Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Weight Loss Medications on Hepatic Steatosis and Steatohepatitis: A Systematic Review

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common comorbidity in individuals with obesity. Although multiple pharmacotherapeutics are in development, currently there are limited strategies specifically targeting NAFLD. This systematic review summarizes the existing literature on hepatic effects of medications used for weight loss. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists are the best-studied in this regard, and evidence consistently demonstrates reduction in liver fat content, sometimes accompanied by improvements in histological features of steatohepatitis and reductions in serum markers of hepatic injury such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT). It remains unclear whether these benefits are independent of the weight loss caused by these agents. Literature is limited regarding effects of orlistat, but a small number of reports suggest that orlistat reduces liver fat content and improves histologic features of NASH, benefits which may also be driven primarily by weight loss. A sizeable body of literature on hepatic effects of metformin yields mixed results, with a probability of modest benefit, but no consistent signal for strong benefit. There are insufficient data on hepatic effects of topiramate, phentermine, naltrexone, bupropion, and lorcaserin. Finally, a few studies to date suggest that sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors may reduce liver fat content and cause modest reductions in ALT, but further study is needed to better characterize these effects. Based on available data, GLP-1 agonists have the strongest evidence base demonstrating beneficial effects on NAFLD, but it is not clear if any weight loss medication has effects on NAFLD superior to those of nutritional modification and exercise alone.
Haptic Adaptive Feedback to Promote Motor Learning With a Robotic Ankle Exoskeleton Integrated With a Video Game

Background: Robotic devices have been used to rehabilitate walking function after stroke. Although results suggest that post-stroke patients benefit from this non-conventional therapy, there is no agreement on the optimal robot-assisted approaches to promote neurorecovery. Here we present a new robotic therapy protocol using a grounded exoskeleton perturbing the ankle joint based on tacit learning control. Method: Ten healthy individuals and a post-stroke patient participated in the study and were enrolled in a pilot intervention protocol that involved performance of ankle movements following different trajectories via video game visual feedback. The system autonomously modulated task difficulty according to the performance to increase the challenge. We hypothesized that motor learning throughout training sessions would lead to increased corticospinal excitability of dorsi-plantarflexor muscles. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation was used to assess the effects on corticospinal excitability. Results: Improvements have been observed on task performance and motor outcomes in both healthy individuals and post-stroke patient case study. Tibialis Anterior corticospinal excitability increased significantly after the training; however no significant changes were observed on Soleus corticospinal excitability. Clinical scales showed functional improvements in the stroke patient. Discussion and Significance: Our findings both in neurophysiological and performance assessment suggest improved motor learning. Some limitations of the study include treatment duration and intensity, as well as the non-significant changes in corticospinal excitability obtained for Soleus. Nonetheless, results suggest that this robotic training framework is a potentially interesting approach that can be explored for gait rehabilitation in post-stroke patients.
Exploring Teens as Robot Operators, Users and Witnesses in the Wild

As social robots continue to show promise as assistive technologies, the exploration of appropriate and impactful robot behaviors is key to their eventual success. Teens are a unique population given their vulnerability to stress leading to both mental and physical illness. Much of teen stress stems from school, making the school environment an ideal location for a stress reducing technology. The goal of this mixed-methods study was to understand teens' operation of, and responsiveness to, a robot only capable of movement compared to a robot only capable of speech. Stemming from a human-centered approach, we introduce a Participatory Wizard of Oz (PWoz) interaction method that engaged teens as operators, users, and witnesses in a uniquely transparent interaction. In this paper, we illustrate the use of the PWoz interaction method as well as how it helps identify engaging robot interactions. Using this technique, we present results from a study with 62 teens that includes details of the complexity of teen stress and a significant reduction in negative attitudes toward robots after interactions. We analyzed the teens' interactions with both the verbal and non-verbal robots and identified strong themes of (1) authenticity, (2) empathy, (3) emotional engagement, and (4) imperfection creates connection. Finally, we reflect on the benefits and limitations of the PWoz method and our study to identify next steps toward the design and development of our social robot.
Systemic Approach to the Development of Reading Literacy: Family Resources, School Grades, and Reading Motivation in Fourth-Grade Pupils

The successful early acquisition of reading literacy represents a crucial learning process determining the further course of academic development (Stanovich, 2009). During this process, interactions between children and their proximal social environment are of utmost importance. Therefore, we introduce a systemic framework for the development of learning potential (e.g., Mudrak et al., 2019a, b; Ziegler and Stoeger, 2017) and explore the interactions between the social and motivational processes associated with reading literacy development in school-age children. We base our analysis on a representative Czech sample of fourth-grade pupils involved in the Progress in International Reading Literacy study (PIRLS, Martin et al., 2017). On the basis of the systemic framework, we hypothesized hierarchical relationships among family socioeconomic status, related developmental resources (including parental support, expectations, and reading resources), children’s reading motivation (including reading engagement and reading confidence), and manifested learning outcomes (including school grades and reading competence). We implemented three structural equation models to test the hypothesized relationships. The first model tested the direct effect of developmental resources on reading competence. The second model included the motivational variables as mediators between resources and competence. The third model included school grades as mediators between resources and motivational variables. Our analyses indicated the good fit of the proposed models. The final model explained 37.8% of the variance in children’s school grades and 46.5% of the variance in reading literacy test scores (compared to 34.8% in the first model). Moreover, parental socioeconomic status was strongly associated with parental expectations, which were associated with reading confidence, partially through the effect of parental expectations on children’s school grades. Reading confidence was the main predictor of reading literacy within the model, followed by the direct effects of parental resources. The results illustrate complex processes through which the family environment affects the development of learning competencies such as reading literacy by providing children with the relevant social and material resources associated with their motivation and school outcomes. We discuss some of the reasons that these relationships may take place and consider their implications for educational practice.
The Inconsistent Nature of Heart Rate Variability During Sleep in Normal Children and Adolescents

Introduction: Cardiac function is modulated by multiple factors including exogenous (circadian rhythm) and endogenous (ultradian 90–110 min sleep cycle) factors. By evaluating heart rate variability (HRV) during sleep, we will better understand their influence on cardiac activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate HRV in the dark phase of the circadian rhythm during sleep in healthy children and adolescents. Methods: One 3 min segment of pre-sleep electrocardiography (EEG) and 3, 6 min segments of electrocardiography recorded during polysomnography from 75 healthy children and adolescents were sampled during progressive cycles of slow wave sleep (SWS1, SWS2, SWS3). Three, 3 min segments of rapid eye movement sleep (REM) were also assessed, with REM1 marked at the last REM period before awakening. Studies that recorded REM3 prior to SWS3 were used for assessment. HRV variables include the following time domain values: mean NN (average RR intervals over given time), SDNN (Standard Deviation of RR intervals), and RMSSD (root Mean Square of beat-to-beat Differences). Frequency domain values include: low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and LF:HF. Results: Mixed linear effects model analysis revealed a significant difference in time and frequency domain values between sleep cycles and stages. Mean NN was lowest (highest heart rate) during pre—sleep then significantly increased across SWS1-3. Mean NN in SWS1 was similar to all REM periods which was significantly lower than both SWS2 and SWS3. SDNN remained at pre-sleep levels until SWS3, and then significantly increased in REM1&2. There was a large drop in LF from pre-sleep to SWS1. As cycles progressed through the night, LF remains lower than awake but increases to awake like levels by REM2. RMSSD and HF were lowest in pre-sleep and increased significantly by SWS1 and remain high and stable across stages and cycles except during the REM3 period where RMSSD decreased. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that there are considerable changes in the spectral analysis of cardiac function occurring during different sleep stages and between sleep cycles across the night. Hence, time of night and sleep stage need to be considered when reporting any HRV differences.
Enhancing Our Palaeoceanographic Toolbox Using Paired Foraminiferal and Coccolith Calcite Measurements From Pelagic Sequences

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Enhancing our palaeoceanographic toolbox using paired foraminiferal and coccolith calcite measurements from pelagic sequences Michaël Hermoso, Camille Godbillot, Fabrice Minoletti
Construction of a High-Density Genetic Map and Analysis of Seed-Related Traits Using Specific Length Amplified Fragment Sequencing for Cucurbita maxima

Seed traits are agronomically important for Cucurbita breeding, but the genes controlling seed size, seed weight and seed number have not been mapped in Cucurbita maxima (C. maxima). In this study, 100 F2 individual derived from two parental lines, “2013-12” and “9-6”, were applied to construct a 3,376.87-cM genetic map containing 20 linkage groups (LGs) with an average genetic distance of 0.47 cM using a total of 8,406 specific length amplified fragment (SLAF) markers in C. maxima. Ten quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of seed width (SW), seed length (SL) and hundred-seed weight (HSW) were identified using the composite interval mapping (CIM) method. The QTLs affecting SW, SL and HSW explained a maximum of 38.6%, 28.9% and 17.2% of the phenotypic variation and were detected in LG6, LG6 and LG17, respectively. To validate these results, an additional 150 F2 individuals were used for QTL mapping of SW and SL with cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers. We found that two major QTLs, SL6-1 and SW6-1, could be detected in both SLAF-seq and CAPS markers in an overlapped region. Based on gene annotation and non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the major SWand SL-associated regions, we found that two genes encoding a VQ motif and an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase may be candidate genes influencing SL, while an F-box and leucinerich repeat (LRR) domain-containing protein is the potential regulator for SW in C. maxima. This study provides the first high-density linkage map of C. maxima using SNPs developed by SLAF-seq technology, which is a powerful tool for associated mapping of important agronomic traits, map-based gene cloning and marker-assisted selection (MAS)-based breeding in C. maxima.
Investigation of Standalone Solar Photovoltaic Water Pumping System With Reduced Switch Multilevel Inverter

Solar photovoltaic-powered water pumping systems are becoming very successful in regions where there is no opportunity for connecting the electric grid. The photovoltaic technology converts solar energy into electrical energy for operating direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) motor-based water pump. In the case of a solar AC motor water pump, it engages two energy conversion stages (DC–DC and DC–AC) in the power conditioning unit. This usually resulted in increased size, cost, and complexity and decreases the efficiency of the entire system. The existing two-level inverter (DC–AC) stage generates higher harmonics in output voltage and higher electromagnetic interference that deteriorates directly the AC motor performance. Therefore, as a solution to the addressed problems, in this study, an innovative seven-level inverter with five power semiconductor switches for the operation of 0.5 HP single-phase induction motor pump had been investigated. The proposed multilevel inverter has the capability of providing lesser harmonic voltage that reduces filter requirements; along with this, other part components are used lesser when compared to other conventional multilevel inverters. To provide better insight into the work performance of this proposed topology, the simulation is executed in the MATLAB/Simulink environment, and hardware implementation of the same is depicted. From the results, it is observed that the proposed multilevel inverter topology obtained a total power loss of 1.6034 W and efficiency at 98.11%. This quality output voltage acquired from the multilevel inverter had been fed to drive the induction motor water pump; it pumped the water at the desired flow rate accordingly.
Association of Midkine and Pleiotrophin Gene Polymorphisms With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Susceptibility in Chinese Han Population

In a previous study, we have reported an increased plasma midkine (MK) and pleiotrophin (PTN) concentrations in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the increase in MK and PTN associated with inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-17 level and some clinical manifestations, suggesting the underlying association of MK and PTN with SLE. This study was conducted to investigate the association between common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the MK and PTN gene and SLE susceptibility. A total of 989 subjects (496 SLE patients and 493 healthy controls) were included and genotyped for three MK SNPs and seven PTN SNPs in using improved multiple ligase detection reaction (iMLDR). Results have demonstrated no significant differences for genotype and allele frequencies in all 10 SNPs between SLE patients and healthy controls. Case-only analysis in SLE revealed that, in MK gene, the genotype frequency of AA/AG (rs35324223) was significantly lower in patients with photosensitivity than those without; the allele frequency of A/G (rs20542) was significantly higher in patients without serositis. In PTN gene, the A/G allele frequency (rs322236), C/T allele frequency, and TT/CT genotype frequency (rs6970141) showed significantly increased results in patients with immunological disorder compared to those without. Furthermore, no significant differences in plasma MK and PTN concentrations with its SNPs genotypes were found. MK and PTN SNPs showed no associations with SLE genetic susceptibility, but it may be associated with the course of this disease; further studies are needed to focus on the mechanism of MK and PTN genes in the pathogenesis of SLE.
Altered Rich-Club Organization and Regional Topology Are Associated With Cognitive Decline in Patients With Frontal and Temporal Gliomas

Objectives Gliomas are widely considered to be related to the altered topological organization of functional networks before operations. Tumors are usually thought to cause multimodal cognitive impairments. The structure is thought to form the basics of function, and the aim of this study was to reveal the rich-club organization and topological patterns of white matter (WM) structural networks associated with cognitive impairments in patients with frontal and temporal gliomas. Methods Graph theory approaches were utilized to reveal the global and regional topological organization and rich-club organization of WM structural networks of 14 controls (CN), 13 frontal tumors (FTumor), and 18 temporal tumors (TTumor). Linear regression was used to assess the relationship between cognitive performances and altered topological parameters. Results When compared with CN, both FTumor and TTumor showed no alterations in small-world properties and global network efficiency, but instead showed altered local network efficiency. Second, FTumor and TTumor patients showed similar deficits in the nodal shortest path in the left rolandic operculum and degree centrality (DC) of the right dorsolateral and medial superior frontal gyrus (SFGmed). Third, compared to FTumor patients, TTumor patients showed a significantly higher DC in the right dorsolateral and SFGmed, a higher level of betweenness in the right SFGmed, and higher nodal efficiency in the left middle frontal gyrus and right SFGmed. Finally, rich-club organization was disrupted, with increased structural connectivity among rich-club nodes and reduced structural connectivity among peripheral nodes in FTumor and TTumor patients. Altered local efficiency in TTumor correlated with memory function, while altered local efficiency in FTumor correlated with the information processing speed. Conclusion Both FTumor and TTumor presented an intact global topology and altered regional topology related to cognitive impairment and may also share the convergent and divergent regional topological organization of WM structural networks. This suggested that a compensatory mechanism plays a key role in global topology formation in both FTumor and TTumor patients, and as such, development of a structural connectome for patients with brain tumors would be an invaluable medical resource and allow clinicians to make comprehensive preoperative planning.
Studying DNA Double-Strand Break Repair: An Ever-Growing Toolbox

To ward off against the catastrophic consequences of persistent DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), eukaryotic cells have developed a set of complex signaling networks that detect these DNA lesions, orchestrate cell cycle checkpoints and ultimately lead to their repair. Collectively, these signaling networks comprise the DNA damage response (DDR). The current knowledge of the molecular determinants and mechanistic details of the DDR owes greatly to the continuous development of ground-breaking experimental tools that couple the controlled induction of DSBs at distinct genomic positions with assays and reporters to investigate DNA repair pathways, their impact on other DNA-templated processes and the specific contribution of the chromatin environment. In this review, we present these tools, discuss their pros and cons and illustrate their contribution to our current understanding of the DDR.
Technical Feasibility and Physiological Relevance of Hypoxic Cell Culture Models

Hypoxia is characterized as insufficient oxygen delivery to tissues and cells in the body and is prevalent in many human physiology processes and diseases. Thus, it is an attractive state to experimentally study to understand its inner mechanisms as well as to develop and test therapies against pathological conditions related to hypoxia. Animal models in vivo fail to recapitulate some of the key hallmarks of human physiology, which leads to human cell cultures; however, they are prone to bias, namely when pericellular oxygen concentration (partial pressure) does not respect oxygen dynamics in vivo. A search of the current literature on the topic revealed this was the case for many original studies pertaining to experimental models of hypoxia in vitro. Therefore, in this review, we present evidence mandating for the close control of oxygen levels in cell culture models of hypoxia. First, we discuss the basic physical laws required for understanding the oxygen dynamics in vitro, most notably the limited diffusion through a liquid medium that hampers the oxygenation of cells in conventional cultures. We then summarize up-to-date knowledge of techniques that help standardize the culture environment in a replicable fashion by increasing oxygen delivery to the cells and measuring pericellular levels. We also discuss how these tools may be applied to model both constant and intermittent hypoxia in a physiologically relevant manner, considering known values of partial pressure of tissue normoxia and hypoxia in vivo, compared to conventional cultures incubated at rigid oxygen pressure. Attention is given to the potential influence of three-dimensional tissue cultures and hypercapnia management on these models. Finally, we discuss the implications of these concepts for cell cultures, which try to emulate tissue normoxia, and conclude that the maintenance of precise oxygen levels is important in any cell culture setting.
Inspecting Vulnerability to Depression From Social Media Affect

Affect describes a person’s feelings or emotions in reaction to stimuli, and affective expressions were found to be related to depression in social media. This study examined the longitudinal pattern of affect on a popular Chinese social media platform: Weibo. We collected 1,664 Chinese Weibo users’ self-reported CES-D scores via surveys and 3 years’ worth of Weibo posts preceding the surveys. First, we visualized participants’ social media affect and found evidence of cognitive vulnerability indicated by affect patterns: Users with high depression symptoms tended to use not only more negative affective words but also more positive affective words long before they developed early depression symptoms. Second, to identify the type of language that is directly predictive of depression symptoms, we observed ruminations from users who experienced specific life events close to the time of survey completion, and we found that: increased use of negative affective words on social media posts, together with the presence of specific stressful life events, increased a person’s risk of developing high depression symptoms; and meanwhile, though tending to focus on negative attributes, participants also incorporated problem-solving skills in their ruminations. These findings expand our understanding of social media affect and its relationship with individuals’ risks of developing depression symptoms.