Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prebiotics: preferential substrates for specific germs?

A prebiotic is "a non-digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or the activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon. " The premise is based on the hypothesis that the large gut in humans contains bacteria that are beneficial or detrimental to health. Although this generalization probably gives too simplistic a view of gut microbiology, it is a feasible working concept. Currently, food components that seem to exert the best prebiotic effects are inulin-type fructans. In pure culture, most species of bifidobacteria are adapted to the utilization of these nondigestible oligosaccharides but many other bacteria are also capable of metabolizing them. Clearly, these studies of pure bacteria are of limited use unless their results are supported by the results of studies using mixed cultures. Indeed, as many components of the gut microbiota as possible should be measured to indicate a true prebiotic effect. Simple stimulation of bifidobacteria is insufficient to demonstrate an effect; the effects on other gut microorganisms in vivo with human volunteers is necessary. Adjustment of the composition and activities of the colonic microflora so that health-promoting activities are optimized remains key in functional food development. New methods are being applied extensively to human gut microbiology and promise the degree of reliability required to detect subtle changes in colonic microflora composition and to correlate such changes with health benefits. This is a review of the present state of knowledge concerning prebiotics, with emphasis on the criteria used for classification, mechanisms of selective growth stimulation, and physiologic effects.
Quantra reproduces BI-RADS assessment on a two-point scale

PURPOSE: To assess the performance of QuantraTM in reproducing BI-RADS® mammographic breast density (MBD) assessment. METHODS: Two methods of MBD assessment were used (QuantraTM and BI-RADS®). Volumetric breast density measurement from 292 raw projection images was performed using QuantraTM. BI-RADS® assessment was performed by three radiologists and a majority report (consensus of at least two radiologists) was generated. Interreader agreement (κ), agreement, and the sensitivity and specificity of QuantraTM in reproducing BI-RADS® rating were calculated on a four-grade (1, 2, 3, and 4) and two-grade (1–2 vs. 3–4) scale. RESULTS: The majority BI-RADS® report in the dataset consisted of 9.6% (n = 28), 35.3% (n = 103), 27.1% (n = 79), and 28.1% (n = 82) for BI-RADS® 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. Intra-reader agreement (κ) was 0.86 (95%CI: 0.83 – 0.91) to 0.88 (95%CI: 0.85 – 0.93) on a four-grade and 0.88 (95%CI: 0.83 – 0.92) to 0.91 (95%CI: 0.88 – 0.95) on a two-grade scale. Inter-reader agreement (κ) was substantial [0.66 (95%CI: 0.62 – 0.71) to 0.75 (95%CI: 0.70 – 0.81)] on a four-grade scale and substantial to almost perfect [0.77 (95%CI: 0.73 – 0.82) to 0.89 (95%CI: 0.84 – 0.93)] on a two-grade scale. QuantraTM correctly classified 35.7%, 91.2%, 88.6%, and 50.3% of BI-RADS® 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. It also demonstrated 91.3% sensitivity and 83.6% specificity in reproducing BI-RADS® on a two-grade scale (1–2 vs. 3–4). CONCLUSION: QuantraTM has limited performance in reproducing BI-RADS® rating on a four-grade scale, however, highly reproduces BI-RADS® assessment on a two-grade scale.
A novel ANFIS algorithm architecture for FPGA implementation

This paper presents a new architecture for the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) algorithm targeting FPGA implementation. This new architecture offers higher efficiency and scalability in comparison to the existing methods. The proposed architecture is modeled and simulated using VHDL and is targeted at a Xilinx FPGA. Existing implementation architectures are also modeled and comparisons are drawn between them in terms of both performance and logic utilization. The results show that the new architecture offers a reduction in calculation cycles of around 50% in comparison to the architecture from which it's derived. This increase in calculation speed comes with only a modest increase in logic utilization, specifically a 2.5% increase in look-up table (LUT) usage and a 1.5% increase in flip-flop usage. The new architecture also eliminates scalability issues which can arise in the existing architectures when extra input members are required.
Novel strategies in immunotherapy for allergic diseases

Conventional immunotherapy (IT) for optimal control of respiratory and food allergies has been fraught with concerns of efficacy, safety, and tolerability. The development of adjuvants to conventional IT has potentially increased the effectiveness and safety of allergen IT, which may translate into improved clinical outcomes and sustained unresponsiveness even after cessation of therapy. Novel strategies incorporating the successful use of adjuvants such as allergoids, immunostimulatory DNA sequences, monoclonal antibodies, carriers, recombinant proteins, and probiotics have now been described in clinical and murine studies. Future approaches may include fungal compounds, parasitic molecules, vitamin D, and traditional Chinese herbs. More robust comparative clinical trials are needed to evaluate the safety, clinical efficacy, and cost effectiveness of various adjuvants in order to determine ideal candidates in disease-specific and allergen-specific models. Other suggested approaches to further optimize outcomes of IT include early introduction of IT during an optimal window period. Alternative routes of administration of IT to optimize delivery and yet minimize potential side effects require further evaluation for safety and efficacy before they can be recommended.
Improved median filter using conditional technique and its hardware implementation

Median filtering is a very important preprocessing operation in many computer vision applications. This paper presents an improved median filtering algorithm, which uses a simple conditional technique. The presented algorithm shows significantly better performance than standard median filter and is suitable for hardware implementation. To illustrate the performance of the algorithm, the results of comparison with the standard median filter and resulting images for both algorithms are given as illustration. A hardware implementation of the conditional median filter is also presented, that extends the applicability of this algorithm in the area of real time image processing. The designed hardware filter enables achieving of frame rates of hundreds of frames per second for a 1024×1024, 8-bit gray-scale picture.
Vertebroplasty versus sham procedure for painful acute osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VERTOS IV): randomised sham controlled clinical trial

Abstract Objective To assess whether percutaneous vertebroplasty results in more pain relief than a sham procedure in patients with acute osteoporotic compression fractures of the vertebral body. Design Randomised, double blind, sham controlled clinical trial. Setting Four community hospitals in the Netherlands, 2011-15. Participants 180 participants requiring treatment for acute osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures were randomised to either vertebroplasty (n=91) or a sham procedure (n=89). Interventions Participants received local subcutaneous lidocaine (lignocaine) and bupivacaine at each pedicle. The vertebroplasty group also received cementation, which was simulated in the sham procedure group. Main outcome measures Main outcome measure was mean reduction in visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at one day, one week, and one, three, six, and 12 months. Clinically significant pain relief was defined as a decrease of 1.5 points in VAS scores from baseline. Secondary outcome measures were the differences between groups for changes in the quality of life for osteoporosis and Roland-Morris disability questionnaire scores during 12 months’ follow-up. Results The mean reduction in VAS score was statistically significant in the vertebroplasty and sham procedure groups at all follow-up points after the procedure compared with baseline. The mean difference in VAS scores between groups was 0.20 (95% confidence interval −0.53 to 0.94) at baseline, −0.43 (−1.17 to 0.31) at one day, −0.11 (−0.85 to 0.63) at one week, 0.41 (−0.33 to 1.15) at one month, 0.21 (−0.54 to 0.96) at three months, 0.39 (−0.37 to 1.15) at six months, and 0.45 (−0.37 to 1.24) at 12 months. These changes in VAS scores did not, however, differ statistically significantly between the groups during 12 months’ follow-up. The results for secondary outcomes were not statistically significant. Use of analgesics (non-opioids, weak opioids, strong opioids) decreased statistically significantly in both groups at all time points, with no statistically significant differences between groups. Two adverse events occurred in the vertebroplasty group: one respiratory insufficiency and one vasovagal reaction. Conclusions Percutaneous vertebroplasty did not result in statistically significantly greater pain relief than a sham procedure during 12 months’ follow-up among patients with acute osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01200277.
Pretibial Located Stewart-Treves Syndrome: Uncommon Presentation in a Bulgarian Patient!

BACKGROUND: The Stewart-Treves syndrome with localisation in the region of the lower extremities is not something unusual as clinical pathology, but the clinical diagnostics is rather difficult, and it can be further complicated maximally because of: the similar locoregional findings in patients with other cutaneous malignancies. CASE REPORT: Presented is a rare form of an epithelioid variant of the Stewart Treves syndrome in a woman, aged 81, localised in the region of the lower leg and significantly advanced only for 2 months. The diagnosis was confirmed histologically and immunohistochemically. Amputation of the affected extremity was planned. Discussed are important etiopathogenetic aspects regarding the approach in patients with lymphedema and possibility for development of the Stewart Treves syndrome. CONCLUSION: Analyzing the evidence from the literature worldwide, we concluded that perhaps the only reliable (to some extent) therapeutic option in patients with Stewart Treves Syndrome is 1) the early diagnostics and 2) the following inevitable radical excision or amputation with the maximal field of surgical security in the proximal direction.
Discovery of moganite in a lunar meteorite as a trace of H2O ice in the Moon’s regolith

Discovery of moganite in a lunar meteorite indicates the possibility of H2O ice accumulated in the Moon’s regolith. Moganite, a monoclinic SiO2 phase, has been discovered in a lunar meteorite. Silica micrograins occur as nanocrystalline aggregates of mostly moganite and occasionally coesite and stishovite in the KREEP (high potassium, rare-earth element, and phosphorus)–like gabbroic-basaltic breccia NWA 2727, although these grains are seemingly absent in other lunar meteorites. We interpret the origin of these grains as follows: alkaline water delivery to the Moon via carbonaceous chondrite collisions, fluid capture during impact-induced brecciation, moganite precipitation from the captured H2O at pH 9.5 to 10.5 and 363 to 399 K on the sunlit surface, and meteorite launch from the Moon caused by an impact at 8 to 22 GPa and >673 K. On the subsurface, this captured H2O may still remain as ice at estimated bulk content of >0.6 weight %. This indicates the possibility of the presence of abundant available water resources underneath local sites of the host bodies within the Procellarum KREEP and South Pole Aitken terranes.
Kinesin family member 6 (kif6) is necessary for spine development in zebrafish

Background: Idiopathic scoliosis is a form of spinal deformity that affects 2–3% of children and results in curvature of the spine without structural defects of the vertebral units. The pathogenesis of idiopathic scoliosis remains poorly understood, in part due to the lack of a relevant animal model. Results: We performed a forward mutagenesis screen in zebrafish to identify new models for idiopathic scoliosis. We isolated a recessive zebrafish mutant, called skolios, which develops isolated spinal curvature that arises independent of vertebral malformations. Using meiotic mapping and whole genome sequencing, we identified a nonsense mutation in kinesin family member 6 (kif6gw326) unique to skolios mutants. Three additional kif6 frameshift alleles (gw327, gw328, gw329) were generated with transcription activator‐like effector nucleases (TALENs). Zebrafish homozygous or compound heterozygous for kif6 frameshift mutations developed a scoliosis phenotype indistinguishable from skolios mutants, confirming that skolios is caused by the loss of kif6. Although kif6 may play a role in cilia, no evidence for cilia dysfunction was seen in kif6gw326 mutants. Conclusions: Overall, these findings demonstrate a novel role for kif6 in spinal development and identify a new candidate gene for human idiopathic scoliosis. Developmental Dynamics 243:1646–1657, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ten-year trend in stroke incidence and its subtypes in Isfahan, Iran during 2003-2013

Background: As there was no evidence of long-term studies on stroke trend, stroke subtypes and its relationships to stroke risk factors and demographic characteristics in Iran, we aimed to evaluate the 10-year trend of stroke incidence and stroke subtypes in Isfahan, Iran. Methods: In a hospital-based retrospective study, 24186 cases with the first-ever stroke were analyzed. We assessed the incidence trend of annual stroke and its subtypes [ischemic stroke (IS) subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH)] during the years 2003 to 2013 by sex, and studied the association of demographic and major stroke risk factors with incidence and mortality rate of stroke. Results: The mean age was 69.46 ± 14.87 years, and 49.29% of patients were women. IS was the most frequent type among all the types of strokes (76.18%). Stroke and its subtypes had decreasing incidence trend during the study period, except for SAH that increased. In addition, stroke and its subtypes had decreasing mortality trend during the study period, except for SAH that did not change anymore. Stroke mortality and incidence rates were lower in urban inhabitants compared to residents of rural areas [odds ratio (OR) = 0.763, P < 0.001]. Conclusion: Despite the relatively high incidence of stroke over the study period, the incidence rate of stroke, especially ICH subtype, had a decreasing trend over the last decade in Isfahan. However, given the current young population in Iran, we can expect that the incidence of stroke would have an escalating trend in future.
Randomly Weighted CNNs for (Music) Audio Classification

The computer vision literature shows that randomly weighted neural networks perform reasonably as feature extractors. Following this idea, we study how non-trained (randomly weighted) convolutional neural networks perform as feature extractors for (music) audio classification tasks. We use features extracted from the embeddings of deep architectures as input to a classifier – with the goal to compare classification accuracies when using different randomly weighted architectures. By following this methodology, we run a comprehensive evaluation of the current architectures for audio classification, and provide evidence that the architectures alone are an important piece for resolving (music) audio problems using deep neural networks.
Thermal physiology and thermoregulatory behaviour exhibit low heritability despite genetic divergence between lizard populations

Ectothermic species are particularly sensitive to changes in temperature and may adapt to changes in thermal environments through evolutionary shifts in thermal physiology or thermoregulatory behaviour. Nevertheless, the heritability of thermal traits, which sets a limit on evolutionary potential, remains largely unexplored. In this study, we captured brown anole lizards (Anolis sagrei) from two populations that occur in contrasting thermal environments. We raised offspring from these populations in a laboratory common garden and compared the shape of their thermal performance curves to test for genetic divergence in thermal physiology. Thermal performance curves differed between populations in a common garden in ways partially consistent with divergent patterns of natural selection experienced by the source populations, implying that they had evolved in response to selection. Next, we estimated the heritability of thermal performance curves and of several traits related to thermoregulatory behaviour. We did not detect significant heritability in most components of the thermal performance curve or in several aspects of thermoregulatory behaviour, suggesting that contemporary selection is unlikely to result in rapid evolution. Our results indicate that the response to selection may be slow in the brown anole and that evolutionary change is unlikely to keep pace with current rates of environmental change.
Perception of Allophonic Cues to English Word Boundaries by Polish Learners: Approximant Devoicing in English

Abstract The study investigates the perception of devoicing of English /w, r, j, l/ after /p, t, k/ as a word-boundary cue by Polish listeners. Polish does not devoice sonorants following voiceless stops in word-initial positions. As a result, Polish learners are not made sensitive to sonorant devoicing as a segmentation cue. Higher-proficiency and lower-proficiency Polish learners of English participated in the task in which they recognised phrases such as buy train vs. bite rain or pie plot vs. pipe lot. The analysis of accuracy scores revealed that successful segmentation was only above chance level, indicating that sonorant voicing/devoicing cue was largely unattended to in identifying the boundary location. Moreover, higher proficiency did not lead to more successful segmentation. The analysis of reaction times showed an unclear pattern in which higher-proficiency listeners segmented the test phrases faster but not more accurately than lower-proficiency listeners. Finally, #CS sequences were recognised more accurately than C#S sequences, which was taken to suggest that the listeners may have had some limited knowledge that devoiced sonorants appear only in word-initial positions, but they treated voiced sonorants as equal candidates for word-final and word-initial positions.
Assessing truncal obesity in predicting cardiometabolic risk in children: clinical measures versus dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry

The objectives of this study were to 1) compare the accuracy of waist:hip ratio (WHR) and waist:height ratio (WHtR) by determining their association with reference‐standard measures derived from dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) and 2) assess the relationship of DXA, WHR and WHtR to measures of dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and inflammation in children.
Iris Presentation Attack via Textured Contact Lens in Unconstrained Environment

The widespread use of smartphones has spurred the research in mobile iris devices. Due to their convenience, these mobile devices are also utilized in unconstrained outdoor scenarios. This has necessitated the development of reliable iris recognition algorithms for such uncontrolled environment. At the same time, iris presentation attacks pose a major challenge to current iris recognition systems. It has been shown that print attacks and textured contact lens may significantly degrade the iris recognition performance. Motivated by these factors, we present a novel Mobile Uncontrolled Iris Presentation Attack Database (MUIPAD). The database contains more than 10,000 iris images that are acquired with and without textured contact lenses in indoor and outdoor environments using a mobile sensor. We also investigate the efficacy of textured contact lens in identity impersonation and obfuscation. Moreover, we demonstrate the effectiveness of deep learning based features for iris presentation attack detection on the proposed database.
The safety of trifluridine and tipiracil for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer

ABSTRACT Introduction: TAS102 is an oral thymidine-based nucleoside analog that has been approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) previously treated with, or not candidates for, available therapies including fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapies, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents and, if RAS wild-type, anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapy. The pivotal RECOURSE phase III trial demonstrated a significant improvement in disease control rate, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) as compared with placebo in patients with refractory mCRC. Areas covered: This manuscript aims to review the clinical development of TAS102 in CRC, with a particular focus on safety, and to provide some perspective regarding its role in clinical practice. A literature search was conducted of MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for published studies (January 2004–December 2016) using the search terms TAS102, trifluridine–tipiracil, metastatic or advanced CRC, clinical trial, toxicity, safety, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and therapy. Expert opinion: TAS102 significantly improves survival of patients with refractory mCRC and has manageable toxicity. An expanding role in the treatment of CRC is expected for TAS102 in the near future, as its favorable safety profile makes TAS102 a suitable drug to be combined with other cytotoxic and targeted agents.
Mortality in vegetarians and nonvegetarians: detailed findings from a collaborative analysis of 5 prospective studies.

We combined data from 5 prospective studies to compare the death rates from common diseases of vegetarians with those of nonvegetarians with similar lifestyles. A summary of these results was reported previously; we report here more details of the findings. Data for 76172 men and women were available. Vegetarians were those who did not eat any meat or fish (n = 27808). Death rate ratios at ages 16-89 y were calculated by Poisson regression and all results were adjusted for age, sex, and smoking status. A random-effects model was used to calculate pooled estimates of effect for all studies combined. There were 8330 deaths after a mean of 10.6 y of follow-up. Mortality from ischemic heart disease was 24% lower in vegetarians than in nonvegetarians (death rate ratio: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.94; P<0.01). The lower mortality from ischemic heart disease among vegetarians was greater at younger ages and was restricted to those who had followed their current diet for >5 y. Further categorization of diets showed that, in comparison with regular meat eaters, mortality from ischemic heart disease was 20% lower in occasional meat eaters, 34% lower in people who ate fish but not meat, 34% lower in lactoovovegetarians, and 26% lower in vegans. There were no significant differences between vegetarians and nonvegetarians in mortality from cerebrovascular disease, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, or all other causes combined.
Optical synthesis using Kerr frequency combs

An InP-based photonic integrated circuit was demonstrated for offset locking an on-chip broadly tunable laser to a heterogeneously integrated optical frequency comb oscillator based on a crystalline whispering gallery mode resonator. Optical tuning within 60nm band is demonstrated. The locked laser has excellent spectral purity, sub-kHz linewidth, and good frequency stability.