Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in stable isotope compositions during fasting in phocid seals.

RATIONALE The grey seal, Halichoerus grypus (GS), and the northern elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris (NES), come ashore for reproduction. This period involves intense physiological processes such as lactation in females and a developmental post-weaning fast in juveniles. Previous studies have shown that δ13 C and δ15 N values are affected by starvation, but the precise effects of fasting associated to lactation and post-weaning fast in seals remain poorly understood. METHODS To examine the effect of lactation and post-weaning fast on stable isotope ratios in GS and NES, blood and hair were sampled from twenty-one GS mother-pup pairs on the Isle of May and on twenty-two weaned NES pups at Año Nuevo State Reserve during their respective breeding seasons. Milk samples were also collected from GS mothers. Stable isotope measurements were performed with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer coupled to an N-C elemental analyser. RESULTS Changes in stable isotope ratios in blood components during fasting were similar and weak between GS and NES mothers especially in blood cells (GS: Δ15 N = 0.05‰, Δ13 C = 0.02‰; NES: Δ15 N = 0.1‰, Δ13 C = 0.1‰). GS showed a 15 N discrimination factor between maternal and pup blood cells and milk, but not for 13 C. The strongest relationship between the isotopic compositions of the mother and the pup was observed in the blood cells. CONCLUSIONS Isotopic consequences of lactation, fasting, and growth seem limited in NES and GS, especially in medium-term integrator tissues of feeding activity such as blood cells. Stable isotope ratios in the blood of pups and mothers are correlated. We observed a subtle mother-to-pup fractionation factor. Our results suggest that pup blood cells are mostly relevant for exploring the ecology of female seals.
Multivariate Analysis For Predicting Internal Carotid (IC) And Middle Cerebral (MC) Aneurysmal Rupture By Hemodynamic Parameters

Currently, aneurysmal rupture can hardly be predicted and the search for an objective and precise indicator is ongoing. The objective of this study was to find a rupture prediction indicator (RPI) based on hemodynamic parameters of unruptured aneurysms focusing on the internal carotid (IC) and middle cerebral (MC) arteries. Computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed and hemodynamic parameters were calculated using three-dimensional C-arm computed tomography (3D C-arm CT) images of a total of 137 unruptured aneurysms (69 IC and 68 MC artery aneurysms) with known outcomes of rupture or unrupture. Multivariate analysis was applied to build an RPI model. The final RPI models contained the pressure-loss coefficient at the time maximum (TMAXPLc). Ruptured aneurysms were found to have lower TMAXPLc than unruptured aneurysms. The mean values were 1.002 (95%CI 0.827 to 1.177) and 1.466 (95%CI 1.352 to 1.579), respectively (P=0.002). TMAXPLc may thus be a useful parameter for rupture prediction of IC and MC artery aneurysms.
Better approximation algorithm for point-set diameter

We propose a new $(1+O(\varepsilon))$-approximation algorithm with $O(n+ 1/\varepsilon^{\frac{(d-1)}{2}})$ running time for computing the diameter of a set of $n$ points in the $d$-dimensional Euclidean space for a fixed dimension $d$, where $0 < \varepsilon\leqslant 1$. This result provides some improvements in the running time of this problem in comparison with previous algorithms.
Antibiotic lock therapy for salvage of tunneled central venous catheters with catheter colonization and catheter‐related bloodstream infection

Central venous catheters (CVCs) represent a significant source of infection in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and can add to the cost of care, morbidity, and mortality. Organisms forming biofilms on the inner surface of catheters require a much higher local antibiotic concentration to clear the pathogen growth. Antibiotic lock therapy (ALT) represents one such strategy to achieve such high intraluminal concentrations of antibiotics and can facilitate catheter salvage. Patients with catheter colonization (CC) or hemodynamically stable catheter‐related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) received ALT per institutional policy. We analyzed the incidence of CC and CRBSI and salvage rate of tunneled CVCs (Hickman) with ALT in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant in this retrospective study. Catheter colonization was noted in 9.8% and CRBSI in 10.7% patients. Gram‐negative bacilli (GNB) accounted for 45% and 83% of isolates in CC and CRBSI, respectively. In patients with CRBSI, the rate of catheter salvage with the use of ALT in addition to systemic antibiotics was 86% compared to 55% in patients with systemic antibiotics use only (P = 0.06). There was no CRBSI related mortality, and no increase in resistant strains was noted at subsequent CRBSI. In conclusion, ALT represents an important strategy for catheter salvage, especially for gram‐negative infections, in a carefully selected patient population.
Reduced cortical thickness in Heschl's gyrus as an in vivo marker for human primary auditory cortex

The primary auditory cortex (PAC) is located in the region of Heschl's gyrus (HG), as confirmed by histological, cytoarchitectonical, and neurofunctional studies. Applying cortical thickness (CTH) analysis based on high‐resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) in 60 primary school children and 60 adults, we investigated the CTH distribution of left and right auditory cortex (AC) and primary auditory source activity at the group and individual level. Both groups showed contoured regions of reduced auditory cortex (redAC) along the mediolateral extension of HG, illustrating large inter‐individual variability with respect to shape, localization, and lateralization. In the right hemisphere, redAC localized more within the medial portion of HG, extending typically across HG duplications. In the left hemisphere, redAC was distributed significantly more laterally, reaching toward the anterolateral portion of HG. In both hemispheres, redAC was found to be significantly thinner (mean CTH of 2.34 mm) as compared to surrounding areas (2.99 mm). This effect was more dominant in the right hemisphere rather than in the left one. Moreover, localization of the primary component of auditory evoked activity (P1), as measured by MEG in response to complex harmonic sounds, strictly co‐localized with redAC. This structure–function link was found consistently at the group and individual level, suggesting PAC to be represented by areas of reduced cortex in HG. Thus, we propose reduced CTH as an in vivo marker for identifying shape and localization of PAC in the individual brain.
Association between periodontitis and spontaneous abortion: A case‐control study

BACKGROUND Spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage, is a complication of pregnancy which can severely affect women both physically and psychologically. We investigated the associations of periodontitis and periodontopathic bacteria with spontaneous abortion. METHODS We conducted a matched case-control study in two tertiary hospitals in Khon Kaen, Thailand. Cases were 85 women with spontaneous abortion at <20 weeks of gestation matched to 85 controls on age, gestational age, and hospital. Full-mouth periodontal examinations were performed. Periodontitis was defined as at least one site with probing depth ≥5 mm and clinical attachment level ≥2 mm at the same site. Subgingival plaque samples were collected to determine the levels of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, and Fusobacterium nucleatum using real time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS The cases were significantly more likely to have periodontitis (50.6%) than the controls (21.2%; P = 0.007). Conditional logistic regression revealed a crude odds ratio (OR) of 4.1 for the association between periodontitis and spontaneous abortion (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.9-8.9, P = 0.001). The OR decreased, but was still significant, after controlling for previous miscarriage (OR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.4-7.8, P = 0.006). There was no significant association between the levels of periodontopathic bacteria and spontaneous abortion. Increased levels of P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum were associated with periodontitis in both case and control groups. Association between increased T. forsythia levels and periodontitis was observed only in the case women. CONCLUSIONS Periodontitis was more common in women with spontaneous abortions as compared with matched controls. Levels of periodontopathic bacteria was not associated with spontaneous abortion in this population.
Antibody-drug conjugates with HER2-targeting antibodies from synthetic antibody libraries are highly potent against HER2-positive human gastric tumor in xenograft models

ABSTRACT HER2-ECD (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 – extracellular domain) is a prominent therapeutic target validated for treating HER2-positive breast and gastric cancer, but HER2-specific therapeutic options for treating advanced gastric cancer remain limited. We have developed antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), comprising IgG1 linked via valine-citrulline to monomethyl auristatin E, with potential to treat HER2-positive gastric cancer in humans. The antibodies optimally selected from the ADC discovery platform, which was developed to discover antibody candidates suitable for immunoconjugates from synthetic antibody libraries designed using antibody-antigen interaction principles, were demonstrated to be superior immunoconjugate targeting modules in terms of efficacy and off-target toxicity. In comparison with the two control humanized antibodies (trastuzumab and H32) derived from murine antibody repertoires, the antibodies derived from the synthetic antibody libraries had enhanced receptor-mediated internalization rate, which could result in ADCs with optimal efficacies. Along with the ADCs, two other forms of immunoconjugates (scFv-PE38KDEL and IgG1-AL1-PE38KDEL) were used to test the antibodies for delivering cytotoxic payloads to xenograft tumor models in vivo and to cultured cells in vitro. The in vivo experiments with the three forms of immunoconjugates revealed minimal off-target toxicities of the selected antibodies from the synthetic antibody libraries; the off-target toxicities of the control antibodies could have resulted from the antibodies’ propensity to target the liver in the animal models. Our ADC discovery platform and the knowledge gained from our in vivo tests on xenograft models with the three forms of immunoconjugates could be useful to anyone developing optimal ADC cancer therapeutics.
Effect of phytoplankton size diversity on primary productivity in the North Pacific: trait distributions under environmental variability

Abstract While most biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) studies have found positive effects of species richness on productivity, it remain unclear whether similar patterns hold for marine phytoplankton with high local richness. We use the continuous trait‐based modelling approach, which assumes infinite richness and represents diversity in terms of the variance of the size distribution, to investigate the effects of phytoplankton size diversity on productivity in a three‐dimensional ocean circulation model driven by realistic physics forcing. We find a slightly negative effect of size diversity on primary production, which we attribute to several factors including functional trait‐environment interactions, flexible stoichiometry and the saturation of productivity at low diversity levels. The benefits of trait optimisation, whereby narrow size distributions enhance productivity under relatively stable conditions, tend to dominate over those of adaptive capacity, whereby greater diversity enhances the ability of the community to respond to environmental variability.
Ballistocardiogram Based Identity Recognition: Towards Zero-Effort Health Monitoring in an Internet-of-Things (IoT) Environment

Ballistocardiography (BCG), a measure of body vibrations due to ejection of blood into aorta, has the potential to become a ‘zero-effort’ cardiovascular health monitoring technology, i.e., a technology that requires little or no engagement on part of the user for its operation. In order for any zero-effort monitoring technology to function without any input from the user, it is important that such a methodology can accurately perform identity recognition and thus continuously provide results and feedback to each user. However, most of the recent work on BCG has focused mainly on the estimation of parameters related to mechanical health and the use of BCG to identify a user has not been explored thoroughly. In this paper, we examine, using discrete cosine transform based features and multi-class linear classifier, the use of BCG heartbeats for identity recognition. We demonstrate from the BCG data of 52 healthy subjects collected using a modified floor tile that an average accuracy of 96.15% can be achieved for correct identification of each subject standing on the tile. Based on these results, we anticipate that such a BCG system, trained for a set of users, can be easily installed at different locations in the house and provide continuous and unobtrusive feedback to users for diagnostic monitoring and quantified-self.
Relationship between pre-exercise muscle stiffness and muscle damage induced by eccentric exercise

Abstract This study aimed to determine whether pre-exercise muscle stiffness is related to the amount of muscle damage induced by an eccentric exercise and to determine whether the post-exercise increase in stiffness is homogenously distributed between the synergist muscles. Fifty healthy participants were randomly assigned to an eccentric exercise group or a control group. The shear modulus (an index of stiffness) of rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL) and vastus medialis oblique (VMO) was measured before, immediately after and at 48 h after eccentric exercise. The maximal isometric voluntary knee extension (MVC) torque was also measured. Significant reduction in MVC torque was observed in the eccentric group both at post and 48 H when compared with pre-exercise (both p < .001). RF shear modulus increased significantly when assessed at 90° of knee flexion at post and 48 H after the eccentric exercise (p = .004 and .005, respectively). Slight but significant decrease in VL shear modulus was observed at post-exercise for the eccentric group (p = .002). No change was observed in VMO. The decrease in MVC at 48 H was negatively correlated with the RF shear modulus measured at 90° of knee flexion before the exercise. Eccentric exercise induced a wide range of peak torque reduction and muscle-head specific modulation on muscle stiffness. Participants with stiffer RF muscles exhibited greater decrease in force generating capacity at 48 H after eccentric exercise.
Recurrent Neural Network for Classification of Snoring and Non-Snoring Sound Events

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder that affects up to 38% of the western population. It is characterized by repetitive episodes of partial or complete collapse of the upper airway during sleep. These episodes are almost always accompanied by loud snoring. Questionnaires such as STOP-BANG exploit snoring to screen for OSA. However, they are not quantitative and thus do not exploit its full potential. A method for automatic detection of snoring in whole-night recordings is required to enable its quantitative evaluation. In this study, we propose such a method. The centerpiece of the proposed method is a recurrent neural network for modeling of sequential data with variable length. Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, which were extracted from snoring and non-snoring sound events, were used as inputs to the proposed network. A total of 20 subjects referred to clinical sleep recording were also recorded by a microphone that was placed 70 cm from the top end of the bed. These recordings were used to assess the performance of the proposed method. When it comes to the detection of snoring events, our results show that the proposed method has an accuracy of 95%, sensitivity of 92%, and specificity of 98%. In conclusion, our results suggest that the proposed method may improve the process of snoring detection and with that the process of OSA screening. Follow-up clinical studies are required to confirm this potential.
Red wine and green tea flavonoids are cis-allosteric activators and competitive inhibitors of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1)-mediated sugar uptake

The antioxidant- and flavonoid-rich contents of red wine and green tea are reported to offer protection against cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Some studies, however, show that flavonoids inhibit GLUT1-mediated, facilitative glucose transport, raising the possibility that their interaction with GLUT1 and subsequent downstream effects on carbohydrate metabolism may also impact health. The present study explores the structure–function relationships of flavonoid–GLUT1 interactions. We find that low concentrations of flavonoids act as cis-allosteric activators of sugar uptake, whereas higher concentrations competitively inhibit sugar uptake and noncompetitively inhibit sugar exit. Studies with heterologously expressed human GLUT1, -3, or -4 reveal that quercetin–GLUT1 and –GLUT4 interactions are stronger than quercetin–GLUT3 interactions, that epicatechin gallate (ECG) is more selective for GLUT1, and that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is less GLUT isoform–selective. Docking studies suggest that only one flavonoid can bind to GLUT1 at any instant, but sugar transport and ligand-binding studies indicate that human erythrocyte GLUT1 can bind at least two flavonoid molecules simultaneously. Quercetin and EGCG are each characterized by positive, cooperative binding, whereas ECG shows negative cooperative binding. These findings support recent studies suggesting that GLUT1 forms an oligomeric complex of interacting, allosteric, alternating access transporters. We discuss how modulation of facilitative glucose transporters could contribute to the protective actions of the flavonoids against diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.
A Study of the Use of Wearable Devices for Healthy and Enjoyable English as a Foreign Language Learning in Authentic Contexts

We designed an English as a foreign language (EFL) learning activity supported by smart watches to combine EFL learning with physical exercise such as walking around the school community. We tested the feasibility of our approach to facilitate EFL learning and make it healthy and enjoyable through single subject experimental design. In addition, we researched the affordances of smart watches for EFL learning and healthy and enjoyable living. We collected the following data: (1) student learning outcomes evaluations, (2) a questionnaire survey, and (3) interviews with the students. According to our results, the students performed the best on learning tasks when they used smart watches. The students perceived that smart watches were easy to use and useful for EFL learning. They also perceived that the learning activity supported by smart watches was useful for their health and positive emotions. The students mentioned several features of smart watches that were useful for EFL learning, physical activity, and positive emotions. For example, the dictionary in smart watches helped the students translate unfamiliar vocabulary, and the fitness tracking tool helped track and record the number of steps taken. The students were happy to learn EFL and to monitor their physical activity progress using smart watches. Furthermore, a significant correlation between learning performance and physical activity was revealed, suggesting that the students who did more physical exercise are those who demonstrate better learning performance. On the other hand, no correlation between learning performance and student perceptions and between physical activity and student perceptions was found, suggesting that most students, no matter how well they performed and exercised, had positive perceptions. Based on our results, we suggest designing learning activities combined with physical exercise supported by smart watches to facilitate EFL learning, physical activity, and positive emotions.
Subdermal nitrous oxide delivery increases skin microcirculation and random flap survival in rats

Abstract Random skin flaps are essential tools in reconstructive surgery. In this study, we investigated the effect of subdermal nitrous oxide (N2O) application on random flap survival. In this experimental study, we used 21 female rats in three groups. In the N2O and air groups, gases were administrated under the proposed dorsal flap areas daily for seven days. Following the treatment period, flaps were raised and inserted back into their place from the dorsal skin. In the control group, the flaps were elevated and inserted back to their place without any pretreatment. Calculation of necrotic flap areas, histological examination and microangiography was performed to evaluate the results 7 days after the flap surgery. The average of necrotic flap area in the N2O, air and control group was 13.45%, 37.67% and 46.43%, respectively. (N2O vs air p = .044; N2O vs control p = .003). The average number of capillary formations identified in the histological analysis was 7.0 ± 1.58, 3.75 ± 2.36 and 4.4 ± 0.54 in the N2O, air and control group, respectively. (N2O vs air p = .017; N2O vs control p = .037). The average number of capillary structures identified in the angiography images were 6.3 ± 1.52, 1.6 ± 1.15 and 1.3 ± 0.57 in the N2O, air and control group, respectively. (N2O vs air p = .04; N2O vs control p = .02). We conclude that subdermal N2O application increases random flap survival through an increase in the skin microcirculation and could be promising for future clinical applications.
Midazolam Responsive Oculogyric Crisis, Oral Automatisms, Akinesia and Rigidity Induced by Sedation Withdrawal in a Child

A previously healthy 2-year-old boy of Chinese ancestry was admitted to a PICU for acute respiratory failure. He needed mechanical ventilation and sedation for 4 days. After initial sedation with intravenous midazolam and propofol, fentanyl infusion was added to control agitation and excessive movements, plus enteral hydroxyzine to reduce the total anesthetic doses needed (Table 1). Bronchoscopy disclosed bronchial obstructions caused by caseous material, later found positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Two hours after extubation and sedation withdrawal, the child began to manifest repetitive oculogyric movements, repetitive chewing movements, akinesia, mutism, rigidity with the cogwheel phenomenon, and fine postural tremor. The child appeared conscious and visually interactive. The oculogyric movements manifested when he was resting with closed eyes and tended to stop when he was attentive with open eyes (Video S1: First day Before Midazolam). During these manifestations, EEG showed moderate slow activity, without epileptiform abnormalities. A midazolam bolus (0.1 mg/kg) immediately resolved oculogyric and oral movements and markedly reduced akinesia (Video S1: First day After midazolam). Therapy with oral diazepam was therefore started (2.5 mg/day). Brain MRI, lumbar puncture, and blood tests yielded normal findings. On the following day, the child’s akinesia, rigidity, and mutism returned (Video S1: Second day Before midazolam). A naloxone bolus (0.4 mg) left the symptoms unchanged, whereas a second midazolam bolus (0.1 mg/kg) promptly improved them (Video S1: Second day After midazolam). Oral diazepam was increased (6 mg/day). The symptoms progressively improved and, within 5 days, completely disappeared. Diazepam was then slowly tapered.