Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Blood-Derived microRNAs for Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis: A Narrative Review and Meta-Analysis

microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to be aberrantly expressed in patients with pancreatic cancer. In present review we explored the biological roles of miRNAs in pancreatic cancer and their clinical value in diagnosis. In the systematic review, the potential value of miRNAs as biomarkers was investigated by reviewing the altered miRNA profiles reported in pancreatic cancer patients in 356 included studies. In the subsequent meta-analysis, we included 17 studies in early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer with a panel of altered miRNAs. The following results were obtained: pooled sensitivity of 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.83–0.92), pooled specificity of 0.83 (95%CI 0.77–0.88), diagnostic odds ratio of 27 (95%CI 14–53), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.90 (95%CI 0.88–0.93). To further explore the value of a single miRNA, the diagnostic value of miR-21 in PA was also demonstrated by the pooled sensitivity (0.90, 95% CI: 0.82–0.94), specificity (0.72, 95% CI: 0.57-0.83) as well as AUC (0.91 (95%CI 0.88–0.93). In conclusion, our findings suggest that aberrant miRNA expression in blood play an essential role in pancreatic cancer, and meta-analysis revealed blood-derived miRNAs as probable biomarkers for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
Parasite avoidance behaviours in aquatic environments

Parasites, including macroparasites, protists, fungi, bacteria and viruses, can impose a heavy burden upon host animals. However, hosts are not without defences. One aspect of host defence, behavioural avoidance, has been studied in the terrestrial realm for over 50 years, but was first reported from the aquatic environment approximately 20 years ago. Evidence has mounted on the importance of parasite avoidance behaviours and it is increasingly apparent that there are core similarities in the function and benefit of this defence mechanism between terrestrial and aquatic systems. However, there are also stark differences driven by the unique biotic and abiotic characteristics of terrestrial and aquatic (marine and freshwater) environments. Here, we review avoidance behaviours in a comparative framework and highlight the characteristics of each environment that drive differences in the suite of mechanisms and cues that animals use to avoid parasites. We then explore trade-offs, potential negative effects of avoidance behaviour and the influence of human activities on avoidance behaviours. We conclude that avoidance behaviours are understudied in aquatic environments but can have significant implications for disease ecology and epidemiology, especially considering the accelerating emergence and re-emergence of parasites. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ‘Evolution of pathogen and parasite avoidance behaviours'.
Redescription and affinities of Hulsanpes perlei (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia

Hulsanpes perlei is an enigmatic theropod dinosaur from the Baruungoyot Formation (? mid- to upper Campanian, Upper Cretaceous) of Mongolia. It was discovered in 1970, during the third Polish-Mongolian paleontological expedition to the Nemegt Basin. The taxon is known based on a partial braincase and an incomplete right hindlimb. However, the braincase fragment has never been described nor illustrated. We redescribe all elements that form the holotype of Hulsanpes and discuss the affinities of this taxon. The braincase fragment is interpreted as belonging to the inner ear region, and includes the floccular recess and part of the labyrinth. Hulsanpes perlei is confirmed as a valid taxon, diagnosed by a unique combination of metatarsal characters, including two autapomorphies. Historically, it represents the oldest record of the recently-established clade Halszkaraptorinae. Our findings identify subcursorial adaptations for Hulsanpes, shared with Mahakala, and differentiating them from Halszkaraptor. As such, appendicular disparity in the potentially sympatric halszkaraptorines suggest a reduced ecological overlap among these taxa, which may explain the co-occurrence of multiple species of this clade during the latest Cretaceous in what is now the Nemegt Basin.
Mycoplasma hominis Infection in Spontaneous Abortions in Thrace Population: Detection by PCR

Objective: The main purpose of this study was the detection of the bacterial strain Mycoplasma hominis, which is one of the 14 Mycoplasma species, in spontaneous abortions. Methods: Placental tissues from 59 miscarriages of the first and second trimester from different areas of Thrace were used. DNA was extracted using a specific kit and the presence of the Mycoplasma hominis strain was detected by PCR. Results: Among the samples that were examined 2 were proven to be infected by Mycoplasma hominis. Conclusion: The results of our research imply that a small percentage (~3.6%) of spontaneous abortions could be due to the presence of Mycoplasma hominis. PCR is a reliable, sensitive and easy method for the determination of this type of infection and could be applied in the clinical routine.
Prevalence rate of neck, shoulder and lower back pain in association with age, body mass index and gender among Malaysian office workers.

BACKGROUND Malaysian office workers often experience Musculoskeletal Discomfort (MSD) which is typically related to the low back, shoulders, and neck. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to examine the occurrence of lower back, shoulder, and neck pain among Malaysian office workers. METHODS 752 subjects (478 women and 274 men) were randomly selected from the Malaysian office workers population of 10,000 individuals. The participants were aged between 20-50 years and had at least one year of work experience. All participants completed the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ). Instructions to complete the questinnaire were given to the participants under the researchers supervision in the morning before they started a day of work. The participants were then classified into four categories based on body mas index (BMI) (BMI:≤18.4, 18.5-24.99, 25-29.99, ≥30) and age (Age: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, ≥50). RESULTS There was a significant association between pain severity in gender and right (p = 0.046) and left (p = 0.041) sides of the shoulders. There was also a significant association between BMI and severity of pain in the lower back area (p = 0.047). It was revealed that total pain score in the shoulders was significantly associated with age (p = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study demonstrated that a significant correlation existed between pain servity for gender in both right and left shoulder. These findings require further scientific investigation as do the identification of effective preventative stratgies.
A Fog Computing and Cloudlet Based Augmented Reality System for the Industry 4.0 Shipyard

Augmented Reality (AR) is one of the key technologies pointed out by Industry 4.0 as a tool for enhancing the next generation of automated and computerized factories. AR can also help shipbuilding operators, since they usually need to interact with information (e.g., product datasheets, instructions, maintenance procedures, quality control forms) that could be handled easily and more efficiently through AR devices. This is the reason why Navantia, one of the 10 largest shipbuilders in the world, is studying the application of AR (among other technologies) in different shipyard environments in a project called “Shipyard 4.0”. This article presents Navantia’s industrial AR (IAR) architecture, which is based on cloudlets and on the fog computing paradigm. Both technologies are ideal for supporting physically-distributed, low-latency and QoS-aware applications that decrease the network traffic and the computational load of traditional cloud computing systems. The proposed IAR communications architecture is evaluated in real-world scenarios with payload sizes according to demanding Microsoft HoloLens applications and when using a cloud, a cloudlet and a fog computing system. The results show that, in terms of response delay, the fog computing system is the fastest when transferring small payloads (less than 128 KB), while for larger file sizes, the cloudlet solution is faster than the others. Moreover, under high loads (with many concurrent IAR clients), the cloudlet in some cases is more than four times faster than the fog computing system in terms of response delay.
Six months methylphenidate treatment improves emotion dysregulation in adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a prospective study

Purpose Individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may suffer from emotional dysregulation (ED), although this symptom is not listed among the diagnostic criteria. Methylphenidate (MPH) is useful in reducing emotional symptoms in ADHD. The aim of the present study was to determine both psychosocial risk factors and presence of ED in adolescents with ADHD before and after MPH treatment. Participants and methods Eighty-two patients aged 12–18 years with ADHD were included as participants. The Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children – Present and Lifetime, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), sociodemographic form, and the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury were administered. Results were compared before and after 6 months MPH treatment. Results A significant improvement was detected on DERS for impulsivity (15.9±6.8 initial vs 14.2±6.5 final test, p<0.01) and total score (88.4±23.3 initial vs 82.4±2.7 final test, p<0.05) across all patients taking MPH regardless of subtype and sex. Despite treatment, a significant difference remained for impulsivity, strategies, and total score in patients with comorbid oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) compared with those without ODD, but no difference was detected for conduct disorder comorbidity. In patients who self-harm, scores for goals, impulsivity, strategies, clarity, and total score were higher before treatment: furthermore, impulsivity and total score remained high after treatment. In maltreated patients, goals, impulsivity, strategies, and total scores were significantly higher before treatment; however, their symptoms were ameliorated after treatment with MPH. Conclusion Individuals with severe ED may “self-medicate” by smoking and/or self-harming. MPH led to significant improvements in ED possibly owing, in part, to a decrease in impulsivity, so that individuals felt more able to supervise their emotions and engage in goal-directed behaviors. ED should be considered particularly in patients with additional psychosocial factors and ODD comorbidity, and included in the treatment plan.
Beyond gaze: preliminary analysis of pupil dilation and blink rates in an fMRI study of program comprehension

Researchers have been employing psycho-physiological measures to better understand program comprehension, for example simultaneous fMRI and eye tracking to validate top-down comprehension models. In this paper, we argue that there is additional value in eye-tracking data beyond eye gaze: Pupil dilation and blink rates may offer insights into programmers' cognitive load. However, the fMRI environment may influence pupil dilation and blink rates, which would diminish their informative value. We conducted a preliminary analysis of pupil dilation and blink rates of an fMRI experiment with 22 student participants. We conclude from our preliminary analysis that the correction for our fMRI environment is challenging, but possible, such that we can use pupil dilation and blink rates to more reliably observe program comprehension.
Sex differentiation and early gonadal development in Bombina orientalis (anura: Discoglossidae)

Gonadal differentiation in premetamorphic Bombina orientalis is described and staged. The pattern of events during differentiation in Bombina differs in several respects from that previously described in other anurans. The Bombina gonad initially develops on the ventral surface of the vena cava, where there is no pre‐existent somatic genital ridge prior to the arrival of the germ cells. The sexually undifferentiated gonad does not have a distinct cortex and medulla; instead, medullary cells ingress from the mesonephric blastema during sexual differentiation. Formation of a testis or an ovary appears to depend on the ability (or lack of ability) of the medulla to invade the germ cell‐containing cortex. In the germ line, sexual differetiation can be recognized by a premeiotic increase in oogonial cell volume.
Relationship of the tubular system with other organelles in chlorride cells of the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

The morphology of chloride cells in the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, has been studied by transmission electron microscopy. The chloride cell possesses abundant tubules, mitochondria, and granules. The employment of a special membrane stain in conjunction with a two‐ or tridimensional analysis reveals a complex interjoining and interlocking ring system of tubules. Tubular sides constituting the complex rings frequently lack granules. The tubular rings join with tubulous mitochondrial profiles and other cytoplasmic components. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fiber Bragg Grating-Based Triaxial Force Sensor With Parallel Flexure Hinges

During cardiac surgery, the excessive or insufficient contact force between the tip of catheter and heart tissue will lead to the cardiac penetration or noneffective ablative lesion. Usually, the surgeon can only estimate the force at the distal end roughly from their experience by operating the catheter's proximal handle. In this paper, we design a fiber Bragg grating-based triaxial force sensor with parallel flexure hinges to sense the contact force. The proposed mechanism integrated with parallel flexure hinges is capable of achieving an excellent lateral and axial stiffness balance to guarantee the resolution at each direction with the same order of magnitude. The mathematical model is built to design a suitable stiffness configuration and validate the design reasonability. The model-based and model-free methods are adopted to decouple lateral and axial force components. Experimental results demonstrate that the developed 8 French size force sensor can successfully achieve the triaxial force prediction with <1 g resolution using both decoupling methods. And the model-free method can accomplish a higher accuracy with RMS error <1% of full scale of [–100 g, 100 g] along the lateral direction and [0 g, 100 g] along the axial compression direction.
Semicircular Canal Influences on the Developmental Tuning of the Translational Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex

Vestibulo-ocular reflexes (VORs) rely on neuronal computations that transform vestibular sensory signals into spatio-temporally appropriate extraocular motor commands. The motoneuronal discharge for contractions of the superior oblique eye muscle during linear translation derives from a utricular epithelial sector that is spatially aligned with the pulling direction of this muscle. In Xenopus laevis, the alignment is gradually achieved during larval development and requires motion-related semicircular canal afferent activity. Here, we studied the origin of semicircular canal and utricular signals responsible for the establishment and maturation of the extraocular motor response vector. Experiments were conducted on semi-intact preparations of Xenopus tadpoles before and after unilateral transection of the VIIIth nerve and in preparations of animals in which semicircular canal formation was prevented on one side by the injection of hyaluronidase into the otic capsule prior to the establishment of the tubular structures. Unilateral VIIIth nerve sections revealed that the excitation underlying the contraction of the superior oblique eye muscle during horizontal linear acceleration and clockwise/counter-clockwise roll motion derives exclusively from the utricle and the posterior semicircular canal on the ipsilateral side. In contrast, the developmental constriction of the otolith response vector depends on signals from the posterior semicircular canal on the contralateral side. These latter signals suppress directionally incorrect components that derive from the utricular sector perpendicular to the superior oblique eye muscle. This directional tuning complies with a stabilization of spatially correct utricular inputs that are aligned with the extraocular motor target muscle. In addition, misaligned signals are concurrently suppressed by semicircular canal-related commissural pathways from the contralateral side and through local interneuronal inhibitory circuits within the ipsilateral vestibular nuclei.
An Advance Care Planning Video Decision Support Tool for Nursing Home Residents With Advanced Dementia: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance Better advance care planning (ACP) can help promote goal-directed care in patients with advanced dementia. Objectives To test whether an ACP video (vs usual care) has an effect on documented advance directives, level of care preferences, goals-of-care discussions, and burdensome treatments among nursing home residents with advanced dementia. Design, Setting, and Participants The Educational Video to Improve Nursing home Care in End-stage dementia (EVINCE) trial was a cluster randomized clinical trial conducted between February 2013 and July 2017, at 64 Boston-area nursing homes (32 facilities per arm). A total of 402 residents with advanced dementia and their proxies (intervention arm, n = 212; control arm, n = 190) were assessed quarterly for 12 months. Interventions A 12-minute ACP video for proxies with written communication of their preferred level of care (comfort, basic, or intensive) to the primary care team. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the proportion of residents with do-not-hospitalize (DNH) directives by 6 months. Secondary outcomes included preference for comfort care, documented directives to withhold tube-feeding and intravenous hydration, documented goals-of-care discussions, and burdensome treatments (hospital transfers, tube-feeding, or parenteral therapy) per 1000 resident-days. Exploratory analyses examined associations between trial arm and documented advance directives when comfort care was preferred. Results The mean age of the 402 study residents was 86.7 years [range, 67-102 years]; 350 were white (87.1%) and 323 were female (80.3%), with DNH directives that by 6 months did not differ between arms (63% in both arms; adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.08; 95% CI, 0.69-1.69). Preferences for comfort care, directives to withhold intravenous hydration, and burdensome treatments did not differ between arms. Residents in intervention vs control facilities were more likely to have directives for no tube-feeding at 6 months (70.10% vs 61.90%; AOR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.13-2.82) and all other time periods, and documented goals-of-care discussions at 3 months (16.10% vs 7.90%; AOR, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.20-5.54). When comfort care was preferred, residents in the intervention arm were more likely to have both DNH and no tube-feeding directives (72.20% vs 52.80%; AOR, 2.68; 95% CI, 2.68-5.85). Conclusions and Relevance An ACP video did not have an effect on preferences, DNH status, or burdensome treatments among residents with advanced dementia, but did increase directives to withhold tube-feeding. When proxies preferred comfort care, advance directives of residents in the intervention arm were more likely to align with that preference. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01774799
Cellular Patterning of Arabidopsis Roots Under Low Phosphate Conditions

Phosphorus is a crucial macronutrient for plants playing a critical role in many cellular signaling and energy cycling processes. In light of this, phosphorus acquisition efficiency is an important target trait for crop improvement, but it also provides an ecological adaptation for growth of plants in low nutrient environments. Increased root hair density has been shown to improve phosphorus uptake and plant health in a number of species. In several plant families, including Brassicaceae, root hair bearing cells are positioned on the epidermis according to their position in relation to cortex cells, with hair cells positioned in the cleft between two underlying cortex cells. Thus the number of cortex cells determines the number of epidermal cells in the root hair position. Previous research has associated phosphorus-limiting conditions with an increase in the number of cortex cell files in Arabidopsis thaliana roots, but they have not investigated the spatial or temporal domains in which these extra divisions occur or explored the consequences this has had on root hair formation. In this study, we use 3D reconstructions of root meristems to demonstrate that the radial anticlinal cell divisions seen under low phosphate are exclusive to the cortex. When grown on media containing replete levels of phosphorous, A. thaliana plants almost invariably show eight cortex cells; however when grown in phosphate limited conditions, seedlings develop up to 16 cortex cells (with 10–14 being the most typical). This results in a significant increase in the number of epidermal cells at hair forming positions. These radial anticlinal divisions occur within the initial cells and can be seen within 24 h of transfer of plants to low phosphorous conditions. We show that these changes in the underlying cortical cells feed into epidermal patterning by altering the regular spacing of root hairs.
MAESTROS: A Multiwavelength Time-Domain NIRS System to Monitor Changes in Oxygenation and Oxidation State of Cytochrome-C-Oxidase

We present a multiwavelength, multichannel, time-domain near-infrared spectroscopy system named MAESTROS. This instrument can measure absorption and scattering coefficients and can quantify the concentrations of oxy- and deoxy-haemoglobin ([HbO2], [HHb]), and oxidation state of cytochrome-c-oxidase ([oxCCO]). This system is composed of a supercontinuum laser source coupled with two acousto-optic tuneable filters. The light is collected by four photomultipliers tubes, connected to a router to redirect the signal to a single time-correlated single-photon counting card. The interface between the system and the tissue is based on optical fibres. This arrangement allows us to resolve up to 16 wavelengths, within the range of 650–900 nm, at a sampling rate compatible with the physiology (from 0.5 to 2 Hz). In this paper, we describe the system and assess its performance based on two specifically designed protocols for photon migration instruments, the basic instrument protocol and nEUROPt protocols, and on a well characterized liquid phantom based on Intralipid and water. Then, the ability to resolve [HbO2 ], [HHb], and [oxCCO] is demonstrated on a homogeneous liquid phantom, based on blood for [HbO2], [HHb], and yeast for [oxCCO]. In the future, the system could be used to monitor brain tissue physiology.