Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of IDO, IL‐10, and TGF‐β in the HCV‐associated chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma

Indoleamine‐2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO) is an enzyme that catalyzes tryptophan to kynurenine and studies have revealed that IDO play a vital role in regulation of liver immunity and inflammation activities. This study investigated the association between plasma IDO and disease severity and the possible marker role of IDO in the inflammatory process of hepatitis C. In this study, 80 individuals with HCV infection were retrospectively selected. Plasma levels of IDO, IL‐10, and TGF‐β were assayed by ELISA. Clinical characteristics of patients, including the levels of ALT, AST, and total bilirubin (TBil) were collected from clinical databases. HCV‐related liver cirrhosis (HC‐Cirr) and HCV‐related Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCV‐HCC) had significantly high plasma levels of IDO compared to other patient groups and healthy controls. Plasma IL‐10 level were significantly greater in all chronic liver disease groups and with respect to TGF‐β, the level was high in all the selected patients with HCV infection compare with controls. Moreover, HCV‐HCC patients showed highest values for both IL‐10 and TGF‐β, with significant difference compared with other groups. In addition, plasma IDO was positively correlated with TGF‐β among all patients with HCV infection (r = 0.4509, P < 0.0001), with IL‐10 in CHC patients (r = 0.4787, P = 0.0047), with TBil in HCV‐Cirr patients (r = 0.4671; P = 0.0093). High level of IDO and TGF‐β is associated with hepatocyte necrosis and intrahepatic inflammation, and may be used as an index of disease progression for patients with chronic HCV infection.
Broadband Reflective Optical Limiter Using GST Phase Change Material

We experimentally demonstrate a thermally induced reflective optical limiter using Ge<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_2$</tex-math></inline-formula>Sb<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_2$</tex-math> </inline-formula>Te<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_5$</tex-math></inline-formula> (GST) and SiO <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_2$</tex-math></inline-formula> in a multilayer photonic bandgap edge-filter configuration. In the PASS state, greater than 80% transmission was achieved at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda \sim 1500$</tex-math></inline-formula> nm over a 300 nm spectral bandwidth and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\pm 45^{\circ }$</tex-math></inline-formula> angles of incidence. In the BLOCK state, extinction ratios higher than 30 dB were achieved. By comparison, all previous optical limiters based on nonlinear photonic crystals have severe spectral bandwidth and/or angle of incidence limitations in either the PASS or BLOCK states. A nine-layer implementation of this device was fabricated and tested in this paper. Numerical modeling results show reasonable agreement with measured values. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of optical limiting over a broad spectral band using phase change materials with this level of performance. However, it should be noted that although GST can be switched in both directions, the experimental results demonstrated in this paper are limited to PASS-to-BLOCK switching only.
Personal technique for definite repair of complete unilateral cleft lip: modified Millard technique

Background Millard’s rotation-advancement repair, which is used by many surgeons, can make a natural philtral column, but most surgeons use a modification of the rotation-advancement flap. The purpose of this article is to introduce a modification utilized by the authors and to provide detailed surgical procedure. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 82 patients’ medical records and presented surgical technique and outcomes. The main features of the authors’ strategy are emphasizing horizontal length of the lip, orbicularis oris muscle duplication for improving the definition of the philtral column, overcorrection of domal portion than the non-cleft side in order to compensate for the recurrence during growth. Two judges rated two times the appearance of the patients’ nose and lip using Asher-McDade aesthetic index. Intra- and interobserver reliabilities were determined using Cohen’s kappa statistics. Results All patients recovered eventually after surgery; however, two patients have a minor complications (wound infection in one patient, wound disruption due to trauma in the other patient). The improvement of the aesthetic results can be achieved with this modified Millard technique. Total mean scores of the Asher-McDade index was 2.08, fair to good appearance. The intraobserver reliabilities were substantial to almost perfect agreement and the interobserver reliabilities were moderate to almost perfect agreement. Conclusion We modified Millard method for repair of complete unilateral cleft lip. The surgical outcomes were favorable in long-term follow-up. We hope our technique will serve as a guide for those new to the procedure.
Climatic Control of the High-Latitude Vegetation Greening Trend and Pinatubo Effect

A biogeochemical model of vegetation using observed climate data predicts the high northern latitude greening trend over the past two decades observed by satellites and a marked setback in this trend after the Mount Pinatubo volcano eruption in 1991. The observed trend toward earlier spring budburst and increased maximum leaf area is produced by the model as a consequence of biogeochemical vegetation responses mainly to changes in temperature. The post-Pinatubo decline in vegetation in 1992–1993 is apparent as the effect of temporary cooling caused by the eruption. High-latitude CO2 uptake during these years is predicted as a consequence of the differential response of heterotrophic respiration and net primary production.
A 0.6 V 10 bit 120 kS/s SAR ADC for implantable multichannel neural recording

A 10 bit fully-differential SAR ADC with multiple input channels is proposed for neural recording implants. The proposed SAR ADC incorporates both energy-efficient switching scheme and low power supply, leveraging on each other's strength to achieve low power consumption. Designed with 0.18 μm CMOS process, the 10 bit SAR ADC can operate at scalable sampling rate under 0.6 V power supply. Including an optimized analog multiplexer, this proposed ADC consumes 0.5 μW at a sampling rate of 120 kS/s and achieves the ENOB of 9.51, which is equivalent to a figure of merit of 7.03 fJ/Conversion step. The active area of this ADC is 386 μm × 345 μm.
Of Information Systems School of Information Systems 2-2018 A Metrics Suite of Cloud Computing Adoption Readiness

Recent research on cloud computing adoption suggests the lack of a deep understanding of its benefits by managers and organizations. We present a firm-level cloud computing readiness metrics suite and assess its applicability for various cloud computing service types. We propose four relevant categories for firm-level adoption readiness, including technology and performance, organization and strategy, economic and valuation, and regulatory and environmental dimensions. We further define sub-categories and measures for each. Our evidence of the appropriateness of the metrics suite is derived based on a series of empirical cases developed from our project work, which encompasses input from field interviews, business press sources, industry white papers, nongovernmental organizations, and government agency sources. We also assess how the application of the metrics suite supports organizational users of cloud computing.
ERK-MAPK Signaling Opposes Rho-Kinase to Reduce Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis in Heart Ischemic Preconditioning

We and others have reported that Rho-kinase plays an important role in the pathogenesis of heart ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Studies have also demonstrated that the activation of Rho-kinase is reversed in ischemic preconditioning (IPC). However, the mechanisms by which Rho-kinase is increased in I/R and reversed in IPC are not thoroughly understood. In female Wistar rats, we created I/R by ligating the left anterior-descending branch of the coronary artery (LAD) for 30 min and releasing the ligature for 180 min. IPC rats underwent IPC (two cycles of 5-min ligation of the LAD and 5-min reflow) before I/R. IPC caused a significant increase in extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 activity and reduced Rho-kinase activity and cardiomyocyte apoptosis (P < 0.05 versus I/R). Administration of PD98059, an inhibitor of ERK-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis, Caspase-3 activity and myocardial infarction size (P < 0.05 versus IPC). Western-blot analysis showed that administration of PD98059 increased Rho-kinase activity. Treatment with fasudil, an inhibitor of Rho-kinase, reversed cell apoptosis caused by treatment with PD98059 in IPC. In addition, ROCK1 (Rho-kinase 1) may be the major Rho-kinase isoform that is opposed by ERK-MAPK signaling in IPC. These results indicate that ERK-MAPK signaling is required in IPC to oppose Rho-kinase activity in cardiomyocyte apoptosis in vivo.
Particle Swarm Optimization and Uncertainty Assessment in Inverse Problems

Most inverse problems in the industry (and particularly in geophysical exploration) are highly underdetermined because the number of model parameters too high to achieve accurate data predictions and because the sampling of the data space is scarce and incomplete; it is always affected by different kinds of noise. Additionally, the physics of the forward problem is a simplification of the reality. All these facts result in that the inverse problem solution is not unique; that is, there are different inverse solutions (called equivalent), compatible with the prior information that fits the observed data within similar error bounds. In the case of nonlinear inverse problems, these equivalent models are located in disconnected flat curvilinear valleys of the cost-function topography. The uncertainty analysis consists of obtaining a representation of this complex topography via different sampling methodologies. In this paper, we focus on the use of a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to sample the region of equivalence in nonlinear inverse problems. Although this methodology has a general purpose, we show its application for the uncertainty assessment of the solution of a geophysical problem concerning gravity inversion in sedimentary basins, showing that it is possible to efficiently perform this task in a sampling-while-optimizing mode. Particularly, we explain how to use and analyze the geophysical models sampled by exploratory PSO family members to infer different descriptors of nonlinear uncertainty.
A comparative adsorption for the removal of p-cresol from aqueous solution onto granular activated charcoal and granular activated alumina

this study, the adsorption of p-cresol onto granular activated alumina (AA) was investigated in batch mode and the obtained results were compared to granular activated charcoal (AC). Experiments were carried out as a function of pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, initial concentration, temperature and ionic strength. The experimental results indicate that, the adsorption yield increases with an increase in the adsorbent dosage. Results from the effect of pH indicate that p-cresol is preferentially adsorbed from its neutral form. Kinetics data were properly fitted with the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The adsorption yield decreases with an increase in solution temperature. The addition of NaNO3 decreases distinctly the adsorption of p-cresol by the two adsorbents. The equilibrium uptake was increased with an increase in the initial concentration in solution. The equilibrium data fitted well to the Langmuir model with a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 55.80 and 56.61 mg/g, respectively for granular activated alumina and granular activated charcoal.
Selected Major Issues in Vaccine Safety

Recent examples of the major public health benefits of vaccination include global reductions in measles mortality and record low levels of vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States. Nevertheless, real or perceived vaccine safety issues may adversely impact vaccine programs. Robust post-licensure safety monitoring which combines active and passive surveillance with use of standardized case definitions for adverse events is the scientific basis for assessing safety concerns. Emerging aspects of vaccine safety science include clinical research networks and vaccine risk communication research. Current high-profile safety issues include the introduction of 2 second-generation rotavirus vaccines, for which close monitoring of intussusception is necessary. To date, data from the US do not indicate an elevated risk associated with the licensed Merck vaccine (Rotateq®). An issue of global interest is the use of thimerosal as a preservative in multi-dose vaccine vials. Comprehensive independent reviews as well as recently published research have reaffirmed the lack of association between thimerosal and neuro-developmental disorders, including autism. Expanded use of annual influenza vaccine and pandemic planning in the developed or developing world should include plans for safety monitoring. As the number of newly licensed vaccines increases, potentially preventable vaccine administration errors and post-vaccination events such as syncope are being increasingly recognized. Primary care clinicians and others involved in giving vaccines should follow proper vaccine storage, handling and administration procedures and should participate in adverse event following immunization (AEFI) reporting systems. The Brighton Collaboration provides another outlet, which interested clinicians and researchers can participate in, increasing the global vaccine safety knowledge base. Increased knowledge of and participation in vaccine safety systems at all levels of health care systems in both developed and developing country settings will allow vaccines to maintain their excellent safety track record, as safety data is used to improve immunization practice.
Heterogeneous Occupancy and Density Estimates of the Pathogenic Fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Waters of North America

Biodiversity losses are occurring worldwide due to a combination of stressors. For example, by one estimate, 40% of amphibian species are vulnerable to extinction, and disease is one threat to amphibian populations. The emerging infectious disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the aquatic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is a contributor to amphibian declines worldwide. Bd research has focused on the dynamics of the pathogen in its amphibian hosts, with little emphasis on investigating the dynamics of free-living Bd. Therefore, we investigated patterns of Bd occupancy and density in amphibian habitats using occupancy models, powerful tools for estimating site occupancy and detection probability. Occupancy models have been used to investigate diseases where the focus was on pathogen occurrence in the host. We applied occupancy models to investigate free-living Bd in North American surface waters to determine Bd seasonality, relationships between Bd site occupancy and habitat attributes, and probability of detection from water samples as a function of the number of samples, sample volume, and water quality. We also report on the temporal patterns of Bd density from a 4-year case study of a Bd-positive wetland. We provide evidence that Bd occurs in the environment year-round. Bd exhibited temporal and spatial heterogeneity in density, but did not exhibit seasonality in occupancy. Bd was detected in all months, typically at less than 100 zoospores L−1. The highest density observed was ∼3 million zoospores L−1. We detected Bd in 47% of sites sampled, but estimated that Bd occupied 61% of sites, highlighting the importance of accounting for imperfect detection. When Bd was present, there was a 95% chance of detecting it with four samples of 600 ml of water or five samples of 60 mL. Our findings provide important baseline information to advance the study of Bd disease ecology, and advance our understanding of amphibian exposure to free-living Bd in aquatic habitats over time.
Association of Circulating MicroRNA-124-3p Levels With Outcomes After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Substudy of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

IMPORTANCE The value of microRNAs (miRNAs) as biomarkers has been investigated in various clinical contexts. Initial small-scale studies suggested that miRNAs might be useful indicators of outcome after cardiac arrest. OBJECTIVE To address the prognostic value of circulating miRNAs in a large cohort of comatose patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This substudy of the Target Temperature Management After Cardiac Arrest (TTM) trial, a multicenter randomized, parallel-group, assessor-blinded clinical trial, compared the 6-month neurologic outcomes and survival of patients with cardiac arrest after targeted temperature management at 33°C or 36°C. Five hundred seventy-nine patients who survived the first 24 hours after the return of spontaneous circulation and who had blood samples available for miRNA assessment were enrolled from 29 intensive care units in 9 countries from November 11, 2010, to January 10, 2013. Final follow-up was completed on July 3, 2013, and data were assessed from February 1, 2014, to February 1, 2016. INTERVENTIONS Blood sampling at 48 hours after the return of spontaneous circulation. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary end point was poor neurologic outcome at 6 months (cerebral performance category score, 3 [severe neurologic sequelae], 4 [coma], or 5 [death]). The secondary end point was survival until the end of the trial. Circulating levels of miRNAs were measured by sequencing and polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS Of the 579 patients (265 men [80.3%]; mean [SD] age, 63 [12] years), 304 patients (52.5%) had a poor neurologic outcome at 6 months. In the discovery phase with short RNA sequencing in 50 patients, the brain-enriched miR-124-3p level was identified as a candidate prognostic variable for neurologic outcomes. In the validation cohort of 529 patients, mean (SD) levels of miR-124-3p were higher in patients with a poor outcome (8408 [12 465] copies/µL) compared with patients with a good outcome (1842 [3025] copies/μL; P < .001). The miR-124-3p level was significantly associated with neurologic outcomes in the univariable analysis (odds ratio, 6.72; 95% CI, 4.53-9.97). In multivariable analyses using logistic regression, miR-124-3p levels were independently associated with neurologic outcomes (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.13-2.32). In Cox proportional hazards models, higher levels of miR-124-3p were significantly associated with lower survival (hazard ratio, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.37-1.93). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Levels of miR-124-3p can be used as prognostication tools for neurologic outcome and survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Thus, miRNA levels may aid in tailoring health care for patients with cardiac arrest. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01020916.
Testing multidimensional well-being among university community samples in Italy and Serbia

Today well-being attracts the attention of public health professionals who are looking to explore life satisfaction as a whole and its specific domains. In order to contribute in moving the measurement of subjective well-being from a primarily academic activity to the sphere of intervention, we need to assess tools to measure multidimensional well-being (MWB) adopting state-of-the-art statistical techniques. Through structural equation modelling our goal was to test a MWB model among Italian and Serbian university students and to further observe its relationships with measures of life goals' pursuing. This cross-sectional pilot study was conducted on a consecutive sample of 86 Italian (45% female; Mage = 24.20, SD = 2.02) and 83 Serbian (55% female; Mage = 23.52, SD = 2.48) university students. Participants filled in an anonymous questionnaire investigating: self-perceived MWB, standardized control measures of well-being (life satisfaction and eudaimonic well-being), and commitment and stress regarding personal goal pursuing. Results evidenced how Serbians reported higher scores on MWB and on control measures than Italians. Moreover, the most frequently reported goals were to complete studies, to obtain job position and to be healthy. Exploratory and multi-group confirmatory factor analyses yielded a one-factor solution of MWB across Italian and Serbian sub-groups. MWB resulted positively associated with standardized control measures in both national groups. The results support the strength of our MWB model applied to samples of young university students in Italy and Serbia. Based on such findings, future studies may adopt this instrument in larger populations of university students in these two countries.
Adiposity Associated Plasma Linoleic Acid is Related to Demographic, Metabolic Health and Haplotypes of FADS1/2 Genes in Irish Adults

SCOPE This study examines to what extent plasma linoleic acid (LA) is modified by adiposity, and explores any association between plasma LA, demographics, dietary intakes, markers of metabolic health, and haplotypes of the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) 1/2 genes. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 820 participants with fasting blood samples from the Irish National Adult Nutrition Survey are studied. Plasma fatty acids are determined using GC-MS. Fifteen SNPs of FADS 1/2 genes are genotyped. Plasma LA decreases, while γ-linoleic acid and dihomo-γ-linoleic acid increases in overweight/obese participants (p ≤ 0.002). Participants in the highest quartile of plasma LA show decreased plasma markers of de novo lipogenesis, insulin resistance, and of inflammation (TNF-α, PAI-1) (p ≤ 0.005). Adiposity (waist circumference and body fat) is strongly inversely associated with plasma LA accounting for 11.8% of variance observed, which is followed by FADS1/2 haplotypes (3.9%), quantity and quality of carbohydrate intakes (3.8%), dietary PUFA intakes (3.7%), systolic blood pressure (3.6%), and age (3.2%). CONCLUSION Plasma LA is inversely associated with adiposity, followed by haplotypes of FADS1/2 genes, carbohydrate intakes, and dietary PUFA intakes. The association observed between plasma LA and adiposity may be linked to decreased de novo lipogenesis, insulin resistance, and inflammation.