Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nanometer Scale Titanium Surface Texturing Are Detected by Signaling Pathways Involving Transient FAK and Src Activations

Background It is known that physico/chemical alterations on biomaterial surfaces have the capability to modulate cellular behavior, affecting early tissue repair. Such surface modifications are aimed to improve early healing response and, clinically, offer the possibility to shorten the time from implant placement to functional loading. Since FAK and Src are intracellular proteins able to predict the quality of osteoblast adhesion, this study evaluated the osteoblast behavior in response to nanometer scale titanium surface texturing by monitoring FAK and Src phosphorylations. Methodology Four engineered titanium surfaces were used for the study: machined (M), dual acid-etched (DAA), resorbable media microblasted and acid-etched (MBAA), and acid-etch microblasted (AAMB). Surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, interferometry, atomic force microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Thereafter, those 4 samples were used to evaluate their cytotoxicity and interference on FAK and Src phosphorylations. Both Src and FAK were investigated by using specific antibody against specific phosphorylation sites. Principal Findings The results showed that both FAK and Src activations were differently modulated as a function of titanium surfaces physico/chemical configuration and protein adsorption. Conclusions It can be suggested that signaling pathways involving both FAK and Src could provide biomarkers to predict osteoblast adhesion onto different surfaces.
Long-Distance Wind-Dispersal of Spores in a Fungal Plant Pathogen: Estimation of Anisotropic Dispersal Kernels from an Extensive Field Experiment

Given its biological significance, determining the dispersal kernel (i.e., the distribution of dispersal distances) of spore-producing pathogens is essential. Here, we report two field experiments designed to measure disease gradients caused by sexually- and asexually-produced spores of the wind-dispersed banana plant fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis. Gradients were measured during a single generation and over 272 traps installed up to 1000 m along eight directions radiating from a traceable source of inoculum composed of fungicide-resistant strains. We adjusted several kernels differing in the shape of their tail and tested for two types of anisotropy. Contrasting dispersal kernels were observed between the two types of spores. For sexual spores (ascospores), we characterized both a steep gradient in the first few metres in all directions and rare long-distance dispersal (LDD) events up to 1000 m from the source in two directions. A heavy-tailed kernel best fitted the disease gradient. Although ascospores distributed evenly in all directions, average dispersal distance was greater in two different directions without obvious correlation with wind patterns. For asexual spores (conidia), few dispersal events occurred outside of the source plot. A gradient up to 12.5 m from the source was observed in one direction only. Accordingly, a thin-tailed kernel best fitted the disease gradient, and anisotropy in both density and distance was correlated with averaged daily wind gust. We discuss the validity of our results as well as their implications in terms of disease diffusion and management strategy.
Optimal Approximation with Sparsely Connected Deep Neural Networks

We derive fundamental lower bounds on the connectivity and the memory requirements of deep neural networks guaranteeing uniform approximation rates for arbitrary function classes in $L^2(\mathbb{R}^d)$. In other words, we establish a connection between the complexity of a function class and the complexity of deep neural networks approximating functions from this class to within a prescribed accuracy. Additionally, we prove that our lower bounds are achievable for a broad family of function classes. Specifically, all function classes that are optimally approximated by a general class of representation systems---so-called affine systems---can be approximated by deep neural networks with minimal connectivity and memory requirements. Affine systems encompass a wealth of representation systems from applied harmonic analysis such as wavelets, ridgelets, curvelets, shearlets, $\alpha$-shearlets, and more generally $\alpha$-molecules. Our central result elucidates a remarkable universality property of neural networks and shows that they achieve the optimum approximation properties of all affine systems combined. As a specific example, we consider the class of $\alpha^{-1}$-cartoon-like functions, which is approximated optimally by $\alpha$-shearlets. We also explain how our results can be extended to the case of functions on low-dimensional immersed manifolds. Finally, we present numerical experiments demonstrating that the standard stochastic gradient descent algorithm generates deep neural networks providing close-to-optimal approximation rates at minimal connectivity. Moreover, these results indicate that stochastic gradient descent can actually learn approximations that are sparse in the representation systems optimally sparsifying the function class the network is trained on.
Dynamic modulation of activity in cerebellar nuclei neurons during pavlovian eyeblink conditioning in mice

While research on the cerebellar cortex is crystallizing our understanding of its function in learning behavior, many questions surrounding its downstream targets remain. Here, we evaluate the dynamics of cerebellar interpositus nucleus (IpN) neurons over the course of Pavlovian eyeblink conditioning. A diverse range of learning-induced neuronal responses was observed, including increases and decreases in activity during the generation of conditioned blinks. Trial-by-trial correlational analysis and optogenetic manipulation demonstrate that facilitation in the IpN drives the eyelid movements. Adaptive facilitatory responses are often preceded by acquired transient inhibition of IpN activity that, based on latency and effect, appear to be driven by complex spikes in cerebellar cortical Purkinje cells. Likewise, during reflexive blinks to periocular stimulation, IpN cells show excitation-suppression patterns that suggest a contribution of climbing fibers and their collaterals. These findings highlight the integrative properties of subcortical neurons at the cerebellar output stage mediating conditioned behavior.
Indentation model and strain gradient plasticity law for glassy polymers

Plastic deformation of metals is generally a function of the strain. Recently, both phenomenological and dislocation-based strain gradient plasticity laws were proposed after strain gradients were experimentally found to affect the plastic deformation of the metal. A strain gradient plasticity law is developed on the basis of molecular theory of yield for glassy polymers. A strain gradient plasticity modulus with temperature and molecular dependence is proposed and related to indentation hardness. The physics of the strain gradient plasticity in glassy polymer is then discussed in relation to the modulus.
Unexpected High Diversity of Galling Insects in the Amazonian Upper Canopy: The Savanna Out There

A relatively large number of studies reassert the strong relationship between galling insect diversity and extreme hydric and thermal status in some habitats, and an overall pattern of a greater number of galling species in the understory of scleromorphic vegetation. We compared galling insect diversity in the forest canopy and its relationship with tree richness among upland terra firme, várzea, and igapó floodplains in Amazonia, Brazil. The soils of these forest types have highly different hydric and nutritional status. Overall, we examined the upper layer of 1,091 tree crowns. Galling species richness and abundance were higher in terra firme forests compared to várzea and igapó forests. GLM-ANCOVA models revealed that the number of tree species sampled in each forest type was determinant in the gall-forming insect diversity. The ratio between galling insect richness and number of tree species sampled (GIR/TSS ratio) was higher in the terra firme forest and in seasonally flooded igapó, while the várzea presented the lowest GIR/TSS ratio. In this study, we recorded unprecedented values of galling species diversity and abundance per sampling point. The GIR/TSS ratio from várzea was approximately 2.5 times higher than the highest value of this ratio ever reported in the literature. Based on this fact, we ascertained that várzea and igapó floodplain forests (with lower GIA and GIR), together with the speciose terra firme galling community emerge as the gall diversity apex landscape among all biogeographic regions already investigated. Contrary to expectation, our results also support the “harsh environment hypothesis”, and unveil the Amazonian upper canopy as similar to Mediterranean vegetation habitats, hygrothermically stressed environments with leaf temperature at lethal limits and high levels of leaf sclerophylly.
iDNA-Prot|dis: Identifying DNA-Binding Proteins by Incorporating Amino Acid Distance-Pairs and Reduced Alphabet Profile into the General Pseudo Amino Acid Composition

Playing crucial roles in various cellular processes, such as recognition of specific nucleotide sequences, regulation of transcription, and regulation of gene expression, DNA-binding proteins are essential ingredients for both eukaryotic and prokaryotic proteomes. With the avalanche of protein sequences generated in the postgenomic age, it is a critical challenge to develop automated methods for accurate and rapidly identifying DNA-binding proteins based on their sequence information alone. Here, a novel predictor, called “iDNA-Prot|dis”, was established by incorporating the amino acid distance-pair coupling information and the amino acid reduced alphabet profile into the general pseudo amino acid composition (PseAAC) vector. The former can capture the characteristics of DNA-binding proteins so as to enhance its prediction quality, while the latter can reduce the dimension of PseAAC vector so as to speed up its prediction process. It was observed by the rigorous jackknife and independent dataset tests that the new predictor outperformed the existing predictors for the same purpose. As a user-friendly web-server, iDNA-Prot|dis is accessible to the public at http://bioinformatics.hitsz. edu.cn/iDNA-Prot_dis/. Moreover, for the convenience of the vast majority of experimental scientists, a step-by-step protocol guide is provided on how to use the web-server to get their desired results without the need to follow the complicated mathematic equations that are presented in this paper just for the integrity of its developing process. It is anticipated that the iDNA-Prot|dis predictor may become a useful high throughput tool for large-scale analysis of DNA-binding proteins, or at the very least, play a complementary role to the existing predictors in this regard.
Association of Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Liver Enzymes in a Nationally Representative Sample of Iranian Adolescents: The Childhood and Adolescence Surveillance and Prevention of Adult Noncommunicable Disease Study

Background: Hypovitaminosis D is highly prevalent and has several adverse health effects. This study aims to assess the relationship of serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH] D) and liver enzymes in adolescents. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among a nationally representative multistage sample of 1095 adolescents (52% boys), aged 10–18 years, living in different provinces of Iran. Serum 25(OH)D concentration <30 ng/mL was considered as hypovitaminosis D, and liver enzymes (alanine aminotransaminase [ALT] and aspartate aminotransaminase [AST]) of >40 U/L was considered as high level. To determine the association between serum 25(OH)D categories and elevated levels of liver enzymes, multiple regression models and linear regression analysis were applied, after adjustment for potential confounders. Odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of serum 25(OH)D and elevated liver enzymes were assessed by logistic regression analysis. Results: Higher rates of Vitamin D deficiency were documented among individuals with increased levels of liver enzymes. Compared to boys, median of 25(OH)D was lower in girls with elevated levels of liver function tests (12.75 vs. 25.60 ng/mL for ALT and 13 vs. 14.10 ng/mL for AST), with marginally significant gender differences regarding AST. Conclusions: We found a relatively high frequency of hypovitaminosis D among adolescents with abnormal liver function. Further prospective studies are needed to examine these associations from early life.
Phosphatidylserine-Targeted Nanotheranostics for Brain Tumor Imaging and Therapeutic Potential

Phosphatidylserine (PS), the most abundant anionic phospholipid in cell membrane, is strictly confined to the inner leaflet in normal cells. However, this PS asymmetry is found disruptive in many tumor vascular endothelial cells. We discuss the underlying mechanisms for PS asymmetry maintenance in normal cells and its loss in tumor cells. The specificity of PS exposure in tumor vasculature but not normal blood vessels may establish it a useful biomarker for cancer molecular imaging. Indeed, utilizing PS-targeting antibodies, multiple imaging probes have been developed and multimodal imaging data have shown their high tumor-selective targeting in various cancers. There is a critical need for improved diagnosis and therapy for brain tumors. We have recently established PS-targeted nanoplatforms, aiming to enhance delivery of imaging contrast agents across the blood–brain barrier to facilitate imaging of brain tumors. Advantages of using the nanodelivery system, in particular, lipid-based nanocarriers, are discussed here. We also describe our recent research interest in developing PS-targeted nanotheranostics for potential image-guided drug delivery to treat brain tumors.
Aging and Half-Ironman Performance

Background/Study Context: Previous research on triathlon performance analyzed age trends for the Top Ten or Top Five finishers in world championship or national races at Olympic, Half-Ironman, and Ironman distances. The findings indicated higher age declines and/or earlier onset of decline in swimming and running than cycling. However, the designs of those studies took no account of possible differences between cross-sectional and longitudinal trends (i.e., cohort differences versus age changes). Methods: This study analyzed performance times over the inaugural 5 years of the Half-Ironman world championship held in Clearwater, Florida, from 2006 to 2010. Only one previous study is known that examined age trends in performance for this triathlon distance. The data from the official race results showed 5549 age class competitors that provided 6541 sets of observations. Analyses by mixed linear modeling (MLM) partitioned the data to compare discrete and interactive cross-sectional and longitudinal trends for swimming, cycling, and running, respectively. Results: The findings showed an historical decrease in cycling and running but not swimming times. Performance times were lower by men than women, with the gender discrepancy higher in some older age classes. Comparable to earlier findings for the Half-Ironman triathlon, cross-sectional performance decline was apparent for all triathlon activities from an early cohort age (i.e., 35–39 years). Although longitudinal trend showed significant gains for swimming, running, and overall times, interactions between cohort age and age change showed longitudinal decline that began at a younger cohort age for running (35–39 years) than swimming (50–55 years), but the interaction was nonsignificant for cycling. These interactions add to the knowledge about cohort differences and age changes in triathlon performance. Conclusions: Practical applications of the findings suggest that conservation of effort might explain the absence of longitudinal change in cycling performance at older cohort ages. The authors reason that increased effort in cycling might benefit overall times of older triathletes.
THE TREATMENT OF ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS MARSHA

Alcoholic hepatitis is a precirrhotic lesion; it develops in only a minority of chronic alcohol abusers even after decades of abuse The clinical spectrum of disease varies from asymptomatic hepatomegaly to florid hepatocellular failure with gastrointestinal bleeding and hepatic encephalopathy. Corresponding variation is observed both in morbidity and mortality. The majority of individuals with mild to moderate alcoholic hepatitis improve significantly following abstinence from alcohol and the provision of a diet sufficient to meet their nutritional requirements, their long-term outcome is determined largely by their ability to maintain abstinence from alcohol. Individuals with severe alcoholic hepatitis require intensive nutritional support and vigorous management of the complications of their liver injury; their outcome is generally poor. A small, carefully selected subgroup of these very sick patients may benefit, at least in the short-term, from treatment with corticosteroids; the place of orthotopic hepatic transplantation. in this patient group, is still the subject of debate No other treatment modalities have been shown to confer benefit consistently. A number of new therapeutic approaches have been proposed and need to be explored
Changes in scoring of Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) forms and the impact on competence assessment

Abstract Background Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) is an established competence assessment tool in endoscopy. In July 2016, the DOPS scoring format changed from a performance-based scale to a supervision-based scale. We aimed to evaluate the impact of changes to the DOPS scale format on the distribution of scores in novice trainees and on competence assessment. Methods We performed a prospective, multicenter (n = 276), observational study of formative DOPS assessments in endoscopy trainees with ≤ 100 lifetime procedures. DOPS were submitted in the 6-months before July 2016 (old scale) and after (new scale) for gastroscopy (n = 2998), sigmoidoscopy (n = 1310), colonoscopy (n = 3280), and polypectomy (n = 631). Scores for old and new DOPS were aligned to a 4-point scale and compared. Results 8219 DOPS (43 % new and 57 % old) submitted for 1300 trainees were analyzed. Compared with old DOPS, the use of the new DOPS was associated with greater utilization of the lowest score (2.4 % vs. 0.9 %; P < 0.001), broader range of scores, and a reduction in competent scores (60.8 % vs. 86.9 %; P < 0.001). The reduction in competent scores was evident on subgroup analysis across all procedure types (P < 0.001) and for each quartile of endoscopy experience. The new DOPS was superior in characterizing the endoscopy learning curve by demonstrating progression of competent scores across quartiles of procedural experience. Conclusions Endoscopy assessors applied a greater range of scores using the new DOPS scale based on degree of supervision in two cohorts of trainees matched for experience. Our study provides construct validity evidence in support of the new scale format.
On the Other Side of the Fence: Effects of Social Categorization and Spatial Grouping on Memory and Attention for Own-Race and Other-Race Faces

The term “own-race bias” refers to the phenomenon that humans are typically better at recognizing faces from their own than a different race. The perceptual expertise account assumes that our face perception system has adapted to the faces we are typically exposed to, equipping it poorly for the processing of other-race faces. Sociocognitive theories assume that other-race faces are initially categorized as out-group, decreasing motivation to individuate them. Supporting sociocognitive accounts, a recent study has reported improved recognition for other-race faces when these were categorized as belonging to the participants' in-group on a second social dimension, i.e., their university affiliation. Faces were studied in groups, containing both own-race and other-race faces, half of each labeled as in-group and out-group, respectively. When study faces were spatially grouped by race, participants showed a clear own-race bias. When faces were grouped by university affiliation, recognition of other-race faces from the social in-group was indistinguishable from own-race face recognition. The present study aimed at extending this singular finding to other races of faces and participants. Forty Asian and 40 European Australian participants studied Asian and European faces for a recognition test. Faces were presented in groups, containing an equal number of own-university and other-university Asian and European faces. Between participants, faces were grouped either according to race or university affiliation. Eye tracking was used to study the distribution of spatial attention to individual faces in the display. The race of the study faces significantly affected participants' memory, with better recognition of own-race than other-race faces. However, memory was unaffected by the university affiliation of the faces and by the criterion for their spatial grouping on the display. Eye tracking revealed strong looking biases towards both own-race and own-university faces. Results are discussed in light of the theoretical accounts of the own-race bias.
In-depth Analysis of Pattern of Occupational Injuries and Utilization of Safety Measures among Workers of Railway Wagon Repair Workshop in Jhansi (U.P.)

Context: Occupational injuries constitute a global health challenge, yet they receive comparatively modest scientific attention. Pattern of occupational injuries and its safety precautions among wagon repair workers is an important health issue, especially in developing countries like India. Aims: To assess the pattern of occupational injuries and utilization of safety measures among railway wagon repair workshop workers in Jhansi (U.P.). Settings and Design: Railway wagon repair workshop urban area, Jhansi (U.P). Occupation-based cross-sectional study. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 309 workers of railway workshop in Jhansi (U.P.) who were all injured during the study period of 1 year from July 2015 to June 2016. Baseline characteristics, pattern of occupational injuries, safety measures, and their availability to and utilization by the participants were assessed using a pretested structured questionnaire. Statistical Analysis Used: Data obtained were collected and analyzed statistically by simple proportions and Chi-square test. Results: The majority of studied workers aged between 38 and 47 years (n = 93, 30.6%) followed by 28–37 years (n = 79, 26%). Among the pattern of occupational injuries, laceration (28.7%) was most common followed by abrasion/scratch (21%). Safety shoes and hat were utilized 100% by all workers. Many of them had more than 5 years of experience (n = 237, 78%). Age group, education level, and utilization of safety measures were significantly associated with pattern of occupational injuries in univariate analysis (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Occupational injuries are high and utilization of safety measures is low among workers on railway wagon repair workshop, which highlights the importance of strengthening safety regulatory services toward this group of workers. Younger age group workers show a significant association with open wounds and surface wounds. As the education level of workers increases, the incidence of injuries decreases. Apart from shoes, hat, and gloves, regular utilization of other personal protective equipment was not seen.