Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Metrics With Detection of Impaired Macular Microvasculature and Decreased Vision in Amblyopic Eyes: The Hong Kong Children Eye Study.

Importance Microvascular abnormalities in amblyopia are becoming evident with high-resolution imaging, such as optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A); however, to our knowledge, the clinical significance and use of these findings are unknown. Objective To assess changes in quantitative OCT-A metrics in amblyopic eyes and explore their association with visual acuity in children. Design, Setting, and Participants This population-based nested case-control study included children aged 6 to 8 years who were consecutively recruited between January 2016 and July 2017 from the population-based Hong Kong Children Eye Study (HKCES) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Eye Centre. All participants underwent OCT-A with a swept-source OCT and detailed ophthalmic investigations. Macular microvasculature of the superficial capillary plexus was quantified by a customized automated image analysis program. A multivariable linear regression was conducted to evaluate the differences in OCT-A metrics between amblyopic and nonamblyopic eyes after adjustment for all known confounders. Data analysis was conducted from September to November 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Differences in OCT-A metric (foveal avascular zone [FAZ]) area, FAZ circularity, vessel density, vessel diameter index, and fractal dimension between amblyopic and nonamblyopic eyes. Results There were 30 participants with amblyopia (mean [SD] age, 7.57 [1.2] years; 16 girls [53.3%]) and 1045 controls (mean [SD] age, 7.65 [1.0] years; 580 girls [55.5%]) in this cohort. Compared with control eyes, amblyopic eyes had decreased FAZ circularity (-0.058; 95% CI, -0.096 to -0.021, P = .002), decreased fractal dimension (-0.014; 95% CI, -0.024 to -0.003; P = .01), and increased vessel diameter index (0.002; 95% CI, 0.002 to 0.003; P < .001). A difference was not identified between FAZ area and vessel density. LogMAR visual acuity was associated with FAZ circularity (sβ, -0.133; P < .001) and vessel diameter index (sβ, 0.097; P = .001) but not with vessel density nor FAZ area. Conclusions and Relevance The results of this population-based study in children supports the presence of macular microvascular abnormalities in amblyopic eyes. Such changes as measured by OCT-A metrics are associated with visual acuity, inferring retinal involvement in the development of amblyopia and suggesting a potential role of quantitative OCT-A metrics in the diagnosis and recognition of amblyopia.
Optimization of growth conditions for mycelial yield and exopolysaccharride production by Pleurotus ostreatus cultivated in Nigeria

Optimum culture condition for mycelia and exopolysaccharides production (EPS) by Pleurotus ostreatus in submerged liquid culture was investigated. The optimum temperature for mycelia yield and exopolysaccharide production was 25 and 15°C in day 14 with yields of 1.40 g/ml and 2700 mg/l respectively. Optimum pH was found to be 8 with respective yields of 2.5 g/ml and 2665 mg/l in day 12 for mycelia and EPS mannitol (9.75 g/litre) and raffinose stimulated the highest mycelia growth (3.0 g/ml) and EPS production (3000 mg/l) at day 14 respectively. Mycelia yield (2.10 g/ml) and EPS production (2700 mg/l) was optimally supported by urea. Glycine (1.0 g) and leucine (1.0 g) supported optimum production of mycelia yield (2.5 g/ml) and EPS concentration (2925 mg/l) respectively while folic acid and ascorbic acid induced the moderate mycelia yield and EPS concentration respectively. These results have shown that significant improvement in mycelia yield and EPS production by P. ostreatus could be enhanced through submerged cultivation under appropriate optimized conditions.
Evaluation of primary stability in bovine ribs following a correction in placement depth

Evaluation of primary stability in bovine ribs following a correction in placement depth. Matthew Bobbera, DDS For an implant to be successfully loaded at the time of placement it must have a certain degree of initial stability. While many factors have been shown to influence primary stability, this study aims to examine the effect of positional change on implant stability. 18 Straumann dental implants (16 Standard plus SLA active 3.3mm RN implants, 1 Standard plus SLA 3.3 mm RN implant, and 1 SLActive 4.1 mm RC bone level implant) were placed into two bovine ribs. Implants were divided into two groups with nine in each group and were either backed out or advanced. The primary stability was assessed using an Osstell Mentor device following each quarter turn, until a full turn had been completed. Data was recorded and analyzed using linear regression and ANOVA. Results showed that after half a turn in either direction a significant change in primary stability was seen. Minor changes in implant position with conical implants did not seem to greatly influence initial implant stability. However, reversing a dental implant, even a quarter turn, will result in a measurable decrease in primary stability and caution should be used if immediate loading is to be considered. Acknowledgements Special thanks to Straumann dental who so graciously provided the dental implants for the current study. To Young and Stout who provided the bovine ribs. To my faculty advisors, Dr. Matthew Bryington, Dr. Mark Richards, and Dr. Harold Reed who donated their time and expertise. And to my fellow residents who did not complain of the smell in lab.
Do Millennials differ in terms of survey participation?

Millennials have been the focus of quite some research because of their differences with older cohorts. Besides, young respondents have been considered as a hard target population for surveys. However, to our knowledge, no research has compared the levels and types of survey participation of the Millennials versus the older generations. Using a dataset of 1,570,301 panelists of an opt-in online panel in eight countries from Europe, Latin America, and North America, we show that Millennials differ from older cohorts in terms of survey participation. Millennials show lower participation rates than older cohorts. Moreover, they present significantly higher proportions of surveys answered using smartphones. However, differences across cohorts in terms of break-offs and survey evaluation are mainly nonsignificant and/or nonmeaningful.
A Factor Analysis Approach Toward Reconciling Community Vulnerability and Resilience Indices for Natural Hazards

The concepts of vulnerability and resilience help explain why natural hazards of similar type and magnitude can have disparate impacts on varying communities. Numerous frameworks have been developed to measure these concepts, but a clear and consistent method of comparing them is lacking. Here, we develop a data‐driven approach for reconciling a popular class of frameworks known as vulnerability and resilience indices. In particular, we conduct an exploratory factor analysis on a comprehensive set of variables from established indices measuring community vulnerability and resilience at the U.S. county level. The resulting factor model suggests that 50 of the 130 analyzed variables effectively load onto five dimensions: wealth, poverty, agencies per capita, elderly populations, and non–English‐speaking populations. Additionally, the factor structure establishes an objective and intuitive schema for relating the constituent elements of vulnerability and resilience indices, in turn affording researchers a flexible yet robust baseline for validating and expanding upon current approaches.
Efecto de la inoculación con bacterias rizosféricas en dos variedades de trigo. Fase II: invernadero

Se llevó a cabo un experimento de invernadero para evaluar la inf luencia de la inoculación simple y combinada, efectuada con las bacterias rizosféricas Sinorhizobium y Azospirillum, en dos variedades de trigo. Materiales y métodos según lo descrito en las metodologías convencionales para este campo de estudio. El diseño experimental fue completamente aleatorizado, con 4 réplicas y 10 tratamientos. Análisis estadístico varianza bifactorial. Se utilizó tratamiento fertilizado con NH4NO3 (150 ppm/kg suelo). Se evaluó contenido de clorofila foliar, peso seco aéreo, peso seco radical, longitud del tallo y germinación. En caso de aparecer diferencias, se determinaron mediante la prueba de Duncan, y las diferencias entre las variedades con t-Student. Se concluye que la inoculación combinada de la cepaA2 (Sinorhizobium meliloti) con la cepa N7 (Azospirillum zeae), fue la de mayor influencia positiva en el contenido de clorofila de las plantas. Por otra parte, existió una alta diferenciación entre las dos variedades de trigo en la longitud del tallo, peso seco aéreo y peso seco radical. Los resultados en peso seco aéreo y peso seco radical, al combinarse los dos factores estudiados, dependieron notablemente de las características varietales de la planta y del efecto significativo de la población autóctona de rizobacterias. La germinación de las plantas no estuvo vinculada a ninguno de los factores aplicados en el experimento.
Bacterial production and growth efficiencies: Direct measurements on riverine aggregates

Heterotrophic bacteria transform organic matter by respiration and production of new biomass. Because there are only a limited number of studies on the respiration of bacteria attached to particulate organic matter, their role in the carbon cycle of aquatic systems is not well known. In this study, we combine radiotracer with microsensor techniques to measure bacterial production and respiration rates on the same aggregate and to directly determine the growth efficiency of the microbial community attached to aggregates. Aggregates of defined age were formed after incubation of water samples of the river Weser, Northern Germany, in roller tanks and their bacterial community was analyzed by in situ hybridization. The growth efficiency was 0.45± 0.04 (SE) on 1–3‐d‐old aggregates, and it was independent of the growth rate (µ). There was no correlation between respiration and the particulate organic carbon (POC) or particulate organic nitrogen (PON) content of the same aggregate. Bacterial growth efficiencies on aggregates decreased after 5 d of incubation, as bacterial production decreased and respiration increased. On 7‐ and 14‐d‐old aggregates, the growth efficiency was 0.23 ± 0.06 and 0.04 ± 0.01, respectively, and proportional to µ. The bacterial production was thus apparently substrate limited. Respiration was then correlated with both POC and PON content of the same aggregates. The changes in bacterial production and respiration occurred with con‐current changes in the bacterial community. The percentage of members of the a‐ and b‐subclass of Proteobacteria decreased from 13% and 33.7% to 2.6% and 9.0%, respectively, whereas those of the g‐subclass of filamentous Proteobacteria and Cytophaga increased from 31.9% to 50.4% and from 8.5% to 24.9%, respectively, during the 14 d of incubation. These results demonstrate that bacterial production and respiration on aggregates are dependent on the bacterial community and the substrate composition of aggregate. High growth efficiencies of aggregate‐associated bacteria, especially during the first days of colonization, suggest that aggregates are spots of high bacterial growth where a rapid and efficient transfer of organic matter into bacterial biomass takes place.
Character association and path coefficient analysis among the derived lines of B × B, B × R and R × R crosses for productivity traits in rabi sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench).

An investigation was carried out at RARS, Bijapur and MARS, Dharwad during rabi 2007-08, using a total of 120 F6 generation lines derived from B × B, B × R and R × R crosses along with 20 checks (varieties, existing B and R lines and parents) in RCBD with 2 replications. The study aimed to assess the nature of association between yield and its component traits and the direct and indirect effects of yield component traits on yield. Character association studies revealed that plant height, number of leaves per plant, number of internodes per plant, panicle length, panicle breadth, number of primaries per panicle, test weight, number of grains per panicle and fodder yield per plant had positive association with grain yield per plant at both the locations (Bijapur and Dharwad). On the other hand, days to 50% flowering had negative association with grain yield per plant. The characters viz., number of primaries per panicle and number of grains per panicle had the highest direct positive effect on grain yield. Hence, it would be rewarding to lay stress on these characters in selection programme for increasing yield.
Life-History Characteristics of Japanese Medaka Oryzias latipes

Abstract Japanese Medaka, Oryzias latipes, is a widely used organism in biological investigations because of its high fecundity, small adult size, and ease of husbandry. However, many aspects of its life history have not been fully described. In this study we determine patterns of somatic growth, frequency of egg production, and competency of eggs. We also describe temporal aspects of reproductive output. We modeled the length-at-age relationship with a von Bertalanffy growth function and found mean parameter values: L∞ = 49.5 mm TL (total length), k = 0.010 dph−1 (days post hatch), and t0 = 3.3 mm TL. These estimates are used to predict longevity of 347 to 485 days. The weight-at-length relationship was described using a power curve and resulted in mean parameter estimates, a = 2.16 × 10−5 and b = 2.79. The mean proportion of eggs that hatched was 73% (95% confidence interval: 53 to 93%). We observed that 50% of larvae emerge from eggs at 3.5 days and 99% of larvae emerge at 7.5 days in incubation. Daily egg production increased to a maximum number (range: 8 to 48) of eggs at 92 days post hatch. Total egg production by individual females ranged from 38 to 141 eggs. We found a significant negative linear relationship (F = 34.7, P < 0.001, R2 = 0.28) between the number of eggs collected from an individual during a single egg deposition event (n = 91) and mean egg volume. However, there were large variations in the sizes of individual eggs within a clutch (median CV = 14.8). Our work provides previously unreported life-history information that can be used to effectively develop experiments in the laboratory and field, and increased understanding of this species.
Body Surface Temperatures and Thermoregulation in the Black-Capped Chickadee (Parus atricapillus)

Surface temperature (Ts) on most parts of the body of the black-capped chickadee is linearly related to ambient temperature (Ta) between 27 and -22 C. The slope and intercept of regressions of Ts on Ta are generally related as predicted by a model developed previously. The head typically has the highest Ts of all body parts and accordingly is expected to exhibit the highest rate of heat loss per unit area by convection and radiation at given Ta. The breast is warmer than the side of the torso, the beak is kept at relatively high Ts, and Ts on the feet and legs is strongly dependent on whether the appendages have recently been ensconced in the ventral plumage. Differences in Ts are remarkably small between the chickadee and raven, which represent virtual extremes of body size within the Passeriformes. Metabolic rates of chickadees can be calculated from Ts with reasonable success given inadequacies in present knowledge of some relevant parameters. Chickadees show large increases in ptiloerection as Ta is lowered in the range of Ta well below thermoneutrality; significant consequent changes in plumage conductance, body convection coefficient, and operative body surface area are possible and require appraisal in regard to heattransfer analysis. Subcutaneous temperature may fall significantly with Ta on the back and rump but is consistently high on the breast. On the breast the plumage presents most of the resistance to heat flow from bird to environment, and the resistance posed by the living tissues between body core and skin is minor. Plumage and tissue conductances are quantitatively estimated using a new approach based on core temperature, subcutaneous temperature, and Ts; these estimates are extensively compared with others derived from the literature. Apparently, increases in ptiloerection are accompanied by decreases in plumage conductance but increases in plumage conductivity. The first spectral emittance data to appear in the journal literature for plumage of a bird species at wavelengths longer than 2.5 μm are presented.
MRI‐Based Quantitative Osteoporosis Imaging at the Spine and Femur

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease with a high prevalence worldwide, characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration, predisposing an individual to fragility fractures. Dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) has been the clinical reference standard for diagnosing osteoporosis and for assessing fracture risk for decades. However, other imaging modalities are of increasing importance to investigate the etiology, treatment, and fracture risk. The purpose of this work is to review the available literature on quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods and related findings in osteoporosis at the spine and proximal femur as the clinically most important fracture sites. Trabecular bone microstructure analysis at the proximal femur based on high‐resolution MRI allows for a better prediction of osteoporotic fracture risk than DXA‐based bone mineral density (BMD) alone. In the 1990s, T2* mapping was shown to correlate with the density and orientation of the trabecular bone. Recently, quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), which overcomes some of the limitations of T2* mapping, has been applied for trabecular bone quantifications at the spine, whereas ultrashort echo time (UTE) imaging provides valuable surrogate markers of cortical bone quantity and quality. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and chemical shift encoding‐based water–fat MRI (CSE‐MRI) enable the quantitative assessment of the nonmineralized bone compartment through extraction of the bone marrow fat fraction (BMFF). Furthermore, CSE‐MRI allows for the differentiation of osteoporotic vs. pathologic fractures, which is of high clinical relevance. Lastly, advanced postprocessing and image analysis tools, particularly considering statistical parametric mapping and region‐specific BMFF distributions, have high potential to further improve MRI‐based fracture risk assessments at the spine and hip.
Editorial

MOTIVATION OF ELITE LACROSSE COACHES In the Leading Article, Daniel Leidl points out that sport psychology has focused largely on motivational constructs such as intrinsic motivation, attributions and achievement goals rather than “broader motivational frameworks that focus on a human impulse to derive meaning and purpose by extending beyond the self” (p. 155). The author carried out semi-structured interviews in which seven lacrosse coaches who had won an NCCA National Championship at Division 1 or III level shared their motivation to coach and how they motivate others. From qualitative analysis, what the author found most striking about the findings is “how similarly the participants spoke of their motivational perspectives and philosophies:”
A Laboratory Investigation of Anxious Cognition: How Subliminal Cues Alter Perceptual Sensitivity to Threat

Emotional stimuli represent a category of signals that are relevant for survival. This relevance is reflected in the prioritization of threatening over neutral information, which has been demonstrated for inherently threatening stimuli and stimuli with acquired affective significance. The present study aimed to investigate whether threatening cues presented without conscious awareness have an impact on perceptual judgements. For this purpose, neutral or angry facial expressions associated with prior congruent (Experiment 1), incongruent (Experiment 3) or no aversive learning (Experiment 2) were presented subliminally in a perceptual decision task. During the task, subjects rated mask faces that varied in emotion intensity ranging from neutral to angry. Subjects tended to make more “angry” responses only when the subliminal stimulus was angry and had been previously paired with an aversive experience. These findings may have direct clinical relevance because similar mechanisms could account for cognitive biases in anxiety disorders.
Financial Mechanisms for Conservation in Brazil

Abstract: I reviewed some of the financial mechanisms for biodiversity conservation activities in Brazil. There is a heavy dependence on the public sector, but macroeconomic policies aimed at reducing government spending have resulted in reduced budgets dedicated to public conservation measures. The financial constraints for environmental protection have also increased because of a reduction in foreign aid. Positive signs for the immediate future, however, come from new initiatives that create economic instruments to finance conservation. The most important initiatives include conservation criteria for tax redistribution; environmental compensation; water charges; royalties for electricity, petroleum, and natural gas; tradable obligations for forest reserves; and voluntary measures on the part of the business sector. Resources created from these initiatives have different origins and are managed by different public agencies according to varying laws and policies, so their efficient implementation will require that the institutions involved in biodiversity conservation in Brazil establish a minimum set of common priorities and objectives.
Photosynthate costs associated with the utilization of different nitrogen–forms: influence on the carbon balance of plants and shoot–root biomass partitioning

The photosynthate costs of processes (amino acid and protein synthesis and turnover, and pH regulation) associated with the utilization of nitrate (NO 3 - ), ammonium (NH 4 + ) or glutamine (Gln) for plant growth were estimated. Based on these estimates, the effects of these forms of nitrogen (N) on the carbon balance of plants and on shoot-root biomass allocation were evaluated. The results indicated that NO 3 - as an N source for plant growth is not substantially more expensive to utilize than either NH 4 + or GIn, particularly in the long term when costs due to protein turnover dominate the total costs of N utilization. It is also suggested that the photosynthate use in processes associated with N assimilation has little impact on the carbon balance of plants, and hence on shoot-root biomass allocation.