Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment, Diagnosis, and Recovery from Language Disorder at Kindergarten Age: A Survey of Clinicians Évaluation, diagnostic et récupération du trouble du langage chez les enfants en âge de commencer la maternelle : un sondage auprès de cliniciens

There are unanswered questions in the research literature about the long-term trajectories of language disorders that are diagnosed in the preschool years but seem to resolve around kindergarten age. There is some evidence that children tend to maintain their gains in language abilities. On the other hand, there is also some evidence that language difficulties may resurface, suggesting that the initial recovery was illusory (Scarborough & Dobrich, 1990). In order to provide clinical context for future research on this topic, we conducted a survey of clinicians in Alberta about their practices and perspectives with regard to diagnosis of language disorders and predictions of future needs. The results revealed perspectives and experiences in line with and inconsistent with concerns about illusory recovery and highlighted challenges with diagnosis and prediction of outcomes within current service delivery contexts. Finally, the results highlighted differences between clinical diagnostic practices and the approach typically taken in research studies. Implications of these differences for interpretation of the research literature and research planning are discussed. Monique Charest Paige Borger Carolyne Chan Kaitlin Sanders Beatrice Yip Lu-Anne McFarlane Phyllis Schneider Assessment, Diagnosis, and Recovery from Language Disorder at Kindergarten Age: A Survey of Clinicians Évaluation, diagnostic et récupération du trouble du langage chez les enfants en âge de commencer la maternelle : un sondage auprès de cliniciens Monique Charest, Paige Borger, Carolyne Chan, Kaitlin Sanders, Beatrice Yip, Lu-Anne McFarlane and Phyllis Schneider University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CANADA
Galactose-Induced Skin Aging: The Role of Oxidative Stress

Skin aging has been associated with a higher dietary intake of carbohydrates, particularly glucose and galactose. In fact, the carbohydrates are capable of damaging the skin's vital components through nonenzymatic glycation, the covalent attachment of sugar to a protein, and subsequent production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). This review is focused on the role of D-galactose in the development of skin aging and its relation to oxidative stress. The interest in this problem was dictated by recent findings that used in vitro and in vivo models. The review highlights the recent advances in the underlying molecular mechanisms of D-galactose-mediated cell senescence and cytotoxicity. We have also proposed the possible impact of galactosemia on skin aging and its clinical relevance. The understanding of molecular mechanisms of skin aging mediated by D-galactose can help dermatologists optimize methods for prevention and treatment of skin senescence and aging-related skin diseases.
Ameliorative Effects of Bredemolic Acid on Markers Associated with Renal Dysfunction in a Diet-Induced Prediabetic Rat Model

Recently, studies have shown that renal dysfunction is associated not only with overt diabetes but also with the preceding stage known as prediabetes. Diet and pharmacological interventions are the therapeutic approaches to managing prediabetes, but the compliance in combining the two interventions is low. Hence, the efficacy of pharmacological intervention is reduced without diet modification. In our previous study, we established that bredemolic acid (BA) ameliorated glucose homeostasis via increased GLUT 4 expression in the skeletal muscle of prediabetic rats in the absence of diet intervention. However, the effects of bredemolic acid on renal function in prediabetic condition are unknown. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating the ameliorative effects of bredemolic acid on renal dysfunction in a diet-induced prediabetic rat model. Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley male rats (150–180 g) were divided into two groups: the nonprediabetic (n = 6) and prediabetic (n = 30) groups which were fed normal diet (ND) and high-fat high-carbohydrate (HFHC) diet, respectively, for 20 weeks. After the 20th week, the prediabetic groups were subdivided into prediabetic control (PD) and 4 other prediabetic groups which were treated with either BA (80 mg/kg) or metformin (MET, 500 mg/kg) for further 12 weeks (21st to 32nd). Plasma, urine, and kidney samples were collected for biochemical analysis. The untreated prediabetic (PD) rats presented increased fluid intake and urine output; increased creatinine, urea, and uric acid plasma concentrations; albuminuria; proteinuria; sodium retention; potassium loss; increased aldosterone and kidney injury molecule (KIM-1) concentration; and increased urinary podocin mRNA expression. However, BA administration attenuated the renal markers and oxidative stress and decreased the urinary podocin mRNA expression. In conclusion, BA administration, regardless of diet modification, attenuates renal dysfunction in an experimentally induced prediabetic state.
Recent Progress on Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Effects of the Genus Nigella

Seeds of the genus Nigella plants as folk medicine are often used to prevent and treat asthma, diarrhea, dyslipidemia, and other diseases around the world. Pharmacological researches showed that seed extract and seed oil have antibacterial, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and hepatoprotective effects which attributed to their bioactive constituents such as alkaloids, saponins, flavones, and phenols. This paper has covered recent progresses on chemical and pharmacological researches on these plants, including their compounds and pharmacological effects. It was found that the chemical component researches were focused on the seed oil. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the profile of the whole constituents in the seeds.
Differences in mobility of calcium applied to the aboveground parts of broad bean plants (Vicia faba L.)

Abstract The mobility of 45Ca applied to several of the aboveground parts of the broad bean plant (Vicia faba L.) was investigated to determine the effect of foliar application of calcium (Ca). Calcium applied to the top or the underside surface of a leaf scarcely moved from the leaf. A small amount of Ca applied to a pod moved to the inner seeds, but the majority remained on the pod wall. Calcium applied to the stem was the most mobile. Most of the Ca applied to the axillary side of the stem moved to the leaves and pod on the applied nodes. By contrast, more of the Ca applied to the side opposite the axillary side of the stem moved to the upper nodes. Thus, Ca solution should be sprayed onto the stem rather than the leaves for effective foliar application of Ca.
ReCoNet: Multi-level Preprocessing of Chest X-rays for COVID-19 Detection Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Life-threatening COVID-19 detection from radiomic features has become a dire need of the present time for infection control and socio-economic crisis management around the world. In this paper, a novel convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture, ReCoNet (residual image-based COVID-19 detection network), is proposed for COVID-19 detection. This is achieved from chest X-ray (CXR) images shedding light on the preprocessing task considered to be very useful for enhancing the COVID-19 fingerprints. The proposed modular architecture consists of a CNN-based multi-level preprocessing filter block in cascade with a multi-layer CNN-based feature extractor and a classification block. A multi-task learning loss function is adopted for optimization of the preprocessing block trained end-to-end with the rest of the proposed network. Additionally, a data augmentation technique is applied for boosting the network performance. The whole network when pre-trained end-to-end on the CheXpert open source dataset, and trained and tested with the COVIDx dataset of 15,134 original CXR images yielded an overall benchmark accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 97.48%, 96.39%, and 97.53%, respectively. The immense potential of ReCoNet may be exploited in clinics for rapid and safe detection of COVID-19 globally, in particular in the low and middle income countries where RT-PCR labs and/or kits are in a serious crisis.
Size-Specific Differences in Tail Loss and Escape Behavior in Liolaemus nigromaculatus

Facultative tail loss (autotomy) is a common and widespread antipredation adaptation in lizards (Arnold, 1988; Zani, 1996). Although offering an escape from predators, tail loss has been demonstrated to influence many life-history traits and to have fitnessrelated ecological and behavioral correlates (e.g., Martin and Avery, 1998; Wilson and Booth, 1998; Martin and Lopez, 2000, and references therein). Animals with autotomized tails also may have reduced abilities to escape predators (Dial and Fitzpatrick, 1984). Costs and benefits of tail autotomy have been discussed for many taxa, but these studies encompass only a small percentage of species employing this tactic, and further studies are critical to evaluate the generality of these observations. Theoretical models of escape behavior predict that animals will adjust the distance at which they flee from an approaching predator ("fleeing distance") according to the relative costs of staying put versus the costs of fleeing (Ydenberg and Dill, 1986). When the former cost exceeds the latter, over any distance, the animal should seek refuge. A number of factors are known to influence the decision to stay put, including both intrinsic (e.g., age) and extrinsic factors such as predator characteristics, ambient temperature, distance and quality of available refuges, etc. (e.g., Rocha and Bergallo, 1990; Martin and L6pez, 1995, 2000; Cooper, 1997). Costs associated with fleeing are predominantly missed opportunity costs associated with abandoning a food resource, but for ectotherms may also include metabolic costs such as reduced time spent basking in the sun. Although several authors have evaluated the role of tail autotomy on escape behavior (e.g., Vitt and Cooper, 1986; Formanowicz et al.,
Resource Opportunities from the Nest of Dying Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) Colonies: A Laboratory Case of Ecological Succession

ABSTRACT Subterranean termites such as Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki inhabit underground nests consisting of a complex network of galleries resulting in a highly modified environment relative to the surrounding soils. A healthy colony can maintain homeostatic conditions within the nest, limiting opportunities for pathogens, parasites, and predators to exploit the termite colony as a resource. However, a stressed or senescent colony can display a lack of nest maintenance, leading to the colonization of the nest as an opportunistic niche by other organisms. In this study, we described the nest colonization by microbes and arthropods during the collapse of three dying C. formosanus laboratory colonies. The carton nest and the tunnel lining that are mostly made out of termite fecal material were invaded by a variety of fungi, and Acari and Collembolan populations quickly increased during the senescence phase of the termite colony, presumably scavenging on the fungal material. Finally, the carton colonized by fungal mycelia hosted numerous larvae of a sciarid fly, Bradysia sp. (Diptera). This fungus gnat used the decomposing carton material as a breeding site, and numerous adults of this fly were found hovering above the dying termite colony. Bradysia larvae also showed infestation by parasitic nematodes, suggesting the presence of multiple trophic levels in the resource utilization of the nest of a declining termite colony. We concluded that a dying subterranean colony represents a resource opportunity for scavenging organisms and that the nest structure represents an opening niche that initiates an ecological succession.
Descriptions of species of Stegelleta Thorne, 1938 (Nematoda, Rhabditida, Cephalobidae) from California, New Zealand and Senegal, and a revision of the genus

Populations of Stegelleta are described from California, New Zealand and Senegal. An amphimictic population from California is identified as belonging to S. incisa and compared with type specimens from Utah and an amphimictic population from Italy. One population from New Zealand is close to S. incisa but considered to represent a new species, Stegelleta laterocornuta sp. nov. It is particularly characterised by a 379–512 μm long body in females and 365–476 μm in males; cuticle divided into 16 rows of blocks at midbody (excluding lateral field); lateral field with four incisures; three pairs of asymmetrical lips, U-shaped primary axils without guarding processes, each lip asymmetrically rectangular with a smooth margin, only lateral lips have slender acute tines; three labial probolae, bifurcated at half of their length; vulva without flap; spermatheca 17–31 μm long; postuterine sac 7–24 μm long; spicules 21.5–23.5 μm long. Other specimens from New Zealand are identified as belonging to S. tuarua . A parthenogenetic population from Senegal is identified as belonging to S. ophioglossa and compared with type specimens from Mongolia and records of several other populations of S. ophioglossa . The generic diagnosis is emended and a key to the species of Stegelleta is provided.
Daily Salt Intake, its Discretionary Use and Validation of Methods for Estimation using Spot Urine, Findings from Islamabad, Pakistan

Background: The study was designed to estimate daily salt intake, its discretionary use in healthy individuals and to validate three common methods for salt estimation in Pakistani population. Methods: Information on demography and discretionary salt use was collected healthy adults (>18 years) along with a blood sample, spot urine sample and 24 hours urine samples. Sodium, chloride, potassium levels and serum creatinine were measured using standard methods. For daily salt estimation, three common methods i.e. INTERSALT, Tanaka and Kawasaki were validated for their applicability in local settings. Results: Overall 24 h sodium excretion was 158 mmol/l indicating intake of 8.64 (4.43) grams salt per day which was significantly associated with male gender (p. <0.004) and adding salt during cooking (p. <0.0001). Most (73%) of the participants know about hazardous effects of high salt intake, however, only 25% consider important to lower salt intake. Although, there is insignificant difference (p. 0.09) between measured and estimated 24 hour urine however none of three methods i.e. INTERSALT(bias: -19.64; CCC -0.79), Tanaka(bias: 167.35; CCC -0.37) and Kawasaki (bias: -42.49, CCC -0.79) showed any agreement between measured and estimated 24 hour sodium. Conclusion: Daily intake of salt was high than recommended by the WHO. Findings showed that none of the three methods could be used for estimating daily intake of salt in local settings of Pakistan.
The time course of chromatic adaptation under immersive illumination

Chromatic adaptation is a major contributory mechanism to constancy, yet its extent depends on many factors - spectral, spatial and temporal - which vary between studies and hence may contribute to differences in reported constancy indices. Here, we use the achromatic adjustment method to characterise the temporal progression of chromatic adaptation under a wide range of illuminations in an immersive environment. We control both the spectral properties of the illumination at the eye and the spatial context of the adjusted surface, to disentangle global adaptation from local contrast effects. We measure the timecourse of chromatic adaptation by assessing achromatic adjustments in 6 discrete time slots over 340 seconds. We find that the change over time of the adaptation state, proximally indicated by colour constancy indices (quantified by the relative closeness of the perceptual whitepoint to the test illumination chromaticity), (a) can be modelled by a proportional rate growth function, typically requiring more than 5 minutes to stabilise; (b) depends on the contrast between the test surface and its background, specifically increasing with decreasing test-background contrast; and (c) is generally similar in both extent and rate for different test illumination chromaticities. Adaptation progression does not differ significantly between illuminations on or off the daylight locus. Our results highlight the importance of considering exposure duration and stimulus configuration, as well as the distance between the pre-adaptation (reference) and test illumination chromaticities, when using achromatic adjustment as a measure of colour constancy.
Germinação e Crescimento Inicial Entre Matrizes de Duas Espécies do Gênero Hymenaea / Germination and Seedling Growth Among Matrices of Two Species of the Genus Hymenaea

The Hymenaea genus belongs to the family Leguminosae, subfamily Caesalpinoideae with the common name jatoba. Approximately 25 species have been described in the genus Hymenaea and 13 of them are present in Brazil. Among them we can highlight the species Hymenaea martiana Hayne and Hymenaea courbaril Linneaus. In literature, there are several studies dealing mainly the dormancy breakage and the seedling production, mainly with Hymenaea coubaril Linneaus, but these reviews per matrices are incipient. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the germination and seedling growth between species and between matrices of the Hymenaea martiana Hayne and Hymenaea courbaril Linneaus. Two experiments were conducted: the first evaluated the germination and the second the seedlings growth. The two species studied showed different behavior between germination and the seedling growth, with Hymenaea courbaril Linneaus showing the greatest average for both variables. However, this did not show phenotypic variability between matrices.
Sleep Identification Enabled by Supervised Training Algorithms (SIESTA): An open-source platform for automatic sleep staging of rodent polysomnographic data

The temporal distribution of sleep stages is critical for the study of sleep function, regulation, and disorders in higher vertebrates. This temporal distribution is typically determined polysomnographically. In laboratory rodents, scoring of electrocorticography (ECoG) and electromyography (EMG) recordings is usually performed manually, where 5-10 second epochs are categorized as one of three specific stages: wakefulness, rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep. This process is laborious, time-consuming, and particularly impractical for large experimental cohorts with recordings lasting longer than 24 hours. To circumvent this problem, we developed an open-source Python toolkit, Sleep Identification Enabled by Supervised Training Algorithms (SIESTA), that automates the detection of these three main behavioral stages in mice. Our supervised machine learning algorithm extracts features from the ECoG and EMG signals, then automatically scores recordings with a hierarchical classifier based on Bagging Random Forest approaches. We evaluated this approach on data collected from wild-type mice housed under both normal and different lighting conditions, as well as from a mutant mouse line with abnormal sleep phenotypes. To validate its performance on test data, we compared SIESTA with manually scored data and obtained F1 scores of 0.92 for wakefulness, 0.81 for REM, and 0.93 for NREM. SIESTA has a user-friendly interface that can be used without coding expertise. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such a strategy has been developed using all open-source and freely available resources, and our aim is that SIESTA becomes a useful tool that facilitates further research of sleep in rodent models.
Mycorrhizal growth responses: interactions between photon irradiance and phosphorus nutrition.

The effects of photon irradiance, phosphorus (P) supply and mycorrhizal infection [Glomus mosseae (Nicol. and Gerd) Gerdemann and Trappe] on growth and P uptake by Allium cepa L. were measured. Two experiments were carried out, one in a naturally-lit glasshouse and the other in a growth cabinet. Shade cloth was used to provide 'high' irradiance (600 and 550 μmol m-2 s-1 in glasshouse and growth cabinet respectively) and 'low' irradiance (250 μmol m-2 s-1 ). Growth at high irradiance was associated with increases in total dry weight, root: shoot dry weight ratio and total root length and with decreases in shoot fresh weight: dry weight ratio. Mycorrhizal growth responses were lower at low irradiance and depressions were observed at high P supply and high irradiance, as well as at low irradiance. Mycorrhizal plants generally had higher shoot fresh weight: dry weight ratios than those of equivalent non-mycorrhizal plants. Mycorrhizal infection was lower in the presence of additional P in both experiments. In the glasshouse there was an interaction between low irradiance and high P, leading to very low values of fractional infection. This effect was not apparent in the growth cabinet. At high irradiance mycorrhizal plants had higher inflows than those of equivalent non-mycorrhizal plants at all levels of P, regardless of the growth response. Low irradiance had little effect on inflow into non-mycorrhizal plants, but depressed inflow into mycorrhizal plants. This reduction in inflow can be attributed in part to lower levels of infection, but an effect on P uptake by hyphae or on transport between the symbionts is also likely.
Disease associated mutations in mitochondrial precursor tRNAs affect binding, m1R9 methylation and tRNA processing by mtRNase P

Mitochondrial diseases linked to mutations in mitochondrial(mt) tRNA sequences are abundant. However, the contributions of these tRNA mutations to the development of diseases is mostly unknown. Mutations may affect interactions with (mt)tRNA maturation enzymes or protein synthesis machinery leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. In human mitochondria, the first step of tRNA processing is the removal of the 5’end of precursor tRNAs (pre-tRNA) catalyzed by the three-component enzyme, mtRNase P. Additionally, one sub-component of mtRNase P, mitochondrial RNase P protein 1 (MRPP1) catalyzes methylation of the R9 base in pre-tRNAs. Despite the central role of 5’ end processing in mitochondrial tRNA maturation, the link between mtRNase P and diseases is mostly unexplored. Here we investigate how 11 different human disease-linked mutations in (mt)pre-tRNAs affect the activities of mtRNase P. We find that several mutations weaken the pre-tRNA binding affinity, while the majority of mutations decrease 5’ end processing and methylation activity catalyzed by mtRNase P. Furthermore, all of the investigated mutations in (mt)pre-tRNALeu(UUR) alter the tRNA fold which contributes to the partial loss of function of mtRNase P. Overall, these results reveal an etiological link between early steps of (mt)tRNA-substrate processing and mitochondrial disease.
The diverse fossil chelonians from Milia (late Pliocene, Grevena, Greece) with a new species of Testudo Linnaeus, 1758 (Testudines: Testudinidae)

The late Pliocene (early Villafranchian, MN 16a) locality of Milia (Grevena, Greece) has yielded numerous remains of mammals, such as zygodons, mastodons, rhinocerotids, hipparions, bovids, cervids, suids, carnivorans and tapirs. Several specimens of chelonians have also been discovered and comprise a small testudinid, a geoemydid and a giant tortoise. The presence of a giant tortoise and the presence of a geoemydid with large dimensions are further examples of the trend towards gigantism evidenced by the diverse fauna of Milia. In terms of taxonomic abundance of extinct turtles, this is the richest locality in Greece. The small testudinid is of particular importance because it preserves a posteriorly flared carapace, as in the extant Testudo marginata, but the posterior carapace is much taller and anteroposteriorly shorter. These characters allow us to erect a new species, Testudo brevitesta sp. nov., and to discuss the presence of the marginated tortoise and closely related forms in Greece. The new taxon is analysed in a phylogenetic context within other extant and extinct testudinids, providing new information on the clade Testudona.