Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skin Temperature Measurement Using Contact Thermometry: A Systematic Review of Setup Variables and Their Effects on Measured Values

Background: Skin temperature (Tskin) is commonly measured using Tskin sensors affixed directly to the skin surface, although the influence of setup variables on the measured outcome requires clarification. Objectives: The two distinct objectives of this systematic review were (1) to examine measurements from contact Tskin sensors considering equilibrium temperature and temperature disturbance, sensor attachments, pressure, environmental temperature, and sensor type, and (2) to characterise the contact Tskin sensors used, conditions of use, and subsequent reporting in studies investigating sports, exercise, and other physical activity. Data sources and study selection: For the measurement comparison objective, Ovid Medline and Scopus were used (1960 to July 2016) and studies comparing contact Tskin sensor measurements in vivo or using appropriate physical models were included. For the survey of use, Ovid Medline was used (2011 to July 2016) and studies using contact temperature sensors for the measurement of human Tskin in vivo during sport, exercise, and other physical activity were included. Study appraisal and synthesis methods: For measurement comparisons, assessments of risk of bias were made according to an adapted version of the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool. Comparisons of temperature measurements were expressed, where possible, as mean difference and 95% limits of agreement (LoA). Meta-analyses were not performed due to the lack of a common reference condition. For the survey of use, extracted information was summarised in text and tabular form. Results: For measurement comparisons, 21 studies were included. Results from these studies indicated minor (<0.5°C) to practically meaningful (>0.5°C) measurement bias within the subgroups of attachment type, applied pressure, environmental conditions, and sensor type. The 95% LoA were often within 1.0°C for in vivo studies and 0.5°C for physical models. For the survey of use, 172 studies were included. Details about Tskin sensor setup were often poorly reported and, from those reporting setup information, it was evident that setups widely varied in terms of type of sensors, attachments, and locations used. Conclusions: Setup variables and conditions of use can influence the measured temperature from contact Tskin sensors and thus key setup variables need to be appropriately considered and consistently reported.
Cyclic-di-GMP and oprF Are Involved in the Response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Substrate Material Stiffness during Attachment on Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)

Recently, we reported that the stiffness of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) affects the attachment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the morphology and antibiotic susceptibility of attached cells. To further understand how P. aeruginosa responses to material stiffness during attachment, the wild-type P. aeruginosa PAO1 and several isogenic mutants were characterized for their attachment on soft and stiff PDMS. Compared to the wild-type strain, mutation of the oprF gene abolished the differences in attachment, growth, and size of attached cells between soft and stiff PDMS surfaces. These defects were rescued by genetic complementation of oprF. We also found that the wild-type P. aeruginosa PAO1 cells attached on soft (40:1) PDMS have higher level of intracellular cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP), a key regulator of biofilm formation, compared to those on stiff (5:1) PDMS surfaces. Consistently, the mutants of fleQ and wspF, which have similar high-level c-di-GMP as the oprF mutant, exhibited defects in response to PDMS stiffness during attachment. Collectively, the results from this study suggest that P. aeruginosa can sense the stiffness of substrate material during attachment and respond to such mechanical cues by adjusting c-di-GMP level and thus the following biofilm formation. Further understanding of the related genes and pathways will provide new insights into bacterial mechanosensing and help develop better antifouling materials.
Management of osteoporosis and menopausal symptoms: focus on bazedoxifene/conjugated estrogen combination

Loss of estrogen production in women during menopause results in a state of estrogen deficiency which has been associated with multiple problems, including vasomotor symptoms, symptoms of vulvovaginal atrophy, bone loss, and difficulties with sleep, mood, memory, and sexual activity. The only treatment option currently available to address multiple postmenopausal symptoms in women with an intact uterus is estrogen/progestin-containing hormone therapy (HT). Concerns surrounding side effects and published data regarding the association of HT with the increased risk for breast cancer have induced a decrease in the number of women seeking, initiating, and continuing this type of therapy. A combination containing bazedoxifene and conjugated estrogens (BZA/CE) maintains the established benefits of estrogen therapy for treatment of postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms, vulvovaginal atrophy, and osteoporosis, while certain estrogenic effects, such as stimulation of the uterus and breast, are antagonized without the side effects associated with HT. BZA/CE has been evaluated in a series of multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and active-controlled Phase III trials known as the Selective estrogens, Menopause, And Response to Therapy (SMART) trials. BZA/CE demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in vasomotor symptoms, vulvovaginal atrophy, and a protective effect on the skeleton. These clinical benefits were associated with an acceptable safety profile and an improved tolerability compared with HT. BZA/CE showed a favorable safety profile on the breast, endometrium, and ovaries. The incidence of venous thromboembolism was low and the risk does not appear to be any greater than for CE alone or BZA alone or greater than HT. The incidence of coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular accidents were similar to placebo. The overall incidence of cancer (including breast cancer) was low and similar to placebo. The SMART trials demonstrate that BZA/CE is an alternative option for treating non-hysterectomized, symptomatic, postmenopausal women.
Bioremediation of dyes by fungi isolated from contaminated dye effluent sites for bio-usability

Biodegradation and detoxification of dyes, Malachite green, Nigrosin and Basic fuchsin have been carried out using two fungal isolates Aspergillus niger, and Phanerochaete chrysosporium, isolated from dye effluent soil. Three methods were selected for biodegradation, viz. agar overlay and liquid media methods; stationary and shaking conditions at 25 °C. Aspergillus niger recorded maximum decolorization of the dye Basic fuchsin (81.85%) followed by Nigrosin (77.47%), Malachite green (72.77%) and dye mixture (33.08%) under shaking condition. Whereas, P. chrysosporium recorded decolorization to the maximum with the Nigrosin (90.15%) followed by Basic fuchsin (89.8%), Malachite green (83.25%) and mixture (78.4%). The selected fungal strains performed better under shaking conditions compared to stationary method; moreover the inoculation of fungus also brought the pH of the dye solutions to neutral from acidic. Seed germination bioassay study exhibited that when inoculated dye solutions were used, seed showed germination while uninoculated dyes inhibited germination even after four days of observation. Similarly, microbial growth was also inhibited by uninoculated dyes. The excellent performance of A. niger and P. chrysporium in the biodegradation of textile dyes of different chemical structures suggests and reinforces the potential of these fungi for environmental decontamination.
Intraoperative and postoperative complications in trabeculectomy, Clinical study.

Glaucoma represents a progresive multifactorial optic neuropathy characterised by retinal ganglion cell loss and atrophy of the optic nerve its main cause being high intraocular pressure. [1,2] Trabeculectomy is the most used surgical method when it comes to the majority of the ophthalmologists which is why knowing and managing the intraoperative and postoperative complications well is very important. [3] Objective/aim.The study aims to establish the success rate and to evaluate the intraoperative and postoperative complications in a group of 75 patients with glaucoma 1 year after surgery. Methods. A retrospective study was made on a group of 75 adult patients with different types of glaucoma which were refractory to medical treatment, for whom the treatment option was the trabeculectomy surgical intervention . Results and discussions. The success rate measured 1 year after the surgery was of 89%. The most complications were found in patients with open angle glaucoma, neovascular glaucoma and glaucoma secondary to vitreo-retinal surgery. Trabeculectomy is a surgical procedure associated with numerous complications, so much so that the follow-up and the management of the aforementioned complications are sometimes more laborious than the surgery itself.
Consistent Partial Least Squares Path Modeling via Regularization

Partial least squares (PLS) path modeling is a component-based structural equation modeling that has been adopted in social and psychological research due to its data-analytic capability and flexibility. A recent methodological advance is consistent PLS (PLSc), designed to produce consistent estimates of path coefficients in structural models involving common factors. In practice, however, PLSc may frequently encounter multicollinearity in part because it takes a strategy of estimating path coefficients based on consistent correlations among independent latent variables. PLSc has yet no remedy for this multicollinearity problem, which can cause loss of statistical power and accuracy in parameter estimation. Thus, a ridge type of regularization is incorporated into PLSc, creating a new technique called regularized PLSc. A comprehensive simulation study is conducted to evaluate the performance of regularized PLSc as compared to its non-regularized counterpart in terms of power and accuracy. The results show that our regularized PLSc is recommended for use when serious multicollinearity is present.
Evaluation of Some Flax Genotypes Straw Yield, Yield Components and Technological Characters

Abstract Three field trials were carried out during 2000 and 2001 seasons at three different locations, i.e., Agric. Res. Exp. Stat. of NRC at Kaluobia Governorate and Agric. Res. Stat. of ARC at Giza as well as Ismaillia Governorates. This work aims to evaluate fourteen flax genotypes with regard to straw yield, yield components and technological fiber properties. Estimation of genotypes × environments as well as variance components, heritability and correlation coefficient among straw yield and its components were also reckoned. The results showed that genotypes mean squares values were great enough to reach highly significant levels for all investigated characters. Mean squares of G × Y and G × H × L × Y interactions responded with highly significant and significant for all tested characters except technical stem length, fiber length, fiber percentage and biological yield/plant. High values of heritability (broad sense) were obtained in plant height, technical stem length, fiber length, fiber percentage, fiber fineness and fiber/plant. The results added also that interrelationships between specific economic yield characters and other related characters were reached. However, highly positive significant, positive significant and insignificant negative correlation coefficients were recorded in this work.
Uncertain Production Scheduling Based on Fuzzy Theory Considering Utility and Production Rate

Handling uncertainty in an appropriate manner during the real operation of a cyber-physical system (CPS) is critical. Uncertain production scheduling as a part of CPS uncertainty issues should attract more attention. In this paper, a Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) uncertain model for batch process is formulated based on a unit-specific event-based continuous-time modeling method. Utility uncertainty and uncertain relationship between production rate and utility supply are described by fuzzy theory. The uncertain scheduling model is converted into deterministic model by mathematical method. Through one numerical example, the accuracy and practicability of the proposed model is proved. Fuzzy scheduling model can supply valuable decision options for enterprise managers to make decision more accurate and practical. The impact and selection of some key parameters of fuzzy scheduling model are elaborated.
Some experimental results for the end-linked polydimethylsiloxane network system

Abstract Small-strain equilibrium modulus data of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) networks are reviewed. 58 different articles in the literature with values of the modulus of end-linked PDMS networks were found [1-58] including more than 250 values of the small-strain equilibrium modulus as function of variables in the crosslinking system. The dominating variable is shown to be the molecular weight of PDMS as expected, whereas the functionality of the crosslinker methylhydrosiloxane/ dimethylsiloxane copolymer is shown to be less important in good agreement with the phantom model. The data collected was fitted to the phenomenological model of Langley and Graessley including an entanglement contribution. The fitted entanglement plateau (0.16 MPa) is in good agreement with literature values and with the theoretical prediction of the tube model. Experimental data for the Mooney-Rivlin constants was found and it was shown that C2 is constant with increasing functionality. Furthermore it was found that trapped entanglements can be split into two categories, viz. locked entanglements contributing to the C1 term and traditionally trapped entanglements contributing to C2.
Accelerated transformation of macrophage-derived foam cells in the presence of collagen-induced arthritis mice serum is associated with dyslipidemia

Abstract Objective: Atherosclerosis characterized by accumulation of foam cells in the arterial intimal layer is accelerated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. We and others have previously demonstrated that serum from RA patients and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice had proatherogenic features that might lead to progression of atherosclerosis. Here we further examined the effects of serum from CIA mice on the transformation of macrophage-derived foam cells, and investigated potential mechanism. Methods: DBA/1j mice were used to establish CIA model. Murine peritoneal macrophages and macrophage cell line RAW264.7 were treated with different dilute concentrations of mice serum. Results: CIA mice serum increased cholesterol influx and accumulation in murine macrophages, and markedly up-regulated scavenger receptor CD36 expression in the cells, but had no effect on intracellular lipid efflux. Neutralizing monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, the most significant altered cytokine we observed between normal and CIA mice serum to CIA mice could not reverse these effects. However, administering simvastatin to CIA mice could lower high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) level and elevate oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) level in CIA mice serum, with attendant decreased lipid accumulation as well as CD36 expression in murine macrophages. Conclusion: Accelerated transformation of macrophage-derived foam cells via up-regulated CD36 expression is related to dyslipidemia rather than elevated inflammatory factor MCP-1 level in CIA mice serum. Decreased HDL-C and higher ox-LDL levels in CIA mice serum may link RA to atherosclerosis.
Related GPCRs couple differently to Gs: preassociation between G protein and 5‐HT7 serotonin receptor reveals movement of Gαs upon receptor activation

How GPCRs and G proteins interact is important for their biologic functions and their functions as pharmacologic targets. It is still an open question whether receptors and G proteins are preassembled in a complex or interact only after receptor activation. We compared the propensity of the two Gs‐coupled serotonin (5‐HT) receptors 5‐HT4 and 5‐HT7 to associate with G protein prior to agonist activation. Combining receptor‐immobilized fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and fluorescence resonance energy transfer methodologies, we observed that 5‐HT7 receptors markedly reduced the diffusion of both Gα and Gβγ at the cell surface, which indicated 5‐HT7 receptor preassociation with Gs. This is in sharp contrast to the 5‐HT4 receptor for which the diffusion of Gαβγ was not modified, and agonist activation brought together the receptor and Gγ, which is consistent with interaction by collision coupling. Agonist activation of 5‐HT7 dissociated Gγ from the receptor, whereas Gαs underwent a rapid conformational change with respect to both Gγ and the receptor, followed by a slower dissociation of Gγ from both Gαs and the receptor. Taken together, these data demonstrate a different propensity among receptors to preassociate with G protein in the absence of ligand and reveals a rapid conformational change in Gαs upon activation by the receptor. —Andressen, K. W. , Ulsund, A. H. , Krobert, K. A. , Lohse, M. J., Bünemannn M. , Levy, F. O. Related GPCRs couple differently to Gs: preassociation between G protein and 5‐HT7 serotonin receptor reveals movement of Gαs upon receptor activation. FASEB J. 32, 1059–1069 (2018). www.fasebj. org
Invited Commentary Invited Commentary: Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Allergies: Biology or Bias?

Previous epidemiologic studies have shown an inverse association between a personal history of atopy/aller-gies, both overall and among asthma, eczema, and hay fever investigated separately, and childhood acute lym-phoblastic leukemia (ALL) with some consistency; however, in most of these studies, exposure data were collected by maternal interview. Now, in a population-based and records-based study in this issue of the Journal Chang et al. report an increased risk for allergic conditions across different etiologic time periods, calling the former paradigm into doubt. A review of the basic biology literature shows that proposed mechanisms support either a positive or an inverse association. In light of this ambiguity, it is epidemiology's turn to determine the direction of association. Determining a causal association between exposure and disease is an iterative process between epidemiology and basic science. If only every iteration brought us closer to the truth, we could all rest easy; however, in actuality, the process seems more akin to a random walk. Case in point: With the publication by Chang et al. in this issue of the Journal (1), what appeared to be a consistent inverse association between allergies and childhood acute lymphoblas-tic leukemia (ALL) is now being called into question. In a recent meta-analysis of the topic, Linabery et al. examined 8 case-control studies of ALL that met the search criteria (2). The odds of allergy were significantly lower in ALL cases than in controls (odds ratio = 0.69; 95% confidence interval: 0.54, 0.89), and similarly inverse associations were observed for asthma, eczema, and hay fever analyzed separately. These associations varied across studies stratified by a number of factors that could potentially influence outcome, however, including those related to study design and response rates. Importantly, odds ratios were null for 3 studies in which allergy information was obtained from medical records rather than from maternal report and investigators accounted for a latent period before ALL diagnosis. This somewhat contrarian research consisted of a case-control study nested within the populations of 4 United States health maintenance organizations, the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study (UKCCS), and a Swedish record-linkage study of hospital discharge for asthma. In the first study, the odds ratio for allergies was elevated at 1.24 but was imprecisely estimated (95% confidence interval: 0.82, 1.86) (3), whereas in the second and third studies, point estimates were inverse at 0.87 (95% confidence interval: 0.72, 1.06) (4) and 0.5 (95% confidence interval: 0.2, 1.1) …
Parsing heterogeneity in attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder using EEG‐based subgroups

BACKGROUND Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous condition for which multiple efforts to characterize brain state differences are underway. The objective of this study was to identify distinct subgroups of resting electroencephalography (EEG) profiles among children with and without ADHD and subsequently provide extensive clinical characterization of the subgroups. METHODS Latent class analysis was used with resting state EEG recorded from a large sample of 781 children with and without ADHD (N = 620 ADHD, N = 161 Control), aged 6-18 years old. Behavioral and cognitive characteristics of the latent classes were derived from semistructured diagnostic interviews, parent completed behavior rating scales, and cognitive test performance. RESULTS A five-class solution was the best fit for the data, of which four classes had a defining spectral power elevation. The distribution of ADHD and control subjects was similar across classes suggesting there is no one resting state EEG profile for children with or without ADHD. Specific latent classes demonstrated distinct behavioral and cognitive profiles. Those with elevated slow-wave activity (i.e. delta and theta band) had higher levels of externalizing behaviors and cognitive deficits. Latent subgroups with elevated alpha and beta power had higher levels of internalizing behaviors, emotion dysregulation, and intact cognitive functioning. CONCLUSIONS There is population-level heterogeneity in resting state EEG subgroups, which are associated with distinct behavioral and cognitive profiles. EEG measures may be more useful biomarkers of ADHD outcome or treatment response rather than diagnosis.
Neural correlates of maintaining generated images in visual working memory

How are images that have been assembled from their constituting elements maintained as a coherent representation in visual working memory (vWM)? Here, we compared two conditions of vWM maintenance that only differed in how vWM contents had been created. Participants maintained images that they either had to assemble from single features or that they had perceived as complete objects. Object complexity varied between two and four features. We analyzed electroencephalogram phase coupling as a measure of cortical connectivity in a time interval immediately before a probe stimulus appeared. We assumed that during this time both groups maintained essentially the same images, but that images constructed from their elements would require more neural coupling than images based on a complete percept. Increased coupling between frontal and parietal‐to‐occipital cortical sources was found for the maintenance of constructed in comparison to nonconstructed objects in the theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands. A similar pattern was found for an increase in vWM load (2 vs. 4 features) for nonconstructed objects. Under increased construction load (2 vs. 4 features for constructed images), the pattern was restricted to fronto‐parietal couplings, suggesting that the fronto‐parietal attention network is coping with the higher attentional demands involved in maintaining constructed images, but without increasing the communication with the occipital visual buffer in which the visual representations are assumed to be stored. We conclude from these findings that the maintenance of constructed images in vWM requires additional attentional processes to keep object elements together as a coherent representation. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4349–4362, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.