Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seeing a Face in a Crowd of Emotional Voices: Changes in Perception and Cortisol in Response to Emotional Information across the Senses

One source of information we glean from everyday experience, which guides social interaction, is assessing the emotional state of others. Emotional state can be expressed through several modalities: body posture or movements, body odor, touch, facial expression, or the intonation in a voice. Much research has examined emotional processing within one sensory modality or the transfer of emotional processing from one modality to another. Yet, less is known regarding interactions across different modalities when perceiving emotions, despite our common experience of seeing emotion in a face while hearing the corresponding emotion in a voice. Our study examined if visual and auditory emotions of matched valence (congruent) conferred stronger perceptual and physiological effects compared to visual and auditory emotions of unmatched valence (incongruent). We quantified how exposure to emotional faces and/or voices altered perception using psychophysics and how it altered a physiological proxy for stress or arousal using salivary cortisol. While we found no significant advantage of congruent over incongruent emotions, we found that changes in cortisol were associated with perceptual changes. Following exposure to negative emotional content, larger decreases in cortisol, indicative of less stress, correlated with more positive perceptual after-effects, indicative of stronger biases to see neutral faces as happier.
Bioactive Constituents of F. esculentum Bee Pollen and Quantitative Analysis of Samples Collected from Seven Areas by HPLC

Bee pollen contains all the essential amino acids needed by humans. China is the largest producer of bee pollen in the world. In the present study, we identified 11 fatty acids in F. esculentum bee pollen oil by GC-MS analysis, and 16 compounds were isolated from F. esculentum bee pollen by column chromatography and identified. A high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method was established for the quality control of F. esculentum bee pollen. A validated HPLC-DAD method was successfully applied to the simultaneous characterization and quantification of nine main constituents in seven samples collected from seven different areas in China. The results showed that all standard calibration curves exhibited good linearity (R2 > 0.999) in HPLC-DAD analysis with excellent precision, repeatability and stability. The total amount in the samples from the seven regions ranged from 23.50 to 46.05 mg/g. In addition, seven compounds were studied for their bioactivity using enzymic methods, whereby kaempferol (3) showed high α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC50: 80.35 μg/mL), ergosterol peroxide (8) showed high tyrosinase inhibitory activity (IC50: 202.37 μg/mL), and luteolin (1) had strong acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity (IC50: 476.25 μg/mL). All results indicated that F. esculentum bee pollen could be a nutritious health food.
The AMPK-related kinases SIK1 and SIK3 mediate key tumor suppressive effects of LKB1 in NSCLC.

Mutations in the LKB1 (STK11) tumor suppressor are the third most frequent genetic alteration in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). LKB1 encodes a serine/threonine kinase that directly phosphorylates and activates 14 AMPK family kinases ("AMPKRs"). The function of many of the AMPKRs remains obscure, and which are most critical to the tumor suppressive function of LKB1 remains unknown. Here we combine CRISPR and genetic analysis of the AMPKR family in NSCLC cell lines and mouse models, revealing a surprising critical role for the SIK subfamily. Conditional genetic loss of Sik1 revealed increased tumor growth in mouse models of Kras-dependent lung cancer, which were further enhanced by loss of the related kinase Sik3. As most known substrates of the SIKs control transcription, gene expression analysis was performed, revealing upregulation of AP-1 and IL6 signaling in common between LKB1- and SIK1/3-deficient tumors. The SIK substrate CRTC2 was required for this effect, as well as proliferation benefits from SIK-loss.
Thermal Stability, Fire and Smoke Behaviour of Epoxy Composites Modified with Plant Waste Fillers

The influence of plant fillers on the flammability and smoke emission of natural composites was investigated. Epoxy composites with 15, 25, and 35 wt % of walnut and hazelnut shell, as well as sunflower husk, were prepared and examined. The ground organic components were characterized by grain size distribution, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and microstructure observations (SEM). The composite materials were subjected to dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and structural evaluation with scanning electron microscopy. Cone calorimeter tests and TGA determined the influence of plant waste filler addition on thermal stability and flammability. Moreover, the semi-volatile and volatile compounds that evolved during the thermal decomposition of selected samples were identified using a steady state tube furnace and a gas chromatograph with a mass spectrometer. The intensity of the degradation reduced as a function of increasing filler content, while the yield of residue corresponded to the amount of lignin that is contained in the tested plants. Moreover, the incorporation of agricultural waste materials resulted in the formation of a char layer, which inhibits the burning process. The yield of char depended on the amount and type of the filler. The composites containing ground hazelnut shell formed swollen char that was shaped in multicellular layers, similar to intumescent fire retardants.
Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Health Insurance Coverage Among Middle-Aged Adults

Access to insurance coverage is challenging for middle-aged adults with higher perceived insurance needs (e.g., declining health status) and higher barriers to coverage (e.g., unstable employment and income status). Focusing on middle-aged adults, this study investigated the extent to which employment, financial, and health statuses are associated with changing patterns of insurance status following implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Seven waves (2002–2014) of the Health and Retirement Study, combined with the RAND Center for the Study of Aging data, were used. Four patterns of insurance status change emerged: constantly insured, constantly uninsured, insured after ACA, and uninsured after ACA. Compared to constantly insured, other subgroups were associated with unstable employment, unskilled labor, and part-time employment. The role of public insurance might be nearly negligible for those who were in unstable employment status and needed to shift to other forms of private coverage. More attention is needed to better understand how the insurance market functions and policy changes that could improve it. There were demographic patterns in those who remained chronically uninsured: constantly low income and poor health conditions. This suggests a much-needed practical underpinning for policymaking efforts regarding this high-risk group entering old age with catastrophic health care costs.
Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analysis of the Tentacles and Mucus of Anthopleura dowii Verrill, 1869

Sea anemone venom contains a complex and diverse arsenal of peptides and proteins of pharmacological and biotechnological interest, however, only venom from a few species has been explored from a global perspective to date. In the present study, we identified the polypeptides present in the venom of the sea anemone Anthopleura dowii Verrill, 1869 through a transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of the tentacles and the proteomic profile of the secreted mucus. In our transcriptomic results, we identified 261 polypeptides related to or predicted to be secreted in the venom, including proteases, neurotoxins that could act as either potassium (K+) or sodium (Na+) channels inhibitors, protease inhibitors, phospholipases A2, and other polypeptides. Our proteomic data allowed the identification of 156 polypeptides—48 exclusively identified in the mucus, 20 in the tentacles, and 88 in both protein samples. Only 23 polypeptides identified by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) were related to the venom and 21 exclusively identified in the mucus, most corresponding to neurotoxins and hydrolases. Our data contribute to the knowledge of evolutionary and venomic analyses of cnidarians, particularly of sea anemones.
Diversity of thermophilic and thermotolerant fungi in corn grain

ABSTRACT Corn bins in the midwestern United States can reach temperatures up to 52 C. High temperatures combined with sufficient moisture and humidity in bins provide the perfect environment to promote the growth of thermophilic and thermotolerant fungi. In this article, we characterize for the first time thermophilic and thermotolerant fungi in corn grain bins using culture-based methods and pyrosequencing techniques. Corn samples were collected from local farms in western Illinois. Samples were plated and incubated at 50 C using a variety of approaches. Of several hundred kernels examined, more than 90% showed colonization. Species identified using culture methods included Thermomyces lanuginosus, Thermomyces dupontii, Aspergillus fumigatus, Thermoascus crustaceus, and Rhizomucor pusillus. Pyrosequencing was also performed directly on corn grain using fungal-specific primers to determine whether thermophilic fungi could be detected using this technique. Sequences were dominated by pathogenic fungi, and thermophiles were represented by less than 2% of the sequences despite being isolated from 90% of the grain samples using culturing techniques. The high abundance of previously undocumented viable fungi in corn could have negative implications for grain quality and pose a potential risk for workers and consumers of corn-derived products in the food industry. Members of the Sordariales were absent among thermophile isolates and were not represented in nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. This is in striking contrast with results obtained with other substrates such as litter, dung, and soils, where mesophilic and thermophilic members of the Sordariaceae and Chaetomiaceae are common. This absence appears to reflect an important difference between the ecology of Sordariales and other orders within the Ascomycota in terms of their ability to compete in microhabitats rich in sugars and living tissues.
Vector-Borne Diseases, Surveillance, Prevention Species Composition and Abundance of Stomoxys spp. (Diptera: Muscidae) in Peninsular Thailand

Stable fly collections were conducted to study the species composition and daytime activity of Stomoxys spp. (Diptera: Muscidae) in Peninsular Thailand (Songkhla, Trang, Pattalung, Nakon Si Thammarat, and Satun provinces). Vavoua traps were used for fly collections in wet and dry seasons each year. Four Stomoxys species were found, S. calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae) being the most common with 2,512 specimens (87.43% of captures), followed by S. indicus (Picard) (Diptera: Muscidae) with 306 specimens (10.65%), S. sitiens (Rondani) (Diptera: Muscidae) with 44 specimens (1.53%), and S. uruma (Shinonaga and Kano) (Diptera: Muscidae) with 11 specimens (0.39%). Subsequently, Songkhla Province was further selected to be a potential collection site to conduct a 1-yr abundance study, due to mixed crop-livestock farming in one place. Stomoxys calcitrans was predominant from 0800 to 1000 h with 4,921 specimens (93.6%) while S. indicus with 317 specimens (6%) and S. sitiens with 19 specimens (0.4%) were numerically dominant from 0600 to 0800 and 1600 to 1800 h. A proportion of male and female of each species was also established. This overall finding could be used as an ideal for nationwide species distribution status for the guidance of appropriate fly control. This information can lighten the way for the future control measures program activity of stable flies in Thailand.
Heart failure risk predictions in adult patients with congenital heart disease: a systematic review

To summarise existing heart failure (HF) risk prediction models and describe the risk factors for HF-related adverse outcomes in adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). We performed a systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases from January 1996 to December 2018. Studies were eligible if they developed multivariable models for risk prediction of decompensated HF in adult patients with CHD (ACHD), death in patients with ACHD-HF or both, or if they reported corresponding predictors. A standardised form was used to extract information from selected studies. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria and all studies were at moderate to high risk of bias. One study derived a model to predict the risk of a composite outcome (HF, death or arrhythmia) with a c-statistic of 0.85. Two studies applied an existing general HF model to patients with ACHD but did not report model performance. Twenty studies presented predictors of decompensated HF, and four examined patient characteristics associated with mortality (two reported predictors of both). A wide variation in population characteristics, outcome of interest and candidate risk factors was observed between studies. Although there were substantial inconsistencies regarding which patient characteristics were predictive of HF-related adverse outcomes, brain natriuretic peptide, New York Heart Association class and CHD lesion characteristics were shown to be important predictors. To date, evidence in the published literature is insufficient to accurately profile patients with ACHD. High-quality studies are required to develop a unique ACHD-HF prediction model and confirm the predictive roles of potential risk factors.
Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry Body Composition in NCAA Division I Athletes: Exploration of Mass Distribution

Background: Body composition assessment is frequently used in sports medicine and athletic performance environments to assess change in response to strength training and nutrition programs. However, to effectively do so requires knowledge regarding expected body composition values relative to sport and sex. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is widely used to evaluate body composition, although its utility in relationship to specific sports, performance, or rehabilitation is not clearly defined. Hypothesis: Body composition metrics and distribution of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I collegiate athletes will vary based on sport and sex. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: A convenience sample of 337 athletes (229 men and 108 women) participating in football, wrestling, soccer, hockey, basketball, golf, softball, or volleyball was evaluated. DXA-measured total body composition, including bone mineral density (BMD), % lean mass, % fat, and regional distribution, were compared by sex, sport, and with an age-matched National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) population. Results: Men had higher BMD, lower % fat (16.4% vs 25.2%) and higher % lean mass (79.2% vs 70.6%) (P < 0.001). Regional composition varied by sport and sex, with women having a greater proportion of lean mass at the trunk and men in their arms (P < 0.0001). Leg lean mass was distributed similarly between sexes (35%). Overall, the normative group (NHANES) had lower BMD and higher percentage fat. Conclusion: DXA-measured body composition and lean mass distribution varies by sport and sex in Division I athletes. The observed difference to the NHANES population emphasizes challenges in identifying appropriate comparison populations, reinforcing the need to compare athletes with their own baseline. Clinical Relevance: These findings establish a framework to investigate the relevance of these variances and determine the utility of body composition analysis in elite athletes.
Teleoperation of MRI-Compatible Robots with Hybrid Actuation and Haptic Feedback

Image guided surgery (IGS), which has been developing fast recently, benefits significantly from the superior accuracy of robots and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which is a great soft tissue imaging modality. Teleoperation is especially desired in the MRI because of the highly constrained space inside the closed-bore MRI and the lack of haptic feedback with the fully autonomous robotic systems. It also very well maintains the human in the loop that significantly enhances safety. This dissertation describes the development of teleoperation approaches and implementation on an example system for MRI with details of different key components. The dissertation firstly describes the general teleoperation architecture with modular software and hardware components. The MRI-compatible robot controller, driving technology as well as the robot navigation and control software are introduced. As a crucial step to determine the robot location inside the MRI, two methods of registration and tracking are discussed. The first method utilizes the existing Z shaped fiducial frame design but with a newly developed multi-image registration method which has higher accuracy with a smaller fiducial frame. The second method
Effects of Visual and Auditory Perturbations on Ski-Specific Balance among Males and Females—A Randomized Crossover Trial

Injuries in skiing show sex-specific differences, especially when visual perception is reduced. Reduced visual perception impairs balance, which plays an important role in avoiding skiing injuries. However, males and females might cope differently with reduced visual perception. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate sex-related effects of environmental perturbations (reduced visual perception and listening to music) on ski-specific balance. Using a crossover design, ski-specific balance was tested in 50 young adults (50% female) in four conditions: with and without listening to music and/or with and without reduced visual perception (ski goggles with occlusion foil). A four × two (condition by sex) mixed ANOVA revealed a significant condition by sex interaction, partial η² = 0.06. Females showed an increase in balance from the condition without music/with normal visual perception to the condition with music/with normal visual perception, while males showed a decrease. Balance was significantly higher in females compared to males, partial η² = 0.31. The findings suggest that balance is affected differently by environmental perturbations in females and males. However, the differences observed were not in line with our initial hypotheses, which might be because the model was too simplistic for how visual/auditory perturbations may affect balance.
Implementation of a Heart Failure Telemonitoring System in Home Care Nursing: Feasibility Study

Background Telemonitoring (TM) of heart failure (HF) patients in a clinic setting has been shown to be effective if properly implemented, but little is known about the feasibility and impact of implementing TM through a home care nursing agency. Objective This study aimed to determine the feasibility of implementing a mobile phone–based TM system through a home care nursing agency and to explore the feasibility of conducting a future effectiveness trial. Methods A feasibility study was conducted by recruiting, through community cardiologists and family physicians, 10 to 15 HF patients who would use the TM system for 4 months by taking daily measurements of weight and blood pressure and recording symptoms. Home care nurses responded to alerts generated by the TM system through either a phone call and/or a home visit. Patients and their clinicians were interviewed poststudy to determine their perceptions and experiences of using the TM system. Results Only one community cardiologist was recruited who was willing to refer patients to this study, even after multiple attempts were made to recruit further physicians, including family physicians. The cardiologist referred only 6 patients over a 6-month period, and half of the patients dropped out of the study. The identified barriers to implementing the TM system in home care nursing were numerous and led to the small recruitment in patients and clinicians and large dropout rate. These barriers included challenges in nurses contacting patients and physicians, issues related to retention, and challenges related to integrating the TM system into a complex home care nursing workflow. However, some potential benefits of TM through a home care nursing agency were indicated, including improved patient education, providing nurses with a better understanding of the patient’s health status, and reductions in home visits. Conclusions Lessons learned included the need to incentivize physicians, to ensure streamlined processes for recruitment and communication, to target appropriate patient populations, and to create a core clinical group. Barriers encountered in this feasibility trial should be considered to determine their applicability when deploying innovations into different service delivery models.
Visual Configural Processing in Adults Born at Extremely Low Birth Weight.

Being born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW; ≤1000g) is associated with enduring visual impairments. We tested for long-term, higher-order visual processing problems in the oldest known prospectively followed cohort of ELBW survivors. Configural processing (spacing among features of an object) was examined in 62 adults born at ELBW (Mage = 31.9 years) and 82 adults born at normal birth weight (NBW; ≥ 2500g: Mage = 32.5 years). Pairs of human faces, monkey faces, or houses were presented in a delayed match-to-sample task, where non-matching stimuli differed only in the spacing of their features. Discrimination accuracy for each stimulus type was compared between birth weight groups, adjusting for neurosensory impairment, visual acuity, binocular fusion ability, IQ, and sex. Both groups were better able to discriminate human faces than monkey faces (p < .001). However, the ELBW group discriminated between human faces (p < .001), between monkey faces (p < .001), and to some degree, between houses (p < .06), more poorly than NBW control participants, suggesting a general deficit in perceptual processing. Human face discrimination was related to performance IQ (PIQ) across groups, but especially among ELBW survivors. Coding (a PIQ subtest) also predicted human face discrimination in ELBW survivors, consistent with previously-reported links between visuo-perceptive difficulties and regional slowing of cortical activity in individuals born preterm. Correlations with Coding suggested ELBW survivors may have used a feature-matching approach to processing human faces. Future studies could examine brain-based anatomical and functional evidence for altered face processing, as well as the social and memory consequences of face processing deficits in ELBW survivors. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.