Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Placental microRNA expression in pregnancies complicated by superimposed pre-eclampsia on chronic hypertension

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a complication of pregnancy that affects 5–8% of women after 20 weeks of gestation. It is usually diagnosed based on the de novo onset of hypertension and proteinuria. Preexisting hypertension in women developing PE, also known as superimposed PE on chronic hypertension (SPE), leads to elevated risk of maternal and fetal mortality. PE is associated with an altered microRNA (miRNA) expression pattern in the placenta, suggesting that miRNA deregulation is involved in the pathogenesis of PE. Whether and how the miRNA expression pattern is changed in the SPE placenta remains unclear. The present study analyzed the placental miRNA expression profile in pregnancies complicated by SPE. miRNA expression profiles in SPE and normal placentas were investigated using an Ion Torrent sequencing system. Sequencing data were processed using a comprehensive analysis pipeline for deep miRNA sequencing (CAP-miRSeq). A total of 22 miRNAs were identified to be deregulated in placentas from patients with SPE. They included 16 miRNAs previously known to be associated with PE and 6 novel miRNAs. Among the 6 novel miRNAs, 4 were upregulated (miR-518a, miR-527, miR-518e and miR-4532) and 2 downregulated (miR-98 and miR-135b) in SPE placentas compared with controls. The present results suggest that SPE is associated with specific alterations in the placental miRNA expression pattern, which differ from alterations detected in PE placentas, and therefore, provide novel targets for further investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying SPE pathogenesis.
Roughness effects on a wall bounded turbulent flow sub-layer

PIV measurements at relatively low Reynolds numbers in a turbulent boundary layer over a 3Droughened surface, consisting of pyramidal rows, have been carried out in a closed-loop water tunnel. The ratio between the boundary layer thickness and the pyramidal roughness height is δ/k=17.2 . Measurements have been taken in a streamwise wall normal plane intercepting the apex of a row of pyramids and the diagonal of the square base. The results point out the non-homogeneity of the flow in the roughness sub-layer. The different flow behaviour along the ascendant and the descendent part of the pyramids and in the region between two consecutive pyramids has been visualized. Low values of the streamwise component of the mean velocity and high values of the Reynolds shear stresses are present in the downstream part of the pyramids, near their base. Two series of vortical structures appear to be present in the instantaneous realizations of the flow. Vortices are seen to travel nearly parallel to the wall, very close to the top of the pyramids. It is argued that these vortical structures can be associated with a specific near wall turbulence production mechanism in the roughness sublayer. Farther from the wall, the instant flow images show vortical structures having a feature similar to the one expected in a smooth wall turbulent boundary layer. Also, a conditional averaged analysis based on the quadrant method has been performed in order to understand the origin of the high turbulence activity observed downstream the pyramids, near their base. Particularly, the flow events producing the high values of the Reynolds shear stress have been analyzed showing that the flow in the roughness sub-layer is strongly influenced by the local wall geometry.
Understanding membrane-active antimicrobial peptides

Abstract Bacterial membranes represent an attractive target for the design of new antibiotics to combat widespread bacterial resistance to traditional inhibitor-based antibiotics. Understanding how antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and other membrane-active agents attack membranes could facilitate the design of new, effective antimicrobials. AMPs, which are small, gene-encoded host defense proteins, offer a promising basis for the study of membrane-active antimicrobial agents. These peptides are cationic and amphipathic, spontaneously binding to bacterial membranes and inducing transmembrane permeability to small molecules. Yet there are often confusions surrounding the details of the molecular mechanisms of AMPs. Following the doctrine of structure–function relationship, AMPs are often viewed as the molecular scaffolding of pores in membranes. Instead we believe that the full mechanism of AMPs is understandable if we consider the interactions of AMPs with the whole membrane domain, where interactions induce structural transformations of the entire membrane, rather than forming localized molecular structures. We believe that it is necessary to consider the entire soft matter peptide-membrane system as it evolves through several distinct states. Accordingly, we have developed experimental techniques to investigate the state and structure of the membrane as a function of the bound peptide to lipid ratio, exactly as AMPs in solution progressively bind to the membrane and induce structural changes to the entire system. The results from these studies suggest that global interactions of AMPs with the membrane domain are of fundamental importance to understanding the antimicrobial mechanisms of AMPs.
Division rate, cell size and proteome allocation: impact on gene expression noise and implications for the dynamics of genetic circuits

The cell division rate, size and gene expression programmes change in response to external conditions. These global changes impact on average concentrations of biomolecule and their variability or noise. Gene expression is inherently stochastic, and noise levels of individual proteins depend on synthesis and degradation rates as well as on cell-cycle dynamics. We have modelled stochastic gene expression inside growing and dividing cells to study the effect of division rates on noise in mRNA and protein expression. We use assumptions and parameters relevant to Escherichia coli, for which abundant quantitative data are available. We find that coupling of transcription, but not translation rates to the rate of cell division can result in protein concentration and noise homeostasis across conditions. Interestingly, we find that the increased cell size at fast division rates, observed in E. coli and other unicellular organisms, buffers noise levels even for proteins with decreased expression at faster growth. We then investigate the functional importance of these regulations using gene regulatory networks that exhibit bi-stability and oscillations. We find that network topology affects robustness to changes in division rate in complex and unexpected ways. In particular, a simple model of persistence, based on global physiological feedback, predicts increased proportion of persister cells at slow division rates. Altogether, our study reveals how cell size regulation in response to cell division rate could help controlling gene expression noise. It also highlights that understanding circuits' robustness across growth conditions is key for the effective design of synthetic biological systems.
Error performance of free space optical MIMO systems in weak, moderate, and severe atmospheric turbulence channels

Atmospheric turbulence causes degradation in the performance of free space optical (FSO) transmission. This turbulence is referred to as scintillation. To mitigate this effect, a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system is employed. This paper investigates and compares the performance of FSO MIMO systems in different atmospheric turbulence conditions such as weak, moderate, and severe when binary pulse position modulation (BPPM) is employed. In particular, single input multiple output (SIMO) system using BPPM technique is investigated with equal gain combining (EGC), selection combining (SC), and maximal ratio combining (MRC) diversity schemes. Moreover, the probability of error performance is evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations assuming different atmospheric turbulence channels.
A System of Image Matching and 3 D Reconstruction CS 231 A Project Report

Given thousands of unordered images of photos with a variety of scenes in your gallery, you will find it is very interesting to organize your photos according to scenes, and create a 3D reconstruction for each of scenes. The most important and challenging part in this task is the matching of images. The popularity of mobile devices has brought a great demand for computer vision application on platforms with limited computation and storage resources. The main focus of this project is to perform some interesting evaluations to help decide which keypoint descriptor is more suitable for image matching before 3D reconstruction and/or image panorama given the restricted resources. After matching the images with the same scene, I am going to use the results to reconstruct a 3D view for each scene. The flow of the system is shown in Figure 1.
Prognostic signi fi cance of low volume sentinel lymph node disease in early-stage cervical cancer ☆

a Gynecological Oncology Centre, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic b Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA c Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech d Department of Gynecological Oncology, Division of Woman and Baby, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands (formerly affiliated to affiliation f) e Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Ostrava, Czech f Department of Pathology and Gynecology, VU Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands g Institut Claudius Regaud, Toulouse, France h Department of Gynecology and Oncology, Jagellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland i Université Paris Descartes, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou, Paris, France j Department of Pathomorphology, Jagellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
Concurrent Criterion-Related Validity of Acromioclavicular Joint Physical Examination Tests: A Systematic Review

Abstract This article systematically reviews the available research on concurrent criterionrelated validity of physical examination tests for the diagnosis of acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) dysfunction. A literature search yielded four research studies on the topic of concurrent criterion-related validity of physical examination tests of the ACJ. These studies had various methodological shortcomings. Methodological scores on the STARD (Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy) criteria yielded scores from 1/22 to 16/22. All studies examined pain provocation tests only. The currently available best research evidence supports the inclusion of a number of tests with a specific interpretation in a physical examination format for the diagnosis of painful ACJ dysfunction. A negative finding on the cross-body adduction test, tenderness on palpation of the ACJ, and the Paxinos sign may serve to rule out a painful ACJ dysfunction. A positive finding on the active compression test, the cross-body adduction test, and the acromioclavicular resisted extension test may serve to rule in a painful ACJ dysfunction. A positive finding on all three tests for the cross-body adduction, active compression, and resisted acromioclavicular extension may be relevant when the physical therapist is considering a medical-surgical referral and associated higher-risk interventions. This review indicates that future research is required 1) to evaluate the diagnostic utility of the gold standard tests used in the studies retrieved; 2) to examine the reliability and concurrent criterion-related validity (with validated gold standard tests) of these and other physical tests and history items commonly used in the diagnosis of ACJ lesions, both isolated and in the form of multi-test regimens; and 3) to study predictive validity of findings on tests and multi-test regimens for ACJ dysfunction coupled to outcomes with diagnosis-specific (orthopedic manual) physical therapy, medical, and surgical interventions.
Block vs. Weekly Undulating Periodized Resistance Training Programs in Women

Abstract Bartolomei, S, Stout, JR, Fukuda, DH, Hoffman, JR, and Merni, F. Block vs. weekly undulating periodized resistance training programs in women. J Strength Cond Res 29(10): 2679–2687, 2015—The aim of this study was to compare the effects of resistance training using block periodization (BP) and weekly undulating (WUD) model on maximal strength and hypertrophy in recreationally strength trained women. Seventeen recreationally trained women were randomly assigned to either a BP group (n = 9; age = 24.7 ± 4.2 years; body mass = 62.1 ± 5.3 kg; height = 166.4 ± 6.0 cm) or a WUD group (n = 8; age = 23.2 ± 2.2 years; body mass = 59.8 ± 11.9 kg; height = 160.1 ± 4.1 cm). Participants of both groups trained 3 days a week for 10 weeks. The BP and WUD programs used the same exercises, and the difference between the 2 programs was in the distribution of the training volume within each training phase. Anthropometric measures and strength testing were performed before (PRE) and after 10 weeks (POST) of training. The results revealed that both BP and WUD groups made significant increases in strength and power, but improvements in lower-body strength were significantly (p = 0.039) greater in the WUD group (+27.7%) compared with the BP group (+15.2%). Both groups significantly increased arm muscle hypertrophy (p < 0.001), whereas improvements in thigh muscle size were significant in the WUD group only (+5.8%, p = 0.001). Results of this study indicate that the WUD model is more effective than the BP model for increasing maximal strength and muscle size in the lower body in women.
Analysis and Evaluation of Circuit Switched NoC and Packet Switched NoC

Circuit switched NoC has, compared to packet switching, a longer setup time, guaranteed throughput and latency, higher clock frequency, lower HW complexity, and higher energy efficiency. Depending on packet size and throughput requirements they exhibit better or worse performance. In this paper we designed a circuit switched NoC and compared that with packet switched NoC. By speculation and analysis, we propose that, as packet size increases, performance decreases for packet switched NoC, while it increases for circuit switched NoC. By close examination on the router architecture, we suggest that circuit switched NoC can operate at a higher clock frequency than packet switched NoC, and thus at zero load above a certain packet size circuit switched NoC could be better than packet switched NoC in packet delay. Experiment results support our intuitions and analysis. We find the cross-over point, above which circuit switching has lower latency, is around 30 flits/packet under low load and 60-70 flits/packet under high network load.
Retinal Fluid Segmentation and Classification in OCT Images Using Adversarial Loss Based CNN

This paper proposes a novel method in order to detect the presence and obtain voxel-level segmentation for three fluid lesion types (IRF/SRF/PED) in OCT images provided by the ReTOUCH challenge. The method is based on a deep neural network consisting of encoding and de-coding blocks connected with skip-connections which was trained using a combined cost function comprising of cross-entropy, dice and adversarial loss terms. The segmentation results on a held-out validation set shows that the network architecture and the loss functions used has resulted in improved retinal fluid segmentation.
The IGFR 1 inhibitor NVP-AEW 541 disrupts a pro-survival and pro-angiogenic IGF-STAT 3-HIF 1 pathway in human glioblastoma cells

Inappropriate activation of the IGF (insulin-like growth factor) system has been implicated in the growth and progression of a number of tumor types. Recent evidence indicates a possible role for the IGF system in modulating/mediating tumor cell response to hypoxia, a common occurrence in solid tumors, and particularly in malignant gliomas, causing tumor cells either to die, or to mount a pleiotropic adaptive response that is mainly orchestrated through activation of the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor HIF1. Experimental evidence suggests possible links between IGFand HIF1-dependent signaling pathways, as well as a role for activated STAT3 in mediating their activities. Interestingly, igf2 is among the target genes transactivated by HIF1, thereby providing the missing link in a hypothetical autocrine self-amplifying circuit. The present study investigates the presence of the IGF-HIF1-VEGF axis in the human glioma cell line U-87 MG, and characterizes its molecular effectors. Our results show that exogenous IGF-I causes IGF1R and STAT3 activation, and increases HIF1a protein levels and HIF1 trascriptional activity, inducing VEGF release; a similar response, mediated by IGF-II release, is observed following HIF1a stabilization. The existence of an autocrine loop is confirmed by its down-regulation following inactivation of IGF1R (using the IGF1R-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor NVP-AEW541), STAT3 (transfecting the cells with an expression vector encoding a dominant negative form of STAT3), or HIF1 (using the small molecule inhibitor YC-1). The ability of NVP-AEW541 to block this circuit could be beneficial in suppressing the growth and angiogenic potential of hypoxic glial tumors. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Myosin Va Transports Dense Core Secretory Vesicles in Pancreatic MIN6 β-Cells

The role of unconventional myosins in neuroendocrine cells is not fully understood, with involvement suggested in the movement of both secretory vesicles and mitochondria. Here, we demonstrate colocalization of myosin Va (MyoVa) with insulin in pancreatic -cells and show that MyoVa copurifies with insulin in density gradients and with the vesicle marker phogrin-enhanced green fluorescent protein upon fluorescence-activated sorting of vesicles. By contrast, MyoVa immunoreactivity was poorly colocalized with mitochondrial or other markers. Demonstrating an important role for MyoVa in the recruitment of secretory vesicles to the cell surface, a reduction of MyoVa protein levels achieved by RNA interference caused a significant decrease in glucose- or depolarization-stimulated insulin secretion. Similarly, expression of the dominant-negative–acting globular tail domain of MyoVa decreased by 50% the number of vesicles docked at the plasma membrane and by 87% the number of depolarization-stimulated exocytotic events detected by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. We conclude that MyoVa-driven movements of vesicles along the cortical actin network are essential for the terminal stages of regulated exocytosis in -cells.
A Novel Fractional-Order Chaotic Phase Synchronization Model for Visual Selection and Shifting

Visual information processing is one of the fields of cognitive informatics. In this paper, a two-layer fractional-order chaotic network, which can simulate the mechanism of visual selection and shifting, is established. Unlike other object selection models, the proposed model introduces control units to select object. The first chaotic network layer of the model is used to implement image segmentation. A control layer is added as the second layer, consisting of a central neuron, which controls object selection and shifting. To implement visual selection and shifting, a strategy is proposed that can achieve different subnets corresponding to the objects in the first layer synchronizing with the central neuron at different time. The central unit acting as the central nervous system synchronizes with different subnets (hybrid systems), implementing the mechanism of visual selection and shifting in the human system. The proposed model corresponds better with the human visual system than the typical model of visual information encoding and transmission and provides new possibilities for further analysis of the mechanisms of the human cognitive system. The reasonability of the proposed model is verified by experiments using artificial and natural images.
Converging on child mental health – toward shared global action for child development

We are a group of researchers and clinicians with collective experience in child survival, nutrition, cognitive and social development, and treatment of common mental conditions. We join together to welcome an expanded definition of child development to guide global approaches to child health and overall social development. We call for resolve to integrate maternal and child mental health with child health, nutrition, and development services and policies, and see this as fundamental to the health and sustainable development of societies. We suggest specific steps toward achieving this objective, with associated global organizational and resource commitments. In particular, we call for a Global Planning Summit to establish a much needed Global Alliance for Child Development and Mental Health in all Policies.
Speaking the Users' Languages

The authors describe a system that generates descriptions of museum objects tailored to the user. The texts presented to adults, children, and experts differ in several ways, from the choice of words used to the complexity of the sentence forms. M-PIRO can currently generate text in three languages: English, Greek, and Italian. The grammar resources are language independent as much as possible. M-PIRO's system architecture is significantly more modular than that of its predecessor ILEX. In particular, the linguistic resources, database, and user-modeling subsystems are now separate from the systems that perform the natural language generation and speech synthesis.
Assessment of goals and priorities in patients with a chronic condition: a secondary quantitative analysis of determinants across 11 countries

Abstract Objective: To assess the impact of patient characteristics, patient-professional engagement, communication and context on the probability that healthcare professionals will discuss goals or priorities with older patients. Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2014 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Older Adults. Setting: 11 western countries. Subjects: Community-dwelling adults, aged 55 or older. Main outcome measure: Assessment of goals and priorities. Results: The final sample size consisted of 17,222 respondents, 54% of whom reported an assessment of their goals and priorities (AGP) by healthcare professionals. In logistic regression model 1, which was used to analyse the entire population, the determinants found to have moderate to large effects on the likelihood of AGP were information exchange on stress, diet or exercise, or both. Country (living in Sweden) and continuity of care (no regular professional or organisation) had moderate to large negative effects on the likelihood of AGP. In model 2, which focussed on respondents who experienced continuity of care, country and information exchange on stress and lifestyle were the main determinants of AGP, with comparable odds ratios to model 1. Furthermore, a professional asking questions also increased the likelihood of AGP. Conclusions: Continuity of care and information exchange is associated with a higher probability of AGP, while people living in Sweden are less likely to experience these assessments. Further study is required to determine whether increasing information exchange and professionals asking more questions may improve goal setting with older patients. Key points A patient goal-oriented approach can be beneficial for older patients with chronic conditions or multimorbidity; however, discussing goals with these patients is not a common practice. The likelihood of discussing goals varies by country, occurring most commonly in the USA, and least often in Sweden. Country-level differences in continuity of care and questions asked by a regularly visited professional affect the goal discussion probability. Patient characteristics, including age, have less impact than expected on the likelihood of sharing goals.