Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation of types of food and asthma diagnosis in childhood: A case–control study

ABSTRACT Objective: Studies concerning asthma in Lebanon investigated environmental and personal factors but none of them took into account the effect of nutritional habits. Our objective is to assess the effect of nutritional habits on asthma and allergies in Lebanese children aged 3–16 years old. Methods: This is a case–control study, conducted between December 2015 and April 2016. The Food Frequency Questionnaire was composed of 16 semi-quantitative questions covering different food categories. Results: This study included 1,276 children (976 healthy and 300 asthmatic children). Eating dairy products less than twice a week, 3–6 times per week and daily were significantly and inversely associated with asthma, as compared to never eating dairy products (p = 0.02, ORa = 0.285, CI 0.099–0.821; p < 0.001, ORa = 0.140, CI 0.052–0.378 and p < 0.001, ORa = 0.161, CI 0.061–0.422), whereas eating red meat daily compared to never was associated with asthma significantly (p = 0.037, ORa = 2.051, CI 1.046–4.024). Eating nuts less than twice weekly as compared to never was significantly and inversely associated with asthma (p = 0.035, ORa = 0.597, CI 0.369–0.965). The age categories 7–10 and 11–13 years were significantly associated with asthma as compared to the 3–6 years category (p < 0.001, ORa = 3.359, CI 1.869–6.038 and p = 0.008, ORa = 2.191, CI 1.228–3.909, respectively), while male gender was significantly more prone to asthma (p = 0.014, ORa = 0.686, CI 0.507–0.926). Conclusions: Knowing the correlation between nutritional habits and asthma is important to promote healthy eating. Educational programs for parents about healthy food and breastfeeding encouragement is warranted.
Transplantation for lung cancer

Purpose of reviewRecent advances have led to improved outcomes in lung transplantation. The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Registry data have shown a steady increase in the number of cases performed annually. Although somewhat controversial, lung transplantation (LTx) for lung cancer has also slowly increased. The current role of LTx for malignant diseases and the management challenge of incidental lung cancer in the explanted lungs are reviewed herein. Recent findingsFor a few particular scenarios (advanced multifocal bronchioloalveolar carcinoma causing chronic respiratory failure, end-stage lung disease concomitant with early stage lung cancer, and metastatic disease restricted to the lungs with the primary site controlled) in which nonsurgical alternatives fail to provide adequate palliation, LTx may be considered. Nevertheless, in order to achieve acceptable results, careful patient selection and staging are paramount. In patients with incidental bronchogenic carcinoma in the explanted lung following transplantation, the prognosis is mainly driven by the malignancy stage. SummaryLTx can be performed to treat malignant diseases with results approaching those for nonneoplastic indications, given that patients are carefully selected and staged. Although they have not been widely applied in the reported lung transplant literature, modalities such as endobronchial ultrasound and positron emission tomography scan are strongly encouraged and have the potential to further refine staging in this population.
Structure of the mitochondrial ATP synthase by electron cryomicroscopy

We have determined the structure of intact ATP synthase from bovine heart mitochondria by electron cryomicroscopy of single particles. Docking of an atomic model of the F1‐c10 subcomplex into a major segment of the map has allowed the 32 Å resolution density to be interpreted as the F1‐ATPase, a central and a peripheral stalk and an FO membrane region that is composed of two domains. One domain of FO corresponds to the ring of c‐subunits, and the other probably contains the a‐subunit, the transmembrane portion of the b‐subunit and the remaining integral membrane proteins of FO. The peripheral stalk wraps around the molecule and connects the apex of F1 to the second domain of FO. The interaction of the peripheral stalk with F1‐c10 implies that it binds to a non‐catalytic α–β interface in F1 and its inclination where it is not attached to F1 suggests that it has a flexible region that can serve as a stator during both ATP synthesis and ATP hydrolysis.
Traversability Assessment of Terrain for Autonomous Robot Navigation

Autonomous robot navigation with the capability to perceive the surrounding environment of the robot enhances the efficiency and safety of the robot. A technique for terrain classification for traversability assessment of mobile robot navigating in natural terrain by extracting the textural features from visual sensing of terrain data using co-occurrence matrix is presented in this paper. The algorithm uses crisp rule based (CRB) classifier to detect the navigable terrain thereby planning the optimum path for the robot.
Hamiltonian relativistic two-body problem: center of mass and orbit reconstruction

After a short review of the history and problems of relativistic Hamiltonian mechanics with action-at-a-distance inter-particle potentials, we study isolated two-body systems in the rest-frame instant form of dynamics. We give explicit expressions of the relevant relativistic notions of center of mass, we determine the generators of the Poincare' group in presence of interactions and we show how to do the reconstruction of particles' orbits from the relative motion and the canonical non-covariant center of mass. In the case of a simple Coulomb-like potential model, it is possible to integrate explicitly the relative motion and show the two dynamical trajectories.
Raising HDL cholesterol without inducing hepatic steatosis and hypertriglyceridemia by a selective LXR modulator Published, JLR Papers in Press, June 1, 2004. DOI 10.1194/jlr.M300450-JLR200

Liver X receptors (LXRs) are ligand-activated transcription factors that belong to the nuclear receptor superfamily. LXRs activate transcription of a spectrum of genes that regulate reverse cholesterol transport, including the ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), and raise HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. However, LXR agonists also induce genes that stimulate lipogenesis, including the sterol response element binding protein (SREBP1-c) and fatty acid synthetase (FAS). The induction of these genes in the liver cause increased hepatic triglyceride synthesis, hypertriglyceridemia, and hepatic steatosis. As LXR response elements have been identified in these promoters, it is not clear if these two processes can be separated. Herein, we demonstrate that plasma HDL-C elevation and intestinal ABCA1 induction can occur with relatively little induction of FAS and SREBP1-c in mouse liver via a selective LXR modulator GW3965. This is in contrast to the strong induction of hepatic lipogenic genes by the well-characterized LXR agonist T0901317 (T317). Consistent with the in vivo results, GW3965 is a very weak LXR activator compared with T317 in human hepatoma cells. GW3965-liganded LXR recruits selected coactivators less effectively than T317 and may explain in part the tissue selective gene induction. This demonstration that tissue and gene selective modulation is possible with selective LXR modulators has positive implications for the development of this class of antiatherosclerotic agents.
A Quantitative Model for Information-Security Risk Management

Abstract: Information-security risk management is becoming an increasingly important process in modern businesses. The proposed model for managing information-security risks is based on a quantitative analysis of the security risks that enable organizations to introduce optimum security solutions. The model is designed as a standard procedure to lead the organization from the initial selection of input data to the final recommendations for the selection of the appropriate solutions, which reduces a certain security risk. In analyzing the security risks, the model quantitatively evaluates the information assets, their vulnerability, and the threats to information assets. The values of the risk parameters are the basis for selecting the appropriate risk treatment and the evaluation of the various security measures that reduce security risks. Economic indicators are determined for each security measure in order to enable a comparison of the various security measures. This includes the possibility of investing in technology-security solutions, the introduction of organizational procedures, and the training and transfer of risk to an outsourcing provider or to an insurance agency. The model was tested using empirical examples with data from a real business environment.
Languages for relational databases over interpreted structures

We rework parts of the classical relational theory when the underlying domain is a structure with some interpreted operations that can be used in queries. We identify parts of the classical theory that go through ‘as before’ when interpreted structure is present, parts that go through only for classes of nicely-behaved structures, and parts that only arise in the interpreted case. The first category includes a number of results on equivalence of query languages, as well as expressive power characterizations for the active-domain semantics for a variety of logics. The second category includes most of our results on the natural semantics, including results on cases where the natural semantics collapses to the active semantics. While these collapse results have been proved by nonconstructive means for first-order logic in previous work, we here give a set of algorithms for eliminating unbounded quantifications in favor of bounded ones. Furthermore, we show these results for a new class of higher-order logics that mix unbounded and bounded quantification. We give a set of normal forms for these lo&s, under special conditions on the interpreted structures. As a by-product, we obtain an elementary proof of the fact that parity test is not definable in the relational calculus with polynomial inequality constraints.
Contingent Negative Variation to Emotional In- and Out-Group Stimuli Differentiates High- and Low-Prejudiced Individuals

Low- and high-prejudiced individuals exhibited differential cortical and behavioral responses to the pending and actual evaluation of emotional in- and out-group faces. Participants viewed warning stimuli indicating the subsequent presentation of an angry or happy African-American or Caucasian face. Upon presentation of the face, participants judged whether they would enjoy working with the individual. The contingent negative variation (CNV) component of the event-related potential in response to the pending presentation of in- and out-group emotional stimuli distinguished low- from high-prejudiced individuals. Specifically, low-prejudiced individuals showed greater early CNV in anticipation of angry African-American targets, and increased reaction time to evaluating these faces. High-prejudiced individuals showed decreased early CNV in anticipation of angry African-American faces, accompanied by decreased response latencies, and enhanced CNV in anticipation of happy Caucasian faces. Notably, no group differences emerged in either the pending or actual evaluation of happy out-group faces. The data are discussed with regard to implications for understanding the nature of prejudice, and underscore both the importance of emotional expression on how a target is appraised and also the utility of using converging measures to clarify processes that may contribute to social behavior.
Negative association between chitinase 3-Like-1 C-131 G polymorphism and asthma-from a meta-analysis

The CHI3L1 gene has been widely regarded as a genetic candidate for asthma. Since the identification of functional polymorphism, CHI3L1 gene -131C/G (rs4950928), numbers of studies have been performed to estimate the relationship between it and asthma, but the results remain inconclusive. The present meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the real association of CHI3L1 C-131G polymorphism on risk of asthma on 3,777 asthma cases and 7,844 controls from 10 published studies by searching PubMed, EMBASE and CNKI databases and reference lists of relevant articles. A random-effects or fixed-effects model was used to estimate the overall and stratification effect sizes on CHI3L1 C-131G polymorphism on the risk of asthma as appropriate. However, we failed to find any significant association between the CHI3L1 C-131G polymorphism and the risk of asthma for different genetic models (recessive model: OR=1.18, 95% CI: 0.91-1.53 and dominant model: OR=0.94, 95% CI: 0.72-1.21, respectively). In stratified analysis by ethnicity and age, we still did not detect any significant associations in different subgroup for all genetic models. Our study suggested that the CHI3L1 C-131G polymorphism alone may not contribute to asthma development of asthma risk.
Improved Glycemic Control After Supervised 8-wk Exercise Program in Insulin-Dependent Diabetic Adolescents

Eight insulin-dependent adolescents (4 boys, 4 girls) participated in an 8-wk program of supervised exercise, and 8 matched controls were encouraged to exercise on their own without supervision. All 16 subjects were asked to follow a standard ADA diet plan, kept a self-reported log of caloric intake, and met with a dietitian weekly to review their diets. Exercise for the supervised subjects was scheduled between the routine afternoon snack and the evening meal, and subjects were asked not to consume additional food on exercise days. After the 8-wk program, glycemic control, as measured by glycosylated serum albumin and blood glucose values (but not by glycosylated hemoglobin), improved in the supervised- exercise group despite reduced daily insulin dosage. Cardiorespiratory fitness, as measured by voluntary maximum treadmill time (Bruce protocol) and submaximal exercise heart rates, also improved. No changes were observed in the unsupervised control group.
Graphs without repeated cycle lengths

In 1975, P. Erd\"{o}s proposed the problem of determining the maximum number $f(n)$ of edges in a graph of $n$ vertices in which any two cycles are of different lengths. In this paper, it is proved that $$f(n)\geq n+36t$$ for $t=1260r+169 (r\geq 1)$ and $n \geq 540t^{2}+{175811/2}t+{7989/2}$. Consequently, $\liminf\sb {n \to \infty} {f(n)-n \over \sqrt n} \geq \sqrt {2 + {2 \over 5}}. $ We make the following conjecture: \par \bigskip \noindent{\bf Conjecture. } $$\lim_{n \to \infty} {f(n)-n\over \sqrt n}=\sqrt {2.4}. $$
Zonotope Hit-and-run for Efficient Sampling from Projection DPPs

Determinantal point processes (DPPs) are distributions over sets of items that model diversity using kernels. Their applications in machine learning include summary extraction and recommendation systems. Yet, the cost of sampling from a DPP is prohibitive in large-scale applications, which has triggered an effort towards efficient approximate samplers. We build a novel MCMC sampler that combines ideas from combinatorial geometry, linear programming, and Monte Carlo methods to sample from DPPs with a fixed sample cardinality, also called projection DPPs. Our sampler leverages the ability of the hit-and-run MCMC kernel to efficiently move across convex bodies. Previous theoretical results yield a fast mixing time of our chain when targeting a distribution that is close to a projection DPP, but not a DPP in general. Our empirical results demonstrate that this extends to sampling projection DPPs, i.e., our sampler is more sample-efficient than previous approaches which in turn translates to faster convergence when dealing with costly-to-evaluate functions, such as summary extraction in our experiments.
Expression of Activated PIK3CA in Ovarian Surface Epithelium Results in Hyperplasia but Not Tumor Formation

Background The Phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase is a key regulator in various cancer-associated signal transduction pathways. Genetic alterations of its catalytic subunit alpha, PIK3CA, have been identified in ovarian cancer. Our in vivo data suggests that PIK3CA activation is one of the early genetic events in ovarian cancer. However, its role in malignant transformation of ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) is largely unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings Using the Müllerian inhibiting substance type II receptor (MISIIR) promoter, we generated transgenic mice that expressed activated PIK3CA in the Müllerian epithelium. Overexpression of PIK3CA in OSE induced remarkable hyperplasia, but was not able to malignantly transform OSE in vivo. The consistent result was also observed in primary cultured OSEs. Although enforced expression of PIK3CA could not induce OSE anchorage-independent growth, it significantly increased anchorage-independent growth of OSE transformed by mutant K-ras. Conclusions/Significance While PIK3CA activation may not be able to initiate OSE transformation, we conclude that activation of PIK3CA may be an important molecular event contributing to the maintenance of OSE transformation initiated by oncogenes such as K-ras.
Microstructure and mechanical properties of novel ternary electroconductive ceramics

Electroconductive ceramic composites, constituted of an insulating matrix (a composite AlN-SiC) containing 30 vol% of an electroconductive phase (MoSi_2, ZrB_2, or ZrC), were densified through hot-pressing. Microstructure and mechanical properties were compared to those of the AlN-SiC matrix material. All the ternary composites are good electrical conductors, with resistivities in the range 0.3 × 10^−3 to 4 × 10^−3 Ω·cm. Room temperature properties are improved by the addition of the electroconductive particles. Strength and toughness measurements at high temperature show that MoSi_2-containing composite is stable up to 1300 °C (strength 611 MPa, toughness 3.7 MPa⊙m^1/2), whereas ZrB_2-containing composite is stable up to 1000 °C. ZrC-containing composite is not suitable for high-temperature applications due to poor oxidation resistance.
UNDERSTANDING THE PERFORMANCE OF POLYMER MODIFIED BINDERS

An investigation of the performance of asphalt binders of identical grade but varied chemistries was conducted to determine if binder performance is captured by the Superpave binder specification. The emphasis of this effort was on polymer modification of asphalt binders and their type and mode of incorporation. A single crude was used in the production of nine modified binders that included air blowing, chemical modification (e.g., polymer grafting), and polymer blending. Both plastomeric and elastomeric polymers were evaluated in this study. The materials selected represented a divergent group of modifiers that have been placed in pavements. The initial target grade was a PG 76-28. The modified asphalts came within 1 degree C of the high temperature target and 2 degrees C of the low temperature target. Continuous grading specification values were determined on all the materials in addition to generating rheological mastercurves, and Black Diagrams. The rut resistance of mixes containing these binders was tested using the French Pavement Rut Tester at 70 degrees C and Superpave Shear Tester (SST) at 50 and 70 degrees C. Fatigue testing was conducted using the Four Point Bending Beam Test at 19 degrees C and 500 and 1000 microstrains. Moisture sensitivity of the mixes was evaluated using the Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device at 58 degrees C. The relationships between binder characteristics and mix results were evaluated. The performance of these systems with respect to fatigue and moisture sensitivity is markedly different, whereas the rutting and low temperature cracking tendencies were quite similar. Validation of these results is currently being conducted on pavements incorporating a number of these modified binders at our Accelerated Loading Facility. For the covering abstract see ITRD E121480.
Structural and Rheological Properties as a Function of Mixing Energy for Polymer/Layered Silicate Nanocomposites

Abstract Polyamide/organoclay nanocomposites have been prepared via direct melt intercalation in an internal mixer at 2.5% volume fraction, under various processing conditions. The influence of the melt mixing conditions on the structure and on the oscillatory and steady shear rheological properties of PA-12 layered silicate nanocomposites has been studied. Both structural properties and melt state material properties of nanocomposites were shown to exhibit similar trends when studied as a function of the specific mixing energy. Low frequency storage and loss moduli, but also yield stress and low-shear first normal stress difference were shown to increase up to a critical value of this specific mixing energy, and to level off above this value.
Sodium Pumps Mediate Activity-Dependent Changes in Mammalian Motor Networks

Ubiquitously expressed sodium pumps are best known for maintaining the ionic gradients and resting membrane potential required for generating action potentials. However, activity- and state-dependent changes in pump activity can also influence neuronal firing and regulate rhythmic network output. Here we demonstrate that changes in sodium pump activity regulate locomotor networks in the spinal cord of neonatal mice. The sodium pump inhibitor, ouabain, increased the frequency and decreased the amplitude of drug-induced locomotor bursting, effects that were dependent on the presence of the neuromodulator dopamine. Conversely, activating the pump with the sodium ionophore monensin decreased burst frequency. When more “natural” locomotor output was evoked using dorsal-root stimulation, ouabain increased burst frequency and extended locomotor episode duration, whereas monensin slowed and shortened episodes. Decreasing the time between dorsal-root stimulation, and therefore interepisode interval, also shortened and slowed activity, suggesting that pump activity encodes information about past network output and contributes to feedforward control of subsequent locomotor bouts. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from spinal motoneurons and interneurons, we describe a long-duration (∼60 s), activity-dependent, TTX- and ouabain-sensitive, hyperpolarization (∼5 mV), which is mediated by spike-dependent increases in pump activity. The duration of this dynamic pump potential is enhanced by dopamine. Our results therefore reveal sodium pumps as dynamic regulators of mammalian spinal motor networks that can also be affected by neuromodulatory systems. Given the involvement of sodium pumps in movement disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and rapid-onset dystonia parkinsonism, knowledge of their contribution to motor network regulation also has considerable clinical importance. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The sodium pump is ubiquitously expressed and responsible for at least half of total brain energy consumption. The pumps maintain ionic gradients and the resting membrane potential of neurons, but increasing evidence suggests that activity- and state-dependent changes in pump activity also influence neuronal firing. Here we demonstrate that changes in sodium pump activity regulate locomotor output in the spinal cord of neonatal mice. We describe a sodium pump-mediated afterhyperpolarization in spinal neurons, mediated by spike-dependent increases in pump activity, which is affected by dopamine. Understanding how sodium pumps contribute to network regulation and are targeted by neuromodulators, including dopamine, has clinical relevance due to the role of the sodium pump in diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, parkinsonism, epilepsy, and hemiplegic migraine.