Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treating urinary tract infections in the era of antibiotic resistance

ABSTRACT Introduction Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are associated with 25–40% of antibiotics consumed in primary care and are, therefore, driving antibiotic resistance. The worldwide increase in antibiotic resistance especially in Escherichia coli has complicated the treatment choices for UTIs and absence of effective oral antibiotics may lead to increasing need for more effective treatments. Areas covered In this review we focus on the importance of the correct diagnosis of UTI as based on proof of urinary pathogens in the urine and discuss diagnostic measures including microscopy, dipstick, and culture. Antibiotic treatment can often await diagnostic measures with pain relief such as ibuprofen. The risk of an uncomplicated UTI leading to pyelonephritis is low (1–2%) and presence of bacteria in the bladder leaves some time for the immune system to react. Three antibiotics are recommended as based on their activity, and low propensity to select for resistance, i.e. nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin, and pivmecillinam, and in general, 3–5 days of treatment will suffice. Expert opinion Understanding the usual benign course of uUTIs can help reduce antibiotic treatment in many cases, e.g. starting treatment by pain relief and awaiting the course of infection without antibiotics. Better rapid tests in primary care are urgently needed to enforce such policies.
Emotional processing deficits in individuals with problematic pornography use: Unpleasant bias and pleasant blunting

Abstract Background and aims A growing body of evidence indicates a connection between emotional processes and the emergence and progression of addiction. However, scant research has examined the involvement of emotional processing within the framework of problematic pornography use (PPU). This study aimed to examine the electrophysiological and subjective differences in emotional processing between male individuals with PPU and healthy controls (HCs) following exposure to everyday affective images. Methods Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 42 PPU participants (mean age = 20.14 years, SD = 1.35) and 45 HCs (mean age = 20.04 years, SD = 1.45) during an oddball task, in which unpleasant, pleasant, and neutral images were presented as deviant stimuli, while a neutral kettle image served as the standard stimulus. The Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) was employed to assess participants' subjective experience on the dimensions of valence and arousal. Results Regarding subjective measures of emotion, individuals with PPU reported lower valence ratings for unpleasant images compared to HCs. In terms of electrophysiological measures of emotion, PPU participants reported larger P2 amplitudes for unpleasant pictures compared to both pleasant and neutral pictures. Moreover, HCs showed enhanced P3 amplitudes in response to pleasant images compared to neutral images, whereas this effect was not observed in PPU participants. Discussion and Conclusion These findings indicate that individuals with PPU may display deficits in emotional processing characterized by enhanced responsiveness to negative stimuli and attenuated responsiveness to positive stimuli. The heightened sensitivity to negative stimuli may contribute to the inclination of individuals with PPU to engage in pornography as a coping mechanism for stress regulation. Conversely, their diminished sensitivity to positive stimuli presents a challenge in seeking alternative natural rewards to counter potentially addictive behaviors.
From Shock to Shift: Data Visualization for Constructive Climate Journalism

We present a multi-dimensional, multi-level, and multi-channel approach to data visualization for the purpose of constructive climate journalism. Data visualization has assumed a central role in environmental journalism and is often used in data stories to convey the dramatic consequences of climate change and other ecological crises. However, the emphasis on the catastrophic impacts of climate change tends to induce feelings of fear, anxiety, and apathy in readers. Climate mitigation, adaptation, and protection—all highly urgent in the face of the climate crisis—are at risk of being overlooked. These topics are more difficult to communicate as they are hard to convey on varying levels of locality, involve multiple interconnected sectors, and need to be mediated across various channels from the printed newspaper to social media platforms. So far, there has been little research on data visualization to enhance affective engagement with data about climate protection as part of solution-oriented reporting of climate change. With this research we characterize the unique challenges of constructive climate journalism for data visualization and share findings from a research and design study in collaboration with a national newspaper in Germany. Using the affordances and aesthetics of travel postcards, we present Klimakarten, a data journalism project on the progress of climate protection at multiple spatial scales (from national to local), across five key sectors (agriculture, buildings, energy, mobility, and waste), and for print and online use. The findings from quantitative and qualitative analysis of reader feedback confirm our overall approach and suggest implications for future work.
Testing hemifield independence for divided attention in visual object tasks

In this study, we asked to what degree hemifields contribute to divided attention effects observed in tasks with object-based judgments. If object recognition processes in the two hemifields were fully independent, then placing stimuli in separate hemifields would eliminate divided attention effects; in the alternative extreme, if object recognition processes in the two hemifields were fully integrated, then placing stimuli in separate hemifields would not modulate divided attention effects. Using a dual-task paradigm, we compared performance in a semantic categorization task for relevant stimuli arranged in the same hemifield to performance for relevant stimuli arranged in separate left and right hemifields. In two experiments, there was a reliable decrease in divided attention effects when stimuli were shown in separate hemifields compared to the same hemifield. However, the effect of divided attention was not eliminated. These results reject both the independent and integrated hypotheses, and instead support a third alternative – that object recognition processes in the two hemifields are partially dependent. More specifically, the magnitude of modulation by hemifields was closer to the prediction of the integrated hypothesis, suggesting that for dual tasks with objects, dependent processing is mostly shared across the visual field.
Remembering Community Settings: Exploring dementia-friendly urban design in British Columbian municipalities

Supervisory Committee Dr. Neena Chappell, CRC (Department of Sociology) Co-Supervisor Dr. Joan Wharf Higgins, CRC (School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education) Co-Supervisor Focusing on the relationship between individuals with dementia and their environments, this research explores how to improve quality of life for those with dementia by increasing the capacity of existing urban public spaces. A content analysis of municipal planning documents (N =51) contextualized interviews, conducted with municipal urban planners (N =13) in the province of British Columbia, exploring their perspectives on designing dementia-friendly public spaces. Seven themes were identified from the findings. Furthermore, planners did not know much about planning for dementia, either suggesting they were perhaps already addressing dementia through other disability guidelines, or saying they did not know what could be done in the urban environment regarding dementia. They were open to learning more about dementiafriendly approaches. Incorporating the key dementia-friendly principles of familiarity, comfort, distinctiveness, accessibility, safety, inclusiveness and independence into age-friendly policy or Official Community Plans would promote designs that benefit persons with dementia, as well as many others with mental and physical impairments.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Water,Soil and Aquatic Animals from the Jiuduansha Wetland of Yangtze River Estuary

From the Yangtze River Estuary Wetland Nature Reserve Jiuduansha,PCBs in water,soil and aquatic animals were determined with GC-MS to find the distribution of PCBs in different environment media and aquatic animals as different minor.The results show that,all the water samples and soil samples from Jiuduansha have PCBs and the minor which has the highest content is PCB52.Compared to other river estuary,the content of PCBs in water from Jiuduansha was on the average level,valued 23～95(ng/L),and the content of PCBs in soil is lower,valued 1.77～4.51(ng/g). Aquatic animals too,all the samples were checked out with PCBs,and the content ranged from 0.12～9.40(μg/kg),which is compliant with the national standard.High chloride monomer category PCB118,PCB138 are major detected PCB minors in Mollusks,crustaceans and fish rather than the high content of PCB52 in the water and soil,which shows that high chloride PCB is easier than low chloride PCB in concentration in aquatic animals.
Re-defining localism: an ethnography of human territoriality in the surf.

Surf tourism is a growing segment of the tourism industry that is affecting many developing countries as surfers travel to find perfect, uncrowded waves. With the influx of tourists, local surfers often feel the need to defend the waves they surf every day. This phenomenon is known as localism, which is a form of human territoriality. This ethnographic study analyses localism using a territoriality framework in one surf tourism destination on the coast of Nicaragua. It is based on two months of field work, including observations and interviews, with local surfers, resident foreigners and tourists in and around the Popoyo Reef surf break. The findings show that localism is far more complex than previously conceived by many surfers. Not all local surfers felt the same about the space and while they did exhibit ownership, defined boundaries and regulated behaviour in the surf, they were still willing to share the space with others.
Differentiating Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia Based on the Resting-State Multilayer EEG Network

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is frequently misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) due to similar clinical symptoms. In this study, we constructed frequency-based multilayer resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) networks and extracted representative network features to improve the differentiation between AD and FTD. When compared with healthy controls (HC), AD showed primarily stronger delta-alpha cross-couplings and weaker theta-sigma cross-couplings. Notably, when comparing the AD and FTD groups, we found that the AD exhibited stronger delta-alpha and delta-beta connectivity than the FTD. Thereafter, by extracting the representative network features and then applying these features in the classification between AD and FTD, an accuracy of 81.1% was achieved. Finally, a multivariable linear regressive model was built, based on the differential topologies, and then adopted to predict the scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale. Accordingly, the predicted and actual measured scores were indeed significantly correlated with each other ( ${r}$ = 0.274, ${p}$ = 0.036). These findings consistently suggest that frequency-based multilayer resting-state networks can be utilized for classifying AD and FTD and have potential applications for clinical diagnosis.
Adaptation and exogenous attention interact in the early visual cortex: A TMS study

Our capacity to process information is constrained by the limited energy available to the brain and the high energy cost of cortical computation [1]. To help manage limited resources and optimize our sensitivity to visual information, adaptation diminishes sensitivity for repetitive stimuli, whereas attention enhances the representation of relevant information [2]. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to early visual cortex (V1/V2) eliminates the response-gain effect of exogenous (involuntary) attention on contrast sensitivity: the benefit at the attended location and the cost at the unattended location [3]. Here we investigate whether adaptation modulates the exogenous attentional effect on perception under TMS to V1/V2. Observers performed an orientation discrimination task while attending to one of two stimuli, with or without adaptation. Following a valid, neutral or invalid attentional cue, two cortically-magnified Gabor patches were presented in the stimulated region (matching each observer’s phosphene location) and its contralateral symmetric region. A response cue indicated the patch whose orientation observers had to discriminate. The response cue either matched—target stimulated—or did not match— distractor stimulated—the stimulated side. Without adaptation, the exogenous attention response-gain effect emerged in the distractor-stimulated condition–increased contrast sensitivity at the attended location and decreased at the unattended location–but these effects were eliminated in the target-stimulated condition, consistent with our previous findings. Critically, after adaptation, response gain of exogenous attention was observed in both distractor-stimulated and target-stimulated conditions. These results reveal that (1) adaptation and attention interact in the early visual cortex, (2) adaptation shields exogenous attention from TMS effects.
Myogenic artifacts masquerade as neuroplasticity in the auditory frequency-following response (FFR)

The frequency-following response (FFR) is an evoked potential that provides a “neural fingerprint” of complex sound encoding in the brain. FFRs have been widely used to characterize speech and music processing, experience-dependent neuroplasticity (e.g., learning, musicianship), and biomarkers for hearing and language-based disorders that distort receptive communication abilities. It is widely assumed FFRs stem from a mixture of phase-locked neurogenic activity from brainstem and cortical structures along the hearing neuraxis. Here, we challenge this prevailing view by demonstrating upwards of ∼50% of the FFR can originate from a non-neural source: contamination from the postauricular muscle (PAM) vestigial startle reflex. We first establish PAM artifact is present in all ears, varies with electrode proximity to the muscle, and can be experimentally manipulated by directing listeners’ eye gaze toward the ear of sound stimulation. We then show this muscular noise easily confounds auditory FFRs, spuriously amplifying responses by 3-4x fold with tandem PAM contraction and even explaining putative FFR enhancements observed in highly skilled musicians. Our findings expose a new and unrecognized myogenic source to the FFR that drives its large inter-subject variability and cast doubt on whether changes in the response typically attributed to neuroplasticity/pathology are solely of brain origin.
Sequence-ensemble-function relationships for disordered proteins in live cells

Intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDRs) are ubiquitous across all kingdoms of life and play a variety of essential cellular roles. IDRs exist in a collection of structurally distinct conformers known as an ensemble. IDR amino acid sequence determines its ensemble, which in turn can play an important role in dictating molecular function. Yet a clear link connecting IDR sequence, its ensemble properties, and its molecular function in living cells has not been systematically established. Here, we set out to test this sequence-ensemble-function paradigm using a novel computational method (GOOSE) that enables the rational design of libraries of IDRs by systematically varying specific sequence properties. Using ensemble FRET, we measured the ensemble dimensions of a library of rationally designed IDRs in human-derived cell lines, revealing how IDR sequence influences ensemble dimensions in situ. Furthermore, we show that the interplay between sequence and ensemble can tune an IDR’s ability to sense changes in cell volume - a de novomolecular function for these synthetic sequences. Our results establish biophysical rules for intracellular sequence-ensemble relationships, enable a new route for understanding how IDR sequences map to function in live cells, and set the ground for the design of synthetic IDRs with de novo function.
A Bayesian Framework for Cryo-EM Heterogeneity Analysis using Regularized Covariance Estimation

Proteins and the complexes they form are central to nearly all cellular processes. Their flexibility, expressed through a continuum of states, provides a window into their biological functions. Cryogenic-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is an ideal tool to study these dynamic states as it captures specimens in non-crystalline conditions and enables high-resolution reconstructions. However, analyzing the heterogeneous distribution of conformations from cryo-EM data is challenging. Current methods face issues such as a lack of explainability, overfitting caused by lack of regularization, and a large number of parameters to tune; problems exacerbated by the lack of proper metrics to evaluate or compare heterogeneous reconstructions. To address these challenges, we present RECOVAR, a white-box method based on principal component analysis (PCA) computed via regularized covariance estimation that can resolve intricate heterogeneity with similar expressive power to neural networks with significantly lower computational demands. We extend the ubiquitous Bayesian framework used in homogeneous reconstruction to automatically regularize principal components, overcoming overfitting concerns and removing the need for most parameters. We further exploit the conservation of density and distances endowed by the embedding in PCA space, opening the door to reliable free energy computation. We leverage the predictable uncertainty of image labels to generate high-resolution reconstructions and identify high-density trajectories in latent space. We make the code freely available at https://github.com/ma-gilles/recovar.
Nanometer-scale views of visual cortex reveal anatomical features of primary cilia poised to detect synaptic spillover

A primary cilium is a thin membrane-bound extension off a cell surface that contains receptors for perceiving and transmitting signals that modulate cell state and activity. While many cell types have a primary cilium, little is known about primary cilia in the brain, where they are less accessible than cilia on cultured cells or epithelial tissues and protrude from cell bodies into a deep, dense network of glial and neuronal processes. Here, we investigated cilia frequency, internal structure, shape, and position in large, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy volumes of mouse primary visual cortex. Cilia extended from the cell bodies of nearly all excitatory and inhibitory neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), but were absent from oligodendrocytes and microglia. Structural comparisons revealed that the membrane structure at the base of the cilium and the microtubule organization differed between neurons and glia. OPC cilia were distinct in that they were the shortest and contained pervasive internal vesicles only occasionally observed in neuron and astrocyte cilia. Investigating cilia-proximal features revealed that many cilia were directly adjacent to synapses, suggesting cilia are well poised to encounter locally released signaling molecules. Cilia proximity to synapses was random, not enriched, in the synapse-rich neuropil. The internal anatomy, including microtubule changes and centriole location, defined key structural features including cilium placement and shape. Together, the anatomical insights both within and around neuron and glia cilia provide new insights into cilia formation and function across cell types in the brain.
Long-Term Variation of the Principal Mode of Boreal Spring Hadley Circulation Linked to SST over the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool

AbstractThe variability of the boreal spring [March–May (MAM)] Hadley circulation (HC) is investigated, focusing on the long-term variation of the first principal mode for 1951–2008, which is an equatorially asymmetric mode (AM) with the rising branch located around 10°S. This mode explains about 70% of the variance of the MAM HC and shows an obvious upward trend and thus contributes to the strengthening of the MAM HC. The robust warming trends of sea surface temperature (SST) over the Indo-Pacific warm pool (IPWP) play an essential role in the variations of the MAM HC. When SST over the IPWP is warm, anomalous meridional circulation is induced with descending branches located in regions 30°–20°S and 5°–15°N and rising motion located near 10°S. The anomalous rising south of the equator is due to the inhomogeneous warming of SST over the IPWP. SST within the IPWP in the Southern Hemisphere shows a larger warming trend than that in the Northern Hemisphere. The position of the anomalous convergence associate.
piRNAs are regulators of metabolic reprogramming in stem cells

Stem cells preferentially use glycolysis instead of oxidative phosphorylation and this metabolic rewiring plays an instructive role in their fate; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unexplored. PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and PIWI proteins have essential functions in a range of adult stem cells across species. Here, we show that piRNAs and the PIWI protein Aubergine (Aub) are instrumental in activating glycolysis in Drosophila germline stem cells (GSCs). High glycolysis is required for GSC self-renewal and aub loss-of-function induces a metabolic switch in GSCs leading to their differentiation. Aub directly binds glycolytic mRNAs and Enolase mRNA regulation by Aub depends on its 5’UTR. Furthermore, deletion of a piRNA target site in Enolase 5’UTR leads to GSC loss. These data reveal an Aub/piRNA function in translational activation of glycolytic mRNAs in GSCs, and pinpoint a new mode of regulation of metabolic reprogramming in stem cells based on small RNAs.
Relationship between Haloxylon ammodendron Seedling Dynamics and Habitat before Summer

This paper studied dynamics of Haloxylon ammodendron(and Haloxylon pespicum) seedlings before summer on background of climate change in the southern edge of Zhunger Basin by qualitative and quantitative ways.Taking snow melted water as source to sprout the number of Haloxylon ammodendron seedlings is determined by surface soil moisture in early Spring.Whether the seedlings are survival or not are due to the temperature level and its changing amplitude in the week of Qingming Festival.Besides,the seedlings survival is limited by surface soil water with 0—5 cm depth during period from cotyledon to three couples.To some extent,microterrain,cover on soil could protect Haloxylon ammodendron seedling at this time,which may be the effect of mitigating influence of climate on habitat so that more water could be used by the seedling.
A P ] 2 5 O ct 2 01 9 LOCAL EXISTENCE FOR THE LANDAU EQUATION WITH HARD POTENTIALS

We consider the spatially inhomogeneous Landau equation with hard potentials (i.e. with γ ∈ [0,1]) on the whole space R. We prove existence and uniquenss of solutions for a small time, assuming that the initial data is in a weighted tenth-order Sobolev space and has exponential decay in the velocity variable. In constrast to the soft potential case, local existence for the hard potentials case has been missing from the literature. This is because the moment loss issue is the most severe for these potentials. To get over this issue, our proof relies on a weighted hierarchy of norms that depends on the number of spatial and velocity derivatives in an asymmetric way. This hierarchy lets us take care of the terms that are affected by the moment loss issue the most. These terms do not give in to methods applied to study existence of solutions to Landau equation with soft potentials and are a major reason why the local existence problem was not known for the case of hard potentials.