Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The spectrum of pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis beyond infancy: a clinical series of 30 children

OBJECTIVES:Eosinophilic esophagitis, previously confused with esophageal inflammation due to gastroesophageal reflux, has recently begun to be distinguished from it. We undertook this analysis of our large series of children with the condition to clarify its spectrum: its presenting symptoms; its relation to allergy, respiratory disease, and reflux; its endoscopic and histological findings; and its diagnosis and therapy.METHODS:We analyzed the details of our clinical series of 30 children with eosinophilic esophagitis, defining it as ≥5 eosinophils per high power field in the distal esophageal epithelium. Retrospective chart review was supplemented by prospective, blinded, duplicate quantitative evaluation of histology specimens, and by telephone contact with some families to clarify subsequent course. Presentation and analysis of the series as a whole is preceded by a case illustrating a typical presentation with dysphagia and recurrent esophageal food impactions.RESULTS:Presenting symptoms encompass vomiting, pain, and dysphagia (some with impactions or strictures). Allergy, particularly food allergy, is an associated finding in most patients, and many have concomitant asthma or other chronic respiratory disease. A subtle granularity with furrows or rings is newly identified as the endoscopic herald of histological eosinophilic esophagitis. Histological characteristics include peripapillary or juxtaluminal eosinophil clustering in certain cases. Association with eosinophilic gastroenteritis occurs, but is not common. Differentiation from gastroesophageal reflux disease is approached by analyzing eosinophil density and response to therapeutic trials. Therapy encompasses dietary elimination and anti-inflammatory pharmacotherapy.CONCLUSION:Awareness of the spectrum of eosinophilic esophagitis should promote optimal diagnosis and treatment of this elusive entity, both in children and in adults.
Quasiparticle explanation of the weak-thermalization regime under quench in a nonintegrable quantum spin chain

Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis provides one picture of thermalization in a quantum system by looking at individual eigenstates. However, it is also important to consider how local observables reach equilibrium values dynamically. Quench protocol is one of the settings to study such questions. A recent numerical study [Ba\~{n}uls, Cirac, and Hastings, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 050405 (2011)] of a nonintegrable quantum Ising model with longitudinal field under such quench setting found different behaviors for different initial quantum states. One particular case called "weak thermalization" regime showed apparently persistent oscillations of some observables. Here we provide an explanation of such oscillations. We note that the corresponding initial state has low energy density relative to the ground state of the model. We then use perturbation theory near the ground state and identify the oscillation frequency as essentially a quasiparticle gap. With this quasiparticle picture, we can then address the long-time behavior of the oscillations. Upon making additional approximations which intuitively should only make thermalization weaker, we argue that the oscillations nevertheless decay in the long time limit. As part of our arguments, we also consider a quench from a BEC to a hard-core boson model in one dimension. We find that the expectation value of a single-boson creation operator oscillates but decays exponentially in time, while a pair-boson creation operator has oscillations with a $t^{-3/2}$ decay in time. We also study dependence of the decay time on the density of bosons in the low-density regime and use this to estimate decay time for oscillations in the original spin model.
The Myth of Black Criminality

The last decade has witnessed 'law and order' moving steadily to the centre of the political stage. As the national crisis has deepened, the extension of police power and the recruitment of law into political conflicts have become commonplace. The rule of law and maintenance of public order have appeared ii forms which involve a racist appeal to the 'British at ion" and have become integral to maintaining popular support for the government in crisis conditions. Indeed the recent history of 'law and order' is scarcely separable from the growth of popular racism and nationalism in the period following Enoch powell's2 famous intervention. Powell's wide-grinning piccaninnies have grown up, and with the onset of their adulthood, potent imagery of youthful black criminals stalking derelict inner-city streets where the law-abiding are afraid to walk after sunset3 has been fundamental to the popularisation of increasingly repressive criminal justice and welfare state policies.
Behavioral experience induces zif268 expression in mature granule cells but suppresses its expression in immature granule cells

Thousands of neurons are born each day in the dentate gyrus (DG), but many of these cells die before reaching maturity. Both death and survival of adult-born neurons are regulated by neuronal activity in the DG. The immediate-early gene (IEG) zif268 appears to be an important mediator of these effects, as its expression can be induced by neural activity and knockout of zif268 impairs survival of adult-born neurons (Richardson et al., 1992; Veyrac et al., 2013). Despite the apparent importance of zif268 for adult neurogenesis, its behavior-induced expression has not been fully characterized in adult-born neurons. Here we characterize behavior-evoked expression of zif268 in mature and newborn dentate granule cells (DGCs). We first quantified zif268 expression in doublecortin-positive (DCX+) immature neurons and in the general granule cell population after brief exposure to a novel environment (NE). In the general granule cell population, zif268 expression peaked 1 h after NE exposure and returned to baseline by 8 h post-exposure. However, in the DCX+ cells, zif268 expression was suppressed relative to home cage for at least 8 h post-exposure. We next asked whether suppression of zif268 in DCX+ immature cells occurs in other behavioral paradigms that recruit the hippocampus. Exposure to Morris water maze (MWM) training, an enriched environment, or a NE caused approximately equal suppression of zif268 expression in DCX+ cells and approximately equal activation of zif268 expression among the general granule cell population. The same behavioral procedures activated zif268 expression in 6-week-old BrdU-labeled adult-born neurons, indicating that zif268 suppression is specific to immature neurons. Finally, we asked whether zif268 suppression varied as a function of age within the DCX+ population, which ranges in age from 0 to approximately 4 weeks. NE exposure had no significant effect on zif268 expression in 2- or 4-week-old BrdU-labeled neurons, but it significantly suppressed zif268 expression in 3-week-old neurons. In summary, behavioral experience transiently activated expression of zif268 in mature granule cells but caused a more long-lasting suppression of zif268 expression in immature, adult-born granule cells. We hypothesize that zif268 suppression inhibits memory-related synaptic plasticity in immature neurons or mediates learning-induced apoptosis of immature adult-born neurons.
Six Design Theories for IS Security Policies and Guidelines 1

The unpredictability of the business environment drives organizations to make rapid business decisions with little preparation. Exploiting sudden business opportunities may require a temporary violation of predefined information systems (IS) security policies. Existing research on IS security policies pays little attention to how such exceptional situations should be handled. We argue that normative theories from philosophy offer insights on how such situations can be resolved. Accordingly, this paper advances six design theories (the conservative-deontological, liberal-intuitive, prima-facie, virtue, utilitarian and universalizability theories) and outlines the use of their distinctive application principles in guiding the application of IS security policies. Based on the testable design product hypotheses of the six design theories, we derive a theoretical model to explain the influence of the different normative theories on the “success” of IS security policies and guidelines.
Upper gastrointestinal bleeding: a Jamaican perspective.

BACKGROUND Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) remains one of the most common clinical life-threatening emergencies which is associated with a high morbidity, mortality and medical care costs. OBJECTIVES This study reviews the clinical features, management and outcomes of patients with UGIB seen at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), Jamaica, between January 2006 and December 2008. METHODS Patients with UGIB admitted to the medical wards of the UHWI, Jamaica, between January 2006 and December 2008 were reviewed. Consecutive patients admitted with a confirmed diagnosis of UGIB were selected for analysis. Data collected included age, gender presenting complaints, risk factors, clinical features and management. Endoscopic findings, treatment and outcomes were also reviewed. RESULTS There were 104 patients, with a mean age of 55 years, admitted with UGIB. There were significantly more men than women (73 vs 31). Retching and vomiting were the most common presenting complaints followed by melaena and haemetemesis. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use was present in 28% of patients. Overall, 80% of patients had upper GI endoscopy (EGD) and 40% were done within 24 hours of admission. The median time for performing EGD was 24 hours (mean 46 hours). The leading causes of UGIB were duodenal ulcer (28%), erosive gastritis (20%) and gastric ulcer (13%). Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) were given to 95 (91%) patients intravenously. Blood transfusion was given to 40% of patients. The mortality was 5.7%, rebleeding occured in 4.8% of patients and 5% underwent surgery. The average duration of hospital stay was 6.6 days. CONCLUSION Upper gastrointestinal bleeding was more common in men of middle age in this study. Proton pump inhibitors were used in most patients. The overall mortality of 5.7% is similar to other series. Early EGD and use of endoscopic therapy may lead to a decrease in mortality in high risk patients.
Differentiation of CD8+ T cells into effector cells is enhanced by physiological range hyperthermia

In this study, we asked whether exposure to different physiologically relevant temperatures (33°C, 37°C, and 39.5°C) could affect subsequent antigen‐specific, activation‐related events of naive CD8+ T cells. We observed that temporary exposure of CD62LhiCD44lo Pmel‐1 CD8+ cells to 39.5°C prior to their antigen‐dependent activation with gp10025–33 peptide‐pulsed C57BL/6 splenocytes resulted in a greater percentage of cells, which eventually differentiated into CD62LloCD44hi effector cells compared with cells incubated at 33°C and 37°C. However, the proliferation rate of naive CD8+ T cells was not affected by mild heating. While exploring these effects further, we observed that mild heating of CD8+ T cells resulted in the reversible clustering of GM1+ CD‐microdomains in the plasma membrane. This could be attributable to a decrease in line tension in the plasma membrane, as we also observed an increase in membrane fluidity at higher temperatures. Importantly, this same clustering phenomenon was observed in CD8+ T cells isolated from spleen, LNs, and peripheral blood following mild whole‐body heating of mice. Further, we observed that mild heating also resulted in the clustering of TCRβ and the CD8 coreceptor but not CD71R. Finally, we observed an enhanced rate of antigen‐specific conjugate formation with APCs following mild heating, which could account for the difference in the extent of differentiation. Overall, these novel findings may help us to further understand the impact of physiologically relevant temperature shifts on the regulation of antigen‐specific CD8+ T cell activation and the subsequent generation of effector cells.
Predictors of developmental dyslexia in European orthographies with varying complexity.

BACKGROUND The relationship between phoneme awareness, rapid automatized naming (RAN), verbal short-term/working memory (ST/WM) and diagnostic category is investigated in control and dyslexic children, and the extent to which this depends on orthographic complexity. METHODS General cognitive, phonological and literacy skills were tested in 1,138 control and 1,114 dyslexic children speaking six different languages spanning a large range of orthographic complexity (Finnish, Hungarian, German, Dutch, French, English). RESULTS Phoneme deletion and RAN were strong concurrent predictors of developmental dyslexia, while verbal ST/WM and general verbal abilities played a comparatively minor role. In logistic regression models, more participants were classified correctly when orthography was more complex. The impact of phoneme deletion and RAN-digits was stronger in complex than in less complex orthographies. CONCLUSIONS Findings are largely consistent with the literature on predictors of dyslexia and literacy skills, while uniquely demonstrating how orthographic complexity exacerbates some symptoms of dyslexia.
2-12-2014 Online Nonparametric Regression

We establish optimal rates for online regression for arbitrary classes of regression functions in terms of the sequential entropy introduced in [14]. The optimal rates are shown to exhibit a phase transition analogous to the i.i. d. /statistical learning case, studied in [16]. In the frequently encountered situation when sequential entropy and i.i. d. empirical entropy match, our results point to the interesting phenomenon that the rates for statistical learning with squared loss and online nonparametric regression are the same. In addition to a nonalgorithmic study of minimax regret, we exhibit a generic forecaster that enjoys the established optimal rates. We also provide a recipe for designing online regression algorithms that can be computationally efficient. We illustrate the techniques by deriving existing and new forecasters for the case of finite experts and for online linear regression. Disciplines Physical Sciences and Mathematics This conference paper is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/statistics_papers/46 ar X iv :1 40 2. 25 94 v1 [ st at . M L ] 1 1 Fe b 20 14 Online Nonparametric Regression Alexander Rakhlin University of Pennsylvania Karthik Sridharan University of Pennsylvania
Data warehouse design from social media for opinion analysis: The case of Facebook and Twitter

In the recent years, the number of social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr have been increasing regularly, have become ideal platforms for a large number of users at lower costs. However, social media helped companies get known by a wider public and collect the relevant information's about customers, their needs and their expectations. Therefore, several decision makers have worked on these media to get extra information about companies and customers. Moreover, the explosive growth of the amount of data makes their analysis and usage difficult. Therefore, the collection, analysis and the storage of these data in a data warehouse are extremely necessary. Thus, data warehouse modeling from social media should take into account aspects of social media. This paper proposes an approach for data warehouse construction from social media. Precisely, it deals with the conceptual modeling from social media, especially Facebook and Twitter. The proposed model can predict the success of the products prospects and improve the existing products.
Intratumoral CD14+ Cells and Circulating CD14+HLA-DRlo/neg Monocytes Correlate with Decreased Survival in Patients with Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Purpose: Immunotherapeutic strategies to treat patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) offer new opportunities for disease management. Further improvements to immunotherapy will require additional understanding of the host response to RCC development. Experimental Design: Using a novel approach to understanding the immune status of cancer patients, we previously showed that patients with a certain immune profile had decreased overall survival. Here, we examine in more detail the phenotypic changes in peripheral blood and the potential consequences of these changes in RCC patients. Results: We found that CD14+HLA-DRlo/neg monocytes were the most predominant phenotypic change in peripheral blood of RCC patients, elevated nearly 5-fold above the average levels measured in healthy volunteers. Intratumoral and peritumoral presence of CD14 cells was an independent prognostic factor for decreased survival in a cohort of 375 RCC patients. The amount of peripheral blood CD14+HLA-DRlo/neg monocytes was found to correlate with the intensity of CD14 staining in tumors, suggesting that the measurement of these cells in blood may be a suitable surrogate for monitoring patient prognosis. The interaction of monocytes and tumor cells triggers changes in both cell types with a loss of HLA-DR expression in monocytes, increases of monocyte survival factors such as GM-CSF in tumors, and increased production of angiogenic factors, including FGF2. Conclusions: Our results suggest a model of mutually beneficial interactions between tumor cells and monocytes that adversely affect patient outcome. Clin Cancer Res; 21(18); 4224–33. ©2015 AACR.
Determining Vitamin D Status: A Comparison between Commercially Available Assays

Background Vitamin D is not only important for bone health but can also affect the development of several non-bone diseases. The definition of vitamin D insufficiency by serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D depends on the clinical outcome but might also be a consequence of analytical methods used for the definition. Although numerous 25-hydroxyvitamin D assays are available, their comparability is uncertain. We therefore aim to investigate the precision, accuracy and clinical consequences of differences in performance between three common commercially available assays. Methodology/Principal Findings Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels from 204 twins from the Swedish Twin Registry were determined with high-pressure liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC-APCI-MS), a radioimmunoassay (RIA) and a chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA). High inter-assay disagreement was found. Mean 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were highest for the HPLC-APCI-MS technique (85 nmol/L, 95% CI 81–89), intermediate for RIA (70 nmol/L, 95% CI 66–74) and lowest with CLIA (60 nmol/L, 95% CI 56–64). Using a 50-nmol/L cut-off, 8% of the subjects were insufficient using HPLC-APCI-MS, 22% with RIA and 43% by CLIA. Because of the heritable component of 25-hydroxyvitamin D status, the accuracy of each method could indirectly be assessed by comparison of within-twin pair correlations. The strongest correlation was found for HPLC-APCI-MS (r = 0.7), intermediate for RIA (r = 0.5) and lowest for CLIA (r = 0.4). Regression analyses between the methods revealed a non-uniform variance (p<0.0001) depending on level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Conclusions/Significance There are substantial inter-assay differences in performance. The most valid method was HPLC-APCI-MS. Calibration between 25-hydroxyvitamin D assays is intricate.
Is there light at the ends of the tunnel? Wireless sensor networks for adaptive lighting in road tunnels

Existing deployments of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are often conceived as stand-alone monitoring tools. In this paper, we report instead on a deployment where the WSN is a key component of a closed-loop control system for adaptive lighting in operational road tunnels. WSN nodes along the tunnel walls report light readings to a control station, which closes the loop by setting the intensity of lamps to match a legislated curve. The ability to match dynamically the lighting levels to the actual environmental conditions improves the tunnel safety and reduces its power consumption. The use of WSNs in a closed-loop system, combined with the real-world, harsh setting of operational road tunnels, induces tighter requirements on the quality and timeliness of sensed data, as well as on the reliability and lifetime of the network. In this work, we test to what extent mainstream WSN technology meets these challenges, using a dedicated design that however relies on well-established techniques. The paper describes the hw/sw architecture we devised by focusing on the WSN component, and analyzes its performance through experiments in a real, operational tunnel.
Probiotic Bacteria Produce Conjugated Linoleic Acid Locally in the Gut That Targets Macrophage PPAR γ to Suppress Colitis

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) therapies are modestly successful and associated with significant side effects. Thus, the investigation of novel approaches to prevent colitis is important. Probiotic bacteria can produce immunoregulatory metabolites in vitro such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a polyunsaturated fatty acid with potent anti-inflammatory effects. This study aimed to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory efficacy of probiotic bacteria using a mouse model of colitis. Methodology/Principal Findings The immune modulatory mechanisms of VSL#3 probiotic bacteria and CLA were investigated in a mouse model of DSS colitis. Colonic specimens were collected for histopathology, gene expression and flow cytometry analyses. Immune cell subsets in the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), spleen, blood and colonic lamina propria cells were phenotypically and functionally characterized. Fecal samples and colonic contents were collected to determine the effect of VSL#3 and CLA on gut microbial diversity and CLA production. CLA and VSL#3 treatment ameliorated colitis and decreased colonic bacterial diversity, a finding that correlated with decreased gut pathology. Colonic CLA concentrations were increased in response to probiotic bacterial treatment, but without systemic distribution in blood. VSL#3 and CLA decreased macrophage accumulation in the MLN of mice with DSS colitis. The loss of PPAR γ in myeloid cells abrogated the protective effect of probiotic bacteria and CLA in mice with DSS colitis. Conclusions/Significance Probiotic bacteria modulate gut microbial diversity and favor local production of CLA in the colon that targets myeloid cell PPAR γ to suppress colitis.
Ageing-related stereotypes in memory: When the beliefs come true

Age-related stereotype concerns culturally shared beliefs about the inevitable decline of memory with age. In this study, stereotype priming and stereotype threat manipulations were used to explore the impact of age-related stereotype on metamemory beliefs and episodic memory performance. Ninety-two older participants who reported the same perceived memory functioning were divided into two groups: a threatened group and a non-threatened group (control). First, the threatened group was primed with an ageing stereotype questionnaire. Then, both groups were administered memory complaints and memory self-efficacy questionnaires to measure metamemory beliefs. Finally, both groups were administered the Logical Memory task to measure episodic memory, for the threatened group the instructions were manipulated to enhance the stereotype threat. Results indicated that the threatened individuals reported more memory complaints and less memory efficacy, and had lower scores than the control group on the logical memory task. A multiple mediation analysis revealed that the stereotype threat effect on the episodic memory performance was mediated by both memory complaints and memory self-efficacy. This study revealed that stereotype threat impacts belief in one's own memory functioning, which in turn impairs episodic memory performance.