Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Non-Invasive Measurement of Skin Microvascular Response during Pharmacological and Physiological Provocations

Introduction Microvascular changes in the skin due to pharmacological and physiological provocations can be used as a marker for vascular function. While laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) has been used extensively for measurement of skin microvascular responses, Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI) and Tissue Viability Imaging (TiVi) are novel imaging techniques. TiVi measures red blood cell concentration, while LDF and LSCI measure perfusion. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare responses to provocations in the skin using these different techniques. Method Changes in skin microcirculation were measured in healthy subjects during (1) iontophoresis of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and noradrenaline (NA), (2) local heating and (3) post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH) using LDF, LSCI and TiVi. Results Iontophoresis of SNP increased perfusion (LSCI: baseline 40.9±6.2 PU; 10-min 100±25 PU; p<0.001) and RBC concentration (TiVi: baseline 119±18; 10-min 150±41 AU; p = 0.011). No change in perfusion (LSCI) was observed after iontophoresis of NA (baseline 38.0±4.4 PU; 10-min 38.9±5.0 PU; p = 0.64), while RBC concentration decreased (TiVi: baseline 59.6±11.8 AU; 10-min 54.4±13.3 AU; p = 0.021). Local heating increased perfusion (LDF: baseline 8.8±3.6 PU; max 112±55 PU; p<0.001, LSCI: baseline 50.8±8.0 PU; max 151±22 PU; p<0.001) and RBC concentration (TiVi: baseline 49.2±32.9 AU; max 99.3±28.3 AU; p<0.001). After 5 minutes of forearm occlusion with prior exsanguination, a decrease was seen in perfusion (LDF: p = 0.027; LSCI: p<0.001) and in RBC concentration (p = 0.045). Only LSCI showed a significant decrease in perfusion after 5 minutes of occlusion without prior exsanguination (p<0.001). Coefficients of variation were lower for LSCI and TiVi compared to LDF for most responses. Conclusion LSCI is more sensitive than TiVi for measuring microvascular changes during SNP-induced vasodilatation and forearm occlusion. TiVi is more sensitive to noradrenaline-induced vasoconstriction. LSCI and TiVi show lower inter-subject variability than LDF. These findings are important to consider when choosing measurement techniques for studying skin microvascular responses.
Endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.

Results of conventional open surgery for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) have shown 10% to 20% mortality rates in real-life series, such as state registries,1 but a few specialized centers report better data.2 The role of endovascular repair in patients with TAAAs is uncertain. In endovascular TAAA cases, in which complete covering of the visceral and renal aortic segment is necessary, a branched or a fenestrated endograft3—or a hybrid open surgical revascularization followed by stent-graft repair—is required.4 Branched grafts are available only for elective cases, because the current grafts have to be custom-made. This presentation focuses on our experience between 2000 and 2008 with endovascular treatment of TAAA, with selective open surgical visceral and renal bypasses performed only if necessary, followed by immediate endovascular stent-graft therapy of the aneurysm.5 Our surgical technique is illustrated, and the pitfalls associated with this method discussed.
Drug Metabolism by the Host and Gut Microbiota: A Partnership or Rivalry?

The importance of the gut microbiome in determining not only overall health, but also in the metabolism of drugs and xenobiotics, is rapidly emerging. It is becoming increasingly clear that the gut microbiota can act in concert with the host cells to maintain intestinal homeostasis, cometabolize drugs and xenobiotics, and alter the expression levels of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters and the expression and activity levels of nuclear receptors. In this myriad of activities, the impact of the microbiota may be beneficial or detrimental to the host. Given that the interplay between the gut microbiota and host cells is likely subject to high interindividual variability, this work has tremendous implications for our ability to predict accurately a particular drug’s pharmacokinetics and a given patient population’s response to drugs. In this issue of Drug Metabolism and Disposition, a series of articles is presented that illustrate the progress and challenges that lie ahead as we unravel the intricacies associated with drug and xenobiotic metabolism by the gut microbiota. These articles highlight the underlying mechanisms that are involved and the use of in vivo and in vitro approaches that are currently available for elucidating the role of the gut microbiota in drug and xenobiotic metabolism. These articles also shed light on exciting new avenues of research that may be pursued as we consider the role of the gut microbiota as an endocrine organ, a component of the brain-gut axis, and whether the gut microbiota is an appropriate and amenable target for new drugs.
Feature Augmentation via Nonparametrics and Selection (FANS) in High-Dimensional Classification

We propose a high-dimensional classification method that involves nonparametric feature augmentation. Knowing that marginal density ratios are the most powerful univariate classifiers, we use the ratio estimates to transform the original feature measurements. Subsequently, penalized logistic regression is invoked, taking as input the newly transformed or augmented features. This procedure trains models equipped with local complexity and global simplicity, thereby avoiding the curse of dimensionality while creating a flexible nonlinear decision boundary. The resulting method is called feature augmentation via nonparametrics and selection (FANS). We motivate FANS by generalizing the naive Bayes model, writing the log ratio of joint densities as a linear combination of those of marginal densities. It is related to generalized additive models, but has better interpretability and computability. Risk bounds are developed for FANS. In numerical analysis, FANS is compared with competing methods, so as to provide a guideline on its best application domain. Real data analysis demonstrates that FANS performs very competitively on benchmark email spam and gene expression datasets. Moreover, FANS is implemented by an extremely fast algorithm through parallel computing.
Mucormycosis of the Central Nervous System

Mucormycosis involves the central nervous system by direct extension from infected paranasal sinuses or hematogenous dissemination from the lungs. Incidence rates of this rare disease seem to be rising, with a shift from the rhino-orbital-cerebral syndrome typical of patients with diabetes mellitus and ketoacidosis, to disseminated disease in patients with hematological malignancies. We present our current understanding of the pathobiology, clinical features, and diagnostic and treatment strategies of cerebral mucormycosis. Despite advances in imaging and the availability of novel drugs, cerebral mucormycosis continues to be associated with high rates of death and disability. Emerging molecular diagnostics, advances in experimental systems and the establishment of large patient registries are key components of ongoing efforts to provide a timely diagnosis and effective treatment to patients with cerebral mucormycosis.
KS ring theoretic approach for matrix multiplication

Matrix multiplication is a very common operation performed in many real world applications. So much of research has been done in reducing the time complexity of multiplying two matrices by researchers like Strassen, Don Coppersmith, Shmuel Winograd etc. All mathematical software also rely upon the common matrix multiplication algorithm. But, if the matrices that has to be applied has some special properties in some applications, then their multiplication complexity can be reduced. So, in this paper a new algorithm for multiplying a special kind of n x n matrices which are used in analyzing electrical circuits is devised. This algorithm outperforms the previous fast recursive algorithm for matrix multiplication.
Type W Human Endogenous Retrovirus (HERV-W) Integrations and Their Mobilization by L1 Machinery: Contribution to the Human Transcriptome and Impact on the Host Physiopathology

Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) are ancient infection relics constituting ~8% of our DNA. While HERVs’ genomic characterization is still ongoing, impressive amounts of data have been obtained regarding their general expression across tissues. Among HERVs, one of the most studied is the W group, which is the sole HERV group specifically mobilized by the long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1) machinery, providing a source of novel insertions by retrotransposition of HERV-W processed pseudogenes, and comprising a member encoding a functional envelope protein coopted for human placentation. The HERV-W group has been intensively investigated for its putative role in several diseases, such as cancer, inflammation, and autoimmunity. Despite major interest in the link between HERV-W expression and human pathogenesis, no conclusive correlation has been demonstrated so far. In general, (i) the absence of a proper identification of the specific HERV-W sequences expressed in a given condition; and (ii) the lack of studies attempting to connect the various observations in the same experimental conditions are the major problems preventing the definitive assessment of the HERV-W impact on human physiopathology. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the HERV-W group presence within the human genome and its expression in physiological tissues as well as in the main pathological contexts.
Seroprevalence and risk factors of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C infections among pregnant women in the Asante Akim North Municipality of the Ashanti region, Ghana; a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND Viral hepatitis is a serious public health problem affecting billions of people globally with maternal-fetal transmission on the rise. OBJECTIVES This study sought to determine the prevalence and factors associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among pregnant women in the Asante Akim North Municipality, in the Ashanti region of Ghana. METHODS In this cross-sectional study 168 pregnant women were recruited from the Agogo Presbyterian hospital. Blood samples were collected for the detection of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HCV antibodies. A pretested questionnaire was used to obtain demographic data and identify the risk factors associated with the two infections. RESULTS Of the 168 participants studied, 16 (9.5%) tested positive for HBV and 13 (7.7%) tested positive for HCV representing 9.5% and 7.7% respectively. A participant tested positive for both HBV and HCV co-infection representing 0.6%. Undertaking blood transfusion, tattooing and sharing of needles were associated with hepatitis C infection (P=0.001). HBV was not associated with any of the risk factors (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Our findings suggest a high prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C among pregnant women; blood transfusion, tattooing and sharing of hypodermic needles were associated with hepatitis C infection. Measures to reduce the disease and transmission burden must be introduced.
Advances in Writer Identification and Verification

The behavioral-biometrics methods of writer identification and verification are currently enjoying renewed interest, with very promising results. This paper presents a general background and basis for handwriting biometrics. A range of current methods and applications is given. Results on a number of methods are summarized and a more in-depth example of two combined approaches is presented. By combining textural, allographic and placement features, modern systems are starting to display useful performance levels. However, user acceptance will be largely determined by explainability of system results and the integration of system decisions within a (Bayesian) framework of reasoning that is currently becoming forensic practice.
Donor/acceptor and adsorbate effects over transport properties of Graphene Armchair Nanoribbon/MoS2 device

Sensing properties and quasi conductivity of Graphene Armchair Nanoribbon/MoS2 heterostructure devices are investigated using Non Equilibrium Green's Function (NEGF) formalism. Both metallic and semiconducting Armchair Graphene Nanoribbon (A-GNR) are used as sensing medium, while two dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is used as contacts. A comparative study about sensing performance of NH3 adsorbed pristine-, defect-, doped GNR and unadsorbed GNR has been carried out. The non-linear spin dependent transport properties of such devices have been studied on the basis of doping with an atom of group III & V elements. The effects of applied gate voltage over sensing properties have been observed extensively. Also in this literature, the effects of metal contacts are discussed and a new device model has been proposed to increase sensing properties.
The stochastic weighted viterbi algorithm: a frame work to compensate additive noise and low-bit rate coding distortion

A solution to the problem of speech recognition with signals corrupted by additive noise and distorted by low-bit rate coders is presented in this paper. The additive noise and the coding distortion are cancelled according to the following scheme: firstly, the pdf of the clean coded-decoced speech is estimated with an additive noise model; second, the pdf of the clean uncoded signal is also estimated with a coding distortion model; and finally, the HMM is compensated by using the expected value of the observation pdf in the context of the stochastic weighted Viterbi (SWV) algorithm. The approach leads to reductions as high as 50% or 60% in word error rate.
Pointing to an Invisible Object behind a Wall: Comprehension of Pointing with a Bent Index Finger

Pointing is a gesture that people use to specify and convey information about objects in the environment. Previous research has mostly explored peoples’ comprehension and production of others’ “straight” pointing gestures, that is, pointing at an object with arm and index finger kept straight while aiming at a visible object. However, we seem to use various types of pointing in addition to typical straight pointing to denote both visible and invisible objects. This study examined comprehension of pointing with a “bent” index finger at an invisible object behind a wall. The experimenter pointed either at an object in front of a wall or one behind a wall with a straight index finger or a bent index finger, and the participants guessed which object was being denoted. The results were that when the participants looked at straight pointing, they thought objects in front of the wall were being denoted. However, when they looked at bent pointing, they thought objects behind the wall could be denoted. The study suggested that people have “common ground” in terms of interpretation of different types of pointing.
A few examples go a long way: constructing query models from elaborate query formulations

We address a specific enterprise document search scenario, where the information need is expressed in an elaborate manner. In our scenario, information needs are expressed using a short query (of a few keywords) together with examples of key reference pages. Given this setup, we investigate how the examples can be utilized to improve the end-to-end performance on the document retrieval task. Our approach is based on a language modeling framework, where the query model is modified to resemble the example pages. We compare several methods for sampling expansion terms from the example pages to support query-dependent and query-independent query expansion; the latter is motivated by the wish to increase "aspect recall", and attempts to uncover aspects of the information need not captured by the query. For evaluation purposes we use the CSIRO data set created for the TREC 2007 Enterprise track. The best performance is achieved by query models based on query-independent sampling of expansion terms from the example documents.
SUSCEPTIBILITY OF RANDOM GRAPHS WITH GIVEN VERTEX DEGREES

We study the susceptibility, i.e., the mean cluster size, in random graphs with given vertex degrees. We show, under weak as- sumptions, that the susceptibility converges to the expected cluster size in the corresponding branching process. In the supercritical case, a cor- responding result holds for the modied susceptibility ignoring the giant component and the expected size of a nite cluster in the branching pro- cess; this is proved using a duality theorem. The critical behaviour is studied. Examples are given where the critical exponents dier on the subcritical and supercritical sides.
Disulfide bonds in merozoite surface protein 1 of the malaria parasite impede efficient antigen processing and affect the in vivo antibody response

The 19 kDa C‐terminal fragment of the malaria parasite merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP119) is a leading malaria vaccine candidate. In rodents, high antibody levels to this protein confer protective immunity, and can be generated by immunization with the antigen in adjuvants. In natural human infections, however, MSP119‐specific antibody responses can be short‐lived andcomparatively low, despite repeated exposure to infection. The tightly folded structure of MSP119 is stabilized by five or six disulfide bonds. These bonds impede antigen processing and, thereby, may affect the generation of CD4+ T cells providing help for B cells. Asparagine endopeptidase could digest unfolded, but not native MSP119 in vitro. Immunization with unfolded MSP119 resulted in a faster antibody response, and a combination of unfolded and native MSP119 increased antibody responses to the native form. Immunization with either form of the antigen activated similar numbers of CD4+ T cells, but, unlike the antibody response, CD4+ T cells immunized with one form of MSP119 were able to respond in vitro to the other form of the protein. Although the reduced form of MSP119 does not induce protective antibodies, our data suggest that inclusion of unfolded protein may improve the efficacy of MSP119 as a vaccine.
Auxin acts as a local morphogenetic trigger to specify lateral root founder cells

Plants exhibit an exceptional adaptability to different environmental conditions. To a large extent, this adaptability depends on their ability to initiate and form new organs throughout their entire postembryonic life. Plant shoot and root systems unceasingly branch and form axillary shoots or lateral roots, respectively. The first event in the formation of a new organ is specification of founder cells. Several plant hormones, prominent among them auxin, have been implicated in the acquisition of founder cell identity by differentiated cells, but the mechanisms underlying this process are largely elusive. Here, we show that auxin and its local accumulation in root pericycle cells is a necessary and sufficient signal to respecify these cells into lateral root founder cells. Analysis of the alf4–1 mutant suggests that specification of founder cells and the subsequent activation of cell division leading to primordium formation represent two genetically separable events. Time-lapse experiments show that the activation of an auxin response is the earliest detectable event in founder cell specification. Accordingly, local activation of auxin response correlates absolutely with the acquisition of founder cell identity and precedes the actual formation of a lateral root primordium through patterned cell division. Local production and subsequent accumulation of auxin in single pericycle cells induced by Cre-Lox-based activation of auxin synthesis converts them into founder cells. Thus, auxin is the local instructive signal that is sufficient for acquisition of founder cell identity and can be considered a morphogenetic trigger in postembryonic plant organogenesis.
NK Cells Expressing a Progesterone Receptor Are Susceptible to Progesterone-Induced Apoptosis1

It has been proposed that progesterone (P4) induces the suppression of immune responses, particularly during pregnancy. However, knowledge about the mechanisms involved has remained largely elusive. We demonstrate herein that peripheral blood NK (PBNK) cells express both classical progesterone receptor (PR) isoforms and are specifically affected by the actions of P4 through two apparently independent mechanisms. Progesterone induces caspase-dependent PBNK cell death, which is reversed by two different anti-progestins, ZK 98.299 and RU 486, supporting the involvement of classical PR isoforms. It was suggested that CD56brightCD16− killer Ig-like receptor (KIR)− NK cells might represent precursor cells, which, upon activation, acquire the features of a more mature NK subset expressing KIR receptors. The present study demonstrates that PR expression seems to be restricted to more mature KIR+ PBNK cells. The expression of PR had a functional counterpart in the suppressive effect of P4 on IL-12-induced IFN-γ secretion. This cytokine suppression was mainly observed in KIR+ PBNK cells, without affecting the high secretion of IFN-γ by CD56bright PBNK cells. The lack of PR expression on CD56brightKIR− PBNK cells provides an additional phenotypic marker to test the idea that they might represent the PBNK precursors selectively recruited into the endometrium where they differentiate to become the uterine NK cells. Additionally, these findings may be relevant to NK cell function in viral immunity, human reproduction, and tumor immunity.
Towards an international system of professional recognition for public health nutritionists: a feasibility study within the European Union

Abstract Objective To test the feasibility of a pan-European professional recognition system for public health nutrition. Design A multistage consultation process was used to test the feasibility of a model system for public health nutritionist certification. A review of existing national-level systems for professional quality assurance was conducted via literature review and a web-based search, followed by direct inquiries among stakeholders. This information was used to construct a consultation document circulated to key stakeholders summarising the rationale of the proposed system and inviting feedback about the feasibility of the system. Two consultation workshops were also held. The qualitative data gathered through the consultation were collated and thematically analysed. Setting Europe. Subjects Public health nutrition workforce stakeholders across twenty-nine countries in the European Union. Results One hundred and forty-five contacts/experts representing twenty-nine countries were contacted with responses received from a total of twenty-eight countries. The system proposed involved a certification system of professional peer review of an applicant's professional practice portfolio, utilising systems supported by information technology for document management and distribution similar to peer-review journals. Through the consultation process it was clear that there was overall agreement with the model proposed although some points of caution and concern were raised, including the need for a robust quality assurance framework that ensures transparency and is open to scrutiny. Conclusions The consultation process suggested that the added value of such a system goes beyond workforce development to enhancing recognition of the important role of public health nutrition as a professional discipline in the European public health workforce.