Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Battery‐Free and Wireless Epidermal Electrochemical System with All‐Printed Stretchable Electrode Array for Multiplexed In Situ Sweat Analysis

Skin‐interfaced electrochemical sensing devices are widely developed for biochemical sensing at molecular levels. However, the sensing electrodes fabricated with photolithography or printing technique are hard to achieve high stretchability without special designs like serpentine shape. Also, most of them require wired connections with external electrochemical workstations for data acquisition or on‐board batteries to power the circuits, which largely restrain the flexibility, simplification, and miniaturization of the devices. Here, a battery‐free, wireless, and epidermal electrochemical system is presented for in situ biochemical sensing. The sensing component of the system is a stretchable electrode array all‐printed with soft polymer and conductive silver nanowires. The electrodes show stable electrical properties within strain range of 0–50%, without serpentine designs. The electronic component of the system is a fully integrated flexible circuit board with near field communication module, which enables wireless energy harvesting and data transmission with smartphones. The system demonstrates good performance in real‐time on‐body sweat analysis for simultaneous quantitative detections of glucose, hydrogen, sodium, and potassium. This battery‐free and wireless epidermal electrochemical system provides a simplified, miniaturized, and flexible solution for a wide range of biochemical platforms, including wearable and implanted bioelectronics.
The Genetic Interpretation of Area under the ROC Curve in Genomic Profiling

Genome-wide association studies in human populations have facilitated the creation of genomic profiles which combine the effects of many associated genetic variants to predict risk of disease. The area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve is a well established measure for determining the efficacy of tests in correctly classifying diseased and non-diseased individuals. We use quantitative genetics theory to provide insight into the genetic interpretation of the area under the ROC curve (AUC) when the test classifier is a predictor of genetic risk. Even when the proportion of genetic variance explained by the test is 100%, there is a maximum value for AUC that depends on the genetic epidemiology of the disease, i.e. either the sibling recurrence risk or heritability and disease prevalence. We derive an equation relating maximum AUC to heritability and disease prevalence. The expression can be reversed to calculate the proportion of genetic variance explained given AUC, disease prevalence, and heritability. We use published estimates of disease prevalence and sibling recurrence risk for 17 complex genetic diseases to calculate the proportion of genetic variance that a test must explain to achieve AUC = 0.75; this varied from 0.10 to 0.74. We provide a genetic interpretation of AUC for use with predictors of genetic risk based on genomic profiles. We provide a strategy to estimate proportion of genetic variance explained on the liability scale from estimates of AUC, disease prevalence, and heritability (or sibling recurrence risk) available as an online calculator.
Stroke and dementia

Abstract Objective: The current review covers causes and risk factors of vascular dementia, including single infarct, multi-infarct and cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy. Comparisons and distinctions are made between vascular dementia and Alzheimer's dementia, including shared vascular features and risk factors, differential diagnosis based on presenting history, neuropsychological testing results and neuroimaging findings. Neuropsychological findings associated with vascular dementia are discussed, and efforts towards stroke prevention and limiting the recurrence of stroke, as well as emerging treatment possibilities for cognitive decline associated with vascular dementia, are presented. Methods: A PubMed-based literature review was performed to acquire recent peer-reviewed publications on vascular dementia. Results: Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability, dementia and death. Within the USA, roughly 660,000 persons will experience a stroke each year. Although many individuals go on to demonstrate substantial improvement and recovery following stroke, a substantial percentage show residual effects including dementia. Vascular dementia has variable causes and manifestations, and research is revealing increasingly more common ground between vascular dementia and Alzheimer's dementia. However, vascular dementia often remains clinically distinct from Alzheimer's dementia, and profiles of neuropsychological impairment can be used to differentiate vascular dementia from the more common Alzheimer's dementia with some success. Conclusion: Vascular dementia causes dependence and disability. Most stroke survivors show improvement, but many develop dementia. Understanding for vascular dementia has recently improved, leading to improved treatment planning. Further research, especially on treatment for vascular dementia, is greatly needed.
Postglacial colonization of Europe by the barbastelle bat: agreement between molecular data and past predictive modelling

The barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus) is a rare forest bat with a wide distribution in Europe. Here, we combine results from the analysis of two mtDNA fragments with species distribution modelling to determine glacial refugia and postglacial colonization routes. We also investigated whether niche conservatism occurs in this species. Glacial refugia were identified in the three southern European peninsulas: Iberia, Italy and the Balkans. These latter two refugia played a major role in the postglacial colonization process, with their populations expanding to England and central Europe, respectively. Palaeo‐distribution models predicted that suitable climatic conditions existed in the inferred refugia during the last glacial maximum (LGM). Nevertheless, the overlap between the current and the LGM distributions was almost inexistent in Italy and in the Balkans, meaning that B. barbastellus populations were forced to shift range between glacial and interglacial periods, a process that probably caused some local extinctions. In contrast, Iberian populations showed a ‘refugia within refugium’ pattern, with two unconnected areas containing stable populations (populations that subsisted during both glacial and interglacial phases). Moreover, the match between LGM models and the refugial areas determined by molecular analysis supported the hypothesis of niche conservatism in B. barbastellus. We argue that geographic patterns of genetic structuring, altogether with the modelling results, indicate the existence of four management units for conservation: Morocco, Iberia, Italy and UK, and Balkans and central Europe. In addition, all countries sampled possessed unique gene pools, thus stressing the need for the conservation of local populations.
Testing optimal foraging theory in a penguin–krill system

Food is heterogeneously distributed in nature, and understanding how animals search for and exploit food patches is a fundamental challenge in ecology. The classic marginal value theorem (MVT) formulates optimal patch residence time in response to patch quality. The MVT was generally proved in controlled animal experiments; however, owing to the technical difficulties in recording foraging behaviour in the wild, it has been inadequately examined in natural predator–prey systems, especially those in the three-dimensional marine environment. Using animal-borne accelerometers and video cameras, we collected a rare dataset in which the behaviour of a marine predator (penguin) was recorded simultaneously with the capture timings of mobile, patchily distributed prey (krill). We provide qualitative support for the MVT by showing that (i) krill capture rate diminished with time in each dive, as assumed in the MVT, and (ii) dive duration (or patch residence time, controlled for dive depth) increased with short-term, dive-scale krill capture rate, but decreased with long-term, bout-scale krill capture rate, as predicted from the MVT. Our results demonstrate that a single environmental factor (i.e. patch quality) can have opposite effects on animal behaviour depending on the time scale, emphasizing the importance of multi-scale approaches in understanding complex foraging strategies.
Technical Evaluation of the Novel Preanalytical Module on Instrumentation Laboratory ACL TOP

Automation in hemostasis testing is entering an exciting and unprecedented phase. This study was planned to assess the performance of the new preanalytical module on the hemostasis testing system Instrumentation Laboratory ACL TOP. The evaluation included interference studies to define reliable thresholds for rejecting samples with significant concentrations of interfering substances; within-run imprecision studies of plasma indices on four different interference degrees for each index; comparison studies with reference measures of hemolysis index, bilirubin, and triglycerides on clinical chemistry analyzers; and calculation of turnaround time with and without automatic performance of preanalytical check. The upper limits for sample rejection according to our interference studies were 3.6 g/L for hemoglobin, 13.6 mg/dL for bilirubin, and 1454 mg/dL for triglycerides. We found optimal precision for all indices (0.6% to 3.1% at clinically relevant thresholds) and highly significant correlations with reference measures on clinical chemistry analyzers (from 0.985 to 0.998). The limited increase of turnaround time (i.e., +3% and +5% with or without cap-piercing), coupled with no adjunctive costs over performance of normal coagulation assays, contribute to make the automatic check of plasma indices on ACL TOP a reliable and practical approach for improving testing quality and safeguarding patient safety.
Inhibitory effects of brain chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans on neurite outgrowth from PC12D cells

Soluble chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), prepared from 10-d- old rat brain, were added to the culture medium of PC12D cells containing NGF to examine the effects on NGF-induced neurite outgrowth from the cells. PC12D cells, a flat-shaped variant of PC12 pheochromocytoma cells, are characteristic of prompt neurite formation in response not only to NGF, but also to cAMP-enhancing reagents such as forskolin. Brain CSPGs inhibited the neurite elongation irreversibly in a dose-dependent manner; complete inhibition was observed at a concentration of 50 nmol uronic acid/ml. Closely similar dose-dependent inhibition was observed in the forskolin-induced neurite outgrowth from PC12D cells. NGF-induced neurite outgrowth from conventional PC12 cells was also inhibited completely by 50 nmol uronic acid/ml CSPGs. Some brain CSPGs seemed to be inhibitory, but the cartilage-unique CSPG did not show any inhibitory effect. Chondroitin sulfate, a polysaccharide moiety of CSPGs, did not show any inhibitory effect even at a concentration of 250 nmol uronic acid/ml, while core proteins prepared from brain CSPGs by digestion with chondroitinase ABC exhibited inhibitory activity similar to that of intact CSPGs. This indicates that the site of the inhibitory activity exists in the core protein moiety of brain CSPGs. From these observations, it is conceivable that brain CSPGs are involved in the regulation of neuronal differentiation.
Metolachlor persistence in laboratory and field soils under Indian tropical conditions

Abstract Metolachlor [2‐chloro‐N‐(2‐methoxy‐1‐methylethyl)‐2'‐ethyl‐6'‐methyl acetanilide] dissipation under both field and laboratory conditions were studied during summer season in an Indian soil. Metolachlor was found to have moderate persistence with a half‐life of 27 days in field. The herbicide got leached down to 15–30 cm soil layer and residues were found up to harvest day of the sunflower crop in both 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm soil layers. Metolachlor was found to be more persistent in laboratory studies conducted for 190 days. The rate of degradation was faster in soil under flooded partial anaerobic conditions as compared to aerobic soil with a half‐life of 44.3 days. In aerobic soil, metolachlor was very stable with only 49% dissipation in 130 days. Residues remained in both the soils up to the end of the experimental period of 190 days.
The role of incentive in discrimination learning in children.

Many of the experiments involving the effects of different incentives on children's learning have employed relatively complex tasks (0, 3). In order to provide for more rigorous experimental control, more incentive studies involving children's learning of simple concepts need to be done. Then, as we improve our experimental methods, we can more satisfactorily study the effects of incentives on the learning of more complex tasks. Accordingly, the experiment reported here is the second in a series designed to study the effects of various incentives on simple discrimination learning and transposition in children. In a previous study (5), the differential effects of five incentives on the acquisition and transposition of a button pushing response to the larger of two three-dimensional geometric objects were studied. The five incentives employed were praise, immediate candy, reproof, delayed candy, and light flash. In this earlier problem, the Ss, preand elementary school children, assigned to the immediate candy incentive condition learned the concept "larger than" significantly more quickly than did the Ss of all other groups, and transposed more consistently than did any of the other groups except the delayed incentive Ss. The nonsignificant difference in performance of the immediate and delayed groups on the transposition test was somewhat surprising. Even more surprising, perhaps, was the fact that, under the delayed incentive condition, the younger Ss, fourand five-year-olds, learned just as quickly and transposed just as consistently as the older Ss, eightand nine-year-olds. This is contrary to reports of casual observation made by teachers and other supervisors of children's learning. It was believed that the nature of the delayed reward facilitated learning and transfer. The Ss transferred a dried bean from one jar to another after each correct response, and were told that as soon as they had transferred enough of the beans they could trade
Infective endocarditis in haemodialysis patients: 16-year experience at one institution

Objectives. To ascertain the characteristics, outcomes and correlates of mortality in chronic haemodialysis patients with confirmed infective endocarditis (IE). Methods. Patients were identified by computerized discharge diagnosis and chart review of admissions to Saint Louis University hospital from January 1990 through January 2006. Modified Duke Criteria were retrospectively applied to confirm the diagnosis of IE. Survivors and non-survivors were compared to identify clinical correlates of IE mortality. Results. We identified 59 patients with IE who had received dialysis for a mean duration of 52.9 ± 58.0 months prior to IE diagnosis. Dialysis access comprised 28 (47.5%) catheters, 26 (44.1%) arteriovenous grafts, 3 (5.1%) arteriovenous fistulas and 2 (3.4%) life sites. The causative organisms were MRSA in 15 (25%), MSSA 12 (20%), S. Epidermidis 10 (17%), Enterococci 8 (14%), multi-organism 6 (10%), gram negative 2 (3%) and VRE 1 (2%). Valves involved were mitral valve in 37 (63%), aortic valve in 10 (17%), tricuspid valve in 3 (5%) and multiple valves in 8 (13%) cases. Patient mortality was 28.8% (n = 17) during hospitalization, 37.9% (n = 22) at 30 days and 63.1% (n = 36) at 1 year. In multivariable logistic regression, the adjusted odds ratio of in-hospital mortality was 3.6-fold higher in those with IE and arteriovenous grafts (P = 0.04, 95% CI 1.04–12.27) compared to other forms of dialysis access. Conclusion. Mortality of IE remains high, despite the availability of potent antibiotics. Patients with arteriovenous grafts who develop IE may face increased risk for in-hospital mortality, perhaps reflecting difficulty eradicating endovascular infection if a graft is involved.
Observations on the postpartum shivering phenomenon.

Fifty healthy, nonmedicated, laboring women who had normal spontaneous vaginal deliveries were studied to determine the incidence, time of onset, severity, duration, temperature patterns and relationship of various perinatal factors to the postpartum shivering phenomenon. Axillary temperature was recorded on admission, before delivery, at delivery and every 15 minutes postpartum for 75 minutes. The degree and duration of shivering were quantified visually. The environmental temperature was recorded. Of the 50 women, 22 (44%) commenced shivering during delivery or up to 30 minutes postpartum. Shiverers and nonshiverers exhibited a reduction in the mean axillary temperature during labor, with a rise post-partum (P less than .002). The median axillary temperature of the shiverers at all time points was higher than that of the nonshiverers and was statistically significant 30 (P less than .01), 45 (P less than .003), 60 (P less than .004) and 75 minutes (P less than .001) after delivery. The shiverers tended to raise their postdelivery temperature somewhat later than did the nonshiverers. The temperature pattern of both shiverers and nonshiverers fell during labor, and the temperature pattern of the shiverers differed from that of the nonshiverers postpartum. The mean delivery room temperature for shiverers was lower than for nonshiverers (P less than .009), as was the mean recovery room temperature (P less than .03). Environmental temperature may play a heretofore unsuspected role in the postpartum shivering phenomenon.
Immunohistochemical Validation and Expression Profiling of NKG2D Ligands in a Wide Spectrum of Human Epithelial Neoplasms

The MHC class I-chain-related proteins (MICs) and the UL16-binding proteins (ULBPs) are inducible stress response molecules that work as activators of a specific receptor, NKG2D, which is expressed on effector cells, such as NK cells and subsets of T cells. In this study, we sought to explore the biological significance of NKG2D ligands in human neoplasms by comprehensively examining the immunohistochemical expression profile of NKG2D ligands in a variety of human epithelial neoplasms. Following careful validation of the immunohistochemical specificity and availability of anti-human ULBP antibodies for formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) materials, the expression of NKG2D ligands was analyzed in FFPE tissue microarrays comprising 22 types of epithelial neoplastic tissue with their non-neoplastic counterpart from various organs. Hierarchical cluster analysis demonstrated a positive relationship among ULBP2/6, ULBP3, ULBP1, and ULBP5, whose expression patterns were similar across all of the neoplastic tissues examined. In contrast, MICA/B, as well as ULBP4, did not appear to be related to any other ligand. These expression profiles of NKG2D ligands in human neoplasms based on well-validated specific antibodies, followed by hierarchical cluster analysis, should help to clarify some functional aspects of these molecules in cancer biology, and also provide a path to the development of novel tumor-type-specific treatment strategies.
Reinforcement in Al Matrix Composites: A Review of Strengthening Behavior of Nano‐Sized Particles

Aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) reinforced with the nano‐sized particles are very important materials for the applications in industrial fields. These aluminum matrix composites consist of an aluminum matrix and nano‐sized particles, which own very different physical and mechanical properties from those of the matrix. Nano‐sized particles show a more obvious strengthening effect on the matrix than the micro‐sized particles do, because of the high specific surface area which is positive for the pinning effect during the deformation process. Thus, the nano‐sized particle‐reinforced AMCs usually exhibit a good ductility. The main issues of the fabrication methods are the low wettability between the nano‐sized particles and the molten aluminum alloys, which is fatal to the conventional casting methods, and the agglomeration of nano‐sized particles which happened easier than the larger particles. Several alternative processes have been presented in literature for the production of the nano‐sized particle‐reinforced aluminum composites. This paper is aimed at reviewing the feasible manufacturing techniques used for the fabrication of nano‐sized particle‐reinforced aluminum composites. More importantly, the strengthening mechanisms and models which are responsible for the improvement of mechanical properties of the nano‐sized particle‐reinforced aluminum composites have been reviewed.
Incidence and seasonality of hypothermia among newborns in southern Nepal.

OBJECTIVE To quantify incidence, age distribution, and seasonality of neonatal hypothermia among a large population cohort. DESIGN Longitudinal cohort study. SETTING Sarlahi, Nepal. PARTICIPANTS A total of 23 240 newborns born between September 2, 2002, and February 1, 2006. Main Exposures Community-based workers recorded axillary temperature on days 1 through 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 21, and 28 (213 636 total measurements). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Regression smoothing was used to describe axillary temperature patterns during the newborn period. Hypothermia incidence in the first day, week, and month were estimated using standard cutoffs. Ambient temperatures allowed comparison of mild hypothermia (36.0 degrees C to <36.5 degrees C) and moderate or severe hypothermia (<36.0 degrees C) incidence over mean ambient temperature quintiles. RESULTS Measurements lower than 36.5 degrees C were observed in 21 459 babies (92.3%); half (48.6%) had moderate or severe hypothermia, and risk peaked in the first 24 to 72 hours of life. Risk of moderate or severe hypothermia increased by 41.3% (95% confidence interval, 40.0%-42.7%) for every 5 degrees C decrease in average ambient temperature. Relative to the highest quintile, risk was 4.03 (95% confidence interval, 3.77-4.30) times higher among babies exposed to the lowest quintile of average ambient temperature. In the hot season, one-fifth of the babies (18.2%) were observed below the moderate hypothermia cutoff. CONCLUSIONS Mild or moderate hypothermia was nearly universal, with substantially higher risk in the cold season. However, incidence in the hot season was also high; thus, year-round thermal care promotion is required. Research on community, household, and caretaker practices associated with hypothermia can guide behavioral interventions to reduce risk.
Toll-Like Receptor 2 Is Required for Optimal Control of Listeria monocytogenes Infection

ABSTRACT The control of Listeria monocytogenes infection depends on the rapid activation of the innate immune system, likely through Toll-like receptors (TLR), since mice deficient for the common adapter protein of TLR signaling, myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), succumb to Listeria infection. In order to test whether TLR2 is involved in the control of infections, we compared the host response in TLR2-deficient mice with that in wild-type mice. Here we show that TLR2-deficient mice are more susceptible to systemic infection by Listeria than are wild-type mice, with a reduced survival rate, increased bacterial burden in the liver, and abundant and larger hepatic microabscesses containing increased numbers of neutrophils. The production of tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-12, and nitric oxide and the expression of the costimulatory molecules CD40 and CD86, which are necessary for the control of infection, were reduced in TLR2-deficient macrophages and dendritic cells stimulated by Listeria and were almost abolished in the absence of MyD88, coincident with the high susceptibility of MyD88-deficient mice to in vivo infection. Therefore, the present data demonstrate a role for TLR2 in the control of Listeria infection, but other MyD88-dependent signals may contribute to host resistance.