Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Associations Between Gut Microbes and Social Behavior in Healthy 2-Year-Old Children

ABSTRACT Objective Emerging research has connected abundances of specific bacteria to differences in psychosocial behaviors in animals and adult humans. However, research assessing mind-microbiome associations in children is sparse with extant work primarily focused on populations with autism, making it unclear whether links are also present in typically developing children. The current study fills this gap by examining associations between prosocial–self-regulating temperaments (effortful control; EC) and the gut microbiome in typically developing children. Methods Maternal ratings of temperament were assessed in 77 toddlers 18 to 27 months of age (46.7% female, mean age = 23.14 months). Next-generation pyrosequencing of the V1–V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene was used to classify children’s gut microbial composition from fecal samples. EC included the following subcategories: cuddliness, attentional focusing, attentional shifting, inhibitory control, and low-intensity pleasure. Results After adjusting for covariates, EC was positively associated with relative abundances of Akkermansia (ΔR2 = 0.117, b = 0.022, SE = 0.007, p = .002), with cuddliness (i.e., joy and ease of being held) driving the relation. Furthermore, attentional focusing was negatively associated with Alistipes (ΔR2 = 0.062, b = −0.011, SE = 0.005, p = .028). Permutational analysis of variance revealed no significant differences in community structure between high and low EC groups on the phylum level (R2 = 0.00372, p = .745) or the genus level (R2 = 0.01559, p = .276). Conclusions Findings suggest that certain microbes may be linked to prosocial behaviors used to regulate emotion in typically developing children. Further research is needed to test whether these observations replicate in larger samples.
Physical Activity, Inflammation, and Physical Function in Older Adults: Results From the Health & Retirement Study

Physical function declines with aging due to physical and biological changes. The biological process of aging has been associated with increases in systemic inflammation and a greater risk for chronic conditions. In older adults, physical activity aids in maintenance of function. However, the influence of inflammatory biomarkers and adiposity on physical activity and physical function needs to be further explored. Methods: A cross-sectional secondary data analysis from Wave 13 of the Health & Retirement Study (HRS) core biennial data and Venous Blood Study (VBS) was conducted. Structural equation modeling was used to establish the model and test the relationships. Results: Chronic low-level inflammation was moderately negatively correlated with physical activity (r = −0.326) and function (r = −0.367). Latent regressions showed that higher physical activity is associated with better physical function (unstandardized estimate = 0.600, p < .001) while inflammation negatively affects physical function (unstandardized estimate = −0.139, p < .001), and adiposity was not a predictor in the model (p = 0.055). Conclusion: For older adults, preserving physical function by participation in physical activity and decreasing chronic inflammation are key preventive health strategies for older adults to maintain independence, with a need to further explore pro and anti-inflammatory biomarkers.
Effect of different varieties and spacing on growth and yield parameters of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. Italica Plenck) under Pune conditions.

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of different varieties (Ganesh Broccoli and Pusa KTS-1) with five spacing (60x60cm, 60x45cm, 45x45cm, 60x30cm,45x30cm) in Factorial Randomized Block Design with three replications under Pune conditions. The data revealed that cv. GANESH BROCCOLI performed superior over the cv. PUSA KTS-1 with days to 50% harvest (53.4days), days to last harvest (68.4 days), curd diameter (10.81cm), average weight of curd (154.80 g) and yield per hectare (70.75q) while, cv. PUSA KTS -1 recorded significantly highest values for growth parameters. Amongst five spacing S 5 (45 x 30 cm)gave significantly minimum values of the various parameters under study except days to 50% harvest (64.5days), days to last harvest (79.33days) and yield per hectare (77.08q). However, S 1 (60 x 60 cm) gave significantly maximum values of various parameters except days to 50% harvest (59.83 days) and days to last harvest (74days). Interaction effect of different varieties and spacings was found non significant but numerically the interaction effect of V 1 S 1 was the best among the all treatment combination except yield per hectare. Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck) is an important winter season vegetable crop after cabbage and cauliflower from the family Brassicaceae. It is cherished for its delicious taste, flavour and nutritive value and has been reported to prevent cancer. In broccoli, very few cultivars such as Pusa KTS-1, Palam Samridhi and Punjab Broccoli-1, which are developed for very cool winter of North India. Hence, variety Ganesh Broccoli has been developed in popularizing cultivation of this crop for Maharashtra. To study the production practices is a prerequisite for a new crop. In broccoli adhock recommendations are being followed by the growers in Maharashtra. Availability of suitable high yielding cultivars and optimum plant spacing may help the farmers to achieve more returns per unit area and also for efficient absorption of nutrients and trapping of solar energy. The effect of growing different varieties at various spacing under Pune conditions is yet not tested. The response may differ in growth and yield parameters of broccoli. Keeping this in view, the present investigation was planned. See end of the article for authors’ affiliations
Complete characterization of extreme quantum observables in infinite dimensions

We give a complete characterization for extreme quantum observables, i.e. for normalized positive operator valued measures (POVMs) which are extremals in the convex set of all POVMs. The characterization is valid both in discrete and continuous cases, and also in the case of an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. We show that sharp POVMs are pre-processing clean, i.e. they cannot be irreversibly connected to other POVMs via quantum channels.
High prevalence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin positive, multidrug resistant, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains circulating among clinical setups in Adamawa and Far North regions of Cameroon

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the earliest pathogens involved in human infections, responsible for a large variety of pathologies. Methicillin was the first antibiotic used to treat infections due to S. aureus but infections due to Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) originated from hospital settings. Later, severe infections due to MRSA without any contact with the hospital environment or health care workers arose. Prevalence of MRSA has shown an alarming increase worldover including Cameroon. This Cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate the occurrence of MRSA infections in five different, most frequented Hospitals in northern Cameroon. Socio demographic data was recorded through questionnaire and different clinical specimens were collected for bacterial isolation. Identification of S. aureus was confirmed via 16s rRNA amplification using S. aureus specific primers. Molecular characterisation was performed through mecA gene, Luk PV gene screening and SCCmec typing. A total of 380 S. aureus clinical isolates were obtained of which 202 (53.2%) were nonduplicate multidrug resistant isolates containing, 45.5% MRSA. Higher number of MRSA was isolated from pus (30.4%) followed by blood culture (18.5%), and urine (17.4%). Patients aged 15 to 30 years presented high prevalence of MRSA (30.4%). Majority isolates (97.8%) carried the mecA gene, PVL toxin screening indicated 53.3% isolates carried the lukPV gene. Based on PVL detection and clinical history, CA-MRSA represented 53.3% of isolates. SCCmec typing showed that the Type IV was most prevalent (29.3%), followed by type I (23.9%). Amongst MRSA isolates high resistance to penicillin (91.1%), cotrimoxazole (86.7%), tetracycline (72.2%), and ofloxacin (70.0%) was detected. Meanwhile, rifampicin, fusidic acid, lincomycin and minocycline presented high efficacy in bacterial control. This study revealed a high prevalence of MRSA among infections due to S. aureus in Northern Cameroon. All MRSA recorded were multidrug resistant and the prevalence of CA MRSA are subsequently increasing, among population.
Development and application of a next-generation sequencing protocol and bioinformatics pipeline for the comprehensive analysis of the canine immunoglobulin repertoire

Profiling the adaptive immune repertoire using next generation sequencing (NGS) has become common in human medicine, showing promise in characterizing clonal expansion of B cell clones through analysis of B cell receptors (BCRs) in patients with lymphoid malignancies. In contrast, most work evaluating BCR repertoires in dogs has employed traditional PCR-based approaches analyzing the IGH locus only. The objectives of this study were to: (1) describe a novel NGS protocol to evaluate canine BCRs; (2) develop a bioinformatics pipeline for processing canine BCR sequencing data; and (3) apply these methods to derive insights into BCR repertoires of healthy dogs and dogs undergoing treatment for B-cell lymphoma. RNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy dogs (n = 25) and dogs newly diagnosed with intermediate-to-large B-cell lymphoma (n = 18) with intent to pursue chemotherapy was isolated, converted into cDNA and sequenced by NGS. The BCR repertoires were identified and quantified using a novel analysis pipeline. The IGK repertoires of the healthy dogs were far less diverse compared to IGL which, as with IGH, was highly diverse. Strong biases at key positions within the CDR3 sequence were identified within the healthy dog BCR repertoire. For a subset of the dogs with B-cell lymphoma, clonal expansion of specific IGH sequences pre-treatment and reduction post-treatment was observed. The degree of expansion and reduction correlated with the clinical outcome in this subset. Future studies employing these techniques may improve disease monitoring, provide earlier recognition of disease progression, and ultimately lead to more targeted therapeutics.
Tanshinone IIA improves contextual fear‐ and anxiety‐like behaviors in mice via the CREB/BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common psychiatric diseases, which is characterized by the typical symptoms such as re‐experience, avoidance, and hyperarousal. However, there are few drugs for PTSD treatment. In this study, conditioned fear and single‐prolonged stress were employed to establish PTSD mouse model, and we investigated the effects of Tanshinone IIA (TanIIA), a natural product isolated from traditional Chinese herbal Salvia miltiorrhiza, as well as the underlying mechanisms in mice. The results showed that the double stress exposure induced obvious PTSD‐like symptoms, and TanIIA administration significantly decreased freezing time in contextual fear test and relieved anxiety‐like behavior in open field and elevated plus maze tests. Moreover, TanIIA increased the spine density and upregulated synaptic plasticity‐related proteins as well as activated CREB/BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway in the hippocampus. Blockage of CREB remarkably abolished the effects of TanIIA in PTSD model mice and reversed the upregulations of p‐CREB, BDNF, TrkB, and synaptic plasticity‐related protein induced by TanIIA. The molecular docking simulation indicated that TanIIA could interact with the CREB‐binding protein. These findings indicate that TanIIA ameliorates PTSD‐like behaviors in mice by activating the CREB/BDNF/TrkB pathway, which provides a basis for PTSD treatment.
Occurrence and potential transmission of extended‐spectrum beta‐lactamase‐producing extraintestinal pathogenic and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in domestic dog faeces from Minnesota

Interactions between humans and pets are increasingly valued in western countries, leading to more extensive contact between humans and their pets within households. Although the magnitude of the risk of transfer of Escherichia coli between humans and their companion animals is undefined, that such transmission occurs has been established and warrants attention. This study examined 186 fresh faecal samples from companion dogs visiting 22 municipal dog parks in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul metropolitan area, Minnesota, USA. Samples were processed to isolate 3rd‐generation cephalosporin‐resistant E. coli, which were further characterized using PCR‐based virulence genotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility profiling and whole‐genome sequencing. Of the 186 faecal samples, 29% yielded cephalosporin‐resistant E. coli, and 2.2% yielded extended‐spectrum beta‐lactamase producers. Co‐resistance to sulfonamides was typical (77.3% of isolates), and multidrug resistance (i.e. to ≥3 antimicrobial classes), including to combinations of tetracyclines, phenicols, quinolones and aminoglycosides, was substantial (18.9% of isolates). Identified beta‐lactamase genes included blaCMY‐2, blaTEM‐1B, blaTEM‐1, blaCTX‐M‐24, blaCTX‐M‐15 and blaOXA‐1. Genome sequencing of 14 isolates identified genes typical of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli or enteropathogenic E. coli. In three instances, closely related isolates were recovered from different dogs, within either the same park—suggesting transfer of E. coli between dogs within the park—or different parks—suggesting that dogs may be pre‐disposed to carry certain E. coli types, such as those from serogroups O4, O71 and O157. This study adds to the existing evidence that companion dogs can harbour and share antimicrobial‐resistant E. coli with presumed intestinal or extraintestinal pathogenic potential.
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Malaysia: Exploring factors and identifying highly vulnerable groups

Vaccine hesitancy is a global health challenge in controlling the virulence of pandemics. The prevalence of vaccine hesitancy will put highly vulnerable groups, such as the elderly or groups with pre-existing health conditions, at a higher risk, as seen with the outbreak of the pandemic Covid-19. Based on the trends of vaccine hesitancy in the state of Sabah, located in East Malaysia, this study seeks to identify several variables that contribute to vaccine hesitancy. In addition to this, this study also determines which groups are affected by vaccine hesitancy based on their demographics. This study is based on a sampling of 1,024 Sabahan population aged 18 and above through an online and face-to-face questionnaire. The raw data was analysed using the K-Means Clustering Analysis, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis Test, and frequency. The K-Means Clustering found that more than half of the total number of respondents (Cluster 2 = 51.9%) tend to demonstrate vaccine hesitancy. Based on the PCA analysis, six main factors were found to cause vaccine hesitancy in Sabah: confidence (var(X) = 21.6%), the influence of local authority (var(X) = 12.1%), ineffectiveness of mainstream media (var(X) = 8.4%), complacency (var(X) = 7.4%), social media (var(X) = 6.4%), and convenience issues (var(X) = 5.8%). Findings from both Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests demonstrate that several factors of group demographics, such as employment status, level of education, religion, gender, and marital status, may explain the indicator of vaccine hesitancy. In particular, specific groups tend to become vaccine hesitancy such as, unemployed, self-employed, students, male, single, level of education, and Muslim. Findings from this empirical study are crucial to inform the relevant local authorities on the level of vulnerability among certain groups in facing the hazards of COVID-19. The main contribution of this study is that it seeks to analyse the factors behind vaccine hesitancy and identifies which groups more likely hesitant toward vaccines based on their demographics.
Neural Underpinnings of Proactive and Preemptive Adjustments of Action Control

Abstract This study aimed to trace the neural basis of proactive and preemptive adjustments of executive control and their effects on online processing of response conflict. In two EEG experiments, participants performed the flanker task with predictive cueing of conflict. The following questions were addressed: “Does conflict cueing improve performance? ” We observed improved behavioral performance in the predictive condition, suggesting that participants proactively utilized the cues to prepare for the upcoming demands. “How is conflict processing affected by predictive cueing? ” Conflict-related modulations of midfrontal N2 and theta power were smaller in the predictive than in the neutral condition. This suggests that proactive control suppressed the impact of incongruent flankers so that the conflict was reduced, and so was the involvement of online control. “Is proactive control implemented through preactivation of online control? ” Conflict cueing increased midfrontal theta power also before target onset, suggesting preactivation of the control processes beforehand. “Do proactive and reactive control depend on common or unique processes? ” Unlike the online control, the proactive control triggered a burst of theta power in the right hemisphere's dorsal and ventral lateral prefrontal cortices, connected with the midfrontal area via theta phase coherence. This indicates that the two control modes involve partially unique but coordinated neural processes. “Is preemptive control implemented through modulations of visual processing? ” Predictive cueing modulated both the pretarget preparatory alpha desynchronization and the target selection-related posterior contralateral negativity (N2pc and sustained posterior contralateral negativity), in line with the hypothesis of preemptive tuning of sensory selection aimed at reducing the impact of conflicting stimuli.
Efficient Neural Network Compression Inspired by Compressive Sensing

Traditional neural network compression (NNC) methods decrease the model size and floating-point operations (FLOPs) in the manner of screening out unimportant weight parameters; however, the intrinsic sparsity characteristics have not been fully exploited. In this article, from the perspective of signal processing and analysis for network parameters, we propose to use a compressive sensing (CS)-based method, namely NNCS, for performance improvements. Our proposed NNCS is inspired by the discovery that sparsity levels of weight parameters in the transform domain are greater than those in the original domain. First, to achieve sparse representations for parameters in the transform domain during training, we incorporate a constrained CS model into loss function. Second, the proposed effective training process consists of two steps, where the first step trains raw weight parameters and induces and reconstructs their sparse representations and the second step trains transform coefficients to improve network performances. Finally, we transform the entire neural network into another new domain-based representation, and a sparser parameter distribution can be obtained to facilitate inference acceleration. Experimental results demonstrate that NNCS can significantly outperform the other existing state-of-the-art methods in terms of parameter reductions and FLOPs. With VGGNet on CIFAR-10, we decrease 94.8% parameters and achieve a 76.8% reduction of FLOPs, with 0.13% drop in Top-1 accuracy. With ResNet-50 on ImageNet, we decrease 75.6% parameters and achieve a 78.9% reduction of FLOPs, with 1.24% drop in Top-1 accuracy.
A Self-Balancing Five-Level Boosting Inverter With Reduced Components

Two-Stage boosting multilevel inverters (MLIs), which are highly suitable for photovoltaic power plants, are known to suffer because of the high voltage stress on the switches of second stage. One of the ways to confront this issue is through eliminating the front-end booster. However, this leads to increased structural and control complexity of the resulting integrated boosting MLI. This letter presents a single-stage boosting MLI requiring lesser number of switches, diodes, and capacitors for renewable power generation applications. It requires nine switches and only one capacitor for five-level voltage generation. The topology has inherent self-balancing capability, thereby does not need additional balancing circuitry. The proposed topology has a uniform peak inverse voltage stress on the switches of value equal to the input dc voltage. A less complicated logic-form-equations-based gating pulse generation scheme is designed for enabling the proposed MLI to maintain its capacitor voltage. Further, a comparative study with state-of-the-art topologies is carried out to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed topology. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed topology is validated through experimental tests and the corresponding results are elucidated.
Nonverbal Synchrony: An Indicator of Clinical Communication Quality in Racially-Concordant and Racially-Discordant Oncology Interactions

Objectives The aim of this cross-sectional study was to apply a novel software to measure and compare levels of nonverbal synchrony, as a potential indicator of communication quality, in video recordings of racially-concordant and racially-discordant oncology interactions. Predictions include that the levels of nonverbal synchrony will be greater during racially-concordant interactions than racially-discordant interactions, and that levels of nonverbal synchrony will be associated with traditional measures of communication quality in both racially-concordant and racially-discordant interactions. Design This is a secondary observational analysis of video-recorded oncology treatment discussions collected from 2 previous studies. Setting Two National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and another large urban cancer center. Participants Participants from Study 1 include 161 White patients with cancer and 11 White medical oncologists. Participants from Study 2 include 66 Black/African-American patients with cancer and 17 non-Black medical oncologists. In both studies inclusion criteria for patients was a recent cancer diagnosis; in Study 2 inclusion criteria was identifying as Black/African American. Main outcome measures Nonverbal synchrony and communication quality. Results Greater levels of nonverbal synchrony were observed in racially-discordant interactions than in racially-concordant interactions. Levels of nonverbal synchrony were associated with indicators of communication quality, and these associations were more consistently found in racially-discordant interactions. Conclusion This study advances clinical communication and disparities research by successfully applying a novel approach capturing the unconscious nature of communication, and revealing differences in communication in racially-discordant and racially-concordant oncology interactions. This study highlights the need for further exploration of nonverbal aspects relevant to patient-physician interactions.