Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The p Factor

Mental disorders traditionally have been viewed as distinct, episodic, and categorical conditions. This view has been challenged by evidence that many disorders are sequentially comorbid, recurrent/chronic, and exist on a continuum. Using the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, we examined the structure of psychopathology, taking into account dimensionality, persistence, co-occurrence, and sequential comorbidity of mental disorders across 20 years, from adolescence to midlife. Psychiatric disorders were initially explained by three higher-order factors (Internalizing, Externalizing, and Thought Disorder) but explained even better with one General Psychopathology dimension. We have called this dimension the p factor because it conceptually parallels a familiar dimension in psychological science: the g factor of general intelligence. Higher p scores are associated with more life impairment, greater familiality, worse developmental histories, and more compromised early-life brain function. The p factor explains why it is challenging to find causes, consequences, biomarkers, and treatments with specificity to individual mental disorders. Transdiagnostic approaches may improve research.
Learning by Demonstration for Motion Planning of Upper-Limb Exoskeletons

The reference joint position of upper-limb exoskeletons is typically obtained by means of Cartesian motion planners and inverse kinematics algorithms with the inverse Jacobian; this approach allows exploiting the available Degrees of Freedom (i.e. DoFs) of the robot kinematic chain to achieve the desired end-effector pose; however, if used to operate non-redundant exoskeletons, it does not ensure that anthropomorphic criteria are satisfied in the whole human-robot workspace. This paper proposes a motion planning system, based on Learning by Demonstration, for upper-limb exoskeletons that allow successfully assisting patients during Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) in unstructured environment, while ensuring that anthropomorphic criteria are satisfied in the whole human-robot workspace. The motion planning system combines Learning by Demonstration with the computation of Dynamic Motion Primitives and machine learning techniques to construct task- and patient-specific joint trajectories based on the learnt trajectories. System validation was carried out in simulation and in a real setting with a 4-DoF upper-limb exoskeleton, a 5-DoF wrist-hand exoskeleton and four patients with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. Validation was addressed to (i) compare the performance of the proposed motion planning with traditional methods; (ii) assess the generalization capabilities of the proposed method with respect to the environment variability. Three ADLs were chosen to validate the system: drinking, pouring and lifting a light sphere. The achieved results showed a 100% success rate in the task fulfillment, with a high level of generalization with respect to the environment variability. Moreover, an anthropomorphic configuration of the exoskeleton is always ensured.
Thermal Transmission through Existing Building Enclosures: Destructive Monitoring in Intermediate Layers versus Non-Destructive Monitoring with Sensors on Surfaces

Opaque enclosures of buildings play an essential role in the level of comfort experienced indoors and annual energy demand. The impact of solar radiation and thermal inertia of the materials that make up the multi-layer enclosures substantially modify thermal transmittance behaviour of the enclosures. This dynamic form of heat transfer, additionally affected by indoor HVAC systems, has a substantial effect on the parameters that define comfort. It also has an impact on energy demand within a daily cycle as well as throughout a one-year use cycle. This study describes the destructive monitoring of an existing block of flats located in Alicante. Once the enclosure was opened, sensors of temperature (PT100), air velocity, and relative humidity were located in the different layers of the enclosure, as well as in the interior and exterior surfaces. A pyranometer was also installed to measure solar radiation levels. A temperature data correction algorithm was drawn up to address irregularities produced in the enclosure. The algorithm was applied using a Raspberry Pi processor in the data collection system. The comparative results of temperature gradients versus non-destructive monitoring systems are presented, providing measures of the transmittance value, surface temperatures and indoor and outdoor air temperatures. This remote sensing system can be used in future studies to quantify and compare the energy savings of different enclosure construction solutions.
Plasticizing Effects of Polyamines in Protein-Based Films

Zeta potential and nanoparticle size were determined on film forming solutions of native and heat-denatured proteins of bitter vetch as a function of pH and of different concentrations of the polyamines spermidine and spermine, both in the absence and presence of the plasticizer glycerol. Our results showed that both polyamines decreased the negative zeta potential of all samples under pH 8.0 as a consequence of their ionic interaction with proteins. At the same time, they enhanced the dimension of nanoparticles under pH 8.0 as a result of macromolecular aggregations. By using native protein solutions, handleable films were obtained only from samples containing either a minimum of 33 mM glycerol or 4 mM spermidine, or both compounds together at lower glycerol concentrations. However, 2 mM spermidine was sufficient to obtain handleable film by using heat-treated samples without glycerol. Conversely, brittle materials were obtained by spermine alone, thus indicating that only spermidine was able to act as an ionic plasticizer. Lastly, both polyamines, mainly spermine, were found able to act as “glycerol-like” plasticizers at concentrations higher than 5 mM under experimental conditions at which their amino groups are undissociated. Our findings open new perspectives in obtaining protein-based films by using aliphatic polycations as components.
Effectiveness of a LED flashlight technique in reducing livestock depredation by lions (Panthera leo) around Nairobi National Park, Kenya

The global lion (Panthera leo) population decline is partly a result of retaliatory killing in response to livestock depredation. Nairobi National Park (NNP) is a small protected area in Kenya surrounded by a human-dominated landscape. Communities around the park use flashlights to deter lions from their livestock bomas. We investigated the response by lions to the installation of a LED flashlight technique during 2007–2016.We interviewed 80 owners of livestock bomas with flashlights (n = 43) and without (n = 37) flashlights in the surroundings of NNP and verified reported attacks on bomas against predation data over10 years. The frequency of attacks on bomas equipped with flashlights was significantly lower compared to bomas without flashlights. We also found that after flashlight installation at livestock bomas, lion attacks took place further away from the park edge, towards areas where bomas without flashlights were still present. With increased numbers of flashlight installations at bomas in recent years, we further noticed a shift from nocturnal to more diurnal predation incidences. Our study shows that the LED flashlight technique is effective in reducing nocturnal livestock predation at bomas by lions. Long term studies on the effects as well as expansion of this technique into other communities around NNP are recommended.
Single‐dose euglycaemic clamp studies demonstrating pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic similarity between MK‐1293 insulin glargine and originator insulin glargine (Lantus) in subjects with type 1 diabetes and healthy subjects

MK‐1293 is an insulin glargine that has an amino acid sequence identical to that of Lantus, the originator insulin glargine. Two euglycaemic clamp studies, 1 in subjects with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and 1 in healthy subjects, were conducted to demonstrate pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) similarity between MK‐1293 and Lantus commercially procured in both the European Union (EU‐Lantus) and the USA (US‐Lantus).
CervimycinC resistance inBacillus subtilis is due toa promoter up-mutationand increasedmRNA stabilityofthe constitutive ABC-transportergenebmrA

CervimycinC resistance inBacillus subtilis is due toa promoter up-mutationand increasedmRNA stabilityofthe constitutive ABC-transportergenebmrA Hans Krügel, Andreas Licht, Gesine Biedermann, Andreas Petzold, Jürgen Lassak, Yvonne Hupfer, Bernhard Schlott, Christian Hertweck, Matthias Platzer, Sabine Brantl & Hans-Peter Saluz Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans-Knöll-Institute, Jena, Germany; AG Bakteriengenetik, FriedrichSchiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany; and Leibniz Institute for Age Research, Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
Depression predicts perioperative outcomes following coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Abstract Objectives. To assess preoperative depression in middle-aged men undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and to determine if depression is related to perioperative outcomes. Design. One hundred and nine middle-aged male patients were randomly selected and assessed for depression one day before CABG using the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90R). Perioperative outcomes were: (1) postoperative length of hospital stay, (2) the presence of any early complications (at intensive care unit), and (3) the presence of any late complications (at cardiac surgery unit). Results. Twenty-five (23%) patients had a high level of depression. Preoperative depression scores significantly predicted postoperative length of hospital stay (p<0.001) and the incidence of late perioperative complications (p<0.05) independently from biomedical and sociodemographic factors. Each increase in depression T score increased the odds of occurrence of late complications by 10% (p=0.018, CI 95% 1.02–1.19). Conclusions. Depression is common in middle-aged men undergoing CABG and is an independent predictor of postoperative length of hospital stay and late perioperative complications.
Fit for the Eye: Aptamers in Ocular Disorders

For any new class of therapeutics, there are certain types of indications that represent a natural fit. For nucleic acid ligands in general, and aptamers in particular, the eye has historically been an attractive site for therapeutic intervention. In this review, we recount the discovery and early development of three aptamers designated for use in ophthalmology, one approved (Macugen), and two in late-stage development (Fovista and Zimura). Every one of these molecules was originally intended for other indications. Key improvements in technology, specifically with regard to libraries used for in vitro selection and subsequent chemical optimization of aptamers, have played an important role in allowing the identification of development candidates with suitable properties. The lessons learned from the selection of these molecules are valuable for informing us about the many remaining opportunities for aptamer-based therapeutics in ophthalmology as well as for identifying additional indications for which aptamers as a class of therapeutics have distinct advantages.
Effects of postdepositional processing on nitrogen isotopes of nitrate in the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 ice core

Records of ice core nitrate and its isotopes hold the potential to assess past atmospheric conditions regarding NOx and oxidant levels. However, relating such records to past atmospheric conditions requires a site‐specific understanding of the postdepositional processing of snow nitrate. We report δ15N(NO3−) records from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) ice core over major climate transitions. Model calculations and comparison with records of parameters influencing UV‐driven postdepositional processing of snow nitrate suggest that the observed variability in GISP2 δ15N(NO3−) over major climate transitions is primarily driven by changes in the degree of postdepositional loss of snow nitrate. Estimates of the fractional loss of snow nitrate is (16–23)% in the Holocene and (45–53)% in the glacial period, suggesting a (41 ± 32)% lower nitrate depositional flux to Greenland during the glacial period relative to the Holocene.
Age‐related changes in brain energetics and phospholipid metabolism

Evidence suggests that mitochondria undergo functional and morphological changes with age. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of brain energy metabolism to healthy aging by assessing tissue specific differences in metabolites observable by phosphorus (31P) MRS. 31P MRSI at 4 Tesla (T) was performed on 34 volunteers, aged 21–84, screened to exclude serious medical and psychiatric diagnoses. Linear mixed effects models were used to analyze the effects of age on phosphorus metabolite concentrations, intracellular magnesium and pH estimates in brain tissue. A significant age associated decrease in brain pH (−0.53% per decade), increase in PCr (1.1% per decade) and decrease in PME (1.7% per decade) were found in total tissue, with PCr effects localized to the gray matter. An increase in beta NTP as a function of age (1% per decade) approached significance (p = 0.052). There were no effects demonstrated with increasing age for intracellular magnesium, PDE or inorganic phosphate. This study reports the effects of healthy aging on brain chemistry in the gray matter versus white matter using 31P MRS measures of high energy phosphates, pH and membrane metabolism. Increased PCr, increased beta NTP (reflecting ATP) and reduced pH may reflect altered energy production with healthy aging. Unlike some previous studies of aging and brain chemistry, this study examined healthy, non‐demented and psychiatrically stable older adults and specifically analyzed gray‐white matter differences in brain metabolism. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Idiopathic Duct Centric Pancreatitis in Korea: A Clinicopathological Study of 14 Cases

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a distinct form of chronic pancreatitis, which has several autoimmune features such as elevated serum immunoglobulin levels and heavy lymphoplasmacytic infiltration. Two histological subtypes have been recently described: 1) lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis (LPSP) or type 1 AIP and 2) idiopathic duct centric pancreatitis (IDCP) or type 2 AIP. LPSP is characterized by periductal lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, storiform fibrosis, obliterative phlebitis, and associated IgG4-related systemic diseases. In contrast, IDCP is characterized by the presence of granulocyte epithelial lesions (GEL) and the absence of systemic involvement. GEL is histologically defined by focal disruption and destruction of the duct epithelium resulting from invasion of mainly neutrophilic granulocytes. Therefore, IDCP has also been called AIP with GEL, whereas LPSP has been called AIP without GEL. Similar to LPSP, IDCP is also associated with a periductal lymphoplasmacytic infiltration and storiform fibrosis but to a lesser extent than that of LPSP. Although IDCP has been well described in Western countries, it remains poorly defined in Asian countries. To resolve this question, we identified IDCP cases among histologically documented AIP cases and described their clinicopathological characteristics.
Response of deep‐sea CaCO3 sedimentation to Atlantic meridional overturning circulation shutdown

[1] Changes in the distribution of the preservation and burial of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in deep ocean sediments and associated atmospheric pCO2 response to the shutdown of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) are examined using an Earth system model. We find that shutdown of the Atlantic MOC forced by the freshwater inflow significantly decreases the CaCO3 content in North Atlantic sediments. This is a consequence of a decrease in bottom-water carbonate ion concentrations and reduction in sea-surface CaCO3 production. The main sedimentary impacts of these two effects are separated in time, however, with reduced CaCO3 production dominating the decrease in CaCO3 burial during the first 1000 years after the forcing is applied. In the absence of significant overturning circulation in the Atlantic, atmospheric pCO2 increases by 11 ppm, largely due to a decrease in POC export and a weakening biological pump. The change in pCO2 induced by reorganization of CaCO3 burial in deep-sea sediments is small, only 1 ppm, because increased preservation of CaCO3 in the Pacific largely efficiently buffers decreased preservation in the Atlantic, leaving the global burial and ocean alkalinity minimally changed at equilibrium.
The effect of methylmercury exposure on behavior and cerebellar granule cell physiology in aged mice

Epidemiology studies have clearly documented that the central nervous system is highly susceptible to methylmercury toxicity, and exposure to this neurotoxicant in humans primarily results from consumption of contaminated fish. While the effects of methylmercury exposure have been studied in great detail, comparatively little is known about the effects of moderate to low dose methylmercury toxicity in the aging central nervous system. We examined the toxic effects of a moderate dose of methylmercury on the aging mouse cerebellum. Male and female C57BL/6 mice at 16–20 months of age were exposed to methylmercury by feeding a total dose of 5.0 mg kg−1 body weight and assessed using four behavioral tests. Methylmercury‐treated aged mice performed significantly worse in open field, footprint analysis and the vertical pole test compared with age‐matched control mice. Isolated cerebellar granule cells from methylmercury‐treated aged mice exhibited higher levels of reactive oxygen species and reduced mitochondrial membrane potentials, but no differences in basal intracellular calcium ion levels compared with age‐matched control mice. When aged mice were exposed to a moderate dose of methylmercury, they exhibited a similar degree of impairment when compared with young adult mice exposed to the same moderate dose of methylmercury, as reported in earlier studies from this laboratory. Thus, at least in mice, exposure of the aged brain to moderate concentrations methylmercury does not pose greater risk compared with the young adult brain exposed to similar concentrations of methylmercury. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cancer cell CCL5 mediates bone marrow independent angiogenesis in breast cancer

It has recently been suggested that the chemokine receptor (CCR5) is required for bone marrow (BM) derived endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) mediated angiogenesis. Here we show that suppression of either cancer cell produced CCL5, or host CCR5 leads to distinctive vascular and tumor growth defects in breast cancer. Surprisingly, CCR5 restoration in the BM alone was not sufficient to rescue the wild type phenotype, suggesting that impaired tumor growth associated with inhibiting CCL5/CCR5 is not due to defects in EPC biology. Instead, to promote angiogenesis cancer cell CCL5 may signal directly to endothelium in the tumor-stroma. In support of this hypothesis, we have also shown: (i) that endothelial cell CCR5 levels increases in response to tumor-conditioned media; (ii) that the amount of CCR5+ tumor vasculature correlates with invasive grade; and (iii) that inhibition of CCL5/CCR5 signaling impairs endothelial cell migration, associated with a decrease in activation of mTOR/AKT pathway members. Finally, we show that treatment with CCR5 antagonist results in less vasculature, impaired tumor growth, reduced metastases and improved survival. Taken as a whole, this work demonstrates that directly inhibiting CCR5 expressing vasculature constitutes a novel strategy for inhibiting angiogenesis and blocking metastatic progression in breast cancer.
Adaptation of Brain Functional and Structural Networks in Aging

The human brain, especially the prefrontal cortex (PFC), is functionally and anatomically reorganized in order to adapt to neuronal challenges in aging. This study employed structural MRI, resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI), and high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI), and examined the functional and structural reorganization of the PFC in aging using a Chinese sample of 173 subjects aged from 21 years and above. We found age-related increases in the structural connectivity between the PFC and posterior brain regions. Such findings were partially mediated by age-related increases in the structural connectivity of the occipital lobe within the posterior brain. Based on our findings, it is thought that the PFC reorganization in aging could be partly due to the adaptation to age-related changes in the structural reorganization of the posterior brain. This thus supports the idea derived from task-based fMRI that the PFC reorganization in aging may be adapted to the need of compensation for resolving less distinctive stimulus information from the posterior brain regions. In addition, we found that the structural connectivity of the PFC with the temporal lobe was fully mediated by the temporal cortical thickness, suggesting that the brain morphology plays an important role in the functional and structural reorganization with aging.
On the limitation of ultra-wideband technique for medical scanning systems

In this study, the ultra-wideband (UWB) technique and its capability to detect the cells and layer of a human organs in medical scanning applications has been considered. Advantages and disadvantages of the technique has been highlighted with respect to the capability and accuracy of a medical scanning system especially those using the pulse reflected-based technique. The study contrasts the difference between advantages of using UWB techniques for medical applications, such as eliminating ionising effects, and disadvantages, mainly due to those associated with penetration depth, range resolution, and cost within the unlicensed UWB frequency range (3.1-10.6 GHz). The above disadvantageous factors can cause drawbacks which limit the application of such techniques in human tissue scanning systems for early stages diagnostics. The UWB system has been studied well for the centre frequencies of 6GHz and 4 GHz, which found to have more potential in the UWB region among the researchers, however the outcomes indicates that there was a lack of knowledge base on the limitations associated with each of these frequencies.
Relaying results for indoor coverage in long-term evolution and beyond

Future cellular networks aim to improve the data rate to users in office and residential buildings. Wireless relaying is one of the possible solutions. In this approach, a relay is placed inside a building to get around the building penetration path loss. Decode and forward operation is employed for full re-use of the licensed bandwidth with frequency dependent link adaptation. In this paper, we report indoor measurement results using state of the art macrocellular and relay. Orthogonal frequency division duplexing (OFDM) and multiple input multiple output (MIMO) are used in both links. The relay measurements were performed for a single cell three terminal relay network setup. Results show that (a) relay provides better data rate and coverage as compared to macro and (b) feedback can further improve relay coverage. A relay is able to deliver data rate exceeding 40 Mbps to locations well inside the building. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.