Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autobiographical Memory in Healthy Aging: a Decade-long Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT Autobiographic memory (AM) – which is generally considered to be the most advanced human memory system – is subject to a myriad of psychological and neurobiological factors. We, therefore, examined AM longitudinally during the transition from midlife to young-old age and from young-old to old age in two birth cohorts (born 1930–1932 and 1950–1952) hence starting at age 55.14 ± 0.94 vs. 73.85 ± 0.96, respectively. Participants (n = 239) of the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study on Adult Development and Aging were recruited of whom 166 could be reexamined after 9 ± 0.9 years. AM was investigated for three periods of life using an established semi-structured interview; potential cognitive decline was assessed on a broad test battery. All subjects stayed cognitively healthy. Analysis of variance with repeated measures revealed age-related semantization effects with a significantly lower number of specific and thereby a higher number of general AMs exclusively from young-old to old age. This effect did not coincide with cognitive decline. In the follow-up period, a significant decrease of event-related details was significantly more pronounced in the young-old than in the old cohort and details were better recalled by the young than the old cohort. At baseline, this difference was significant for the recent past only but involved all periods at follow-up. According to our findings, AM changes in healthy aging accelerate during the transition from young-old to old age and may herald other cognitive deficits. Additionally, these AM changes in cognitively healthy subjects point at an economic process of adaptation.
Design and Clinical Application of an Integrated Microfluidic Device for Circulating Tumor Cells Isolation and Single-Cell Analysis

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been considered as an alternative to tissue biopsy for providing both germline-specific and tumor-derived genetic variations. Single-cell analysis of CTCs enables in-depth investigation of tumor heterogeneity and individualized clinical assessment. However, common CTC enrichment techniques generally have limitations of low throughput and cell damage. Herein, based on micropore-arrayed filtration membrane and microfluidic chip, we established an integrated CTC isolation platform with high-throughput, high-efficiency, and less cell damage. We observed a capture rate of around 85% and a purity of 60.4% by spiking tumor cells (PC-9) into healthy blood samples. Detection of CTCs from lung cancer patients demonstrated a positive detectable rate of 87.5%. Additionally, single CTCs, ctDNA and liver biopsy tissue of a representative advanced lung cancer patient were collected and sequenced, which revealed comprehensive genetic information of CTCs while reflected the differences in genetic profiles between different biological samples. This work provides a promising tool for CTCs isolation and further analysis at single-cell resolution with potential clinical value.
Fractionnement de la fertilisation azotée dans la production du bleuet nain sauvage et suivi de l’azote du sol

In wild lowbush blueberry production, fertilizers are applied in the spring of the vegetative year. To increase fertilizers efficiency and to reduce environmental losses, fertilizer split applications between vegetative and production year have been proposed. The objectives of this project were to determine the effect of split application of the nitrogen (N) in the vegetative and production year on the wild blueberry production and on soil mineral N in six blueberry fields located in Saguenay-Lac-Saint Jean (Quebec, Canada). Four rates of ammonium sulfate were applied in the spring of the vegetative year (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg ha-1). These same rates were applied in the spring of the vegetative (50%) and production (50%) years. The 30 kg N ha-1 rate was also applied only in the production year. For all sites, maximum fruit yields (3800 kg ha-1) were obtained with 62 kg N ha-1. However, the maximum rate ranged from 25 to 90 kg N ha-1 according to the sites. Applying N in the vegetative and production years h.
Au–ZnO Conjugated Black Phosphorus as a Near-Infrared Light-Triggering and Recurrence-Suppressing Nanoantibiotic Platform against Staphylococcus aureus

Antibiotic therapy is the gold standard for bacterial infections treatment. However, the rapid increase in multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections and its recent use for secondary bacterial infections in many COVID-19 patients has considerably weakened its treatment efficacy. These shortcomings motivated researchers to develop new antibacterial materials, such as nanoparticle-based antibacterial platform with the ability to increase the chances of killing MDR strains and prevent their drug resistance. Herein, we report a new black phosphorus (BP)-based non-damaging near-infrared light-responsive platform conjugated with ZnO and Au nanoparticles as a synergistic antibacterial agent against Staphylococcus aureus species. First, BP nanosheets containing Au nanoparticles were assembled in situ with the ZnO nanoparticles prepared by a low-temperature solution synthesis method. Subsequently, the antibacterial activities of the resulting Au–ZnO–BP nanocomposite against the non-resistant, methicillin-resistant, and erythromycin-resistant S. aureus species were determined, after its photothermal efficacy was assessed. The synthesized nanocomposite exhibited excellent anti-S. aureus activity and good photothermal characteristics. The non-resistant S. aureus species did not produce drug-resistant bacteria after the treatment of multiple consecutive passages under the pressure of the proposed nanoantibiotic, but rapidly developed resistance to erythromycin. This work clearly demonstrates the excellent photothermal antibacterial properties of Au–ZnO–BP nanocomposite against the MDR S. aureus species.
Preconcentration and determination of trace permanganate, chromate and molybdate ions, using an ion-exchanger (cellulose-hyphan) and atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract The use of a cellulose ion-exchanger (Hyphan) for the isolation of MnO4 −, CrO4 2- and MoO4 2- from aqueous solution after reduction with different reducing agents is described. After preconcentration, Mn(II), Cr(III) and molybdenum cations were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Furthermore, the distribution coefficients Kd of the investigated cations as a function of pH were studied, and are in the range 104.3−105.9 cm3 g−1 for the above cations. The interfering effects of different foreign ions were studied. Moreover, the metal complexes formed by the chelating ion-exchanger are characterized by ir spectroscopy, magnetic measurements and thermal analysis. An analytical application for the preconcentration and separation by cellulose-Hyphan and determination of metal ions studied in tap, Nile, waste and sea water was carried out.
Epigenetics of Aging and Aging-Associated Diseases

Aging represents the multifactorial decline in physiological function of every living organism. Over the past decades, several hallmarks of aging have been defined, including epigenetic deregulation. Indeed, multiple epigenetic events were found altered across different species during aging. Epigenetic changes directly contributing to aging and aging-related diseases include the accumulation of histone variants, changes in chromatin accessibility, loss of histones and heterochromatin, aberrant histone modifications, and deregulated expression/activity of miRNAs. As a consequence, cellular processes are affected, which results in the development or progression of several human pathologies, including cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and neurodegenerative disorders. In this review, we focus on epigenetic mechanisms underlying aging-related processes in various species and describe how these deregulations contribute to human diseases.
A survey of medical thoracoscopy practices in India

Background: Medical thoracoscopy (MT) is a useful diagnostic and therapeutic procedure for a variety of pleural conditions. There is a lack of literature on prevalent practices of MT in India. Aims and Objectives: The objective of the study was to study the prevalent practices of MT in India. Materials and Methods: A structured online survey on various aspects of thoracoscopy was designed on the “Google Forms” web software. Results: One hundred and eight responses were received, of which 100 respondents performed MT. The majority were pulmonologists, and most had started performing thoracoscopy within the last 5 years. Rigid thoracoscope was the most commonly used instrument. The common indications of procedure included undiagnosed pleural effusion, talc pleurodesis, and adhesiolysis. Local anesthesia with conscious sedation was the preferred anesthetic modality. Midazolam, along with fentanyl, was the most widely used sedation combination. 2% lignocaine was the most commonly used concentration for local infiltrative anesthesia. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents reported having encountered any complication of thoracoscopy. Significant reported complications included empyema, incision/port-site infection, re-expansion pulmonary edema, and procedure-related mortality. Conclusion: MT is a rapidly evolving interventional pulmonology procedure in India. There is, however, a significant variation in practice and variable adherence to available international guidelines on thoracoscopy. Formal training programs within India and national guidelines for pleuroscopy considering the local resources are required to improve the safety and yield of this useful modality.
Detection of Meniscal Tear Effects on Tibial Vibration Using Passive Knee Sound Measurements

<italic>Objective:</italic> To evaluate whether non-invasive knee sound measurements can provide information related to the underlying structural changes in the knee following meniscal tear. These changes are explained using an equivalent vibrational model of the knee-tibia structure. <italic>Methods:</italic> First, we formed an analytical model by modeling the tibia as a cantilever beam with the fixed end being the knee. The knee end was supported by three lumped components with features corresponding with tibial stiffnesses, and meniscal damping effect. Second, we recorded knee sounds from 46 healthy legs and 9 legs with acute meniscal tears (n = 34 subjects). We developed an acoustic event (“click”) detection algorithm to find patterns in the recordings, and used the instrumental variable continuous-time transfer function estimation algorithm to model them. <italic>Results:</italic> The knee sound measurements yielded consistently lower fundamental mode decay rate in legs with meniscal tears (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$16 \pm 13\ {s^{ - 1}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>) compared to healthy legs (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$182 \pm 128\ {s^{ - 1}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>), p < 0.05. When we performed an intra-subject analysis of the injured versus contralateral legs for the 9 subjects with meniscus tears, we observed significantly lower natural frequency and damping ratio (first mode results for healthy: <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${f_{n1}} = \ 115 \pm 44\ \text{Hz},\ \ {\xi _1} = \ 0.098 \pm 0.022,\ $</tex-math></inline-formula>injured: <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${f_{n1}} = \ 67 \pm 10\ \text{Hz},\ \ \ {\xi _1} = \ 0.036 \pm 0.029$</tex-math></inline-formula>) for the first three vibration modes (p < 0.05). These results agreed with the theoretical expectations gleaned from the vibrational model. <italic>Significance:</italic> This combined analytical and experimental method improves our understanding of how vibrations can describe the underlying structural changes in the knee following meniscal tear, and supports their use as a tool for future efforts in non-invasively diagnosing meniscal tear injuries.
Synthesis and crystal structure of tetrakis(1,3-diphenyl-1,3-propanedionato) zirconium(IV)

Zirconium and its organometallic complexes have featured in a wide range of research studies for several years (Hoard and Silverton, 1963; Von Dreele, Stezowski, and Fay, 1971; Clegg, 1987; Calderazzo et al., 1998). Zirconium, with its very low affinity for thermal neutrons (radioactive energy), high thermal stability, and exceptional anticorrosive properties, is widely used as cladding material for nuclear reactor fuel rods (Weast, 1982). Purification of zirconium from its minerals is known to be a laborious task, broadly utilizing dangerous acids and highly hazardous thermal conditions (Lowe and Parry, 1976; Nielsen, Schlewitz, and Nielsen, 2000; Speight, 2010). The purification method that appears to be a significant point of interest in certain literature fields (Smolik, Jakobik-Kolon, and Poranski, 2009; Taghizadeh et al., 2009; Taghizadeh, Ghanadi, and Zolfonoun, 2011) is ion exchange purification – a method that involves the filtering of specific metal oxides through acidification processes along ionexchange columns (Benedict, Schumb, and Coryell, 1954; Machlan and Hague, 1962; Qureshi and Husain, 1971). The main principles of organometallic compound behaviour in both solid state and solution are of substantial interest when considering the design of newer variations of such ion exchange purification methods. As part of an ongoing study investigating coordination behaviour of O,O'and N,Obidentate ligands with zirconium(IV) and hafnium(IV) for possible influencing factors in the purification of these metals from base ore sources, we have been able to refine methods of synthesis and crystallization of zirconium complexes. This is in particular as a reference and a comparison with much older methods and results reported or published in the literature. In this paper we describe and elaborate on the synthesis and crystallographic characterization of the structure [tetrakis(1,3diphenyl-1,3-propanedionato)zirconium(IV)] as a redetermination and comparison to a previously published structure (Chun, Steffen, and Fay, 1979), and as a comparison to the hafnium(IV) counterpart (Viljoen, Visser, and Roodt, 2010). The intimate geometric properties in the immediate coordination sphere of the Zr(IV) metallic molecule are essentially reproduced here, but with correspondingly elaborative statistical implication, indicating that the susceptibility of chelation geometry to intermolecular forces is greater than that of ligand internal geometry, as also previously published for the standard tetrakis(acetylacetonato)zirconium(IV) ([Zr(acac)4]) structure (Clegg, 1987). A schematic of Zr(DBM)4 is shown in Figure 1. Synthesis and crystal structure of tetrakis(1,3-diphenyl-1,3-propanedionato) zirconium(IV)
Embodied working memory during ongoing input streams

Sensory stimuli endow animals with the ability to generate an internal representation. This representation can be maintained for a certain duration in the absence of previously elicited inputs. The reliance on an internal representation rather than purely on the basis of external stimuli is a hallmark feature of higher-order functions such as working memory. Patterns of neural activity produced in response to sensory inputs can continue long after the disappearance of previous inputs. Experimental and theoretical studies have largely invested in understanding how animals faithfully maintain sensory representations during ongoing reverberations of neural activity. However, these studies have focused on preassigned protocols of stimulus presentation, leaving out by default the possibility of exploring how the content of working memory interacts with ongoing input streams. Here, we study working memory using a network of spiking neurons with dynamic synapses subject to short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity. The formal model is embodied in a physical robot as a companion approach under which neuronal activity is directly linked to motor output. The artificial agent is used as a methodological tool for studying the formation of working memory capacity. To this end, we devise a keyboard listening framework to delineate the context under which working memory content is (1) refined, (2) overwritten or (3) resisted by ongoing new input streams. Ultimately, this study takes a neurorobotic perspective to resurface the long-standing implication of working memory in flexible cognition.
LncRNA H19 regulates smooth muscle cell functions and participates in the development of aortic dissection through sponging miR-193b-3p

Abstract Background: Multiple studies showed that long-chain noncoding RNA H19 (LncRNA H19) is high-expressed in human and mouse abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). We speculated that it plays an important role in arterial disease, and therefore studied the role and mechanism of H19 in aortic dissection (AD). Methods: The expressions of related genes in human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) induced by platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) or in the aortic tissue of AD patients/mice were identified by Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The targeting relationship between H19 and miR-193b-3p was predicted and verified by bioinformatics analysis, dual luciferase assay, RNA pull-down assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and Pearson correlation coefficient. The H19 and miR-193b-3p effects on the biological functions of tissues and cells were examined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide, thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide) assay, wound-healing assay, and Hematoxylin–Eosin (HE) staining. Results: LncRNA H19 was abnormally high-expressed in thoracic aorta tissues of AD patients, and it could competitively bind to and inhibit miR-193b-3p. In the PDGF-BB group, the expressions of H19, matrix metallopeptidase (MMP) 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 were up-regulated and the expressions of miR-193b-3p, α-SMA, and SM22α were down-regulated; moreover, the proliferation and migration rate of HASMCs were increased. However, H19 silencing reversed the regulation of PDGF-BB on HASMCs. More interestingly, miR-193b-3p inhibitor could partially reverse the effect of H19 silencing. In addition, the above results were verified by animal experiments, showing that shH19 and up-regulated miR-193b-3p could significantly reduce the thoracic aorta pathological damage in AD mice. Conclusion: LncRNA H19 regulated smooth muscle cell function by sponging miR-193b-3p and it participated in the development of AD.
Probiotic characterization of bacterial strains from fermented South Indian tomato pickle and country chicken intestine having antioxidative and antiproliferative activities

The present study aims to evaluate the potential antioxidant and antiproliferative properties of probiotic bacterial isolates Weissella cibaria p3B, Bacillus subtilis CS, and Bacillus tequilensis CL, isolated from South Indian fermented tomato pickle (homemade) and gut content of indigenous country chicken.
Survival predictors of interstitial lung disease in India: Follow-up of Interstitial Lung Disease India registry

Background: Predictors of survival for interstitial lung disease (ILD) in the Indian population have not been studied. The primary objective of the study was to assess the Modified-Gender Age and Physiology (M-GAP) score to predict survival in patients with ILD seen in clinical practice. We also analyzed the role of demographic and radiological characteristics in predicting the survival of patients with ILD. Materials and Methods: In the ILD India registry, data were collected from 27 centers across 19 cities in India between March 2012 and June 2015. A single follow-up was conducted at 18 centers who agreed to participate in the follow-up in 2017. M-GAP score (range 0–5) was calculated with the following variables: age (≤60 years 0, 61–65 years 1, and >65 years 2), gender (female 0, male 1), and forced vital capacity% (>75% 0, 50%–75% 1, and >75% 2). A score of 0–3 and score of 4 and 5 were classified into Stage 1 and 2, respectively. Other predictors of survival, such as the history of tuberculosis, smoking, and the presence of honeycombing on computed tomography scan, were also evaluated. Results: Nine hundred and seven patients were contacted in 2017. Among them, 309 patients were lost to follow-up; 399 were alive and 199 had died. M-GAP was significantly associated with survival. Similarly, other predictors of survival were ability to perform spirometry (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.34–0.72), past history of tuberculosis (HR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.07–2.29), current or past history of smoking (HR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.06–2.16), honeycombing (HR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.29–2.55), a diagnosis of connective tissue disease -ILD (HR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.22–0.76), and sarcoidosis (HR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.08–0.77). Conclusion: In a subgroup of patients with newly diagnosed ILD enrolled in ILD India registry and who were available for follow-up, M-GAP score predicted survival. Honeycombing at the time of diagnosis, along with accurate history of smoking, and previous history of tuberculosis were useful indices for predicting survival.
Concordance of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, second and third editions.

BACKGROUND Adaptive functioning is an important area of assessment with implications for differential diagnosis, educational placement, service eligibility and criminal sentencing. While periodic normative and content updates of adaptive functioning measures are necessary to keep measures relevant, knowledge of equivalence between versions is also required if adaptive measures are to be used to track the stability of adaptive functioning skills over time. METHOD This paper presents two studies that used between-group and within-group comparison designs to examine the equivalence of the second and third editions of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (ABAS) in a mixed clinical sample. In study 1, ABAS-2 scores for children assessed between 2014 and 2015 (n = 1036; mean age = 10.24, SD = 3.44) were compared with ABAS-3 scores for children assessed between 2015 and 2016 (n = 1291; mean age = 10.51, SD = 3.70). Study 2 examined a separate sample of clinically referred children (n = 572) for whom parent ratings had been obtained on both the ABAS-2 (mean age = 9.65, SD = 2.80) and ABAS-3 (mean age = 13.33, SD = 2.95) in the course of repeated assessment. RESULTS For Study 1, while no intelligence quotient score differences were observed between the ABAS-2 group (mean Verbal Comprehension Index = 93.67, SD = 16.95) and the ABAS-3 group (mean Verbal Comprehension Index = 93.08, SD = 17.42), ABAS-2 scores were lower than ABAS-3 scores on the Conceptual, Practical, and General Adaptive Composite scales. In study 2, a similar pattern was observed (ABAS-2 < ABAS-3 on the Conceptual, Practical, and General Adaptive Composite scales), and concordance correlation coefficients ranged from 0.54 [0.49, 0.58] (Practical composite) to 0.68 [0.64, 0.72] (Conceptual composite). The Practical composite had the lowest concordance correlation coefficient value and the largest mean score difference between ABAS versions. CONCLUSIONS The ABAS-3 scores may be higher than ABAS-2 scores in clinical populations. Knowledge of these potential discrepancies will be critical when interpreting standard score changes across ABAS versions in the course of clinical, educational and forensic assessments.