Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Auditory attention tracking states in a cocktail party environment can be decoded by deep convolutional neural networks

Objective. A deep convolutional neural network (CNN) is a method for deep learning (DL). It has a powerful ability to automatically extract features and is widely used in classification tasks with scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. However, the small number of samples and low signal-to-noise ratio involved in scalp EEG with low spatial resolution constitute a limitation that might restrict potential brain-computer interface (BCI) applications that are based on the CNN model. In the present study, a novel CNN model with source-spatial feature images (SSFIs) as the input is proposed to decode auditory attention tracking states in a cocktail party environment. Approach. We first extract SSFIs using rhythm entropy and weighted minimum norm estimation. Next, we develop a CNN model with three convolutional layers. Furthermore, we estimate the performance of the proposed model via generalized performance, alternative models that deleted or replaced a model’s component, and loss curves. Finally, we use a deep transfer model with fine-tuning for a low (poor) behavioral performance group (L-group). Main results. Based on cortical activity reconstructions from the scalp EEGs, the classification accuracy (CA) of the proposed model is 80.4% (chance level: 52.5%), which is superior to that achieved by scalp EEG. Additionally, the performance of the proposed model is more stable when compared to alternative models that delete or replace specific model components. The proposed model identifies the difference between two auditory attention tracking states (successful versus unsuccessful) at an early stage with a short time window (250 ms after target offset). Furthermore, we propose a deep transfer learning model to improve the classification for the L-group. With this model, the CA of the L-group significantly increase by 5.3%. Significance. Our proposed model improves the performance of a decoder for auditory attention tracking, which could be suitable for relieving the difficulty with the attentional modulation of individual’s neural responses. It provides a novel communication channel with auditory cognitive BCI for patients with attention and hearing impairment.
Canada’s Evolving Medicare: End-of-Life Care

A challenging issue in contemporary Canadian Medicare is the evolution of end-of-life care. Utilizing data from the 2016 and 2018 Health Care in Canada (HCIC) surveys, this paper compares the support and priorities of the adult public (n = 1500), health professionals (n = 400), and administrators (n = 100) regarding key components for end-of-life care just prior to and post legalization of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in Canada. In 2016 and 2018, the public, health professionals and administrators strongly supported enhanced availability of all proposed end-of-life care options: pain management, hospice and palliative care, home care supports, and medically assisted death. In 2018, when asked which option should be top priority, the public rated enhanced medically assisted death first (32%), followed by enhanced hospice and palliative care (22%) and home care (21%). Enhanced hospice and palliative care was the top priority for health professionals (33%), while administrators rated enhanced medically assisted death first (26%). Despite legalization and increasing support for MAiD over time, health professionals have increasing fear of legal or regulatory reprisal for personal involvement in medically assisted death, ranging from 38% to 84% in 2018, versus 23% to 42% in 2016. While administrators fear doubled since 2016 (40%-84%), they felt the necessary system supports were in place to easily implement medically assisted death. Optimal management of end-of-life care is strongly supported by all stakeholders, although priorities for specific approaches vary. Over time, professionals increasingly supported MAiD but with a rising fear of legal/regulatory reprisal despite legalization. To enhance future end-of-life care patterns, continued measurement and reporting of implemented treatment options and their system supports, particularly around medically assisted death, are needed.
Effects of environmental salinity on intercellular organization and junctional structure of chloride cells in early stages of teleost development

Morphology of chloride cells was studied in embryos, larvae and juveniles of ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis), carp (Cyprinus carpio) and flounder (Kareius bicoloratus). Chloride cells of seawater-adapted fishes interdigitated to neighboring cells and linked each other with leaky junctions. No such interdigitation or a leaky junction was found in those of freshwater fishes. Larval ayu were able to tolerate direct transfer from fresh water to seawater even immediately after hatching. Juvenile flounder reared in seawater for 60 days were able to adapt to fresh water. Their chloride cells started developing or degenerating interdigitations and leaky junctions within 3 h after the transfer. Juvenile ayu of landlocked form caught in Lake Biwa survived in seawater for no longer than 6 h. Juvenile carp died within 12 h after transfer to 15%. seawater. Newly hatched flounder did not survive in fresh water for longer than 48 h. Their chloride cells did not show any morphological change, although the epithelial cells were severely damaged. Thus, the ability of chloride cells to modify their intercellular organization and junctional structure appears to play a critical role in salinity adaptation.
Light and a Grazing Mayfly Shape Periphyton in a Rocky Mountain Stream

To examine the combined effects of light and grazers in structuring periphyton in a subalpine stream, we conducted a field experiment in St. Louis Creek (elevation 3000 m), a 2nd-order Rocky Mountain stream (Colorado, USA). Quarry tiles were placed in the stream for 60 d to colonize with periphyton and then moved into 36 stream channels in which light and grazers were manipulated. Light treatments were high (100% of ambient), intermediate (∼40% of ambient), and low light (∼5% of ambient). A grazing mayfly, Rhithrogena robusta, was maintained inside channels at high (288/m2), low (96/m2), or zero densities. After 22-23 d of exposure, mayfly grazing significantly reduced algal biovolume under all light regimes, although species assemblages differed between light treatments. As light levels changed, some algae showed different responses to grazing. Hydrurus foetidus (Chrysophyta), for example, was more abundant on grazed substrata relative to non-grazed controls under high light, but it declined in abundance when grazed under intermediate light. Light and grazers also had an interactive effect on periphytic biomass; as light increased, grazers caused greater depletions in periphytic ash-free dry mass. Results suggest that, in subalpine streams, light may be instrumental in establishing periphytic structure and in modifying the impact that grazers have on algae.
Decyl caffeic acid inhibits the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells in an autophagy-dependent manner in vitro and in vivo

The treatment of human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells through suppressing the abnormal survival signaling pathways has recently become a significant area of focus. In this study, our results demonstrated that decyl caffeic acid (DC), one of the novel caffeic acid derivatives, remarkedly suppressed the growth of CRC cells both in vitro and in vivo. The inhibitory effects of DC on CRC cells were investigated in an in vitro cell model and in vivo using a xenograft mouse model. CRC cells were treated with DC at various dosages (0, 10, 20 and 40 μM), and cell survival, the apoptotic index and the autophagy level were measured using an MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. The signaling cascades in CRC were examined by Western blot assay. The anti-cancer effects of DC on tumor growth were examined by using CRC HCT-116 cells implanted in an animal model. Our results indicated that DC differentially suppressed the growth of CRC HT-29 and HCT-116 cells through an enhancement of cell-cycle arrest at the S phase. DC inhibited the expression of cell-cycle regulators, which include cyclin E and cyclin A proteins. The molecular mechanisms of action were correlated to the blockade of the STAT3 and Akt signaling cascades. Strikingly, a high dosage of DC prompted a self-protection action through inducing cell-dependent autophagy in HCT-116 cells. Suppression of autophagy induced cell death in the treatment of DC in HCT-116 cells. DC seemed to inhibit cell proliferation of CRC differentially, and the therapeutic advantage appeared to be autophagy dependent. Moreover, consumption of DC blocked the tumor growth of colorectal adenocarcinoma in an experimental animal model. In conclusion, our results suggested that DC could act as a therapeutic agent through the significant suppression of tumor growth of human CRC cells.
A neural mechanism of nuclear receptor expression and regionalization

Spatially restricted expression of genes by global circulating inducers (hormones, secreted proteins, growth factors, neuromodulators, etc.) was a prerequisite for the evolution of animals. Far from a random occurrence, it is a systematically occurring, certain event, implying that specific information is invested for it to happen. In this minireview, we show for the first time that the expression and regionalization takes place at the level of receptors via a neural mechanism and make an attempt to reconstruct the causal chain from neural signaling to expression of nuclear receptors.
Work-related asthma in the USA: nationally representative estimates with extended follow-up

Objective We studied the associations of working in occupations with high asthma trigger exposures with the prevalence and incidence of asthma, and with ever reporting an asthma diagnosis throughout working life. Methods We used the nationally representative Panel Study of Income Dynamics (1968–2015; n=13 957; 205 498 person-years), with annual reports of occupation and asthma diagnoses across 48 years. We compared asthma outcomes in occupations likely to have asthma trigger exposures with those in occupations with limited trigger exposures. We estimated the prevalence ratios and the incidence risk ratios using log-binomial regression adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and current and past atopy and smoking, and accounting for the survey design and sampling weights. We calculated the attributable risk fractions and population attributable risks, and used multinomial logistic Markov models and microsimulation to estimate the percentage of people ever diagnosed with asthma during working life. Results The adjusted prevalence ratio comparing high-risk occupations with low-risk was 4.1 (95% CI 3.5 to 4.8); the adjusted risk ratio was 2.6 (CI 1.8 to 3.9). The attributable risk was 16.7% (CI 8.5 to 23.6); the population attributable risk was 11.3% (CI 5.0 to 17.2). In microsimulations, 14.9% (CI 13.4 to 16.3) with low trigger exposure risk reported asthma at least once, ages 18–65, compared with 23.9% (CI 22.3 to 26.0) with high exposure risk. Conclusion Adults were more than twice as likely to report a new asthma diagnosis if their occupation involved asthma triggers. Work exposures to asthma triggers may cause or aggravate about 11% of all adult asthma and increase the risk of work-life asthma by 60%.
Accuracy of acupuncture point location among first-year acupuncture students: A pilot study evaluating the impact of training and use of an adjustable ruler

Background The proportional method of acupuncture point location (APL) currently taught at Endeavor College of Natural Health and advocated by the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) was found to be imprecise and/or inaccurate in previous student studies. The ruler and elastic methods of APL were identified as more accurate or precise than the proportional method of APL but were not well received by student participants. Use of an adjustable ruler may overcome barriers to uptake of the more accurate APL methods. This pilot study was the first to evaluate the comparative accuracy of the adjustable ruler and the proportional methods of APL in first-year students at a major Australian acupuncture training college. Methods After 10 weeks of in-class instruction in both proportional and adjustable ruler methods of APL, student participants (n = 14) attempted location of three acupuncture points (LI10, SP6 and ST38) on a volunteer using both APL methods of interest. A self-administered questionnaire and lecturer field notes elucidated attitudes to implementation of both APL methods. Results Points marked using the adjustable ruler were closer to the correct location than those marked using the proportional method across all three acupuncture points. Students and lecturers rated the adjustable ruler more highly than the proportional method for ease of learning and ease of use. Conclusion Encouraging results with the adjustable ruler method warrant further larger scale studies. Use of the adjustable ruler method of APL should be considered for use in point location training at educational institutions teaching traditional acupuncture.
Growth Performance of Growing-Finishing Pigs Fed Diets Supplemented with Chinese Cottonseed Meal Based on Amino Acid Digestibilities

Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) increases milk yield of dairy cows. An indoor feeding experiment using Friesian dairy cows in mid lactation was conducted to determine what proportions of the milk yield and composition changes were due to the condensed tannins (CT) in Lotus, and what proportions were due to factors associated with legumes (higher herbage intake and forage quality). Cows were fed either perennial ryegrass or Lotus, and were also drenched with either polyethylene glycol (PEG) to block the action of CT, or water. Milk yields (kg/cow/d) were higher on Lotus (21.24) than on Lotus+PEG (18.61), ryegrass (15.53) or ryegrass+PEG (15.49) indicating that CT contributed to 46% of the increased milk yield that resulted from feeding Lotus rather than ryegrass. CT had no effect on intake, but contributed to increased milk protein concentration, increased efficiency and decreased milk fat concentration.
Gratitude at Work: Prospective Cohort Study of a Web-Based, Single-Exposure Well-Being Intervention for Health Care Workers

Background Emotional exhaustion (EE) in health care workers is common and consequentially linked to lower quality of care. Effective interventions to address EE are urgently needed. Objective This randomized single-exposure trial examined the efficacy of a gratitude letter–writing intervention for improving health care workers’ well-being. Methods A total of 1575 health care workers were randomly assigned to one of two gratitude letter–writing prompts (self- vs other focused) to assess differential efficacy. Assessments of EE, subjective happiness, work-life balance, and tool engagement were collected at baseline and 1-week post intervention. Participants received their EE score at baseline and quartile benchmarking scores. Paired-samples t tests, independent t tests, and correlations explored the efficacy of the intervention. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software assessed the linguistic content of the gratitude letters and associations with well-being. Results Participants in both conditions showed significant improvements in EE, happiness, and work-life balance between the intervention and 1-week follow-up (P<.001). The self-focused (vs other) instruction conditions did not differentially predict improvement in any of the measures (P=.91). Tool engagement was high, and participants reporting higher motivation to improve their EE had higher EE at baseline (P<.001) and were more likely to improve EE a week later (P=.03). Linguistic analyses revealed that participants high on EE at baseline used more negative emotion words in their letters (P=.005). Reduction in EE at the 1-week follow-up was predicted at the level of a trend by using fewer first-person (P=.06) and positive emotion words (P=.09). No baseline differences were found between those who completed the follow-up assessment and those who did not (Ps>.05). Conclusions This single-exposure gratitude letter–writing intervention appears to be a promising low-cost, brief, and meaningful tool to improve the well-being of health care workers.
Changes and prognostic values of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte subsets after primary systemic therapy in breast cancer

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) levels have prognostic and predictive values in treatment-naïve breast cancers. However, there have been controversies regarding TIL subset changes and their clinical implications in post-treatment breast cancers. This study aimed to explore change and prognostic significance of TIL subset infiltration after primary systemic therapy (PST) in breast cancer. One-hundred-fifty-five patients who had residual disease after anthracycline- or anthracycline plus taxane-based PST were included. The quantities of intratumoral and stromal TIL subsets (CD8+, CD4+, and FOXP3+ TILs) in pre- and post-PST breast cancer samples, as well as changes between them, were analyzed along with their correlations with clinicopathologic features and outcome of patients. As a whole, intratumoral CD8+ and CD4+ TILs increased after PST while stromal TILs decreased. Both intratumoral and stromal FOXP3+ TILs decreased after PST. The chemo-sensitive group [residual cancer burden (RCB) class I and II] showed the same pattern of change in intratumoral CD8+ TILs as the whole group, whereas the chemo-resistant group (RCB class III) showed no significant change in intratumoral CD8+ TIL infiltration after PST. Survival analyses for each TIL subset as well as their ratios revealed that high levels of intratumoral, stromal, and total CD8+ TIL infiltration after PST were independent predictors of longer patient survival. In subgroup analyses, CD8+ TIL infiltration after PST revealed prognostic significance in the chemo-resistant group but not in the chemo-sensitive group. In conclusion, infiltration of CD8+, CD4+, and FOXP3+ TIL changed after PST in the intratumoral and stromal compartments. Especially, increase of intratumoral CD8+ TILs was associated with chemo-responsiveness. Moreover, CD8+ TIL status in residual tumors after PST may be used as a potential prognostic marker in breast cancer patients who receive PST and provide additional prognostic information to chemo-resistant group.
Preventing kidney injury among sugarcane workers: promising evidence from enhanced workplace interventions

Objectives To assess if improvement of working conditions related to heat stress was associated with improved kidney health outcomes among sugarcane harvest workers in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua, a region heavily affected by the epidemic of chronic kidney disease of non-traditional origin. Methods Based on our findings during the 2017–2018 harvest (harvest 1), recommendations that enhanced the rest schedule and improved access to hydration and shade were given before the 2018–2019 harvest (harvest 2). Actual work conditions during harvest 2 were then observed. Serum creatinine (SCr) was measured before and at end-harvest, and cross-harvest changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and incident kidney injury (IKI, ie, SCr increase by ≥0.30 mg/dL or ≥1.5 times the baseline value) were compared between harvest 1 and harvest 2 for three jobs with different physical workloads using regression modelling. Workers who left during harvest were contacted at home, to address the healthy worker selection effect. Results In burned cane cutters, mean cross-harvest eGFR decreased 6 mL/min/1.73 m2 (95% CI 2 to 9 mL/min/1.73 m2) less and IKI was 70% (95% CI 90% to 50%) lower in harvest 2 as compared with harvest 1 data. No such improvements were seen among seed cutters groups with less successful intervention implementation. Conclusion Kidney injury risk was again elevated in workers with strenuous jobs. The results support further efforts to prevent kidney injury among sugarcane workers, and other heat-stressed workers, by improving access to water, rest and shade. The distinction between design and implementation of such interventions should be recognised.
Nano magnetic liposomes-encapsulated parthenolide and glucose oxidase for ultra-efficient synergistic antitumor therapy

Multifunctional nanoplatforms yield extremely high synergistic therapeutic effects on the basis of low biological toxicity. Based on the unique tumor microenvironment (TME), a liposomes (Lips)-based multifunctional antitumor drug delivery system known as GOD-PTL-Lips@MNPs was synthesized for chemotherapy, chemodynamic therapy (CDT), starvation therapy, and magnetic targeting synergistic therapy. Evidence has suggested that parthenolide (PTL) can induce apoptosis and consume excessive glutathione (GSH), thereby increasing the efficacy of chemodynamic therapy. On the other hand, glucose oxidase (GOD) can consume intratumoral glucose, lower pH and increase the level of H2O2 in the tumor tissue. Integrated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) containing Fe2+ and Fe3+ effectively catalyzes H2O2 to a highly toxic hydroxyl radical (•OH) and provide magnetic targeting. During the course of in vitro and in vivo experiments, GOD-PTL-Lips@MNPs demonstrated remarkable synergistic antitumor efficacy. In particular, in mice receiving a 14 day treatment of GOD-PTL-Lips@MNPs, tumor growth was significantly inhibited, as compared with the control group. Moreover, toxicology study and histological examination demonstrated low biotoxicity of this novel therapeutic approach. In summary, our data suggests great antitumor potential for GOD-PTL-Lips@MNPs which could provide an alternative means of further improving the efficacy of anticancer therapies.
Examination of Multi-Receiver GPS/EGNOS Positioning with Kalman Filtering and Validation Based on CORS Stations

This paper presents the concept of precise navigation based on SBAS technology and CORS stations. In a kinematic test, three rover Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, properly spaced relatively to each other, were used in order to estimate reliable and redundant GPS/EGNOS positions. Next, the Kalman filter was employed to give the final solution. It was proven that EGNOS positioning allows to obtain an accuracy in the range of about 0.5–1.5 m. The proposed solution involving the use of three mobile receivers and Kalman filtering allowed to reduce the 3D error to a level below 0.3 m. Such an accuracy was achieved using only GPS L1 code observations and EGNOS corrections. Additionally, a reliable monitoring of quality of GPS/EGNOS positioning in the test area based on CORS stations was presented.
An evaluation of diagnostic tests and their roles in validating forest biometric models

Model validation is an important part of model development. It is performed to increase the credibility and gain sufficient confidence about a model. This paper evaluated the usefulness of 10 statistical tests, five parametric and five nonparametric, in validating forest biometric models. The five parametric tests are the paired t test, the Χ2 test, the separate t test, the simultaneous F test, and the novel test. The five nonparametric tests are the Brown-Mood test, the KolmogorovSmirnov test, the modified KolmogorovSmirnov test, the sign test, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Nine benchmark data sets were selected to evaluate the behavior of these tests in model validation; three were collected from Alberta and six were published elsewhere. It was shown that the usefulness of statistical tests in model validation is very limited. None of the tests seems to be generic enough to work well across a wide range of models and data. Each model passed one or more tests, but not all of them. Because of this,.