Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Martian hydrogeology sustained by thermally insulating gas and salt hydrates

Numerical simulations and geologic studies suggest that high thermal anomalies beneath, within, and above thermally insulating layers of buried hydrated salts and gas hydrates could have triggered and sustained hydrologic processes on Mars, producing or modifying chaotic terrains, debris flows, gullies, and ice-creep features. These simulations and geologic examples suggest that thick hydrate deposits may sustain such geothermal anomalies, shallow ground-water tables, and hydrogeologic activity for eons. The proposed mechanism may operate and be self-reinforcing even in today9s cold Martian climate without elevated heat flux.
New pharmacotherapy options for chemotherapy-induced alimentary mucositis

Introduction: Chemotherapy-induced alimentary mucositis is an extremely common condition that is caused by a breakdown of the mucosal barrier. It occurs in between 40 – 100% of cancer patients depending on the treatment regimen. Symptoms typically include pain from oral ulceration, vomiting and diarrhoea. Alimentary mucositis often necessitates chemotherapy reductions or treatment breaks, overall potentially compromising survival outcomes. Consequently, alimentary mucositis creates a burden not only on patients' quality of life but also on healthcare costs. Despite this, currently, there is no clinically effective localised/pharmacological therapy intervention strategy to prevent alimentary mucositis. Areas covered: Over recent years, a number of novel pharmacotherapy agents have been trialed in various preclinical and clinical settings. This critical review will therefore provide an overview of emerging pharmacotherapies for the treatment of alimentary mucositis following chemotherapy with particular emphasis on studies published in the last 2 years. A Pubmed literature search was conducted to identify eligible articles published before 30 November 2013 and each article was reviewed by all authors. All articles were written in English. Expert opinion: Currently, there is no clinically effective localised therapeutic intervention strategy to prevent the condition. New emerging areas of research have recently been proposed to play key roles in the development of alimentary mucositis and these areas may provide researchers and clinicians with new research directions. Hopefully this will continue, and evidence-based informed guidelines can be produced to improve clinical practice management of this condition.
Deep brain stimulation and autonomic control

What is the topic of this review? This article reviews data from studies on human participants and animal models showing how electrical stimulation in deep brain structures (deep brain stimulation) can influence autonomic function. What advances does it highlight? Focusing on the control of the cardiovascular system and bladder function, it highlights the potential for development of deep brain stimulation as a new treatment option for patients with autonomic dysfunction.
Determination of risk factors associated with childhood obesity and the correlation with adult obesity- A random cross sectional study from Nepal

Background: Obesity is a global problem that is rising at an astounding rate. The children and adolescent obesity are the burning issues. Body mass index (BMI) also called Quetelet Index (initially described by Quetelet in 1869), has become the measurement of choice to measure overweight and obesity in adults. To date there is no information on the extent of affliction due to overweight and obesity among children and their associated risk factors in Nepal. Objectives: The study was undertaken to find out if dietary, behavioral and physical factors contributed to risk of obesity in Nepalese children and adolescents around Kathmandu valley and to find out the association between childhood obesity with parental obesity. Methods: The study was conducted among subjects aged 5-19 years at four different locations; Lalitpur, Thimi, Kushadevi and Dhulikhel, Nepal. A total of 324 children and their 648 parents (324 father and mother each) participated in the study. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for all participants. Variables relation to socioeconomic status, dietary habits, physical factors and emotional well being were determined using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: As determined with the help of BMI, the factors like socioeconomic status and sedentary lifestyle were found to contribute to various conditions like obesity, underweight and overweight in children of various ages, although, prevalence of obesity was low compared to the other conditions. Also BMI of children was found to be positively and significantly correlated with father’s and mother's BMI indicating its importance as a marker in progression of such health conditions in children. Conclusions: BMI proved to be a reliable indicator of adverse health conditions like obesity in Nepalese children and could contribute to understanding the role of the various risk factors of dietary, social and physical nature in the development of these conditions.
Mutation Analysis of the GDD Sequence Motif of a Calicivirus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase

ABSTRACT The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus, a calicivirus, is known to have a conserved GDD amino acid motif and several additional regions of sequence homology with all types of polymerases. To test whether both aspartic acid residues are in fact involved in the catalytic activity and metal ion coordination of the enzyme, several defined mutations have been made in order to replace them by glutamate, asparagine, or glycine. All six mutant enzymes were produced in Escherichia coli, and their in vitro poly(U) polymerase activity was characterized. The results demonstrated that the first aspartate residue was absolutely required for enzyme function and that some flexibility existed with respect to the second, which could be replaced by glutamate.
Deep neural network based acoustic model parameter reduction using manifold regularized low rank matrix factorization

In this paper, we propose a deep neural network (DNN) model parameter reduction based on manifold regularized low rank matrix factorization to reduce the computational complexity of acoustic model for low resource embedded devices. One of the most common DNN model parameter reduction techniques is truncated singular value decomposition (TSVD). TSVD reduces the number of parameters by approximating a target matrix with a low rank one in terms of minimizing the Euclidean norm. In this work, we questioned whether the Euclidean norm is appropriate as objective function to factorize DNN matrices because DNN is known to learn nonlinear manifold of acoustic features. Therefore, in order to exploit the manifold structure for robust parameter reduction, we propose manifold regularized matrix factorization approach. The proposed method was evaluated on TIMIT phone recognition domain.
Adiponectin Induces Pro-inflammatory Programs in Human Macrophages and CD4+ T Cells

Background: Adiponectin modulates inflammatory diseases and dysmetabolism, conditions associated with immune cell activation. Results: Adiponectin elicits a pro-inflammatory response in human macrophages and promotes TH1 differentiation of isolated CD4+ T cells. Conclusion: The limited program of inflammatory activation induced by adiponectin likely desensitizes cells to further pro-inflammatory stimuli. Significance: Interplay of signals regulated by adiponectin may determine its net effect as an inflammatory modulator. Abundant experimental and clinical data support a modulatory role for adiponectin in inflammation, dysmetabolism, and disease. Because the activation of cells involved in innate and adaptive immunity contributes to the pathogenesis of diseases such as atherosclerosis and obesity, this study investigated the role of adiponectin in human macrophage polarization and T cell differentiation. Examination of the adiponectin-induced transcriptome in primary human macrophages revealed that adiponectin promotes neither classical (M1) nor alternative (M2) macrophage activation but elicits a pro-inflammatory response that resembles M1 more closely than M2. Addition of adiponectin to polyclonally activated CD4+ T lymphocytes did not affect cell proliferation but induced mRNA expression and protein secretion of interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-6. Adiponectin treatment of CD4+ T cells increased phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and signal transducer and activation of transcription (STAT) 4 and augmented T-bet expression. Inhibition of p38 with SB203580 abrogated adiponectin-induced IFN-γ production, indicating that adiponectin enhances TH1 differentiation through the activation of the p38-STAT4-T-bet axis. Collectively, our results demonstrate that adiponectin can induce pro-inflammatory functions in isolated macrophages and T cells, concurring with previous observations that adiponectin induces a limited program of inflammatory activation that likely desensitizes these cells to further pro-inflammatory stimuli.
When Aesthetics, Surgery, and Psychology Meet: Aesthetic Nasal Proportions in Patients Having Rhinoplasty and Normal Adults

Abstract The aesthetic nasal proportions have played a significant role in rhinoplasty practice. On the other hand, psychological variables also play a crucial role in rhinoplasty. It is of paramount importance for facial plastic surgeons to consider both sides to achieve a more satisfactory outcome. The present study aimed to compare aesthetic nasal proportions between primary rhinoplasty candidates and a demographically matched control group to determine whether patients having rhinoplasty have different aesthetic nasal proportions compared with healthy adults who are not interested in rhinoplasty. Sixty patients having rhinoplasty were selected consecutively from a surgical clinic. A control group (n = 60) with the same demographic characteristics was selected. Photographs were taken using a digital camera on a fixed zoom setting. All images were captured at a distance of 1.5 m. Frontal and right lateral views were used to compare nasolabial angle, nasofrontal angle, nasofacial angle, alar width, intercanthal distance, nasal length, and width-to-length ratio. Independent t tests were used for comparisons. Independent t tests verified that nasofrontal angle, nasal length, and width-to-length ratio were significantly different between the two groups (p < 0.01). Effect sizes ranged between 0.11 and 0.69. Aesthetic proportions were not significantly different in four factors. Nasolabial angle, nasofacial angle, alar width, and intercanthal distance were not different (p > 0.05). Four major aesthetic nasal proportions were statistically similar in a group of patients having rhinoplasty and a control group with no interest in rhinoplasty. Surprisingly, the patients having rhinoplasty showed a mean width-to-length ratio closer to aesthetic ideal. Therefore, applying for rhinoplasty may have strong psychological reasons (e.g., body dysmorphic symptoms) compared with realistic aesthetic appraisals.
Optical Flow For Vision-Aided Navigation

In this project, I looked at the use of optical flow algorithms to estimate displacements between images in navigation data. In navigation, computing power is often limited, so feature-matching algorithms are not ideal. However, the large displacements that are seen in this data require modifications to traditional optical flow algorithms. I reviewed several optical flow algorithms that are optimized for larger displacements. I implemented one of these, and compared its results with the results of a feature-matching algorithm. The optical flow algorithm performed fairly well on simulated images in which the only difference was the displacement, but did not perform as well on more realistic image sets. In order to use optical flow for navigation data, the algorithm used would need to be improved to be less susceptible to changes in illumination and image brightness. Future Distribution Permission The author(s) of this report give permission for this document to be distributed to Stanfordaffiliated students taking future courses.
pilon Fractures: Advances in Surgical Management

&NA; Pilon fractures are challenging to manage because of the complexity of the injury pattern and the risk of significant complications. Variables such as fracture pattern, soft‐tissue injury, and preexisting patient factors can lead to unpredictable outcomes. Avoiding complications associated with the soft‐tissue envelope is paramount to optimizing outcomes. In persons with soft‐tissue compromise, the use of temporary external fixation and staged management is helpful in reducing further injury and complications. Evidence in support of new surgical approaches and minimally invasive techniques is incomplete. Soft‐tissue management, such as negative‐pressure dressings, may be helpful in preventing complications.
The effects of oxidative stress on parkin and other E3 ligases

Autosomal recessive mutations within the Parkin gene are associated with degeneration of the substantia nigra and locus coeruleus and an inherited form of Parkinson’s disease (PD). As loss‐of‐function mutations in parkin are responsible for a familial variant of PD, conditions that affect wild‐type parkin are likely to be associated with increased risk of idiopathic disease. Previous studies uncovered a unique vulnerability of the parkin protein to dopamine (DA)‐induced aggregation and inactivation. In this study, we compared several proteins that share structural elements or ubiquitinating activity with parkin. We report that oxidative stress in several cell lines and primary neurons induces the aggregation of parkin into high molecular weight species, at least a portion of which are self‐associated homo‐multimers. While parkin was preferentially affected by excess DA, each of the E3 proteins tested were made more insoluble by oxidative stress, and they varied in degree of susceptibility (e.g. parkin > HHARI ≅ CHIP > c‐Cbl > E6AP). These conditions of oxidative stress were also associated with decreased parkin E3 ligase activity. Similar to recently conducted studies on α‐synuclein processing, both macroautophagy and the proteasome participate in parkin degradation, with the proteasome playing the predominant role for normal parkin turnover and macroautophagy being more important in the degradation of aggregated parkin. These data further highlight the selective vulnerability of parkin to DA‐induced modifications, demonstrating for the first time the ability of both endogenous and ectopically expressed parkin to transition into an insoluble state in part through self‐association and oligomer formation.
Expression and regulation of the pattern recognition receptors Toll‐like receptor‐2 and Toll‐like receptor‐4 in the human placenta

The placenta constitutes a physical and immunological barrier against invading infectious agents and has been suggested to be a pregnancy‐specific component of the innate immune system. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and regulation of Toll‐like receptors‐2 and ‐4 (TLR2 and TLR4) in the human placenta, because these receptors are believed to be important for immune responses against pathogens. Twenty‐eight placentas from normal term pregnancies were analysed with immunohistochemistry, which showed a strong immunoreactivity for TLR2 and TLR4 in the villous and the intermediate trophoblasts. The regulation of TLR2 and TLR4 by microbial stimulus was assessed by incubating explants of term chorionic villi with zymosan or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and analysed with real‐time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction. Stimulation with zymosan and LPS readily induced interleukin (IL)‐6 and IL‐8 cytokine production in the placenta cultures, whereas TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA and protein expression remained at the same high level as in unstimulated explants. These data suggests a novel mechanism for the fetoplacental unit to interact with micro‐organisms.
A model for predicting motor urge urinary incontinence.

BACKGROUND While the historical interview has been shown to diagnose stress urinary incontinence (UI) with reasonable accuracy, it is less accurate in the diagnosis of urge or mixed UI. OBJECTIVES To construct an optimal model for the diagnosis of motor urge UI, and to refine this model into a simplified instrument that can be used to diagnose motor urge UI during a routine incontinence evaluation. METHODS A model was constructed to allow a more accurate diagnosis of motor urge UI using historical data. Initially, an optimal model was developed that used three key symptoms, age, gender, a history of neurologic disorder, obstruction diagnosed via voiding pressure study, and the urethral resistance algorithm to diagnose motor urge UI. A simplified model was then constructed using factors such as symptoms of motor urge UI, age, and gender that were readily accessible to the nurse when completing a routine UI evaluation. This simplified model was used to develop an instrument for the clinical diagnosis of motor urge UI. RESULTS While the agreement between clinical and urodynamic diagnosis was relatively high among patients with genuine stress UI (93% accuracy rate), it was considerably less among patients with urge and mixed UI, yielding accuracy rates of 63% and 35%, respectively. An optimal model for diagnosing motor urge UI was constructed and provided an overall accuracy rate of 91%. A simplified model was then constructed and evaluated for performance by least squares fit test. It revealed an R2 of 0.85 and an adjusted R2 of 0.84. CONCLUSIONS A combination of age, gender, and three key symptoms (diurnal frequency, nocturia, and symptom of urge incontinence) provide an accurate and clinically useful model for the diagnosis of motor urge UI. Additional research is recommended to test the validity and reliability of the instrument derived from this model.
Determination of avidity of anti-albumin antibodies in the mouse. Influence of the number of cells transferred on the quality of the secondary adoptive response.

We observed that the volume of any anti-HSA serum needed to bind 50 per cent of the antigen is a linear function of the amount of antigen present in the reaction mixture over three log units. The slope is characteristic of each antiserum and reflects the `avidity' of the antibodies. By using this quantitative index we found that the avidity of antibodies produced during the secondary adoptive response depends on the number of the cells transferred: few cells will produce antibodies of lower avidity than many cells. The dose of antigen given as a booster also influences the quality of the antibody produced; in the extreme case where some primed cells were rendered `tolerant' by supra-optimal doses of challenging antigen, substantial amounts of low avidity antibodies were synthesized. The results can be explained by competition for antigen among competent cells, favouring those cells which carry antibody sites with high affinity for the corresponding antigenic determinant.
A possible role for dihydrodiol dehydrogenase in the formation of benzo[a]pyrene‐DNA adducts in lung cancer cells and tumor tissues

Epidemiological studies indicate that there is a gender difference in the susceptibility to tobacco and environmental carcinogens, and this gender difference is suspected to result in a higher risk for lung cancer among women. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this sexual dimorphism remain unclear. In the present study, we have evaluated the roles of CYP1A1 and dihydrodiol dehydrogenase (DDH) in the formation of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) DNA adducts in various lung cancer cell lines. Among six lung cancer cell lines tested, higher adduct levels were observed in CL‐3 and CL1‐1 cells, which had relatively high expression of both CYP1A1 and DDH isoform 1 (DHH1). To determine whether a reduction in DDH expression changed the adduct levels, an siRNA was used to knock down DDH1 expression in CL‐3 cells. The BaP adduct levels in siDDH‐CL‐3 cells increased 1.4–2.2‐fold relative to that of the parental CL‐3 cells. We also examined BaP‐like DNA adducts, and CYP1A1 and DDH1 expression by immunohistochemistry in 120 lung tumors. Detection of DNA adducts correlated with CYP1A1‐positive tumors (P = 0.023), but not with DDH1‐positive tumors. In addition, 28 of 33 tumors (85%) that were CYP1A1‐positive and DDH1‐negative contained detectable levels of DNA adducts, a proportion that was higher than for tumors from the other three categories of CYP1A1 and DDH1 expression (P = 0.012). Finally, a greater proportion of adduct‐positive tumors from females were CYP1A1‐positive/DDH1‐negative (45.3%) than were tumors from males (27.3%). These results suggest that the reduction of DDH expression in lung tumors may contribute to an increase in DNA adduct levels, which may be partly responsible for the higher susceptibility of female lung cancer patients to DNA damage. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Factors associated with perceived health among 12-year-old school children. Relevance of physical exercise and sense of coherence

Background: Poor perceived health during childhood may affect an individual's well-being throughout life. In adult studies, sense of coherence (SOC) has been shown to be associated with perceived health. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine which factors with an emphasis on SOC and physical exercise were associated with perceived health among 12-year-old children. Methods: A total of 1,231 12-year-old school children (83%) completed a questionnaire. Most of the 37 questions had multiple-choice types of response. The questions were largely based on those used in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study coordinated by the WHO. SOC was determined using the 13-item scale developed by Antonovsky. Factors used in calculating performance at school were marks (given by the teachers, range 4—10, 10 being the best) in mathematics, native language, and first foreign language. Statistical analysis involved the use of logistic regression models and the so-called generalized estimation technique because of the multi-level study design. Results: In a multivariate model adjusted for reported psychosomatic symptoms, insufficient physical exercise was clearly (OR 4.6) associated with poor perceived health. Other variables with significant associations (OR 1.4—1.7) were a mark below 9 in mathematics, belonging to the weakest SOC tertile, reporting of problems of perceived support from teachers, and reporting of various problems involving the class climate. Conclusions: Among the studied variables physical exercise was the most strongly associated with perceived health, even when several social and psychological risk factors were included in the analysis. SOC and variables of social support were also of importance.
Pharmacologic Treatment Options for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder is the most common cause of sexual dysfunction in women. According to a national survey, approximately a third of all women experience low sexual desire. The etiology of the disorder is often multifactorial. Research in treatment options for hypoactive sexual desire disorder is limited. In this article, treatment options including sex therapy, hormone therapy (estrogen, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, tibolone), non-hormonal medical therapies (buproprion, buspirone, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, amantadine and apomorphine) and herbal therapies (Avlimil®, Arginmax®, Zestra®, yohimbine and Ginkgo biloba) are reviewed.