Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exogenous hepatitis B virus envelope proteins induce endoplasmic reticulum stress: involvement of cannabinoid axis in liver cancer cells

HBV represents the most common chronic viral infection and major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), although its exact role in liver tumorigenesis is unclear. Massive storage of the small (SHBs), middle (MHBs) and large surface (LHBs) HBV envelope proteins leads to cell stress and sustained inflammatory responses. Cannabinoid (CB) system is involved in the pathogenesis of liver diseases, stimulating acute and chronic inflammation, liver damage and fibrogenesis; it triggers endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response. The aim of our work was to investigate the activation of ER stress pathway after ectopic HBV envelope proteins expression, in liver cancer cells, and the role exerted by CB receptors. PCR, immunofluorescence and western blotting showed that exogenous LHBs and MHBs induce a clear ER stress response in Huh-7 cells expressing CB1 receptor. Up-regulation of the chaperone BiP/GRP78 (Binding Immunoglobulin Protein/Glucose-Regulated Protein 78) and of the transcription factor CHOP/GADD153 (C/EBP Homologous Protein/Growth Arrest and DNA Damage inducible gene 153), phosphorylation of PERK (PKR-like ER Kinase) and eIF2α (Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 2α) and splicing of XBP1 (X-box binding protein 1) was observed. CB1−/− HepG2 cells did not show any ER stress activation. Inhibition of CB1 receptor counteracted BiP expression in transfected Huh-7 and in HBV+ PLC/PRF/5 cells; whereas no effect was observed in HBV− HLF cells. These results suggest that HBV envelope proteins are able to induce the ER stress pathway. CB1 expression is directly correlated with ER stress function. Further investigations are needed to clarify the involvement of cannabinoid in HCC progression after HBV infection.
Female sex as a risk factor in minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting

Abstract Objectives. Female sex has been generally accepted as a risk factor for short-term mortality and adverse events in surgical myocardial revascularization. However, there have been no data published yet about sex differences in minimally invasive settings. The aim of our study was to analyse short- and long- term outcomes of minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCAB) in terms of sex comparison. Design. We retrospectively analysed the in-hospital data of all patients (n = 384) undergoing MIDCAB at our department in years 2006-2016. Subsequently, the data were enriched by long-term outcomes from national registries. Results. There were 96 women in our group (25%). Females were significantly older (67.1 vs 63.8 years; p < .01) and were more often diabetic (43.8% vs. 31.8%; p < .01). Surgery time was longer in females (160 vs 155 min; p = .02), and also the need for blood transfusion (19.8% vs 10.4%; p = .02) and wound complications (15.6% vs 2.4%; p < .001) were more frequent in women. After multivariate analysis, the wound complications risk (p < .001) and longer surgery times (p < .01) remained associated with sex. All-cause in-hospital mortality (2.1% vs 0.7%; p = .26), long-term mortality (p = .73), and the risk of coronary intervention post-operatively (p = .16) were the same in both sexes. Higher incidence of cardiac cause of death in women was observed from long-term aspect (69.6% vs 38.7%; p = .01). However, after adjustment it lost its significance. Conclusions. Female sex is not connected with higher risk of mortality or other major events in MIDCAB. Wound healing complications remain the leading attribute associated with female sex.
An evaluation of hospital breastfeeding policies in the Philadelphia metropolitan area 1994-2009: a comparison with the baby-friendly hospital initiative ten steps.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to describe current breastfeeding policies and practices among Philadelphia, PA metropolitan hospitals and changes in their policies and practices over time. METHODS In-person group interviews were conducted to obtain a composite picture of actual breastfeeding policies and practices. One questionnaire per hospital was completed based on responses from group consensus. Twenty-five hospitals providing maternity care were contacted. Information was obtained from personnel representing different areas of maternity services. Hospitals were classified according to the degree to which they were implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. RESULTS Mean breastfeeding rates at suburban hospitals were significantly higher than urban hospitals (72% vs. 49%, p = 0.015). Most hospitals were classified as high or moderately high implementers on six of the Ten Steps, including staff training (67%), printed information distributed to breastfeeding mothers (94%), breastfeeding initiation (61%), oral breastfeeding instruction given to mothers (83%), infant feeding schedules (89%), and hospital postpartum support (83%). Most hospitals reported partial or low implementation on two maternity practices: infant formula supplementation (61%) and rooming-in (72%). CONCLUSIONS In the past 15 years, hospitals in the Philadelphia area have an increased awareness about breastfeeding and enhanced support of breastfeeding by healthcare professionals. In spite of an increase in overall breastfeeding rates, formula supplementation in hospitals and contact time between mothers and their newborns continue to be areas of concern.
Random Warping Series: A Random Features Method for Time-Series Embedding

Time series data analytics has been a problem of substantial interests for decades, and Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) has been the most widely adopted technique to measure dissimilarity between time series. A number of global-alignment kernels have since been proposed in the spirit of DTW to extend its use to kernel-based estimation method such as support vector machine. However, those kernels suffer from diagonal dominance of the Gram matrix and a quadratic complexity w.r. t. the sample size. In this work, we study a family of alignment-aware positive definite (p.d.) kernels, with its feature embedding given by a distribution of \emph{Random Warping Series (RWS)}. The proposed kernel does not suffer from the issue of diagonal dominance while naturally enjoys a \emph{Random Features} (RF) approximation, which reduces the computational complexity of existing DTW-based techniques from quadratic to linear in terms of both the number and the length of time-series. We also study the convergence of the RF approximation for the domain of time series of unbounded length. Our extensive experiments on 16 benchmark datasets demonstrate that RWS outperforms or matches state-of-the-art classification and clustering methods in both accuracy and computational time. Our code and data is available at { \url{this https URL}}.
Experimental determination of droplet collision rates in turbulence

Inter-particle collisions in turbulent flows are of central importance for many engineering applications and environmental processes. For instance, collision and coalescence is the mechanism for warm rain initiation in cumulus clouds, a still poorly understood issue. This work presents measurements of droplet–droplet interactions in a laboratory turbulent flow, allowing reproducibility and control over initial and boundary conditions. The measured two-phase flow reproduces conditions relevant to cumulus clouds. The turbulent flow and the droplet size distribution are well characterized, and independently the collision rate is measured. Two independent experimental approaches for determining the collision rate are compared with each other: (i) a high-magnification shadowgraphy setup is employed, applying a deformation threshold as collision indicator. This technique has been specifically adapted to measure droplet collision probability in dispersed two-phase flows. (ii) Corresponding results are compared for the first time with a particle tracking approach, post-processing high-speed shadowgraphy image sequences. Using the measured turbulence and droplet properties, the turbulent collision kernel can be calculated for comparison. The two independent measurements deliver comparable orders of magnitude for the collision probability, highlighting the quality of the measurement process, even if the comparison between both measurement techniques is still associated with a large uncertainty. Comparisons with recently published theoretical predictions show reasonable agreement. The theoretical collision rates accounting for collision efficiency are noticeably closer to the measured values than those accounting only for transport.
Genetic and phenotypic variability of iris color in Buenos Aires population

Abstract The aim of this work was to describe the phenotypic and genotypic variability related to iris color for the population of Buenos Aires province (Argentina), and to assess the usefulness of current methods of analysis for this country. We studied five Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) included in the IrisPlex kit, in 118 individuals, and we quantified eye color with Digital Iris Analysis Tool. The markers fit Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the whole sample, but not for rs12913832 within the group of brown eyes (LR=8.429; p=0.004). We found a remarkable association of HERC2 rs12913832 GG with blue color (p < 0.01) but the other markers did not show any association with iris color. The results for the Buenos Aires population differ from those of other populations of the world for these polymorphisms (p < 0,01). The differences we found might respond to the admixed ethnic composition of Argentina; therefore, methods of analysis used in European populations should be carefully applied when studying the population of Argentina. These findings reaffirm the importance of this investigation in the Argentinian population for people identification based on iris color.
An Open-Label Pilot Study of an Intervention Using Mobile Phones to Deliver Contingency Management of Tobacco Abstinence to High School Students

This pilot study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a smoking cessation intervention that used mobile phones to remotely deliver reinforcements contingent on tobacco abstinence (contingency management [CM]) and weekly in-person cognitive–behavioral therapy to adolescent smokers. Daily adolescent smokers (N = 15; 12 completed study procedures, 3 dropped out) were recruited to participate in a 4-week study. During the first 2 weeks, daily text messages sent at random times prompted participants to transmit a video of themselves providing a carbon monoxide (CO) sample. During the last 2 weeks, text messages sent on 3 randomly chosen days each week prompted participants to transmit a video of themselves providing a saliva sample. Negative samples (CO ⩽8 ppm; cotinine ⩽100 ng/ml) were reinforced with monetary incentives. Feasibility was assessed using the number of on-time, valid videos, and acceptability was determined using participant perceptions of the intervention. Seven-day point-prevalence (PP) abstinence (self-reported abstinence, cotinine <100 ng/ml) was assessed at end of treatment (EOT) and at a 1-month follow-up. The study findings indicate that remote delivery of CM using mobile phones was feasible (85.8% of the CO videos and 67% of the saliva cotinine videos were on time) and acceptable (positive perceptions of the CM procedures). Seven-day PP was 60% at EOT and 46.7% at the follow-up. Although larger randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate efficacy, this pilot study suggests that the use of mobile phones to deliver CM for smoking cessation among adolescent smokers was acceptable and feasible.
Heat-Related Illnesses among Pesticide Applicators in North-Eastern Italy (2017)

ABSTRACT Objectives: Pesticide applicators (PAs) are potentially at high risk for developing heat-related illnesses (HRI). To identify HRI burden and potential targets for preventive interventions, a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of PAs from North Eastern Italy. Methods: The study inquired about HRI knowledge and relative risk perception as cumulative sum scores and behavioral adaptations, including the use of sun protective equipment, both as dichotomous factors and cumulative scores. Participants rated the frequency of HRI symptoms during the previous warm season: three or more occurring at least once/month defined HRI status. Association of individual/behavioral factors with HRI status was assessed through binary regression analysis by calculating odds ratios (OR) with the respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). A linear regression analysis was performed assuming the sum of symptoms as the outcome variable. Results: Participating in the survey was 131 Pas (81.7% males; mean age 46.5 ± 13.9 years). Although knowledge status was good (73.6%±18.1), risk perception was quite low (34.4%±16.9). HRI status was reported by 41.2% of participants, and was associated with manual hoeing/weeding (OR:8.847 95%CI 1.882–41.579), pesticide application (OR:2.975 95%CI 1.185–42.035), and rests in shady, not air-conditioned areas (OR:5.491 95%CI 1.372–21.971); while in regression analysis the sum of sun protective habits was the only negative predictor for the sum of reported symptoms (B −0.014, 95%CI −0.235 to −0.026, p = 0.014). Conclusion: Our results stress the opportunity for raising the risk perception of PAs through specifically tailored interventions. The use of sun-protective equipment should be promoted as an effective method to counter HRI symptoms.
Patient characteristics and outcomes of a home mechanical ventilation program in a developing country

Background: There are limited data on home mechanical ventilation (HMV) in developing countries. This study aimed to describe the patient characteristics, feasibility, and outcomes of an HMV program at a university hospital in Thailand. Materials and Methods: Data were collected on all patients who were discharged with HMV between October 2014 and August 2015 at Thammasat University Hospital. Results: Twelve patients (eight men and four women) underwent HMV. They were aged 71.5 ± 17.6 years; mean ± standard deviation. Indications for HMV were 6 neurologic diseases (4 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 1 multiple system atrophy, and 1 stroke), 2 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 1 tracheomalacia, and 3 combined neurologic diseases and respiratory diseases (2 stroke and COPD, 1 stroke and tracheomalacia). The duration of follow-up was 799.5 ± 780.5 days. The ratio of family income to cost of HMV usage was 77.2:1 ± 5.5:1. All patients had tracheostomies. Modes of HMV were biphasic positive airway pressure (66.7%), pressure-controlled ventilation (16.7%), pressure-support ventilation (8.3%), and volume-controlled ventilation (8.3%). Complications occurred in ten patients (83.3%), including tracheobronchitis (20 events) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (12 events). Overall mortality was 41.7% (5/12 patients), including two patients who died due to ventilator-associated pneumonia. There were no instances of ventilator malfunction. Conclusions: HMV is feasible for patients with neurological diseases and COPD in a developing country. The relatively high rate of complications indicates the need for more comprehensive clinical services for chronic ventilator-dependent patients in this setting.
The Surname Space of the Czech Republic: Examining Population Structure by Network Analysis of Spatial Co-Occurrence of Surnames

In the majority of countries, surnames represent a ubiquitous cultural attribute inherited from an individual's ancestors and predominantly only altered through marriage. This paper utilises an innovative method, taken from economics, to offer unprecedented insights into the “surname space” of the Czech Republic. We construct this space as a network based on the pairwise probabilities of co-occurrence of surnames and find that the network representation has clear parallels with various ethno-cultural boundaries in the country. Our inductive approach therefore formalizes a simple assumption that the more frequently the bearers of two surnames concentrate in the same locations the higher the probability that these two surnames can be related (considering ethno-cultural relatedness, common co-ancestry or genetic relatedness, or some other type of relatedness). Using the Czech Republic as a case study this paper offers a fresh perspective on surnames as a quantitative data source and provides a methodology that can be easily incorporated within wider cultural, ethnic, geographic and population genetics studies already utilizing surnames.
A Universal Vacant Parking Slot Recognition System Using Sensors Mounted on Off-the-Shelf Vehicles

An automatic parking system is an essential part of autonomous driving, and it starts by recognizing vacant parking spaces. This paper proposes a method that can recognize various types of parking slot markings in a variety of lighting conditions including daytime, nighttime, and underground. The proposed method can readily be commercialized since it uses only those sensors already mounted on off-the-shelf vehicles: an around-view monitor (AVM) system, ultrasonic sensors, and in-vehicle motion sensors. This method first detects separating lines by extracting parallel line pairs from AVM images. Parking slot candidates are generated by pairing separating lines based on the geometric constraints of the parking slot. These candidates are confirmed by recognizing their entrance positions using line and corner features and classifying their occupancies using ultrasonic sensors. For more reliable recognition, this method uses the separating lines and parking slots not only found in the current image but also found in previous images by tracking their positions using the in-vehicle motion-sensor-based vehicle odometry. The proposed method was quantitatively evaluated using a dataset obtained during the day, night, and underground, and it outperformed previous methods by showing a 95.24% recall and a 97.64% precision.
Chronic‐active antibody‐mediated rejection with or without donor‐specific antibodies has similar histomorphology and clinical outcome – a retrospective study

Chronic‐active antibody‐mediated rejection (c‐aABMR) is defined as histological evidence of chronic endothelial injury (cg), also known as transplant glomerulopathy, and either microvascular inflammation (MVI) or positivity for C4d. Importantly, the presence of donor‐specific antibodies (DSA) is currently still mandatory for the diagnosis of c‐aABMR. This retrospective study of 41 c‐aABMR patients investigates whether cases suspicious for c‐aABMR (DSA negative, n = 24) differ from cases of c‐aABMR (DSA positive, n = 17) with respect to renal histology, allograft function and long‐term graft survival. All included patients had progressive loss of allograft function and were diagnosed by for cause biopsy and scored according to the Banff ’15 criteria. In all DSApos cases, DSA were de novo and the majority was directed against HLA‐II being mostly anti‐HLA‐DQ antibodies. There were no statistically significant differences in clinical characteristics, decline in allograft function and renal allograft survival in cases with or without DSAs. All cases showed chronic histomorphological damage and inflammation, irrespective of the presence of DSA. Renal histology and clinical outcome of patients suspicious for c‐aABMR (DSAneg) do not significantly differ from patients with a diagnosis of c‐aABMR (DSApos). We believe that our study adds to the ongoing debate regarding the need for DSAs to be present for the diagnosis of c‐aABMR.
A study of Sirt1 regulation and the effect of resveratrol on synoviocyte invasion and associated joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis

The aim of the current study was to investigate the role and mechanism of sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) in the regulation of synovial cell invasion and joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The Sirt1 protein and mRNA levels in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) isolated from RA synovial tissues were compared with normal tissues by western blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RA FLS were then treated with the Sirt1 agonist resveratrol (1, 3 and 10 µg/ml) for 48 h, and their invasiveness and expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 1 and MMP13 protein and mRNA were measured. Furthermore, a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model was established and the rats were divided into a model group, and low- and high-dose resveratrol (2.5 and 10 mg/kg/day) groups to receive an intraperitoneal injection of resveratrol for 42 consecutive days. The joint morphology, arthritis index (AI), and MMP1 and MMP13 expression in synovial tissues was monitored. The Sirt1 protein and mRNA levels in RA FLS were significantly lower compared with normal FLS (P<0.01). The resveratrol treatment significantly inhibited the invasive ability of RA FLS (P<0.01) and reduced MMP1 and MMP13 expression (P<0.01). The AI in low- and high-dose groups was significantly lower compared with the model group from day 28 (P<0.01). Resveratrol also reduced the swelling and damage and decreased MMP1 and MMP13 expression levels in CIA rats (P<0.01). The resveratrol-induced upregulation of Sirt1 in RA FLS may significantly inhibit the invasion of these cells and reduce the degree of joint damage, which may be mediated through the inhibition of MMP1 and MMP13 expression. The present results suggested a regulatory role for Sirt1 in RA pathogenesis, and demonstrated the beneficial effects of resveratrol, which may have potential as an alternative therapeutic strategy for the treatment of patients with RA.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Diagnostic biomarkers

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a common medical condition worldwide and its prevalence has increased notably in the past few years due to the increases in prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome. However, diagnosis of this disease is still a matter of debate because of disease variations and pathophysiologic alterations. Specific single markers have gained considerable attention recently, among them markers related to hepatic pathophysiology, inflammation, adipocytokines and so forth. But, it seems that no single marker is sufficient for diagnosis and staging of the disease, and applying a panel including different types of tests may be more useful.