Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trend of the LOS for patients suffering from different kidney injuries

Maintenance of kidney health is a global priority. This reflects the vital role that the kidneys play. Indeed, although often underestimated, the kidneys, perform various functions essential for our survival as maintaining water homeostasis through the removal of excess fluids and being responsible for the removal of toxic substances. Furthermore, they are involved in the regulation of blood pressure, the production of erythropoietin, activation of vitamin D to maintain bone health and the acid-base balance control to maintain the blood pH within normal values. Kidney damage at date is a very common condition and its identification and management are necessary in order to prevent its progression, comorbidities outcomes, reduce the mortality risks improving patient safety and medicines management. In this scenario, we propose a case study at University Hospital “San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d'Aragona” in Salerno (Italy) in the period between October 2018 and December 2020 on 847 patients with different kidney injuries considering their age and the presence of related pathologies. Aim of our wok is a better understand of the length of hospital stay (LOS) in order to improve the prediction of the disease stage, the quality of life of patients reducing hospitalization and mortality. Furthermore, our final goal is to understand the key mechanism related to the managing of patients reducing the costs.
Analysis of the Organic Content in Two Hybrid Calcium-Silicate Cements

To overcome the manipulation disadvantages in contemporary bioactive materials, their composition has been changed and hybrid calcium-silicate cements were created. TheraCal LC (BISCO) and BioCal-Cap (Harvard Dental International, Germany) are the subject of this study. These direct pulp capping materials contain Portland cement and organic phase. This study aims to make a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the organic content of these cements. The methods for the uncured samples were gas-chromatography and mass-spectrometry SCAN mode; thermogravimetry – for the light-cured samples, gas-chromatography and mass-spectrometry SCAN mode; thermogravimetry – for the light-cured samles, gas-chromatography and mass – spectrometry SIM mode - for solventa extraction from light-cured samples. The observation of the uncured TheraCal identifies polymerization initiators – camphoroquinone, parbenate but no free monomers. A reason for that might be the presence of prepolymers that cannot pass into the gas phase. BoiCal-Cap is a new (2019) and noninvestigated material. Our investigations of BioCal-Cap reveal the main organic component – HEMA. Other chemicals were also detected. There was no free HEMA in light-cured samples. The thermogravimetric analysis of the light-cured TheraCal shows 3 mass loss and no loss for BioCal-Cap. The results reveal that BioCal-Cap might have positive advantages for the success of direct pulp capping and more investigations should be performed to support this statement.
Six Months of Piano Training in Healthy Elderly Stabilizes White Matter Microstructure in the Fornix, Compared to an Active Control Group

While aging is characterized by neurodegeneration, musical training is associated with experience-driven brain plasticity and protection against age-related cognitive decline. However, evidence for the positive effects of musical training mostly comes from cross-sectional studies while randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes are rare. The current study compares the influence of six months of piano training with music listening/musical culture lessons in 121 musically naïve healthy elderly individuals with regard to white matter properties using fixel-based analysis. Analyses revealed a significant fiber density decline in the music listening/musical culture group (but not in the piano group), after six months, in the fornix, which is a white matter tract that naturally declines with age. In addition, these changes in fiber density positively correlated to episodic memory task performances and the amount of weekly piano training. These findings not only provide further evidence for the involvement of the fornix in episodic memory encoding but also more importantly show that learning to play the piano at an advanced age may stabilize white matter microstructure of the fornix.
A Comprehensive Analysis of Fibrillar Collagens in Lamprey Suggests a Conserved Role in Vertebrate Musculoskeletal Evolution

Vertebrates have distinct tissues which are not present in invertebrate chordates nor other metazoans. The rise of these tissues also coincided with at least one round of whole-genome duplication as well as a suite of lineage-specific segmental duplications. Understanding whether novel genes lead to the origin and diversification of novel cell types, therefore, is of great importance in vertebrate evolution. Here we were particularly interested in the evolution of the vertebrate musculoskeletal system, the muscles and connective tissues that support a diversity of body plans. A major component of the musculoskeletal extracellular matrix (ECM) is fibrillar collagens, a gene family which has been greatly expanded upon in vertebrates. We thus asked whether the repertoire of fibrillar collagens in vertebrates reflects differences in the musculoskeletal system. To test this, we explored the diversity of fibrillar collagens in lamprey, a jawless vertebrate which diverged from jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes) more than five hundred million years ago and has undergone its own gene duplications. Some of the principal components of vertebrate hyaline cartilage are the fibrillar collagens type II and XI, but their presence in cartilage development across all vertebrate taxa has been disputed. We particularly emphasized the characterization of genes in the lamprey hyaline cartilage, testing if its collagen repertoire was similar to that in gnathostomes. Overall, we discovered thirteen fibrillar collagens from all known gene subfamilies in lamprey and were able to identify several lineage-specific duplications. We found that, while the collagen loci have undergone rearrangement, the Clade A genes have remained linked with the hox clusters, a phenomenon also seen in gnathostomes. While the lamprey muscular tissue was largely similar to that seen in gnathostomes, we saw considerable differences in the larval lamprey skeletal tissue, with distinct collagen combinations pertaining to different cartilage types. Our gene expression analyses were unable to identify type II collagen in the sea lamprey hyaline cartilage nor any other fibrillar collagen during chondrogenesis at the stages observed, meaning that sea lamprey likely no longer require these genes during early cartilage development. Our findings suggest that fibrillar collagens were multifunctional across the musculoskeletal system in the last common ancestor of vertebrates and have been largely conserved, but these genes alone cannot explain the origin of novel cell types.
Along-Strike Variation in Accretion, Non-accretion, and Subduction Erosion Recorded in Rocks of the Jurassic-Neogene Convergent Plate Margin of California

Post-subduction dextral faulting was restored to evaluate the spatial distribution of units of the Franciscan subduction complex of California that formed as a result of subduction accretion. The Franciscan and related rocks of western California exhibit significant along-strike variation in its recording of subduction-accretion processes. Most notably, two segments 830 km apart record subduction erosion associated with low-angle subduction events that took place at ca. 120 Ma and ca. 80–70 Ma in the north and south, respectively. This spatial relationship is not affected by restoration of post-subduction dextral slip because none of the slip passes between the two inboard tectonic windows. Between these segments the subduction complex records net accretion from ca.175 Ma to 12 Ma, but includes horizons recording non-accretion. None of the accreted units of the subduction complex are preserved over the entire length of the subduction complex. One unit, however, correlated on the basis of its structural level in the subduction complex and distinctive detrital zircon age spectra, accreted at about 80–83 Ma extends a strike length of 580 km, an amount increased to 850 km with restoration of post-subduction dextral faulting. The long-strike length of accretion of this unit demonstrates that detrital zircon age populations of subduction complex clastic rocks are poor indicators of strike-slip displacement. Some reaches of the subduction complex include schistose blueschist facies rocks (most Franciscan blueschist facies rocks are not schistose), whereas others do not, and some reaches lack blueschist facies rocks altogether. The significant along-strike variation in the Franciscan and related rock units reflects temporal and spatial differences in history of accretion, non-accretion, subduction erosion, and probably subduction dip. Similar time and space variation in processes and resultant geologic record should be expected for other subduction complexes of the world.
Contrasting Patterns of Climatic Niche Divergence in Trebouxia—A Clade of Lichen-Forming Algae

Lichen associations are overwhelmingly supported by carbon produced by photosynthetic algal symbionts. These algae have diversified to occupy nearly all climates and continents; however, we have a limited understanding of how their climatic niches have evolved through time. Here we extend previous work and ask whether phylogenetic signal in, and the evolution of, climatic niche, varies across climatic variables, phylogenetic scales, and among algal lineages in Trebouxia—the most common genus of lichen-forming algae. Our analyses reveal heterogeneous levels of phylogenetic signal across variables, and that contrasting models of evolution underlie the evolution of climatic niche divergence. Together these analyses demonstrate the variable processes responsible for shaping climatic tolerance in Trebouxia, and provide a framework within which to better understand potential responses to climate change-associated perturbations. Such predictions reveal a disturbing trend in which the pace at which modern climate change is proceeding will vastly exceed the rate at which Trebouxia climatic niches have previously evolved.
Current Slip and Strain Rate Distribution Along the Ganzi-Yushu-Xianshuihe Fault System Based on InSAR and GPS Observations

The Ganzi-Yushu-Xianshuihe fault (GYXSF), a large strike-slip fault located on the east side of the Tibetan Plateau, has seen high seismic activity in recent years. However, despite the earthquake risk posed by this fault, there is a lack of high-resolution geodetic survey results regarding the current slip rate. We have used 4-track ascending and 5-track descending Sentinel-A/B SAR Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data from 2014 to 2020, to obtain the current slip rate of the entire GYXSF within the radar’s line of sight (LOS), with high resolution. Both InSAR and published Global Positioning System (GPS) data were integrated to calculate a high-resolution three-dimensional deformation field and strain rate field of the GYXSF. We have also used the screw dislocation model to calculate current slip rates in the fault-parallel direction at 20 km intervals. The key findings of our study are as follows. (1) The current slip rate of the GYXSF is segmental: the slip rate of the Ganzi-Yushu fault (GYF) gradually increases from ∼1 to ∼6 mm/yr from the north-west to the southeast, while the slip rate of the Xianshuihe fault (XSF) increases from ∼8.5 to ∼12 mm/yr from the north-west to the southeast. (2) There are non-negligible post-earthquake deformations along the GYXSF, and our best fitting results show that an approximately 100 km long section of the GYF has undergone post-seismic after-slip in the 4–10 years since the 2010 Yushu M 6.9 earthquake, with a maximum creep of ∼2.2 mm/yr (3) The strain rate is dispersed in the GYF region but concentrated on the fault in the XSF region. There is also a measurable strain rate on secondary faults north of the GYXSF, implying the seismic hazard of these secondary faults cannot be ignored. (4) The continuous deformation and block-like models are the best models to explain the observations and deformation characteristics of the GYF and XSF, respectively.
Voice in Parkinson's Disease: A Machine Learning Study

Introduction Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by specific voice disorders collectively termed hypokinetic dysarthria. We here investigated voice changes by using machine learning algorithms, in a large cohort of patients with PD in different stages of the disease, OFF and ON therapy. Methods We investigated 115 patients affected by PD (mean age: 68.2 ± 9.2 years) and 108 age-matched healthy subjects (mean age: 60.2 ± 11.0 years). The PD cohort included 57 early-stage patients (Hoehn &Yahr ≤ 2) who never took L-Dopa for their disease at the time of the study, and 58 mid-advanced-stage patients (Hoehn &Yahr >2) who were chronically-treated with L-Dopa. We clinically evaluated voices using specific subitems of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and the Voice Handicap Index. Voice samples recorded through a high-definition audio recorder underwent machine learning analysis based on the support vector machine classifier. We also calculated the receiver operating characteristic curves to examine the diagnostic accuracy of the analysis and assessed possible clinical-instrumental correlations. Results Voice is abnormal in early-stage PD and as the disease progresses, voice increasingly degradres as demonstrated by high accuracy in the discrimination between healthy subjects and PD patients in the early-stage and mid-advanced-stage. Also, L-dopa therapy improves but not restore voice in PD as shown by high accuracy in the comparison between patients OFF and ON therapy. Finally, for the first time we achieved significant clinical-instrumental correlations by using a new score (LR value) calculated by machine learning. Conclusion Voice is abnormal in early-stage PD, progressively degrades in mid-advanced-stage and can be improved but not restored by L-Dopa. Lastly, machine learning allows tracking disease severity and quantifying the symptomatic effect of L-Dopa on voice parameters with previously unreported high accuracy, thus representing a potential new biomarker of PD.
Influence of Online Merging Offline Method on University Students’ Active Learning Through Learning Satisfaction

Students’ active learning behavior determines learning performance. In post-COVID-19 period, Online Merging Offline (OMO) method become a common way of university students’ learning. However, at present, there are few studies in active learning behavior in the OMO mode. Combined with learning satisfaction and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this paper proposes an Online Active Learning (OAL) Model to predict the influencing factors of college students’ active learning behavior and then analyzes the differences between OMO model and pure online model by multi-group analysis (MGA) based on the model. The designed questionnaire was distributed, and a total of 498 valid questionnaires were collected. Using SmartPLS to analyze partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and MGA, it is found that: (1) there are differences in the influencing factors of active learning between OMO and pure online model; the moderating effect of learning complaint in OMO mode is not established, and social isolation and age does not affect active learning in OMO mode; (2) learning quality, perceived ease of use, expectation, perceived usefulness, and social isolation indirectly affect active learning through learning satisfaction in both OMO model and pure online model; (3) learning satisfaction is an important mediating variable affecting active learning; and (4) learning complaints will negatively regulate the relationship between learning satisfaction and active learning only in pure online model. According to these findings, the paper provides theoretical and practical implementation suggestions implications for OMO teaching and OAL to ensure the expected learning outcome.
Hemostatic Activity of Canine Never-Frozen Liquid Plasma Collected for Transfusion

This study measured the changes of hemostatic activity in liquid plasma (LP) over 7 days of storage. Five canine plasma units, divided into two aliquots were evaluated: one stored refrigerated at 2–6°C as never-frozen LP and one frozen at −18°C as fresh frozen plasma (FFP). Clotting times, coagulation activities of factor (F) V, VIII, X, XI, antithrombin (AT), and von Willebrand (vWF), fibrinogen and D-dimers (DD) content were assessed before storage (baseline value), and after 12, 24, 48 h and 7 days (D7) in LP stored refrigerated, and on day 7 in FFP. At baseline median values of all factor activity were greater than 80%, and for clotting times, AT, fibrinogen and DD content, were within the canine reference range. Some hemostatic parameters changed significantly over 7 days and at the end of storage in LP. However, median activities of FV, FVIII, FX and FXI, coagulation time, AT, fibrinogen and DD content remained within reference ranges at all time points. The only exception was for vWF which median activity was lower than reference range for all storage time points. Activity of FVIII was significant lower in LP at D7 when compared to activity in FFP, with values of 62 vs. 118%, respectively. DD content showed a median value higher than reference range in FFP at D7. Despite some statistically significant changes at the end of 7-day storage period, never-frozen LP maintained median factor activities >80% for most factors. The clinical impact of the drop over time of vWF activity is unknown.
Multimodal Evidence of Atypical Processing of Eye Gaze and Facial Emotion in Children With Autistic Traits

According to the shared signal hypothesis (SSH) the impact of facial expressions on emotion processing partially depends on whether the gaze is directed toward or away from the observer. In autism spectrum disorder (ASD) several aspects of face processing have been found to be atypical, including attention to eye gaze and the identification of emotional expressions. However, there is little research on how gaze direction affects emotional expression processing in typically developing (TD) individuals and in those with ASD. This question is investigated here in two multimodal experiments. Experiment 1 required processing eye gaze direction while faces differed in emotional expression. Forty-seven children (aged 9–12 years) participated. Their Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) scores ranged from 0 to 6 in the experiment. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were sensitive to gaze direction and emotion, but emotion processing did not depend on gaze direction. However, for angry faces the gaze direction effect on the N170 amplitude, as typically observed in TD individuals, diminished with increasing ADOS score. For neutral expressions this correlation was not significant. Experiment 2 required explicit emotion classifications in a facial emotion composite task while eye gaze was manipulated incidentally. A group of 22 children with ASD was compared to a propensity score-matched group of TD children (mean age = 13 years). The same comparison was carried out for a subgroup of nine children with ASD who were less trained in social cognition, according to clinician’s report. The ASD group performed overall worse in emotion recognition than the TD group, independently of emotion or gaze direction. However, for disgust expressions, eye tracking data revealed that TD children fixated relatively longer on the eyes of the stimulus face with a direct gaze as compared with averted gaze. In children with ASD we observed no such modulation of fixation behavior as a function of gaze direction. Overall, the present findings from ERPs and eye tracking confirm the hypothesis of an impaired sensitivity to gaze direction in children with ASD or elevated autistic traits, at least for specific emotions. Therefore, we conclude that multimodal investigations of the interaction between emotional processing and stimulus gaze direction are promising to understand the characteristics of individuals differing along the autism trait dimension.
Sepsis-Associated Coagulopathy Predicts Hospital Mortality in Critically Ill Patients With Postoperative Sepsis

Background The incidence of coagulopathy, which was responsible for poor outcomes, was commonly seen among patients with sepsis. In the current study, we aim to determine whether the presence of sepsis-associated coagulopathy (SAC) predicts the clinical outcomes among critically ill patients with postoperative sepsis. Methods We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study by including patients with sepsis admitted to surgical ICU of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2018. Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared with respect to the presence of SAC. Kaplan-Meier analysis was applied to calculate survival rate, and Log-rank test was carried out to compare the differences between two groups. Furthermore, multivariable Cox and logistic and linear regression analysis were performed to assess the relationship between SAC and clinical outcomes, including hospital mortality, development of septic shock, and length of hospital stay (LOS), respectively. Additionally, both sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed to further testify the robustness of our findings. Results A total of 175 patients were included in the current study. Among all included patients, 41.1% (72/175) ICU patients were identified as having SAC. In-hospital mortality rates were significantly higher in the SAC group when compared to that of the No SAC group (37.5% vs. 11.7%; p < 0.001). By performing univariable and multivariable regression analyses, presence of SAC was demonstrated to significantly correlate with an increased in-hospital mortality for patients with sepsis in surgical ICU [Hazard ratio (HR), 3.75; 95% Confidence interval (CI), 1.90–7.40; p < 0.001]. Meanwhile, a complication of SAC was found to be the independent predictor of the development of septic shock [Odds ratio (OR), 4.11; 95% CI, 1.81–9.32; p = 0.001], whereas it was not significantly associated with prolonged hospital LOS (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.83–1.14; p = 0.743). Conclusion The presence of SAC was significantly associated with increased risk of in-hospital death and septic shock among postoperative patients with sepsis admitted to ICU. Moreover, there was no statistical difference of hospital LOS between the SAC and no SAC groups.