Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunomodulatory Effect of Mesenchymal Stem Cells on T Lymphocyte and Cytokine Expression in Nasal Polyps

Objectives Adipose tissue–derived stem cells (ASCs) have been reported to have immunomodulatory effects in various inflammatory diseases, including asthma and allergic rhinitis, through the induction of T cell anergy. Nasal polyps (NPs) are a chronic inflammatory disease in the nose and paranasal sinus characterized histologically by the infiltration of inflammatory cells, such as eosinophils or lymphocytes. This study was performed to investigate whether ASCs have immunomodulatory effects on T lymphocyte and cytokine expression in eosinophilic NPs. Study Design Basic science experimental study. Setting University tertiary care facility. Subjects and Methods NP specimens were obtained from 20 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and eosinophilic NPs. ASCs were isolated and cultured from the abdominal fat of 15 subjects undergoing intra-abdominal surgery. Infiltrating cells (1 × 106) were isolated from NP tissue and co-cultured with 1 × 105 ASCs. To determine whether ASCs affect infiltrating T lymphocyte and cytokine expression in eosinophilic NP, T lymphocyte subsets and cytokine expression were analyzed before and after ASC treatment. Results ASC treatment significantly decreased the proportions of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. After ASC treatment, Th2 cytokine (interleukin [IL]–4 and IL-5) levels decreased significantly. In contrast, levels of Th1 (interferon-γ and IL-2) and regulatory cytokines (transforming growth factor–β and IL-10) increased significantly after ASC treatment. Conclusions ASCs have immunomodulatory effects in the eosinophilic inflammation of NPs, characterized by down-regulation of activated T lymphocytes and a Th2 immune response. These effects would be expected, over time, to significantly contribute to the control of eosinophilic inflammation and, possibly, growth of eosinophilic NPs.
Long-term potential and actual evapotranspiration of two different forests on the Atlantic Coastal Plain

Abstract. A reliable estimate of potential evapotranspiration (PET) for a forest ecosystem is critical in ecohydrologic modeling related with water supply, vegetation dynamics, and climate change and yet is a challenging task due to its complexity. Based on long-term on-site measured hydro-climatic data and predictions from earlier validated hydrologic modeling studies, this study compared different methods for estimating monthly and annual potential evapotranspiration (PET) for two Atlantic coastal plain forests. One study site is a naturally drained mature pine mixed hardwood forest in South Carolina (SC), and the other site is a drained pine plantation forest in North Carolina (NC). The Hargreaves-Samani (HS) method was used for estimating grass PET for the SC site, while the Penman-Monteith (PM) method was used for calculating a standard grass reference (REF-ET) and simulating forest PET for the NC site. Daily HS-grass PET was used as an input in the Thornthwaite water balance (WBA) model, which was validated with long-term monthly streamflow to obtain simulated ET for the 1946-2008 period at the SC site. A process-based field-scale model, DRAINMOD-FOREST, was used for quantifying ET for the 1988-2008 period for the NC site by using REF-ET and forest PET as inputs separately. The monthly ET/PET ratios were further calculated for both sites. The long-term mean annual HS-grass PET was 1137 (±69) mm at the SC site. HS-grass PET for a recent four-year (2011-2014) period was 11% higher than the forest PET obtained by the PM method using above-canopy microclimate data and canopy resistance parameters. The long-term annual ET/HS PET varied from 0.76 to 1.0, with an average of 0.92. Annual PM-forest PET simulated using the validated DRAINMOD-FOREST model at the NC site varied from 1014 to 1335 mm with a long-term mean of 1146 ±87 mm, which is about 13% higher than the REF-ET (1010 ±123 mm) at the NC site but very similar to the values obtained for the HS-grass PET for the SC site. The estimated annual ET/PM-forest PET ratios varied from 0.81 to 0.97, with an average of 0.90. We also found similar seasonal values and variations of ET/HS PET at the SC site and ET/PM PET at the NC site, both of which were largely different from the ET/REF-ET values and their seasonal distribution reported for another pine forest site (Parker Tract) in coastal NC with eddy flux-based measurements of ET. Results from this study showed large difference of PET estimations by using different methods, particularly for the grass and forest reference. This study also highlighted the importance of properly defining and estimating forest PET, rather than using the standard REF-ET, and related mean monthly ET/PET ratios for estimating ET for a forest reference in forest hydrologic models and water balance studies.
Place of death and its predictors for local patients registered at a comprehensive cancer center.

PURPOSE To help with planning of a palliative care program, we reviewed the place of death of patients who were registered at our comprehensive cancer center and explored factors that predicted death in the hospital versus death at home. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective study was undertaken of local patients who were registered at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and died during the 1997/1998 fiscal year. Data from the institutional tumor registry and from the State of Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics file were collected and analyzed. The main outcome measures were place of death, patient characteristics associated with place of death, and time from registration at the institution to death. RESULTS Of 1,793 local patients, 251 (14%) died at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; the remaining 86% died elsewhere. A total of 617 (34%) died at home, and 929 (52%) died in an acute hospital setting (including M.D. Anderson). A total of 1,040 (58%) died within 2 years of registration. The risk of hospital death versus home death increased for patients with cancer at a hematologic site (odds ratio [OR], 4.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8 to 6.8) and black ethnicity (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.4 to 2.6) and decreased for patients who paid with Medicare (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.57 to 0.90). CONCLUSION Most patients died in an acute care hospital setting and within 2 years of registration. Our data show some predictors of hospital death for cancer patients and suggest that better hospital palliative care services and integrated palliative care systems that bridge community and acute hospitals are needed.
Immunological and Technical Considerations in Application of Alginate-Based Microencapsulation Systems

Islets encapsulated in immunoprotective microcapsules are being proposed as an alternative for insulin therapy for treatment of type 1 diabetes. Many materials for producing microcapsules have been proposed but only alginate does currently qualify as ready for clinical application. However, many different alginate-based capsule systems do exist. A pitfall in the field is that these systems are applied without a targeted strategy with varying degrees of success as a consequence. In the current review, the different properties of alginate-based systems are reviewed in view of future application in humans. The use of allogeneic and xenogeneic islet sources are discussed with acknowledging the different degrees of immune protection the encapsulation system should supply. Also issues such as oxygen supply and the role of danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPS) in immune activation are being reviewed. A common property of the encapsulation systems is that alginates for medical application should have an extreme high degree of purity and lack pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) to avoid activation of the recipient’s immune system. Up to now, non-inflammatory alginates are only produced on a lab-scale and are not yet commercially available. This is a major pitfall on the route to human application. Also the lack of predictive pre-clinical models is a burden. The principle differences between relevant innate and adaptive immune responses in humans and other species are reviewed. Especially, the extreme differences between the immune system of non-human primates and humans are cumbersome as non-human primates may not be predictive of the immune responses in humans, as opposed to the popular belief of regulatory agencies. Current insight is that although the technology is versatile major research efforts are required for identifying the mechanical, immunological, and physico-chemical requirements that alginate-based capsules should meet for successful human application.
Hagfish Houdinis: biomechanics and behavior of squeezing through small openings

ABSTRACT Hagfishes are able to squeeze through small openings to gain entry to crevices, burrows, hagfish traps and carcasses, but little is known about how they do this, or what the limits of this ability are. The purpose of this study was to describe this ability, and to investigate possible mechanisms by which it is accomplished. We investigated the hypothesis that the passive movement of blood within a hagfish's flaccid subcutaneous sinus allows it to squeeze through narrow apertures that it would not be able to if it were turgid. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed videos of Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) and Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii) moving through narrow apertures in the lab. We measured changes in body width as the animals moved through these openings and documented the behaviors associated with this ability. We found that hagfishes are able to pass through narrow slits that are less than one half the width of their bodies. Our results are consistent with the idea that a flaccid subcutaneous sinus allows hagfish to squeeze through narrow apertures by facilitating a rapid redistribution of venous blood. In addition, we describe nine distinct behaviors associated with this ability, including a form of non-undulatory locomotion also seen in snakes and lampreys. Our results illuminate a behavior that may be a critical component of the hagfish niche, as a result of its likely importance in feeding and avoiding predators. Summary: Hagfishes use a variety of techniques to squeeze through tight spaces, which is relevant to their ecological roles as burrowers and scavengers.
Plasticity of Hypothalamic Dopamine Neurons during Lactation Results in Dissociation of Electrical Activity and Release

Tuberoinfundibular dopamine (TIDA) neurons are the central regulators of prolactin (PRL) secretion. Their extensive functional plasticity allows a change from low PRL secretion in the non-pregnant state to the condition of hyperprolactinemia that characterizes lactation. To allow this rise in PRL, TIDA neurons are thought to become unresponsive to PRL at lactation and functionally silenced. Here we show that, contrary to expectations, the electrical properties of the system were not modified during lactation and that the neurons remained electrically responsive to a PRL stimulus, with PRL inducing an acute increase in their firing rate during lactation that was identical to that seen in non-pregnant mice. Furthermore, we show a long-term organization of TIDA neuron electrical activity with an harmonization of their firing rates, which remains intact during lactation. However, PRL-induced secretion of dopamine (DA) at the median eminence was strongly blunted during lactation, at least in part attributable to lack of phosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase, the key enzyme involved in DA synthesis. We therefore conclude that lactation, rather than involving electrical silencing of TIDA neurons, represents a condition of decoupling between electrical activity at the cell body and DA secretion at the median eminence.
Mosquito vectors of bancroftian filariasis in Kwale District, Kenya.

A total of 2,906 female mosquitoes were collected over a period of one year using pyrethrum spray-sheet and human bait methods, and dissected for filaria larvae in three hinterland villages of coastal Kenya. The dominant species, Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus were also found to be the main vectors. From the spray catch collections 0,9 and 1 Cx. quinquefasciatus, An. gambiae and An. funestus out of 491, 708 and 403 respectively were infective. In the same order, 4, 2 and 2 out of 512, 196 and 180 from human bait collections were infective. The results indicate that Cx.quinquefasciatus is also an important vector in this area contrary to some previous findings that it played no important role in rural hinterland areas. Differences in the results from the human bait and spray catch methods have been pointed out and the advantage of using both methods in filarial surveys indicated.
Differential Privacy Preservation for Deep Auto-Encoders: an Application of Human Behavior Prediction

In recent years, deep learning has spread beyond both academia and industry with many exciting real-world applications. The development of deep learning has presented obvious privacy issues. However, there has been lack of scientific study about privacy preservation in deep learning. In this paper, we concentrate on the auto-encoder, a fundamental component in deep learning, and propose the deep private auto-encoder (dPA). Our main idea is to enforce ε-differential privacy by perturbing the objective functions of the traditional deep auto-encoder, rather than its results. We apply the dPA to human behavior prediction in a health social network. Theoretical analysis and thorough experimental evaluations show that the dPA is highly effective and efficient, and it significantly outperforms existing solutions.
MDA : A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research

In this paper we present the MDA framework (standing for Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics), developed and taught as part of the Game Design and Tuning Workshop at the Game Developers Conference, San Jose 2001-2004. MDA is a formal approach to understanding games (cid:150) one which attempts to bridge the gap between game design and development, game criticism, and technical game research. We believe this methodology will clarify and strengthen the iterative processes of developers, scholars and researchers alike, making it easier for all parties to decompose, study and design a broad class of game designs and game artifacts.
Molecular Hydrogen in the Lagoon: H2 Line Emission from Messier 8

Abstract The 2.12 μm v = 1−0 S(1) line of molecular hydrogen has been imaged in the Hourglass region of M8. The line is emitted from a roughly bipolar region, centred around the O7 star Herschel 36. The peak H2 1−0 S(1) line intensity is 8.2 × 10−15 erg s−1 cm−2arcsec−2. The line centre emission velocity varies from −25 kms−1 in the SE lobe to +45 kms−1 in the NW lobe. The distribution is similar to that of the CO J = 3−2 line. The H2 line appears to be shock-excited when a bipolar outflow from Herschel 36 interacts with the ambient molecular cloud. The total luminosity of all H2 lines is estimated to be ˜16 L⊙ and the mass of the hot molecular gas ˜9 × 10−4 M⊙ (without any correction for extinction).
Monitoring Dietary Intake and Physical Activity Electronically: Feasibility, Usability, and Ecological Validity of a Mobile-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Tool

Background Despite the growing body of research on complex lifestyle behaviors (eg, Dietary Intake [DI] and Physical Activity [PA]), monitoring of these behaviors has been hampered by a lack of suitable methods. A possible solution to this deficiency is mobile-based Ecological Momentary Assessment (mEMA), which enables researchers to collect data on participants’ states in real-time by means of a smartphone application. However, feasibility, usability, and ecological validity need to be anticipated and managed in order to enhance the validity of mEMA. Objective To examine the feasibility, usability, and ecological validity of a mEMA application (app) with regard to DI and PA among Dutch vocational education students. Methods The students (n=30) participated in the mEMA study for seven consecutive days. They downloaded the mEMA app on their smartphone. Feasibility and usability of the mEMA app were evaluated by completing an online evaluation after seven days of participation. Ecological validity was measured by assessing the degree to which the content of the mEMA app approximated the real-world setting that was being examined, through several multiple-choice questions. Results Compliance rates, as registered by the mEMA app, declined 46% over a seven-day period, while self-reported compliance, as measured with an online evaluation questionnaire afterwards, indicated a smaller decrease in compliance (29%). The students evaluated the mEMA app as feasible and usable. Ecological validity analyses showed that all DI and almost all PA multiple-choice options were covered with the compound response categories. Conclusions The mEMA app offers the opportunity to assess complex health behaviors (eg, DI and PA) in real-time settings, in which specifically routinized behaviors are involved. However, the mEMA app faced several challenges that needed to be overcome in order to improve its validity. Overall, the present study showed that the mEMA app is a usable and ecologically valid tool to measure DI and PA behaviors among vocational education students, but compliance is still limited.
Risk factors and subtypes of acute ischemic stroke

Objective: To identify the different subtypes of acute ischemic stroke, and estimate the frequency of various risk factors among these patients. Methods: In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, we reviewed the medical records of patients admitted with the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke at King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia from March 2008 till December 2015. The demographic characteristics, subtypes of stroke, risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, valvular heart disease) and other relevant data were documented on pre-defined data sheets. Results: The records of 343 patients were included in the study; 64.4% were male and 35.6% were female. The mean age was 59.3+13.6 (mean+SD) years for males, and 66.8+14.9 years for females. Small vessel occlusion was the most common etiologic subtype of ischemic stroke (32.1%), followed by cardio embolic (21.9%), and large artery atherosclerosis (14.6%). The middle cerebral artery was the most commonly affected territory. Hypertension was found in 78.1%, diabetes mellitus in 62.7%, hyperlipidemia in 54.8%, and ischemic heart disease in 24.2% of patients. Conclusion: Small vessel occlusion was the most common etiology in our cohort. The onset of stroke at a relatively younger age group in the male population is of great concern and needs to be verified by further epidemiological studies. Adequate control of modifiable risk factors may help in reducing the disease burden caused by stroke.
Cognitive plasticity in people at risk for dementia: Optimising the testing-the-limits-approach

A topic of great interest in gerontology research is the prediction of cognitive deterioration which marks the transition from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia. In this area, the term cognitive plasticity can be of great interest. We examined the utility of the Adaptive Figure Series Learning Test (ADAFI) to evoke cognitive plasticity and to show whether reduced plasticity can be found in people with MCI. In a pre-test–intervention–post-test design, intervention with the ADAFI was compared to an unspecific brain jogging task in MCI participants and healthy controls. A total of 42 subjects were included. Independent of mental health status only using the ADAFI led to pronounced improvements in post-test performances, but MCI participants profited less from the intervention with the ADAFI than healthy controls, that is, showed lower cognitive plasticity. Thus, the overlap in performance distributions between healthy participants and MCI individuals at pre-test was reduced at the time of post-test once the ADAFI had been given as intervention. The findings of the present article indicate that plasticity oriented information can be gained when the ADAFI is given as an intervention in a pre-test–training–post-test-design. The cognitive plasticity approach seems potentially useful for purposes of early identification of dementia.
Deficits in Access to Reward Are Associated with College Student Alcohol Use Disorder.

BACKGROUND Reward deprivation has been implicated in major depressive disorder and severe substance abuse, but its potential relation to alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms in non-treatment-seeking young adult drinkers is less clear. Depression is often comorbid with alcohol misuse, so relations of AUD with reward deprivation might be due in part to the presence of depressive symptoms in young adults. Behavioral economic theory views addiction as a state that is related in part to deficits in drug-free rewards, and therefore requires an investigation into whether reward deprivation has a direct relation to alcohol misuse that is, at least partially, independent of mood. METHODS This study evaluates the contribution of 2 facets of reward deprivation (reward availability and experience) to alcohol use, AUD symptoms, and depression in a sample of young adult heavy episodic drinkers. Data were collected from 392 undergraduates (60.4% female, 85.1% Caucasian) who reported recent heavy drinking (83.7% with at least 1 AUD symptom). RESULTS Low reward availability (environmental suppression) was significantly associated with both DSM-5 AUD symptoms and alcohol-related problems after controlling for age, gender, depressive symptomatology, and drinking level. CONCLUSIONS This study provides support for behavioral economic models that emphasize reward deprivation as a unique risk factor for AUD that is independent of mood and drinking level. Limited access to natural rewards may be a risk and/or maintaining factor for AUD symptoms in college student drinkers.
Notifications of adverse events : characterization of the events that occurred in a hospital complex

Objective: Analyze incident notifications related to the patient’s safety. Method: Cross-sectional study with quantitative approach, based on data from the risk Management of a hospital complex, located in northwest São Paulo, from August 2015 to July 2016. Results: 4,691 notifications were analyzed. Nurses were the professionals who notified the most (71%), followed by physicians (8%). The most frequent period in which the notifications occurred was the daytime. There was significant difference in the proportion of notifications between the days of the week. The notifications were classified by reason and the most prevalent were those related to medication (17%), followed by skin lesions (15%), and phlebitis (14%). The highest frequency of notifications occurred in the hospitalization units. In relation to severity, 344 events caused damage to the patient, most of which were of mild intensity (65%). Conclusion: Spontaneous notifications are an important source of information, and highlight the magnitude of the problem related to health incidents.