Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Connexin 43 and Pannexin 1 During Acute Inflammation

During acute inflammation, the recruitment of leukocytes from the blood stream into the inflamed tissue is a well-described mechanism encompassing the interaction of endothelial cells with leukocytes allowing leukocytes to reach the site of tissue injury or infection where they can fulfill their function such as phagocytosis. This process requires a fine-tuned regulation of a plethora of signaling cascades, which are still incompletely understood. Here, connexin 43 (Cx43) and pannexin 1 (Panx1) are known to be pivotal for the correct communication of endothelial cells with leukocytes. Pharmacological as well as genetic approaches provide evidence that endothelial Cx43-hemichannels and Panx1-channels release signaling molecules including ATP and thereby regulate vessel function and permeability as well as the recruitment of leukocytes during acute inflammation. Furthermore, Cx43 hemichannels and Panx1-channels in leukocytes release signaling molecules and can mediate the activation and function of leukocytes in an autocrine manner. The focus of the present review is to summarize the current knowledge of the role of Cx43 and Panx1 in endothelial cells and leukocytes in the vasculature during acute inflammation and to discuss relevant molecular mechanisms regulating Cx43 and Panx1 function.
On the Long Range Clustering of Global Seismicity and its Correlation With Solar Activity: A New Perspective for Earthquake Forecasting

Large earthquakes occurring worldwide have long been recognized to be non Poisson distributed, so involving some large scale correlation mechanism, which could be internal or external to the Earth. We have recently demonstrated this observation can be explained by the correlation of global seismicity with solar activity. We inferred such a clear correlation, highly statistically significant, analyzing the ISI-GEM catalog 1996–2016, as compared to the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory satellite data, reporting proton density and proton velocity in the same period. However, some questions could arise that the internal correlation of global seismicity could be mainly due to local earthquake clustering, which is a well-recognized process depending on physical mechanisms of local stress transfer. We then apply, to the ISI-GEM catalog, a simple and appropriate de-clustering procedure, meant to recognize and eliminate local clustering. As a result, we again obtain a non poissonian, internally correlated catalog, which shows the same, high level correlation with the proton density linked to solar activity. We can hence confirm that global seismicity contains a long-range correlation, not linked to local clustering processes, which is clearly linked to solar activity. Once we explain in some details the proposed mechanism for such correlation, we also give insight on how such mechanism could be used, in a near future, to help in earthquake forecasting.
Fluidity and Lipid Composition of Membranes of Peroxisomes, Mitochondria and the ER From Oleic Acid-Induced Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The maintenance of a fluid lipid bilayer is key for organelle function and cell viability. Given the critical role of lipid compositions in determining membrane properties and organelle identity, it is clear that cells must have elaborate mechanism for membrane maintenance during adaptive responses to environmental conditions. Emphasis of the presented study is on peroxisomes, oleic acid-inducible organelles that are essential for the growth of yeast under conditions of oleic acid as single carbon source. Here, we isolated peroxisomes, mitochondria and ER from oleic acid-induced Saccharomyces cerevisiae and determined the lipid composition of their membranes using shotgun lipidomics and compared it to lipid ordering using fluorescence microscopy. In comparison to mitochondrial and ER membranes, the peroxisomal membranes were slightly more disordered and characterized by a distinct enrichment of phosphaditylinositol, indicating an important role of this phospholipid in peroxisomal membrane associated processes.
Development of High Resolution and Homogenized Gridded Land Surface Air Temperature Data: A Case Study Over Pan-East Asia

The Land Surface Air Temperature (LSAT) climatology during the period of 1961–1990 and the anomalies (relative to the 1961–1990 climatology) have been developed over Pan-East Asian region at a (monthly) 0.5° × 0.5° resolution. The development of these LSAT data sets are based on the recently released C-LSAT station datasets and the high resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and interpolated by the Thin Plate Spline (TPS) method (through ANUSPLIN software) and the Adjusted Inverse Distance Weighting (AIDW) method. Then they are combined into the high resolution gridded LSAT datasets (including the monthly mean, maximum, and minimum temperature). Considering the mean LSAT for example, the Cross Validation (CV) of the datasets indicates that the regional average of the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) for the climatology is about 0.62°C, and the average RMSE and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) for the anomalies are between 0.47–0.90°C and 0.32–0.63°C during the study period. The analysis also demonstrate that the gridded anomalies describe the spatial pattern fairly well for the coldest (1912, 1969) and the warmest (1948, 2007) years during the first and second half of the 20th century. Further analysis reveals that the high resolution dataset also performs well in the estimation of long-term LSAT change trend. Thus it can be concluded that this newly constructed datasets is a useful tool for regional climate monitoring, climate change research as well as climate model verification.
Adult Diffuse Low-Grade Gliomas: 35-Year Experience at the Nancy France Neurooncology Unit

Background To report survival, spontaneous prognostic factors, and treatment efficacy in a French monocentric cohort of diffuse low-grade glioma (DLGG) patients over 35 years of follow-up. Methods A monocentric retrospective study of 339 patients diagnosed with a new DLGG between 01/01/1982 and 01/01/2017 was created. Inclusion criteria were patient age ≥18 years at diagnosis and histological diagnosis of WHO grade II glioma (according to 1993, 2007, and 2016 WHO classifications). The survival parameters were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method with a 95% confidence interval. Differences in survival were tested for statistical significance by the log-rank test. Factors were considered significant when p ≤ 0.1 and p ≤ 0.05 in the univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively. Results A total of 339 patients were included with a median follow-up of 8.7 years. The Kaplan-Meier median overall survival was 15.7 years. At the time of radiological diagnosis, Karnofsky Performance Status score and initial tumor volume were significant independent prognostic factors. Oncological prognostic factors were the extent of resection for patients who underwent surgery and the timing of radiotherapy for those concerned. In this study, patients who had delayed radiotherapy (provided remaining low grade) did not have worse survival compared with patients who had early radiotherapy. The functional capabilities of the patients were preserved enough so that they could remain independent during at least three quarters of the follow-up. Conclusion This large monocentric series spread over a long time clarifies the effects of different therapeutic strategies and their combination in the management of DLGG.
Meta-analysis examining the effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product on feedlot performance and carcass traits

ABSTRACT Results from 18 experiments were compiled for a meta-analysis evaluating the effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation products (SCFP) manufactured by Diamond V on feedlot performance and carcass traits. Data were analyzed using mixed model procedures. Fixed class variables included sex (steers, heifers, bulls, or mixed) and the use of SCFP, ionophores, tylosin, and implants (each coded as no = 0, yes = 1). Days on feed and initial BW were included in models as fixed continuous variables when significant ( P ≤ 0.05). Experiment was included in all models as a random class variable. The analysis was weighted by the inverse of the standard error squared for each treatment mean. Cattle fed SCFP had significant ( P P P P P
Empathy Enhancement Based on a Semiotics Training Program: A Longitudinal Study in Peruvian Medical Students

Background Empathy, as a core element of medical professionalism, is part of leadership in medicine. This attribute, predominantly cognitive, involves understanding and communication capacity. Empathy can be enhanced with courses on medical semiotics. It appears adequate to apply this enhancement in the early stages of professional training. Based on this, this study was performed with the purpose of demonstrating the positive effect that an academic course on medical semiotics has on the development of empathy in medical students. Methods A quasi-experimental study was conducted in one School of Medicine in Peru, where medical students had to attend a 17-week course on medical semiotics as part of their regular training. The sample, composed by 269 students, included two cohorts of third-year medical students. As main measures, the Jefferson Scales of Empathy (JSE), inter-professional collaboration (JSAPNC), and lifelong learning (JeffSPLL), were used. In addition, students’ scores evaluating theoretical and practical aspects of the course were collected once the course was finished. Pre- and post-tests were administered in week 1 and in week 17. Analyses compared measures in both moments and in time. Inter-professional collaboration and lifelong learning scores and empathy scores were used as discriminant and convergent validity measures of students’ course scores, respectively. Results Gender differences on empathy appeared, but only at the beginning. In the entire sample, empathy enhancement was confirmed in time (p < 0.001), with a large effect size (r = 0.45). This effect was also observed in both gender groups, separately. On the contrary, no changes appeared in inter-professional collaboration and in lifelong learning abilities in time. In addition, a positive correlation was observed among empathy, inter-professional collaboration and lifelong learning abilities at the beginning and at the end, confirming that the improvement observed was specific for empathy and explained by the educational intervention assessed. Conclusion These findings bring empiric evidence supporting the positive effect that training in medical semiotics has on empathy. In addition, these findings highlight some gender differences in the development of empathy in medical students.
Optimism Bias during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Empirical Evidence from Romania and Italy

Given the importance of perceived susceptibility to a disease in adopting preventive behaviors, and the negative impact of optimism bias on prevention, this paper aimed to explore to what extent comparative optimism bias (understood as the tendency to assess a lower probability for oneself to experience negative health events compared to others) is present in the specific context of the Covid-19 pandemic, in two countries with different profiles in terms of the spread of the disease: Italy and Romania. After identifying optimism bias in both countries, we tested whether it depends on respondents’ characteristics like gender, age, education, health status and whether or not they have the opportunity to work from home. We surveyed 1126 Romanians and 742 Italians, and found that optimism bias depends on self-reported health status, and that optimism bias increases with age. Inconclusive evidences were found regarding gender and education level, as well as the option to work from home.
Telephone clinic improves gluten-free dietary adherence in adults with coeliac disease: sustained at 6 months

Background A gluten-free (GF) diet is the only treatment for coeliac disease (CD), non-adherence to the diet is associated with greater morbidity. The study aimed to examine the effect of a telephone clinic, designed to increase GF dietary knowledge and adherence, in adults with CD. Methods A prospective study of 125 patients with histologically confirmed CD. Patients, not adhering to a GF diet (n=30), engaged in a personalised telephone clinic. Validated questionnaires were used to assess GF dietary adherence (Coeliac Disease Adherence Test; CDAT), knowledge of GF foods and CD-related quality of life (QoL). GF dietary adherence was assessed up to 12 months post telephone clinic. The control group completed the questionnaires only. Results GF dietary adherence (CDAT) median scores significantly improved at 3 and 6 months after the telephone clinic compared with baseline (16, 13 and 13, respectively, p<0.01). Reassuringly, the dietary burden QoL score remained similar to baseline values. No change in CDAT scores were observed in the control group. Change in GF dietary knowledge score was associated with improved GF dietary adherence CDAT score (r=−0.22; p=0.039). At 9 and 12 months, CDAT scores were similar to baseline values. Conclusions Telephone clinics have a positive impact on dietary knowledge and GF dietary adherence in adults with CD, promoting health-benefitting behaviours in those previously not adhering to a GF diet. The study highlights the need for patients to have regular follow-up, with targeted reviews for those not adhering to a GF diet.
Comparative Analysis of using Recurrent Autoencoders for User Biometric Verification with Wearable Accelerometer

A comparative analysis use of recurrent auto-encoders as a component of the proposed automated decision support system for biometric verification of the behavioral type user from the indicators of the chest accelerometer sensor is carried out. The purpose of the proposed system is to perform continuous, implicit user verification based on the accelerometer, to improve the security usage of application or device, as well as improve user interaction with the device. The goal of research is to build a continuous-based user biometric verification system based on accelerometer data using unsupervised deep learning recurrent algorithms. Auto-encoders enable one-class classification, i.e. unsupervised learning, as well as additional layers in the network architecture allow to automatically generate features and encode a data input into a feature vector, which greatly facilitates data processing and makes the system more automated. The purpose of the model is to define the boundaries of the positive class, namely to distinguish a specific user from others, which in fact is to solve the problem of detecting anomalies. The comparative analysis compared three types of recurrent auto-encoders with recurrent units of long-short term memory type with two methods of classical machine learning (one-class support vector machines and “isolation” forest) which required manual feature generation. Proof of concepts of using recurrent autoencoders for biometric verification was implemented and tested on the open-source dataset. Usage of recurrent autoen-coders for user behavioral-based verification has shown robust and high accuracy results and the ability of implementing such algorithms in modern security systems.
P300-Based Brain-Computer Interface Speller: Usability Evaluation of Three Speller Sizes by Severely Motor-Disabled Patients

Brain-computer interface (BCI) spellers allow severe motor-disabled patients to communicate using their brain activity without muscular mobility. Different visual configurations of the widely studied P300-based BCI speller had been assessed with healthy and motor-disabled users. However, the speller size (in terms of cm) had only been assessed for healthy subjects. We think that the speller size might be limiting for some severely motor-disabled patients with restricted head and eye movements. The usability of three speller sizes was assessed for seven patients diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and a participant diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This is the first usability evaluation of speller size with severely motor-disabled participants. Effectiveness (in the online results) and efficiency (in the workload test) of the medium speller was remarkably better. Satisfaction was significantly the highest with the medium size speller and the lowest with the small size. These results correlate with previously described findings in healthy subjects. In conclusion, the speller size should be considered when designing a speller paradigm, especially for motor-disabled individuals, since it might affect their performance and user experience while controlling a BCI speller.
Hierarchical Structures and Leadership Design in Mean-Field-Type Games with Polynomial Cost

This article presents a class of hierarchical mean-field-type games with multiple layers and non-quadratic polynomial costs. The decision-makers act in sequential order with informational differences. We first examine the single-layer case where each decision-maker does not have the information about the other control strategies. We derive the Nash mean-field-type equilibrium and cost in a linear state-and-mean-field feedback form by using a partial integro-differential system. Then, we examine the Stackelberg two-layer problem with multiple leaders and multiple followers. Numerical illustrations show that, in the symmetric case, having only one leader is not necessarily optimal for the total sum cost. Having too many leaders may also be suboptimal for the total sum cost. The methodology is extended to multi-level hierarchical systems. It is shown that the order of the play plays a key role in the total performance of the system. We also identify a specific range of parameters for which the Nash equilibrium coincides with the hierarchical solution independently of the number of layers and the order of play. In the heterogeneous case, it is shown that the total cost is significantly affected by the design of the hierarchical structure of the problem.
Effects of Coloring Food Images on the Propensity to Eat: A Placebo Approach With Color Suggestions

Background Research findings on the appetite-enhancing effect of the color red and the appetite-reducing effect of blue have been inconsistent. The present study used a placebo approach and investigated whether verbal suggestions can enhance color-appetite effects. Method A total of 448 women participated in two experiments. They viewed images with differently colored sweet foods (original color, blue, red, colorless (black-and-white); experiment 1; n = 217) or sweet foods on blue, red, white, and gray backgrounds; experiment 2; n = 231). Before viewing the images, half of the participants received information about the effects of red and blue food color on appetite (color suggestion). The other half received no suggestion. For each of the experiments, the reported propensity to eat (food wanting) was compared between the conditions. Results All colored food items were associated with a lower propensity to eat compared to the food items in the original color. The color suggestion (compared to no suggestion) additionally decreased the propensity to eat blue and black-and-white food items. Colored backgrounds did not influence food wanting. Conclusion This study demonstrated that red and blue coloring of visual food cues did not have the predicted effects on food wanting. However, the combination of specific food colors with specific color suggestions might be useful to change the willingness to eat sweet products.
Comparison of the Genital Microbiomes of Pregnant Aboriginal and Non-aboriginal Women

The genital microbiomes of women varies with racial background. Preterm birth and early-onset neonatal sepsis are two outcomes associated with genital infections during pregnancy. The rate of preterm birth in Aboriginal Australian mothers is high, as is the rate of early-onset sepsis in their infants. To date, no studies have been conducted to investigate genital microbiome taxa associated infection in this group of women. A prospective cohort study to characterize the vaginal and placental microbiomes of a group of these women from the Pilbara region was conducted at the Hedland Health Campus in Western Australia. Included in the study were gravidae Aboriginal (n = 23) and Non-aboriginal (n = 27) women in labor or for planned lower uterine segment Caesarean section. Employing sterile swabs, vaginal samples were obtained under sterile conditions immediately prior to vaginal delivery or planned Caesarean section; and placental samples were obtained under the same conditions during labor. Taxa present in the samples were identified by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing (V4 region, 515F-806R). Taxon identity and abundance were established from Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) counts. Statistical analyses combining clinical metadata and sequencing results were employed to determine associations of taxa with racial background. The findings of this work served to enhance the current understanding of microbiota associated with health and disease in Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal women. Differences were found between the vaginal and placental microbiomes of Aboriginal and Non-aboriginal women during pregnancy, as well as notable differences between the abundance of specific taxa in each racial group. The relative abundances of specific taxa were significantly different between participants with clinical signs of infection and those with healthy pregnancies. This work will contribute to understanding the causes of differences in rates of infection-driven preterm birth in various racial populations.
The effect of equilibration time on semen freezing of local swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) with combination extender of lactose and glycerol

Eriani K, Sari N, Ihdina M, Rosnizar. 2017. The effect of equilibration time on semen freezing of local swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) with combination extender of lactose and glycerol. Nusantara Bioscience 9: 77-82. This study was to determine the different time of equilibration on semen of swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) which was diluted by adding Tris-Egg Yolk extender of lactose and glycerol cryoprotectant combination. Fresh sperm of the swamp buffalo (B. bubalis) was diluted by using Tris-Egg Yolk extender of lactose cryoprotectants combination 0 mM (L0), 60 mM (L60), 120 mM (L120) and glycerol 3% (G3), 5% (G5), 7% (G7) with the equilibration of 2,5, 3, and 4 hours. The parameter used in this study was the percentage of sperm motility and live treatment. The results of the 2.5-hour equilibration with a combination of cryoprotectants L60G7 showed the best quality in all parameters. The results of the 3-hour equilibration with combination of cryoprotectants L60G7 showed the best quality in all parameters whereas the best quality in all parameters in 4-hour equilibration was the combination of cryoprotectants L120G7.