Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serotonin transporter Gene ( SLC 6 A 4 ) Polymorphism in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Healthy Controls

Background: Polymorphisms in serotonin re-uptake transporter (SERT or SLC6A4) gene may play role in disturbance in gut function in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between SLC6A4 polymorphism of SERT-P and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) concentration in IBS as compared with controls. methods: 150 patients with IBS (Rome-III criteria) and 252 controls were subjected to SLC6A4 genotyping. 5-HT was measured in the rectal biopsy of patients only. Results: Patients and controls were age and gender-matched. Patients were classified into D-IBS: 79 (52%), C-IBS: 52 (35%) and A-IBS: 19 (13%). SLC6A4 polymorphism differed in IBS and controls [genotypes s/s, 89 (59%), l/s, 44 (29%), and l/l, 17 (12%) vs. s/s, 92 (37%), l/s, 114 (45%), and l/l, 46 (18%), p<0.001]. SLC6A4 s/s genotype was commoner in D-IBS than C-IBS, A-IBS and controls (p<0.001). 5-HT level was higher in D-IBS than A-IBS and C-IBS (154.7±37.1 vs. 112.4±24.6 vs. 104.3±23.7-pmol/mL, p<0.001) and in s/s than l/s and l/l genotypes (151.1±37.3 vs. 105.0±20.9 vs. 100.9±28.0-pmol/mL, p<0.001). IBS with s/s genotype more often had abdominal pain than l/s and l/l [78/89 (87.6%) vs. 19/44 (43%) vs. 5/17 (29%), p<0.001]. 5-HT level was higher among IBS patients with abdominal pain and diarrhea than without (142.9±39.4 vs. 108.4±28.9-pmol/mL, p<0.001) and (140.2±41.3-pmol/mL vs. 121.3±35.0-pmol/mL, p=0.003). Conclusion: The frequency of SLC6A4-polymorphism and higher levels of 5-HT were significantly associated with IBS, particularly in patients with diarrhea and abdominal pain, suggesting that SLC6A4 is a potential candidate gene involved in the pathogenesis of IBS.
In vivo covalent cross‐linking of cellular actin by the Vibrio cholerae RTX toxin

Enteric pathogens often export toxins that elicit diarrhea as a part of the etiology of disease, including toxins that affect cytoskeletal structure. Recently, we discovered that the intestinal pathogen Vibrio cholerae elicits rounding of epithelial cells that is dependent upon a gene we designated rtxA. Here we investigate the association of rtxA with the cell‐rounding effect. We find that V.cholerae exports a large toxin, RTX (repeats‐in‐toxin) toxin, to culture supernatant fluids and that this toxin is responsible for cell rounding. Furthermore, we find that cell rounding is not due to necrosis, suggesting that RTX toxin is not a typical member of the RTX family of pore‐forming toxins. Rather, RTX toxin causes depolymerization of actin stress fibers and covalent cross‐linking of cellular actin into dimers, trimers and higher multimers. This RTX toxin‐specific cross‐linking occurs in cells previously rounded with cytochalasin D, indicating that G‐actin is the toxin target. Although several models explain our observations, our simultaneous detection of actin cross‐linking and depolymerization points toward a novel mechanism of action for RTX toxin, distinguishing it from all other known toxins.
Factors affecting visual loss and visual recovery in patients with pseudotumor cerebri syndrome.

PURPOSE To investigate the frequency of visual loss (VL), possible predictive factors of VL, and improvement in patients with pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) syndrome. METHODS We reviewed 50 PTC patients (43 females, seven males) who underwent neuro-ophthalmic examination at the time of diagnosis and after treatment. Demographic data, body mass index (BMI), time from symptom onset to diagnosis (TD), maximum intracranial pressure (MIP), occurrence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), and treatment modalities were reviewed. VL was graded as mild, moderate, or severe on the basis of visual acuity and fields. Predictive factors for VL and improvement were assessed by regression analysis. RESULTS The mean ± SD age, BMI, and MIP were 35.2 ± 12.7 years, 32.0 ± 7.5 kg/cm2, and 41.9 ± 14.5 cmH2O, respectively. Visual symptoms and CVT were present in 46 and eight patients, respectively. TD (in months) was <1 in 21, 1-6 in 15, and >6 in 14 patients. Patients received medical treatment with (n=20) or without (n=30) surgery. At presentation, VL was mild in 16, moderate in 12, and severe in 22 patients. Twenty-eight patients improved and five worsened. MIP, TD, and hypertension showed a significant correlation with severe VL. The best predictive factor for severe VL was TD >6 months (p=0.04; odds ratio, 5.18). TD between 1 and 6 months was the only factor significantly associated with visual improvement (p=0.042). CONCLUSIONS VL is common in PTC, and when severe, it is associated with a delay in diagnosis. It is frequently permanent; however, improvement may occur, particularly when diagnosed within 6 months of symptom onset.
Random effects model for meta‐analysis of multiple quantitative sibpair linkage studies

The growing interest in detection of genetic effects for complex traits along with molecular revolution has stimulated many linkage studies. Multiple replication studies tend to produce different results. In such situations, rigorous meta‐analysis methods can be useful for assessing the overall evidence for linkage. We propose here a random effects model for combining results from independent quantitative sibpair linkage studies. The model can be used to assess the aggregate evidence for linkage by combing the regression coefficients to the Haseman and Elston [(1972) Behav Genet 2:3–19] sibpair method as well as to assess heterogeneity among the multiple studies. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Relation Between Smoking and Biomarkers of Bone Resorption Associated With Dental Endosseous Implants

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of smoking on pyridinoline concentrations in crevicular fluid collected from around dental implants. Samples of crevicular fluid were collected from 4 sites around each implant and tooth, if present, for a group of 16 patients using methylcellulose strips. Samples were collected from 104 implants and 49 teeth. Eight of the 16 patients were current smokers. Crevicular fluid samples were eluted from methylcellulose strips using phosphate-buffered saline containing 0.1% bovine serum albumin and centrifugation. Pyridinoline was quantified using a competitive enzyme immunoassay. Results showed that there were statistically insignificant differences between the amounts of pyridinoline (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) around teeth of nonsmokers versus smokers (0.011 ± 0.003 and 0.014 ± 0.006 nmol/L, respectively). However, the mean (± SD) pyridinoline levels around the implants of nonsmokers (0.012 ± 0.018 nmol/L) were significantly (P <0.01) less than that of smokers (0.030 ± 0.006 nmol/L). These results demonstrate that pyridinoline levels are specifically elevated in the crevicular fluid associated with endosseous dental implants of smokers and suggest that smoking may affect implant success in part through alterations in the levels of bone resorption.
Validation of 40 year multimodel seasonal precipitation forecasts: The role of ENSO on the global skill

The skill of seasonal precipitation forecasts is assessed worldwide—grid point by grid point—for the 40 year period 1961–2000, considering the ENSEMBLES multimodel hindcast and applying a tercile‐based probabilistic approach in terms of the relative operating characteristic skill score (ROCSS). Although predictability varies with region, season, and lead time, results indicate that (1) significant skill is mainly located in the tropics—20 to 40% of the total land areas; (2) overall, September–October (March–May) is the most (least) skillful season; and (3) the skill weakens (with respect to the 1 month lead case) at 4 months lead—especially in June–August—although the ROCSS spatial patterns are broadly preserved—particularly in Northern South America and the Malay Archipelago. The contribution of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events to this 40 year skill is also analyzed, based on the idea that the seasonal predictability may be mainly driven by El Niño and La Niña precipitation teleconnections and, consequently, limited by the ability of the different seasonal forecasting models to accurately reproduce them. Results show that the ROCSS spatial patterns for (1) the full period 1961–2000 and (2) El Niño and La Niña events are highly correlated—over 0.85. Moreover, the observed teleconnection patterns are properly simulated (predicted)—with spatial correlations around 0.8—by most of the models at both 1 and 4 months lead time.
Co‐immobilization of different enzyme activities to non‐woven polyester surfaces

Co‐immobilization was applied to combine complementary enzyme reactions. Therefore, trypsin was co‐immobilized together with both, lipase and α‐amylase, onto the surface of non‐woven polyester material. The progress of the immobilization reaction was directly monitored by investigating covalent fixation of the enzymes to the polyester flees using 1H‐MAS‐NMR. Co‐immobilization of the different types of enzymes to the polyester support showed retained enzymatic activity. However, a competition of binding to the support was observed. Increasing amounts of one type of enzyme reduced the degree of immobilization for the other type. In order to investigate the distribution of trypsin and α‐amylase on the polyester support, the flees was treated with a mixture of rhodamine isothiocyanate labeled with anti‐trypsin antibodies and fluorescein isothiocyanate labeled with anti‐α‐amylase antibodies. Using fluorescence microscopy, the co‐immobilization was analyzed by selective excitation of both chromophores at 480 and 530 nm, respectively. In addition, fluorescence spectroscopy was applied by direct labeling of trypsin and lipase prior to co‐immobilization to the polyester support. A special prism of plexiglass was constructed, which fit into a 10 × 10 mm fluorescence cuvette in that way that a diagonal plane was formed within the cuvette. The non‐woven support was fixed in the cuvette and fluorescence spectra were obtained to characterize the amount of different enzymes linked to the support. Using FRET it was demonstrated that a uniform distribution of the various enzyme species was achieved, where the different enzyme activities are bound on the support in close neighborhood to one another. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;96:623–630. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Icons of Sound: Auralizing the Lost Voice of Hagia Sophia

The interdisciplinary project Icons of Sound (2008–present) is codirected by Bissera Pentcheva (Department of Art andArtHistory) and JonathanAbel (Center forComputer Research inMusic andAcoustics [CCRMA]) at StanfordUniversity. Bridging humanities and exact sciences, this research focuses on Emperor Justinian’s sixthcentury church of Hagia Sophia, uncovering the synergy that once existed among acoustics, chant, and aesthetics (Fig. 1). The liturgical rite, celebrated within this monument from late antiquity until at least the Fourth Crusade in 1204, was known as the ekklēsiastēs (“cathedral”) or more commonly referred to as the asmatic, or sung, rite. As a museum today, the interior of Hagia Sophia is off limits for any performance involving the human voice; this ban pertains both to religious and artistic initiatives. Digital technology has become our only means to restore and experience the lost voice of the Great Church. Icons of Sound has collected acoustic data on site using inflated balloons popped in the interior. Extracting from these samples the impulse response of the space, the team has successfully imprinted Hagia Sophia’s acoustic signature on live performance of Byzantine chant, first in a studio setting in 2011 and then at Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall in 2013 and 2016. This article presents the method and the results of this research.
Oral health-related quality of life in partially edentulous patients treated with removable, fixed, fixed-removable, and implant-supported prostheses.

PURPOSE This study investigated changes in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in partially edentulous patients treated with removable dental prostheses (RDPs), fixed dental prostheses (FDPs), fixed-removable (combined) restorations (COMBs), and implant-supported fixed prostheses (ISFPs). MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 200 patients (30 to 50 years old) were enrolled: 45 received RDPs, 32 received FDPs, 66 received COMBs, and 57 received ISFPs. OHRQoL was measured using the shortened version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) before treatment and 6 weeks and 6 months after treatment. Treatment groups were sex-neutral; however, significant differences were found relative to age and Kennedy classification. A general linear model was used to explore the interaction of age and Kennedy classification with treatment modality. RESULTS Pretreatment analysis revealed that the psychologic discomfort domain showed the greatest negative impact on OHRQoL, while functional limitation had the smallest effect. Within-group comparison revealed a significant decrease in OHIP scores throughout the study in all groups except the younger age group treated with RDPs after 6 weeks. Between-group comparison revealed significant differences among the treatment groups. The least amount of OHRQoL improvement was recorded for RDPs for both age groups at 6 weeks and for the younger age group at 6 months. There were no significant differences between FDPs and ISFPs. CONCLUSIONS All treatments produced significant improvement in OHRQoL. The least amount of improvement was observed in patients with RDPs. OHRQoL changes in patients treated with FDPs and ISFPs were comparable. The same treatment can have different impacts on the OHRQoL of partially edentulous individuals depending on their age and Kennedy classification.
Single-Event Upset Mitigation in a Complementary SiGe HBT BiCMOS Technology

The single-event upset response of SiGe-based digital circuits designed in a third-generation, bulk C-SiGe (<italic>npn</italic> + <italic>pnp</italic>) BiCMOS platform is investigated. Heavy-ion, broad-beam experiments across data rate, incidence angle, and bit stream pattern show that the <italic>pnp</italic>-based shift registers exhibit significant reductions in error cross section when compared with <italic>npn</italic>-only designs. Ion-strike simulations using 3-D TCAD models agree with the experimental findings, where the <italic>pnp</italic> SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) exhibits reduced sensitive area and transient duration, leading to large reductions in collected charge at the collector (output) terminal. The circuit-level, heavy-ion measurements are in agreement with previous device-level, pulsed-laser studies, where the single-event effect (SEE) improvement of <italic>pnp</italic> SiGe HBTs was attributed to the n-well isolation layer present in the vertical material stack of the <italic>pnp</italic> SiGe HBT structure. These results provide confirmation that precision analog, RF/mm-wave, and high-speed digital applications utilizing unhardened, high-performance bulk <italic>pnp</italic> SiGe HBTs should benefit from an inherently improved SEE response.
Assessing the Linguistic Productivity of Unsupervised Deep Neural Networks

Increasingly, cognitive scientists have demonstrated interest in applying tools from deep learning. One use for deep learning is in language acquisition where it is useful to know if a linguistic phenomenon can be learned through domain-general means. To assess whether unsupervised deep learning is appropriate, we first pose a smaller question: Can unsupervised neural networks apply linguistic rules productively, using them in novel situations? We draw from the literature on determiner/noun productivity by training an unsupervised, autoencoder network measuring its ability to combine nouns with determiners. Our simple autoencoder creates combinations it has not previously encountered and produces a degree of overlap matching adults. While this preliminary work does not provide conclusive evidence for productivity, it warrants further investigation with more complex models. Further, this work helps lay the foundations for future collaboration between the deep learning and cognitive science communities.
Linked Data Based Framework for Tourism Decision Support System: Case Study of Chinese Tourists in Switzerland

Switzerland is one of the most desirable European destinations for Chinese tourists; therefore, a better understanding of Chinese tourists is essential for successful business practices. In China, the largest and leading social media platform—Sina Weibo, a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook—has more than 600 million users. Weibo’s great market penetration suggests that tourism operators and markets need to understand how to build effective and sustainable communications on Chinese social media platforms. In order to offer a better decision support platform to tourism destination managers as well as Chinese tourists, we proposed a framework using linked data on Sina Weibo. Linked Data is a term referring to using the Internet to connect related data. We will show how it can be used and how ontology can be designed to include the users’ context (e.g., GPS locations). Our framework will provide a good theoretical foundation for further understand Chinese tourists’ expectation, experiences, behaviors and new trends in Switzerland.
Measuring the quality of medical records: a method for comparing completeness and correctness of clinical encounter data

This paper explores the attributes of quality in recorded clinical encounter data, examines issues in measuring these attributes, and describes a method for measuring two attributes, completeness and correctness. The method is defined in the context of computer-based records and is demonstrated in a pilot study. Videotaped physician-patient encounters and an empiric process of determining a gold standard for content are used. The methodology was found to be feasible. Problems encountered during the pilot study can be remedied.
UNUSUALLY LONG HYPTIOTES (ARANEAE, ULOBORIDAE) SEQUENCE FOR SMALL SUBUNIT (18S) RIBOSOMAL RNA SUPPORTS SECONDARY STRUCTURE MODEL UTILITY IN SPIDERS

Abstract We report on the structure of the small-subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) sequence from Hyptiotes gertschi (Araneae, Uloboridae), which is the largest 18S gene sequenced in any arachnid to date. We compare this remarkable sequence to those from a range of other spiders and arachnids, and develop base-pairing models of its insert regions to determine its overall secondary structure. The H. gertschi sequence of 1902 bases is 86 nucleotides longer than any comparable spider sequence and contains 5 inserts between 5 and 28 bases in length, all at regions characterized as among the most variable in eukaryotic 18S genes. Inserts were also found in one of these variable regions in published sequences of 3 species of hard ticks (Acari, Ixodidae). Other arachnid taxa were remarkably uniform in 18S primary sequence length, ranging from 1802 to 1816 nucleotides. Thermodynamic modeling of the H. gertschi inserts suggests they are largely self-complementary, extending the stem portions of the variable regions.
Neurologic signs and symptoms in fibromyalgia.

OBJECTIVE To determine the type and frequency of neurologic signs and symptoms in individuals with fibromyalgia (FM). METHODS Persons with FM (n = 166) and pain-free controls (n = 66) underwent systematic neurologic examination by a neurologist blinded to disease status. Neurologic symptoms lasting at least 3 months were assessed with a standard questionnaire. We used logistic regression to evaluate the association of neurologic symptoms and examination findings with FM status. Within the FM group we examined the correlation between self-reported symptoms and physical examination findings. RESULTS Age- and sex-adjusted estimates revealed that compared with the control group, the FM group had significantly more neurologic abnormalities in multiple categories, including greater dysfunction in cranial nerves IX and X (42% versus 8%) and more sensory (65% versus 25%), motor (33% versus 3%), and gait (28% versus 7%) abnormalities. Similarly, the FM group had significantly more neurologic symptoms than the control group in 27 of 29 categories, with the greatest differences observed for photophobia (70% versus 6%), poor balance (63% versus 4%), and weakness (58% versus 2%) and tingling (54% versus 4%) in the arms or legs. Poor balance or coordination, tingling or weakness in the arms or legs, and numbness in any part of the body correlated with appropriate neurologic examination findings in the FM group. CONCLUSION This blinded, controlled study demonstrated neurologic physical examination findings in persons with FM. The FM group had more neurologic symptoms than did the controls, with moderate correlation between symptoms and signs. These findings have implications for the medical evaluation of patients with FM.
Prospective Study of Infantile Hemangiomas: Clinical Characteristics Predicting Complications and Treatment

OBJECTIVES. Infantile hemangiomas are the most common tumor of infancy. Risk factors for complications and need for treatment have not been studied previously in a large prospective study. This study aims to identify clinical characteristics associated with complications and the need for therapeutic intervention. PATIENTS AND METHODS. We conducted a prospective cohort study at 7 US pediatric dermatology clinics with a consecutive sample of 1058 children, aged ≤12 years, with infantile hemangiomas enrolled between September 2002 and October 2003. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data on each patient and each hemangioma, including clinical characteristics, complications, and treatment. RESULTS. Twenty-four percent of patients experienced complications related to their hemangioma(s), and 38% of our patients received some form of treatment during the study period. Hemangiomas that had complications and required treatment were larger and more likely to be located on the face. Segmental hemangiomas were 11 times more likely to experience complications and 8 times more likely to receive treatment than localized hemangiomas, even when controlled for size. CONCLUSIONS. Large size, facial location, and/or segmental morphology are the most important predictors of poor short-term outcomes as measured by complication and treatment rates.