Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Facial emotional expression in reaction to social exclusion in borderline personality disorder

Background Disturbances in social interaction are a defining feature of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). In this study, facial emotional expressions, which are crucial for adaptive interactions in social contexts, were assessed in patients with BPD in response to social exclusion. Method We examined facial emotional reactions of 35 patients with BPD and 33 healthy controls when playing Cyberball, a virtual ball-tossing game that reliably induces social exclusion. Besides self-reported emotional responses, facial emotional expressions were analyzed by applying the Emotional Facial Action Coding System (EMFACS). Results Patients with BPD showed a biased perception of participation. They more readily reported feeling excluded compared to controls even when they were included. In BPD, social exclusion led to an increase in self-reported other-focused negative emotions. Overall, EMFACS analyses revealed that BPD patients reacted with fewer positive expressions and with significantly more mixed emotional expressions (two emotional facial expressions at the same time) compared to the healthy control group when excluded. Conclusions Besides a negative bias for perceived social participation, ambiguous facial emotional expressions may play an important role in the disturbed relatedness in patients with BPD.
The Importance of Mechanical Forces for in vitro Endothelial Cell Biology

Blood and lymphatic vessels are lined by endothelial cells which constantly interact with their luminal and abluminal extracellular environments. These interactions confer physical forces on the endothelium, such as shear stress, stretch and stiffness, to mediate biological responses. These physical forces are often altered during disease, driving abnormal endothelial cell behavior and pathology. Therefore, it is critical that we understand the mechanisms by which endothelial cells respond to physical forces. Traditionally, endothelial cells in culture are grown in the absence of flow on stiff substrates such as plastic or glass. These cells are not subjected to the physical forces that endothelial cells endure in vivo, thus the results of these experiments often do not mimic those observed in the body. The field of vascular biology now realize that an intricate analysis of endothelial signaling mechanisms requires complex in vitro systems to mimic in vivo conditions. Here, we will review what is known about the mechanical forces that guide endothelial cell behavior and then discuss the advancements in endothelial cell culture models designed to better mimic the in vivo vascular microenvironment. A wider application of these technologies will provide more biologically relevant information from cultured cells which will be reproducible to conditions found in the body.
Trans-tympanic electric auditory brainstem response (TT-EABR): the importance of the positioning of the stimulating electrode

Abstract Trans-tympanic electric auditory brainstem response (TT-EABR) is an established pre-operative investigation in cochlear implantation surgery. Various techniques have been employed to obtain electrical responses but there has been no universal agreement on the exact positioning of the stimulating electrode on the medial wall of the mesotympanum. The authors investigate the relationship of the positioning of the electrode and the brainstem response. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stochastically Modeling Listeria Monocytogenes Growth in Farm Tank Milk

This article presents a Listeria monocytogenes growth model in milk at the farm bulk tank stage. The main objective was to judge the feasibility and value to risk assessors of introducing a complex model, including a complete thermal model, within a microbial quantitative risk assessment scheme. Predictive microbiology models are used under varying temperature conditions to predict bacterial growth. Input distributions are estimated based on data in the literature, when it is available. If not, reasonable assumptions are made for the considered context. Previously published results based on a Bayesian analysis of growth parameters are used. A Monte Carlo simulation that forecasts bacterial growth is the focus of this study. Three scenarios that take account of the variability and uncertainty of growth parameters are compared. The effect of a sophisticated thermal model taking account of continuous variations in milk temperature was tested by comparison with a simplified model where milk temperature was considered as constant. Limited multiplication of bacteria within the farm bulk tank was modeled. The two principal factors influencing bacterial growth were found to be tank thermostat regulation and bacterial population growth parameters. The dilution phenomenon due to the introduction of new milk was the main factor affecting the final bacterial concentration. The results show that a model that assumes constant environmental conditions at an average temperature should be acceptable for this process. This work may constitute a first step toward exposure assessment for L. monocytogenes in milk. In addition, this partly conceptual work provides guidelines for other risk assessments where continuous variation of a parameter needs to be taken into account.
[Characteristic neurological signs in patients with cervical disc disease].

In cervical radiculopathy, neurological findings for the upper extremities and the responsible level of the radices have been precisely detailed. However, in cases of cervical spondylotic myelopathy, it is not always easy to determine the responsible level of the cervical spine solely based on neurological findings. To disclose characteristic neurological lesions of the upper extremities, if any, for different locations of disc disease, 49 patients with cervical disc protrusion at single levels, confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging, were analyzed. Thirty-six patients demonstrated long tract signs (LTS) concomitant with segmental signs in the upper extremities, and 13 patients had no LTS. Except for deep tendon reflexes and the extent of dysesthesia in the upper extremities, there were no characteristic neurological findings, such as muscle atrophy, loss of muscle strength, extent of hypalgesia, or hypesthesia, pointing to the responsible compression site. In the 13 patients without LTS, the extent of dysesthesia and diminution of deep tendon reflexes proved to be completely in agreement with results for radiculopathy: 9 had protruded discs at the C56 level and described dysesthesia in the thumb and the index finger with deep tendon reflexes in the biceps and brachioradialis being diminished. The remaining 4 had protruded discs at the C67 level and described dysesthesia in the middle finger. Their deep tendon reflexes in the triceps were diminished. A clear contrast was observed for the patients with LTS. Four out of 36 patients had C34 protruded discs and did not complain of dysesthesia in any digits. Their deep tendon reflexes were exaggerated in all muscles in the upper extremities. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Hardware Validation of the Advanced Plant Habitat on ISS: Canopy Photosynthesis in Reduced Gravity

The Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) is the largest research plant growth facility deployed on the International Space Station (ISS). APH is a fully enclosed, closed-loop plant life support system with an environmentally controlled growth chamber designed for conducting both fundamental and applied plant research during experiments extending as long as 135 days. APH was delivered to the ISS in parts aboard two commercial resupply missions: OA-7 in April 2017 and SpaceX-11 in June 2017, and was assembled and installed in the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo in November 2018. We report here on a 7-week-long hardware validation test that utilized a root module planted with both Arabidopsis (cv. Col 0) and wheat (cv. Apogee) plants. The validation test examined the APH’s ability to control light intensity, spectral quality, humidity, CO2 concentration, photoperiod, temperature, and root zone moisture using commanding from ground facilities at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The test also demonstrated the execution of programmed experiment profiles that scheduled: (1) changes in environmental combinations (e.g., a daily photoperiod at constant relative humidity), (2) predetermined photographic events using the three APH cameras [overhead, sideview, and sideview near-infrared (NIR)], and (3) execution of experimental sequences during the life cycle of a crop (e.g., measure photosynthetic CO2 drawdown experiments). Arabidopsis and wheat were grown in microgravity to demonstrate crew procedures, planting protocols and watering schemes within APH. The ability of APH to contain plant debris was assessed during the harvest of mature Arabidopsis plants. Wheat provided a large evaporative load that tested root zone moisture control and the recovery of transpired water by condensation. The wheat canopy was also used to validate the ability of APH to measure gas exchange of plants from non-invasive gas exchange measurements (i.e., canopy photosynthesis and respiration). These features were evaluated by executing experiment profiles that utilized the CO2 drawdown technique to measure daily rates of canopy photosynthesis and dark-period CO2 increase for respiration. This hardware validation test confirmed that APH can measure fundamental plant responses to spaceflight conditions.
Equivalency of geologic and geodetic rates in contractional orogens: New insights from the Pamir Frontal Thrust

Across contractional orogens, the equivalency between decadal convergence rates from geodetic GPS data and geologic shortening rates at time scales of thousands or millions of years has rarely been documented. Here, we present an example from the northern margin of Chinese Pamir, where the Main Pamir Thrust is tectonically quiescent, and recent deformation is concentrated on the Pamir Frontal Thrust (PFT). Based on dated and faulted fluvial terraces, magnetostratigraphy, and mapping, the horizontal shortening rate of the PFT is ∼6–7 mm/a at time scales of both ∼18.4 ka and ∼0.35 Ma, comparable to the geodetic rate of ∼6–9 mm/a across the same zone, implying that modern geodetic rates are a reasonable proxy for geologic rates since ∼0.35 Ma. Comparing this example with studies in other contractional orogens, we conjecture that a match or mismatch of geologic‐geodetic rates typically depends on the time scale of observation, fault geometry, and fault mechanics.
Diagnosis of cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome: challenges, recommendations and emerging concepts

Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome are rare autosomal dominantly inherited diseases. They include three overlapping phenotypes: familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome, Muckle–Wells syndrome, and chronic infantile neurological cutaneous articular syndrome/neonatal onset multisystem autoinflammatory syndrome (NOMID/CINCA). Recurrent fevers, joint pain, and urticarial skin rash are the main clinical features of these conditions. Renal amyloidosis and sensorineural complications may occur. Gain-of-function mutations in NLRP3 gene are responsible for the overactivation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, a multimolecular complex involved in the inflammatory process. Missense mutations are almost always encountered, particularly in exon 3, which encodes the nucleotide-binding domain. Mosaicism is not rare, especially in CINCA/NOMID. Next-generation sequencing will grant access to new insights about NLRP3 implication in oligogenic and multifactorial diseases.
Bursting tension of medium and large canine arteries sealed with ultrasonic energy or suture ligation.

OBJECTIVE To compare bursting tension of arteries > or =3 mm in diameter sealed with ultrasonic energy (UE) with arteries ligated with suture. STUDY DESIGN Experimental, nested factorial design. SAMPLE POPULATION Vascular segments from canine cadavers. METHODS Arterial segments (12) were collected from each of 16 canine cadavers and equally divided into 2 groups based on vessel diameter (medium, 3.0- < 4.5 mm; large, 4.5 - < or =6.0 mm). Arterial specimens (3) from each group were sealed with either UE (Harmonic Scalpel, HS, power level 3) or suture ligation. The mean bursting pressure and tension were determined and compared. RESULTS Bursting tension was significantly higher (P< .0001) for sutured arteries than UE-occluded arteries, irrespective of size. Bursting tension was significantly higher (P=.0013) for medium than large UE-occluded arteries, whereas there was no difference associated with size for ligated arteries. UE energy failed to seal 1 medium artery and 7 large arteries. Compared with normal blood pressure, bursting pressures were 3.5 times greater for sutured arteries irrespective of size, 1.8 times greater for medium UE-occluded arteries, and approached normal blood pressure for large UE-occluded arteries. CONCLUSION At the power level tested, UE should not be used to seal arteries > 4.5 mm in diameter. Suture provided an optimal seal for arteries < or =6.0 mm in diameter. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Use of UE to occlude arteries during laparoscopic surgery is advantageous because only 1 instrument is required to simultaneously cut and coagulate tissue, but care should be exercised where large arteries might be encountered.
Constraints on large-scale dark acoustic oscillations from cosmology

If all or a fraction of the dark matter (DM) were coupled to a bath of dark radiation (DR) in the early Universe, we expect the combined DM-DR system to give rise to acoustic oscillations of the dark matter until it decouples from the DR. Much like the standard baryon acoustic oscillations, these dark acoustic oscillations (DAO) imprint a characteristic scale, the sound horizon of dark matter, on the matter power spectrum. We compute in detail how the microphysics of the DM-DR interaction affects the clustering of matter in the Universe and show that the DAO physics also gives rise to unique signatures in the temperature and polarization spectra of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We use cosmological data from the CMB, baryon acoustic oscillations, and large-scale structure to constrain the possible fraction of interacting DM as well as the strength of its interaction with DR. Like nearly all knowledge we have gleaned about DM since inferring its existence this constraint rests on the betrayal by gravity of the location of otherwise invisible DM. Although our results can be straightforwardly applied to a broad class of models that couple dark matter particles to various light relativistic species, in order to make quantitative predictions, we model the interacting component as dark atoms coupled to a bath of dark photons. We find that linear cosmological data and CMB lensing put strong constraints on the existence of DAO features in the CMB and the large-scale structure of the Universe. Interestingly, we find that at most ∼5% of all DM can be very strongly interacting with DR. We show that our results are surprisingly constraining for the recently proposed double-disk DM model, a novel example of how large-scale precision cosmological data can be used to constrain galactic physics and subgalactic structure.
Macrophages as key elements of Mixed-oxide [U-Pu(O2)] distribution and pulmonary damage after inhalation?

Abstract Purpose: To investigate the consequences of alveolar macrophage (AM) depletion on Mixed OXide fuel (MOX: U, Pu oxide) distribution and clearance, as well as lung damage following MOX inhalation. Materials and methods: Rats were exposed to MOX by nose only inhalation. AM were depleted with intratracheal administration of liposomal clodronate at 6 weeks. Lung changes, macrophage activation, as well as local and systemic actinide distribution were studied up to 3 months post-inhalation. Results: Clodronate administration modified excretion/retention patterns of α activity. At 3 months post-inhalation lung retention was higher in clodronate-treated rats compared to Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS)-treated rats, and AM-associated α activity was also increased. Retention in liver was higher in clodronate-treated rats and fecal and urinary excretions were lower. Three months after inhalation, rats exhibited lung fibrotic lesions and alveolitis, with no marked differences between the two groups. Foamy macrophages of M2 subtype [inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) negative but galectin-3 positive] were frequently observed, in correlation with the accumulation of MOX particles. AM from all MOX-exposed rats showed increased chemokine levels as compared to sham controls. Conclusion: Despite the transient reduced AM numbers in clodronate-treated animals no major differences on lung damage were observed as compared to non-treated rats after MOX inhalation. The higher lung activity retention in rats receiving clodronate seems to be part of a general inflammatory response and needs further investigation.
Phase II study of taxol, merbarone, and piroxantrone in stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer: The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Results.

BACKGROUND Patients with metastatic (stage IV) non-small-cell lung cancer usually have a poor prognosis and disease refractory to chemotherapy. Three new agents--taxol, merbarone, and piroxantrone--have shown promising antitumor treatment in vitro and in animals. Taxol is an antimicrotubular agent that interferes with mitosis during cell division. Merbarone, a conjugate of thiobarbituric acid and aniline, is a topoisomerase II inhibitor, which thus inhibits DNA synthesis and tumor growth. Piroxantrone, an anthracenedione derivative, is a DNA intercalating agent that has shown potent antitumor activity in animal studies. PURPOSE Our randomized phase II study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of these agents in the treatment of stage IV metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. METHODS Eligible patients (119) were randomly assigned to receive one of the three treatments given every 3 weeks: 250 mg/m2 taxol by a 24-hour intravenous infusion, 1000 mg/m2 merbarone by continuous intravenous infusion through a central catheter daily for 5 days, or 150 mg/m2 piroxantrone by intravenous infusion over 1 hour. Patients had received no chemotherapy. Response and toxicity were evaluated every 3 weeks. RESULTS Twenty-five patients were randomly assigned to receive taxol, 47 to receive merbarone, and 47 to receive piroxantrone. One of 44 assessable patients (2.3%) treated with piroxantrone had a complete response. Rates for partial response were 20.8% (five of 24 patients) and 5.7% (two of 35) for assessable patients treated with taxol or merbarone, respectively. One-year survival rates were 41.7%, 21.6%, and 22.6%, and median survival times were 24.1, 19.9, and 29.3 weeks for taxol, merbarone, and piroxantrone, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant, but this study was not designed to compare survival. In general, toxicity was manageable. With premedication, no anaphylaxis was observed with taxol. The most common toxic effects were leukopenia with taxol or piroxantrone treatment and thromboembolic complications with merbarone. Death directly related to treatment occurred in 4% (one patient), 11.4% (four), and 5% (two) of the assessable patients receiving taxol, merbarone, and piroxantrone, respectively. Cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity occurred only occasionally in all three arms. CONCLUSION On the basis of the response rate (20.8% partial response) and 1-year survival rate (41.7%), taxol is an active agent for the treatment of metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Merbarone and piroxantrone are relatively inactive. IMPLICATIONS Further study of taxol is warranted. In future studies, taxol should be combined with other agents, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor should be used to ameliorate myelosuppression.
Inhibition of tumor cell proliferation and motility by fibroblasts is both contact and soluble factor dependent

Significance Normal microenvironments can restrict cancer development and progression. Inhibition of tumor cell growth and motility by normal fibroblasts is one measurable manifestation of this multicomponential control. Here we show that inhibition withstands formalin fixation and can be augmented by the addition of conditioned medium derived from live cultures of tumor cells confronting the stromal fibroblasts. We describe a number of molecules involved in this process. This study lays the foundation for further mechanistic studies of this important phenomenon and its contribution to possible dormancy and the tumor’s resistance to therapy. Normal human and murine fibroblasts can inhibit proliferation of tumor cells when cocultured in vitro. The inhibitory capacity varies depending on the donor and the site of origin of the fibroblast. We showed previously that effective inhibition requires formation of a morphologically intact fibroblast monolayer before seeding of the tumor cells. Here we show that inhibition is extended to motility of tumor cells and we dissect the factors responsible for these inhibitory functions. We find that inhibition is due to two different sets of molecules: (i) the extracellular matrix (ECM) and other surface proteins of the fibroblasts, which are responsible for contact-dependent inhibition of tumor cell proliferation; and (ii) soluble factors secreted by fibroblasts when confronted with tumor cells (confronted conditioned media, CCM) contribute to inhibition of tumor cell proliferation and motility. However, conditioned media (CM) obtained from fibroblasts alone (nonconfronted conditioned media, NCM) did not inhibit tumor cell proliferation and motility. In addition, quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) data show up-regulation of proinflammatory genes. Moreover, comparison of CCM and NCM with an antibody array for 507 different soluble human proteins revealed differential expression of growth differentiation factor 15, dickkopf-related protein 1, endothelial-monocyte-activating polypeptide II, ectodysplasin A2, Galectin-3, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 2, Nidogen1, urokinase, and matrix metalloproteinase 3.
Vocal affect expression: a review and a model for future research.

In reviewing the literature on the vocal expression of emotion, a discrepancy between reported high accuracy in vocal-auditory recognition and the lack of clear evidence for the acoustic differentiation of vocal expression is noted. The latter is explained by (a) a paucity of research on voice quality, (b) neglect of the social signaling functions of affect vocalization, and (c) insufficiently precise conceptualization of the underlying emotional states. A "component patterning" model of vocal affect expression is proposed that attempts to rink the outcomes of antecedent event evaluation to biologically based response patterns. On the basis of a literature survey of acoustic-phonetic evidence, the likely phonatory and articulatory correlates of the physiological responses characterizing different emotional states are described in the form of three major voice types (narrow-wide, lax-tense, full-thin). Specific predictions are made as to the changes in acoustic parameters resulting from changing voice types. These predictions are compared with the pattern of empirical findings yielded by a comprehensive survey of the literature on vocal cues in emotional expression. Although the comparison is largely limited to the tense-lax voice type (because acoustic parameters relevant to the other voice types have not yet been systematically studied), a high degree of convergence is revealed. It is suggested that the model may help to stimulate hypothesis-guided research as well as provide a framework for the development of appropriate research paradigms.
The Effects of Cannabis Use on Wages of Prime-Age Males

This paper uses a data set collected among inhabitants of Amsterdam, to study whether wages of prime-age male workers are affected by cannabis use. The analysis shows that recent cannabis use has a negative effect on wages. The size of the wage effect depends on the age of onset. The earlier the start of cannabis use the larger the negative wage impact.