerve axotomy. In contrast, no donor-derived cells were detected in the lesioned facial nucleus of busulfan-treated animals up to 2 weeks after transplantation. Our findings suggest that myeloid cells can be targeted to sites of brain damage even in the presence of very low levels of peripheral blood chimerism. We established a novel non-myeloablative conditioning protocol with minimal disturbance of the host’s hematopoietic system for targeting BMDCs specifically to areas of pathology in the brain.
Nearly optimal one-to-many parallel routing in star networks

Star networks were proposed recently as an attractive alternative to the well-known hypercube models for interconnection networks. Extensive research has been performed that shows that star networks are as versatile as hypercubes. This paper is an effort in the same direction. Based on the well-known paradigms, we study the one-to-many parallel routing problem on star networks and develop an improved routing algorithm that finds n-1 node-disjoint paths between one node and a set of other n-1 nodes in the n-star network. These parallel paths are proven of minimum length within a small additive constant, and our algorithm has an optimal time complexity. This result significantly improves the previous known algorithms for the problem. Moreover, the algorithm well illustrates an application of the orthogonal partition of star networks, which was observed by the original inventors of the star networks but seems generally overlooked in the subsequent study. We should also point out that similar problems are already studied for hypercubes and have proven useful in designing efficient and fault tolerant routing algorithms on hypercube networks.
Maternal Exposure to a Brominated Flame Retardant and Genitourinary Conditions in Male Offspring

Background The upward trend in industrial nations in the incidence of male genitourinary (GU) conditions may be attributed to increased exposure to endocrine disruptors. Polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), a brominated flame retardant, is one such suspected endocrine disruptor. Objective We investigated the relationship between maternal serum levels of PBBs and GU conditions among male offspring exposed in utero. Methods In this cohort study of sons born to women accidentally exposed to PBBs during 1973–1974, we examined self-reported data on GU conditions among male offspring in relation to maternal serum PBB levels. We used generalized estimating equations to calculate odds ratios (ORs), controlling for gestational age at birth. Results Of 464 sons, 33 reported any GU condition (13 hernias, 10 hydroceles, 9 cryptorchidism, 5 hypospadias, and 1 varicocele). Four reported both hernia and hydrocele, and one both hernia and cryptorchidism. After adjustment for gestational age at birth, sons of highly exposed women (> 5 ppb) were twice as likely to report any GU condition compared with sons of the least exposed women [≤1 ppb; OR = 2.0; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.8–5.1]. This risk was increased when we excluded sons born after the exposure but before the mother’s serum PBB measurement (OR = 3.1; 95% CI, 1.0–9.1). We found evidence of a 3-fold increase in reported hernia or hydrocele among sons with higher PBB exposure (test of trend p-value = 0.04). Neither hypospadias nor cryptorchidism was individually associated with PBB exposure. Conclusions Although cryptorchidism and hypospadias were not associated with in utero PBB exposure, this study suggests that other GU conditions may be associated with exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals during development.
A Shot Number Based Approach to Performance Analysis in Table Tennis

Abstract The current study proposes a novel approach that improves the conventional performance analysis in table tennis by introducing the concept of frequency, or the number of shots, of each shot number. The improvements over the conventional method are as follows: better accuracy of the evaluation of skills and tactics of players, additional insights into scoring and returning skills and ease of understanding the results with a single criterion. The performance analysis of matches played at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London was conducted using the proposed method. The results showed some effects of the shot number and gender differences in table tennis. Furthermore, comparisons were made between Chinese players and players from other countries, what threw light on the skills and tactics of the Chinese players. The present findings demonstrate that the proposed method provides useful information and has some advantages over the conventional method.
Minimal Logic Re-synthesis

Most problems in logic synthesis are computationallyhard, and are solved using heuristics. This often makes algorithms un-stable; if the input is changed slightly, the new result of synthesis can be significantly different. A designer can spend much effort hand-optimizing a circuit, so it is desirable to retain as much of this human insight as possible. This motivates the need for incremental synthesis. We propose a re-synthesis algorithm, which allows the designer to designate non-resynthesizable portions of a circuit. We define the concept of minimal change caused by re synthesis, i.e. given a functional change to the circuit, we examine the minimal change to implement this change. For the evaluation of a region for re-synthesis we present techniques for evaluating the “sensitivity” or gain possible with resynthesis of a set of nodes. We conclude with experimental results and future directions.
The NLRP3 rs10754558 Polymorphism Is Associated with the Occurrence and Prognosis of Coronary Artery Disease in the Chinese Han Population

The objective of this study is to investigate the potential association of the NLRP3 rs10754558 and CARD8 rs2043211 polymorphisms with the occurrence and prognosis of CAD. Gene polymorphisms were analyzed using the ABI PRISM-Snapshot multiplex method in 515 CAD patients and 401 control subjects. The serum level of IL-1β was investigated by ELISA assays. The clinical endpoints were evaluated during a median follow-up period of 32 months. The NLRP3 rs10754558 gene polymorphism was significantly associated with the occurrence of CAD, while the CARD8 rs2043211 gene polymorphism was not involved. Patients carrying G allele of NLRP3 rs10754558 had more severe coronary artery stenosis. Multivariable analysis revealed a significant association of the G allele with major adverse cardiac event. The serum IL-1β concentrations in patients with GG genotype were significantly increased compared with those in the patients with CC genotype. Our findings for the first time show that the NLRP3 rs10754558 polymorphism is involved in the occurrence of CAD in the Chinese Han population; and G allele can effectively predict clinical outcome of CAD. The G allele susceptibility to CAD is maybe associated with the increased level of serum IL-1β.
The enjoyment of sanctioned aggression in rugby: The experience of a pioneering female Canadian team captain

The aim of the present qualitative case study was to examine the motivational experiences of a Canadian pioneering female rugby player with a particular focus on her insider experiences of sanctioned and unsanctioned aggression in rugby. Reversal theory was the theoretical framework that guided the study. A retrospective semi-structured interview was used. The findings indicated that her two primary motives for playing rugby were the enjoyment of physical contact (sanctioned aggression) and being a serious, physically fit, elite athlete playing rugby for the Canadian national team. In her interview statements, the participant recounted incidents where she was the recipient of illegal acts of unsanctioned aggression by opponents in international games. Also, as the perpetrator of two minor acts of unsanctioned anger aggression incited by opponents, the participant experienced unpleasant psychological responses. The results confirm the importance of sanctioned aggression in the motivation of a female rugby player and support reversal theory concepts and findings from previous research on different types of aggression in male team contact sports. As an important new case study, the findings add to the very limited previous published research on psychological aspects of women’s participation in rugby. The findings also have cautious relevance to understanding the role that physical contact and sanctioned play aggression may have in other women’s motivation for playing rugby. Suggestions are made for future qualitative research on aggression in women’s rugby with larger samples.
MiR-23a Facilitates the Replication of HSV-1 through the Suppression of Interferon Regulatory Factor 1

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression. It has been reported that miRNAs are involved in host-virus interaction, but evidence that cellular miRNAs promote virus replication has been limited. Here, we found that miR-23a promoted the replication of human herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in HeLa cells, as demonstrated by a plaque-formation assay and quantitative real-time PCR. Furthermore, interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1), an innate antiviral molecule, is targeted by miR-23a to facilitate viral replication. MiR-23a binds to the 3′UTR of IRF1 and down-regulates its expression. Suppression of IRF1 expression reduced RSAD2 gene expression, augmenting HSV-1 replication. Ectopic expression of IRF1 abrogated the promotion of HSV-1 replication induced by miR-23a. Notably, IRF1 contributes to innate antiviral immunity by binding to IRF-response elements to regulate the expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) and apoptosis, revealing a complex interaction between miR-23a and HSV-1. MiR-23a thus contributes to HSV-1 replication through the regulation of the IRF1-mediated antiviral signal pathway, which suggests that miR-23a may represent a promising target for antiviral treatments.
Chemokine stromal cell‐derived factor‐1 induction by C/EBPβ activation is associated with all‐trans‐retinoic acid‐induced leukemic cell differentiation

Stromal cell‐derived factor‐1 (SDF‐1/CXCL12) is one of the essential chemokines, which mediates hematopoietic differentiations. However, the mechanism by which SDF‐1 expression is regulated in granulocyte differentiation is poorly understood. Here, we suggest a novel mechanism by which all‐trans‐retinoic acid (ATRA) induces the expression of SDF‐1 during the differentiation of promyelomonocytic leukemic U937 cells. Moreover, we also demonstrate that activation of transcription factor C/EBPβ by ATRA regulates SDF‐1 expression in U937 cells. In addition, we show that the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitors p21WAF1/CIP1 and Pyk2 are up‐regulated by SDF‐1 and increased markedly by the costimulation of ATRA and SDF‐1. Furthermore, ATRA and SDF‐1α additively induce U937 cell differentiation. Indeed, silencing the expression of SDF‐1 inhibits ATRA‐induced granulocyte differentiation significantly. Taken together, these results indicate that SDF‐1α is involved in granulocyte differentiation in response to ATRA, mediated by the activation of the transcription factor C/EBPβ.