Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Single versus Split Dose of Iron Optimizes Haemoglobin Mass Gains at 2106 m Altitude.

PURPOSE To determine if a single versus a split equivalent daily dose of elemental iron was superior for haemoglobin mass (Hbmass) gains at altitude, while minimizing gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort. METHODS Twenty-four elite runners attended a 3.1 ± 0.3 week training camp (Flagstaff, AZ; 2106 m). A two-group design, randomized and stratified to baseline Hbmass, sex and ferritin (>30 μ/L), was implemented daily as: 1) single dose of 1 x 200 mg (PM only, SINGLE) vs; 2) split dose of 2 x 100 mg (AM & PM; SPLIT) elemental iron (ferrous fumarate). Hbmass and venipuncture assessments were completed upon arrival and departure (± 2 days) from camp for ferritin, hepcidin and erythroferrone (ERFE) concentrations. Validated food frequency (FFQ), GI-distress, menstrual blood loss (MBL) and training questionnaires were implemented throughout. Univariate analysis was used to compare Hbmass; with baseline ferritin, dietary iron intake, MBL and training volume used as covariates. RESULTS Both conditions increased Hbmass from baseline (p<0.05), with SINGLE (867.3 ± 47.9 g) significantly higher than SPLIT (828.9 ± 48.9 g) (p=0.048). GI-scores were worse in SINGLE for weeks 1 & 2 combined (SINGLE: 18.0 ± 6.7 points, SPLIT: 11.3 ± 6.9 points, p=0.025), however, GI-scores improved by week 3, resulting in no between group differences (p=0.335). Hepcidin significantly decreased over time (p=0.043) in SINGLE, with a non-significant decrease evident in SPLIT (~22%). ERFE significantly decreased in both groups (~28.5%; p<0.05). No between group differences existed for ERFE, hepcidin, FFQ, MBL or daily training outcomes (p>0.05). CONCLUSION A single nightly 200 mg dose of elemental iron was superior to a split dose for optimizing Hbmass changes at altitude in runners over a ~3 week training camp.
Circulating cKIT and PDGFRA DNA indicates disease activity in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST)

This prospective trial aimed to investigate whether tumor‐specific cKIT and PDGFRA mutations can be detected and quantified in circulating tumor (ct)DNA in patients with active GIST, and whether detection indicates disease activity. We included 25 patients with active disease and cKIT or PDGFRA mutations detected in tissue. Mutant ctDNA was detected in the peripheral blood plasma using allele‐specific ligation (L‐)PCR and droplet digital (d)PCR. CtDNA harboring tumor‐specific cKIT or PDGFRA mutations was detected at least once in 16 out of 25 patients using L‐PCR (64%) and in 20 out of 25 patients with dPCR (80%). Using dPCR, the absolute numbers of ctDNA fragments (DNA copies/ml) and the mutant allele frequency (MAF; in percent of wild‐type control) strongly correlated with tumor size expressed as RECIST1.1 sum of diameter (SOD) in mm (ρ = 0.3719 and 0.408, respectively, p < 0.0001) and response status (ρ = 0.3939 and 0.392, respectively, p < 0.0001 and p < 0.001). Specificity of dPCR for detection of progression was 79.2% with a sensitivity of 55.2% and dPCR discriminated CR from active disease with a specificity of 96% and s sensitivity of 44.7%. With L‐PCR, correlations of MAF with tumor size and response status were less prominent. Serial ctDNA measurement reflected individual disease courses over time. Targeted panel sequencing of four patients detected additional driver mutations in all cases and secondary resistance mutations in two cases. Thus, ctDNA indicates disease activity in patients with GIST and should be incorporated as companion biomarker in future prospective trials.
Novel Approaches to Improve the Efficacy of Immuno-Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy (RT) has been applied for decades as a treatment modality in the management of various types of cancer. Ionizing radiation induces tumor cell death, which in turn can either elicit protective anti-tumor immune responses or immunosuppression in the tumor micromilieu that contributes to local tumor recurrence. Immunosuppression is frequently accompanied by the attraction of immunosuppressive cells such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), M2 tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), T regulatory cells (Tregs), N2 neutrophils, and by the release of immunosuppressive cytokines (TGF-β, IL-10) and chemokines. Immune checkpoint pathways, particularly of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis, have been determined as key regulators of cancer immune escape. While IFN-dependent upregulation of PD-L1 has been extensively investigated, up-to-date studies indicated the importance of DNA damage signaling in the regulation of PD-L1 expression following RT. DNA damage dependent PD-L1 expression is upregulated by ATM/ATR/Chk1 kinase activities and cGAS/STING-dependent pathway, proving the role of DNA damage signaling in PD-L1 induced expression. Checkpoint blockade immunotherapies (i.e., application of anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies) combined with RT were shown to significantly improve the objective response rates in therapy of various primary and metastatic malignancies. Further improvements in the therapeutic potential of RT are based on combinations of RT with other immunotherapeutic approaches including vaccines, cytokines and cytokine inducers, and an adoptive immune cell transfer (DCs, NK cells, T cells). In the current review we provide immunological rationale for a combination of RT with various immunotherapies as well as analysis of the emerging preclinical evidences for these therapies.
Data-Enabled Predictive Control for Grid-Connected Power Converters

We apply a novel data-enabled predictive control (DeePC) algorithm in grid-connected power converters to perform safe and optimal control. Rather than a model, the DeePC algorithm solely needs input/output data measured from the unknown system to predict future trajectories. We show that the DeePC can eliminate undesired oscillations in a grid-connected power converter and stabilize an unstable system. However, the DeePC algorithm may suffer from poor scalability when applied in high-order systems. To this end, we present a finite-horizon output-based model predictive control (MPC) for grid-connected power converters, which uses an N-step auto-regressive-moving-average (ARMA) model for system representation. The ARMA model is identified via an N-step prediction error method (PEM) in a recursive way. We investigate the connection between the DeePC and the concatenated PEM-MPC method, and then analytically and numerically compare their closed-loop performance. Moreover, the PEM-MPC is applied in a voltage source converter based HVDC station which is connected to a two-area power system so as to eliminate low-frequency oscillations. All of our results are illustrated with high-fidelity, nonlinear, and noisy simulations.
Examples, practice problems, or both? Effects on motivation and learning in shorter and longer sequences

Research suggests some sequences of examples and problems (i.e., EE, EP) are more effective (higher test performance) and efficient (attained with equal/less mental effort) than others (PP, sometimes also PE). Recent findings suggest this is due to motivational variables (i.e., self-efficacy), but did not test this during the training phase. Moreover, prior research used only short task sequences. Therefore, we investigated effects on motivational variables, effectiveness, and efficiency in a short (Experiment 1; four learning tasks; n = 157) and longer task sequence (Experiment 2; eight learning tasks; n = 105). With short sequences, all example conditions were more effective, efficient, and motivating than PP. With longer sequences, all example conditions were more motivating and efficient than PP, but only EE was more effective than PP. Moreover, EE was most efficient during training, regardless of sequence length. These results suggest that example study (only) is more effective, efficient, and more motivating than PP.
Directional PointNet: 3D Environmental Classification for Wearable Robotics

Environmental information can provide reliable prior information about human motion intent, which can aid the subject with wearable robotics to walk in complex environments. Previous researchers have utilized 1D signal and 2D images to classify environments, but they may face the problems of self-occlusion. Comparatively, 3D point cloud can be more appropriate to depict environments, thus we propose a directional PointNet to classify 3D point cloud directly. By utilizing the orientation information of the point cloud, the directional PointNet can classify daily terrains, including level ground, up stairs, and down stairs, and the classification accuracy achieves 99% for testing set. Moreover, the directional PointNet is more efficient than the previous PointNet because the T-net, which is utilized to estimate the transformation of the point cloud, is removed in this research and the length of the global feature is optimized. The experimental results demonstrate that the directional PointNet can classify the environments robustly and efficiently.
Effects of Waterlogging on the Growth and Chlorophyll Content of Ixora coccinea Lin. (Jungle Flame)

Effects of waterlogging on the growth and chlorophyll content of seedlings of two cultivars of Ixoracoccinea (Red and Yellow) were carried out on one hundred seedlings of Ixora. Waterlogging experiments viz: Waterlog Treated plants (WTP) were subjected to constant waterlogging at 5cm above the soil level while Control (CTR) were watered with 35cl of water daily. Data on the growth parameters and chlorophyll contents of the two cultivars of Ixoracoccinea were collected for 10 months. All the data collected were subjected to Analysis of Variance (One way ANOVA) at P<0.05. The results obtained showed that both Red and Yellow Ixora CTR and Red Ixora WTP had similar performances in number of leaves, stem height, leaf area and leaf area ratio and fresh biomass except chlorophyll content. The results however revealed that Yellow Ixora seedlings in waterlog and control performed better than those of Red Ixora seedlings morphologically. As regards the chlorophyll content, Red Ixora showed higher chlorophyll content against the Yellow Ixora; Red Ixora Control and Waterlog Treated Plants showed no difference in their chlorophyll contents. Yellow Ixora Control showed higher chlorophyll content compared to the Waterlog Treated Ixora ones. Thus, from the study, it could be concluded that Ixoracoccinea (Red and Yellow) plants are waterlog tolerant plants with 100% survival rate. However, Yellow Ixora cultivar grew better than Red Ixora, and should be considered first for the beautification and improvement of floras of flood prone areas (Lagos State).
Protéome et transcriptome du muscle Longissimus lumborum de porc : influence du mode d'élevage, de l'origine génétique et du sexe

La qualite de la viande de porc montre une forte variabilite, en partie due a des variations dans le metabolisme energetique musculaire post-mortem. De nombreux facteurs, dependant de l'animal ou de la technologie, peuvent influencer ce metabolisme post-mortem et par consequent les qualites des viandes. Un plan experimental 2x2x2 comparait le proteome et le transcriptome de porcs femelles ou mâles castres, de deux origines genetiques et de deux modes d'elevage differents. Les resultats obtenus mettent en evidence l'effet important des facteurs sur les quantites de proteines et les voies biochimiques de determinisme des qualites des viandes. Ils ont egalement permis l'identification de marqueurs proteiques caracteristiques de l'origine des animaux. Les facteurs de variation n'influencent pas l'expression des genes etudies
A kinetic study of HKUST-1 for desulfurization applications

In this study, HKUST-1 prepared under solvothermal conditions and tested in desulphurization of model gasoline. The prepared HKUST-1 samples were characterized using surface area and pore volume analysis ( BET), powder X-ray diffraction( XRD), and Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The prepared HKUST-1 was used for desulphurization of model gasoline (thiophene with iso-octane), and the influence of the thiophene concentration, HKUST-1 dose, temperature, and contact time. The experimental results revealed that the sulfur content in model fuel was reduced from 1500 to 148.2 ppm (90.12% removal efficiency) for 4 hours contact time at 30 oC. In addition, an isotherm adsorption and kinetics study were performed for a batch process to understand the system equilibrium( i.e., the best fitting Langmuir isotherm or Freundlich isotherm). The kinetics study proved that the contained sulfur removal was best fitted by Pseudo-Second-Order Kinetics. Regeneration results show that the HKUST-1 has a reversible nature as an adsorbent. Therefore, HKUST-1 might be used as a promising adsorbent for removing thiophene compounds from gasoline.
Multi-Authority Attribute-Based Access Control with Smart Contract

Attribute-based access control makes access control decisions based on the assigned attributes of subjects and the access policies to protect objects by mediating operations from the subjects. Authority, which validates attributes of subjects, is one key component to facilitate attribute-based access control. In an increasingly decentralized society, multiple attributes possessed by subjects may need to be validated by multiple different authorities. This paper proposes a multi-authority attribute-based access control scheme by using Ethereum's smart contracts. In the proposed scheme, Ethereum smart contracts are created to define the interactions between data owner, data user, and multiple attribute authorities. A data user presents its attributes to different attribute authorities, and after successful validation of attributes, obtains attribute tokens from respective attribute authorities. After collecting enough attribute tokens, a smart contract will be executed to issue secret key to the data user to access the requested object. The smart contracts for multi-authority attribute-based access control have been prototyped in Solidity, and their performance has been evaluated on the Rinkeby Ethereum Testnet.
Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy for Rapid and Cost-Effective Determination of Elemental Composition of Ground Forage

The recent development of portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometers (PXRF) has created new avenues for rapid plant elemental concentration determination at reduced cost while avoiding hazardous chemicals. A few studies have indicated the potential use of PXRF for homogenous plant tissue analysis. However, there is a lack of information for analysis of heterogeneous plant samples like livestock forage, which consists of a mixture of several species and plant parts, each varying in elemental concentration. Our objective was to evaluate PXRF for forage analysis, specifically the effect of forage particle size and scan time on important elements including P, K, Ca, and Fe determination. Hay samples (n = 42) were oven dried (60°C for 3 days) and ground into three particle sizes (≤0.5 mm, 0.25–0.5 mm and 1–2 mm). Prepared samples were scanned by PXRF using a vacuum (<10 torr) without a filter. Samples were placed in cups over thin prolene X-ray film and scanned for 180 s. A subset (n = 29) were also scanned for 60 and 120 s. PXRF counts for P, K, Ca, and Fe were compared with laboratory Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP) determinations, using regression models. Results indicated that these elements could potentially be determined with PXRF (r2 ≥ 0.70) in heterogeneous forage samples. Relationship strength increased with decreasing particle size, however, the relationship was still strong (r2 ≥ 0.57) at the largest particle size. Scanning time did not affect the relationship with ICP concentration for any of the particle sizes evaluated. This work demonstrated that with the right sample preparation PXRF can obtain results comparable to acid digestion and ICP regardless of sample composition, and suggests the potential for in situ determinations.
The Associations of Constructive and Destructive Interparental Conflict to Child Well-Being Among Low-Income Families

Interparental conflict is a well-established precursor to child maladjustment. However, little is understood of the role of different interparental conflict in shaping the developmental outcomes of young children, especially those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. This study uses data from a large and racially diverse sample of low-income, unmarried mothers with young children (n = 1,297) to examine the processes linking parental constructive conflict, destructive conflict, intimate partner violence (IPV) to child behavior problems, and child emotional insecurity as a mediator of these processes. Path analyses were conducted to estimate structural paths between (a) conflict constructs and child behavior problems, (b) conflict constructs and child emotional insecurity, and (c) child emotional insecurity and child behavior problems. Results demonstrated that constructive conflict was associated with decreased levels of both child emotional insecurity and child behavior problems, whereas destructive conflict was associated with increased levels of both child outcomes. IPV was associated with increased levels of child emotional insecurity only. Child emotional insecurity mediated the links between all three conflict constructs and child behavior problems. Such findings suggest the need for clinicians to help raise awareness regarding the consequences of children’s exposure to different interparental conflict and educate parents about children’s sense of emotional security in the family.
The Role of Grass vs. Exogenous Abrasives in the Paleodietary Patterns of North American Ungulates

The attainment of high crowned teeth (hypsodonty) has often been thought to be associated with grazing because many abrasive opal particles are known in grass that are presumed to wear down mammalian teeth. Equids have often been discussed regarding tooth morphological change due to the evolution of highly hypsodont teeth over time, the hyper-grazing habits of modern horses, and the originally-held view that the acquisition of hypsodonty and the widespread appearance of grasslands were synchronous. Recent studies, however, have reported asynchrony in the origin of hypsodonty and the widespread appearance of grasslands and have considered exposure to exogenous grit as important evolutionary drivers of hypsodonty in ungulates. We tracked changes in crown height (hypsodonty index), relative abrasion (mesowear) and food and grit scar topography on dental enamel (microwear) to examine the relative contributions of grass versus grit as a driving force in ungulate tooth changes during the evolution of North American Equidae compared to four North American ruminant artiodactyl families (Camelidae, Antilocapridae, Dromomerycidae, and Merycoidodontidae). We found that the overall pattern of the timing of the attainment of hypsodonty is inconsistent with grazing as the main impetus for the “Great Transition” within equids nor within the artiodactyl families as highly hypsodont ungulates post-date the spread of widespread grasslands. Mesowear closely mirrored hypsodonty trends in all families. Microwear patterns, particularly high degrees of enamel pitting (particularly large pits) and unusually coarse scratch textures in all five families, are consistent with exposure to exogenous grit as the main driver of hypsodonty acquisition prior to the consumption of significant levels of grass. Equidae exhibited a wider array of dietary behavior than the other families through most of their evolutionary history. Even so, grass was a much more common dietary item for equids than for the other families, and when combined with exogenous grit, which was more accelerated from the early Miocene onward based on more pitting and coarser scratch textures, may explain the more extreme acquisition of hypsodonty in equids compared to the artiodactyl families studied and set the stage for the Equidae alone to become hypergrazers in the Recent.
Can the Second to Fourth Digit Ratio (2D : 4D) Be a Marker to Determine Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity?

Objective The length ratio of the index finger (2D) to the ring finger (4D) (2D : 4D ratio) is considered a biomarker of prenatal sex hormone exposure. The 2D : 4D ratio is influenced by prenatal androgen and estrogen levels. Because ankylosing spondylitis (AS) influences men more frequently and severely than women, androgens are proposed to be related to AS pathogenesis. Estrogens have immune-modulating effects and reduce AS disease activity. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between 2D : 4D ratio and AS disease activity. Material and Methods In this study, 167 (43 female) patients diagnosed with AS were studied. The lengths of the second and fourth fingers were measured using a digital caliper. The 2D : 4D ratio was found by dividing the length of the second finger by the length of the fourth finger. AS disease activity was assessed with the Turkish version of the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). AS functional status was assessed with Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI). L-Schober, tragus to wall distance, finger to floor distance, and chest expansion were used to evaluate mobility. Results In female patients, the right hand 2D : 4D ratios were higher than those in male patients. Biologic drug use was more frequent in males. The BASDAI scores were higher in female patients than in male patients. There were significant negative correlations between right and left hand 2D : 4D ratio and BASFI and BASDAI in female patients. There was no significant correlation between the 2D : 4D ratio and BASFI or BASDAI in male patients. We found a positive correlation between L-Schober and right hand 2D : 4D and a negative correlation between the left hand 2D : 4D ratio and finger to floor distance in female patients with AS. Conclusion The 2D : 4D ratio of the right and left hand was low in female patients with high BASFI and BASDAI and low spinal mobility (L-Schober) was also linked to low female 2D : 4D. The lack of strong associations between 2D : 4D and AS in male patients may have resulted from their higher use of biologics.
Understanding the Limitations of CNN-Based Absolute Camera Pose Regression

Visual localization is the task of accurate camera pose estimation in a known scene. It is a key problem in computer vision and robotics, with applications including self-driving cars, Structure-from-Motion, SLAM, and Mixed Reality. Traditionally, the localization problem has been tackled using 3D geometry. Recently, end-to-end approaches based on convolutional neural networks have become popular. These methods learn to directly regress the camera pose from an input image. However, they do not achieve the same level of pose accuracy as 3D structure-based methods. To understand this behavior, we develop a theoretical model for camera pose regression. We use our model to predict failure cases for pose regression techniques and verify our predictions through experiments. We furthermore use our model to show that pose regression is more closely related to pose approximation via image retrieval than to accurate pose estimation via 3D structure. A key result is that current approaches do not consistently outperform a handcrafted image retrieval baseline. This clearly shows that additional research is needed before pose regression algorithms are ready to compete with structure-based methods.
FSH Beyond Fertility

The traditional view of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) as a reproductive hormone is changing. It has been shown that FSH receptors (FSHRs) are expressed in various extra-gonadal tissues and mediate the biological effects of FSH at those sites. Molecular, animal, epidemiologic, and clinical data suggest that elevated serum FSH may play a significant role in the evolution of bone loss and obesity, as well as contributing to cardiovascular and cancer risk. This review summarizes recent data on FSH action beyond reproduction.