Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bacterial colonization in respiratory secretions from acute and recurrent wheezing infants and children

Lower respiratory tract infection in childhood often results in airway obstruction, characterized by wheezing. However, contribution of bacterial colonization to the wheezy state in children remains unclear. Wheezing and non‐wheezing children requiring hospitalization were classified into three groups: (i) wheezing children having a past history of recurrent wheezing; (ii) wheezing children without such history; and (iii) non‐wheezing children as control subjects. Respiratory secretions as sputum were analyzed microscopically, and cultured. Cultured pathogenic bacterial species in sputum were categorized into two subgroups according to their amounts, i.e., dominant and non‐dominant amounts of colonies. Incidence of bacterial colonization and wheezing were assessed. Hospitalized children were mainly 1‐ to 2‐yr old, and rapidly decreased in number for older ages. Children in the three groups belonged to different clinical entities. Children in the recurrent wheezing group were highly sensitized to mite allergens, and still required hospitalization after 2 yr of age. Incidence of bacterial colonization was similar between the three groups. Dominant and non‐dominant amounts of bacterial colonization were 170/997 (17.1%) and 170/997 (17.1%), respectively, in the recurrent wheezing group; 28/146 (19.2%) and 35/146 (24.0%), respectively, in the acute wheezing group; and 15/56 (26.8%) and 7/56 (12.5%), respectively, in the non‐wheezing group. Regardless of the presence of wheezing, bacterial colonization commonly occurred at a young age in the three groups. In recurrent wheezing children, boys (122/611, 20.0%) carried non‐dominant amounts of bacteria more frequently than girls (48/386, 12.4%) (p < 0.01). Boys showed predominant wheezing and susceptibility to bacterial colonization. Assessment of bacterial colonization allowed us to characterize asthma onset and outgrowth in childhood.
Molecular Mechanisms of HIF-1α Modulation Induced by Oxygen Tension and BMP2 in Glioblastoma Derived Cells

Background Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of most common and still poorly treated primary brain tumors. In search for new therapeutic approaches, Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) induce astroglial commitment in GBM-derived cells in vitro. However, we recently suggested that hypoxia, which is characteristic of the brain niche where GBM reside, strongly counter-acts BMP effects. It seems apparent that a more complete understanding of the biology of GBM cells is needed, in particular considering the role played by hypoxia as a signaling pathways regulator. HIF-1α is controlled at the transcriptional and translational level by mTOR and, alike BMP, also mTOR pathway modulates glial differentiation in central nervous system (CNS) stem cells. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we investigate the role of mTOR signaling in the regulation of HIF-1α stability in primary GBM-derived cells maintained under hypoxia (2% oxygen). We found that GBM cells, when acutely exposed to high oxygen tension, undergo Akt/mTOR pathway activation and that BMP2 acts in an analogous way. Importantly, repression of Akt/mTOR signaling is maintained by HIF-1α through REDD1 upregulation. On the other hand, BMP2 counter-acts HIF-1α stability by modulating intracellular succinate and by controlling proline hydroxylase 2 (PHD2) protein through inhibition of FKBP38, a PHD2 protein regulator. Conclusions/Significance In this study we elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which two pro-differentiating stimuli, BMP2 and acute high oxygen exposure, control HIF-1α stability. We previously reported that both these stimuli, by inducing astroglial differentiation, affect GBM cells growth. We also found differences in high oxygen and BMP2 sensitivity between GBM cells and normal cells that should be further investigated to better define tumor cell biology.
An effective pharmacological management of postburn hypertrophic scar pain

1. Kahn JL, Bourjat P. The peripharyngeal space. Anatomy and normal imaging. J Radiol 1996;77:87-9. 2. Ozlugedik S, Ibrahim Acar H, Apaydin N, Firat Esmer A, Tekdemir I, Elhan A, et al. Retropharyngeal space and lymph nodes: An anatomical guide for surgical dissection. Acta Otolaryngol 2005;125:1111-5. 3. Parker GD, Harnsberger HR. Radiologic evaluation of the normal and diseased posterior cervical space. AJR Am J Roentgenol 1991;157:161-5. 4. Wurtz R, Quader Z, Simon D, Langer B. Cervical tuberculous vertebral osteomyelitis: Case report and discussion of the literature. Clin Infect Dis 1993;16:806-8. 5. Turgut M. Multifocal extensive spinal tuberculosis (Pott’s disease) involving cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. Br J Neurosurg 2001;15:142-6.
Improvements for imaging ceramics sintering in situ in ESEM

Sintering of green samples of alumina produced by ice‐templating was followed in situ in an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) up to temperatures as high as 1375°C. These alumina samples with well‐defined architectures are of great interest in the field of materials science due to their high specific strength (especially in compression), low density and adaptable porosity. For the present study, they also have the advantage to exhibit an important topography, inducing interesting contrast when imaged in an ESEM. Improvements of the imaging conditions in the ESEM were essential to really follow the sintering process involving formation of necks between grains or shift of the centre of grains. This paper describes the improvements made and the results observed on the sintering process of alumina green samples processed by ice‐templating.
The Manchester OWL Repository: System Description

Tool development for and empirical experimentation in OWL ontology research require a wide variety of suitable ontologies as input for testing and evaluation purposes and detailed characterisations of real ontologies. Findings of surveys and results of benchmarking activities may be biased, even heavily, towards manually assembled sets of "somehow suitable" ontologies. We are building the Manchester OWL Repository, a resource for creating and sharing ontology datasets, to push the quality frontier of empirical ontology research and provide access to a great variety of well curated ontologies.
Care of Patients with Pulmonary Disorders Patient ventilator asynchrony in critically ill adults : Frequency and types

Background: Patient ventilator asynchrony (PVA) occurs frequently, but little is known about the types and frequency of PVA. Asynchrony is associated with significant patient discomfort, distress and poor clinical outcomes (duration of mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit and hospital stay). Methods: Pressureetime and flowetime waveform data were collected on 27 ICU patients using the Noninvasive Cardiac Output monitor for up to 90 min per subject and blinded waveform analysis was performed. Results: PVA occurred during all phases of ventilated breaths and all modes of ventilation. The most common type of PVA was Ineffective Trigger. Ineffective trigger occurs when the patient’s own breath effort will not trigger a ventilator breath. The overall frequency of asynchronous breaths in the sample was 23%, however 93% of the sample experienced at least one incident of PVA during their observation period. Seventy-seven percent of subjects experienced multiple types of PVA. Conclusions: PVA occurs frequently in a variety of types although the majority of PVA is ineffective trigger. The study uncovered previously unidentified waveforms that may indicate that there is a greater range of PVAs than previously reported. Newly described PVA, in particular, PVA combined in one breath, may signify substantial patient distress or poor physiological circumstance that clinicians should investigate. 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ; ActDblTrig-PreTerm, Active ig-PreTerm, Active Multiple ; APACHE, Acute Physiology, tructive Pulmonary Disease; rmination; DblTrig, Double ig-PreTerm, Double Triggern; ICU, intensive care unit; MV, mechanical ventilation; e Trigger; MultTrig-PreTerm, Described; NICO, Non-invatative; PCV, pressure control nd expiratory pressure; Preture Termination-Flow; PSV, VA. PtGasp-PreTerm; Patient Gasp, PVAePremature Termination; PVA, patient ventilator asynchrony; ResistVent, Resisting Ventilation; SIMV, Synchronized Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation; STICU, Surgical Trauma ICU; UnDblTrig, Unusual Double Trigger. Financial support: The contribution of Karen G. Mellott to this work was supported in part by a National Research Service Award (F31: NR009623-02) at the Virginia Commonwealth University from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Nursing Research or the National Institutes of Health. * Corresponding author. Tel. : þ1 713 248 1825, þ1 713 50
A Structural and Dynamical Study of Late-Type, Edge-on Galaxies. II. Vertical Color Gradients and the Detection of Ubiquitous Thick Disks

We present an analysis of optical (B-R) and optical-infrared (R-Ks) color maps for 47 extremely late-type edge-on unwarped, bulgeless disk galaxies spanning a wide range of mass. The color maps show that the thin disks of these galaxies are embedded in a low surface brightness red envelope. This component is substantially thicker than the thin disk (a : b ∼ 4 : 1 vs. >8 : 1), extends to at least 5 vertical disk scale heights above the galaxy midplane, and has a radial scale length that appears to be uncorrelated with that of the embedded thin disk. The color of the red envelope is similar from galaxy to galaxy, even when the thin disk is extremely blue, and is consistent with a relatively old (>6 Gyr) stellar population that is not particularly metal-poor. The color difference between the embedded thin disk and the red stellar envelope varies systematically with rotation speed, reflecting an increasing age difference between the thin and thick components in lower mass galaxies, driven primarily by changes in the age of the thin disk. The red stellar envelopes are similar to the thick disk of the Milky Way, having common surface brightnesses, spatial distributions, mean ages, and metallicities. We argue that the ubiquity of the red stellar envelopes implies that the formation of the thick disk is a nearly universal feature of disk formation and is not necessarily connected to the formation of a bulge. Our data suggest that the thick disk forms early (>6 Gyr ago), even within galaxies where the bulk of the stars formed very recently (<2 Gyr). We argue that several aspects of our data and the observed properties of the Milky Way thick disk argue in favor of a merger origin for the thick disk population. If so, then the age of the thick disk marks the end of the epoch of major merging, and the age difference between the younger thin disk and the older thick disk can become a strong constraint on cosmological constants and models of galaxy and/or structure formation.
Wythoff Nim Extensions and Splitting Sequences

We study extensions of the classical impartial combinatorial game of Wythoff Nim. The games are played on two heaps of tokens, and have symmetric move options, so that, for any integers 0 ≤ x ≤ y, the outcome of the upper position (x, y) is identical to that of (y, x). First we prove that Φ-1 = 2/1+√5 is a lower bound for the lower asymptotic density of the x-coordinates of a given game’s upper P-positions. The second result concerns a subfamily, called a Generalized Diagonal Wythoff Nim, recently introduced by Larsson. A certain split of P-positions, distributed in a number of so-called P- beams, was conjectured for many such games. The term split here means that an infinite sector of upper positions is void of P-positions, but with infinitely many upper P-positions above and below it. By using the first result, we prove this conjecture for one of these games, called (1, 2)-GDWN, where a player moves as in Wythoff Nim, or instead chooses to remove a positive number of tokens from one heap and twice that number from the other.
Genotype–Phenotype Map Characteristics of an In silico Heart Cell

Understanding the causal chain from genotypic to phenotypic variation is a tremendous challenge with huge implications for personalized medicine. Here we argue that linking computational physiology to genetic concepts, methodology, and data provides a new framework for this endeavor. We exemplify this causally cohesive genotype–phenotype (cGP) modeling approach using a detailed mathematical model of a heart cell. In silico genetic variation is mapped to parametric variation, which propagates through the physiological model to generate multivariate phenotypes for the action potential and calcium transient under regular pacing, and ion currents under voltage clamping. The resulting genotype-to-phenotype map is characterized using standard quantitative genetic methods and novel applications of high-dimensional data analysis. These analyses reveal many well-known genetic phenomena like intralocus dominance, interlocus epistasis, and varying degrees of phenotypic correlation. In particular, we observe penetrance features such as the masking/release of genetic variation, so that without any change in the regulatory anatomy of the model, traits may appear monogenic, oligogenic, or polygenic depending on which genotypic variation is actually present in the data. The results suggest that a cGP modeling approach may pave the way for a computational physiological genomics capable of generating biological insight about the genotype–phenotype relation in ways that statistical-genetic approaches cannot.
The Savage and the Slave: Critical Race Theory, Racial Stereotyping, and the Teaching of American History

ASTRACT The teaching of American history is not neutral; teachers and textbooks often define what is important and what is not. It is through this historical subjectivity that stereotypes and biases emerge and ultimately persist. With relevance to African Americans and American Indians, such stereotypes can be culturally, politically and economically crippling. By promoting Critical Race Theory, which seeks to reduce marginalization through the recognition and promotion of historically disenfranchised peoples, American history teachers can redress stereotyping and enhance plurality in their classrooms. This descriptive article discusses the roots of historical stereotyping and offers ways in which such perceptions can be changed.
Severe Hypercholesterolemia in Four British Families With the D374Y Mutation in the PCSK9 Gene: Long-Term Follow-Up and Treatment Response

Objective—Analysis of long-term (30 years) clinical history and response to treatment of 13 patients with the D374Y mutation of PCSK9 (PCSK9 patients) from 4 unrelated white British families compared with 36 white British patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia attributable to 3 specific mutations in the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene (LDLR) known to cause severe phenotype. Methods and Results—The PCSK9 patients, when compared with the LDLR patients, were younger at presentation (20.8±14.7 versus 30.2±15.7 years; P=0.003), had higher pretreatment serum cholesterol levels (13.6±2.9 versus 9.6±1.6 mmol/L; P=0.004) that remained higher during treatment with simvastatin (10.1±3.0 versus 6.5±0.9 mmol/L; P=0.006), atorvastatin (9.6±2.9 versus 6.4±1.0 mmol/L; P=0.006), or current lipid-lowering therapy, including LDL apheresis and partial ileal bypass in 2 PCSK9 patients (7.0±1.6 versus 5.4±1.0 mmol/L; P=0.001), and were affected >10 years earlier by premature coronary artery disease (35.2±4.8 versus 46.8±8.9 years; P=0.002). LDL from PCSK9 patients competed significantly less well for binding to fibroblast LDL receptors than LDL from either controls or LDLR patients. Conclusions—These British PCSK9 patients with the D374Y mutation have an unpredictably severe clinical phenotype, which may be a unique feature for this cohort, and requires early and aggressive lipid-lowering management to prevent cardiovascular complications.
On the existence of obstinate results in vector space models

The vector space model (VSM) is a popular and widely applied model in information retrieval (IR). VSM creates vector spaces whose dimensionality is usually high (e.g., tens of thousands of terms). This may cause various problems, such as susceptibility to noise and difficulty in capturing the underlying semantic structure, which are commonly recognized as different aspects of the "curse of dimensionality. " In this paper, we investigate a novel aspect of the dimensionality curse, which is referred to as hubness and manifested by the tendency of some documents (called hubs) to be included in unexpectedly many search result lists. Hubness may impact VSM considerably since hubs can become obstinate results, irrelevant to a large number of queries, thus harming the performance of an IR system and the experience of its users. We analyze the origins of hubness, showing it is primarily a consequence of high (intrinsic) dimensionality of data, and not a result of other factors such as sparsity and skewness of the distribution of term frequencies. We describe the mechanisms through which hubness emerges by exploring the behavior of similarity measures in high-dimensional vector spaces. Our consideration begins with the classical VSM (tf-idf term weighting and cosine similarity), but the conclusions generalize to more advanced variations, such as Okapi BM25. Moreover, we explain why hubness may not be easily mitigated by dimensionality reduction, and propose a similarity adjustment scheme that takes into account the existence of hubs. Experimental results over real data indicate that significant improvement can be obtained through consideration of hubness.
A quantitative study exploring undergraduate nursing students' perception of their critical thinking and clinical decision making ability while using apps at the point of care

The purpose of this study was to explore how a smartphone app influences undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions of their critical thinking and clinical decision making ability at the point of care. Using a pretest-posttest approach, the findings suggest that there were no statistically significant differences in the participants’ perception of their critical thinking and clinical decision making ability over time. Statistically significant findings on four questionnaire items pertaining to participants’ perception in their ability to engage in evidence based practice over time suggests that experience with app, led the participants to believe the app provided them with the information they needed in order to engage in evidence based practice. Consequently, they were less likely to seek information from other sources. Although having learning resources available in clinical practice environments might enhance critical thinking ability, perhaps counterintuitively, the findings in this study suggest that having access to a clinical mobile app did not positively influence the participants’ perceived critical thinking ability. Nurse educators therefore, must teach students how to be active learners as well as role model the proper use of critical thinking skills. Students need to be reminded to use institutional policies and procedure manuals as well as other appropriate sources of information. Last, students need to see registered nurses use critical thinking and clinical decision making dispositions by asking comprehensive questions, exploring assumptions and inferences, and incorporating varying resources into their decisions.
Dynamic activity dependence of in vivo normal knee kinematics

Dynamic knee kinematics were analyzed for normal knees in three activities, including two different types of maximum knee flexion. Continuous X‐ray images of kneel, squat, and stair climb motions were taken using a large flat panel detector. CT‐derived bone models were used for model registration‐based 3D kinematic measurement. Three‐dimensional joint kinematics and contact locations were determined using three methods: bone‐fixed coordinate systems, interrogation of CT‐based bone model surfaces, and interrogation of MR‐based articular cartilage model surfaces. The femur exhibited gradual external rotation throughout the flexion range. Tibiofemoral contact exhibited external rotation, with contact locations translating posterior while maintaining 15° to 20° external rotation from 20° to 80° of flexion. From 80° to maximum flexion, contact locations showed a medial pivot pattern. Kinematics based on bone‐fixed coordinate systems differed from kinematics based on interrogation of CT and MR surfaces. Knee kinematics varied significantly by activity, especially in deep flexion. No posterior subluxation occurred for either femoral condyle in maximum knee flexion. Normal knees accommodate a range of motions during various activities while maintaining geometric joint congruency. © Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 26:428–434, 2008
A survey of sentiment analysis techniques

Sentiment analysis is an application of natural language processing. It is also known as emotion extraction or opinion mining. This is a very popular field of research in text mining. The basic idea is to find the polarity of the text and classify it into positive, negative or neutral. It helps in human decision making. To perform sentiment analysis, one has to perform various tasks like subjectivity detection, sentiment classification, aspect term extraction, feature extraction etc. This paper presents the survey of main approaches used for sentiment classification.
Morphological Predictors of Arterial Remodeling in Coronary Atherosclerosis

Background—Although arterial remodeling in atherosclerotic arteries affects luminal patency, the role of plaque components has not been systematically studied. Methods and Results—Coronary segments (n=2885) were harvested from the hearts of 36 patients who died of severe coronary artery disease after perfusion fixation. Remodeling was determined by morphometric analysis of 657 sections selected as reference segments and 1318 segments with atheromatous plaques. Atherosclerotic plaques were identified as fibroatheroma, thin-cap fibroatheroma, intraplaque hemorrhage with or without rupture or erosion, or total occlusion. Plaque components consisted of calcification, lipid core, macrophage burden, and fibrosis. There was no correlation between plaque area and lumen size in proximal arteries, unlike middle and distal segments, which demonstrated a significant correlation. Marked expansion of the internal elastic lamina (IEL) occurred in plaque hemorrhages with or without and thin-cap fibroatheroma (vulnerable plaque), whereas in erosions and total occlusions there was shrinkage of the IEL. Macrophage burden, lipid core size, calcium (in fibrous plaque and lipid core), and medial atrophy were all associated with positive remodeling; fibrous areas, however, were negatively associated with remodeling. Conclusions—Inflammation, calcification, and medial thinning are primary determinants of positive remodeling, which appears to be a feature of plaque instability.