Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DNA metabarcoding allows non-invasive identification of arthropod prey provisioned to nestling Rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus)

Hummingbirds consume sugars from nectar, sap and honeydew, and obtain protein, fat and minerals from arthropods. To date, the identity of arthropod taxa in hummingbird diets has been investigated by observation of foraging or examination of alimentary tract contents. Direct examination of nestling provisioning adds the extra complication of disturbance to the young and mother. Here, we show that arthropod food items provisioned to Rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) nestlings can be identified by a safe and non-invasive protocol using next-generation sequencing (NGS) of DNA from nestling fecal pellets collected post-fledging. We found that females on southern Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada) provisioned nestlings with a wide range of arthropod taxa. The samples examined contained three Classes, eight Orders, 48 Families, and 87 Genera, with from one to 15 Families being identified in a single pellet. Soft-bodied Dipterans were found most frequently and had the highest relative abundance; hard-bodied prey items were absent from almost all samples. Substantial differences in taxa were found within season and between years, indicating the importance of multi-year sampling when defining a prey spectrum.
Mapping pine plantations in the southeastern U.S. using structural, spectral, and temporal remote sensing data

The southeastern U.S. produces the most industrial roundwood in the U.S. each year, largely from commercial pine plantations. The extent of plantation forests and management dynamics can be difficult to ascertain from periodic forest inventories, yet short-rotation tree plantations also present challenges for remote sensing. Here, we integrated spectral, temporal, and structural information from airborne and satellite platforms to distinguish pine plantations from natural forests and evaluate the contribution from planted forests to regional forest cover in the southeastern U.S. Within flight lines from NASA Goddard's Lidar, Hyperspectral, and Thermal (G-LiHT) Airborne Imager, lidar metrics of forest structure had the highest overall accuracy for pine plantations among single-source classifications (90%), but the combination of spectral and temporal metrics from Landsat generated comparable accuracy (91%). Combined structural, temporal, and spectral information from G-LiHT and Landsat had the highest accuracy for plantations (92%) and natural forests (88%). At a regional scale, classifications using Landsat spectral and temporal metrics had between 74 and 82% mean class accuracy for plantations. Regionally, plantations accounted for 28% of forest cover in the southeastern U.S., a result similar to plot-based estimates, albeit with greater spatial detail. Regional maps of plantation forests differed from existing map products, including the National Land Cover Database. Combining plantation extent in 2011 with Landsatbased forest change data identified strong regional gradients in plantation dynamics since 1985, with distinct spatial patterns of rotation age (east-west) and plantation expansion (interior). Our analysis demonstrates the potential to improve the characterization of dynamic land cover classes, including economically important timber plantations, by integrating diverse remote sensing datasets. Critically, multi-source remote sensing provides an approach to leverage periodic forest inventory data for annual monitoring of managed forest
Development of treatment options for Chinese patients with advanced squamous cell lung cancer: focus on afatinib

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in China, and approximately one third of these cancers are squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) of the lung. Ethnic diversity and country-specific environmental factors can account for interindividual variations in response to and tolerability of anticancer therapies. Although several targeted therapies have recently been approved for patients with relapsed/refractory SqCC of the lung, only afatinib, an irreversible ErbB family blocker, has data of Chinese patients. In the Phase III LUX-Lung 8 trial, afatinib demonstrated a significant clinical benefit vs the reversible first-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib in both the overall population and the Chinese subset, with a manageable safety profile. Emerging biomarker data from LUX-Lung 8 suggest that patients with ErbB mutations, especially ErbB2, and those classified as “good” in the VeriStrat® proteomic test, may benefit from afatinib treatment in particular, regardless of ethnicity, and may get a long-term response. In conclusion, afatinib is a valid second-line option for Chinese patients with SqCC of the lung, and specific biomarkers may help guide in treatment decision-making. Ongoing studies will provide further guidance on afatinib’s place in the treatment algorithm, alongside the other novel targeted therapies.
Incentivizing the Owner: Why Family Firms offer Pay-for-Performance Contracts to their CEOs

We study the incentive mechanisms adopted by publicly listed family firms to reduce agency problems, by means of a theoretical model and an empirical analysis. Existing empirical literature finds puzzling evidence about the structure of CEO compensation schemes, some of which showing that family CEOs have lower expected pay but higher pay-for-performance sensitivity than external managers, despite their large inside ownership. This is in contrast with the fundamental tenets of principal-agent theory under moral hazard. In a theoretical model, we show that the outcome-related compensation structure of family CEOs may emerge in industries where the intensity of intangible assets is high and makes it easier to divert value from minority shareholders. In these industries, a pay-for-performance compensation might be an instrument to signal to minority shareholders that the family CEO will not divert value from the firm. When we use a panel of Italian listed family firms (2000-2016) to test the main hypotheses, we find evidence in line with the model’s predictions.
Performance of Islamic Mutual Funds in Saudi Arabia

As of April 2010, Muslims represent almost 21.01 percent of the world's population. Moreover, it is estimated that these Muslims have more than USD 800 billion to invest and that amount is growing at 15 percent annually, Girard & Hassan (2008). This surge in liquidity attracted many money managers and financial institutions, whether they were from the Arab or Western world, and induced them to start offering financial services that fit these Muslim religious preferences. Since then, these Islamic financial services started to gain tremendous attention and awareness and the demand on such services began to increase at a skyrocket rate. For example, the global market value for Islamic financial services, measured by Shariah compliant assets, grew from USD 150, 549 to 758 billion in 1990, 2006, and 2007, respectively.
FastKitten: Practical Smart Contracts on Bitcoin

Smart contracts are envisioned to be one of the killer applications of decentralized cryptocurrencies. They enable selfenforcing payments between users depending on complex program logic. Unfortunately, Bitcoin – the largest and by far most widely used cryptocurrency – does not offer support for complex smart contracts. Moreover, simple contracts that can be executed on Bitcoin are often cumbersome to design and very costly to execute. In this work we present FASTKITTEN, a practical framework for executing arbitrarily complex smart contracts at low costs over decentralized cryptocurrencies which are designed to only support simple transactions. To this end, FASTKITTEN leverages the power of trusted computing environments (TEEs), in which contracts are run off-chain to enable efficient contract execution at low cost. We formally prove that FASTKITTEN satisfies strong security properties when all but one party are malicious. Finally, we report on a prototype implementation which supports arbitrary contracts through a scripting engine, and evaluate performance through benchmarking a provably fair online poker game. Our implementation illustrates that FASTKITTEN is practical for complex multi-round applications with a very small latency. Combining these features, FASTKITTEN is the first truly practical framework for complex smart contract execution over Bitcoin.
Recent Advancements in Gene and Stem Cell‐Based Treatment Modalities: Potential Implications in Noise‐Induced Hearing Loss

Noise‐induced hearing loss (NIHL) poses a significant burden on not only the economics of health care but also the quality of life of an individual, as we approach an unprecedented age of longevity. In this article, we will delineate the current landscape of management of NIHL. We discuss the most recent results from in vitro and in vivo studies that determine the effectiveness of established pharmacotherapy such as corticosteroid and potential emerging therapies like N‐acetyl cysteine and neurotrophins (NTs), as well as highlight ongoing clinical trials for these therapeutic agents. We present an overview of how the recent advancements in the field of gene‐based and stem cell‐based therapies can help in developing effective therapeutic strategies for NIHL. Gene‐based therapies have shown exciting results demonstrating cochlear cellular regeneration using Atoh1, NRF2 as well as NT gene therapy employing viral vectors. In addition, we will discuss the recent advancements in genome‐editing technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9, and its potential role in NIHL therapy. We will further discuss the current state of stem cell therapy as it pertains to treating neurodegenerative conditions including NIHL. Embryonic stem cells, adult‐derived stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells all represent an enticing reservoir of replacing damaged cells as a result of NIHL. Finally, we will discuss the barriers that need to be overcome to translate these promising treatment modalities to the clinical practice in pursuit of improving quality of life of patients having NIHL. Anat Rec, 303:516–526, 2020. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy
Presence of innate lymphoid cells in pleural effusions of primary and metastatic tumors: Functional analysis and expression of PD‐1 receptor

The tumor microenvironment (TM) contains a wide variety of cell types and soluble factors capable of suppressing immune responses. While the presence of NK cells in pleural effusions (PE) has been documented, no information exists on the presence of other innate lymphoid cell (ILC) subsets and on the expression of programmed cell death‐1 (PD‐1) in NK and ILC. The presence of ILC was assessed in PE of 54 patients (n = 33 with mesothelioma, n = 15 with adenocarcinoma and n = 6 with inflammatory pleural diseases) by cell staining with suitable antibody combinations and cytofluorimetric analysis. The cytokine production of ILC isolated from both PE and autologous peripheral blood was analyzed upon cell stimulation and intracytoplasmic staining. We show that, in addition to NK cells, also ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3 are present in malignant PE and that the prevalent subset is ILC3. PE‐ILC subsets produced their typical sets of cytokines upon activation. In addition, we analyzed the PD‐1 expression on NK/ILC by multiparametric flow‐cytometric analysis, while the expression of PD‐1 ligand (PD‐L1) was evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis. Both NK cells and ILC3 expressed functional PD‐1, moreover, both tumor samples and malignant PE‐derived tumor cell lines were PD‐L1+ suggesting that the interaction between PD‐1+ILC and PD‐L1+tumor cells may hamper antitumor immune responses mediated by NK and ILC.
Assessing “Western” Mindfulness among Thai Theravāda

Mindfulness has its roots in Eastern contemplative traditions and is rapidly gaining popularity in Western psychology. However, questions remain regarding the validity of Western operationalizations of mindfulness. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the applicability of several Western mindfulness measures among a sample of Thai Theravāda Buddhist monks. Twenty-four monks recruited from Buddhist temples in Thailand participated in the study. The monks evinced similar associations between mindfulness and related variables as American validation study samples did, and on two facets of mindfulness the monks’ mean scores were greater than an American college student sample. However, the American sample endorsed significantly higher scores on three other facets of mindfulness. These results raise concerns about whether these scales are measuring mindfulness as it is conceptualised in a Buddhist context. Future research with larger samples is needed to further assess the cultural validity and measurement equivalence of Western mindfulness measures across cultural groups.
Trace Mineral Supplementation for the Intestinal Health of Young Monogastric Animals

Growth performance and feed efficiency are essential parameters when evaluating profitability of livestock. However, animal performance does not always reflect optimal gut health. Decades of research have supported the theory that improved animal performance such as average daily gain and feed efficiency can be impacted by intestinal health or the ability of the intestinal mucosa to absorb nutrients, but dysfunction may be found when the animal is stressed. Most of the early research focused on enteric infections causing diarrhea and nutritional alternatives to antibiotics which has led to findings related to pharmacological supplementation of trace minerals above the nutrient requirements for non-ruminants. While pharmacological concentrations of copper (Cu) have been shown to enhance growth, the mechanism in the gut is elusive. High concentrations of zinc (Zn) fed to newly weaned nursery pigs reduced the incidence of diarrhea from the proliferation of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Clostridium and improve gut morphology. There are numerous publications where pharmacological supplementation of Zn as zinc oxide (ZnO) were fed to newly weaned pigs. Pharmacological Zn has been reported to shape the intestinal microflora as well as the diversity of the microflora during the first 2 weeks post-weaning. Both Fe deficiency and fortification impact bacterial growth in the intestine. Therefore, this paper will focus on the role of trace minerals that potentially impact optimal gut health of young monogastric animals.
Concomitant dose escalation with image-guided Tomotherapy in locally advanced mid–low rectal cancer: a single-center study

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of concomitant dose-escalated Tomotherapy in locally advanced mid–low rectal cancer. Patients and methods Patients with locally advanced (T3/T4 or N+), low–mid (≤10 cm from anal verge) rectal carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery between May 2012 and October 2017 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were included in this study. A dose of 45/50 Gy in 25 fractions was delivered to the pelvis with Tomotherapy, and 55 Gy was prescribed for the primary tumor with a simultaneous, integrated boost. Megavolt computed tomography was performed before every delivery. The concurrent chemotherapy regimen included capecitabine alone and XELOX. Results A total of 141 patients were enrolled; 129 patients (91.5%) had stage cT3 or cT4, and 121 patients (85.8%) had positive lymph nodes. The location of the tumors was in the lower rectum in 88 patients (62.4%). After neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, 113 patients (80.1%) underwent sphincter-preserving resection. Downstaging was observed in 121 patients (85.8%), including 80 patients (56.7%) with T downstaging and 101 patients (83.5%) with N downstaging. Thirty-two patients (22.7%) obtained pathological complete response (pCR). The median follow-up was 38.5 months (range, 9.3–73.6 months). Only 36 patients (25.5%) experienced treatment failure, including distant metastasis in 29 patients (20.6%) and pelvic recurrent in 7 patients (5.0%). The estimated 5-year overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and local control (LC) rates of patients were 75.1%, 70.9%, and 95.5%, respectively. pCR was an independent prognostic factor for DFS (HR 0.13, 95% CI: 0.02–0.93, P = 0.043), but it did not improve OS or LC. Grade 3 or greater acute leukopenia and diarrhea rates were 5.7% and 7.8%, respectively, and 15 patients (10.6%) developed postoperative complications. Conclusion This study indicates that neoadjuvant, image-guided Tomotherapy with 55 Gy boosted to the primary tumor was well tolerated and resulted in high rates of sphincter-preserving surgery, pCR, LC, and DFS for locally advanced rectal cancer.
Effect of Endocuff use on colonoscopy outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Endocuff - a plastic device with flexible projections - mounted on the distal tip of the colonoscope, promises improved colonic mucosa inspection. AIM To elucidate the effect of Endocuff on adenoma detection rate (ADR), advanced ADR (AADR) and mean number of adenomas per colonoscopy (MAC). METHODS Literature searches identified randomized-controlled trials evaluating Endocuff-assisted colonoscopy (EAC) vs conventional colonoscopy (CC) in terms of ADR, AADR and MAC. The effect size on study outcomes was calculated using fixed or random effect model, as appropriate, and it is shown as relative risk (RR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] and mean difference (MD) (95%CI). The rate of device removal in EAC arms was also calculated. RESULTS We identified nine studies enrolling 6038 patients. All studies included mixed population (screening, surveillance and diagnostic examinations). Seven and two studies evaluated the first and the second-generation device, respectively. EAC was associated with increased ADR compared to CC [RR (95%CI): 1.18 (1.05-1.32); Ι2 = 71%]; EAC benefits more endoscopists with ADR ≤ 35% compared to those with ADR > 35% [RR (95%CI): 1.37 (1.08-1.74); Ι2 = 49% vs 1.10 (0.99-1.24); Ι2 = 71%]. In terms of AADR and MAC, no difference was detected between EAC and CC [RR (95%CI): 1.03 (0.85-1.25); Ι2 = 15% and MD (95%CI): 0.30 (-0.17-0.78); Ι2 = 99%]. Subgroup analysis did not show any difference between the two device generations regarding all three endpoints. In EAC arms, the device had to be removed in 3% (95%CI: 2%-5%) of the cases mainly due to tortuous sigmoid or presence of diverticula along it. CONCLUSION EAC increases ADR compared to CC, especially for endoscopists with lower ADR. On the other hand, no significant effect on AADR and MAC was detected.
Associations between Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 4–A Proinflammatory Adipokine and Insulin Resistance, Gestational and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

There is ample scientific evidence to suggest a link between the fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) and insulin resistance, gestational (GDM), and type 2 (T2DM) diabetes mellitus. This novel proinflammatory adipokine is engaged in the regulation of lipid metabolism at the cellular level. The molecule takes part in lipid oxidation, the regulation of transcription as well as the synthesis of membranes. An involvement of FABP4 in the pathogenesis of obesity and insulin resistance seems to be mediated via FABP4-dependent peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) inhibition. A considerable number of studies have shown that plasma concentrations of FABP4 is increased in obesity and T2DM, and that circulating FABP4 levels are correlated with certain clinical parameters, such as body mass index, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia. Since plasma-circulating FABP4 has the potential to modulate the function of several types of cells, it appears to be of extreme interest to try to develop potential therapeutic strategies targeting the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases in this respect. In this manuscript, representing a detailed review of the literature on FABP4 and the abovementioned metabolic disorders, various mechanisms of the interaction of FABP4 with insulin signaling pathways are thoroughly discussed. Clinical aspects of insulin resistance in diabetic patients, including women diagnosed with GDM, are analyzed as well.
Analytical Modeling of In-Process Temperature in Powder Bed Additive Manufacturing Considering Laser Power Absorption, Latent Heat, Scanning Strategy, and Powder Packing

Temperature distribution gradient in metal powder bed additive manufacturing (MPBAM) directly controls the mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy of the build part. Experimental approach and numerical modeling approach for temperature in MPBAM are limited by the restricted accessibility and high computational cost, respectively. Analytical models were reported with high computational efficiency, but the developed models employed a moving coordinate and semi-infinite medium assumption, which neglected the part dimensions, and thus reduced their usefulness in real applications. This paper investigates the in-process temperature in MPBAM through analytical modeling using a stationary coordinate with an origin at the part boundary (absolute coordinate). Analytical solutions are developed for temperature prediction of single-track scan and multi-track scans considering scanning strategy. Inconel 625 is chosen to test the proposed model. Laser power absorption is inversely identified with the prediction of molten pool dimensions. Latent heat is considered using the heat integration method. The molten pool evolution is investigated with respect to scanning time. The stabilized temperatures in the single-track scan and bidirectional scans are predicted under various process conditions. Close agreements are observed upon validation to the experimental values in the literature. Furthermore, a positive relationship between molten pool dimensions and powder packing porosity was observed through sensitivity analysis. With benefits of the absolute coordinate, and high computational efficiency, the presented model can predict the temperature for a dimensional part during MPBAM, which can be used to further investigate residual stress and distortion in real applications.
An Oral Glucose Load Decreases Postprandial Extracellular Vesicles in Obese Adults with and without Prediabetes

Although extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a novel biomediator of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), the effects of hyperglycemia on EVs in humans is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) would promote changes in EVs in relation to CVD risk. Twenty-five obese adults (Age: 52.4 ± 3.2 year, BMI: 32.5 ± 1.2 kg/m2) were screened for normal glucose tolerance (NGT, n = 8) and prediabetes (PD, n = 17) using American Diabetes Association criteria (75 g OGTT and/or HbA1c). Body composition (bioelectrical impedance) and fitness (VO2peak) were measured. Arterial stiffness (augmentation index; AIx) was measured at 0, 60- and 120-min while insulin, glucose, and free fatty acids were evaluated every 30 min during the OGTT to assess CVD risk. Annexin V positive (AV+) and Annexin V negative (AV−) total EVs, platelet EVs (CD31+/CD41+; CD41+), leukocyte EVs (CD45+; CD45+/CD41−), platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM) (CD31+) and endothelial EVs (CD 31+/CD41−; CD105+) were collected at 0 and 120 min. There were no differences in age, BMI, or body fat between NGT and PD (all P > 0.63). Total EVs, AV+ CD31+ (PECAM), and AV+ CD31+/CD41− (endothelial) EVs decreased after the OGTT (P ≤ 0.04). Circulating insulin at 2-h correlated with elevated post-prandial AV− CD45+ (r = 0.48, P = 0.04) while arterial stiffness related to reduced total EVs (r = −0.49, P = 0.03) and AV+ CD41+ (platelet) (r = −0.52, P = 0.02). An oral glucose load lowers post-prandial total, platelet, and endothelial EVs in obese adults with NGT and prediabetes in relation to CVD risk.