Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Citizen Science and Community Engagement in Tick Surveillance—A Canadian Case Study

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in North America and Europe, and on-going surveillance is required to monitor the spread of the tick vectors as their populations expand under the influence of climate change. Active surveillance involves teams of researchers collecting ticks from field locations with the potential to be sites of establishing tick populations. This process is labor- and time-intensive, limiting the number of sites monitored and the frequency of monitoring. Citizen science initiatives are ideally suited to address this logistical problem and generate high-density and complex data from sites of community importance. In 2014, the same region was monitored by academic researchers, public health workers, and citizen scientists, allowing a comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of each type of surveillance effort. Four community members persisted with tick collections over several years, collectively recovering several hundred ticks. Although deviations from standard surveillance protocols and the choice of tick surveillance sites makes the incorporation of community-generated data into conventional surveillance analyses more complex, this citizen science data remains useful in providing high-density longitudinal tick surveillance of a small area in which detailed ecological observations can be made. Most importantly, partnership between community members and researchers has proven a powerful tool in educating communities about of the risk of tick-vectored diseases and in encouraging tick bite prevention.
An evolutionarily conserved NIMA-related kinase directs rhizoid tip growth in the basal land plant Marchantia polymorpha

ABSTRACT Tip growth is driven by turgor pressure and mediated by the polarized accumulation of cellular materials. How a single polarized growth site is established and maintained is unclear. Here, we analyzed the function of NIMA-related protein kinase 1 (MpNEK1) in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. In the wild type, rhizoid cells differentiate from the ventral epidermis and elongate through tip growth to form hair-like protrusions. In Mpnek1 knockout mutants, rhizoids underwent frequent changes in growth direction, resulting in a twisted and/or spiral morphology. The functional MpNEK1-Citrine protein fusion localized to microtubule foci in the apical growing region of rhizoids. Mpnek1 knockouts exhibited increases in both microtubule density and bundling in the apical dome of rhizoids. Treatment with the microtubule-stabilizing drug taxol phenocopied the Mpnek1 knockout. These results suggest that MpNEK1 directs tip growth in rhizoids through microtubule organization. Furthermore, MpNEK1 expression rescued ectopic outgrowth of epidermal cells in the Arabidopsis thaliana nek6 mutant, strongly supporting an evolutionarily conserved NEK-dependent mechanism of directional growth. It is possible that such a mechanism contributed to the evolution of the early rooting system in land plants. Summary: MpNEK1 regulates growth directionality in tip-growing rhizoids, the single-celled structures that mediate nutrient absorption and attachment to the substrate, through a mechanism that is evolutionarily conserved in land plants.
A Test of a Model of Glaucomatous Damage of the Macula With High-Density Perimetry: Implications for the Locations of Visual Field Test Points.

PURPOSE To use high-density perimetry to test a model of local glaucomatous damage to the macula (central visual field [VF]) and to assess the optimal placement of stimuli used to detect this damage. METHODS Thirty-one eyes of 31 patients showing glaucomatous arcuate damage within the upper hemifield of the central 10° were tested with a customized VF with double the density of the 10-2 (2° grid) test. Individual plots of total deviation (TD) values were generated. A model, which predicts a "vulnerable macular region" (VMR) and a "less vulnerable macular region" (LVMR), was compared with the TD values without (standard model) and with (aligned model) scaling and rotating to align it with the patient's fovea-to-disc axis. Computer simulations assessed alternative VF locations for adding two points to the 6° grid pattern (e.g., 24-2 VF) typically used in the clinic. RESULTS There were significantly more abnormal points in the VMR than in the LVMR. However, the aligned model did no better than the standard model in describing the data. The optimal locations for adding two points to the 24-2 (6° grid) test were (-1°, 5°) and (1°, 5°), both within the VMR. CONCLUSIONS The model describes the region of the superior VF vulnerable to arcuate damage. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE The model can be used to determine the optimal locations for adding test points to the commonly used VF test pattern (24-2). It does not seem necessary to adjust the location of VF test points based upon interindividual differences in the fovea-to-disc axis.
Association of Marek's disease with Ea-B and immune response genes in subline and F2 populations of the Iowa State S1 Leghorn line.

Chickens from the Iowa State S1 White Leghorn line, selected for characteristics of Ea-B serotype, humoral immune response to glutamic acid-alanine-tyrosine (Ir-GAT), and response to Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)-induced tumors, were evaluated for genetic resistance to Marek's disease (MD). In the first two trials, sublines that were triple homozygous for the three traits were challenged with MD virus. Birds of the B1B1 blood type were significantly (P less than .001) more resistant to MD than chickens of the B19B19 blood type. High responders to GAT were significantly (P less than .001) more resistant to MD virus than low responders. The RSV classification had no detectable association with MD resistance. Chickens challenged with MD virus in the third trial were an F2 population produced from inter se matings of S1 chickens heterozygous for the three traits under selection. Data from this trial confirmed increased MD resistance of chickens possessing the B1B1 blood type when associated with genes encoding high immune response to GAT.
Working memory in very-low-birthweight children at the age of 11 years

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to investigate the working memory (WM) of very-low-birthweight (VLBW, ≤ 1500 g) children at the age of 11 years using Baddeley’s WM model. A regional cohort of 95 VLBW children was assessed for the domains of the WM model (central executive [CE], visuospatial sketchpad [VS], and phonological loop [PL]) using subtests from the Working Memory Test Battery for Children (WMTB-C) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). VLBW children were categorized into three groups according to their degree of brain pathology (normal, minor, or major) in neonatal brain magnetic resonance imaging at the term age, and the WM performance was compared between groups to test norms. The structure of the WM model was studied by analyzing correlations among domains. Even VLBW children with normal cognitive development (general ability index ≥ 85) performed worse compared to the test norms (M = 100, SD = 15) on CE (M = 87.64, SD = 20.54, p < .001) and VS (M = 91.65, SD = 11.03, p < .001), but their performance on PL was above the norm (M = 110.79, SD = 13.79, p < .001). VLBW children with major brain pathology performed significantly worse on VS and PL compared to the other groups. The correlations among the WM domains of the VLBW children differ from earlier findings in normative populations. To conclude, the WM of the VLBW children in the study differ—especially in the CE and VS subtest scores—from the normative population irrespective of the degree of brain pathology and level of cognitive development.
A jack of all trades: the RNA‐binding protein vigilin

The vigilin family of proteins is evolutionarily conserved from yeast to humans and characterized by the proteins’ 14 or 15 hnRNP K homology (KH) domains, typically associated with RNA‐binding. Vigilin is the largest RNA‐binding protein (RBP) in the KH domain‐containing family and one of the largest RBP known to date. Since its identification 30 years ago, vigilin has been shown to bind over 700 mRNAs and has been associated with cancer progression and cardiovascular disease. We provide a brief historic overview of vigilin research and outline the proteins’ different functions, focusing on maintenance of genome ploidy, heterochromatin formation, RNA export, as well as regulation of translation, mRNA transport, and mRNA stability. The multitude of associated functions is reflected by the large number of identified interaction partners, ranging from tRNAs, mRNAs, ribosomes and ribosome‐associated proteins, to histone methyltransferases and DNA‐dependent protein kinases. Most of these partners bind to vigilin's carboxyterminus, and the two most C‐terminal KH domains of the protein, KH13 and KH14, represent the main mRNA‐binding interface. Since the nuclear functions of vigilins in particular are not conserved, we outline a model for the basal functions of vigilins, as well as those which were acquired during the transition from unicellular organisms to metazoa. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1448. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1448
Early Discontinuation of Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives among Married and in Union Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Introduction: Despite the improvement in availability and utilization of long acting reversible contraception early discontinuation is becoming a public health concern. Significant proportion of women discontinues the service before its due date which poses a concern in the health system and its consequence may leads to failure of a program. Therefore Estimating the rate of discontinuation from the available reports and identifying the associating factors are important for designing a strategy to overcome the problem. Methods: The review was conducted through a systematic literature search of articles published between 1997 and 2017. Five Most known bibliographic databases and libraries: PubMed/Medline, Global Health Database, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and African Index Medicus were used. After cleaning and sorting, analysis was performed using STATA version 11. The pooled rate of early discontinuation was estimated with a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed by the I2 and publication bias through funnel plot. Results: The 22 studies that were retained for final analysis enrolled a total of 19,805 Married or in union women. Accordingly, 20% (95% CI=17-23%) of women discontinue long acting reversible contraceptives within one year of insertion. There is no significant difference in the rate of discontinuation between IUD and implant users (20.6% (SD=12.7) and 20.2% (SD=7.9)). Side effects and health concerns were main determinants for early discontinuation. Conclusion and recommendation: Contraceptive discontinuation rate in this meta-analysis was found to be much higher than previous studies and world health organization’s report associated with adverse outcomes and inconveniences. There for appropriate counseling, follow up care and management of side effects and clients inconveniences are very important
Hardness improvement of Pb75% - Sb15% - Sn10% bearing alloy through reinforcement with 5% v/v SiO2 particulates

The work ‘Hardness Improvement of Pb75%-Sb15%-Sn10% Bearing Alloy through Reinforcement with 5% v/v SiO2 Particulates’ has been carried out. The research involved the development of the composite. The alloy matrix which was earlier developed in the foundry shop of NMDC was used for the production of the composite through the stir cast method. The bars were prepared into test specimens some of them were solution treated, age-hardened and then they were subjected to hardness test and microstructural examination. The result of the work revealed that the as cast sample had a hardness value of 34 HRB and showed improvement when compared with the hardness value of the matrix alloy used for the development of the composite which had a hardness value of 27.7 HRB. The highest value of 35 HRB occurred after 3 hrs of age-hardening the composite. The microstructural analysis confirmed the changes in the hardness values as it revealed the constituent phases of the composite at different ageing periods. The microstructure also agreed with revelations from Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images captured on similar alloys. The improved hardness recorded with the reinforcement of Pb75%-Sb15%-Sn10%alloy with particulate silica clearly confirms that the bearing alloy in the form of a composite can sustain heavier loads.
Responsiveness of performance-based outcome measures for mobility, balance, muscle strength and manual dexterity in adults with myotonic dystrophy type 1.

OBJECTIVE To assess changes and responsiveness in outcome measures of mobility, balance, muscle strength and manual dexterity in adults with myotonic dystrophy type 1. DESIGN A 9-year longitudinal study conducted with 113 patients. METHODS The responsiveness of the Timed Up and Go test, Berg Balance Scale, quantitative muscle testing, grip and pinch-grip strength, and Purdue Pegboard Test was assessed using criterion and construct approaches. Patient-reported perceived changes (worse/stable) in balance, walking, lower-limb weakness, stair-climbing and hand weakness were used as criteria. Predefined hypotheses about expected area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (criterion approach) and correlations between relative changes (construct approach) were explored. RESULTS The direction and magnitude of median changes in outcome measures corresponded with patient-reported changes. Median changes in the Timed Up and Go test, grip strength, pinch-grip strength and Purdue Pegboard Test did not, in general, exceed known measurement errors. Most criterion (72%) and construct (70%) approach hypotheses were supported. Promising responsiveness was found for outcome measures of mobility, balance and muscle strength. Grip strength and manual dexterity measures showed poorer responsiveness. CONCLUSION The performance-based outcome measures captured changes over the 9-year period and responsiveness was promising. Knowledge of measurement errors is needed to interpret the meaning of these longitudinal changes.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Usage by Multiple Sclerosis Patients: Results from a Prospective Clinical Study.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the factors associated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) usage by multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Design, Setting/Location: Single-center, prospective clinical study at an academic MS center in the northeastern United States. METHODS This study included CAM data from 524 MS patients and 304 healthy controls (HC) enrolled in a prospective study of clinical, neuroimaging, and environmental risk factors in MS at an academic MS Center. Clinical, neuroimaging, and disease-modifying treatment data were obtained. In addition, data on usage of CAM modalities, including acupuncture, aromatherapy, Ayurveda, Chinese herbal medicine, chiropractor, electromagnetic therapy, homeopathy, hypnosis, massage, naturopathy, Qi gong, Reiki, therapeutic touch, and bee stings were collected in an in-person interview. RESULTS The percentages of HC reporting usage of any CAM (32%) was similar to that in MS patients after diagnosis (30.5%). The usage of any CAM was higher in MS patients after MS diagnosis compared to before MS diagnosis (p < 0.001). The three most frequently used CAM for MS patients after MS diagnosis and HC were chiropractor, massage, and acupuncture. The most frequent reasons for CAM use were MS symptom relief, back problems, and pain. In multivariate analysis, female gender, higher education level, MS disease course, and not currently on disease-modifying therapies (DMT) treatment status were associated with CAM usage. CONCLUSIONS Gender, education level, DMT treatment status, and MS disease course are associated with CAM usage in MS patients. Ever-CAM usage patterns in MS patients are similar to those in HC.
Rate Distortion Functions and Rate Distortion Function Lower Bounds for Real-World Sources

Although Shannon introduced the concept of a rate distortion function in 1948, only in the last decade has the methodology for developing rate distortion function lower bounds for real-world sources been established. However, these recent results have not been fully exploited due to some confusion about how these new rate distortion bounds, once they are obtained, should be interpreted and should be used in source codec performance analysis and design. We present the relevant rate distortion theory and show how this theory can be used for practical codec design and performance prediction and evaluation. Examples for speech and video indicate exactly how the new rate distortion functions can be calculated, interpreted, and extended. These examples illustrate the interplay between source models for rate distortion theoretic studies and the source models underlying video and speech codec design. Key concepts include the development of composite source models per source realization and the application of conditional rate distortion theory.
Preserved Structure Across Vector Space Representations

Certain concepts, words, and images are intuitively more similar than others (dog vs. cat, dog vs. spoon), though quantifying such similarity is notoriously difficult. Indeed, this kind of computation is likely a critical part of learning the category boundaries for words within a given language. Here, we use a set of 27 items (e.g. 'dog') that are highly common in infants' input, and use both image- and word-based algorithms to independently compute similarity among them. We find three key results. First, the pairwise item similarities derived within image-space and word-space are correlated, suggesting preserved structure among these extremely different representational formats. Second, the closest 'neighbors' for each item, within each space, showed significant overlap (e.g. both found 'egg' as a neighbor of 'apple'). Third, items with the most overlapping neighbors are later-learned by infants and toddlers. We conclude that this approach, which does not rely on human ratings of similarity, may nevertheless reflect stable within-class structure across these two spaces. We speculate that such invariance might aid lexical acquisition, by serving as an informative marker of category boundaries.
Serine is the major residue for ADP-ribosylation upon DNA damage

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) are a family of enzymes that synthesise ADP-ribosylation (ADPr), a reversible modification of proteins that regulates many different cellular processes. Several mammalian PARPs are known to regulate the DNA damage response, but it is not clear which amino acids in proteins are the primary ADPr targets. Previously, we reported that ARH3 reverses the newly discovered type of ADPr (ADPr on serine residues; Ser-ADPr) and developed tools to analyse this modification (Fontana et al., 2017). Here, we show that Ser-ADPr represents the major fraction of ADPr synthesised after DNA damage in mammalian cells and that globally Ser-ADPr is dependent on HPF1, PARP1 and ARH3. In the absence of HPF1, glutamate/aspartate becomes the main target residues for ADPr. Furthermore, we describe a method for site-specific validation of serine ADP-ribosylated substrates in cells. Our study establishes serine as the primary form of ADPr in DNA damage signalling.
How Consistent Is Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Across Occasions, Sources, and Settings? Evidence From Latent State–Trait Modeling

Research has yet to determine how much of the variance in sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptom ratings is consistent across occasions, sources, and settings versus specific to occasion, source, and setting. Our first objective was to determine the amount of variance in SCT ratings that was consistent (trait consistency) across three occasions of measurement over 12 months versus specific to the occasion (occasion-specificity) with ratings by mothers, fathers, primary teachers, and secondary teachers of 811 Spanish children. Our second objective was then to determine the convergent validity for trait consistency and occasion-specificity variance components within and across settings. SCT ratings reflected mostly trait consistency for mothers, fathers, and primary teachers (less so for secondary teachers) with the convergent validity for trait consistency also being strong for mothers with fathers and for primary teachers with secondary teachers. Across home and school, however, convergent validity for trait consistency was low and even lower for occasion-specificity. SCT appears to be more trait-like rather than state-like, with similar levels of trait consistency across occasions and convergent validity within settings as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in a prior study. However, SCT symptoms had slightly weaker convergent validity for trait consistency across settings relative to ADHD symptoms.
Conversion of α-linolenic acid to eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in young women

The extent to which women of reproductive age are able to convert the n−3 fatty acid α-linolenic acid (ALNA) to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was investigated in vivo by measuring the concentrations of labelled fatty acids in plasma for 21 d following the ingestion of [U−13C]ALNA (700 mg). [13C]ALNA excursion was greatest in cholesteryl ester (CE) (224 (SEM 70) μmol/l over 21 d) compared with triacylglycerol (9-fold), non-esterified fatty acids (37-fold) and phosphatidylcholine (PC, 7-fold). EPA excursion was similar in both PC (42 (SEM 8) μmol/l) and CE (42 (SEM 9) μmol/l) over 21 d. In contrast both [13C]DPA and [13C]DHA were detected predominately in PC (18 (SEM 4) and 27 (SEM 7) μmol/l over 21 d, respectively). Estimated net fractional ALNA inter-conversion was EPA 21 %, DPA 6 % and DHA 9 %. Approximately 22 % of administered [13C]ALNA was recovered as 13CO2 on breath over the first 24 h of the study. These results suggest differential partitioning of ALNA, EPA and DHA between plasma lipid classes, which may facilitate targeting of individual n−3 fatty acids to specific tissues. Comparison with previous studies suggests that women may possess a greater capacity for ALNA conversion than men. Such metabolic capacity may be important for meeting the demands of the fetus and neonate for DHA during pregnancy and lactation. Differences in DHA status between women both in the non-pregnant state and in pregnancy may reflect variations in metabolic capacity for DHA synthesis.