Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring the effects of structural turnout suits on firefighter range of motion and comfort

Abstract Range of motion (ROM) can be restricted by wearing stiff and bulky clothing. This is particularly true of firefighter suits that are constructed using fabric layers to provide thermal protection from fire. This study developed an evaluation technique to quantify the loss of mobility associated with wearing firefighters’ protective suits that were deliberately selected to represent similar ergonomic design features. The ROM of 10 firefighters was measured using electro-goniometers attached to their bodies while they wore uniforms and a reference outfit, and performed specific movements. The most restrictive uniform is the Bulky suit that contained additional layers of materials in sleeves and on the knees. The Traditional Suit was more ROM restrictive than Ergonomic. The subjective evaluation of suits supported the objective assessments provided by the electro-goniometers. A 3-D body scanning technique was employed to establish a correlation between the bulkiness of firefighter outfits and subject ROM. Practitioner Summary: This study presents a methodology for measurements of range of motion (ROM) in firefighters wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). Even small differences in designs of PPE may impact firefighters’ ROM, which can be detected by electro-goniometers providing measurements if they are attached along the joint to measure limb angular movement.
The history and regulatory mechanism of the Hippo pathway

How the organ size is adjusted to the proper size during development and how organs know that they reach the original size during regeneration remain long-standing questions. Based on studies using multiple model organisms and approaches for over 20 years, a consensus has been established that the Hippo pathway plays crucial roles in controlling organ size and maintaining tissue homeostasis. Given the significance of these processes, the dysregulation of the Hippo pathway has also implicated various diseases, such as tissue degeneration and cancer. By regulating the downstream transcriptional coactivators YAP and TAZ, the Hippo pathway coordinates cell proliferation and apoptosis in response to a variety of signals including cell contact inhibition, polarity, mechanical sensation and soluble factors. Since the core components and their functions of the Hippo pathway are evolutionarily conserved, this pathway serves as a global regulator of organ size control. Therefore, further investigation of the regulatory mechanisms will provide physiological insights to better understand tissue homeostasis. In this review, the historical developments and current understandings of the regulatory mechanism of Hippo signaling pathway are discussed.
Neonatal Heart-Enriched miR-708 Promotes Proliferation and Stress Resistance of Cardiomyocytes in Rodents

Adult heart has limited potential for regeneration after pathological injury due to the limited cell proliferation of cardiomyocytes and the quiescent status of progenitor cells. As such, induction of cell-cycle reentry of cardiomyocytes is one of the key strategies for regeneration of damaged heart. In this study, a subset of miRNAs including miR-708 were identified to be much more abundant in the embryonic and neonatal cardiomyocytes than that in adult rodents. Overexpression of miR-708 promoted cellular proliferation of H9C2 cells or primary cardiomyocytes from neonatal rats or mice in vitro. Lipid nanoparticle delivery of miR-708 promoted myocardial regeneration and heart function recovery in vivo. In addition, miR-708 protected cardiomyocytes against stress-induced apoptosis under hypoxia or isoproterenol treatments. miR-708 inhibited the expression of MAPK14, which has been demonstrated arresting the cell cycle in cardiomyocytes. The cell proliferation-promoting function of miR-708 was dependent at least partly on the expression of MAPK14. These findings strengthen the potential of applying miRNAs to reconstitute lost cardiomyocytes in injured hearts, and may provide a novel miRNA candidate for promoting heart regeneration.
Over-Expression of Superoxide Dismutase Ameliorates Cr(VI) Induced Adverse Effects via Modulating Cellular Immune System of Drosophila melanogaster

The evolutionarily conserved innate immune system plays critical role for maintaining the health of an organism. However, a number of environmental chemicals including metals are known to exert adverse effects on immune system. The present study assessed the in vivo effect of a major environmental chemical, Cr(VI), on cellular immune response using Drosophila melanogaster and subsequently the protective role of superoxide dismutase (SOD) based on the comparable performance of the tested anti-oxidant enzymes. The immuno-modulatory potential of Cr(VI) was demonstrated by observing a significant reduction in the total hemocyte count along with impaired phagocytic activity in exposed organism. Concurrently, a significant increase in the percentage of Annexin V-FITC positive cells, activation of DEVDase activity, generation of free radical species along with inhibition of anti-oxidant enzyme activities was observed in the hemocytes of exposed organism. In addition, we have shown that ONOO− is primarily responsible for Cr(VI) induced adverse effects on Drosophila hemocytes along with O2 −. While generation of O2 −/ONOO− in Cr(VI) exposed Drosophila hemocytes was found to be responsible for the suppression of Drosophila cellular immune response, Cr(VI) induced alteration was significantly reduced by the over-expression of sod in Drosophila hemocytes. Overall, our results suggest that manipulation of one of the anti-oxidant genes, sod, benefits the organism from Cr(VI) induced alteration in cellular immunity. Further, this study demonstrates the applicability of D. melanogaster to examine the possible effects of environmental chemicals on innate immunity which can be extrapolated to higher organisms due to evolutionary conservation of innate immune system between Drosophila and mammals.
Departure Mechanisms for Host Search on High-Density Patches by the Meteorus pulchricornis

Abstract Less attention has been paid to the parasitoid–host system in which the host occurs in considerably high density with a hierarchical patch structure in studies on time allocation strategies of parasitoids. This study used the parasitoid Meteorus pulchricornis (Wesmael) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and the Oriental leafworm, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) as the parasitoids–host model system to investigate patch-leaving mechanisms as affected by the high-host density, hierarchical patch structure, and foraging behaviors on both former and current patches. The results showed that three out of eight covariates tested had significant effects on the patch-leaving tendency, including the host density, ovipositor insertion, and host rejection on the current patch. The parasitoid paid more visits to the patch with high-density hosts. While the patch with higher host densities decreased the leaving tendency, the spatial distribution of hosts examined had no effect on the leaving tendency. Both oviposition and host rejection decreased the patch-leaving tendency. The variables associated with the former patch, such as the host density and number of ovipositor insertions, however, did not have an effect on the leaving tendency. Our study suggested that M. pulchricornis females may use an incremental mechanism to exploit high-density patches to the fullest.
Regional oxygen extraction predicts border zone vulnerability to stroke in sickle cell disease

Objective To determine mechanisms underlying regional vulnerability to infarction in sickle cell disease (SCD) by measuring voxel-wise cerebral blood flow (CBF), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen utilization (CMRO2) in children with SCD. Methods Participants underwent brain MRIs to measure voxel-based CBF, OEF, and CMRO2. An infarct heat map was created from an independent pediatric SCD cohort with silent infarcts and compared to prospectively obtained OEF maps. Results Fifty-six participants, 36 children with SCD and 20 controls, completed the study evaluation. Whole-brain CBF (99.2 vs 66.3 mL/100 g/min, p < 0.001), OEF (42.7% vs 28.8%, p < 0.001), and CMRO2 (3.7 vs 2.5 mL/100 g/min, p < 0.001) were higher in the SCD cohort compared to controls. A region of peak OEF was identified in the deep white matter in the SCD cohort, delineated by a ratio map of average SCD to control OEF voxels. CMRO2 in this region, which encompassed the CBF nadir, was low relative to all white matter (p < 0.001). Furthermore, this peak OEF region colocalized with regions of greatest infarct density derived from an independent SCD cohort. Conclusions Elevated OEF in the deep white matter identifies a signature of metabolically stressed brain tissue at increased stroke risk in pediatric patients with SCD. We propose that border zone physiology, exacerbated by chronic anemic hypoxia, explains the high risk in this region.
Object Referring in Videos with Language and Human Gaze

We investigate the problem of object referring (OR) i.e. to localize a target object in a visual scene coming with a language description. Humans perceive the world more as continued video snippets than as static images, and describe objects not only by their appearance, but also by their spatio-temporal context and motion features. Humans also gaze at the object when they issue a referring expression. Existing works for OR mostly focus on static images only, which fall short in providing many such cues. This paper addresses OR in videos with language and human gaze. To that end, we present a new video dataset for OR, with 30, 000 objects over 5, 000 stereo video sequences annotated for their descriptions and gaze. We further propose a novel network model for OR in videos, by integrating appearance, motion, gaze, and spatio-temporal context into one network. Experimental results show that our method effectively utilizes motion cues, human gaze, and spatio-temporal context. Our method outperforms previous OR methods. For dataset and code, please refer https://people.ee. ethz.ch/~arunv/ORGaze.html.
Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Retarding Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: A Meta-Analysis of Animal Studies

Objectives Several animal studies have demonstrated the positive effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on disc degeneration retardation. The present meta-analysis was to verify the efficacy of PRP in retarding disc degeneration in animal. Methods Relevant studies were identified and evaluated according to our inclusion and exclusion criteria. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and related 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were estimated to assess PRP efficiency. Results In total, eleven studies were included in this meta-analysis. Significant differences were found in the PRP treatment group, which showed increased disc height (SMD = 2.66, 95% CI: 1.86, 3.47, p = 0.000), increased MRI T2 signal intensity (SMD = −3.29, 95% CI: −4.44, −2.13, p = 0.000), and decreased histological degeneration grade (SMD = −4.28, 95% CI: −5.26, −3.30, p = 0.000). However, no significant increase in collagen II expression was found (SMD = 25389.74, 95% CI: −27585.72, 78365.21, p = 0.348). Apart from the subgroup analysis of the disc height based on animal species (pig) and disc degeneration model (chymopapain induction), other subgroup analysis based on animal species (rabbit and rat), study design, disc degeneration model, and follow-up period demonstrated that PRP treatment can significantly restore disc height and increase MRI T2 signal intensity. Conclusions PRP treatment is potentially effective in restoring disc height of rodent rabbit and rat, reducing histological degeneration grade, and increasing MRI T2 image signal. PRP injection may be promising therapy for retarding disc degeneration.
Three-dimensional reconstruction of coronary arteries and plaque morphology using CT angiography - comparison and registration using IVUS

The aim of this study is to present a new method for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of coronary arteries and plaque morphology using Computed Tomography (CT) Angiography. The method is summarized in three steps. In the first step, image filters are applied to CT images and an initial estimation of the vessel borders is extracted. In the second step, the 3D centerline is extracted using the center of gravity of each rough artery border. Finally in the third step, the borders and the plaque are detected and placed onto the 3D centerline constructing a 3D surface. By using as gold standard the results of a recently presented Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) plaque characterization method, high correlation is observed for calcium objects detected by CT and IVUS. The correlation coefficients for objects' volume, surface area, length and angle are r=0.51, r=0.89, r=0.96 and r=0.93, respectively.
Analysis and classification of oximetry recordings to predict obstructive sleep apnea severity in children

Current study is focused around the potential use of oximetry to determine the obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) severity in children. Single-channel SpO2 recordings from 176 children were divided into three severity groups according to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI): AHI<;1 events per hour (e/h), 1≤AHI<;5 e/h, and AHI ≥5 e/h. Spectral analysis was conducted to define and characterize a frequency band of interest in SpO2. Then we combined the spectral data with the 3% oxygen desaturation index (ODI3) by means of a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network, in order to classify children into one of the three OSAHS severity groups. Following our MLP multiclass approach, a diagnostic protocol with capability to reduce the need of polysomnography tests by 46% could be derived. Moreover, our proposal can be also evaluated, in a binary classification task for two common AHI diagnostic cutoffs (AHI = 1 e/h and AHI= 5 e/h). High diagnostic ability was reached in both cases (84.7% and 85.8% accuracy, respectively) outperforming the clinical variable ODI3 as well as other measures reported in recent studies. These results suggest that the information contained in SpO2 could be helpful in pediatric OSAHS severity detection.
Accuracy of heart rate variability estimation by photoplethysmography using an smartphone: Processing optimization and fiducial point selection

This work compares several fiducial points to detect the arrival of a new pulse in a photoplethysmographic signal using the built-in camera of smartphones or a photoplethysmograph. Also, an optimization process for the signal preprocessing stage has been done. Finally we characterize the error produced when we use the best cutoff frequencies and fiducial point for smartphones and photopletysmograph and compare if the error of smartphones can be reasonably be explained by variations in pulse transit time. The results have revealed that the peak of the first derivative and the minimum of the second derivative of the pulse wave have the lowest error. Moreover, for these points, high pass filtering the signal between 0.1 to 0.8 Hz and low pass around 2.7 Hz or 3.5 Hz are the best cutoff frequencies. Finally, the error in smartphones is slightly higher than in a photoplethysmograph.
Increased Transendothelial Transport of CCL3 Is Insufficient to Drive Immune Cell Transmigration through the Blood–Brain Barrier under Inflammatory Conditions In Vitro

Many neuroinflammatory diseases are characterized by massive immune cell infiltration into the central nervous system. Identifying the underlying mechanisms could aid in the development of therapeutic strategies specifically interfering with inflammatory cell trafficking. To achieve this, we implemented and validated a blood–brain barrier (BBB) model to study chemokine secretion, chemokine transport, and leukocyte trafficking in vitro. In a coculture model consisting of a human cerebral microvascular endothelial cell line and human astrocytes, proinflammatory stimulation downregulated the expression of tight junction proteins, while the expression of adhesion molecules and chemokines was upregulated. Moreover, chemokine transport across BBB cocultures was upregulated, as evidenced by a significantly increased concentration of the inflammatory chemokine CCL3 at the luminal side following proinflammatory stimulation. CCL3 transport occurred independently of the chemokine receptors CCR1 and CCR5, albeit that migrated cells displayed increased expression of CCR1 and CCR5. However, overall leukocyte transmigration was reduced in inflammatory conditions, although higher numbers of leukocytes adhered to activated endothelial cells. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that prominent barrier activation following proinflammatory stimulation is insufficient to drive immune cell recruitment, suggesting that additional traffic cues are crucial to mediate the increased immune cell infiltration seen in vivo during neuroinflammation.
Effect of Epidural Steroid Injection on Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women According to Antiosteoporotic Medication Use.

BACKGROUND No studies to date have compared bone mineral density (BMD) changes after epidural steroid injection (ESI) between postmenopausal patients taking antiosteoporotic medication and those who are not. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between ESI and BMD changes in postmenopausal patients according to antiosteoporotic medication use. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective analysis. SETTING Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at Asan Medical Center, Korea. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed postmenopausal women who underwent ESI using dexamethasone. All women had received a diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis and their BMD had been measured before and after treatment. BMD was evaluated by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, femoral trochanter, and total femur, and was recorded as absolute g/cm2 and T-scores. A total of 126 patients were included in the final analysis. ESI patients were grouped as follows: group 1 (n = 74) ESI patients who took antiosteoporotic medication; group 2 (n = 52) ESI patients who did not take antiosteoporotic medication. RESULTS In group 1, there were no significant differences between baseline and post-treatment BMD absolute values (g/cm2) in the lumbar spine, femoral neck, femoral trochanter, and total femur. In group 2, significant changes in the post-treatment BMD absolute values (g/cm2) from baseline were observed in the femoral neck (-1.48 ± 3.84%), femoral trochanter (-2.80 ± 7.50%), and total femur (-2.23 ± 4.52%), but not in the lumbar spine (-2.23 ± 4.52%). LIMITATIONS This study contained a small sample size, no control group, and no long-term follow-up of the BMD changes after ESI. CONCLUSIONS Our data provide new evidence indicating that ESI causes BMD changes in postmenopausal women who do not take antiosteoporotic medication. Thus, we recommend that prophylactic antiosteoporotic treatment be considered for postmenopausal women who require ESI treatment.
Enhanced Introduction of Gold Nanoparticles into Vital Acidothiobacillus ferrooxidans by Carbon Nanotube-based Microwave Electroporation

A novel method was developed to electroporate gram-negative bacteria (Acidothiobacillus ferrooxidans) via multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs). CNTs are metallic, ultra strong nanofibers of ∼10 nm in diameter and many microns long. When placed in an electric field, the CNTs strongly enhance the electric field at their ends by a factor of 10−100, making them ideal for localized electroporation. Addition of CNTs into a solution containing bacteria and gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and subsequent exposure to microwave radiation facilitates a rapid transport of GNPs across the cell wall, without affecting the cell viability.
Multimodal Visual Concept Learning with Weakly Supervised Techniques

Despite the availability of a huge amount of video data accompanied by descriptive texts, it is not always easy to exploit the information contained in natural language in order to automatically recognize video concepts. Towards this goal, in this paper we use textual cues as means of supervision, introducing two weakly supervised techniques that extend the Multiple Instance Learning (MIL) framework: the Fuzzy Sets Multiple Instance Learning (FSMIL) and the Probabilistic Labels Multiple Instance Learning (PLMIL). The former encodes the spatio-temporal imprecision of the linguistic descriptions with Fuzzy Sets, while the latter models different interpretations of each description's semantics with Probabilistic Labels, both formulated through a convex optimization algorithm. In addition, we provide a novel technique to extract weak labels in the presence of complex semantics, that consists of semantic similarity computations. We evaluate our methods on two distinct problems, namely face and action recognition, in the challenging and realistic setting of movies accompanied by their screenplays, contained in the COGNIMUSE database. We show that, on both tasks, our method considerably outperforms a state-of-the-art weakly supervised approach, as well as other baselines.
Genetic and Environment Influences on Sleep, Pain, and Depression Symptoms in a Community Sample of Twins.

OBJECTIVE We used quantitative genetic methods to evaluate whether sleep quality, pain, and depression symptoms share a common genetic diathesis, to estimate the genetic and environmental sources of covariance among these symptoms, and to test for possible causal relationships. METHODS A community sample of 400 twins from the University of Washington Twin Registry completed standardized self-report questionnaires. We used biometric modeling to assess genetic and environmental contribution to the association between sleep quality measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), pain measured by the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and depression symptoms measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-dep). Trivariate Cholesky structural equation models were used to decompose correlations among the phenotypes. RESULTS Heritability was estimated at 37% (95% CI: 20, 51%) for sleep quality, 25% (9, 41%) for pain, and 39% (22, 53%) for depression. Non-shared environmental influences accounted for the remaining variance. The genetic correlation between sleep quality and pain was rg = 0.69 (95%CI: 0.33, 0.97), rg = 0.56 (0.55, 0.98) between pain and depression, and rg = 0.61 (0.44, 0.88) between depression and sleep quality. Non-shared environmental overlap was present between pain and sleep quality and depression and sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS The link between sleep quality, pain, and depression was primarily explained by shared genetic influences. The genetic factors influencing sleep quality and pain were highly correlated even when accounting for depression. Findings support the hypothesis of a genetic link between sleep quality and pain and potential causality for the association of sleep quality with pain and depression.