Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sexual selection impacts brain anatomy in frogs and toads

Abstract Natural selection is a major force in the evolution of vertebrate brain size, but the role of sexual selection in brain size evolution remains enigmatic. At least two opposing schools of thought predict a relationship between sexual selection and brain size. Sexual selection should facilitate the evolution of larger brains because better cognitive abilities may aid the competition for mates. However, it may also restrict brain size evolution due to energetic trade‐offs between brain tissue and sexually selected traits. Here, we examined the patterns of selection on brain size and brain anatomy in male anurans (frogs and toads), a group where the strength of sexual selection differs markedly among species, using a phylogenetically controlled generalized least‐squared (PGLS) regression analyses. The analysis revealed that in 43 Chinese anuran species, neither mating system, nor type of courtship, or testes mass was significantly associated with relative brain size. While none of those factors related to the relative size of olfactory nerves, optic tecta, telencephalon, and cerebellum, the olfactory bulbs were relatively larger in monogamous species and those using calls during courtship. Our findings support the mosaic model of brain evolution and suggest that while the investigated aspects of sexual selection do not seem to play a prominent role in the evolution of brain size of anurans, they do impact their brain anatomy.
Response to temozolomide in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer with loss of MGMT expression: a new approach in the era of personalized medicine?

Introduction Treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has been revolutionized in the last two decades by the introduction of new chemotherapeutic agents and target-specific therapies. Despite this progress, time to progression of disease during first-line treatment is 9 to 11 months and 3 to 4 months in second line. After resistance is acquired to two to three line treatments, patients can’t be offered any treatment known to additionally benefit them. In search for alternative effective treatments, we appeal occasionally to the Target Now examination, which examines tumor mutations known to be responsive to chemotherapy or biologic agents by advanced molecular biology profiling method. The tissue is analyzed by immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ hybridization, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, gene sequencing, and microarray analysis. We report two consecutiveoccasions,inwhichadecreasedexpressionofO-methylguanineDNA-methyl transferase (MGMT) was noted, and the use of temozolomide was recommended as treatment for metastatic colon cancer. To our surprise, both patients responded to single agent temozolomide with an impressive clinical response and partial tumor regression. We report these patients along with the rationale for alkylating agents administration as treatment for patients who exhausted other therapeutic options for their metastatic disease. This report may open the door to an effectivelinetreatmentforpatientswithcoloncancerdeficientinMGMT.
Tributyltin Impairs the Coronary Vasodilation Induced by 17β-Estradiol in Isolated Rat Heart

Triorganotins, such as tributyltin (TBT), are environmental contaminants that are commonly used as antifouling agents for boats. However, TBT is also known to alter mammalian reproductive functions. Although the female sex hormones are primarily involved in the regulation of reproductive functions, 17β-estradiol also protects against cardiovascular diseases, in that this hormone reduces the incidence of coronary artery disease via coronary vasodilation. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of 100 ng/kg TBT administered daily by oral gavage for 15 d on coronary functions in female Wistar rats. Findings were correlated with changes in sex steroids concentrations. Tributyltin significantly increased the baseline coronary perfusion pressure and impaired vasodilation induced by 17β-estradiol. In addition, TBT markedly decreased serum 17β-estradiol levels accompanied by a significant rise in serum progesterone levels. Tributyltin elevated collagen deposition in the heart interstitium and number of mast cells proximate to the cardiac vessels. There was a positive correlation between the increase in coronary perfusion pressure and incidence of cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, TBT induced endothelium denudation (scanning electron microscopy) and accumulation of platelets. Moreover, TBT impaired coronary vascular reactivity to estradiol (at least in part), resulting in endothelial denudation, enhanced collagen deposition and elevated number of mast cells. Taken together, the present results demonstrate that TBT exposure may be a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disorders in rats.
Bubble Trouble: Conquering Microbubble Limitations in Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound Imaging by Nature-Inspired Ultrastable Echogenic Nanobubbles

Advancement of ultrasound molecular imaging applications requires not only a reduction in size of the ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) but also a significant improvement in the in vivo stability of the shell-stabilized gas bubble. The transition from first generation to second generation UCAs was marked by an advancement in stability as air was replaced by a hydrophobic gas, such as perfluoropropane and sulfur hexafluoride. Further improvement can be realized by focusing on how well the UCAs shell can retain the encapsulated gas under extreme mechanical deformations. Here we report the next generation of UCAs for which we engineered the shell structure to impart much better stability under repeated prolonged oscillation due to ultrasound, and large changes in shear and turbulence as it circulates within the body. By adapting an architecture with two layers of contrasting elastic properties similar to bacterial cell envelopes, our ultrastable nanobubbles (NBs) withstand continuous in vitro exposure to ultrasound with minimal signal decay and have a significant delay on the onset of in vivo signal decay in kidney, liver, and tumor. Development of ultrastable NBs can potentially expand the role of ultrasound in molecular imaging, theranostics, and drug delivery.
Real-time fire detection using enhanced color segmentation and novel foreground extraction

This paper proposes an effective real time fire detection technique, based on video processing. The proposed technique utilizes prominent features such as flame color information and spatiotemporal characteristics to identify fire areas. The initial stage of the work extracts fire colored pixels using a set of enhanced rules on RGB. Fire pixels are dynamic and to detect these moving pixels a novel method is proposed in this paper. The final verification is done by examining the area of the extracted regions. A harmful fire will grow over time, thus if the area happens to increase, the region under focus is declared as fire. Experimental results show that the model put forward outperforms other state of art models yielding an accuracy of 97.7%.
Study of serological prevalence of transfusion transmissible infections among blood donors in a tertiary care hospital in North India

Introduction: Blood transfusion has been subjected to risk of transfusion transmissible infections such as HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), HBV (Hepatitis B virus), HCV (Hepatitis C virus), syphilis etc. This risk has been reduced dramatically by routine screening of blood donors in blood banks. Objective: Our aim was to study the serological prevalence of transfusion transmissible infections (TTI) among donors and to find any correlation between these infections and blood groups. Methodology: This is a retrospective observational study for a period of one year (Dec 2014Nov2015), and this study has been carried out in blood bank of tertiary care hospital of North India. Data of all voluntary and replacement donors retrieved from blood bank records i.e. ABO group, Rh type and results of serological tests performed. Results: Total 27,689 donors were screened during the study period and 559 donors were found seropositive for transfusion transmissible infections (2.01%). In which maximum 403 donors were positive for HBV (1.45%), followed by 93-HCV (0.33%), 42-syphilis (0.15%), 19-HIV (0.068%) and 2 for malaria antigen (0.007%). Seropositive cases for HBV, HCV and MP antigen were maximum in blood group B positive(B+) donors. While seropositive cases for syphilis were more encountered in A positive blood group(A+). HIV prevalence seen more in O positive group(O+). Conclusion: In this study, serological prevalence among apparently healthy donors was 2.01%. Which varies from 0.76% to 3% in different blood group donors. So strict screening is essential for all donors to prevent these life-threatening TTI. We observed no association between blood group antigens and these transfusion transmissible infections. So, more studies in larger level are required to find out any association.
Two types of localization of the DNA‐binding proteins within the Escherichia coli nucleoid

The genome DNA of Escherichia coli is folded into the nucleosome‐like structure, often called a nucleoid, by the binding of several DNA‐binding proteins. We previously determined the specificity and affinity of DNA‐binding for 12 species of the E. coli DNA‐binding protein, and their intracellular concentrations at various growth phases. The intracellular localization of these proteins in E. coli could be predicted from these data, but no attempt has been made thus far to directly observe the intracellular distribution of the DNA‐binding proteins.
A tale of two matrices: multivariate approaches in evolutionary biology

Two symmetric matrices underlie our understanding of microevolutionary change. The first is the matrix of nonlinear selection gradients (γ) which describes the individual fitness surface. The second is the genetic variance–covariance matrix (G) that influences the multivariate response to selection. A common approach to the empirical analysis of these matrices is the element‐by‐element testing of significance, and subsequent biological interpretation of pattern based on these univariate and bivariate parameters. Here, I show why this approach is likely to misrepresent the genetic basis of quantitative traits, and the selection acting on them in many cases. Diagonalization of square matrices is a fundamental aspect of many of the multivariate statistical techniques used by biologists. Applying this, and other related approaches, to the analysis of the structure of γ and G matrices, gives greater insight into the form and strength of nonlinear selection, and the availability of genetic variance for multiple traits.
Blood groups and congenital heart disease.

A study was made of the relationship between the blood group systems ABO, MN, and Rh group and congenital heart disease in Negro children. There was a significant difference in the incidence of type B, both with respect to the total number and with respect to A and O in Negro children with and without congenital heart disease. There was also a significant difference in the incidence of type CCDee both with respect to the total number and with respect to ccDE in these two groups. A study was also made of incompatibility between mother and child in these systems. This showed no increased incidence of incompatibility in the congenital heart group. There was a lesser incidence of incompatibility in the C factor in congenital heart disease. The difference in the incidence of blood groups in congenital heart disease in Negro children may be of interest in view of the suggested greater incidence of congenital heart disease in the Japanese population where there is a significant difference in type CCDee as compared to the U.S. and Bantu populations. There is also a higher incidence of B in the Japanese population.
Avaliação da produtividade da soja sob diferentes doses de Fósforo na região de Santarém - PA.

A agricultura no Brasil possui uma das maiores producoes quando comparadas as principais potencias mundiais no setor. As areas agricultaveis e o proprio clima representam dentre outros fatores, um atrativo para qualificar o pais como um grande produtor de alimentos e principalmente de graos. A soja participa do Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) como um item de extrema importância na economia agricola, inserindo diversos insumos, inerentes a qualidade de toda essa producao. Dentre os mais importantes, temos o Fosforo (P), que possui relevante papel no desenvolvimento e crescimento da soja, sendo foco de muitos estudos agronomicos relativos ao melhor manejo dos cultivos espalhados pelo Brasil. O presente trabalho aborda a utilizacao da adubacao fosfatada na cultura da soja (FTS 4188) em diferentes dosagens, com o objetivo de avaliar a relacao entre as doses aplicadas e a produtividade de graos. Dessa forma o experimento foi realizado em blocos ao acaso, onde foram utilizados cinco tratamentos com diferentes dosagens de P2O5 sendo: 0 kg.ha-1 (Testemunha T1); 30 kg.ha-1 (T2); 60 kg.ha-1 (T3); 90 kg.ha-1 (T4) e 120 kg.ha-1 (T5) com quatro repeticoes. O experimento foi conduzido em Latossolo Amarelo e as dimensoes das parcelas estudadas foram de 2,7 x 6,0 m. Uma vez verificada a produtividade de cada tratamento constatou-se que as medias dos dados nao apresentaram diferenca estatistica significativa, sugerindo que em solos argilosos com altas concentracoes de fosforo nao existe a necessidade de adubacao
Health-related quality of life and hemoglobin levels in chronic kidney disease patients.

BACKGROUND The relationship between quality of life (QofL) and anemia has been the subject of recent debates; it has been suggested that the QofL changes associated with the treatment of anemia of chronic kidney disease (CKD) or ESRD patients should not be used in making decisions to treat anemia in CKD patients. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS This study examines the relationship between Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQofL) questionnaire domains and hemoglobin (Hgb) levels in 1200 patients with stage 3, 4, and 5 CKD followed in seven centers. QofL measures were compared in a stepwise fashion for hemoglobin levels of <11, 11 to <12, 12 to <13, and > or =13. ANOVA was used to examine the relationship between QofL scores and Hgb level, age, CKD stage, and albumin level; a history of diabetes, congestive heart failure, or myocardial infarction; use of erythropoetic-stimulating agents (ESA); and the interaction of hemoglobin level and ESA. RESULTS The results demonstrate that with increasing Hgb levels there is a statistically significant increase in all four physical domains, the energy/vitality domain, and the physical composite score of the SF-36, and the general health score on the kidney disease component of the questionnaire. The most dramatic improvements in these various domains occurred between the <11 and the 11 to 12 group. CONCLUSIONS Higher Hgb levels are associated with improved QofL domains of the KDQofL questionnaire. These findings have implications for the care of CKD patients in terms of the initiation of and the Hgb target of ESA therapy.
Towards a Taxonomy for Evaluating User Engagement in Information Visualization

Nowadays, with the availability of massive amounts of personal data, the role of Information Visualization is getting more and more important. There are a lot of visualization and visual analytics tools to help people to make sense of their personal data in their everyday lives. There is a consensus in the visualization community about the importance of user engagement for personal visual analytics. However, there are many challenges associated with this topic. As of yet, there is no clear and widely accepted definition for user engagement. Consequently and despite some recent efforts, there are no systematic and unified methods for evaluating different aspects of user engagement. In this paper, we bring attention to some fundamental open issues in the context of Information Visualization: What is the definition of engagement? What are the levels of engagement? How to measure engagement? How to improve user engagement level? This research is an initial attempt towards addressing some of these issues. Our main goal is to enable visualization researchers to more accurately measure and evaluate user engagement with visualizations. To this end, we reviewed definitions, measures, and frameworks from various other disciplines and specified the gap in the visualization community. We propose a five level taxonomy for engagement which is deeply inspired by Boloom’s Taxonomy. In addition, we address some important open questions that require further exploration. This paper establishes a groundwork for future research in user engagement with visualizations.
Clinical outcome after coronary surgery with heparin-coated extracorporeal circuits for cardiopulmonary bypass

In this prospective randomized trial, we studied whether heparin-coated extracorporeal circuits (ECC), known to reduce complement activation, could improve the clinical outcome of 200 patients undergoing coronary artery surgery. Patients have been divided into two groups (heparin-coated ECC and uncoated ECC groups) which were similar in terms of age, gender, left ventricle function, preoperative aspirin use and consequent intraoperative aprotinin use, number of grafts, duration of aortic cross-clamping and cardiopulmonary bypass. Univariate analysis showed that heparin coating did not reduce significantly postoperative bleeding (640 ± 311 versus 682 ± 342 ml with uncoated ECC) nor the need for transfusion (19% of patients versus 25% with uncoated ECC). Adverse events, including all mortality and morbidity noticed during the five first postoperative days, occurred in 20 patients of the uncoated ECC group and in eight patients of the heparin-coated ECC group (p = 0.013). The most frequent complications were supraventricular arrhythmias that occurred in 13 patients of the uncoated ECC group and in four patients of the heparin-coated ECC group (p = 0.02). Multivariate analysis by stepwise logistic regression showed that only heparin coating of the ECC was shown as a significant predictive factor of adverse events reduction (p = 0.01; odds ratio = 0.34). These data suggest that heparin coating reduced postoperative complications in patients undergoing coronary artery surgery.
Supportive-expressive group therapy for women with metastatic breast cancer: Improving access for Australian women through use of teleconference

While supportive-expressive group therapy (SEGT) has been found to be effective in significantly reducing distress associated with life-threatening illness, the challenge in Australia is to develop a means of providing supportive interventions to rural women who may be isolated both by the experience of illness and by geographical location. In this study an adaptation of SEGT was provided to women with metastatic breast cancer (n =21), who attended face-to-face or by telephone conference call. Participants showed significant gains on standardised measures of well-being, including a reduction in negative affect and an increase in positive affect, over a 12-month period. A reduction in intrusive and avoidant stress symptoms was also observed over 12 months; however, this difference was not significant. These outcomes suggest that SEGT, delivered in an innovative way within a community setting, may be an effective means of moderating the adverse effects of a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer while improving access to supportive care for rural women. These results are considered exploratory, as the study did not include a matched control group.
Cohort study of bacterial species causing urinary tract infection and urinary tract abnormalities in children

Children with urinary tract infection often have anatomical or functional abnormalities in their urinary tract. Imaging studies are therefore recommended, especially for young children, after the first urinary tract infection.1–3 There is, however, considerable variation in clinical practice and some resistance to diagnostic imaging for childhood urinary tract infection.4 We conducted this study to find out whether an association exists between the bacterial species causing the first urinary tract infection and abnormal findings in subsequent imaging studies. We examined retrospectively the hospital records of all children with a positive urine culture from a sample obtained by suprapubic aspiration (any growth) or catheterisation (growth of at least 103 colony forming units/ml) during January 1980 to December 1994. Asymptomatic children and those who had been in hospital for more than 2 days before the specimen was obtained …
Successful Scene Encoding in Presymptomatic Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND Brain regions critical to episodic memory are altered during the preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, reliable means of identifying cognitively-normal individuals at higher risk to develop AD have not been established. OBJECTIVE To examine whether functional MRI can detect early functional changes associated with scene encoding in a group of presymptomatic presenilin-1 (PSEN1) E280A mutation carriers. METHODS Participants were 39 young, cognitively-normal individuals from an autosomal dominant early-onset AD kindred, located in Antioquia, Colombia. Participants performed a functional MRI scene encoding task and a post-scan subsequent memory test. RESULTS PSEN1 mutation carriers exhibited hyperactivation within medial temporal lobe regions (hippocampus,parahippocampal formation) during successful scene encoding compared to age-matched non-carriers. CONCLUSION Hyperactivation in medial temporal lobe regions during scene encoding is seen in individuals genetically-determined to develop AD years before their clinical onset. Our findings will guide future research with the ultimate goal of using functional neuroimaging in the early detection of preclinical AD.
Identifying Influential Entries in a Matrix

For any matrix A in R^(m x n) of rank \rho, we present a probability distribution over the entries of A (the element-wise leverage scores of equation (2)) that reveals the most influential entries in the matrix. From a theoretical perspective, we prove that sampling at most s = O ((m + n) \rho^2 ln (m + n)) entries of the matrix (see eqn. (3) for the precise value of s) with respect to these scores and solving the nuclear norm minimization problem on the sampled entries, reconstructs A exactly. To the best of our knowledge, these are the strongest theoretical guarantees on matrix completion without any incoherence assumptions on the matrix A. From an experimental perspective, we show that entries corresponding to high element-wise leverage scores reveal structural properties of the data matrix that are of interest to domain scientists.
Dynamic Representations of Threatening Trends: The Role of Rationality and Experientiality in Potentiating Trepidation

Two experiments evaluated the role graph schemata play in potentiating trepidation-related responses to static and dynamic graphical depictions of increasingly threatening trends. Rational and experiential processing systems' role in responding to the graphic depictions was examined. High rationals reported significantly less trepidation than lows when concrete trends exhibited attenuated recent growth but equal amounts when the trends showed linear or recent explosive growth. Low experientials were more apprehensive than highs when graphs were presented dynamically (Experiment 1). The same functions were presented as undefined threats in Experiment 2. High rational–low experientials were significantly less apprehensive than high rational–high experientials when the trend exhibited attenuated recent growth. Low rationals were more apprehensive than highs when graphs were presented dynamically. Graph schemata do not map graphical information on to trepidation-related metrics in any simple way, and stimulus ambiguity may activate experiential processing to the point that it dominates the rational system.