Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
American Journal of Epidemiology Original Contribution Prenatal Stress and Risk of Infectious Diseases in Offspring

Animal studies have suggested that prenatal stress could affect the immune system of the offspring. In a nationwide cohort of all Danish children born from 1977 to 2004, the authors examined the association between prenatal stress, defined as maternal exposure to a stressful life event during pregnancy or in the 3-year period before conception, and the risk of severe or less severe infectious disease hospitalization in childhood. Log-linear Poisson regression models provided estimates of rate ratios. Compared with nonexposed children, children exposed prenatally to stress had a 25% (rate ratio (RR) increased risk of being hospitalized with a severe or a less severe infectious disease, respectively. Children born to mothers exposed to a stressful life event during pregnancy, during the 11 months before, or during the 12–35 months before conception were at 71% risk of severe infectious disease hospitalization. No obvious association between risk of less severe infectious disease hospitalization and timing of maternal exposure was observed. Although the authors could not determine whether this is a biologic effect of prenatal stress or an effect of other factors related indirectly to a stressful life event, their results add new information about the consequences of prenatal stress. The psychological health of a pregnant woman may have severe consequences for the future life of the growing fetus (1). Several studies, of which the majority have taken important variables such as smoking and sociodemographic factors into consideration, have suggested an association between maternal exposure to stress during pregnancy or in the 6 months before conception and risk of preterm births (2, 3), reduced birth weight (4), congenital malforma-tions (5), and spontaneous abortions (6). In addition, the offspring of these women seem to be at an increased risk of developing both certain neurologic and psychiatric disorders such as cerebral palsy (7) and schizophrenia (8, 9) and minor mental disorders including behavioral, social, and emotional disturbances (10). Animal studies have furthermore suggested that prenatal stress also has an important impact on the immune system of the fetus (11, 12). Signs of altered immune functions such as decreased natural killer cell cytotoxicity (13, 14), impaired cytokine secretion (15), reduced proliferative lymphocytic activity (14, 15), and reduced numbers of white blood cells (12) have been observed among animals exposed prenatally to stress, effects which even appear to last beyond infancy (12, 15). The mechanism behind this immune-modulating effect of prenatal stress is unknown, but maternal stress hormones …
Sentiment Analysis: Beyond Polarity Thesis Proposal

Sentiment analysis has demonstrated that the computational recognition of emotional expression is possible. However, success has been limited to a number of coarse-grained approaches to human emotion that have treated the emotional connotations of text in a naive manner: as being either positive or negative. To overcome the problem, this research proposes that we use a ﬁne-grained category system that is representative of more granular emotions. This research will explore the integration of emotional models into machine learning techniques that will attempt to go beyond the current state of the art. The eﬀects of such a computational model of emotion
Coronary anomalies: incidence, pathophysiology, and clinical relevance.

Coronary artery anomalies are some of the most confusing, neglected topics in cardiology. Although the medical community and general public are increasingly aware that coronary anomalies can be fatal (typically in young, previously “healthy” athletes),1 the reasons for the sudden fatal event and the frequency with which it occurs are generally unclear. To promote a less casual approach to this subject, we review some basic, substantive, and methodological questions about coronary anomalies. According to the literature, coronary anomalies affect ≈1% of the general population; this percentage is derived from cineangiograms performed for suspected obstructive disease.2–4⇓⇓ Necropsies yield an even lower incidence: in 18 950 necropsies, Alexander and Griffith5 observed only 54 coronary anomalies (0.3%). Unfortunately, these studies are limited by entry biases and a lack of clear diagnostic criteria. Angelini and coworkers6 propose that, because of its substantial variability, normal and anomalous coronary anatomy should be characterized. Accordingly, an anomaly should be defined as any coronary pattern with a feature (number of ostia, proximal course, termination, etc) “rarely” encountered in the general population. By determining the incidence of anatomic variants in a large population, acceptable definitions of normal and anomalous anatomy could be established and the clinical importance of anomalous variants ascertained. Ideally, this effort would be overseen by an expert ad hoc committee and would generate a rational paradigm, perhaps along the lines of Table 1⇓. Previous authors have proposed a preemptive anatomo-clinical classification that considers anomalies as “major” or “minor” (ie, incapable of causing relevant clinical consequences)2,7–10⇓⇓⇓⇓; in view of our inadequate knowledge of the pathophysiology and clinical consequences of coronary anomalies, this scheme seems inappropriate.11 View this table: Table 1108690. Classification of Coronary Anomalies Observed in (Normal) Human Hearts View this table: Table 1A108690. (Continued) Additional studies examining the incidence of coronary …
Erk1/2 MAP kinases are required for epidermal G2/M progression

Erk1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are often hyperactivated in human cancers, where they affect multiple processes, including proliferation. However, the effects of Erk1/2 loss in normal epithelial tissue, the setting of most extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk)–associated neoplasms, are unknown. In epidermis, loss of Erk1 or Erk2 individually has no effect, whereas simultaneous Erk1/2 depletion inhibits cell division, demonstrating that these MAPKs are necessary for normal tissue self-renewal. Growth inhibition caused by Erk1/2 loss is rescued by reintroducing Erk2, but not by activating Erk effectors that promote G1 cell cycle progression. Unlike fibroblasts, in which Erk1/2 loss decreases cyclin D1 expression and induces G1/S arrest, Erk1/2 loss in epithelial cells reduces cyclin B1 and c-Fos expression and induces G2/M arrest while disrupting a gene regulatory network centered on cyclin B1–Cdc2. Thus, the cell cycle stages at which Erk1/2 activity is required vary by cell type, with Erk1/2 functioning in epithelial cells to enable progression through G2/M.
Cyclin E and CDK2 Repress the Terminal Differentiation of Quiescent Cells after Asymmetric Division in C. elegans

Coordination between cell proliferation and differentiation is important in normal development and oncogenesis. These processes usually have an antagonistic relationship, in that differentiation is blocked in proliferative cells, and terminally differentiated cells do not divide. In some instances, cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and their inhibitors (CKIs) play important roles in this antagonistic regulation. However, it is unknown whether CKIs and cyclin/CDKs regulate the uncommitted state in quiescent cells where CDK activities are likely to be low. Here, we show in C. elegans that cye-1/cyclin E and cdk-2/CDK2 repress terminal differentiation in quiescent cells. In cye-1 mutants and cdk-2(RNAi) animals, after asymmetric division, certain quiescent cells adopted their sister cells' phenotype and differentiated at some frequency. In contrast, in cki-1(RNAi) animals, these cells underwent extra divisions, while, in cki-1(RNAi); cdk-2(RNAi) or cki-1(RNAi); cye-1 animals, they remained quiescent or differentiated. Therefore, in wild-type animals, CKI-1/CKI in these cells maintained quiescence by inhibiting CYE-1/CDK-2, while sufficient CYE-1/CDK-2 remained to repress the terminal differentiation. The difference between sister cells is regulated by the Wnt/MAP kinase pathway, which causes asymmetric expression of CYE-1 and CKI-1. Our results suggest that the balance between the levels of CKI and cyclin E determines three distinct cell states: terminally differentiated, quiescent and uncommitted, and proliferating.
EFFECTS OF SPEAKING RATE AND WORD FREQUENCY ONCONVERSATIONAL PRONUNCIATIONSEric

The possible set of pronunciations in continuous speech corpora change dynamically with many factors. Two variables , speaking rate and word predictability, seemed to be promising candidates for integration into dynamic ASR pronunciation models; however, our initial eeorts to incorporate these factors into phone-level decision tree models met with limited success. In this paper, we connrm the intuition that these factors have an eeect on ASR systems, and analyze the relationship between these factors and pronunciations in order to shed light on why the decision trees models failed. We present a statistical exploration of the eeects of these factors at the word, syllable, and phone level in the Switchboard corpus. We show that both increased speaking rate and word likelihood can induce a signiicant shift in probabilities of the pronunciations of frequent words. Using these data, we hypothesize reasons for the diiculty in incorporating these dynamic measures into phone-level decision trees.
Automatic plaque characterization employing quantitative and multicontrast MRI

Multicontrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown promise in identifying and characterizing atherosclerotic plaques. One of the limitations of this technique is the lack of a practical automated plaque characterization scheme. In the current study, a prior‐information‐enhanced clustering (PIEC) technique that utilizes both multicontrast MR images and quantitative T2 maps is proposed to characterize atherosclerotic plaque components automatically. The PIEC algorithm was assessed on computationally simulated images and multicontrast MRI data of coronary arteries. Multicontrast (T1‐, T2‐, partial T2‐, and proton density‐weighted) MR images were acquired from freshly excised human coronary arteries using a 4.7T small‐animal scanner. The T2 distribution for each plaque constituent was measured by exponentially fitting the signal from multiple MR images with different TEs and the same TR. The calculated T2 distributions were used as the a priori information and combined with the Fuzzy C‐Means (FCM)‐based clustering algorithm to characterize plaque constituents. The proposed PIEC technique appears to be a promising algorithm for accurate automated plaque characterization. Magn Reson Med, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Introducing dramatic inquiry as visual art education

ABSTRACT This article defines dramatic inquiry, exploring its possible contributions to discourses on subjectivity, embodied pedagogy, and relational knowing in art education. As a communal, ensemble endeavor emerging from the discipline of drama education, dramatic inquiry offers strategies for enhancing arts education's critical inquiries by facilitating imaginative, transformative dialogues from within visual culture phenomena. Theoretical reflections on dramatic inquiry's origins and its potential educational value are accompanied by suggestions for teaching and learning practices that inspire “critical questions that envision alternative just futures” (Desai, 2009, p. 25) and imagine their fruition. Building on Heathcote's (1984) work in drama education and Edmiston's explicitly critical, socio-cultural orientation (Freire, 1970; hooks, 1994; Kumashiro & Ngo, 2007) we explore Edmiston's (2011) seven key dimensions of dramatic inquiry through their use in K–12 classrooms and their resonance with contemporary artists' and art educators' practices.
Proteins that contain a functional Z-DNA-binding domain localize to cytoplasmic stress granules

Long double-stranded RNA may undergo hyper-editing by adenosine deaminases that act on RNA (ADARs), where up to 50% of adenosine residues may be converted to inosine. However, although numerous RNAs may undergo hyper-editing, the role for inosine-containing hyper-edited double-stranded RNA in cells is poorly understood. Nevertheless, editing plays a critical role in mammalian cells, as highlighted by the analysis of ADAR-null mutants. In particular, the long form of ADAR1 (ADAR1p150) is essential for viability. Moreover, a number of studies have implicated ADAR1p150 in various stress pathways. We have previously shown that ADAR1p150 localized to cytoplasmic stress granules in HeLa cells following either oxidative or interferon-induced stress. Here, we show that the Z-DNA-binding domain (ZαADAR1) exclusively found in ADAR1p150 is required for its localization to stress granules. Moreover, we show that fusion of ZαADAR1 to either green fluorescent protein (GFP) or polypyrimidine binding protein 4 (PTB4) also results in their localization to stress granules. We additionally show that the Zα domain from other Z-DNA-binding proteins (ZBP1, E3L) is likewise sufficient for localization to stress granules. Finally, we show that Z-RNA or Z-DNA binding is important for stress granule localization. We have thus identified a novel role for Z-DNA-binding domains in mammalian cells.
Relationships between TGFβ Proteins and Oxygen Concentrations Inside the First Trimester Human Gestational Sac

In early pregnancy, the O2 gradient between the maternal circulation and the gestational sac tissues modulates trophoblast biological functions. The aim was to evaluate if placental partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) modulates in vivo synthesis of specific placental proteins inside the first trimester gestational sac. Matched samples of peripheral venous blood, blood from the placental bed (PB), coelomic fluid (CF) and placental tissue were obtained in 37 normal pregnancies at 6–12 weeks gestation. PaO2 was measured in PB and CF using an IRMA blood gas monitor. Inhibin A, activin A, sEng, PlGF, sFlt-1 and free VEGF concentrations were measured in all samples. HSP 70 was measured in placental extracts. ANOVA showed ∼60% increase in PB PaO2 (P = 0.02) between after 10 weeks gestation. Unpaired Student's T-test between two groups (6–9 weeks vs 9–12 weeks) shows a significant increase in MS Activin A (P = 0.001), CF activin A (P<0.001), MS P1GF (P = 0.001), CF PlGF (P<0.001), MS sFLT-1 (P = 0.03), CF sFLT-1 (P = 0.01), HSP 70 in placental extracts (P = 0.04) and a significant decrease in PB inhibin A levels (P<0.001) and PB sFLT-1 (P = 0.02) . Multiple correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between PB inhibin A levels and gestation (r = −0.45, P<0.05) and PB PaO2 (r = −0.5, P = 0.008) and also between sFLT-1 and PB PaO2 (P = 0.03). There was a positive correlation (P<0.01) between PlGF, sEng and VEGF levels in the placental extracts. Our results indicate a direct relationship in the early intrauterine PaO2 in vivo and inhibin A and sFLT-1 concentrations confirming our hypothesis that specific placental proteins are regulated by intrauterine O2 tension.
Quantitative analysis of the bidirectional fetomaternal transfer of nucleated cells and plasma DNA.

BACKGROUND Recently, much interest has been generated on the fetomaternal transfer of nucleated cells and plasma DNA. However, there has been no systematic quantitative comparison of these two directions and two modalities of trafficking within the same study population. METHODS The fetus-to-mother transfer of nucleated cells and plasma DNA in pregnant women carrying male babies was studied using a real-time quantitative PCR assay for the S:RY gene. For mother-to-fetus transfer, real-time quantitative PCR assays for the insertion/deletion polymorphisms involving the glutathione S:-transferase M1 and angiotensin-converting enzyme genes were used. RESULTS Of the 50 informative mother-baby pairs, maternal DNA was detected in the cellular fraction of umbilical cord blood in 24% of cases (12 of 50), at a median fractional concentration of 2.6 x 10(-4) (interquartile range, 1.7 x 10(-4) to 3.6 x 10(-4)). In the plasma fraction of cord blood, maternal DNA was detected in 30% (15 of 50) of cases at a median fractional concentration of 3 x 10(-3) (interquartile range, 1 x 10(-3) to 1.6 x 10(-2)). For the other direction of trafficking, fetus-to-mother transfer of nucleated cells was detected in 26% of cases (13 of 50) at a median fractional concentration of 3.2 x 10(-4) (interquartile range, 0.6 x 10(-4) to 7.6 x 10(-4)). In the plasma fraction, fetal DNA was detected in 100% of maternal plasma (50 of 50) at a median fractional concentration of 3 x 10(-2) (interquartile range, 1.4 x 10(-2) to 5. 3 x 10(-2)). CONCLUSIONS This study indicated that significantly more fetal DNA is present in the plasma of pregnant women compared with DNA from the cellular fraction of maternal blood. In addition, maternal DNA was demonstrated in both the cellular and plasma fractions of cord blood after delivery. This study has therefore determined the fundamental quantitative values for the bidirectional fetomaternal cellular and plasma DNA traffic.
Nonanticipative transmission for sources and channels with memory

In this paper we analyze nonanticipative (delayless) transmission of source symbols with memory over channels with memory (with and without feedback). We employ duality of {source, channel} pairs with respect to {distortion function, transmission cost} pairs to show achievability of nonanticipative transmission in terms of excess distortion probability. We apply the method to the Binary Markov source with Hamming distortion function and the Binary Unit Memory channel with transmission cost, with the joint-design operating optimally and in real-time, with and without feedback encoding and decoding.
ONSIDE: Socially-aware and Interest-based dissemination in opportunistic networks

Data dissemination in opportunistic networks poses a series of challenges, since there is no central entity aware of all the nodes' subscriptions. Each individual node is only aware of its own interests and those of a node that it is contact with, if any. Thus, dissemination is generally performed using epidemic algorithms that flood the network, but they have the disadvantage that the network overhead and congestion are very high. In this paper, we propose ONSIDE, an algorithm that leverages a node's online social connections (i.e. friends on social networks such as Facebook or Google+), its interests and the history of contacts, in order to decrease congestion and required bandwidth, while not affecting the overall network's hit rate and the delivery latency. We present the results of testing our algorithm using an opportunistic network emulator and three mobility traces taken in different environments.
Similar advisers are more persuasive when advice-takers rely on their feelings

We propose that an advice-taker’s perceived similarity with an adviser creates a momentary subjective “feels right” experience towards the advice. The advice-taker incorporates this feeling, as information, into a judgment about topics of advice. Thus, persuasiveness of the advice is increased. Across six studies, we show that reliance on feelings moderates the effect of perceived similarity on advice persuasiveness. A similar adviser is more persuasive when advice-takers are instructed to use their feelings (vs. logic), when they have experiential (vs. functional) motives, when they are making a decision for near future (vs. distant future), when they see the topic of the advice as being more (vs. less) within reach, and when their cognitive resources are limited (vs. not limited). Moreover, we show that participants’ self-reported “feels right” experience while receiving the advice mediates this moderation.
An efficient algorithm for finding dominant trapping sets of irregular LDPC codes

This paper presents an efficient algorithm for finding the dominant trapping sets of irregular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. The algorithm can be used to estimate the error floor of irregular LDPC codes or to be part of the apparatus to design irregular LDPC codes with low error floors. The algorithm is initiated with a set of short cycles, variable nodes with low degree, and cycles with low approximate cycle extrinsic message degree (ACE), as the input. The input structures are then expanded recursively to dominant trapping sets of increasing size. The algorithm is devised based on the careful inspection of the graphical structure of dominant trapping sets and the relationship of such structures to short cycles, low-degree variable nodes and cycles with low ACE. In particular, the important role of degree-2 variable nodes in the structure of dominant trapping sets is discussed. Simulation results on several LDPC codes demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed algorithm. In particular, the algorithm is significantly faster than the existing search algorithms for dominant trapping sets.
Effective coastal boundary conditions for tsunami wave run-up over sloping bathymetry

An effective boundary condition (EBC) is introduced as a novel technique for predicting tsunami wave run-up along the coast, and offshore wave reflections. Numerical modeling of tsunami propagation in the coastal zone has been a daunting task, since high accuracy is needed to capture aspects of wave propagation in the shallower areas. For example, there are complicated interactions between incoming and reflected waves due to the bathymetry and intrinsically nonlinear phenomena of wave propagation. If a fixed wall boundary condition is used at a certain shallow depth contour, the reflection properties can be unrealistic. To alleviate this, we explore a so-called effective boundary condition, developed here in one spatial dimension. From the deep ocean to a seaward boundary, i.e., in the simulation area, we model wave propagation numerically over real bathymetry using either the linear dispersive variational Boussinesq or the shallow water equations. We measure the incoming wave at this seaward boundary, and model the wave dynamics towards the shoreline analytically, based on nonlinear shallow water theory over bathymetry with a constant slope. We calculate the run-up heights at the shore and the reflection caused by the slope. The reflected wave is then influxed back into the simulation area using the EBC. The coupling between the numerical and analytic dynamics in the two areas is handled using variational principles, which leads to (approximate) conservation of the overall energy in both areas. We verify our approach in a series of numerical test cases of increasing complexity, including a case akin to tsunami propagation to the coastline at Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia.
Effects of a High-cholesterol Diet on Cell Behavior in Rat Periodontitis

Studies have shown an association between periodontitis and serum cholesterol levels. We hypothesized that high dietary cholesterol could influence periodontitis as a result of proliferation of the junctional epithelium. Rats were divided into 4 groups. Two groups were fed a regular diet, and 2 groups were fed a high-cholesterol diet. One of each dietary group was treated with periodontitis-inducing agents (lipopolysaccharide and proteases), while the other was treated with pyrogen-free water. Feeding rats with a high-cholesterol diet induced an increase in blood total cholesterol and a decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Proliferation of the junctional epithelium with increasing bone resorption was promoted by the consumption of a high-cholesterol diet. High dietary cholesterol further increased the cell-proliferative activity of the junctional epithelium induced by lipopolysaccharide and proteases. These results suggest that high dietary cholesterol can initiate and augment periodontitis in the rat periodontitis model.