Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and the chronobiology of mood: a new insight into the "neurotrophic hypothesis"

The light information pathways and their relationship with the body rhythms have generated a new insight into the neurobiology and the neurobehavioral sciences, as well as into the clinical approaches to human diseases associated with disruption of circadian cycles. Light-based strategies and/or drugs acting on the circadian rhythms have widely been used in psychiatric patients characterized by mood-related disorders, but the timing and dosage use of the various treatments, although based on international guidelines, are mainly dependent on the psychiatric experiences. Further, many efforts have been made to identify biomarkers able to disclose the circadian-related aspect of diseases, and therefore serve as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic tools in clinic to assess the different mood- related symptoms, including pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, loss of interest or pleasure, appetite, psychomotor changes, and cognitive impairments. Among the endogenous factors suggested to be involved in mood regulation, the neurotrophins, nerve growth factor, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor show anatomical and functional link with the circadian system and mediate some of light-induced effects in brain. In addition, in humans, both nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor have showed a daily rhythm, which correlate with the morningness-eveningness dimensions, and are influenced by light, suggesting their potential role as biomarkers for chronotypes and/or chronotherapy. The evidences of the relationship between the diverse mood-related disorders, with a specific focus on depression, and neurotrophins are reviewed and discussed herein in terms of their circadian significance, and potential translation into clinical practice.
Serotonin 5‐HT1B receptor‐mediated calcium influx‐independent presynaptic inhibition of GABA release onto rat basal forebrain cholinergic neurons

Modulatory roles of serotonin (5‐HT) in GABAergic transmission onto basal forebrain cholinergic neurons were investigated, using whole‐cell patch‐clamp technique in the rat brain slices. GABAA receptor‐mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were evoked by focal stimulation. Bath application of 5‐HT (0.1–300 μm) reversibly suppressed the amplitude of evoked IPSCs in a concentration‐dependent manner. Application of a 5‐HT1B receptor agonist, CP93129, also suppressed the evoked IPSCs, whereas a 5‐HT1A receptor agonist, 8‐OH‐DPAT had little effect on the evoked IPSCs amplitude. In the presence of NAS‐181, a 5‐HT1B receptor antagonist, 5‐HT‐induced suppression of evoked IPSCs was antagonised, whereas NAN‐190, a 5‐HT1A receptor antagonist did not antagonise the 5‐HT‐induced suppression of evoked IPSCs. Bath application of 5‐HT reduced the frequency of spontaneous miniature IPSCs without changing their amplitude distribution. The effect of 5‐HT on miniature IPSCs remained unchanged when extracellular Ca2+ was replaced by Mg2+. The paired‐pulse ratio was increased by CP93129. In the presence of ω‐CgTX, the N‐type Ca2+ channel blocker, ω‐Aga‐TK, the P/Q‐type Ca2+ channel blocker, or SNX‐482, the R‐type Ca2+ channel blocker, 5‐HT could still inhibit the evoked IPSCs. 4‐AP, a K+ channel blocker, enhanced the evoked IPSCs, and CP93129 had no longer inhibitory effect in the presence of 4‐AP. CP93129 increased the number of action potentials elicited by depolarising current pulses. These results suggest that activation of presynaptic 5‐HT1B receptors on the terminals of GABAergic afferents to basal forebrain cholinergic neurons inhibits GABA release in Ca2+ influx‐independent manner by modulation of K+ channels, leading to enhancement of neuronal activities.
Correlation of bispectral index and Richmond agitation sedation scale for evaluating sedation depth: a retrospective study.

Background This study aims to verify the correlation of bispectral index (BIS) and Richmond agitation sedation scale (RASS) for evaluating these and explore possibility of replacing RASS with BIS. Methods This retrospective cohort study consisted of 74 patients who were collected from the third Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward of XXX Hospital between May 2012 and June 2015 in this retrospective study. Sedation levels were evaluated using the 10-grade RASS and were continuously monitored with a BIS monitor during the procedure every 5 minutes. BIS values and RASS scores were recorded. Results Patients were divided into dexmedetomidine (n=31) and midazolam (n=43) groups, and 342 paired data were collected. A statistically significant correlation existed between BIS values and RASS scores either in all patients undergoing flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FFB) or in dexmedetomidine and midazolam groups at different time points. Correlation coefficient was higher in midazolam group compared with dexmedetomidine group at different time points (P<0.05). Conclusions A correlation was observed between BIS and RASS for evaluating depth of sedation in ICU patients undergoing FFB (P<0.05). Study results indicated that BIS monitoring is a meaningful tool, which can be applied as an adjunctive and alternative method to assess sedation, especially for high-risk patients who are prone to be under- or over-sedation.
Enthalpy and the mechanics of AdS black holes

We present geometric derivations of the Smarr formula for static AdS black holes and an expanded first law that includes variations in the cosmological constant. These two results are further related by a scaling argument based on Euler's theorem. The key new ingredient in the constructions is a two-form potential for the static Killing field. Surface integrals of the Killing potential determine the coefficient of the variation of Λ in the first law. This coefficient is proportional to a finite, effective volume for the region outside the AdS black hole horizon, which can also be interpreted as minus the volume excluded from a spatial slice by the black hole horizon. This effective volume also contributes to the Smarr formula. Since Λ is naturally thought of as a pressure, the new term in the first law has the form of effective volume times change in pressure that arises in the variation of the enthalpy in classical thermodynamics. This and related arguments suggest that the mass of an AdS black hole should be interpreted as the enthalpy of the spacetime.
Balloon-Supported Passage of a Stent-Graft into the Aortic Arch

A 62-year-old man was admitted, and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) procedure was performed to treat an accidentally detected aortic aneurysm, which was 63 mm in diameter. While performing TEVAR, the passage of the stent-graft introducer system was impossible due to the prolapse of the introducer system into a wide-necked aneurysm; this aneurysm was located at the greater curvature of the proximal descending thoracic aorta. In order to advance the introducer system, a compliant balloon was inflated. Thus, we created an artificial wall in the aneurysm with this inflated balloon. Finally, we were able to advance the introducer system into the target zone.
Inhibitory Effect of mTOR Activator MHY1485 on Autophagy: Suppression of Lysosomal Fusion

Autophagy is a major degradative process responsible for the disposal of cytoplasmic proteins and dysfunctional organelles via the lysosomal pathway. During the autophagic process, cells form double-membraned vesicles called autophagosomes that sequester disposable materials in the cytoplasm and finally fuse with lysosomes. In the present study, we investigated the inhibition of autophagy by a synthesized compound, MHY1485, in a culture system by using Ac2F rat hepatocytes. Autophagic flux was measured to evaluate the autophagic activity. Autophagosomes were visualized in Ac2F cells transfected with AdGFP-LC3 by live-cell confocal microscopy. In addition, activity of mTOR, a major regulatory protein of autophagy, was assessed by western blot and docking simulation using AutoDock 4.2. In the result, treatment with MHY1485 suppressed the basal autophagic flux, and this inhibitory effect was clearly confirmed in cells under starvation, a strong physiological inducer of autophagy. The levels of p62 and beclin-1 did not show significant change after treatment with MHY1485. Decreased co-localization of autophagosomes and lysosomes in confocal microscopic images revealed the inhibitory effect of MHY1485 on lysosomal fusion during starvation-induced autophagy. These effects of MHY1485 led to the accumulation of LC3II and enlargement of the autophagosomes in a dose- and time- dependent manner. Furthermore, MHY1485 induced mTOR activation and correspondingly showed a higher docking score than PP242, a well-known ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitor, in docking simulation. In conclusion, MHY1485 has an inhibitory effect on the autophagic process by inhibition of fusion between autophagosomes and lysosomes leading to the accumulation of LC3II protein and enlarged autophagosomes. MHY1485 also induces mTOR activity, providing a possibility for another regulatory mechanism of autophagy by the MHY compound. The significance of this study is the finding of a novel inhibitor of autophagy with an mTOR activating effect.
Effects of Sprint Training With and Without Weighted Vest on Speed and Repeated Sprint Ability in Male Soccer Players

Abstract Rey, E, Padrón-Cabo, A, and Fernández-Penedo, D. Effects of sprint training with and without weighted vest on speed and repeated sprint ability in male soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 31(10): 2659–2666, 2017—The purpose of this study was to assess the effect resisted sprint training using weighted vests (WVs) compared with unresisted sprint (US) training on physical fitness (countermovement jump, 10-m sprint, 30-m sprint, and repeated sprint ability [RSA]) in amateur male soccer players. Nineteen soccer players (age: 23.7 ± 4.5 years; height: 178.3 ± 5.8 cm; body mass: 72.9 ± 5.2 kg) were randomly assigned to a WV (n = 10) or a US (n = 9) group. The intervention program had to be performed 2 times a week over 6 weeks. The only difference between the 2 interventions was that the WV group performed all the sprints with an additional weight of 18.9% ± 2.1% of body mass. Within-group analysis showed significant improvements (p < 0.001) in 10-m and 30-m sprint performances from pretest to posttest in WV (+9.42% and +6.04%) and US (+10.87% and +5.10%). Players in both WV and US also showed significant enhancements in RSA average time (AT), fastest time, and total time from pretest to posttest. Percentage changes in 30-m sprint performance, for both groups combined, had a very large correlation with percentage changes in AT of RSA. In the between-groups analysis, there were no differences between the sprint training groups (WV vs. US) in any variable. In conclusion, the findings of this study indicate that both sprint training methods used seem to be effective to improve soccer-related performance measures, and could be beneficial to players and coaches in field settings.
How an Electrical Engineer Became an Artificial Intelligence Researcher, a Multiphase Active Contours Analysis

This essay examines how what is considered to be artificial intelligence (AI) has changed over time and come to intersect with the expertise of the author. Initially, AI developed on a separate trajectory, both topically and institutionally, from pattern recognition, neural information processing, decision and control systems, and allied topics by focusing on symbolic systems within computer science departments rather than on continuous systems in electrical engineering departments. The separate evolutions continued throughout the author's lifetime, with some crossover in reinforcement learning and graphical models, but were shocked into converging by the virality of deep learning, thus making an electrical engineer into an AI researcher. Now that this convergence has happened, opportunity exists to pursue an agenda that combines learning and reasoning bridged by interpretable machine learning models.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension reduces energy efficiency of right, but not left, rat ventricular trabeculae

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) triggers right ventricle (RV) hypertrophy and left ventricle (LV) atrophy, which progressively leads to heart failure. We designed experiments under conditions mimicking those encountered by the heart in vivo that allowed us to investigate whether consequent structural and functional remodelling of the ventricles affects their respective energy efficiencies. We found that peak work output was lower in RV trabeculae from PAH rats due to reduced extent and velocity of shortening. However, their suprabasal enthalpy was unaffected due to increased activation heat, resulting in reduced suprabasal efficiency. There was no effect of PAH on LV suprabasal efficiency. We conclude that the mechanism underlying the reduced energy efficiency of hypertrophied RV tissues is attributable to the increased energy cost of Ca2+ cycling, whereas atrophied LV tissues still maintain normal mechano‐energetic performance.
A Two-Class Approach to the Detection of Physiological Deterioration in Patient Vital Signs, With Clinical Label Refinement

Hospital patient outcomes can be improved by the early identification of physiological deterioration. Automatic methods of detecting patient deterioration in vital-sign data typically attempt to identify deviations from assumed “normal” physiological conditions, which is a one-class approach to classification. This paper investigates the use of a two-class approach, in which “abnormal” physiology is modeled explicitly. The success of such a method relies on the accuracy of data labels provided by clinical experts, which may be incomplete (due to large dataset size) or imprecise (due to clinical labels covering intervals, rather than each data point within those intervals). We propose a novel method of refining clinical labels such that the two-class classification approach may be adopted for identifying patient deterioration. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods using a large dataset acquired in a 24-bed hospital step-down unit.
Building Trust in Online Customers

Although significant progress has been made towards securing the Internet environment, many consumers remain reluctant to participate in making on-line purchases. Cyber-crime continues to have a negative influence upon the uptake and acceptance of E-Commerce by consumers. As a result commercial website operators are faced with the problem of overcoming user distrust in the systems. The main argument put forward in this paper is that a consumer's trust depends more upon traditional marketing strategies than it does upon their beliefs in the security of on-line systems. In many cases these issues have been overlooked by web developers and vendors alike. The main conclusions of the study indicate that website design can have a positive effect on aconsumer's willingness to purchase from a website. Much responsibility for reinforcing trust in consumers lies with web developers. This can be achieved by making efforts to educate and engender trust in visitors through the overall design and informational content of the website itself and through the careful selection and combination of website design components.
Topographical and ellipsometrical analysis of orange peel on polished steel surfaces

In recent years, many optical devices have been implemented to monitor finishing processes in case of industrial steel sheets, because their high accuracy, non-destructiveness and velocity significantly reduce the production costs. In particular, the functionality of surfaces can be predicted by a proper detection of defects. Such defects arise predominantly during finishing processes: e.g., for excessive polishing and pressure, and yield also a surface roughening with fine peaks and valleys best known as orange peel. In this contribution, the topography of orange peel on polished steel sheets is described through surface roughness parameters evaluated by applying a 3D interferometric microscope [1]. In addition, spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) [2] is proposed as an alternative technique to determine the optical response of samples affected by orange peel.
Viral Load and Cytokine Response Profile Does Not Support Antibody-Dependent Enhancement in Dengue-Primed Zika Virus–Infected Patients

Background The pathogenesis of severe dengue disease involves immune components as biomarkers. The mechanism by which some dengue virus (DENV)-infected individuals progress to severe disease is poorly understood. Most studies on the pathogenesis of severe dengue disease focus on the process of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) as a primary risk factor. With the circulation of Zika virus (ZIKV) in DENV-endemic areas, many people infected by ZIKV were likely exposed to DENV. The influence of such exposure on Zika disease outcomes remains unknown. Methods We investigated whether patients previously exposed to DENV exhibited higher viremia when exposed to a subsequent, heterologous dengue or Zika infection than those patients not previously exposed to dengue. We measured viral loads and cytokine profile during patients' acute infections. Results Neither dengue nor Zika viremia was higher in patients with prior DENV infection, although the power to detect such a difference was only adequate in the ZIKV analysis. Of the 10 cytokines measured, only 1 significant difference was detected: Levels of interleukin 1β (IL-1β) were lower in dengue-infected patients who had experienced a previous dengue infection than patients infected with dengue for the first time. However, power to detect differences between groups was low. In Zika-infected patients, levels of IL-1β showed a significant, positive correlation with viral load. Conclusions No signs of ADE were observed in vivo in patients with acute ZIKV infection who had prior exposure to DENV.
The effect of biological heterogeneity on R-CHOP treatment outcome in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma across five international regions

Abstract Addressing the global burden of cancer, understanding its diverse biology, and promoting appropriate prevention and treatment strategies around the world has become a priority for the United Nations and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the WHO, and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The IAEA sponsored an international prospective cohort study to better understand biology, treatment response, and outcomes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in low and middle-income countries across five UN-defined geographical regions. We report an analysis of biological variation in DLBCL across seven ethnic and environmentally diverse populations. In this cohort of 136 patients treated to a common protocol, we demonstrate significant biological differences between countries, characterized by a validated prognostic gene expression score (p < .0001), but International Prognostic Index (IPI)-adjusted survivals in all participating countries were similar. We conclude that DLBCL treatment outcomes in these populations can be benchmarked to international standards, despite biological heterogeneity.
ABO Blood Group and Dementia Risk – A Scandinavian Record-Linkage Study

Background Dementia includes a group of neuro-degenerative disorders characterized by varying degrees of cognitive impairment. Recent data indicates that blood group AB is associated with impaired cognition in elderly patients. To date there are no large-scale studies that have examined the relationship between ABO blood group and dementia-related disorders in detail. Methods We used data from the SCANDAT2 database that contains information on over 1.6 million blood donors from 1968 in Sweden and 1981 from Denmark. The database was linked with health outcomes data from nationwide patient and cause of death registers to investigate the relationship between blood groups and risk of different types of dementia. The incident rate ratios were estimated using log-linear Poisson regression models. Results Among 1,598,294 donors followed over 24 million person-years of observation we ascertained 3,615 cases of Alzheimer’s disease, 1,842 cases of vascular dementia, and 9,091 cases of unspecified dementia. Overall, our study showed no association between ABO blood group and risk of Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia or unspecified dementia. This was also true when analyses were restricted to donors aged 70 years or older except for a slight, but significantly decreased risk of all dementia combined in subjects with blood group A (IRR, 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88-0.98), compared to those with blood group O. Conclusions Our results provide no evidence that ABO blood group influences the risk of dementia.
Learning on Partial-Order Hypergraphs

Graph-based learning methods explicitly consider the relations between two entities (i.e., vertices) for learning the prediction function. They have been widely used in semi-supervised learning, manifold ranking, and clustering, among other tasks. Enhancing the expressiveness of simple graphs, hypergraphs formulate an edge as a link to multiple vertices, so as to model the higher-order relations among entities. For example, hyperedges in a hypergraph can be used to encode the similarity among vertices. To the best of our knowledge, all existing hypergraph structures represent the hyperedge as an unordered set of vertices, without considering the possible ordering relationship among vertices. In real-world data, ordering relations commonly exist, such as in graded categorical features (e.g., users» ratings on movies) and numerical features (e.g., monthly income of customers). When constructing a hypergraph, ignoring such ordering relations among entities will lead to severe information loss, resulting in suboptimal performance of the subsequent learning algorithms. In this work, we address the inherent limitation of existing hypergraphs by proposing a new data structure named Partial-Order Hypergraph, which specifically injects the partially ordering relations among vertices into a hyperedge. We develop regularization-based learning theories for partial-order hypergraphs, generalizing conventional hypergraph learning by incorporating logical rules that encode the partial-order relations. We apply our proposed method to two applications: university ranking from Web data and popularity prediction of online content. Extensive experiments demonstrate the superiority of our proposed partial-order hypergraphs, which consistently improve over conventional hypergraph methods.
Multi-Source Translation Methods

Multi-parallel corpora provide a potentially rich resource for machine translation. This paper surveys existing methods for utilizing such resources, including hypothesis ranking and system combination techniques. We find that despite significant research into system combination, relatively little is know about how best to translate when multiple parallel source languages are available. We provide results to show that the MAX multilingual multi-source hypothesis ranking method presented by Och and Ney (2001) does not reliably improve translation quality when a broad range of language pairs are considered. We also show that the PROD multilingual multi-source hypothesis ranking method of Och and Ney (2001) cannot be used with standard phrase-based translation engines, due to a high number of unreachable hypotheses. Finally, we present an oracle experiment which shows that current hypothesis ranking methods fall far short of the best results reachable via sentence-level ranking.