Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic Ground Truth Expansion for Timeline Evaluation

The development of automatic systems that can produce timeline summaries by filtering high-volume streams of text documents, retaining only those that are relevant to a particular information need (e.g. topic or event), remains a very challenging task. To advance the field of automatic timeline generation, robust and reproducible evaluation methodologies are needed. To this end, several evaluation metrics and labeling methodologies have recently been developed - focusing on information nugget or cluster-based ground truth representations, respectively. These methodologies rely on human assessors manually mapping timeline items (e.g. tweets) to an explicit representation of what information a 'good' summary should contain. However, while these evaluation methodologies produce reusable ground truth labels, prior works have reported cases where such labels fail to accurately estimate the performance of new timeline generation systems due to label incompleteness. In this paper, we first quantify the extent to which timeline summary ground truth labels fail to generalize to new summarization systems, then we propose and evaluate new automatic solutions to this issue. In particular, using a depooling methodology over 21 systems and across three high-volume datasets, we quantify the degree of system ranking error caused by excluding those systems when labeling. We show that when considering lower-effectiveness systems, the test collections are robust (the likelihood of systems being miss-ranked is low). However, we show that the risk of systems being miss-ranked increases as the effectiveness of systems held-out from the pool increases. To reduce the risk of miss-ranking systems, we also propose two different automatic ground truth label expansion techniques. Our results show that our proposed expansion techniques can be effective for increasing the robustness of the TREC-TS test collections, markedly reducing the number of miss-rankings by up to 50% on average among the scenarios tested.
Screening of cell surface properties of potential probiotic lactobacilli isolated from human milk

Evaluation of eleven candidate probiotic Lactobacillus strains isolated from human milk showed that some of the strains were well endowed with desirable cell surface and attachment attributes. The cell surface properties (hydrophobicity, auto-aggregation, attachment to collagen and HT-29 monolayer) of probiotic Lactobacillus species of human milk origin were compared with reference probiotic/ non-probiotic species and pathogenic strains. The bacterial adhesion to hydrocarbons (BATH) was determined using three aliphatic (Chloroform, n-Hexane and n-Octane) and two aromatic (Toluene and Xylene) solvents. Maximum affinity of Lactobacillus strains towards chloroform and toluene indicated the presence of low electron acceptor/ acidic surface components on cell surface of most of the strains. The highest value of per cent hydrophobicity was recorded with chloroform in HM1 (L. casei) (97·10 ± 3·35%) and LGG (98·92 ± 1·24%). A moderate auto-aggregation attribute was observed in all of our Lactobacillus isolates. Only HM10, HM12 and HM13 exhibited comparatively enhanced precipitation rate after 7 h of incubation period. The adhesion potential to collagen matrix was highest in LGG (26·94 ± 5·83%), followed by HM1 (11·07 ± 3·54%) and HM9 (10·85 ± 1·74%) whereas, on HT-29 cells, HM8 (14·99 ± 3·61%), HM3 (13·73 ± 1·14%) and HM1 (11·21 ± 3·18%) could adhere effectively. In this manner, we noticed that although the cell surface properties and adhesion prospective of probiotic bacteria were strain dependent, five of our isolates viz. HM1, HM3, HM8, HM9 and HM10 exhibited promising cell surface properties, which could be further targeted as indigenous probiotic.
Serum exosomes mediate delivery of arginase 1 as a novel mechanism for endothelial dysfunction in diabetes

Significance Endothelial dysfunction plays a crucial role in the development of diabetic vasculopathy, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we have revealed a previously undefined importance of serum exosomes in regulating endothelial function and vascular homeostasis in diabetes. Through comparative proteomics analysis, arginase1 was found enriched in diabetic serum exosomes and can be transferred to endothelial cells to inhibit NO production, thus impairing endothelial function. This is a cell-to-cell communication mechanism first identified to contribute to vascular dysfunction in diabetes. Exosomes, abundant in blood, deliver various molecules to recipient cells. Endothelial cells are directly exposed to circulating substances. However, how endothelial cells respond to serum exosomes (SExos) and the implications in diabetes-associated vasculopathy have never been explored. In the present study, we showed that SExos from diabetic db/db mice (db/db SExos) were taken up by aortic endothelial cells, which severely impaired endothelial function in nondiabetic db/m+ mice. The exosomal proteins, rather than RNAs, mostly account for db/db SExos-induced endothelial dysfunction. Comparative proteomics analysis showed significant increase of arginase 1 in db/db SExos. Silence or overexpression of arginase 1 confirmed its essential role in db/db SExos-induced endothelial dysfunction. This study is a demonstration that SExos deliver arginase 1 protein to endothelial cells, representing a cellular mechanism during development of diabetic endothelial dysfunction. The results expand the scope of blood-borne substances that monitor vascular homeostasis.
Rac1 Nanoscale Organization on the Plasma Membrane Is Driven by Lipid Binding Specificity Encoded in the Membrane Anchor

Rac1 is a small guanine nucleotide binding protein that cycles between an inactive GDP-bound and active GTP-bound state to regulate cell motility and migration. Rac1 signaling is initiated from the plasma membrane (PM). ABSTRACT Rac1 is a small guanine nucleotide binding protein that cycles between an inactive GDP-bound and active GTP-bound state to regulate cell motility and migration. Rac1 signaling is initiated from the plasma membrane (PM). Here, we used high-resolution spatial mapping and manipulation of PM lipid composition to define Rac1 nanoscale organization. We found that Rac1 proteins in the GTP- and GDP-bound states assemble into nonoverlapping nanoclusters; thus, Rac1 proteins undergo nucleotide-dependent segregation. Rac1 also selectively interacts with phosphatidic acid (PA) and phosphoinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3), resulting in nanoclusters enriched in these lipids. These lipids are structurally important because depleting the PM of PA or PIP3 impairs both Rac1 PM binding and Rac1 nanoclustering. Lipid binding specificity of Rac1 is encoded in the amino acid sequence of the polybasic domain (PBD) of the C-terminal membrane anchor. Point mutations within the PBD, including arginine-to-lysine substitutions, profoundly alter Rac1 lipid binding specificity without changing the electrostatics of the protein and result in impaired macropinocytosis and decreased cell spreading. We propose that Rac1 nanoclusters act as lipid-based signaling platforms emulating the spatiotemporal organization of Ras proteins and show that the Rac1 PBD-prenyl anchor has a biological function that extends beyond simple electrostatic engagement with the PM.
Smokers’ knowledge and perception of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes): a qualitative study of non-quitting smokers in a North London general practice

Abstract Background The introduction of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has provided smokers with an alternative source of nicotine. Interest and use of the device has increased exponentially in the last decade with an estimated 2.9 m adult users in Great Britain. Research so far on the attitudes and perceptions of smokers to this new product has largely focussed on the views of current e-cigarette users, smokers attempting to quit and former cigarette smokers. Aim This study aimed to explore the views of current tobacco smokers who were not using e-cigarettes and not looking for a cessation method, their understanding and knowledge of e-cigarettes, and their views of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid provided by the National Health Service (NHS). Methods Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 patients from a general practice in North London, who smoked conventional tobacco cigarettes on a daily or weekly basis, over 18 years old. An iterative approach allowed for constant data analysis using a thematic approach throughout the data collection stage, and generated four recurring themes. Findings E-cigarettes were primarily seen as a smoking cessation device, with the supply of nicotine viewed as a benefit helping to reduce withdrawal symptoms, although for some participants this supply could also be a hindrance to dealing with their addiction. Despite uncertainty about the components, e-cigarettes were mostly viewed as healthier due to their lack of carcinogens, tar and smoke inhalation. The lack of reliable information and strong evidence for both the effectiveness and the safety of e-cigarettes led participants to be apprehensive about their provision by the NHS, and acted as a barrier to their use as an aid to quitting. The recurring appeal for more information regarding e-cigarettes make it clear that further high-quality research is urgently needed in this field to provide reliable and accurate information to smokers.
Lipid oxidation stability of ultra-high-temperature short-time sterilization sporoderm-broken pine pollen (UHT-PP) and 60 Co-irradiation sterilization sporoderm-broken pine pollen (60 Co-PP).

BACKGROUND Pine pollen, a kind of Chinese traditional medicine, is rich in unsaturated fatty acids. During its processing, it is often needed to break the sporoderm in order to increase the availability of some ingredients, which can cause lipid oxidation and the development of rancidity during storage. RESULTS The primal peroxide value (PV) of ultra-high-temperature short-time sterilization sporoderm-broken pine pollen (UHT-PP) was much higher (over 15 times) than raw pine pollen (R-PP) and 60 Co-irradiation sterilization sporoderm-broken pine pollen (60 Co-PP). The PV of UHT-PP first increased and then decreased shortly after; however, PV of R-PP and 60 Co-PP remained almost unchanged during storage. The volatiles associated with rancidity in UHT-PP were found to be significantly higher than 60 Co-PP, especially hexanal (nearly 30 times) and hexanoic acid (about 2 times), and a multi-organoleptic sensor analyzer (electronic nose system) was able to differentiate these three kinds of samples when the output was subjected to discriminant function analysis. During storage (30 days), hexanal first increased and then decreased (at about 5 days), and hexanoic acid continuously increased for UHT-PP; however, no significant change was noted for R-PP or 60 Co-PP. UHT-PP has a greater surface area than 60 Co-PP, although same sporoderm-broken processes were applied. Antioxidants (flavone, carotenoid and tocopherols, sterol compounds) in 60 Co-PP were significantly (P ≤ 0.05, by Duncan's multiple range test) higher than that in UHT-PP, although not significantly different for total phenolics. CONCLUSIONS Rancidity occurs more readily in UHT-PP than in R-PP and 60 Co-PP during storage, probably because significant lipid oxidation and antioxidant degradation occurred during the UHT sterilization sporoderm-broken processing of pine pollen. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.
Anemia in Intensive Care: A review of Current Concepts

Abstract Anemia in patients admitted to an intensive care unit is common and affects almost all critically ill patients. The intensivist is faced with the challenge of treating multifactorial etiologies, mainly bleeding and blood loss due to phlebotomy and decreased erythropoiesis. Red cell transfusion, the most common treatment for anemia, comes with associated risks, which may further reduce the chance of survival of these patients. The best evidence suggests the practice of restrictive RBC transfusion (transfusion at Hb<7 g/dl). In this article, the etiopathogenesis of the anemia in critically ill is reviewed, and current opinion on the pros and cons of various management strategies are discussed with emphasize on restrictive transfusion policy.
Measuring cell cycle-dependent DNA damage responses and p53 regulation on a cell-by-cell basis from image analysis

ABSTRACT DNA damage in cells occurs from both endogenous and exogenous sources, and failure to repair such damage is associated with the emergence of different cancers, neurological disorders and aging. DNA damage responses (DDR) in cells are closely associated with the cell cycle. While most of our knowledge of DDR comes from bulk biochemistry, such methods require cells to be arrested at specific stages for cell cycle studies, potentially altering measured responses; nor is cell to cell variability in DDR or direct cell-level correlation of two response metrics measured in such methods. To overcome these limitations we developed a microscopy-based assay for determining cell cycle stages over large cell numbers. This method can be used to study cell-cycle-dependent DDR in cultured cells without the need for cell synchronization. Upon DNA damage γH2A. X induction was correlated to nuclear enrichment of p53 on a cell-by-cell basis and in a cell cycle dependent manner. Imaging-based cell cycle staging was combined with single molecule P53 mRNA detection and immunofluorescence for p53 protein in the very same cells to reveal an intriguing repression of P53 transcript numbers due to reduced transcription across different stages of the cell cycle during DNA damage. Our study hints at an unexplored mechanism for p53 regulation and underscores the importance of measuring single cell level responses to DNA damage.
A Large-Scale Study of Mobile Search Examination Behavior

With the rapid growth of mobile web search, it is necessary and important to understand user's examination behavior on mobile devices in the absence of clicks. Previous studies used viewport metrics to estimate user's attention. However, there still lacks an in-depth understanding of how search users examine and interact with the mobile SERP. In this work, based on the large-scale real search log collected from a popular commercial mobile search engine, we present a comprehensive analysis of examination behavior. Specifically, we analyze the position bias, the relationship with click behavior, and examination's change as the session continues. The findings shed new light on the understanding of user's examination behavior, and also provide some implication for the improvement and evaluation of mobile search engine.
Comparative Effectiveness of 8- and 12-Week Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir Regimens for HCV Infection

Background Real-world studies have aimed to compare the effects of 8- and 12-week ledipasvir/sofosbuvir regimens on sustained virological response (SVR) among HCV infection genotype-1 (HCV-1) treatment-naive patients. Nevertheless, real-world comparative effectiveness studies pose unique challenges, such as confounding by indication, that were not adequately addressed in prior studies. We thus aimed to address limitations in prior studies and compare overall- and subgroup-specific effectiveness of 8- and 12-week ledipasvir/sofosbuvir regimens among HCV-1 treatment-naive patients. Methods Patients eligible for our study were aged ≥18 years and initiated 8- or 12-week ledipasvir/sofosbuvir regimens for treatment-naive HCV-1 at an urban public hospital network. We excluded patients with HIV or cirrhosis. We used marginal structural models to estimate overall and subgroup-specific risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence limits (CL) comparing the effect of 8- and 12-week ledipasvir/sofosbuvir regimens on 12-week SVR. Results Our study population comprised 191 patients. Among both regimens, the majority were aged >50 years, non-Hispanic White and uninsured. The overall risk of SVR was comparable between the 8- and 12-week regimens (RR=1.01, 95% CL: 0.92, 1.11). The risk of SVR did not vary by race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic Black: RR=1.01, 95% CL: 0.84, 1.21; non-Hispanic White: RR=1.01, 95% CL: 0.89, 1.04). Conclusions Our real-world results suggest that 8- and 12-week ledipasvir/sofosbuvir have comparable effects on SVR among HCV-1 patients without cirrhosis or HIV. In addition, the comparable effectiveness of 8- and 12-week regimens among non-Hispanic Black individuals adds to the growing body of evidence that supports the removal of race-based treatment guidelines.
Static and dynamic connectomics differentiate between depressed patients with and without suicidal ideation

Neural circuit dysfunction underlies the biological mechanisms of suicidal ideation (SI). However, little is known about how the brain's “dynome” differentiate between depressed patients with and without SI. This study included depressed patients (n = 48) with SI, without SI (NSI), and healthy controls (HC, n = 30). All participants underwent resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging. We constructed dynamic and static connectomics on 200 nodes using a sliding window and full‐length time–series correlations, respectively. Specifically, the temporal variability of dynamic connectomic was quantified using the variance of topological properties across sliding window. The overall topological properties of both static and dynamic connectomics further differentiated between SI and NSI, and also predicted the severity of SI. The SI showed decreased overall topological properties of static connectomic relative to the HC. The SI exhibited increases in overall topological properties with regard to the dynamic connectomic when compared with the HC and the NSI. Importantly, combining the overall topological properties of dynamic and static connectomics yielded mean 75% accuracy (all p < .001) with mean 71% sensitivity and mean 75% specificity in differentiating between SI and NSI. Moreover, these features may predict the severity of SI (mean r = .55, all p < .05). The findings revealed that combining static and dynamic connectomics could differentiate between SI and NSI, offering new insight into the physiopathological mechanisms underlying SI. Furthermore, combining the brain's connectome and dynome may be considered a neuromarker for diagnostic and predictive models in the study of SI.
Paliperidone palmitate once‐every‐3‐months in adults with early illness schizophrenia

This post hoc analysis of a double‐blind (DB), randomized, placebo‐controlled, relapse‐prevention study evaluated the effects of paliperidone palmitate once‐every‐3‐months (PP3M) in a subpopulation of adults with early illness schizophrenia (duration ≤5 years) from a clinical trial.
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in adults

Abstract Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare but life-threatening condition characterized by uncontrolled inflammation, is increasingly recognized in adults. The management of adult onset HLH is challenging, in part due to gaps in current state of knowledge on etiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management. HLH secondary to triggers such as infections, autoimmune disorders, and malignancy are more commonly seen in adults although cases of familial form have also been reported. Underlying conditions such as sepsis, or malignancy could pose as major confounders while applying universal diagnostic criteria, and therefore could lead to delay in diagnosis. Despite advent of newer therapeutic agents, outcomes of adults continue to remain poor. Future efforts need to be orchestrated to develop evidence-based tailored therapies to improve outcomes of this under recognized heterogeneous entity.
Quality of life of extremely preterm school-age children without major handicap: a cross-sectional observational study

Objective To determine the quality of life (QoL) of school-aged children who were born <28+0 weeks of gestation and who have no resultant major disabilities. Design, setting and patients A cross-sectional multicentre study of extremely preterm (EPT) infants born <28+0 weeks, discharged alive and free from severe impairments (cerebral palsy, autism, major cognitive disabilities). Two generic, self-evaluation and hetero-evaluation (by parent) QoL measurement questionnaires (Kidscreen 10/VSP-A) were used and then compared with French population reference. Main outcome measures Clinical examination, an assessment of cognitive functions and QoL between 7 and 10 years of age. Results 40 (7.5%) severely disabled children were excluded. Among those 471 eligible, the lost to follow-up group (169 (36%)) paralleled those 302 (64%) included in the study. The mean gestational age was 26.2 (±0.8), birth weight was 879 (±181) g and the mean age was 8.4 (±0.87) years. 48% of participants had minor or moderate cognitive disabilities based on their Full-Scale Index Quotient. Working memory, attention and mental flexibility scored as low-average. Except for family relationships, the EPT QoL VSP-A and Kidscreen 10 assessment were significantly lower based on the children’s and parent’s perspectives. Children reported the most significant QoL decline as (1) friends’ relationships, (2) self-esteem and (3) leisure, while parents indicated (1) psychological well-being, (2) schoolwork and (3) vitality. Conclusion The QoL of a school-age EPT child without severe impairment was lower relative to a reference population from both the parents’ and child’s points of view. This evaluation should help to better understand the long-term outcomes and to provide better support for them and their families. Trial registration number NCT01675726, pre-results.
Postural Hyperventilation as a Cause of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome: Increased Systemic Vascular Resistance and Decreased Cardiac Output When Upright in All Postural Tachycardia Syndrome Variants

Background Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a heterogeneous condition. We stratified patients previously evaluated for POTS on the basis of supine resting cardiac output (CO) or with the complaint of platypnea or “shortness of breath” during orthostasis. We hypothesize that postural hyperventilation is one cause of POTS and that hyperventilation‐associated POTS occurs when initial reduction in CO is sufficiently large. We also propose that circulatory abnormalities normalize with restoration of CO 2. Methods and Results Fifty‐eight enrollees with POTS were compared with 16 healthy volunteer controls. Low CO in POTS was defined by a resting supine CO <4 L/min. Patients with shortness of breath had hyperventilation with end tidal CO 2 <30 Torr during head‐up tilt table testing. There were no differences in height or weight between control patients and patients with POTS or differences between the POTS groups. Beat‐to‐beat blood pressure was measured by photoplethysmography, and CO was measured by ModelFlow. Systemic vascular resistance was defined as mean arterial blood pressure/CO. End tidal CO 2 and cerebral blood flow velocity of the middle cerebral artery were only reduced during head‐up tilt in the hyperventilation group, whereas blood pressure was increased compared with control. We corrected the reduced end tidal CO 2 in hyperventilation by addition of exogenous CO 2 into a rebreathing apparatus. With added CO 2, heart rate, blood pressure, CO, and systemic vascular resistance in hyperventilation became similar to control. Conclusions We conclude that all POTS is related to decreased CO, decreased central blood volume, and increased systemic vascular resistance and that a variant of POTS is consequent to postural hyperventilation.