Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Approach for Analyzing the Impacts of Smart Grid Topologies on Critical Infrastructure Resilience

The generation and supply of electricity is currently about to undergo a fundamental transition that includes extensive development of smart grids. Smart grids are huge and complex networks consisting of a vast number of devices and entities which are connected with each other. This fact opens new variations of disruption scenarios which can increase the vulnerability of a power distribution network. However, the network topology of a smart grid has significant effects on urban resilience particularly referring to the adequate provision of vital services of critical infrastructures. An elaborated topology of smart grids can increase urban resilience. In this paper, we discuss the role of smart grids, give research impulses for examining diverse smart grid topologies and for evaluating their impacts on urban resilience by using an agent based simulation approach which considers smart grid topology as a model parameter.
The burden of cardiac arrhythmias in sarcoidosis: a population-based inpatient analysis.

Background Cardiac involvement in the sarcoidosis is known to ensue with diverse clinical forms and its investigation is challenging at times. This article features the under-perceived burden, patterns, and outcomes of different arrhythmias, which may have a prognostic significance in patients with sarcoidosis. Methods We queried the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for 2010-2014 to recognize sarcoidosis, arrhythmia, and comorbidities affecting hospitalizations. The nationwide estimates were attained using discharge records. We assessed incidence and trends in sarcoidosis-related arrhythmia and consequential inpatient mortality, hospital length of stay (LOS), hospitalization charges and predictors of mortality with multivariate analysis. Results We identified 369,285 sarcoidosis-related hospitalizations. Of these, nearly one-fifth suffered from arrhythmias (n=73,424). The sarcoidosis patients developing arrhythmias were older (61.9 vs. 56.0 years) compared to those without. Males had the higher incidence of arrhythmias compared to females. Atrial fibrillation (Afib) (10.97%) was the most common subtype, followed by ventricular tachycardia (1.97%). There was a rising trend in arrhythmia-related hospital admissions and mortality among sarcoidosis, with Afib incidence displaying the highest increase. Traditional cardiac comorbidities were higher in the sarcoid-arrhythmia group. The arrhythmia group had significantly higher mortality (3.7% vs. 1.5%), mean hospital LOS (6.4 vs. 5.2 days) and hospital charges ($64,118 vs. $41,565) compared to non-arrhythmia group (P<0.001). Incident arrhythmia significantly increased the mortality odds in sarcoidosis (adjusted odds ratio, 2.06). Conclusions The growing trend, deteriorating outcomes and higher mortality associated with sarcoid-related arrhythmias highlight the importance of timely diagnosis and aggressive management in this population.
Complementary-Label Learning for Arbitrary Losses and Models

In contrast to the standard classification paradigm where the true class is given to each training pattern, complementary-label learning only uses training patterns each equipped with a complementary label, which only specifies one of the classes that the pattern does not belong to. The goal of this paper is to derive a novel framework of complementary-label learning with an unbiased estimator of the classification risk, for arbitrary losses and models---all existing methods have failed to achieve this goal. Not only is this beneficial for the learning stage, it also makes model/hyper-parameter selection (through cross-validation) possible without the need of any ordinarily labeled validation data, while using any linear/non-linear models or convex/non-convex loss functions. We further improve the risk estimator by a non-negative correction and gradient ascent trick, and demonstrate its superiority through experiments.
Withaferin A, a novel compound of Indian ginseng (Withania somnifera), ameliorates Cerulein‐induced acute pancreatitis: Possible role of oxidative stress and inflammation

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disorder of the pancreas that may precipitate due to various reasons such as chronic alcoholism, gall stone obstruction, and life style. Current treatment options offer limited efficacy, as they provide only symptomatic relief. This study is an attempt to study the effects of Withaferin A (WFA) against Cerulein‐induced acute pancreatitis in mice. Animals were pretreated with WFA via intraperitoneal route, for 7 days. Plasma amylase and lipase, tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione were evaluated for all groups. Western blot analysis; haematoxylin and eosin staining of the liver, lung, and pancreas; immunohistochemistry for nitrotyrosine; and myeloperoxidase activity were performed. Haematoxylin and eosin stained sections significantly revealed the altered architecture and thereby damage in the pancreas, lungs, and liver that has been low in treatment groups. Increased myeloperoxidase and nitrotyrosine have also been reduced upon treatment with WFA. Increased levels of MDA, NO, and expression of myeloperoxidase and nitrotyrosine in the parameters estimated add evidence to the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in acute pancreatitis. WFA evidently altered these conditions upon pretreatment. Our study shows that this novel steroidal compound has potent anti‐inflammatory property. Natural compounds can therefore be good remedies against many diseases if incorporated in routine diet as dietary supplement.
Gender‐ and cholesterol‐specific predictive value of body mass index in renal cell carcinoma: A multicenter study

Recently, there have been some reports on preoperative body mass index (BMI) and total cholesterol (TC) as a prognostic predictor for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) but the topic is controversial and still poorly understood. So we analyzed the effects of BMI and TC on the prognosis of RCC.
Scabiosa Genus: A Rich Source of Bioactive Metabolites

The genus Scabiosa (family Caprifoliaceae) is considered large (618 scientific plant names of species) although only 62 have accepted Latin binominal names. The majority of the Scabiosa species are widely distributed in the Mediterranean region and some Scabiosa species are used in traditional medicine systems. For instance, Scabiosa columbaria L. is used traditionally against diphtheria while S. comosa Fisch. Ex Roem. and Schult. is used in Mongolian and Tibetan traditional medical settings to treat liver diseases. The richness of Scabiosa species in secondary metabolites such as iridoids, flavonoids and pentacyclic triterpenoids may contribute to its use in folk medicine. Details on the most recent and relevant pharmacological in vivo studies on the bioactive secondary metabolites isolated from Scabiosa species will be summarized and thoroughly discussed.
Risk Factors for the Presence and Progression of Cardiovascular Autonomic Neuropathy in Type 2 Diabetes: ADDITION-Denmark

OBJECTIVE To examine the course of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) and related cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS CAN and cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed in the Danish arm of the Anglo-Danish-Dutch Study of Intensive Treatment in People With Screen-Detected Diabetes in Primary Care (ADDITION-Denmark) at 6-year (n = 777) and 13-year (n = 443) follow-up examinations. Cardiovascular autonomic reflex tests (CARTs)—that is, lying to standing, deep breathing, and the Valsalva maneuver—and 2-min resting heart rate variability (HRV) indices were obtained as the main measures of CAN. Risk factors related to CAN status, as determined by CARTs, were studied by using multivariate logistic regressions. The effects of risk factors on continuous CARTs and HRV indices, and their changes over time, were estimated in linear mixed models. RESULTS A progressive yet heterogeneous course of CAN occurred between the 6- and 13-year follow-ups. Higher HbA1c, weight, BMI, and triglycerides were associated with prevalent CAN. No significant effect of risk factors on CARTs was found when they were analyzed as continuous variables. CART indices decreased over time, and a trend of decreasing HRV indices was seen. Higher HbA1c and BMI were associated with lower HRV index values, but these differences diminished over time. CONCLUSIONS These data confirm that hyperglycemia, obesity, and hypertriglyceridemia are negatively related to indices of CAN, although these effects diminish over time. The observed heterogeneous course of CAN may challenge the present clinical approach of categorically classifying CARTs to diagnose CAN and the notion of CAN being irreversible.
What Is the Risk of Anal Carcinoma in Patients With Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia III?

BACKGROUND: The risk of anal carcinoma after previous diagnosis of anal intraepithelial neoplasia III is unclear. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the risk of anal carcinoma in patients with anal intraepithelial neoplasia III and to identify predictors for subsequent malignancy. DESIGN: This was a retrospective review using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry (1973–2014). SETTING: The study was composed of population-based cancer registries from the United States. PATIENTS: Patients who were diagnosed with anal intraepithelial neoplasia III were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was rate of subsequent anal squamous cell carcinoma. Predictors for anal cancer were identified using logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: A total of 2074 patients with anal intraepithelial neoplasia III were identified and followed for a median time of 4.0 years (interquartile range, 1.8–6.7 y). Of the cohort, 171 patients (8.2%) subsequently developed anal cancer. Median time from anal intraepithelial neoplasia III diagnosis to anal cancer diagnosis was 2.7 years (interquartile range, 1.1–4.5 y). Fifty-two patients (30.4%) who developed anal carcinoma were staged T2 or higher. Ablative therapies for initial anal intraepithelial neoplasia III were associated with a reduction in the risk of anal cancer (OR = 0.3 (95% CI, 0.1–0.7); p = 0.004). Time-to-event analysis revealed that the 5-year incidence of anal carcinoma after anal intraepithelial neoplasia III was 9.5% or ≈1.9% per year. LIMITATIONS: The registry did not record HIV status, surveillance schedule, use of high-resolution anoscopy, or provider specialty. CONCLUSIONS: In the largest published cohort of patients with anal intraepithelial neoplasia III, ≈10% of patients were projected to develop anal cancer within 5 years. Nearly one third of anal cancers were diagnosed at stage T2 or higher despite a previous diagnosis of anal intraepithelial neoplasia III. Ablative procedures were associated with a decreased risk of cancer. This study highlights the considerable rate of malignancy in patients with anal intraepithelial neoplasia III and the need for effective therapies and surveillance. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww. com/DCR/A764.
Methionine restriction for improving progeria: another autophagy-inducing anti-aging strategy?

ABSTRACT Methionine restriction, i.e., a partial depletion of the essential sulfur amino acid methionine from nutrition, extends lifespan in model organisms including yeast, nematodes, mice and rats. Recent results indicate that this strategy also prolongs health span and longevity in 2 short-lived strains of mice (with the LmnaG609G/G609G or zmpste24−/- genotypes) that represent animal models of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS). The beneficial effects of methionine restriction on HGPS could be linked to reduced inflammation, and improved DNA stability, as well as the normalization of lipid and bile acid metabolism. Previous work has established that behavioral, nutritional, pharmacological and genetic manipulations that extend longevity in model organisms are only efficient if they induce increased autophagic flux. Methionine restriction extends lifespan in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in an Atg5- and Atg7-dependent fashion, supporting the notion that methionine restriction may indeed mediate its antiaging effects through the induction of macroautophagy/autophagy as well. Based on these findings, we speculate that autophagy might constitute an actionable therapeutic target to treat progeroid syndromes.
Brief Announcement: Loosely-stabilizing Leader Election with Polylogarithmic Convergence Time

Abstract A loosely-stabilizing leader election protocol with polylogarithmic convergence time in the population protocol model is presented in this paper. In the population protocol model, which is a common abstract model of mobile sensor networks, it is known to be impossible to design a self-stabilizing leader election protocol unless the exact number of agents is known a priori. Thus, in our prior work, we introduced concept of loose-stabilization, which is weaker than self-stabilization but has similar advantage in practice. Following this work, several loosely-stabilizing leader election protocols have been given. Loosely-stabilizing leader election guarantees that, starting from an arbitrary configuration, the system reaches a safe configuration with a single leader within a short time, and keeps the unique leader for a long time thereafter. The convergence times of all existing loosely-stabilizing protocols, i.e., the expected times to reach a safe configuration, are polynomial in n where n is the number of nodes, while their holding times, i.e., the expected times to keep the unique leader after reaching a safe configuration, are exponential in n. In this paper, a loosely-stabilizing protocol with polylogarithmic convergence time is presented. Its holding time is not exponential, rather an arbitrarily large polynomial function of n.
Segment-specific associations between local haemodynamic and imaging markers of early atherosclerosis at the carotid artery: an in vivo human study

Low and oscillatory wall shear stress (WSS) has long been hypothesized as a risk factor for atherosclerosis; however, evidence has been inferred primarily from model and post-mortem studies, or clinical studies of patients with already-developed plaques. This study aimed to identify associations between local haemodynamic and imaging markers of early atherosclerosis. Comprehensive magnetic resonance imaging allowed quantification of contrast enhancement (CE) (a marker of endothelial dysfunction) and vessel wall thickness at two distinct segments: the internal carotid artery bulb and the common carotid artery (CCA). Strict criteria were applied to a large dataset to exclude inward remodelling, resulting in 41 cases for which personalized computational fluid dynamic simulations were performed. After controlling for cardiovascular risk factors, bulb wall thickening was found to be weakly, but not significantly, associated with oscillatory WSS. CE at the bulb was significantly associated with low WSS (p < 0.001) and low flow helicity (p < 0.05). No significant associations were found for the CCA segment. Local haemodynamics at the bulb were significantly correlated with blood flow rates and heart rates, but not carotid bifurcation geometry (flare and curvature). Therefore low, but not oscillatory, WSS is an early independent marker of atherosclerotic changes preceding intimal thickening at the carotid bulb.
Diverse progenitor cells preserve salivary gland ductal architecture after radiation-induced damage

ABSTRACT The ductal system of the salivary gland has long been postulated to be resistant to radiation-induced damage, a common side effect incurred by head and neck cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. Yet, whether the ducts are capable of regenerating after genotoxic injury, or whether damage to ductal cells induces lineage plasticity, as has been reported in other organ systems, remains unknown. Here, using the murine salivary gland, we show that two ductal progenitor populations, marked exclusively by KRT14 and KIT, maintain non-overlapping ductal compartments after radiation exposure but do so through distinct cellular mechanisms. KRT14+ progenitor cells are fast-cycling cells that proliferate in response to radiation-induced damage in a sustained manner and divide asymmetrically to produce differentiated cells of the larger granulated ducts. Conversely, KIT+ intercalated duct cells are long-lived progenitors for the intercalated ducts that undergo few cell divisions either during homeostasis or after gamma radiation, thus maintaining ductal architecture with slow rates of cell turnover. Together, these data illustrate the regenerative capacity of the salivary ducts and highlight the heterogeneity in the damage responses used by salivary progenitor cells to maintain tissue architecture. Summary: After radiation-induced damage, KRT14+ cells repopulate granulated ductal cells primarily through asymmetric division, whereas KIT+ cells maintain intercalated ductal tissue structure through limited cell turnover.
Image Synthesis for Self-Supervised Visual Representation Learning

Author(s): Zhang, Richard | Advisor(s): Efros, Alexei A. | Abstract: Deep networks are extremely adept at mapping a noisy, high-dimensional signal to a clean, low-dimensional target output (e.g., image classification). By solving this heavy compression task, the network also learns about natural image priors. However, this process requires the curation of large, labeled datasets. Meanwhile, the world provides massive amounts of raw, unlabeled pixels for free. This thesis investigates learning representations of high-dimensional input signals by mapping them to \textit{high-dimensional} output targets. While more difficult, it is not only possible to learn a strong feature representation, but also to synthesize realistic images.Part I describes the use of deep networks for conditional image synthesis. The section begins by exploring the problem of image colorization, proposing both automatic and user-guided approaches. This section then proposes a system for general image-to-image translation problems, BicycleGAN, with the specific aim of capturing the multimodal nature of the output space.Part II explores the visual representations learned within deep networks. Colorization, as well as cross-channel prediction in general, is a simple but powerful pretext task for self-supervised learning. The representations from cross-channel prediction networks transfer strongly to high-level semantic tasks, such as image classification, and to low-level human perceptual similarity judgments. For the latter, a large-scale dataset of human perceptual similarity judgments is collected. The proposed cross-channel network method outperforms traditional metrics such as PSNR and SSIM. In fact, many unsupervised and self-supervised methods transfer strongly, even comparably to fully-supervised methods.
Hippo signaling pathway is altered in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Hippo signaling pathway is considered a key regulator of tissue homeostasis, cell proliferation, apoptosis and it is involved in cancer development. In skeletal muscle, YAP, a downstream target of the Hippo pathway, is an important player in myoblast proliferation, atrophy/hypertrophy regulation, and in mechano-trasduction, transferring mechanical signals into transcriptional responses. We studied components of Hippo pathway in muscle specimens from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Becker muscular dystrophy, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A and type 2B and healthy subjects. Only DMD muscles had decreased YAP1 protein expression, increased LATS1/2 kinase activity, low Survivin mRNA expression and high miR-21 expression. In light of our novel results, a schematic model is postulated: low levels of YOD1 caused by increased inhibition by miR-21 lead to an increase of LATS1/2 activity which in turn augments phosphorylation of YAP. Reduced amount of active YAP, which is also a target of increased miR-21, causes decreased nuclear expression of YAP-mediated target genes. Since it is known that YAP has beneficial roles in promoting tissue repair and regeneration after injury so that its activation may be therapeutically useful, our results suggest that some components of Hippo pathway could become novel therapeutic targets for DMD treatment.
Agonism for the bile acid receptor GPBAR1 reverses liver and vascular damage in a mouse model of steatohepatitis

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications and mortality, suggesting that treatment of NASH might benefit from combined approaches that target the liver and the cardiovascular components of NASH. Using genetic and pharmacologic approaches, we show that G protein–coupled bile acid–activated receptor 1 (GPBAR1) agonism reverses liver and vascular damage in mouse models of NASH. NASH is associated with accelerated vascular inflammation representing an independent risk factor for development of cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular‐related mortality. GPBAR1, also known as TGR5, is a G protein–coupled receptor for secondary bile acids that reduces inflammation and promotes energy expenditure. Using genetic and pharmacologic approaches, we investigated whether GPBAR1 agonism by 6β‐ethyl‐3α,7β‐dihydroxy‐5β‐cholan‐24‐ol (BAR501) reverses liver and vascular damage induced by exposure to a diet enriched in fat and fructose (HFD‐F). Treating HFD‐F mice with BAR501 reversed liver injury and promoted the browning of white adipose tissue in a Gpbar1‐dependent manner. Feeding HFD‐F resulted in vascular damage, as shown by the increased aorta intima‐media thickness and increased expression of inflammatory genes (IL‐6, TNF‐α, iNOS, and F4/80) and adhesion molecules (VCAM, intercellular adhesion molecule‐1, and endothelial selectin) in the aorta, while reducing the expression of genes involved in NO and hydrogen sulfide generation, severely altering vasomotor activities of aortic rings in an ex vivo assay. BAR501 reversed this pattern in a Gpbar1‐dependent manner, highlighting a potential role for GPBAR1 agonism in treating the liver and vascular component of NASH. —Carino, A. , Marchianò, S. , Biagioli, M. , Bucci, M. , Vellecco, V. , Brancaleone, V. , Fiorucci, C. , Zampella, A. , Monti, M. C. , Distrutti, E. , Fiorucci, S. Agonism for the bile acid receptor GPBAR1 reverses liver and vascular damage in a mouse model of steatohepatitis. FASEB J. 33, 2809–2822 (2019). www.fasebj. org