Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Stellar-age Dependence of X-Ray Emission from Normal Star-forming Galaxies in the GOODS Fields

The Chandra Deep Field-South and North surveys (CDFs) provide unique windows into the cosmic history of X-ray emission from normal (nonactive) galaxies. Scaling relations of normal-galaxy X-ray luminosity (L X) with star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass (M ⋆) have been used to show that the formation rates of low-mass and high-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs and HMXBs, respectively) evolve with redshift across z ≈ 0–2 following L HMXB/SFR ∝ (1 + z) and L LMXB/M ⋆ ∝ (1 + z)2−3. However, these measurements alone do not directly reveal the physical mechanisms behind the redshift evolution of X-ray binaries (XRBs). We derive star formation histories for a sample of 344 normal galaxies in the CDFs, using spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting of FUV-to-FIR photometric data, and construct a self-consistent, age-dependent model of the X-ray emission from the galaxies. Our model quantifies how X-ray emission from hot gas and XRB populations vary as functions of host stellar-population age. We find that (1) the ratio L X/M ⋆ declines by a factor of ∼1000 from 0 to 10 Gyr and (2) the X-ray SED becomes harder with increasing age, consistent with a scenario in which the hot gas contribution to the X-ray SED declines quickly for ages above 10 Myr. When dividing our sample into subsets based on metallicity, we find some indication that L X/M ⋆ is elevated for low-metallicity galaxies, consistent with recent studies of X-ray scaling relations. However, additional statistical constraints are required to quantify both the age and metallicity dependence of X-ray emission from star-forming galaxies.
Massive MIMO Channels With Inter-User Angle Correlation: Open-Access Dataset, Analysis and Measurement-Based Validation

In practical propagation environments, different massive MIMO users can have correlated angles in spatial paths. In this paper, we study the effect of angle correlation on inter-user channel correlation via a combination of measurement and analysis. We show three key results. First, we collect a massive MIMO channel dataset for examining the inter-user channel correlation in a real-world propagation environment; the dataset is now open-access. We observed channel correlation higher than 0.48 for all close-by users. Additionally, over 30% of far-away users, even when they are tens of wavelengths apart, have inter-user channel correlation that is at least twice higher than the correlation in the i.i. d. Rayleigh fading channel. Second, we compute the inter-user channel correlation in closed-form as a function of inter-user angle correlation, the number of base-station antennas, and base-station inter-antenna spacing. Our analysis shows that inter-user angle correlation increases the inter-user channel correlation. Inter-user channel correlation reduces with a larger base-station array aperture, i.e., more antennas and larger inter-antenna spacing. Third, we explain the measurements with numerical experiments to show that inter-user angle correlation can result in significant inter-user channel correlation in practical massive MIMO channels.
Sensing Highly Non-Rigid Objects with RGBD Sensors for Robotic Systems

The goal of this research is to enable a robotic system to manipulate clothing and other highly non-rigid objects using an RGBD sensor. The focus of this thesis is to present various algorithms / models to solve parts of the laundry process (i.e. handling, classifying, sorting, unfolding, and folding). First, a system is presented for automatically extracting and classifying items in a pile of laundry. Using only visual sensors, the robot identifies and extracts items sequentially from the pile. When an item is removed and isolated, a model is captured of the shape and appearance of the object, which is then compared against a dataset of known items. The contributions of this part of the laundry process are a novel method for extracting articles of clothing from a pile of laundry, a novel method of classifying clothing using interactive perception, and a multi-layer approach termed L-M-H, more specifically L-C-S-H for clothing classification. This thesis describes two different approaches to classify clothing into categories. The first approach relies upon silhouettes, edges, and other low-level image measurements of the articles of clothing. Experiments from the first approach demonstrate the ability of the system to efficiently classify and label into one of six categories (pants, shorts, short-sleeve shirt, long-sleeve shirt, socks, or underwear). These results show that, on average, classification rates using robot interaction are 59% higher than those that do not use interaction. The second approach relies upon color, texture, shape, and edge infor-
Fecal Streptococcus Alteration Is Associated with Gastric Cancer Occurrence and Liver Metastasis

The gut microbiome plays an indispensable role in the occurrence and progression of various diseases. However, its ability to predict gastric cancer (GC) and liver metastasis (GCLM) has not been fully identified. ABSTRACT The gut microbiome plays an indispensable role in the occurrence and progression of various diseases. However, its ability to predict gastric cancer (GC) and liver metastasis (GCLM) has not been fully identified. Fecal samples were collected from 49 GC patients (cancer group [group C]) and 49 healthy people (normal group [group N]) between 4 July 2020 and 9 March 2021. Furthermore, 26 patients with metastatic GC were divided into a liver metastatic group (group L) (n = 13) and a non-liver-metastatic group (group M) (n = 13). DNA was extracted, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed. SPSS was used for statistical analyses, and all bioinformatics analyses were based on QIIME2. P values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. The microbial richness and diversity in group C were higher than those in group N, and there were significant differences in species compositions between the two groups. Streptococcus, enriched in groups C and L by linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) and further identified by a random forest (RF) model, enhances its potential as a biomarker for GC and GCLM. Functional gene and metabolic pathway analyses showed that d-galacturonate degradation pathway II was of great importance in the occurrence and development of GC. Streptococcus has the potential ability to predict GC and GCLM, which is critical for the early diagnosis of GC and GCLM. IMPORTANCE The gut microbiome plays an indispensable role in the occurrence and progression of various diseases. However, its ability to predict gastric cancer (GC) and liver metastasis (GCLM) has not been fully identified. We retrospectively analyzed 49 untreated GC patients and 49 matched healthy people between 4 July 2020 and 9 March 2021. By extracting DNA from their fecal samples and sequencing the 16S rRNA gene, we found that Streptococcus alteration was strongly associated with GC occurrence and liver metastasis, which might be a potential biomarker in predicting GC and GCLM, and the results of this study are helpful in providing ideas for the early diagnosis and treatment of GC.
Age-elevated prostaglandin E2 enhances mortality to influenza infection

Aging impairs the immune responses to influenza A virus (IAV), resulting in increased mortality to IAV infections in older adults. With aging, there is reduced number and impaired function of alveolar macrophages (AMs), cells critical for defense against IAV. However, factors within the aged lung that impair AMs are not fully known. Using a murine model of IAV infection, we observed that aging increased the level of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of aged mice compared to young mice. Blockade of the PGE2 receptor EP2 in aged mice increased AM numbers and subsequently enhanced survival to IAV. Additionally, PGE2 impaired the mitochondrial health of AMs. We also identified senescent type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) as a source of the aged-associated PGE2 in the lung. Our results reveal a crosstalk between AECs and AMs, via PGE2, that compromises host defense to IAV infection with aging.
Microenvironmental factors in cell segregation and heterogeneity in breast cancer development

We analyzed a quantitative model that describes the epigenetic dynamics during the growth and evolution of an avascular tumor. A gene regulatory network (GRN) formed by a set of ten genes that are believed to play an important role in breast cancer development was kinetically coupled to the microenvironmental agents: glucose, estrogens and oxygen. The dynamics of spontaneous mutations was described by a Yule-Furry master equation whose solution represents the probability that a given cell in the tissue undergoes a certain number of mutations at a given time. We assumed that mutations rate is modified by nutrients spatial gradients. The tumor mass was grown by means of a cellular automata supplemented with a set of reaction diffusion equations that described the transport of the microenvironmental agents. By analyzing the epigenetic states space described by the GRN dynamics, we found three attractors that were identified with the cellular epigenetic states: normal, precancer and cancer. For two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) tumors we calculated the spatial distributions of the following quantities: (i) number of mutations, (ii) mutations of each gene and, (iii) phenotypes. Using estrogens as the principal microenvironmental agent that regulates cells proliferation process, we obtained the tumor shapes for different values of the estrogen consumption and supply rates. It was found that he majority of mutations occurred in cells that were located close to the 2D tumor perimeter or close to the 3D tumor surface. Also It was found that the occurrence of different phenotypes in the tumor are controlled by the levels of estrogen concentration since they can change the individual cell threshold and gene expression levels. All the results were consistently observed for 2D and 3D tumors.
FBXO22 Promotes Growth and Metastasis and Inhibits Autophagy in Epithelial Ovarian Cancers via the MAPK/ERK Pathway

E3 ubiquitin ligase F-box only protein 22 (FBXO22), which targets the key regulators of cellular activities for ubiquitylation and degradation, plays an important role in tumorigenesis and metastasis. However, the function of FBXO22 in epithelial ovarian cancers has not been reported. This study aims to explore the biological function of FBXO22 in epithelial ovarian cancers progression and metastasis and its specific regulation mechanism. Immunohistochemistry analysis of tissue microarray was performed to evaluate the expression of FBXO22 in epithelial ovarian cancers patients. The proliferative ability of epithelial ovarian cancers cells was examined by the CCK8. The metastasis ability was detected by the wound healing assay, migration and invasion assays. Western blot was used to verify the relationship between FBXO22 expression and mitogen-activated protein kinase related proteins. Autophagic flux was detected by electron microscopy, mRFP-GFP-LC3 adenovirus, lysosomal tracker and western blot. For in vivo experiments, the effect of FBXO22 on epithelial ovarian cancers resistance was observed in a xenograft tumor model and a metastatic mice model. We found that FBXO22 expression was significantly increased in epithelial ovarian cancers tissues and was closely correlated with clinical pathological factors. As a result, we found that FBXO22 promoted the growth and metastasis, as well as inhibited the autophagy flux. In addition, we identified that FBXO22 performed these functions via the MAPK/ERK pathway. Our results first reported the function of FBXO22 in epithelial ovarian cancer and the correlation between FBXO22 and autophagy, suggesting FBXO22 as a novel target of epithelial ovarian cancers assessment and treatment.
Fitness Facility Staff Can Be Trained to Deliver a Motivational Interviewing-Informed Diabetes Prevention Program

Background: Training programs must be evaluated to understand whether the training was successful at enabling staff to implement a program with fidelity. This is especially important when the training has been translated to a new context. The aim of this community case study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the in-person Small Steps for Big Changes training for fitness facility staff using the 4-level Kirkpatrick training evaluation model. Methods: Eight staff were trained to deliver the motivational interviewing-informed Small Steps for Big Changes program for individuals at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Between August 2019 and March 2020, 32 clients enrolled in the program and were allocated to one of the eight staff. The Kirkpatrick 4-level training evaluation model was used to guide this research. Level one assessed staff satisfaction to the training on a 5-point scale. Level two assessed staff program knowledge and motivational interviewing knowledge/skills. Level three assessed staff behaviors by examining their use of motivational interviewing with each client. Level four assessed training outcomes using clients' perceived satisfaction with their staff and basic psychological needs support both on 7-point scales. Results: Staff were satisfied with the training (M = 4.43; SD = 0.45; range = 3.86–4.71). All learning measures demonstrated high post-training scores that were retained at implementation follow-up. Staff used motivational interviewing skills in practice and delivered the program at a client-centered level (≥6; M = 6.34; SD = 0.83; range = 3.75–7.80). Overall, clients perceived staff supported their basic psychological needs (M = 6.55; SD = 0.64; range = 6.17–6.72) and reported high staff satisfaction scores (M = 6.88; SD = 0.33; range = 6–7). Conclusion: The Small Steps for Big Changes training was successful and fitness facility staff delivered a motivational interviewing-informed program. While not all staff operated at a client-centered level, clients perceived their basic psychological needs to be supported. Findings support the training for future scale-up sites. Community fitness staff represent a feasible resource through which to run evidence-based counseling programs.
Association of Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) and Warfarin With Haemorrhagic Risk by Applying Correspondence Analysis to Data From the Italian Pharmacovigilance Database – A Case Study

Introduction: Post-marketing data on the risks associated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are conflicting and only few studies evaluated a comparison between each different DOAC. Real-world data from pharmacovigilance databases can help to better define the safety profile of each DOAC and warfarin. However, Correspondence Analysis (CA) could represent a useful tool in this context. Objective: In the attempt to assess the usefulness of CA as a signal detection pharmacovigilance tool, we applied this method to the Italian Pharmacovigilance Database (RNF, Rete Nazionale di Farmacovigilanza), by comparing with disproportionality analysis on warfarin and DOACs. Methods: Study based on AEs sent to RNF by Campania Region from 2008 to 2021, in which warfarin, dabigatran, apixaban, edoxaban or rivaroxaban were reported as suspected drug. AEs were clustered into three Standardized MedDRA Queries (SMQs): Central Nervous System Haemorrhages and Conditions (CNSH), GastroIntestinal Perforation, Ulceration, Obstruction or Haemorrhages (GIPUOH) and other Haemorrhages (HH). Non-haemorrhagic AEs were included in a fourth cluster (nHH). Results: We retrieved 1,161 reports: 41.5% are associated to warfarin, 21.0% to dabigatran, 17.8% to rivaroxaban, 13.9% to apixaban and 5.8% to edoxaban. No significant differences in age distribution were observed. Results of CA showed that dabigatran and warfarin have the highest contribution (44.910 and 47.656, respectively) to the inertia of Dimension 1 as well as apixaban and dabigatran to the inertia of Dimension 2 (53.768 and 30.488, respectively). Edoxaban and rivaroxaban showed a negligible total contribution. CA biplot showed positive associations between warfarin and HH, apixaban and CNSH and dabigatran and nHH. Conclusion: Results seem to confirm that DOACs are not interchangeable. Apixaban was surprisingly associated with a higher risk of cerebral haemorrhage. As expected, our data support the better safety profile of DOACs than warfarin in terms of skin and respiratory tract hemorrhagic risks. Finally, we showed how CA could play a complementary role in analyzing data from pharmacovigilance databases.
Acute Response and Neuroprotective Role of Myo/Nog Cells Assessed in a Rat Model of Focal Brain Injury

Focal brain injury in the form of a needlestick (NS) results in cell death and induces a self-protective response flanking the lesion. Myo/Nog cells are identified by their expression of bone morphogenetic protein inhibitor Noggin, brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 (BAI1) and the skeletal muscle specific transcription factor MyoD. Myo/Nog cells limit cell death in two forms of retinopathy. In this study, we examined the acute response of Myo/Nog cells to a NS lesion that extended from the rat posterior parietal cortex to the hippocampus. Myo/Nog cells were identified with antibodies to Noggin and BAI1. These cells were the primary source of both molecules in the uninjured and injured brain. One day after the NS, the normally small population of Myo/Nog cells expanded approximately eightfold within a 1 mm area surrounding the lesion. Myo/Nog cells were reduced by approximately 50% along the lesion with an injection of the BAI1 monoclonal antibody and complement. The number of dying cells, identified by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL), was unchanged at this early time point in response to the decrease in Myo/Nog cells. However, increasing the number of Myo/Nog cells within the lesion by injecting BAI1-positive (+) cells isolated from the brains of other animals, significantly reduced cell death and increased the number of NeuN+ neurons compared to brains injected with phosphate buffered saline or exogenous BAI1-negative cells. These findings demonstrate that Myo/Nog cells rapidly react to injury within the brain and increasing their number within the lesion is neuroprotective.
Comparative Study of Intestinal Microbiota Composition of Six Edible Fish Species

Intensive freshwater aquaculture in the Spring Valley, Israel, is implemented mainly in earthen fishponds and reservoirs that are stocked with a variety of edible fish species. Here we sampled six different healthy fish species from these intensive aquacultures. The fish were hybrid striped bass, European bass, red drum (all carnivores), hybrid tilapia, flathead grey mullet (both herbivores), and common carp (an omnivore). Significant differences were found among the intestinal microbiota of the six studied fish species. The microbiota composition diversity was strongly related to the trophic level of the fish, such that there was a significant difference between the carnivore and the herbivore species, while the omnivore species was not significantly different from either group. The most abundant genus in the majority of the fishes’ intestinal microbiota was Cetobacterium. Furthermore, we found that beside Cetobacterium, a unique combination of taxa with relative abundance >10% characterized the intestine microbiota of each fish species: unclassified Mycoplasmataceae, Aeromonas, and Vibrio (hybrid striped bass); Turicibacter and Clostridiaceae 1 (European bass); Vibrio (red drum); ZOR0006—Firmicutes (hybrid tilapia); unclassified Mycoplasmataceae and unclassified Vibrionaceae (flathead grey mullet); and Aeromonas (common carp). We conclude that each fish species has a specific bacterial genera combination that characterizes it. Moreover, diet and the trophic level of the fish have a major influence on the gut microbiota of healthy fish that grow in intensive freshwater aquaculture.
Characterization of the Ovine Vaginal Microbiome and Inflammation Patterns as an Improved Testing Model of Human Vaginal Irritation

The development of therapies targeted to improve the health of women has utilized direct vaginal delivery as a more effective and less toxic method of protection from HIV and other pathogens. Vaginal applicants and delivery devices that provide sustained effects have been met with increasing acceptability, but the efficacy and toxicity outcomes have not been successfully predicted by preclinical in vitro studies and animal modeling. We have explored the utilization of sheep as a model for testing the safety of vaginal applicants and devices based on spatial and structural similarities to the human vagina. As recently noted by the FDA, an additional safety measure is an impact on the vaginal microbiome (VMB) that is known to contribute to vaginal health and influence pathogen susceptibility and drug metabolism. To advance the utility of the sheep vaginal model, we completed a thorough molecular characterization of the ovine VMB utilizing both next-generation sequencing (NGS) and PCR methods. The process also created a custom PCR array to quantify ovine VMB community profiles in an affordable, higher throughput fashion. The results from vaginal swabs (>475 samples) collected from non-pregnant crossbred Dorset and Merino ewes treated with selected vaginal applicants or collected as sham samples established 16 VMB community types (VMB CTs). To associate VMB CTs with eubiosis or dysbiosis, we also completed custom ELISAs for six cytokines identifying IL1B, IL8, TNFa, and CXCL10 as useful markers to support the characterization of ovine vaginal inflammation. The results indicated that Pasteurella, Actinobacillus, Pseudomonas, Bacteroides, Leptotrichia, and E. coli were common markers of eubiosis (low inflammatory marker expression), and that Haemophilus, Ureaplasma, and Corynebacterium were associated with dysbiosis (high cytokine levels). Utilizing the optimized workflow, we also confirmed the utility of three commonly used vaginal applicants for impact on the VMB and inflammatory state, producing a dataset that supports the recommendation for the use of sheep for testing of vaginal applicants and devices as part of preclinical pipelines.
Highly Variable Dietary RNAi Sensitivity Among Coleoptera

Many herbivorous beetles (Order Coleoptera) contribute to serious losses in crop yields and forest trees, and plant biotechnology solutions are being developed with the hope of limiting these losses. Due to the unprecedented target-specificity of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), and its utility in inducing RNA interference (RNAi) when consumed by target pest species, dsRNA-based plant biotechnology approaches represent the cutting edge of current pesticide research and development. We review dietary RNAi studies in coleopterans and discuss prospects and future directions regarding RNAi-based management of coleopteran plant pests. Herein, we also provide a balanced overview of existing studies in order to provide an accurate re-assessment of dietary RNAi sensitivity in coleopterans, despite the limitations to the existing body of scientific literature. We further discuss impediments to our understanding of RNAi sensitivity in this important insect order and identify critical future directions for research in this area, with an emphasis on using plant biotechnology approaches.