Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advances in the Use of DNA Barcodes to Build a Community Phylogeny for Tropical Trees in a Puerto Rican Forest Dynamics Plot

Background Species number, functional traits, and phylogenetic history all contribute to characterizing the biological diversity in plant communities. The phylogenetic component of diversity has been particularly difficult to quantify in species-rich tropical tree assemblages. The compilation of previously published (and often incomplete) data on evolutionary relationships of species into a composite phylogeny of the taxa in a forest, through such programs as Phylomatic, has proven useful in building community phylogenies although often of limited resolution. Recently, DNA barcodes have been used to construct a robust community phylogeny for nearly 300 tree species in a forest dynamics plot in Panama using a supermatrix method. In that study sequence data from three barcode loci were used to generate a well-resolved species-level phylogeny. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we expand upon this earlier investigation and present results on the use of a phylogenetic constraint tree to generate a community phylogeny for a diverse, tropical forest dynamics plot in Puerto Rico. This enhanced method of phylogenetic reconstruction insures the congruence of the barcode phylogeny with broadly accepted hypotheses on the phylogeny of flowering plants (i.e., APG III) regardless of the number and taxonomic breadth of the taxa sampled. We also compare maximum parsimony versus maximum likelihood estimates of community phylogenetic relationships as well as evaluate the effectiveness of one- versus two- versus three-gene barcodes in resolving community evolutionary history. Conclusions/Significance As first demonstrated in the Panamanian forest dynamics plot, the results for the Puerto Rican plot illustrate that highly resolved phylogenies derived from DNA barcode sequence data combined with a constraint tree based on APG III are particularly useful in comparative analysis of phylogenetic diversity and will enhance research on the interface between community ecology and evolution.
The Use and Effectiveness of Mobile Apps for Depression: Results From a Fully Remote Clinical Trial

Background Mobile apps for mental health have the potential to overcome access barriers to mental health care, but there is little information on whether patients use the interventions as intended and the impact they have on mental health outcomes. Objective The objective of our study was to document and compare use patterns and clinical outcomes across the United States between 3 different self-guided mobile apps for depression. Methods Participants were recruited through Web-based advertisements and social media and were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 mood apps. Treatment and assessment were conducted remotely on each participant’s smartphone or tablet with minimal contact with study staff. We enrolled 626 English-speaking adults (≥18 years old) with mild to moderate depression as determined by a 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score ≥5, or if their score on item 10 was ≥2. The apps were (1) Project: EVO, a cognitive training app theorized to mitigate depressive symptoms by improving cognitive control, (2) iPST, an app based on an evidence-based psychotherapy for depression, and (3) Health Tips, a treatment control. Outcomes were scores on the PHQ-9 and the Sheehan Disability Scale. Adherence to treatment was measured as number of times participants opened and used the apps as instructed. Results We randomly assigned 211 participants to iPST, 209 to Project: EVO, and 206 to Health Tips. Among the participants, 77.0% (482/626) had a PHQ-9 score >10 (moderately depressed). Among the participants using the 2 active apps, 57.9% (243/420) did not download their assigned intervention app but did not differ demographically from those who did. Differential treatment effects were present in participants with baseline PHQ-9 score >10, with the cognitive training and problem-solving apps resulting in greater effects on mood than the information control app (χ22=6.46, P=.04). Conclusions Mobile apps for depression appear to have their greatest impact on people with more moderate levels of depression. In particular, an app that is designed to engage cognitive correlates of depression had the strongest effect on depressed mood in this sample. This study suggests that mobile apps reach many people and are useful for more moderate levels of depression. ClinicalTrial Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00540865; https://www.clinicaltrials. gov/ct2/show/NCT00540865 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6mj8IPqQr)
The I in Team: Mining Personal Social Interaction Routine with Topic Models from Long-Term Team Data

Social interaction plays a key role in assessing teamwork and collaboration. It becomes particularly critical in team performance when coupled with isolated, confined, and extreme conditions such as undersea missions. This work investigates how social interactions of individual members in a small team evolve during the course of a long duration mission. We propose to use a topic model to mine individual social interaction patterns and examine how the dynamics of these patterns have an effect on self-assessment of mood and team cohesion. Specifically, we analyzed data from a 6-person crew wearing Sociometric badges over a 4-month mission. Our results show that our method can extract the latent structure of social contexts without supervision. We demonstrate how the extracted patterns based on probabilistic models can provide insights on common behaviors at various temporal resolutions and exhibit links with self-report affective states and team cohesion.
On the relation between viscoelastic and magnetohydrodynamic flows and their instabilities

We demonstrate a close analogy between a viscoelastic medium and an electrically conducting fluid containing a magnetic field. Specifically, the dynamics of the Oldroyd-B fluid in the limit of large Deborah number corresponds to that of a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluid in the limit of large magnetic Reynolds number. As a definite example of this analogy, we compare the stability properties of differentially rotating viscoelastic and MHD flows. We show that there is an instability of the Oldroyd-B fluid that is physically distinct from both the inertial and elastic instabilities described previously in the literature, but is directly equivalent to the magnetorotational instability in MHD. It occurs even when the specific angular momentum increases outwards, provided that the angular velocity decreases outwards; it derives from the kinetic energy of the shear flow and does not depend on the curvature of the streamlines. However, we argue that the elastic instability of viscoelastic Couette flow has no direct equivalent in MHD.
Information and Communication Technology Use Is Related to Higher Well-Being Among the Oldest-Old

Objectives Older adults often prioritize socially meaningful goals over informational goals. Thus, we predicted that using information and communication technology (ICT) in service of socially meaningful versus informational goals relates to higher well-being among the oldest-old. Method We surveyed 445 adults aged 80+ (mean = 84, range = 80-93; 64% female; 26% non-White) online or via telephone. Participants reported motivations for ICT use (connect with others, learn new information) and rated their psychological and physical well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, loneliness, goal attainment, subjective health, functional limitations). We conducted regression and mediation analyses to test our hypothesis. Results Participants used ICT more to connect with friends/family (M = 3.66, SD = 1.28) than to learn information (M = 2.61, SD = 1.44), p < . 001. Overall, ICT use predicted higher well-being across outcomes, ps ≤ . 008. Motivations for use differentially mediated these effects: Social motivations mediated the relationships between ICT use and psychological well-being, whereas informational motivations mediated the relationships between ICT use and physical well-being. Discussion Older adults aged 80+ use ICT less than other generations, but may have much to gain. Using social versus informational technologies may enhance multiple aspects of well-being in different ways during very late life. Highlighting such benefits may increase ICT adoption among the oldest-old.
Impact of Skill-Based Approaches in Reducing Stigma in Primary Care Physicians: Results from a Double-Blind, Parallel-Cluster, Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: Most interventions to reduce stigma in health professionals emphasize education and social contact–based strategies. We sought to evaluate a novel skill-based approach: the British Columbia Adult Mental Health Practice Support Program. We sought to determine the program’s impact on primary care providers’ stigma and their perceived confidence and comfort in providing care for mentally ill patients. We hypothesized that enhanced skills and increased comfort and confidence on the part of practitioners would lead to diminished social distance and stigmatization. Subsequently, we explored the program’s impact on clinical outcomes and health care costs. These outcomes are reported separately, with reference to this article. Methods: In a double-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial, 111 primary care physicians were assigned to intervention or control groups. A validated stigma assessment tool, the Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC), was administered to both groups before and after training. Confidence and comfort were assessed using scales constructed from ad hoc items. Results: In the primary analysis, no significant differences in stigma were found. However, a subscale assessing social distance showed significant improvement in the intervention group after adjustment for a variable (practice size) that was unequally distributed in the randomization. Significant increases in confidence and comfort in managing mental illness were observed among intervention group physicians. A positive correlation was found between increased levels of confidence/comfort and improvements in overall stigma, especially in men. Conclusions: This study provides some preliminary evidence of a positive impact on health care professionals’ stigma through a skill-building approach to management of mild to moderate depression and anxiety in primary care. The intervention can be used as a primary vehicle for enhancing comfort and skills in health care providers and, ultimately, reducing an important dimension of stigma: preference for social distance.
Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography for improving diagnosis of infection in patients on CF-LVAD: longing for more ‘insights’

Aim Presence and consequent extent of infection in patients on continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) can be challenging with the current diagnostic tools. The present study sought to demonstrate the diagnostic power of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose-Positron-Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in detecting infection in patients supported with CF-LVAD. Background The present study sought to demonstrate the diagnostic power of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in detecting infection in patients supported with CF-LVAD. Methods and results Between July 2009 and April 2016, 61 PET/CT examinations were performed in 47 patients (median age 64.13 years, IQR 18.77) supported with a CF-LVAD. PET/CT assessments were performed qualitatively and quantitatively at three different levels: at the piercing site of driveline (first level), along the intracorporeal course of driveline (second level), and around the device (third level). Final diagnosis of LVAD infection was prospectively performed and was based upon microbiological samples taken at hospital admission, during the surgical revision/transplantation and recurrence of symptoms on long-term follow-up. At last follow-up a total of 40 (65.57%) final diagnoses of LVAD-infection could be ascertained. Matching the final diagnosis with the PET/CT assessments the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value were 90.0, 71.4, 85.71, and 78.94%, respectively. Level sub-analyses of SUV max showed an optimal discriminator power for levels 1 and 2 (AUC of level 1-0.824, P < 0.001; AUC of level 2-0.849, P < 0.001, respectively). At the third level semi-quantitative analysis showed poor discriminator power (AUC 0.589, P = 0.33). Qualitative visual analysis instead indicated a trend toward significance (P = 0.07). Conclusions Quantitative 18F-FDG PET/CT is an optimal diagnostic tool in detecting superficial and deep driveline infections. However, diagnostic accuracy with regard to the diagnosis of pump housing infection is limited. Here, clinical and qualitative PET/CT analyses must be better considered.
Effect of Reverse Body Bias on Hot Carrier Induced Degradation of n-MOSFETs

The impact of the reverse body bias (RBB) on hot carrier induced degradation of n+ polysilicon gate n-channel MOSFETs is investigated. A comparison with conventional stresses at zero body bias is given. The key role of channel initiated secondary electrons (CHISELs) under RBB stress responsible for a degradation broadly distributed along the channel is discussed. The dependence of this mechanism on channel length is highlighted and special attention is given to long channel devices suitable for analog applications. A significant threshold voltage drift is linked to a peak transconductance increase attributed to the coexistence in the channel of an undamaged region in series with a damaged one at the drain side. Peculiar impact of CHISEL damage is also visible in the degradation of drain current both in linear and saturation regions.
Rapid target foraging with reach or gaze: The hand looks further ahead than the eye

Real-world tasks typically consist of a series of target-directed actions and often require choices about which targets to act on and in what order. Such choice behavior can be assessed from an optimal foraging perspective whereby target selection is shaped by a balance between rewards and costs. Here we evaluated such decision-making in a rapid movement foraging task. On a given trial, participants were presented with 15 targets of varying size and value and were instructed to harvest as much reward as possible by either moving a handle to the targets (hand task) or by briefly fixating them (eye task). The short trial duration enabled participants to harvest about half the targets, ensuring that total reward was due to choice behavior. We developed a probabilistic model to predict target-by-target harvesting choices that considered the rewards and movement-related costs (i.e., target distance and size) associated with the current target as well as future targets. In the hand task, in comparison to the eye task, target choice was more strongly influenced by movement-related costs and took into account a greater number of future targets, consistent with the greater costs associated with arm movement. In both tasks, participants exhibited near-optimal behaviour and in a constrained version of the hand task in which choices could only be based on target positions, participants consistently chose among the shortest movement paths. Our results demonstrate that people can rapidly and effectively integrate values and movement-related costs associated with current and future targets when sequentially harvesting targets.
The Relation of Attachment Security Status to Effortful Self-Regulation: A Meta-Analysis

Secure attachment relationships have been described as having a regulatory function in regard to children’s emotions, social cognition, and behavior. Although some theorists and researchers have argued that attachment affects children’s self-regulation, most attachment theorists have not strongly emphasized this association. The goal of the current meta-analysis was to determine the magnitude of the relation between attachment security status and effortful control (EC)/top-down self-regulation in children up to 18 years of age. One hundred six papers met the inclusion criteria and 101 independent samples were used in analyses. When secure attachment status was compared with insecure attachment status, a significant relation (effect size [ES]) with EC favoring children with a secure attachment was found (100 studies; 20,350 participants; r = .20). A stronger relation was found when the same coder evaluated attachment than when the coder was different and when the measure of attachment was continuous; other moderators were not significant. Securely attached children were higher in EC than their avoidant (r = .10) or resistant (r = .17) counterparts. Children with organized attachments were higher in EC than those with disorganized attachments (r = .17), although this finding could be due to publication bias. For some comparisons of subgroups (B vs. A, B vs. C, and/or D vs. all others), moderation was found by source of information (higher ES for same reporter), age at assessment of EC and/or attachment (higher ES at older ages), method of attachment (lower ES for observational measures), time difference between assessments or research design (higher ESs for smaller time differences and concurrent findings), and published versus unpublished studies (higher ES for unpublished studies for A vs. B).
Probabilistic Event Discrimination Algorithm for Fiber Optic Perimeter Security Systems

This paper proposes an event discrimination algorithm with probabilistic output for fiber optic perimeter security systems. Multiscale permutation entropy and the zero-crossing rate are employed to increase the efficiency of the algorithm and extract intrusion features. A probabilistic support vector machine is used to calculate multiple event probabilities by solving a convex quadratic programming problem. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can distinguish six intrusion events at an average recognition rate of 92.68% and in a processing time of 0.32 s. Compared with traditional discrimination methods, the proposed algorithm obtains more detailed information (probabilities) of intrusion events. The recognition results are obtained after analyzing the probabilities, which not only reduces the decision-making costs but also reduces the losses from erroneous decisions. Therefore, the proposed high-efficiency feature extraction method and reliable discrimination algorithm can be used to improve the monitoring efficiency of fiber optic perimeter security systems.
Determination of volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath of heart failure patients by needle trap micro-extraction coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

The analytical performances of needle trap micro-extraction (NTME) coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry were evaluated by analyzing a mixture of twenty-two representative breath volatile organic compounds (VOCs) belonging to different chemical classes (i.e. hydrocarbons, ketones, aldehydes, aromatics and sulfurs). NTME is an emerging technique that guarantees detection limits in the pptv range by pre-concentrating low volumes of sample, and it is particularly suitable for breath analysis. For most VOCs, detection limits between 20 and 500 pptv were obtained by pre-concentrating 25 ml of a humidified standard gas mixture at a flow rate of 15 ml min−1. For all compounds, inter- and intra-day precisions were always below 15%, confirming the reliability of the method. The procedure was successfully applied to the analysis of exhaled breath samples collected from forty heart failure (HF) patients during their stay in the University Hospital of Pisa. The majority of patients (about 80%) showed a significant decrease of breath acetone levels (a factor of 3 or higher) at discharge compared to admission (acute phase) in correspondence to the improved clinical conditions during hospitalization, thus making this compound eligible as a biomarker of HF exacerbation.
Identification of a targeted and testable antiarrhythmic therapy for long-QT syndrome type 2 using a patient-specific cellular model

Aims Loss-of-function mutations in the hERG gene causes long-QT syndrome type 2 (LQT2), a condition associated with reduced IKr current. Four different mutation classes define the molecular mechanisms impairing hERG. Among them, Class 2 mutations determine hERG trafficking defects. Lumacaftor (LUM) is a drug acting on channel trafficking already successfully tested for cystic fibrosis and its safety profile is well known. We hypothesize that LUM might rescue also hERG trafficking defects in LQT2 and exert anti-arrhythmic effects. Methods and results From five LQT2 patients, we generated lines of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) harbouring Class 1 and 2 mutations. The effects of LUM on corrected field potential durations (cFPD) and calcium-handling irregularities were verified by multi electrode array and by calcium transients imaging, respectively. Molecular analysis was performed to clarify the mechanism of action of LUM on hERG trafficking and calcium handling. Long-QT syndrome type 2 induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes mimicked the clinical phenotypes and showed both prolonged cFPD (grossly equivalent to the QT interval) and increased arrhythmias. Lumacaftor significantly shortened cFPD in Class 2 iPSC-CMs by correcting the hERG trafficking defect. Furthermore, LUM seemed to act also on calcium handling by reducing RyR2S2808 phosphorylation in both Class 1 and 2 iPSC-CMs. Conclusion Lumacaftor, a drug already in clinical use, can rescue the pathological phenotype of LQT2 iPSC-CMs, particularly those derived from Class 2 mutated patients. Our results suggest that the use of LUM in LQT2 patients not protected by β-blockers is feasible and may represent a novel therapeutic option.
Predictability of the individual clinical outcome of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for cellulite

License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Permissions beyond the scope of the License are administered by Dove Medical Press Limited. Information on how to request permission may be found at: http://www.dovepress. com/permissions.php Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology 2014:7 171–183 Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology Dovepress