Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Children with Obesity and Asthma: Which Are the Best Options for Their Management?

Obesity and asthma are complex disorders related to gene-environment interactions and various lifestyle factors. At present, they represent two of the most significant paediatric health problems worldwide, particularly in industrialized nations. The aim of this narrative review is to evaluate possible therapeutic strategies to manage asthma in children with overweight/obesity. PubMed was used to search for all of the studies published from January 2008 to June 2018 using the following key words: “asthma” and “overweight” or “obesity” or “obese” and “children” or “paediatric”. The literature review showed that growing evidence underlines the existence of an “obese asthma” phenotype characterised by difficult-to-control asthma with additional symptoms, worse control, more frequent and severe exacerbations, reduced response to inhaled corticosteroids, and lower quality of life than other phenotypes. Currently, therapeutic strategies centred on prevention are suggested and the development of resources to assist families with weight loss strategies seems useful for effective weight control and optimal asthma management. Studies on vitamin D supplementation and further knowledge are needed to better define the best therapeutic options to manage asthma in children with overweight/obesity and to reduce the onset and severity of this chronic respiratory disease through the design of a multifactorial intervention.
Understanding the participation of GREM1 polymorphisms in nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate in the Brazilian population.

BACKGROUND GREM1, which encodes Gremlin 1, an antagonist of bone morphogenic proteins with effects on proliferation and apoptosis, has been considered a candidate gene for nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL±P). In this study, we investigated potential associations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in GREM1 and NSCL±P risk in the Brazilian population. Additionally, SNP-SNP interactions of GREM1 with previously reported rs1880646 variant in NTN1 (netrin 1), a gene also responsible for apoptotic phenotypes were verified. METHODS Applying Taqman allelic discrimination assays, we evaluated the variants rs16969681, rs16969816, rs16969862, and rs1258763 in 325 case-parent trios and in 1,588 isolated samples in a case-control study. Allelic and genotypic analyses, as well as interaction tests assessing gene-environmental factor (GxE) and SNP-SNP interaction with rs1880646 variant in NTN1, were performed based on logistic regression analysis adjusted for the effects of gender and genomic ancestry proportions. RESULTS The risk alleles of all SNP were undertransmitted in NSCL±P trios, though the case-control analysis confirmed only the association with rs16969862 alleles (OR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.63-0.96, p = .02). The GxE interaction analysis revealed a significant interaction between maternal environmental contact with agrotoxics and rs16969816 (OR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.08-0.74, p = .01), and pairwise interaction test with NTN1 rs1880646 yielded significant p values in the 1,000 permutation test for rs16969681, rs16969816, and rs16969862. CONCLUSION The GREM1 is involved in the etiology of NSCL±P in the Brazilian population and reveal that the interaction between GREM1 and NTN1 may be related with the pathogenesis of this common craniofacial malformation.
Mosquitto: server and client implementation of the MQTT protocol

Mosquitto provides standards compliant server and client implementations of the MQTT messaging protocol. MQTT uses a publish/subscribe model, has low network overhead and can be implemented on low power devices such microcontrollers that might be used in remote Internet of Things sensors. As such, Mosquitto is intended for use in all situations where there is a need for lightweight messaging, particularly on constrained devices with limited resources.
Monitoring of Smos Rfi Sources in the 1400-1427mhz Passive Band

The European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission operates in the 1400–1427 MHz frequency band, which is allocated to the EESS(passive) service in the ITU Radio-Regulations. The measurements of SMOS radiometer are perturbed by radio frequency interferences (RFIs) that jeopardize part of its scientific retrieval in certain areas of the World. This paper summarizes the strategies initiated by the European Space Agency to mitigate the impact of RFIs, and in particular the collaboration established with national telecommunication Authorities for the investigation of interference cases and switching-off the unauthorised RFI sources. The RFI detection, monitoring and reporting process is described in more detail, focused on the tasks carried out by the SMOS Operations team at ESAC, the ESA centre located near Madrid. The RFI tools developed and the planned evolution are also presented.
Transformational Leadership and IS Extended Use-The Mediating Role of Job Autonomy and Moderating Role of IT Innovativeness

Drawing upon transformational leadership and job characteristics theory, this study develops a research model to examine the impact mechanism of direct supervisor’s leadership behaviors on employees’ extended use of information systems. A field survey was conducted in China and empirical data was collected from 299 employees from both IT and non-IT industries. Structural equation modelling analysis results suggest that transformational leadership is positively associated with employees’ perception of job autonomy, which in turn promote IS extended use. Specifically, IT innovativeness is identified as a significant moderator that strengthens the relationship between transformational leadership and IS extended use. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in the final section.
Large-Scale Semantic Classification: Outcome of the First Year of Inria Aerial Image Labeling Benchmark

Over the recent years, there has been an increasing interest in large-scale classification of remote sensing images. In this context, the Inria Aerial Image Labeling Benchmark has been released online in December 2016. In this paper, we discuss the outcomes of the first year of the benchmark contest, which consisted in dense labeling of aerial images into building / not building classes, covering areas of five cities not present in the training set. We present four methods with the highest numerical accuracies, all four being convolutional neural network approaches. It is remarkable that three of these methods use the U-net architecture, which has thus proven to become a new standard in image dense labeling.
Impact of Interaction Paradigms on Full-Body Interaction Collocated Experiences for Promoting Social Initiation and Collaboration

This article addresses the design and study of novel interaction settings and systems supporting collocated interaction. More specifically, we aim to analyze the implications of two different interaction approaches, namely first-person and third-person interaction paradigms, and the corresponding theoretical approaches when designing and developing collocated experiences for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). This analysis is supported by the outcomes of several examples of full-body interaction collocated experiences aimed at promoting social initiation and collaboration. Moreover, we present a series of goal-driven guidelines to consider when designing with various interaction paradigms. Finally, we discuss future work to better understand the implications of constructing paradigms for the intuitive use of these full-body interaction systems.
Deep Learning Neural Networks for Land Use Land Cover Mapping

The importance of accurate and timely information describing the nature and extent of land resources and changes over time is increasing. This research examines the application of deep learning neural networks (DLNN) to the analysis of satellite imagery with specific focus on the production of land use/land cover maps. DLNN have made considerable strides in pattern recognition and machine learning over the last several years. However, their application to remote sensing is less well developed as the technology was originally designed for simple photographs and not satellite imagery. This research presents the results of an experimental study conducted that developed a DLNN to generate land use/land cover maps of the southern agricultural region of Manitoba, Canada. The results of this approach demonstrate a clear advantage in processing time once the DLNN is properly trained when compared to human based semi-automated process.
Connexin 30 Deficiency Attenuates Chronic but Not Acute Phases of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Through Induction of Neuroprotective Microglia

Glial connexins (Cxs) form gap junction channels through which a pan-glial network plays key roles in maintaining homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). In multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), expression of astrocytic Cx43 is lost in acute lesions but upregulated in chronic plaques, while astrocytic Cx30 is very low in normal white matter and changes in its expression have not been convincingly shown. In Cx30 or Cx43 single knockout (KO) mice and even in Cx30/Cx43 double KO mice, acute EAE is unaltered. However, the effects of Cx30/Cx43 deficiency on chronic EAE remains to be elucidated. We aimed to clarify the roles of Cx30 in chronic neuroinflammation by studying EAE induced by myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide 35–55 in Cx30 KO mice. We found that Cx30 deficiency improved the clinical symptoms and demyelination of chronic but not acute EAE without influencing CD3+ T cell infiltration. Furthermore, increased ramified microglia in the naïve state and induced earlier and stronger microglial activation in the acute and chronic phases of EAE was observed. These activated microglia had an anti-inflammatory phenotype, as shown by the upregulation of arginase-1 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor and the downregulation of nitric oxide synthase 2. In the naïve state, Cx30 deficiency induced modest enlargement of astrocytic processes in the spinal cord gray matter and a partial reduction of Cx43 expression in the spinal cord white matter. These astrocytes in Cx30 KO mice showed earlier and stronger activation during the acute phase of EAE, with upregulated A2 astrocyte markers and a significant decrease in Cx43 in the chronic phases. Spinal cord neurons and axons were more preserved in Cx30 KO mice than in littermates in the chronic phase of EAE. These findings suggest that Cx30 deficiency increased ramified microglia in the CNS in the naïve state and improved chronic EAE through redirecting microglia toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype, suggesting a hitherto unknown critical role of astrocytic Cx30 in regulating microglial number and functional state.
Instance Retrieval at Fine-Grained Level Using Multi-attribute Recognition

In this paper, we present a method for instance ranking and retrieval at fine-grained level based on the global features extracted from a multi-attribute recognition model which is not dependent on landmarks information or part-based annotations. Further, we make this architecture suitable for mobile-device application by adopting the bilinear CNN to make the multi-attribute recognition model smaller (in terms of the number of parameters). The experiments run on the Dress category of DeepFashion In-Shop Clothes Retrieval and CUB200 dataset show that the results of instance retrieval at fine-grained level are promising for these datasets, specially in terms of texture and color.
Criteria for Selecting Object Coordinates at Probing by the Impulse UWB GPR with the “1Tx + 4Rx” Antenna System

An impulse UWB GPR antenna system consisting of one transmitter and four receivers has been designed for rapid detection of objects on, and under, the ground surface. The measured two-way times-of-flight for the reflected probing signals (from the radiator to the object and back to the four receivers) are used to calculate the (x, y, z) coordinates of the reflecting object. For cases where several reflected times-of-flight (due e.g. to reflections from the vehicle or other noise) are recorded, criteria enabling selection of unique coordinates that correspond to the true target have been determined and verified.
Model Extraction and Active Learning

Machine learning is being increasingly used by individuals, research institutions, and corporations. This has resulted in the surge of Machine Learning-as-a-Service (MLaaS) - cloud services that provide (a) tools and resources to learn the model, and (b) a user-friendly query interface to access the model. However, such MLaaS systems raise privacy concerns, one being model extraction. Adversaries maliciously exploit the query interface to steal the model. More precisely, in a model extraction attack, a good approximation of a sensitive or proprietary model held by the server is extracted (i.e. learned) by a dishonest user. Such a user only sees the answers to select queries sent using the query interface. This attack was recently introduced by Tramer et al. at the 2016 USENIX Security Symposium, where practical attacks for different models were shown. We believe that better understanding the efficacy of model extraction attacks is paramount in designing better privacy-preserving MLaaS systems. To that end, we take the first step by (a) formalizing model extraction and proposing the first definition of extraction defense, and (b) drawing parallels between model extraction and the better investigated active learning framework. In particular, we show that recent advancements in the active learning domain can be used to implement both model extraction, and defenses against such attacks.
Quantitative cone-beam CT reconstruction with polyenergetic scatter model fusion

Scatter can account for large errors in cone-beam CT (CBCT) due to its wide field of view, and its complicated nature makes its compensation difficult. Iterative polyenergetic reconstruction algorithms offer the potential to provide quantitative imaging in CT, but they are usually incompatible with scatter contaminated measurements. In this work, we introduce a polyenergetic convolutional scatter model that is directly fused into the reconstruction process, and exploits information readily available at each iteration for a fraction of additional computational cost. We evaluate this method with numerical and real CBCT measurements, and show significantly enhanced electron density estimation and artifact mitigation over pre-calculated fast adaptive scatter kernel superposition (fASKS). We demonstrate our approach has two levels of benefit: reducing the bias introduced by estimating scatter prior to reconstruction; and adapting to the spectral and spatial properties of the specimen.
Muscle and joint pains in middle-aged women are associated with insomnia and low grip strength: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background: Although muscle and joint pains are among the most common symptoms in menopausal transition, their underlying mechanisms are not precisely known. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with myalgia and arthralgia in middle-aged women. Methods: We analyzed in a cross-sectional manner the first-visit records of 305 Japanese women aged 40–59 years who enrolled in a health and nutrition education program at a menopause clinic. The prevalence of muscle and joint pains was estimated according to the participants’ responses to the Menopausal Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire. Background characteristics including age, menopause status, body composition, cardiovascular parameters and physical fitness, as well as other menopausal symptoms including vasomotor symptoms, insomnia, depression and anxiety, were assessed for associations with daily myalgia and arthralgia. Results: The percentage of women who were bothered by muscle and joint pains almost every day of the previous week was 56.1%. Characteristics associated with these symptoms were: low stature; high body fat percentage; low grip strength; and high vasomotor, insomnia, depression and anxiety symptom scores. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that independently associated factors (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval]) for daily myalgia/arthralgia were low hand-grip strength (kgf) (0.92 [0.87–0.97]) and insomnia symptom score (1.20 [1.07–1.34]). Conclusion: Muscle and joint pains are highly prevalent in Japanese middle-aged women. Low grip strength and insomnia are independently associated with these symptoms. Treatment of insomnia in this population might improve myalgia/arthralgia, and in turn, help restore grip strength, or treatment of hand pain might conversely reduce insomnia in addition to improvement in grip strength.
Inhibition of profibrotic microRNA-21 affects platelets and their releasate

Fibrosis is a major contributor to organ disease for which no specific therapy is available. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) has been implicated in the fibrogenetic response, and inhibitors of miR-21 are currently undergoing clinical trials. Here, we explore how miR-21 inhibition may attenuate fibrosis using a proteomics approach. Transfection of miR-21 mimic or inhibitor in murine cardiac fibroblasts revealed limited effects on extracellular matrix (ECM) protein secretion. Similarly, miR-21–null mouse hearts showed an unaltered ECM composition. Thus, we searched for additional explanations as to how miR-21 might regulate fibrosis. In plasma samples from the community-based Bruneck Study, we found a marked correlation of miR-21 levels with several platelet-derived profibrotic factors, including TGF-β1. Pharmacological miR-21 inhibition with an antagomiR reduced the platelet release of TGF-β1 in mice. Mechanistically, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein, a negative regulator of platelet TGF-β1 secretion, was identified as a direct target of miR-21. miR-21–null mice had lower platelet and leukocyte counts compared with littermate controls but higher megakaryocyte numbers in the bone marrow. Thus, to our knowledge this study reports a previously unrecognized effect of miR-21 inhibition on platelets. The effect of antagomiR-21 treatment on platelet TGF-β1 release, in particular, may contribute to the antifibrotic effects of miR-21 inhibitors.
Employer Size and Spinout Dynamics

Most new firms are founded by former employees of existing firms - spinouts. This paper studies the relationship between employer size and spinout entry, size, and growth. Using data from Mexico, we document that employees from small firms are more likely to form spinouts than those from large firms. Second, spinouts from large employers start at a larger scale and grow faster than spinouts from small employers. Although a qualitatively similar relationship is observed in data from the U.S., there are large quantitative differences in the levels of spinout formation. To understand the impact of these differences on aggregate outcomes, we build a model of occupational choice and firm dynamics in which workers can learn from and adopt the productivity of their employers to form their own firms. In this framework, differences in the rates of spinout formation between Mexico and the U.S. are driven by differences in the efficiency with which employees learn from their employers. We interpret this efficiency as representing a form of managerial quality. The model, calibrated to match spinout entry rates across the two countries, can account for 13 and 19% of the cross-country variation in output per worker and firm growth respectively. These findings highlight the relevance of spinouts for aggregate outcomes, and the potential for managerial quality to not only impact incumbent firms but also future entrants.
The lived experience of female genital cutting (FGC) in Somali-Canadian women’s daily lives

Many of the Somali women who have immigrated to other countries, including Canada, have experienced Female Genital Circumcision/ Mutilation/ Cutting (FGC). While there is literature on the medical aspects of FGC, we were interested in understanding the daily life experiences and bodily sensations of Somali-Canadian women in the context of FGC. Fourteen women living in the Greater Toronto Area were interviewed. Interview data were analyzed using a phenomenological approach. We found that the memory of the ceremonial cutting was vivid but was frequently described with acceptance and resignation–as something that just is; that was normal given the particular context, familial and cultural, and their young age. Most of the women recounted experiencing pain and discomfort throughout their adult lives but were intent on not noticing or giving the pain any power; they considered themselves healthy. The following themes emerged from our interviews: Every Body Had It: Discussing FGC, I’m Normal Aren’t I? , and Feeling in My Body–all themes that work at normalizing their bodies in a society that they know views them as different. They dealt with both pain and pleasure in the context of their busy lives suggesting resilience in spite of the day-to-day difficulties of daily life.
Who Knocks at the IPv6 Door?: Detecting IPv6 Scanning

DNS backscatter detects internet-wide activity by looking for common reverse DNS lookups at authoritative DNS servers that are high in the DNS hierarchy. Both DNS backscatter and monitoring unused address space (darknets or network telescopes) can detect scanning in IPv4, but with IPv6's vastly larger address space, darknets become much less effective. This paper shows how to adapt DNS backscatter to IPv6. IPv6 requires new classification rules, but these reveal large network services, from cloud providers and CDNs to specific services such as NTP and mail. DNS backscatter also identifies router interfaces suggesting traceroute-based topology studies. We identify 16 scanners per week from DNS backscatter using observations from the B-root DNS server, with confirmation from backbone traffic observations or blacklists. After eliminating benign services, we classify another 95 originators in DNS backscatter as potential abuse. Our work also confirms that IPv6 appears to be less carefully monitored than IPv4.
Tibiofemoral joint contact forces increase with load magnitude and walking speed but remain almost unchanged with different types of carried load

Musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) in the military reduce soldier capability and impose substantial costs. Characterizing biomechanical surrogates of MSI during commonly performed military tasks (e.g., load carriage) is necessary for evaluating the effectiveness of possible interventions to reduce MSI risk. This study determined the effects of body-borne load distribution, load magnitude, and walking speed on tibiofemoral contact forces. Twenty-one Australian Army Reserve soldiers completed a treadmill walking protocol in an unloaded condition and wearing four armor types (standard-issue and three prototypes) with two load configurations (15 and 30 kg) for a total of 8 armor x load ensembles. In each ensemble, participants completed a 5-minute warm-up, and then walked for 10 minutes at both moderate (1.53 m⋅s-1) and fast (1.81 m⋅s-1) speeds. During treadmill walking, three-dimensional kinematics, ground reaction forces, and muscle activity from nine lower-limb muscles were collected in the final minute of each speed. These data were used as inputs into a neuromusculoskeletal model, which estimated medial, lateral and total tibiofemoral contact forces. Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed no differences for any variables between armor types, but peak medial compartment contact forces increased when progressing from moderate to fast walking and with increased load (p<0.001). Acute exposure to load carriage increased estimated tibiofemoral contact forces 10.1 and 19.9% with 15 and 30kg of carried load, respectively, compared to unloaded walking. These results suggest that soldiers carrying loads in excess of 15 kg for prolonged periods could be at greater risk of knee MSI than those with less exposure.