Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vinexin β Ablation Inhibits Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E–Deficient Mice by Inactivating the Akt–Nuclear Factor κB Inflammatory Axis

Background Vinexin β is a novel adaptor protein that regulates cellular adhesion, cytoskeletal reorganization, signal transduction, and transcription; however, the exact role that vinexin β plays in atherosclerosis remains unknown. Methods and Results Immunoblot analysis showed that vinexin β expression is upregulated in the atherosclerotic lesions of both patients with coronary heart disease and hyperlipemic apolipoprotein E–deficient mice and is primarily localized in macrophages indicated by immunofluorescence staining. The high‐fat diet–induced double‐knockout mice exhibited lower aortic plaque burdens than apolipoprotein E−/− littermates and decreased macrophage content. Vinexin β deficiency improved plaque stability by attenuating lipid accumulation and increasing smooth muscle cell content and collagen. Moreover, the bone marrow transplant experiment demonstrated that vinexin β deficiency exerts atheroprotective effects in hematopoietic cells. Consistent with these changes, the mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines were downregulated in vinexin β−/− apolipoprotein E−/− mice, whereas the anti‐inflammatory M2 macrophage markers were upregulated. The immunohistochemical staining and in vitro experiments showed that deficiency of vinexin β inhibited the accumulation of monocytes and the migration of macrophages induced by tumor necrosis factor α–stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells as well as macrophage proliferation. Finally, the inhibitory effects exerted by vinexin β deficiency on foam cell formation, nuclear factor κB activation, and inflammatory cytokine expression were largely reversed by constitutive Akt activation, whereas the increased expression of the nuclear factor κB subset promoted by adenoviral vinexin β was dramatically suppressed by inhibition of AKT. Conclusions Vinexin β deficiency attenuates atherogenesis primarily by suppressing vascular inflammation and inactivating Akt–nuclear factor κB signaling. Our data suggest that vinexin β could be a therapeutic target for the treatment of atherosclerosis.
Simultaneous localization and classification of acute lymphoblastic leukemic cells in peripheral blood smears using a deep convolutional network with average pooling layer

It is important to analyze and classify the blood cells for the evaluation and diagnosis of many diseases. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is a blood cancer mostly found in children below the age of 7–8 years. It can be fatal if left untreated. ALL cells are abnormal lymphocytes that have a condensed appearance to their chromatin. ALL can be detected through the analysis of white blood cells (WBCs) also called as leukocytes. Presently the morphological analysis of blood cells is performed manually by skilled operators, which makes it a time-taking and non-standardized process. This paper presents a novel deep learning approach to automate the process of detecting ALL from whole-slide blood smear images. Previous work in this domain deal with the isolation and classification of WBCs based on certain morphological image features. However, this work uses a deep network for simultaneous localization and classification of WBCs. The network makes use of Average Pooling layers to figure out the hot-spots of WBC locations in whole-slide images. Although this workflow fails to successfully figure out all the ALL lymphocytes in a whole-slide image, but it does performs very well in the task of predicting whether the blood smear image belongs to an ALL patient or not.
The Effect of Intraspinal Bupivacaine versus Levobupivacaine on the QTc Intervals during Caesarean Section: A Randomized, Double‐blind, Prospective Study

The aim of this study was to describe whether or not spinal anaesthesia with bupivacaine versus levobupivacaine has any effects on the QTc interval during caesarean section. Sixty healthy pregnant women scheduled for elective caesarean section were randomized to spinal anaesthesia with either bupivacaine (the bupivacaine group) or levobupivacaine (the levobupivacaine group). ECG recordings were performed prior to spinal anaesthesia at baseline (T1), 5 min. after spinal anaesthesia, but before uterine incision (T2), and after skin closure (T3). QT intervals were calculated and corrected with the patients' heart rate according to the Bazett formula. Compared with baseline values, mean maximum QTc intervals at T2 and T3 were significantly longer in the levobupivacaine group, but only at T2 in the bupivacaine group. In addition, compared with the bupivacaine group, the QTc maximum interval at T3 was significantly longer in the levobupivacaine group. At T2, the QTc maximum intervals were longer than baseline in both groups. By the end of the surgery, the prolongation of the QTc interval had disappeared in the bupivacaine group but not in the levobupivacaine group.
Pharmacological Foundations of Cannabis Chemovars

Abstract An advanced Mendelian Cannabis breeding program has been developed utilizing chemical markers to maximize the yield of phytocannabinoids and terpenoids with the aim to improve therapeutic efficacy and safety. Cannabis is often divided into several categories based on cannabinoid content. Type I, Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol-predominant, is the prevalent offering in both medical and recreational marketplaces. In recent years, the therapeutic benefits of cannabidiol have been better recognized, leading to the promotion of additional chemovars: Type II, Cannabis that contains both Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, and cannabidiol-predominant Type III Cannabis. While high-Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and high-myrcene chemovars dominate markets, these may not be optimal for patients who require distinct chemical profiles to achieve symptomatic relief. Type II Cannabis chemovars that display cannabidiol- and terpenoid-rich profiles have the potential to improve both efficacy and minimize adverse events associated with Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure. Cannabis samples were analyzed for cannabinoid and terpenoid content, and analytical results are presented via PhytoFacts, a patent-pending method of graphically displaying phytocannabinoid and terpenoid content, as well as scent, taste, and subjective therapeutic effect data. Examples from the breeding program are highlighted and include Type I, II, and III Cannabis chemovars, those highly potent in terpenoids in general, or single components, for example, limonene, pinene, terpinolene, and linalool. Additionally, it is demonstrated how Type I – III chemovars have been developed with conserved terpenoid proportions. Specific chemovars may produce enhanced analgesia, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antidepressant, and anti-anxiety effects, while simultaneously reducing sequelae of Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol such as panic, toxic psychosis, and short-term memory impairment.
Mutual information using sample variance for text feature selection

Feature selection improves the training speed of the classifier without affecting its predictive capability. It selects a subset of most informative words (terms) from the set of all words. Term distribution affects the feature selection process, e.g. an even distribution of terms in a specific class ensures a higher association of these terms with that class, but an even distribution in almost classes shows a lesser association. This paper computes sample variance using standard Mutual Information (MI) method to measure the variations in distribution of terms. MI method assigns a higher rank to the terms distributed in a specific category (i.e. rare terms) which shows it strong influence with the rare terms than common terms (i.e. terms which most frequently in almost classes). To address this issue, a new text feature selection method named Mutual Information Using Sample Variance (MIUSV) is proposed in this paper. It considers sample variance in term distribution while computing the Mutual Information score of the term. Multinomial Naive Bayes (MNB) and k Nearest Neighbor (kNN) classifiers model, check the utilities of the selected terms by the proposed MIUSV. These models classify four standard text data sets, viz. Webkb, 20Newsgroup, Ohsumed10, and Ohsumed23. Two standard performance measures named Macro-F1 and Micro-F1 show a significant improvement in the results using proposed MIUSV method.
A 5.2–11.8MHz octa-phase relaxation oscillator for 8-PSK FM-UWB transceiver systems

An octa-phase differential relaxation VCO generating both triangular and rectangular waveform outputs is designed for 8-PSK subcarrier generation in FM-UWB transceiver systems. The VCO consists of cascaded quad-phase relaxation oscillators in which the second stage oscillator provides 45° phase shifting with pseudo injection locking. The 5.2-11.8MHz octa-phase VCO implemented in 0. 18μm CMOS consumes 2.5mW from a 1.8V supply.
Arytenoid adduction with medialization laryngoplasty versus injection or medialization laryngoplasty: The role of the arytenoidopexy

There continues to be controversy about the added role of arytenoid adduction (AA) in the rehabilitation of unilateral vocal cord paralysis (UVCP). Some authors feel that the added morbidity of AA is not warranted in UVCP rehabilitation. Objective analysis of acoustic and aerodynamic measures were performed before and after surgery to try to resolve this controversy.
Studying the Microbiome: “Omics” Made Accessible

Abstract The term microbiome refers to the collection of microbes or microbial genes in a specified location or clinical sample. Identifying micro-organisms has historically relied upon bacteriological culture, which is time consuming and difficult to effectively implement. The recent adaptation of culture-independent techniques for profiling microbial communities, allied with next-generation massively parallel DNA sequencing, allows clinician scientists to determine the entire microbial content of a specimen to a forensic level of detail within 48 hours. The technology is still young, and the main thrust of current efforts is to identify how changes in the microbiome covary with a variety of syndromes and diseases, and to determine if these changes are causative or consequential. Regardless of the outcome of these investigations, it is already apparent that the gut microbiome is a useful biomarker for intestinal and extraintestinal disease. In this review, the authors summarize the main concepts in microbiome analysis, and prospects for the microbiome's clinical deployment.
New onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT): an overview

Although renal transplantation ameliorates cardiovascular risk factors by restoring renal function, it introduces new cardiovascular risks including impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia that are derived, in part, from immunosuppressive medications such as calcineurin inhibitors, corticosteroids, or mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors. New onset diabetes mellitus after transplantation (NODAT) is a serious and common complication following solid organ transplantation. NODAT has been reported to occur in 2% to 53% of all solid organ transplants. Kidney transplant recipients who develop NODAT have variably been reported to be at increased risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events and other adverse outcomes including infection, reduced patient survival, graft rejection, and accelerated graft loss compared with those who do not develop diabetes. Identification of high-risk patients and implementation of measures to reduce the development of NODAT may improve long-term patient and graft outcome. The following article presents an overview of the literature on the current diagnostic criteria for NODAT, its incidence after solid organ transplantation, suggested risk factors and potential pathogenic mechanisms. The impact of NODAT on patient and allograft outcomes and suggested guidelines for early identification and management of NODAT will also be discussed.
Reversibility of polymer-induced fiber flocculation by shear. 2. Multi-component chemical treatments

Optical and viscometric tests showed essentially complete dispersal of fiber flocs when polymer-treated chemithermomechanical (CTMP) fiber slurries were exposed to intense shear in a blender. Two types of chemical systems showed evidence that flocs formed again after the shear application were stronger or larger than those in an untreated slurry. An optical test showed that treatments that included poly-diallyldimethylammonium chloride (DADMAC) yielded a charge-dependent maximum in fiber flocculation that approximately corresponded to charge neutralization. By contrast, only a viscometric test showed a net increase in fiber flocs after treatments with cationic polyacrylamide (cPAM) following by nano-size anionic materials (microparticles) and intense shear. In certain cases the polyelectrolyte-induced bonds holding calcium carbonate filler particles to the fibers or to each other within the slurry appeared sufficient to withstand intense shear almost completely. Results support strategies in which hydrodynamic shear in a papermaking system helps to minimize fiber flocs, while leaving polymeric attachments to filler particles intact.
HCV Genotypes Are Differently Prone to the Development of Resistance to Linear and Macrocyclic Protease Inhibitors

Background Because of the extreme genetic variability of hepatitis C virus (HCV), we analyzed whether specific HCV-genotypes are differently prone to develop resistance to linear and macrocyclic protease-inhibitors (PIs). Methods The study includes 1568 NS3-protease sequences, isolated from PI-naive patients infected with HCV-genotypes 1a (N = 621), 1b (N = 474), 2 (N = 72), 3 (N = 268), 4 (N = 54) 5 (N = 6), and 6 (N = 73). Genetic-barrier was calculated as the sum of nucleotide-transitions (score = 1) and/or nucleotide-transversions (score = 2.5) required for drug-resistance-mutations emergence. Forty-three mutations associated with PIs-resistance were analyzed (36A/M/L/G-41R-43S/V-54A/S/V-55A-Q80K/R/L/H/G-109K-138T-155K/Q/T/I/M/S/G/L-156T/V/G/S-158I-168A/H/T/V/E/I/G/N/Y-170A/T-175L). Structural analyses on NS3-protease and on putative RNA-models have been also performed. Results Overall, NS3-protease was moderately conserved, with 85/181 (47.0%) amino-acids showing <1% variability. The catalytic-triad (H57-D81-S139) and 6/13 resistance-associated positions (Q41-F43-R109-R155-A156-V158) were fully conserved (variability <1%). Structural-analysis highlighted that most of the NS3-residues involved in drug-stabilization were highly conserved, while 7 PI-resistance residues, together with selected residues located in proximity of the PI-binding pocket, were highly variable among HCV-genotypes. Four resistance-mutations (80K/G-36L-175L) were found as natural polymorphisms in selected genotypes (80K present in 41.6% HCV-1a, 100% of HCV-5 and 20.6% HCV-6; 80G present in 94.4% HCV-2; 36L present in 100% HCV-3-5 and >94% HCV-2-4; 175L present in 100% HCV-1a-3-5 and >97% HCV-2-4). Furthermore, HCV-3 specifically showed non-conservative polymorphisms (R123T-D168Q) at two drug-interacting positions. Regardless of HCV-genotype, 13 PIs resistance-mutations were associated with low genetic-barrier, requiring only 1 nucleotide-substitution (41R-43S/V-54A-55A-80R-156V/T: score = 1; 54S-138T-156S/G-168E/H: score = 2.5). By contrast, by using HCV-1b as reference genotype, nucleotide-heterogeneity led to a lower genetic-barrier for the development of some drug-resistance-mutations in HCV-1a (36M-155G/I/K/M/S/T-170T), HCV-2 (36M-80K-155G/I/K/S/T-170T), HCV-3 (155G/I/K/M/S/T-170T), HCV-4-6 (155I/S/L), and HCV-5 (80G-155G/I/K/M/S/T). Conclusions The high degree of HCV genetic variability makes HCV-genotypes, and even subtypes, differently prone to the development of PIs resistance-mutations. Overall, this can account for different responsiveness of HCV-genotypes to PIs, with important clinical implications in tailoring individualized and appropriate regimens.
Overlapping community detection in large networks from a data fusion view

Community detection is one of the most important problems in social network analysis in the context of the structure of the underlying graphs. Many researchers have proposed their own methods for discovering dense regions in social networks. Such methods are only designed with links of the underlying social network. However, with the development of recent applications, rich edge content can be available to give another view to the community detection process. In this study, we focus on improving community detection with the edge content in social networks. In order to regulate the effect of both linkage structure and edge content, we propose two feature integration strategies. Experiment results illustrate that the presence of edge content provides unprecedented opportunities and flexibility for the community detection process.
Dielectric pocket Ge-source Double Gate Junctionless MOSFET with improved OFF-current and subthreshold characteristics

The concept of Dielectric Pocket (DP) in Ge-source Double Gate Junctionless MOSFET (DG JLMOSFET) is proposed to suppress the Short Channel Effects (SCEs) and provide better OFF current characteristics. The use of Dielectric Pocket at the source and drain ends suppress the entrance of lateral electric field and diffusion of carriers from source/drain into channel and improves Ion/Ioff current ratio for optimum performance of the device. This results in significant reduction in SCEs and OFF current. The switching speed of Ge-source DG JLMoSFET is investigated for different length and thickness of Dielectric Pocket. It is seeing that the Switching speed improves as the length and thickness of Dielectric Pocket is increased. On comparison with conventional MOSFET (without Dielectric Pocket), it is observed that the proposed structure gives better performance. Thus DP Ge-source DG JLMOSFET is useful in the design of Low Power VLSI circuits.
Supporting Creative Group Processes - Groupware for Communication and Coordination

The idea of the creative individualist spawning innovations as a solitude effort is no longer realistic. Huge innovation projects, relying on project teams, have to be permanently conducted by organizations to assure their competitiveness. These projects often take place in distributed teams, making use of groupware to bridge temporal and geographical distances. Research in social psychology on group processes has revealed that group work suffers from several group process losses such as information overload, production blocking, free riding and evaluation apprehension. Moreover, creative group processes have to be coordinated to assure goal orientation and efficiency. In the shade of the Media Synchronicity Theory and Coordination theory we analyze aspects of communication and coordination support of groupware functionality. We conclude that idea generation should be supported by synchronous groupware functionality whilst idea evaluation merits from asynchronous functionality. Moreover both phases do not depend on single outstanding but various groupware functionalities to support coordination.
Diagnostic Approach in Children with Short Stature

For early detection of pathological causes of growth failure proper referral criteria are needed, as well as a thorough clinical, radiological and laboratory assessment. In this minireview we first discuss the two consensus-based and one evidence-based guidelines for referral that have been published. The evidence-based guidelines result in a sensitivity of approximately 80% at a false-positive rate of 2%. Then, relevant clues from the medical history and physical examination are reviewed, and specific investigations based on clinical suspicion listed. In the absence of abnormal clinical findings, an X-ray of the hand/wrist and a laboratory screen are usually performed. Scientific evidence for the various components of laboratory screening is scarce, but accumulated experience and theoretical considerations have led to a list of investigations that may be considered until more evidence is available.
Study on an Indoor Positioning System for Harsh Environments Based on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy

This paper presents a study of positioning system that provides advanced information services based on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technologies. It uses Wi-Fi for rough positioning and BLE for fine positioning. It is designed for use in public transportation system stations and terminals where the conditions are “hostile” or unfavourable due to signal noise produced by the continuous movement of passengers and buses, data collection conducted in the constant presence thereof, multipath fading, non-line of sight (NLOS) conditions, the fact that part of the wireless communication infrastructure has already been deployed and positioned in a way that may not be optimal for positioning purposes, variable humidity conditions, etc. The ultimate goal is to provide a service that may be used to assist people with special needs. We present experimental results based on scene analysis; the main distance metric used was the Euclidean distance but the Mahalanobis distance was also used in one case. The algorithm employed to compare fingerprints was the weighted k-nearest neighbor one. For Wi-Fi, with only three visible access points, accuracy ranged from 3.94 to 4.82 m, and precision from 5.21 to 7.0 m 90% of the time. With respect to BLE, with a low beacon density (1 beacon per 45.7 m2), accuracy ranged from 1.47 to 2.15 m, and precision from 1.81 to 3.58 m 90% of the time. Taking into account the fact that this system is designed to work in real situations in a scenario with high environmental fluctuations, and comparing the results with others obtained in laboratory scenarios, our results are promising and demonstrate that the system would be able to position users with these reasonable values of accuracy and precision.