Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding diversity in oxidative status and oxidative stress: the opportunities and challenges ahead

ABSTRACT Oxidative stress may be of profound biological relevance. In this Commentary, I discuss some key issues faced by the emerging field of oxidative stress ecology, and seek to provide interpretations and solutions. First, I show that the way in which we define oxidative stress has far-reaching implications for the interpretation of results, and that we need to distinguish between (1) a biochemical definition in terms of the molecular outcomes of oxidative stress (e.g. generation of oxidative damage) and (2) a biological definition in terms of the fitness consequences for the organism (e.g. effects on fertility). Second, I discuss the dangers of comparing different tissues and markers. Third, I highlight the need to pay more attention to the cross-talk between oxidative stress and other important physiological costs and functions; this will allow us to better understand the mechanistic basis of fitness costs. Fourth, I propose the ‘redox signalling hypothesis’ of life history to complement the current ‘oxidative stress hypothesis’ of life history. The latter states that oxidative damage underlies trade-offs because it affects traits like growth, reproduction or cell senescence. By contrast, the redox signalling hypothesis states that a trade-off between signalling and biochemical oxidative stress underlies the regulation of reactive oxygen species production and their subsequent control. Finally, I critically appraise our current knowledge of oxidative stress ecology, highlighting key research themes and providing an optimistic overview of future opportunities for the discipline to yield considerable insight into the ecological and evolutionary meaning of oxidative stress. Summary: This Commentary highlights the distinction between biochemical and biological definitions of oxidative stress, discusses issues to consider when designing experiments to investigate oxidative stress, and proposes the ‘redox signalling hypothesis’ of life history.
A Note on Stochastic Shop Models in Which Jobs have the Same Processing Requirements on Each Machine

We consider stochastic models for flow shops, job shops and open shops in which the work required by job j is the same at each machine, being a random variable W j . Because machines operate at different speeds, S i , the processing time of job j at machine i is W j /S i ,. It is the main result of this note that in a flow shop where the machine speeds increase (decrease) from the first to last machine and the workload distributions are ordered by a likelihood ratio criterion, then the makespan of the jobs is stochastically minimized by processing the jobs in the order of least to greatest (greatest to least) workload.
A Sobel-TV based Hybrid Model for De-noising Remote Sensing Image with Gaussian and Salt-pepper Noise

The pre-processed remote sensing images are often polluted by Gaussian and salt-pepper noises. In order to solve this problem, a Sobel-TV based hybrid model is proposed to de-noise the pre-processed remote sensing images. It uses TV model to de-noise and uses Sobel algorithm to control smoothness of the image’ edge. This proposed method will not only efficiently remove image noise but also simultaneously reserves detail information such as edge and texture. Experimental results show the proposed algorithm achieves better SNR and SSIM compared with other methods. In terms of visual quality, the proposed algorithm can remove the noise of the images and preserve more details, which is important value to preprocess remote sensing image.
A digital receiver for demodulation of CDMA waveforms with a-priori unknown delays and amplitudes

A digital receiver is presented which provides near-optimum demodulation of code division multiple access (CDMA) waveforms, with simultaneous tracking of amplitudes and delays. It is shown that a CDMA waveform is equivalent to an M-ary symbol sequence, with intersymbol interference of no more than one duration. Thus, the individual users can be jointly demodulated using the Viterbi algorithm (VA), when the amplitudes and delays are known a priori. A modified VA is developed under the assumptions that the amplitudes are unknown, and the delay estimates initialized to within half a chip. The branch metrics of the VA are approximately given by the innovations likelihoods of a bank of extended Kalman filters (EKSs). Each EKF provides an estimate of the CDMA amplitudes and delays, conditioned on a particular survivor sequence. Thus, for binary modulation and N users, 2/sup N/ EKFs and nodes in the VA trellis are required, with 2/sup N/ branches from each node. Simulation results are presented which demonstrate that the algorithm successfully estimates delays and amplitudes, given suitable initialization of the CDMA delay estimates. <<ETX>>
Efficient K-Main Routes Approach on Constrained Shortest Path Computation

Data summarization is an important concept in data mining that entails techniques for finding a compact description or representation of a dataset. The existing work generates the shortest path in spatial network by considering distance only. Then it produces results only for transportation user. The method describes K-Main Routes approach that collects all activities . Based on that it summarizes the results to pedestrian user in safer way.KMR approach uses network Voronoi, divide and conquer and pruning strategies techniques. In a proposed system, Time based technique gives advantages based on shortest path for users. An approach introduce on Prim's spanning tree algorithm which is time based technique. In time dependency, the user have to specify the time whether it may be day/night time according to the time period the safety filled path will get suggested for the user.
The effects of Psychoeducation on the Traumatic Perception of the Birth Phenomenon in women with Substance-use Disorders

Abstract Objective: The present study evaluates the traumatic perception of the birth phenomenon in women with substance-use disorders (SUD) and to investigate the effects of psychoeducation on this perception. Material and Methods: The study was conducted between January and July 2017, and involved 60 women with SUD who were divided into two groups: intervention (n = 30) and control (n = 30). The study was carried out using the semi-experimental “pre-post test matched group model,” and the Traumatic Perception of Birth Psychoeducation Program (TPBPP) was applied. Results: Traumatic birth perception was found to be decreased after TPBPP was applied in four modules to women with SUD. Conclusion: TPBPP is an effective psychoeducation model in the reduction of the traumatic perception of birth in women with SUD.
Myricetin Inhibits Breast Tumor Growth and Angiogenesis by Regulating VEGF/VEGFR2 and p38MAPK Signaling Pathways

Tumor angiogenesis is an important cause of tumor growth and metastasis. Myricetin is a flavonoid component used in traditional Chinese medicine that has been demonstrated to have anticancer activity. However, to the best of our knowledge, the effect of myricetin on tumor angiogenesis remains unknown. The present study reports the identification of myricetin as a potential chemopreventive agent by reason of its inhibition of tumor angiogenesis and demonstrates the anticancer effects of myricetin in vivo. Cell Counting Kit‐8 assays revealed that myricetin inhibits the proliferation of tumor cells but not that of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and a transwell assay demonstrated that myricetin could inhibit the migration of HUVECs. A rat aortic ring assay revealed that myricetin could also affect the development of microvessels and the formation of vascular networks. Further, an ELISA showed that myricetin reduced the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in vivo and in vitro. Western blot analysis indicated that myricetin could downregulate VEGFR2 and p38MAPK. Therefore, myricetin could significantly inhibit tumor angiogenesis and has potential as a chemopreventive agent because of its inhibition to angiogenesis. Anat Rec, 302:2186–2192, 2019. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy
Frailty in perioperative patients in three South African academic hospitals.

BACKGROUND Frailty is a state characterised by diminished physiological reserve that leaves an individual vulnerable to external stressors and delays recovery. Frailty assessments are proving to be more valuable in predicting poor perioperative outcomes than other well-known perioperative risk assessment tools. Very few studies using validated frailty assessment tools have been done to assess the prevalence of frailty in South Africa (SA), and none have assessed the intraoperative implications of frailty in a surgical population. OBJECTIVES To determine the demographics and frailty levels of patients presenting for surgery at three academic hospitals in Johannesburg, compare intraoperative complications between the frail and non-frail patients, and compare the association between frailty scores and American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA-PS) scores. METHODS We prospectively enrolled 299 patients aged 18 - 90 years undergoing various types of elective surgery between mid-November 2016 and mid-March 2017 in three SA academic hospitals. Frailty was assessed using the nine-point Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and defined as a score of ≥5. The CFS and demographic and clinical data were documented by the anaesthetists assigned to the respective elective lists. The primary outcome measure was intraoperative complications (hypotension, desaturation, and need for vasopressors and blood transfusion). We also compared associations between the patients' comorbidities and frailty and those between the CFS and ASA-PS scores. RESULTS Of a total of 299 patients included in the study (mean age (standard deviation) 50.6 (15.8) years), 156 (52%) were women and 67 (22%) were classified as frail. Compared with patients who were not classified as frail, the frail group had significantly higher incidences of hypotension (odds ratio (OR) 1.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.083 - 3.259; p=0.02) and desaturation (OR 3.79, 95% CI 1.367 - 10.54; p=0.01), and were more likely to need vasopressors (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.607 - 4.912; p=0.00) and blood transfusion (OR 3.26, 95% CI 1.138 - 9.368; p=0.02). On multivariable logistic regression analysis, adjusting for factors related to frailty such as age, gender and comorbidities, desaturation was significantly associated with frailty (adjusted OR (aOR) 4.21, 95% CI 1.31 - 13.53; p=0.01), and the frail were more likely to require blood transfusion (aOR 5.36, 95% CI 1.50 - 19.16; p=0.01) and were older and had more comorbidities. Higher ASA-PS scores were also strongly associated with frailty. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of frailty was high among surgical patients. Consistent with other studies, frailty was associated with older age and multiple comorbidities. The association between frailty and intraoperative complications found in this study may indicate and help inform areas of further research.
Benefit–risk balance of native vitamin D supplementation in chronic hemodialysis: what can we learn from the major clinical trials and international guidelines?

Abstract For some years, there has been a great renewal of interest in native vitamin D and its major involvement in osseous and non-osseous effects in the organism. Patients in chronic hemodialysis (CHD) constitute a specific population with different physiopathologic characteristics and needs, since morbidity and mortality are strongly correlated with vitamin D insufficiency. Vitamin D supplementation raises very pertinent questions for which we have only partial answers and we lack solid scientific proof to establish certain truths. Thus, we try through this mini-review to analyze the results of the main randomized clinical trials conducted during the last decade, and to discuss international guidelines concerning native vitamin D supplementation in CHD patients. Seven double-blind randomized clinical trials have evaluated native Vitamin D supplementation in CHD patients. These clinical trials began between 2007 and 2013 and studied relatively small samples of patients with an average of 50. All of these trials are important, but do not provide sufficient scientific proof concerning the advantages, consequences, and secondary effects of native vitamin D supplementation in CHD. None of the European, American, English, Asian, Australian, or Canadian recommendations have specified the targets, doses, duration, or the molecule of vitamin D supplementation in the patient on CHD. In 2017, the long-awaited KDIGO recommendations were published and despite the results of clinical trials conducted, the recommendations on native vitamin D supplementation in CHD were very imprecise and sparse, limited to suggesting correction of any state of vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency.
Hyperspectral Pansharpening With Deep Priors

Hyperspectral (HS) image can describe subtle differences in the spectral signatures of materials, but it has low spatial resolution limited by the existing technical and budget constraints. In this paper, we propose a promising HS pansharpening method with deep priors (HPDP) to fuse a low-resolution (LR) HS image with a high-resolution (HR) panchromatic (PAN) image. Different from the existing methods, we redefine the spectral response function (SRF) based on the larger eigenvalue of structure tensor (ST) matrix for the first time that is more in line with the characteristics of HS imaging. Then, we introduce HFNet to capture deep residual mapping of high frequency across the upsampled HS image and the PAN image in a band-by-band manner. Specifically, the learned residual mapping of high frequency is injected into the structural transformed HS images, which are the extracted deep priors served as additional constraint in a Sylvester equation to estimate the final HR HS image. Comparative analyses validate that the proposed HPDP method presents the superior pansharpening performance by ensuring higher quality both in spatial and spectral domains for all types of data sets. In addition, the HFNet is trained in the high-frequency domain based on multispectral (MS) images, which overcomes the sensitivity of deep neural network (DNN) to data sets acquired by different sensors and the difficulty of insufficient training samples for HS pansharpening.
The global prevalence of erectile dysfunction: a review

To evaluate the global prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED); as well as its association with physiological and pathological ageing by examining the relationship between ED and cardiovascular disease (CVD), benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and dementia. We also aimed to characterise discrepancies caused by the use of different ED screening tools.
Developmental changes in visual search are determined by changing visuospatial abilities and task repetition: A longitudinal study in adolescents

Abstract Using a longitudinal study design, a group of 94 adolescents participated in a visual search task and a visuospatial ability task yearly for four consecutive years. We analyzed the association between changes in visuospatial ability and changes in visual search performance and behavior and estimated additional effects of age and task repetition. Visuospatial ability was measured with the Design Organization Test (DOT). Search performance was analyzed in terms of reaction time and response accuracy. Search behavior was analyzed in terms of the number of fixations per trial, the saccade amplitude, and the distribution of fixations over different types of elements. We found that both the increase in age and the yearly repetition of the DOT had a positive effect on visuospatial ability. We show that the acceleration of visual search during childhood can be explained by the increase in visuospatial abilities with age during adolescence. With the yearly task repetition, visual search became faster and more accurate, while fewer fixations were made with larger saccade amplitudes. The combination of increasing visuospatial ability and task repetition makes visual search more effective and might increase the performance of many daily tasks during adolescence.
Prevalence of unmet needs for spasticity management in care home residents in the East Midlands, United Kingdom: a cross-sectional observational study

Objective: To establish the prevalence of unmet need for spasticity management in care home residents in two counties of the United Kingdom. Design: Cross-sectional observational study with a six-month follow-up arm for participants with identified unmet needs. Setting: 22 care homes in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Subjects: 60 care home residents with upper motor neuron syndrome–related spasticity. Interventions: No intervention. When unmet needs around spasticity management were identified, the participant’s general practitioner was advised of these in writing. Main measures: Resistance to Passive Movement Scale to assess spasticity; recording of (a) the presence of factors which may aggravate spasticity, (b) potential complications of spasticity, (c) spasticity-related needs and (d) current interventions to manage spasticity. Two assessors judged the presence or absence of needs for spasticity management and whether these needs were met by current care. Results: Out of 60 participants, 14 had no spasticity-related needs; 46 had spasticity-related needs; 11 had needs which were being met by current care and 35 participants had spasticity-related needs at baseline which were not being met by their current care. These were most frequently related to the risk of contracture development or problems with skin hygiene or integrity in the upper limb. In total, 6 participants had one or more pressure sores and 35 participants had one or more established joint contractures. A total of 31 participants were available for follow-up. Informing general practitioners of unmet needs resulted in no change to spasticity management in 23/31 cases. Conclusion: Care home residents in this study had high levels of unmet need for spasticity management.
p110γ deficiency protects against pancreatic carcinogenesis yet predisposes to diet-induced hepatotoxicity

Significance Although activation of PI3K p110α appears to promote pancreatic cancer development via canonical AKT signaling, in the setting of a high-fat diet (enriched in ω−6 fatty acids), unopposed p110γ inhibition poses a risk for severe hepatic damage. Considering that obesity is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer, these observations suggest the need for caution when translating drugs targeting p110γ to the clinic. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is notorious for its poor survival and resistance to conventional therapies. PI3K signaling is implicated in both disease initiation and progression, and specific inhibitors of selected PI3K p110 isoforms for managing solid tumors are emerging. We demonstrate that increased activation of PI3K signals cooperates with oncogenic Kras to promote aggressive PDAC in vivo. The p110γ isoform is overexpressed in tumor tissue and promotes carcinogenesis via canonical AKT signaling. Its selective blockade sensitizes tumor cells to gemcitabine in vitro, and genetic ablation of p110γ protects against Kras-induced tumorigenesis. Diet/obesity was identified as a crucial means of p110 subunit up-regulation, and in the setting of a high-fat diet, p110γ ablation failed to protect against tumor development, showing increased activation of pAKT and hepatic damage. These observations suggest that a careful and judicious approach should be considered when targeting p110γ for therapy, particularly in obese patients.
Hemodynamic support with Impella ventricular assist device in patients undergoing TAVI: A single center experience

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become a well‐established therapeutic option for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) at high to intermediate surgical risk. Although TAVI is associated with low mortality of 1.2–6.5%, cardiogenic shock (CS) as a peri‐interventional complication remains a challenging problem with very high morbidity and mortality.
DNA-SeAl: Sensitivity Levels to Optimize the Performance of Privacy-Preserving DNA Alignment

The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) machines made DNA sequencing cheaper, but also put pressure on the genomic life-cycle, which includes aligning millions of short DNA sequences, called reads, to a reference genome. On the performance side, efficient algorithms have been developed, and parallelized on public clouds. On the privacy side, since genomic data are utterly sensitive, several cryptographic mechanisms have been proposed to align reads more securely than the former, but with a lower performance. This paper presents DNA-SeAl a novel contribution to improving the privacy × performance product in current genomic workflows. First, building on recent works that argue that genomic data needs to be treated according to a threat-risk analysis, we introduce a multi-level sensitivity classification of genomic variations designed to prevent the amplification of possible privacy attacks. We show that the usage of sensitivity levels reduces future re-identification risks, and that their partitioning helps prevent linkage attacks. Second, after extending this classification to reads, we show how to align and store reads using different security levels. To do so, DNA-SeAl extends a recent reads filter to classify unaligned reads into sensitivity levels, and adapts existing alignment algorithms to the reads sensitivity. We show that using DNA-SeAl allows high performance gains whilst enforcing high privacy levels in hybrid cloud environments.
Antigenotoxicity and Cytotoxic Potentials of Metabiotics Extracted from Isolated Probiotic, Lactobacillus rhamnosus MD 14 on Caco-2 and HT-29 Human Colon Cancer Cells

Abstract Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria produce active metabolites which could probably mimic their anticancer effect and prevent the risk associated with live bacteria. Thus, the study was designed to isolate effective lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and monitor anticancerous potential of their metabiotic extracts. Probiotics were isolated from different sources and their cell free supernatants (CFS) were screened for antigenotoxic and cytotoxic potentials using SOS Chromo Test and MTT assay on Caco-2 and HT-29 cells. Organic extracts of CFS were prepared and dissolved in different solvents. The isolate with most effective metabiotic extract in terms of cytotoxicity was classified for probiotic and phylogenetic characters and the metabiotic extract was characterized physiochemically. Among 60 isolated LAB, CFS of only 10 isolates showed antigenotoxicity more than 30% and four exhibited 70–80% cytotoxicity. Further, organic extracts of these four CFS dissolved in carboxymethyl cellulose showed 80–90% cytotoxicity. Interestingly, the most effective isolate was found to possess probiotic attributes and phylogenetic characterization revealed it to be Lactobacillus rhamnosus MD 14. Physiochemical characterization of its metabiotic extract indicated the presence of heat sensitive organic acids and proteins. To conclude, metabiotics produced by isolated probiotic L. rhamnosus MD 14 exhibited both antigenotoxic and cytotoxic potential against colon cancer.