Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immune system function, stress, exercise and nutrition profile can affect pregnancy outcome: Lessons from a Mediterranean cohort

Pregnancy is associated with major physiological and future psychosocial changes, and maternal adaptation to these changes is crucial for normal foetal development. Psychological stress in pregnancy predicts an earlier birth and lower birth weight. Pregnancy-specific stress contributes directly to preterm delivery. The importance of nutrition and exercise during pregnancy with regard to pregnancy outcome has long been acknowledged. This importance has only been further emphasized by the recent changes in food quality and availability, lifestyle changes and a new understanding of foetal programming’s effects on adult outcomes. We hypothesised that for a successful pregnancy certain events at a nutritional, immune, psycho-emotional and genetic level should be tightly linked. Therefore, in this study we followed an ‘integrative’ approach to investigate how maternal stress, nutrition, pregnancy planning and exercise influence pregnancy outcome. A key finding of our study is that there was a significant reduction in the intake of alcohol, caffeine-containing and sugary drinks during pregnancy. However, passive smoking in the household remained unchanged. In terms of immune profile, a significant inverse correlation was noted between difficulty to ‘fight’ an infection and number of colds (r=−0.289, P=0.003) as well as the number of infections (r=−0.446, P<0.0001) during pregnancy. The vast majority of the pregnant women acquired a more sedentary lifestyle in the third trimester. In planned, but not in unplanned, pregnancies stress predicted infant weight, independent of age and body mass index (BMI). Notably, in mothers with negative attitudes towards the pregnancy, those with an unplanned pregnancy gave birth to infants with significantly higher weights than those with planned pregnancies. Collectively these data suggest that there is a higher order of complexity, possibly involving gene-environment interactions that work together to ensure a positive outcome for the mother as well as the foetus.
Circulating C-Reactive Protein and Breast Cancer Risk—Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

We conducted a systematic literature review to explore the association between circulating C-reactive protein (CRP), a low-grade inflammation biomarker, and breast cancer risk. Relevant prospective studies in women were identified in PubMed and Web of Science until February 2015. Random-effects dose–response meta-analysis was conducted, overall and in postmenopausal women. Twelve out of 15 studies identified were included in the meta-analysis on any breast cancers (3,522 cases; 69,610 women) and nine on postmenopausal breast cancer (2,516 cases; 36,847 women). For each doubling of CRP concentration, a 7% [95% confidence interval (CI), 2%–12%] and 6% (95% CI, 1%–11%) increased risk was observed (I2 = 47% and 32%; Pheterogeneity = 0.04 and 0.17), respectively. The association was linear over most of the range of CRP concentrations. Positive associations remained in the studies that examined the exclusion of early years of follow-up. Associations were attenuated in studies adjusted for lifestyle factors, which partly explained the significant heterogeneity between studies in the overall analysis. On average, the associations in studies adjusted or not adjusted for body mass index were similar. Low-grade inflammation may have a role in breast cancer development. Additional prospective studies are needed to better understand confounding and effect modification from lifestyle factors. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(10); 1439–49. ©2015 AACR.
Investigation of CTLA‐4 and CD86 gene polymorphisms in Iranian patients with brucellosis infection

The protective immune response against Brucella involves T‐cell‐mediated immunity. T‐lymphocyte receptors, CD28 and cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte‐associated protein‐4 (CTLA‐4), bind the same ligands, CD80 (B7‐1) and CD86 (B7‐2) on antigen‐presenting cells and regulate T cell activation. CD28 delivers stimulatory signals whereas CTLA‐4 provides inhibitory signals for T cell activation. Here, we investigated the association of four polymorphisms in CTLA4 (+49A/G [rs231775] and −318 C/T [rs5742909]) and its ligand CD86 (+1057 G/A [rs1129055] and +2379G/C [rs17281995]) with brucellosis infection. The study included 153 Iranian patients with active brucellosis and 128 healthy individuals as the control group. Genotyping of the CTLA4 and CD86 variants was performed using tetra amplification refractory mutation system‐polymerase chain reaction (T‐ARMS‐PCR) and PCR–restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, respectively. It was found that the CTLA4 −318 CT genotype and T allele were present more frequently in cases than in controls and are therefore associated with an increased risk for brucellosis (−318 TT genotype; OR = 2.544, P = 0.002). Likewise, the CD86 +1057 GA and AA genotypes and A allele were associated with an increased risk of brucellosis (+1057 AA genotype; OR = 3.81, P = 0.001). However, no statistically significant difference between brucellosis patients and controls in the allele and genotype distributions of CTLA4, +49A/G (P = 0.859) and CD86, +2379G/C (P = 0.476) was found. In conclusion, CTLA4 −318 CT genotype and T allele and the CD86 +057 GA and AA genotypes and A allele play roles as risk factors for developing brucellosis infection in Iran.
Structure, Function, and Propagation of Information across Living Two, Four, and Eight Node Degree Topologies

In this study, we created four network topologies composed of living cortical neurons and compared resultant structural-functional dynamics including the nature and quality of information transmission. Each living network was composed of living cortical neurons and were created using microstamping of adhesion promoting molecules and each was “designed” with different levels of convergence embedded within each structure. Networks were cultured over a grid of electrodes that permitted detailed measurements of neural activity at each node in the network. Of the topologies we tested, the “Random” networks in which neurons connect based on their own intrinsic properties transmitted information embedded within their spike trains with higher fidelity relative to any other topology we tested. Within our patterned topologies in which we explicitly manipulated structure, the effect of convergence on fidelity was dependent on both topology and time-scale (rate vs. temporal coding). A more detailed examination using tools from network analysis revealed that these changes in fidelity were also associated with a number of other structural properties including a node’s degree, degree–degree correlations, path length, and clustering coefficients. Whereas information transmission was apparent among nodes with few connections, the greatest transmission fidelity was achieved among the few nodes possessing the highest number of connections (high degree nodes or putative hubs). These results provide a unique view into the relationship between structure and its affect on transmission fidelity, at least within these small neural populations with defined network topology. They also highlight the potential role of tools such as microstamp printing and microelectrode array recordings to construct and record from arbitrary network topologies to provide a new direction in which to advance the study of structure–function relationships.
Semantically enhanced term frequency based on word embeddings for Arabic information retrieval

Traditional Information Retrieval (IR) models are based on bag-of-words paradigm, where relevance scores are computed based on exact matching of keywords. Although these models have already achieved good performance, it has been shown that most of dissatisfaction cases in relevance are due to term mismatch between queries and documents. In this paper, we introduce novel method to compute term frequency based on semantic similarities using distributed representations of words in a vector space (Word Embeddings). Our main goal is to allow distinct but semantically related terms to match each other and contribute to the relevance scores. Hence, Arabic documents are retrieved beyond the bag-of-words paradigm based on semantic similarities between word vectors. The results on Arabic standard TREC data sets show significant improvement over the baseline bag-of-words models.
A Linear Programming Relaxation and a Heuristic for the Restless Bandits Problem with General Switching Costs

We extend a relaxation technique due to Bertsimas and Ni~no-Mora for the restless bandit problem to the case where arbitrary costs penalize switching between the bandits. We also construct a one-step lookahead policy using the solution of the relaxation. Computational experiments and a bound for approximate dynamic programming provide some empirical support for the heuristic.
An Efficient Hardware Architecture for H.264 Adaptive Deblocking Filter

This paper presents an efficient hardware architecture for real-time implementation of adaptive deblocking filter algorithm used in H.264 video coding standard. This hardware is designed to be used as part of a complete H.264 video coding system for portable applications. We use a novel edge filter ordering in a macroblock to prevent the deblocking filter hardware from unnecessarily waiting for the pixels that will be filtered become available. The proposed architecture is implemented in VerilogHDL. The Verilog RTL code is verified to work at 72 MHz in a Xilinx Virtex II FPGA. The FPGA implementation can code 30 GIF frames (352 times 288) per second
The Open University ’ s repository of research publications and other research outputs Dynamical Interactions with Electronic Instruments Conference Item

This paper examines electronic instruments that incorporate dynamical systems, where the behaviour of the instrument depends not only upon the immediate input to the instrument, but also on the past input. Five instruments are presented as case studies: Michel Waisvisz’ Cracklebox, Dylan Menzies’ Spiro, no-input mixing desk, the author’s Feedback Joypad, and microphone-loudspeaker feedback. Links are suggested between the sonic a↵ordances of each instrument and the dynamical mechanisms embedded in them. These a↵ordances are contrasted with those of non-dynamical instruments such as the Theremin and sample-based instruments. This is discussed in the context of contemporary, material-oriented approaches to composition and particularly to free improvisation where elements such as unpredictability and instability are often of interest, and the process of exploration and discovery is an important part of the practice.
International Journal of Hospitality Management Activity Outsourcing and Competitive Strategy in the Hotel Industry. the Moderator Role of Asset Specificity

This paper analyzes hotel outsourcing from the perspective of the competitive strategy and asset speci-ficity. A comprehensive model is developed to establish the relationships among the competitive strategy (cost leadership and differentiation strategies), asset specificity and activity outsourcing. Asset speci-ficity is used as a moderator variable in the relationship between the competitive strategy and activity outsourcing. A specificity-outsourcing matrix is developed to classify the activities by their level of asset specificity and outsourcing. The main hotel activities are investigated in a representative sample of hotels in Taiwan. The findings indicate that the cost leadership strategy positively and partially influences out-sourcing, while the differentiation strategy has a negative impact on outsourcing an activity. The results confirm the negative relationship between asset specificity and the level of activity outsourcing. Moreover , they show that asset specificity positively moderates the relationship between the competitive strategy and outsourcing.
Enhancing System-Called-Based Intrusion Detection with Protocol Context

Building an accurate program model is challenging but vital for the development of an effective hostbased intrusion detection system (IDS). The model should be designed to precisely reveal the intrinsic semantic logic of a program, which not only contains control-flows (e.g., system call sequences), but also data-flows as well as their interdependency. However, most existing intrusion detection models consider either control-flows or data-flows, but not both or their interweaved dependency, leading to inaccurate or incomplete program modeling. In this paper, we present a semantic flowbased model that seamlessly integrates control-flows, dataflows, as well as their inter-dependency, thus greatly improving the precision and completeness when modeling program behavior. More specifically, the semantic flow model describes program behavior in terms of basic semantic units, each of which semantically captures one essential aspect of a program’s behavior. The relationship among these semantic units can be further obtained by applying the protocol knowledge behind the (server) program. We show that the integrated semantic flow model enables earlier detection and prevention of many attacks than existing approaches. Keywords-Intrusion detection; System calls; Protocol specification; Context.
Cardiovascular outcomes at different on-treatment blood pressures in the hypertensive patients of the VALUE trial.

AIMS Recent hypertension guidelines recommend that also in high cardiovascular (CV) risk, hypertensive patients blood pressure (BP) is lowered to <140/90 mmHg as no evidence is available supporting the lower target of <130/80 mmHg recommended in previous guidelines. Whether this represents the optimal treatment strategy is debated, however. METHODS AND RESULTS The high CV risk hypertensive patients of the Valsartan Antihypertensive Long-term use Evaluation (VALUE) trial were divided into subgroups according to (i) the percentage of on-treatment visits in which BP was reduced to <140/90 or <130/80 mmHg or (ii) the mean systolic or diastolic BP (SBP/DBP) values achieved during the entire treatment period or up to the occurrence of an event. A progressive increase from <25 to ≥75% of the visits in which BP was <140/90 mmHg was accompanied by a significant, progressive marked decrease in the covariate adjusted risk of CV morbidity and mortality, cause specific CV events (myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke), and all-cause mortality. Except for a persistent progressive decrease in stroke, no significant trend to a risk decrease occurred for a similar progressive increment of the proportion of visits with BP <130/80 mmHg. Increasing the proportion of visits with a BP <140/90 mmHg (but not <130/80 mmHg) was accompanied by a decreased risk of events also when differences in baseline risk were adjusted using a propensity score. Finally, compared with patients remaining at a mean on-treatment SBP ≥140 or DBP ≥90 mmHg, the risk of all events was markedly reduced when on-treatment mean SBP was lowered to a mean SBP of 130-139 mmHg or a mean DBP of 80-89 mmHg, whereas at on-treatment mean SBP <130 mmHg or DBP <80 mmHg, an additional risk reduction was found for stroke but for any other type of event, the risk of which remained similar or only slightly greater than that seen at the higher BP target. CONCLUSIONS In the high CV risk, hypertensives of the VALUE trial reducing BP consistently to <140/90 mmHg had marked beneficial effects both when data were calculated as proportion of visits at BP target or as on-treatment mean BP. Reducing BP to <130/80 mmHg led only to some possible further benefit on stroke, whereas the risk of other outcomes remained substantially similar to or slightly greater than that seen at the higher target. Thus, aggressive BP reductions when CV risk is high may not offer substantial advantages, except perhaps in patients or conditions in which stroke risk is particularly common.
Probability of Extraprostatic Disease According to the Percentage of Positive Biopsy Cores in Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer

ABSTRACT Objective Prediction of extraprostatic disease in clinically localized prostate cancer is relevant for treatment planning of the disease. The purpose of this study was to explore the usefulness of the percentage of positive biopsy cores to predict the chance of extraprostatic cancer. Materials and Methods We evaluated 1787 patients with localized prostate cancer submitted to radical prostatectomy. The percentage of positive cores in prostate biopsy was correlated with the pathologic outcome of the surgical specimen. In the final analysis, a correlation was made between categorical ranges of positive cores (10% intervals) and the risk of extraprostatic extension and/or bladder neck invasion, seminal vesicles involvement or metastasis to iliac lymph nodes. Student's t test was used for statistical analysis. Results For each 10% of positive cores we observed a progressive higher prevalence of extraprostatic disease. The risk of cancer beyond the prostate capsule for <10% positive biopsy cores was 7.4% and it increased to 76.2% at the category 90-100% positive cores. In patients with Gleason grade 4 or 5, the risk of extraprostatic cancer prostate was higher than in those without any component 4 or 5. Conclusion The percentage of positive cores in prostate biopsy can predict the risk of cancer outside the prostate. Our study shows that the percentage of positive prostate biopsy fragments helps predict the chance of extraprostatic cancer and may have a relevant role in the patient's management.
An Optimal Method For Wake Detection In SAR Images Using Radon Transformation Combined With Wavelet Filters

A new-fangled method for ship wake detection in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images is explored here. Most of the detection procedure applies the Radon transform as its properties outfit more than any other transformation for the detection purpose. But still it holds problems when the transform is applied to an image with a high level of noise. Here this paper articulates the combination between the radon transformation and the shrinkage methods which increase the mode of wake detection process. The latter shrinkage method with RT maximize the signal to noise ratio hence it leads to most optimal detection of lines in the SAR images. The originality mainly works on the denoising segment of the proposed algorithm. Experimental work outs are carried over both in simulated and real SAR images. The detection process is more adequate with the proposed method and improves better than the conventional methods.
Leveraging Distal Vibrotactile Feedback for Target Acquisition

Many touch based interactions provide limited opportunities for direct tactile feedback; examples include multi-user touch displays, augmented reality based projections on passive surfaces, and mid-air input. In this paper, we consider distal feedback, through vibrotactile stimulation on a smart-watch placed on the user's non-dominant wrist, as an alternative feedback mechanism to interaction location vibrotactile feedback, under the user's finger. We compare the effectiveness of interaction location feedback vs. distal feedback through a Fitts's Law task completed on a smartphone. Results show that distal and interaction location feedback both reduce errors in target acquisition and exhibit statistically comparable performance, suggesting that distal vibrotactile feedback is a suitable alternative when interaction location feedback is not readily available.
Microbial Lipopeptides Induce the Production of IL-17 in Th Cells1

Naive Th cells can be directed in vitro to develop into Th1 or Th2 cells by IL-12 or IL-4, respectively. In vivo, chronic immune reactions lead to polarized Th cytokine patterns. We found earlier that Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochaete that causes Lyme disease, induces Th1 development in αβ TCR-transgenic Th cells. Here, we used TCR-transgenic Th cells and oligonucleotide arrays to analyze the differences between Th1 cells induced by IL-12 vs those induced by B. burgdorferi. Transgenic Th cells primed with peptide in the presence of B. burgdorferi expressed several mRNAs, including the mRNA encoding IL-17, at significantly higher levels than Th cells primed with peptide and IL-12. Cytometric single-cell analysis of Th cell cytokine production revealed that IL-17 cannot be categorized as either Th1 or Th2 cytokine. Instead, almost all IL-17-producing Th cells simultaneously produced TNF-α and most IL-17+ Th cells also produced GM-CSF. This pattern was also observed in humans. Th cells from synovial fluid of patients with Lyme arthritis coexpressed IL-17 and TNF-α upon polyclonal stimulation. The induction of IL-17 production in Th cells is not restricted to B. burgdorferi. Priming of TCR-transgenic Th cells in the presence of mycobacterial lysates also induced IL-17/TNF-α coproduction. The physiological stimulus for IL-17 production was hitherto unknown. We show here for the first time that microbial stimuli induce the expression of IL-17 together with TNF-α in both murine and human T cells. Chronic IL-17 expression induced by microbes could be an important mediator of infection-induced immunopathology.
Carriage of penicillin-resistant pneumococci in a military population in Washington, DC: risk factors and correlation with clinical isolates.

To assess the carriage of penicillin-resistant pneumococci (PRP) in our local (military) population, we retrospectively reviewed our laboratory isolates from the period of January 1990 through May 1994 and prospectively obtained nasopharyngeal culture specimens from 179 children during January through May 1994. The incidence of PRP increased from 0% of pneumococcal isolates in 1990 to 36.2% by 1994. Fifty-two of 179 subjects (29%) were carriers of S. pneumonia, and 25 (48%) of them carried PRP; 11 (21.7%) of these isolated were highly resistant to penicillin (MIC, > 1.0 microgram/mL), and 14 (26.9%) were intermediately resistant (MIC, 0.1-1.0 micrograms/mL). Exposure to a health care worker was correlated with pneumococcal carriage (P < .007). Frequent courses of antimicrobial treatment correlated both with carriage of pneumococci (P < .009) and with carriage of PRP (P < .0001). In contrast, antimicrobial prophylaxis was protective against carriage of pneumococci (P < .002). We conclude that there is a high proportion of PRP among carriers of pneumococci in our community, as corroborated by the risk in laboratory isolation of PRP. Children who have had frequent antimicrobial courses are at particular risk.
Connectionist "face"-off: Different algorithms for different tasks

abstract We present a series of simulations contrasting the ability of a Heb-bian and a Widrow-Hoo trained autoassociative memory to perform several face processing tasks in diierent learning and testing conditions. We show that all face processing tasks are not equally demanding, and that, in some particular circumstances, a simple learning algorithm can be more appropriate than a complex one. We also illustrate that the choice of evaluation criteria for assessing the performance of a model is crucially dependent on the task performed, especially when trying to predict human behavior. Finally , we speculate about the complexity of early learning (i.e., by infants) of faces, and suggest that this task is easier than has been generally thought.