Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SGH: stress or strain gradient hypothesis? Insights from an elevation gradient on the roof of the world

Background and Aims The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH), the view that competition prevails in undisturbed and productive environments, and shifts to facilitation in disturbed or stressful environments, has become a central paradigm in ecology. However, an alternative view proposes that the relationship between biotic interactions and environmental severity should be unimodal instead of monotonic. Possible causes of discrepancies between these two views were examined in the high elevation desert of the arid Trans-Himalayas. Methods A putative nurse species and its associated plant community was surveyed over its entire elevation range, spanning from alpine to desert vegetation belts. The results were analysed at the community level (vegetation cover and species richness), considering the distinction between the intensity and the importance of biotic interactions. Interactions at the species level (pairwise interactions) were also considered, i.e. the variation of biotic interactions within the niche of a species, for which the abundance (species cover) and probability of occurrence (presence/absence) for the most widespread species along the gradient were distinguished. Key Results Overall, facilitation was infrequent in our study system; however, it was observed for the two most widespread species. At the community level, the intensity and importance of biotic interactions showed a unimodal pattern. The departure from the prediction of the SGH happened abruptly where the nurse species entered the desert vegetation belt at the lowest elevation. This abrupt shift was attributed to the turnover of species with contrasting tolerances. At the species level, however, facilitation increased consistently as the level of stress increases and individuals deviate from their optimum (increasing strain). Conclusion While the stress gradient hypothesis was not supported along our elevation gradient at the community level, the strain gradient hypothesis, considering how species perceive the ambient level of stress and deviate from their optimum, provided a parsimonious explanation for the outcome of plant-plant interactions at both scales.
Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Learning Curve for Graft Preparation in an Eye Bank Using 645 Donor Corneas

Purpose: To investigate the learning curve of Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) graft preparation in an eye bank. Methods: Four operators prepared 645 DMEK grafts using the stripping technique between 2014 and 2017 at the Veneto Eye Bank Foundation, Italy. Endothelial cell loss (ECL) and tissue wastage were recorded retrospectively after DMEK preparation and correlated with the number of tissues prepared each year by each operator. On average, our operators performed 1 donor preparation a week over the course of this study. Only donors older than 60 years were used in this study, and approximately 10% of donors had diabetes. The Wilcoxon test for paired data and 1-way ANOVA were used for checking statistical significance with the Tukey test as post hoc analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: ECL did not change significantly over time from operator 1. Significant ECL drop was noted from operator 2 between years 2014–2016 (P = 0.0049) and 2017 (P = 0.0094); from operator 3 between years 2015–2016 (P = 0.0288) and 2017 (P = 0.0097); and from operator 4 between 2015–2016 (P = 0.0469) and 2017 (P = 0.0331). Operators 1 and 3 did not show a significant difference, considering every 50 grafts prepared by each operator. Operator 2 showed significant ECL drop between 1 to 50 and 51 to 100 (P = 0.0002) and 1 to 50 and 101 to 150 (P = 0.0001) grafts. Operator 4 showed significant ECL drop between 1 to 50 and 101 to 150 (P = 0.002) and 51 to 100 and 101 to 141 (P = 0.0207) grafts. No intraoperator difference was observed per 50 grafts (P > 0.05). Conclusions: There is a learning curve for DMEK graft preparation. ECL and tissue wastage can be reduced with practice and skills. However, each operator may be limited to his or her own learning capability.
Plasmacytoid Urothelial Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder: A Clinicopathologic and Immunohistochemical Analysis of 49 Cases

Objectives Plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma (PUC) of the bladder is a rare histologic variant. We retrospectively analyzed a large series of bladder PUC from a single institution. Methods The patients consisted of 44 men and five women with a mean age of 62 years (range, 45-86 years). Results PUC was pure in 23 cases and mixed with other histologic types in 26 cases. All PUCs diffusely invaded the bladder wall. Most PUCs lacked immunoreactivity for the retinoblastoma (RB) gene protein (12/32) and E-cadherin (8/30). Of the 44 patients with follow-up information, 25 died of PUC at a mean of 23 months, whereas 19 patients were alive at a mean of 22 months. Conclusions Our findings support that bladder PUC is a highly aggressive disease. The lack of E-cadherin expression in PUCs may underlie the distinct discohesive histologic appearance, and abnormal function of the RB gene may be implicated in the development of PUC.
' OF THE ANTECEDENTS OF CHILD ABUSE '

The document presents the Malta report on a 1 year studI,of 267 mother-infant pairs at risk for child abuse, in which maternal 'characteristics, infant temperament, environmental stress fabtors, and mother-child interaction were examined in an attempt to identify differences between mOthers who mistreat their children and those o do not. Three ,subgroups of Ss were compared: mothers. who have , sede neglected, or in some way mistreated their infants:mothers matched for age, education, and marital status; and.those providing excellent infant care. The total at risk,sample and the subsamples are described, and the-at risk prdspective methodology id discussed. The excellent and inadequate care groups are described . demographically. 'Baby temperament and neonatal organization data are presented, and their relationship to the quality of care the child receives is examined along with the relatiOnship of parental factors A.and mistreatment. Most of the results focus on mother characteristics and their relationShip to qUality of dare: however, some inforMation on fathers is presented. Particular focus is placed on bonding, attachment, and deviant patterns of mother-infant interact4on observed in feeding and play: Life stress data are Also presented, \along' with implications 4nd conclusions, (Author/DLS) ******#****************e******************************************* 30 Reproductions supplied. by EDRS are the best that'can be 'made: from the original document. * *********************************************************************** . 4 U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATJON , 7+-;15 DOCUMENT HAS BEE,N REPRODuCE0 EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENTOFFICIAL NA TIONAL INSTITI.JTEOF EDUCATION POSITION OP POI. ICY FINAL *REPORT ) 4 0 c ) o 0 law ' t, 1:1401
Baseline Blood Pressure Effect on the Benefit and Safety of Intra-Arterial Treatment in MR CLEAN (Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands)

Background and Purpose— High blood pressure (BP) is associated with poor outcome and the occurrence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in acute ischemic stroke. Whether BP influences the benefit or safety of intra-arterial treatment (IAT) is not known. We aimed to assess the relation of BP with functional outcome, occurrence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and effect of IAT. Methods— This is a post hoc analysis of the MR CLEAN (Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands). BP was measured at baseline, before IAT or stroke unit admission. We estimated the association of baseline BP with the score on the modified Rankin Scale at 90 days and safety parameters with ordinal and logistic regression analysis. Effect of BP on the effect of IAT was tested with multiplicative interaction terms. Results— Systolic BP (SBP) had the best correlation with functional outcome. This correlation was U-shaped; both low and high baseline SBP were associated with poor functional outcome. Higher SBP was associated with symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (adjusted odds ratio, 1.25 for every 10 mm Hg higher SBP [95% confidence interval, 1.09–1.44]). Between SBP and IAT, there was no interaction for functional outcome, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, or other safety parameters; the absolute benefit of IAT was evident for the whole SBP range. The same was found for diastolic BP. Conclusions— BP does not affect the benefit or safety of IAT in patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by proximal intracranial vessel occlusion. Our data provide no arguments to withhold or delay IAT based on BP. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.isrctn. com. Unique identifier: ISRCTN10888758.
Movie Genre Classification based on Poster Images with Deep Neural Networks

We propose to achieve movie genre classification based only on movie poster images. A deep neural network is constructed to jointly describe visual appearance and object information, and classify a given movie poster image into genres. Because a movie may belong to multiple genres, this is a multi-label image classification problem. To facilitate related studies, we collect a large-scale movie poster dataset, associated with various metadata. Based on this dataset, we fine-tune a pretrained convolutional neural network to extract visual representation, and adopt a state-of-the-art framework to detect objects in posters. Two types of information is then integrated by the proposed neural network. In the evaluation, we show that the proposed method yields encouraging performance, which is much better than previous works.
Pancreatic impairment and Igf2 hypermethylation induced by developmental exposure to bisphenol A can be counteracted by maternal folate supplementation

Increasing evidence indicates that bisphenol A (BPA), a widely manufactured environmental pollutant, can induce changes in DNA methylation paatterns, which is a potential mechanism linking this environmental exposure to disease development. We investigated the influence of developmental exposure to BPA on pancreatic DNA methylation patterns and whether maternal folate supplementation can modify the epigenetic status and pancreatic impairment induced by BPA. Our results showed that maternal dietary folate supplementation in rats exposed to BPA counteracted the observed BPA‐induced pancreatic impairments in the offspring, which included disrupted insulin secretion and glucose intolerance, and impaired morphology and ultrastructure of β cells. Moreover, these pancreatic dysfunctions were shown to be associated with low expression and DNA hypermethylation of insulin‐like growth factor‐2 (Igf2) in islets induced by exposure to BPA during the developmental period. Importantly, maternal dietary folate supplementation was demonstrated to negate this Igf2 DNA hypermethylation in the offspring, which was consistent with the upregulation of Igf2 expression. Overall, our results suggest that early developmental exposure to BPA alters the DNA methylation of Igf2, that these altered methylation patterns are associated with impaired β‐cell function in the offspring and that these effects can be counteracted by maternal folate supplementation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
[Risk factors and clinical features of ectopic pregnancy].

BACKGROUND Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is the most frequent cause of maternal death in the first trimester of pregnancy. The objective was to establish the clinical features and risk factors associated with EP. METHODS Observational, retrospective, transversal and analytic case-control study. Two groups were included: the cases group (28 patients) and the control group (56 postpartum patients). Univariate and bivariate descriptive statistical analysis were carried out using the Pearson chi-square test, p < 0.05, with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS Statistically significant values (OR) were: smoking: 18.33, history of EP: 11.96, IUD use: 11.9, abdominal surgery: 5.87, being multigravid: 3.80, and having two or more sexual partners: 2. The most common clinical symptom was pelvic pain with 57.1% (16), right ruptured EP 53.6%, tubal pregnancy 82.1% (23), unruptured EP 60.7% (17), hemoperitoneum 60.7% (17). Gestational age for EP was of 4-8 weeks (75%) and surgical treatment 96.4%. CONCLUSIONS The frequency of EP found in our population was 1 in every 122 live births. Risk factors associated with ectopic pregnancy with statistically higher values were: smoking, being multigravid, having a clinical record of EP, IUD use before conception, abdominal surgery. The more frequent clinical characteristics were pelvic pain, right EP, tubal pregnancy, EP with no ruptures, hemoperitoneum < 750 ml, a gestational age between four and eight weeks.
Assessment of moderate coffee consumption and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background Coffee consumption has been shown to be associated with various health outcomes in observational studies. However, evidence for its association with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is inconsistent and it is unclear whether these associations are causal. Methods We used single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with (i) coffee and (ii) caffeine consumption to perform Mendelian randomization (MR) on EOC risk. We conducted a two-sample MR using genetic data on 44 062 individuals of European ancestry from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC), and combined instrumental variable estimates using a Wald-type ratio estimator. Results For all EOC cases, the causal odds ratio (COR) for genetically predicted consumption of one additional cup of coffee per day was 0.92 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.79, 1.06]. The COR was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.73, 1.10) for high-grade serous EOC. The COR for genetically predicted consumption of an additional 80 mg caffeine was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.92, 1.11) for all EOC cases and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.73, 1.10) for high-grade serous cases. Conclusions We found no evidence indicative of a strong association between EOC risk and genetically predicted coffee or caffeine levels. However, our estimates were not statistically inconsistent with earlier observational studies and we were unable to rule out small protective associations.
Harmonized Reference Ranges for Circulating Testosterone Levels in Men of Four Cohort Studies in the United States and Europe

Background Reference ranges for testosterone are essential for making a diagnosis of hypogonadism in men. Objective To establish harmonized reference ranges for total testosterone in men that can be applied across laboratories by cross-calibrating assays to a reference method and standard. Population The 9054 community-dwelling men in cohort studies in the United States and Europe: Framingham Heart Study; European Male Aging Study; Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study; and Male Sibling Study of Osteoporosis. Methods Testosterone concentrations in 100 participants in each of the four cohorts were measured using a reference method at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Generalized additive models and Bland-Altman analyses supported the use of normalizing equations for transformation between cohort-specific and CDC values. Normalizing equations, generated using Passing-Bablok regression, were used to generate harmonized values, which were used to derive standardized, age-specific reference ranges. Results Harmonization procedure reduced intercohort variation between testosterone measurements in men of similar ages. In healthy nonobese men, 19 to 39 years, harmonized 2.5th, 5th, 50th, 95th, and 97.5th percentile values were 264, 303, 531, 852, and 916 ng/dL, respectively. Age-specific harmonized testosterone concentrations in nonobese men were similar across cohorts and greater than in all men. Conclusion Harmonized normal range in a healthy nonobese population of European and American men, 19 to 39 years, is 264 to 916 ng/dL. A substantial proportion of intercohort variation in testosterone levels is due to assay differences. These data demonstrate the feasibility of generating harmonized reference ranges for testosterone that can be applied to assays, which have been calibrated to a reference method and calibrator.
Daily Rhythms of Blood Parameters in Broiler Chickens Reared under Tropical Climate Conditions

Several studies carried out on humans and other mammals show that the temporal organisation of haematological parameters in the blood exhibit daily rhythms; however, such studies have been rare in poultry reared under a natural photoperiod. The present study investigated the occurrence of daily rhythms in blood parameters of broiler chickens kept under tropical climatic conditions. Ten 6–7-week-old broiler chickens served as subjects of the study. They were kept in standard individual cages under natural light-dark cycle and given access to feed and water ad libitum. Two milliliters of blood was collected from each bird via intravenous cannulae inserted into the wing vein. The blood samples were collected every 4 h over a 24-h period, starting from 09:00 h on the first day and completed at 09:00 h on the second day. The blood samples were analysed for erythrocyte, total and differential leucocyte counts. A trigonometric statistical model according to the single cosinor procedure was used to describe the periodic parameters and their acrophases, and ANOVA was used to determine significant differences. The results demonstrated the existence of daily rhythms in packed cell volume, haemoglobin, white blood cell, red blood cell, heterophil, lymphocyte, eosinophil and monocyte counts, while total protein displayed no rhythm. The characteristics of the haematological parameters showed that the acrophases were restricted to the light phase of the light/dark cycle, precisely at 09:00 h, except for eosinophil and heterophil counts, which had acrophases at 21:00 h. The amplitudes of the blood parameters varied, with packed cell volume having the greatest amplitude of 4.2 ± 0.5, closely followed by lymphocyte (3.4 ± 0.5) and heterophil (2.3 ± 0.2) counts. In conclusion, the results of the study demonstrated the existence of daily rhythms with diurnal acrophases in blood parameters of broiler chickens kept under natural photoperiods and tropical conditions.
Genomic epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in New Zealand

Abstract Background Antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major threat to public health. No studies to date have examined the genomic epidemiology of gonorrhoea in the Western Pacific Region, where the incidence of gonorrhoea is particularly high. Methods A population-level study of N. gonorrhoeae in New Zealand (October 2014 to May 2015). Comprehensive susceptibility testing and WGS data were obtained for 398 isolates. Relatedness was inferred using phylogenetic trees, and pairwise core SNPs. Mutations and genes known to be associated with resistance were identified, and correlated with phenotype. Results Eleven clusters were identified. In six of these clusters, >25% of isolates were from females, while in eight of them, >15% of isolates were from females. Drug resistance was common; 98%, 32% and 68% of isolates were non-susceptible to penicillin, ciprofloxacin and tetracycline, respectively. Elevated MICs to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) were observed in 3.5% of isolates (cefixime MICs ≥ 0.12 mg/L, ceftriaxone MICs ≥ 0.06 mg/L). Only nine isolates had penA XXXIV genotypes, three of which had decreased susceptibility to ESCs (MIC = 0.12 mg/L). Azithromycin non-susceptibility was identified in 43 isolates (10.8%); two of these isolates had 23S mutations (C2611T, 4/4 alleles), while all had mutations in mtrR or its promoter. Conclusions The high proportion of females in clusters suggests transmission is not exclusively among MSM in New Zealand; re-assessment of risk factors for transmission may be warranted in this context. As elevated MICs of ESCs and/or azithromycin were found in closely related strains, targeted public health interventions to halt transmission are urgently needed.
A Meta-Analysis of Indicated Mental Health Prevention Programs for At-Risk Higher Education Students

This meta-analysis found empirical support for the effectiveness of indicated prevention programs for higher education students at risk for subsequent mental health difficulties based on their current subclinical levels of various presenting problems, such as depression, anxiety, or interpersonal difficulties. A systematic literature search identified 79 controlled published and unpublished interventions involving 4,470 college, graduate, or professional students. Programs were effective at post-intervention overall (ES = 0.49, CI [0.43, 0.55]), and for both targeted outcomes (ES = 0.58, CI [0.51, 0.64]) as well as additional nontargeted outcomes assessed in the studies (ES = 0.32, CI [0.25, 0.39]). Interventions compared with a no-intervention or a wait-list control (ES = 0.64, CI [0.57, 0.71], k = 68) demonstrated significantly larger effects overall than did interventions compared with an attention-placebo control (ES = 0.27, CI [0.11, 0.43], k = 11), although both were significant. Among the former group, modality and presenting problem emerged as significant moderators of intervention effectiveness, and among the 43 of these that assessed effectiveness at an average follow-up period of 35 weeks, the positive effects from intervention remained strong (ES = 0.59, CI [0.50, 0.68]). Overall, programs were fairly brief, attracted and retained students, were positively rated by students, and effective when administered by paraprofessionals as well as professionals. Current findings are promising and stimulate recommendations for improving future research, such as expanding the range of outcomes assessed, and clarifying moderators and mediators of intervention impact.
Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Goal Contents in Self-Determination Theory: Another Look at the Quality of Academic Motivation

Examination of motivational dynamics in academic contexts within self-determination theory has centered primarily around both the motives (initially intrinsic vs. extrinsic, later autonomous vs. controlled) that regulate learners' study behavior and the contexts that promote or hinder these regulations. Less attention has been paid to the goal contents (intrinsic vs. extrinsic) that learners hold and to the different goal contents that are communicated in schools to increase the perceived relevance of the learning. Recent field experiments are reviewed showing that intrinsic goal framing (relative to extrinsic goal framing and no-goal framing) produces deeper engagement in learning activities, better conceptual learning, and higher persistence at learning activities. These effects occur for both intrinsically and extrinsically oriented individuals. Results are discussed in terms of self-determination theory's concept of basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.