Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social cohesion: Definition, measurement and developments

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Comparative analysis of orbicularis oculi electromyogram and voice fundamental frequency variation in the context of acoustic startle response

This paper presents a comparison of two methods for measuring the acoustic startle response: orbicularis oculi (eyeblink) electromyogram (EMG), which is the conventional measure, and voice fundamental frequency (F0) variations as a consequence of laryngeal muscle innervations. A comparative analysis of the two approaches was performed using statistical methods, as well as system identification modeling using ARX, ARMAX, Output Error and Box-Jenkins models. For this purpose, an experiment was designed in which fourteen participants sustained constant phonation and acoustic startle stimuli of varying parameters were delivered at random time points during the phonation. Physiological signals, including eyeblink EMG, were acquired in parallel to voice recording. The comparative analysis showed that by increasing intensity of acoustic stimulus, response peak amplitudes of both: F0 variations and rectified and smoothed EMG responses increased as well. Therefore, voice F0 may be useful for startle response analysis when eyeblink EMG measurement is unavailable or impractical.
Association of DISC1 gene with schizophrenia in families from two distinct French and Algerian populations

Objective The Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) gene is a promising genetic risk factor for major mental illnesses, especially schizophrenia. Several variants encompassing the DISC1 gene have been associated with schizophrenia and specific clinical features. Negative results were nevertheless observed, stratification biases, heterogeneity of the analyzed samples and low statistical power being potentially involved. Methods We analyzed four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including three non-synonymous SNPs, of DISC1 in two independent samples of trios, from France and Algeria, using family-based association tests to elude statistical limits. Results In 114 French schizophrenia trios, the C allele of non-synonymous rs6675281/Leu607Phe/C1872T was significantly over-transmitted [odds ratio (OR)=2.3, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.1–4.4]. This same SNP was also more frequently transmitted in the 100 Algerian schizophrenia trios (OR=2.6, 95% CI=0.9–7.3). In the combined 214 trios, a significant over-transmission of the C allele of rs6675281 to the affected probands was observed (P=0.002), even after correction for multiple testing (Pcorrected=0.01 OR=2.4 and 95% CI=1.3–4.2). Assessing if a dimension of schizophrenia could be more specifically involved, we found that patients with the C allele had a significantly higher Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms total score (P=0.0002). Conclusion The analysis adds convergent evidence in favor of a significant role of the DISC1 gene as a risk factor for schizophrenia, as present in two different samples, in family trios rather than with a case--control approach, and even when multiple tests are controlled for. We could further potentially attribute this effect to the negative dimension of schizophrenia.
Psychiatric comorbidity in pedophilic sex offenders.

OBJECTIVE The primary purpose of this research was to assess the rates of axis I and axis II psychiatric disorders, as defined in DSM-IV, in a group of pedophilic sex offenders. METHOD Forty-five male subjects with pedophilia who were participating in residential or outpatient sex offender treatment programs were recruited to participate. Subjects were interviewed by using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. RESULTS Ninety-three percent of the subjects (N = 42) met the criteria for an axis I disorder other than pedophilia. The lifetime prevalence of mood disorder in this group was 67%. Sixty-four percent of the subjects met the criteria for an anxiety disorder, 60% for psychoactive substance use disorder, 53% for another paraphilia diagnosis, and 24% for a sexual dysfunction diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Axis I and II comorbidity rates are high in this population. Untreated comorbid psychiatric disorders may play a role in treatment failure and recidivism.
HAb18G/CD147 is involved in TGF‐β‐induced epithelial‐mesenchymal transition and hepatocellular carcinoma invasion

Epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by the transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β) is involved in hepatocarcinogenesis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis. HAb18G/CD147, a member of the immunoglobulin family, plays an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis. HAb18G/CD147 promotes EMT of hepatocytes through TGF‐β signaling and is transcriptionally regulated by Slug. We investigated the role of HAb18G/CD147 in TGF‐β‐induced EMT in HCC invasion. Two human HCC cell lines, SMMC‐7721 and HepG2, were used to determine the role of HAb18G/CD147 in EMT. Upregulation of HAb18G/CD147 induced by the high doses of TGF‐β1 in SMMC‐7721 (5 ng/mL) and HepG2 cells (10 ng/mL) (P < 0.05). CD147 upregulation was coupled with upregulation of Snail1 and Slug. CD147 knockout significantly decreased the expression of N‐cadherin and vimentin, and colony formation ability of SMMC‐7721 cells. TGF‐β1 enhanced the migration capacity of SMMC‐7721 cells, which was markedly attenuated by CD147 knockdown. Thus, HAb18G/CD147 is involved in TGF‐β‐induced EMT and HCC invasion.
Outbreak of Cholera, Greater Accra Region, Ghana, 2014

Aims: In 2014, a cholera outbreak occurred in Greater Accra region, affecting more than 1733 people, and 20 individuals died. We investigated to verify the diagnosis, identify risk factors and recommended control measures. Study Design: The study was both descriptive and un-matched community-based 1:2 case control study. Place and duration of study: The investigations were done between 24 July and 3rd August 2014 in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Methods: We conducted a descriptive investigation, active case-search and conducted risk factor Original Research Article Dzotsi et al.; JSRR, 9(3): 1-12, 2016; Article no.JSRR. 21461 2 assessment of the cases and environmental assessment of the communities. Standardized questionnaire was used to collect demographic, clinical and exposure history from the cases and controls and described the outbreak by place, age and sex. Rectal swabs from patients admitted in the Cholera Treatment Centres at health facilities were collected and tested by culture and antimicrobial sensitivity. Bivariate analysis was used to compare cases and controls and calculated odds ratio and 95% confidence interval. Results: We found 1733 cases with 20 deaths (CFR=1.2%) with an overall attack rate of approximately 25 per 100,000 population with sex specific attack rates of 31.2% and 19.6% for males and females respectively. The most affected districts were Osu Klottey Sub-Metropolis of the Accra Metropolis with an attack rate of 111 per 100,000 and La Dadekotopon with an attack rate of 76 per 100,000. Ninety stool samples yielded V. cholera O1 Ogawa with Ciprofloxacin and Tetracycline being sensitive to the cholera strains. Epidemiologic data suggested that the outbreak was due to drinking of vended sachet water [odds ratio = 6; 95 confidence interval: 1.7-20.9, p-value: 0.00]. Conclusion: The lack of personal hygiene, safe drinking water, open defecation, poor sanitation and consumption of street vended sachet water and food were some of the causes of the recent cholera outbreak in Greater Accra. We recommend the Ministries of Local Government and Rural Development, Works and Housing and Water Resources to ensure proper liquid and solid waste disposal systems and provide adequate potable water to the populace.
Impact of major non-cardiac complications on outcome following cardiac surgery procedures: logistic regression analysis in a very recent patient cohort.

OBJECTIVES In this study, we sought to analyse the incidence of major non-cardiac complications and their impact on survival following cardiac surgery procedures in a contemporary patient cohort. We further determined independent predictors of perioperative mortality and created a logistic regression model for prediction of outcome after the occurrence of these complications. METHODS Prospectively collected data of 5318 consecutive adult patients (mean age 68.9±11.0 years; 29.3% [n=1559] female) undergoing cardiac surgery from January 2009 to May 2012 were retrospectively analysed. Outcome measures were six major non-cardiac complications including respiratory failure, dialysis-dependent renal failure, deep sternal wound infection (DSWI), cerebrovascular accident (CVA), gastrointestinal complications (GIC) and sepsis and their impact on perioperative mortality and hospital length of stay using multivariate regression models. The discriminatory power was evaluated by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (C statistic). RESULTS A total of 1321 complications were observed in 846 (15.9%) patients: respiratory failure (n=432; 8.1%), dialysis-dependent renal failure (n=295; 5.5%), GIC (n=154; 2.9%), CVA (n=151; 2.8%), DSWI (n=146; 2.7%) and sepsis (n=143; 2.7%). Perioperative mortality was 17.0% in patients with at least one major non-cardiac complication and correlated with the number of complications (single, 9.7%; n=53/549; double, 24.0%; n=44/183; ≥3, 41.2%; n=47/114, P<0.001). Six preoperative and four postoperative independent predictors of operative mortality were identified (age (odds ratio [OR] 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-2.4), peripheral vascular disease (OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.6-4.2), pulmonary hypertension (OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.5-4.9), atrial fibrillation (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.0-2.3), emergency (OR 5.0; 95% CI 3.4-7.2), other procedures than CABG (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.0-2.1), postoperative dialysis (OR 4.0; 95% CI 2.6-6.1), sepsis (OR 3.4; 95% CI 2.0-5.6), respiratory failure (OR 3.2; 95% CI 2.2-4.9), GIC (OR 3.2; 95% CI 1.9-5.3)) and included in the logistic model, which accurately predicted outcome (C statistic, 0.892; 95% CI 0.868-0.916). Length of hospital stay was significantly increased according to the number of complications (single: median 15 (IQR 10-24) days, double: 16 (IQR 8-28) days, ≥3: 20 (IQR 13-39) days, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS With a worsening in the risk profile of patients undergoing cardiac surgery, an increasing number of patients develop major complications leading to increased length of stay and mortality, which is correlated to the number and severity of these complications. Our predictive model based on preoperative and postoperative variables allowed us to determine with accuracy the perioperative mortality in critically ill patients after cardiac surgery.
Virological and clinical characteristics on reactivation of occult hepatitis B in patients with hematological malignancy

The virological characteristics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) implicated in the reactivation of occult hepatitis B in patients who have received hematopoietic stem‐cell transplantation or chemotherapy for the hematological malignancy are not well defined. Twenty‐eight HBsAg‐negative patients who received hematopoietic stem‐cell transplantation and 138 HBsAg‐negative patients treated for malignant lymphoma with chemotherapy including rituximab were enrolled. Three of the 28 patients (10.7%) received hematopoietic stem‐cell transplantation and one of the 138 (0.72%) patients treated for malignant lymphoma with chemotherapy developed de novo HBV hepatitis. Anti‐HBc was detected in four and anti‐HBs in two patients. Genotype Bj was detected in two and C in two of they all possessed wild‐type sequences in the core promoter region. A precore stop mutation (A1896) was detected in a patient with genotype Bj who developed fulminant hepatic failure. HBV DNA was detected in pretreatment HBsAg‐negative samples in two of four patients, and the HBV genome sequence identified from sera before chemotherapy and at the time of de novo HBV hepatitis showed 100% homology. In an in vitro replication model, genotype Bj with the A1896 clone obtained from a fulminant case had a replication level much higher than clones obtained from de novo hepatitis B patients with genotype Bj or C with G1896. In conclusion, this is the first report demonstrating de novo hepatitis B from the reactivation of occult HBV infection confirmed by molecular evolutional analysis. The fulminant outcome of HBV reactivation can be associated with genotype Bj exhibiting high replication due to the A1896 mutation. J. Med. Virol. 83:412–418, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analyzing wind turbine flow interaction through vibration data

Wind turbines commonly undergo non-stationary flow and, not rarely, even rather extreme phenomena. In particular, rough terrains represent a challenging testing ground, because of the combination of terrain-driven flow and wakes. It is therefore crucial to assess the impact of dynamic loads on the turbines. In this work, tower and drive-train vibrations are analyzed, from a subcluster of four turbines of a wind farm sited in a very complex terrain. The main outcome of the study is that it is possible to start from the analysis of wind conditions and interpret how wakes manifest in the vibrations of the turbines, both at structural level (tower vibrations) and at the drive-train level. This wind to gear approach therefore allows to build a connection between a flow phenomenon and a mechanical phenomenon (vibrations) and can be precious to assess loads in different working conditions.
CHAPTER 5 MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS FROM ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE PATIENTS IMPROVE LEFT VENTRICULAR FUNCTION AFTER ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from healthy donors improve cardiac function in experimental acute myocardial infarction (AMI) models. However, little is known about the therapeutic capacity of human MSCs (hMSCs) from patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD). Therefore, the behavior of hMSCs from IHD patients in an immune-compromised mouse AMI model was studied. Methods eGFP labeled hMSCs from IHD patients (hMSC group: 2 × 105 cells in 20 μl, n = 12) or vehicle only (Medium group: n = 14) were injected into infarcted myocardium of NOD/scid mice. Sham-operated mice were used as Control (n = 10). Cardiac anatomy and function were serially assessed using 9.4-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); 2 weeks after cell transplantation immunohistological analysis was performed. Results At day 2, delayed-enhancement MRI showed no diff erence in MI size between the hMSC and Medium groups (33 ± 2 % versus 36 ± 2 %; p = ns). A comparable increase in left ventricular (LV) volume, and decrease in ejection fraction (EF) was observed in both MI groups. However, at day 14, EF was higher in the hMSC than in the medium group (24 ± 3 % versus 16 ± 2 %; p < 0.05). This was accompanied by increased vascularity and reduced thinning of the infarct scar. Engrafted hMSCs (4.1 ± 0.3 % of injected cells) expressed von Willebrand factor (16.9 ± 2.7 %) but no stringent cardiac or smooth muscle markers. Conclusions hMSCs from patients with IHD engraft in infarcted mouse myocardium and preserve LV function 2 weeks after acute myocardial infarction, potentially through enhancement of scar vascularity and reduction of wall thinning.
Enrichment of low molecular weight fraction of serum for MS analysis of peptides associated with hepatocellular carcinoma

A challenging aspect of biomarker discovery in serum is the interference of abundant proteins with identification of disease‐related proteins and peptides. This study describes enrichment of serum by denaturing ultrafiltration, which enables an efficient profiling and identification of peptides up to 5 kDa. We consistently detect several hundred peptide‐peaks in MALDI‐TOF and SELDI‐TOF spectra of enriched serum. The sample preparation is fast and reproducible with an average CV for all 276 peaks in the MALDI‐TOF spectrum of 11%. Compared to unenriched serum, the number of peaks in enriched spectra is 4 times higher at an S/N ratio of 5 and 20 times higher at an S/N ratio of 10. To demonstrate utility of the methods, we compared 20 enriched sera of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 20 age‐matched controls using MALDI‐TOF. The comparison of 332 peaks at p < 0.001 identified 45 differentially abundant peaks that classified HCC with 90% accuracy in this small pilot study. Direct TOF/TOF sequencing of the most abundant peptide matches with high probability des‐Ala‐fibrinopeptide A. This study shows that enrichment of the low molecular weight fraction of serum facilitates an efficient discovery of peptides that could serve as biomarkers for detection of HCC as well as other diseases.
Statistical language identification based on untranscribed training

BBN's baseline language identification (LID) system tokenizes utterances based on an English hidden Markov model (HMM) phone recognizer and uses language-dependent phone-bigram models to discriminate between languages. This is clearly a suboptimal procedure, as English phone models may fail to provide a meaningful tokenization of non-English speech. We address this problem through the use of parametric acoustic segment models derived from untranscribed target-language training. The paper describes some promising exploratory experiments related to model-segment selection and LID based on nearest neighbor classification, as well as an LID system in which language-specific HMMs are trained from unsupervised clustering of parametric acoustic segments. In addition, it describes an experiment in which phone HMMs trained on CallHome Mandarin are added to the baseline system, resulting in an error reduction of 30% on pairwise language discrimination on the OGI-TS corpus.
Comparative molecular cytogenetic studies in the order Carnivora: mapping chromosomal rearrangements onto the phylogenetic tree

We have made a set of chromosome-specific painting probes for the American mink by degenerate oligonucleotide primed-PCR (DOP-PCR) amplification of flow-sorted chromosomes. The painting probes were used to delimit homologous chromosomal segments among human, red fox, dog, cat and eight species of the family Mustelidae, including the European mink, steppe and forest polecats, least weasel, mountain weasel, Japanese sable, striped polecat, and badger. Based on the results of chromosome painting and G-banding, comparative maps between these species have been established. The integrated map demonstrates a high level of karyotype conservation among mustelid species. Comparative analysis of the conserved chromosomal segments among mustelids and outgroup species revealed 18 putative ancestral autosomal segments that probably represent the ancestral chromosomes, or chromosome arms, in the karyotype of the most recent ancestor of the family Mustelidae. The proposed 2n = 38 ancestral Mustelidae karyotype appears to have been retained in some modern mustelids, e.g., Martes, Lutra, Ictonyx, and Vormela. The derivation of the mustelid karyotypes from the putative ancestral state resulted from centric fusions, fissions, the addition of heterochromatic arms, and occasional pericentric inversions. Our results confirm many of the evolutionary conclusions suggested by other data and strengthen the topology of the carnivore phylogenetic tree through the inclusion of genome-wide chromosome rearrangements.
Patch testing with European and American standard allergens in Japanese patients

256 patients with a clinical diagnosis of contact dermatitis were patch tested with European standard series allergens in a period from 1976 to 1979. Significant positive reactions were observed with all allergens, among which were paraphenylenediamine (7.8%), wood tars (7.8%), formaldehyde (7.0%), balasam of Peru (6.6%), neomycin (5.1%), ethylene‐diamine (0.8%), naphthyl‐mix (0.8%), mercapto‐mix and PPD‐mix (1.2%).
F‐actin and α‐actinin reorganization mediates initial fibroblast interaction with CoCr alloy particles in vitro

Asceptic loosening remains the primary cause for failure of joint implant. The active role of fibroblasts in mediating asceptic loosening is however not well documented. In this study the initial interactions of fibroblasts with metal particles was studied by evaluating changes in the cytoskeletal structure and cytokine level. Murine L929 fibroblasts cultured with cobalt chromium particles were observed by phase contrast and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Changes in the cytoskeletal rearrangement of F‐actin and α‐actinin focal adhesion plaques were studied by confocal microscopy. Expression of the proinflammatory cytokines IL‐6 and IL‐1α were analyzed by ELISA. The role of actin filaments and microtubules in particle uptake were determined at low temperature and in presence of colchicine and cytochalasin B. Phase contrast and SEM studies reveal that the metal particles adhere to the fibroblasts. The cellular cytoplasm was observed to grow over the particles and is suggestive of particle uptake. Confocal microscopy shows the presence of voids within the F‐actin cytoskeletal framework corresponding to areas occupied by the metal particles, indicating the possible uptake of these particles. Aggregates of α‐actinin into patches at the cell surface were also noted. Adherence and uptake of particles did not occur at low temperature and in presence of cytochalasin B, indicating that it is an active energy‐dependent process involving actin filaments. Changes in the levels of cytokine IL‐6 and IL‐1α were not observed suggesting the role of other cytokine molecules in mediating the inflammatory response to wear debri by fibroblasts. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evaluation of prognostic factors, symptoms and consequences of dehydration in patients with cancer based on retrospective data analysis of 102 patients treated in the Department of Palliative Medicine at the University Hospital in Cracow - preliminary report.

INTRODUCTION Dehydration is a common problem in patients with terminal cancer patients. It worsens the quality of life and increases the amount of complications. Factors associated with dehydration need further exploration. The aim of our study was to determine the predictors of dehydration. PATIENTS AND METHODS 102 terminal cancer patients admitted to Palliative Care Unit were retrospectively analyzed. Detailed physical examination, medical history including history taken from family and care givers was taken upon admission. Laboratory parameters including morphology, sodium, potassium, total and ionized calcium, LDH were taken on admission. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine factors associated with dehydration. RESULTS On admission 39% of patients were diagnosed with dehydration. Multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjustment for possible confounders reviled that lack of family care (p = 0.006; OR = 0.147; CI 95% = 0.038-0.577), higher level of PS (p = 0.0426; OR = 1.65; CI 95% = 1.017-2.667), lack of prior opioid use (p = 0.0233; OR = 0.386; CI 95% = 0.17-0.897), occurrence of nausea and vomiting at admission (p = 0.0077; OR = 3.297; CI 95% = 1.372-7.922), occurrence of dyselectrolytemia (p = 0.0012; OR = 4.462; CI 95% = 1.81-10.997), lack of prior GKS use (p = 0.0362; OR = 0.339; CI 95% = 0.123-0.933); lack of prior NSAID use (p = 0.0255; OR = 0.265; CI 95% = 0.082-0.849) remained independently associated with dehydration. CONCLUSIONS Lack of family care, lack of prior opioid use, higher level of PS, occurrence of nausea and vomiting at admission, occurrence of dyselectrolytemia, lack of prior GKS use and lack of prior NSAID use in patients with terminal cancer are factors associated with dehydration.