Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Évolution récente d'une tourbière à palses (Québec subarctique) : analyse cartographique et dendrochronologique

During the past 100 years, palsa bogs located on the eastern coast of Hudson Bay have undergone major changes associated with global climatic warming of the northern hemisphere. The recent main developmental stages of palsas, collapse scars, and thermokarstic pools were reconstructed within a representative permafrost peatland located in the southern part of the forest–tundra, using detailed mapping and tree-ring analyses. Maps of the peatland in 1957, 1973, and 1983 indicate a 49% decrease of the total cover of palsas and collapse scars between 1957 and 1983 and a 44% increase of the thermokarstic pool surface. Degradation of the palsa bog was more pronounced between 1957 and 1973 than between 1973 and 1983. Tree-ring analysis of reaction wood on black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP. ) exposed to unstable peat substratum indicates that permafrost degradation, which began as early as 1880, increased markedly between 1930 and 1965. During the 19th century, the permafrost peatland was mainly composed of l.
A phytantriol-based cubosome formulation as an antimicrobial against lipopolysaccharide-deficient Gram-negative bacteria.

Treatment of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial infections increasingly relies on last-line antibiotics, such as polymyxins, with the urgent need for discovery of new antimicrobials. Nanotechnology-based antimicrobials have gained significant importance to prevent the catastrophic emergence of MDR over the past decade. In this study, phytantriol-based nanoparticles, named cubosomes, were prepared and examined in vitro by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and time-kill assays against Gram-negative bacteria: Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The phytantriol-based cubosomes were highly bactericidal against polymyxin-resistant, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) deficient, Acinetobacter baumannii strains. Small-angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) was employed to understand the structural changes in biomimetic membranes that replicate the composition of these LPS-deficient strains upon treatment with cubosomes. Additionally, to further understand the membrane-cubosome interface, neutron reflectivity (NR) was used to investigate the interaction of cubosomes with model bacterial membranes on a solid support. These results reveal that cubosomes might be a new strategy for combating LPS-deficient Gram-negative pathogens.
Estrogen improves the development of yak (Bos grunniens) oocytes by targeting cumulus expansion and levels of oocyte-secreted factors during in vitro maturation

The estrogen-signalling pathway is critical for normal follicular development; however, little is known about its importance during in vitro maturation (IVM) in large animals, particularly yaks (Bos grunniens). Through the present study, we aimed to determine the mechanisms underlying estrogen involvement in cumulus expansion and the subsequent development of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs). COCs were cultured in the maturation medium supplemented with different concentrations (10−6–10−3 mM) of 17β-estradiol (E2) or its receptor antagonist, fulvestrant, and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot were performed to determine the expression of cumulus-expansion related factors and oocyte-secreted factors (OSFs). The cumulus expansion of COCs was observed using an inverted microscope, and COCs developmental ability were judged by the evaluation of cleavage and blastulation rates per inseminated oocytes by IVF, and the number of cells in the blastocyst. Cumulus expansion increased with 10−6–10−3 mM E2, but decreased with fulvestrant. HAS2, PTGS2, PTX3 and OSFs expression increased in the 10−6–10−3 mM E2 groups. Significantly higher cleavage and blastocyst rates were observed in the 10−4 mM E2 group than in the fulvestrant and 0 mM E2 groups. Moreover, in the 10−4 mM group, blastocysts at 7 days had higher cell counts than the other groups. In conclusion, the increase in cumulus expansion and subsequent oocyte development after the addition of E2 to IVM medium may have resulted from increased cumulus-expansion-related factor expression and OSF levels.
Association between the combined effects of GSTM1 present/null and CYP1A1 MspI polymorphisms with lung cancer risk: an updated meta-analysis

Abstract Background: Many studies have been performed to explore the combined effects of glutathione-S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) present/null and cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) MspI polymorphisms with lung cancer (LC) risk, but the results are contradictory. Two previous meta-analyses have been reported on the issue in 2011 and 2014. However, several new articles since then have been published. In addition, their meta-analyses did not valuate the credibility of significantly positive results. Objectives: We performed an updated meta-analysis to solve the controversy following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Methods: False-positive report probability (FPRP), Bayesian false discovery probability (BFDP), and the Venice criteria were used to verify the credibility of meta-analyses. Results: Twenty-three publications including 5734 LC cases and 7066 controls met the inclusion criteria in the present study. A significantly increased risk of LC was found in overall analysis, Asians and Indians. However, all positive results were considered as ‘less-credible’ when we used the Venice criteria, FPRP, and BFDP test to assess the credibility of the positive results. Conclusion: These positive findings should be interpreted with caution and results indicate that significant associations may be less-credible, there are no significantly increased LC risk between the combined effects of GSTM1 present/null and CYP1A1 MspI polymorphisms.
Potential Receptors for Targeted Imaging of Lymph Node Metastases in Penile Cancer

Imaging modalities using tumor-directed monoclonal antibodies may be of value to improve the pre- and intraoperative detection and resection of lymph node (LN) metastatic disease in penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC). We investigated the expression of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) to analyze their potency for diagnostic applications. Antigen expression was determined in primary tumors and LNs with and without metastases of 22 patients with PSCC. The total immunostaining score (TIS, 0–12) was determined as the product of a proportion score (PS, 0–4) and an intensity score (IS, 0–3). EGFR and VEGF expression were high in primary tumor (median TIS 8) and LN metastases (median TIS 6 and 8, respectively). No EGFR expression was seen in LNs without metastases. However, LNs without metastases did show VEGF expression (median TIS 6). No EpCAM or PSMA expression was seen in PSCC. This study shows that VEGF and EGFR expression is moderate to high in LN metastases of PSCC. Both VEGF and EGFR warrant further clinical evaluation to determine their value as a target for pre- and intraoperative imaging modalities in the detection of LN metastases in PSCC.
Photorealistic Audio-driven Video Portraits

Video portraits are common in a variety of applications, such as videoconferencing, news broadcasting, and virtual education and training. We present a novel method to synthesize photorealistic video portraits for an input portrait video, automatically driven by a person's voice. The main challenge in this task is the hallucination of plausible, photorealistic facial expressions from input speech audio. To address this challenge, we employ a parametric 3D face model represented by geometry, facial expression, illumination, etc., and learn a mapping from audio features to model parameters. The input source audio is first represented as a high-dimensional feature, which is used to predict facial expression parameters of the 3D face model. We then replace the expression parameters computed from the original target video with the predicted one, and rerender the reenacted face. Finally, we generate a photorealistic video portrait from the reenacted synthetic face sequence via a neural face renderer. One appealing feature of our approach is the generalization capability for various input speech audio, including synthetic speech audio from text-to-speech software. Extensive experimental results show that our approach outperforms previous general-purpose audio-driven video portrait methods. This includes a user study demonstrating that our results are rated as more realistic than previous methods.
Robot-assisted Nipple-sparing Mastectomy With Immediate Breast Reconstruction

Objective: The aim of this study was to present the results of early experience of robot-assisted nipple sparing mastectomy (RANSM). Background: RANSM improves cosmetic outcomes over conventional nipple-sparing mastectomy. However, data on the feasibility and safety of the RANSM are limited. Methods: Patients who underwent RANSM with immediate breast reconstruction as part of the Korea Robot-endoscopy Minimal Access Breast Surgery Study Group (KoREa-BSG) from November 2016 to January 2020 were enrolled. clinicopathologic characteristics, perioperative complications, and operation time were collected. Results: Overall, 73 women underwent 82 RANSM procedures conducted by 11 breast surgeons at 8 institutions. The median patient age was 45.5 years old (20–66 years), and 52 (63.4%) patients were premenopausal. Invasive breast cancer was noted in 55 cases (40 cases were stage i, 11 cases were stage ii, and 4 cases were stage iii, respectively) and ductal carcinoma in-situ was recorded in 20 cases. Of those, 3 patients with BRCA1/2 mutation carriers underwent contralateral risk-reducing RANSM. The median length of hospitalization was 12.0 days (5.0–24.0 days). The incision location was the mid-axillary line and the median incision length was 50.0 mm (30.0–60.0 mm). Median total operation time, median total mastectomy time, and median reconstruction time was 307.0 minutes (163.0–796.0 minutes), 189.5 minutes (97.5–325.0 minutes), and 119.5 minutes (45.0–689.0 minutes). Only 2 cases (2.5%) required reoperation. Nipple ischemia was found in 9 cases (10.9%) but only 1 case (1.2%) required nipple excision given that 8 cases (9.7%) resolved spontaneously. Skin ischemia was observed in 5 cases (6.1%) and only 2 (2.4%) cases needed skin excision whereas 3 cases (3.6%) resolved spontaneously. There was no conversion to open surgery orcases of mortality. The mean time for mastectomy among surgeons who performed more than 10 cases was 182.3 minutes (± 53.7, minutes) and 195.4 minutes (± 50.4, minutes). Conclusion: This was the first report of RANSM conducted in the KoREa-BSG. RANSM is technically feasible and acceptable with a short learning curve. Further prospective research to evaluate surgical and oncologic outcomes is needed.
Exercise intolerance and rapid skeletal muscle energetic decline in human age-associated frailty

BACKGROUND Physical frailty in older individuals is characterized by subjective symptoms of fatigue and exercise intolerance (EI). Objective abnormalities in skeletal muscle (SM) mitochondrial high-energy phosphate (HEP) metabolism contribute to EI in inherited myopathies; however, their presence or link to EI in the frail older adult is unknown. METHODS Here, we studied 3 groups of ambulatory, community-dwelling adults with no history of significant coronary disease: frail older (FO) individuals (81 ± 2.7 years, mean ± SEM), nonfrail older (NFO) individuals (79 ± 2.0 years), and healthy middle-aged individuals, who served as controls (CONT, 51 ± 2.1 years). Lower extremity SM HEP levels and mitochondrial function were measured with 31P magnetic resonance (MR) techniques during graded multistage plantar flexion exercise (PFE). EI was quantified by a 6-minute walk (6MW) and peak oxygen consumption during cardiopulmonary testing (peak VO2). RESULTS During graded exercise, FO, NFO, and CONT individuals all fatigued at similar SM HEP levels, as measured by 31P-MR. However, FO individuals fatigued fastest, with several-fold higher rates of PFE-induced HEP decline that correlated closely with shorter exercise duration in the MR scanner and with 6MW distance and lower peak oxygen consumption on cardiopulmonary testing (P < 0.001 for all). SM mitochondrial oxidative capacity was lower in older individuals and correlated with rapid HEP decline but less closely with EI. CONCLUSION Several-fold faster SM energetic decline during exercise occurs in FO individuals and correlates closely with multiple measures of EI. Rapid energetic decline represents an objective, functional measure of SM metabolic changes and a potential new target for mitigating frailty-associated physical limitations. FUNDING This work was supported by NIH R21 AG045634, R01 AG063661, R01 HL61912, the Johns Hopkins University Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center P30AG021334, and the Clarence Doodeman Endowment in Cardiology at Johns Hopkins.
Power efficient ReLU design for neuromorphic computing using spin Hall effect

We demonstrate that a magnetic tunnel junction injected with a spin Hall current can exhibit linear rotation of the magnetization of the free-ferromagnet using only the spin current. Using the linear resistance change of the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), we devise a circuit for the rectified linear activation (ReLU) function of the artificial neuron. We explore the role of different spin Hall effect (SHE) heavy metal (HM) layers on the power consumption of the ReLU circuit. We benchmark the power consumption of the ReLU circuit with different SHE layers by defining a new parameter called the spin Hall power factor. It combines the spin Hall angle, resistivity, and thickness of the HM layer, which translates to the power consumption of the different SHE layers during spin-orbit switching/rotation of the free FM. We employ a hybrid spintronics-CMOS simulation framework that couples Keldysh non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism with Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert–Slonzewski equations and the HSPICE circuit simulator to account for the diverse physics of spin-transport and the CMOS elements in our proposed ReLU design. We also demonstrate the robustness of the proposed ReLU circuit against thermal noise and a non-trivial power-error trade-off that enables the use of an unstable free-ferromagnet for energy-efficient design. Using the proposed circuit, we evaluate the performance of the convolutional neural network for MNIST datasets and demonstrate comparable classification accuracies to the ideal ReLU with an energy consumption of 75 pJ per sample.
Psychometric assessment of the EMIC Stigma Scale for Brazilians affected by leprosy

Background The Stigma Scale of the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC-SS) is a useful option to investigate leprosy-related stigma, but its psychometric qualities are unknown in Brazil. This study investigated the factor structure, the convergent and known-groups validity, and the reliability of the EMIC-SS for Brazilians affected by leprosy. Methodology The Brazilian Portuguese version of the EMIC-SS was validated in 180 persons affected by leprosy at a Reference Center in Rio de Janeiro. Confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA) and Cronbach alpha were used to assess the EMIC-SS internal consistency. The Construct validity was tested using Spearman Correlation, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney tests comparing with the Participation Scale, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and a Sociodemographic Questionnaire. Test-retest reliability was evaluated with intra-class correlation (ICC). Main findings CFA confirmed the one- and two-dimensional models of the scale after retaining 12 of the 15 EMIC-SS items. The 12—item EMIC-SS was consistent (α = 0.78) and reproducible (ICC = 0.751, 95% Confidence Interval = 0.657–0.822, p < 0.0001). A significant correlation was observed between the EMIC-SS and the other scales confirming convergent validity. The EMIC-SS and its factors were able to differentiate several hypothesized groups (age, change of occupation, monthly family income, communicating others about the disease, and perception of difficulty to follow treatment) confirming the scale known-groups validity, both in its one and two-dimensional models. Conclusions/Significance Our study found support for the construct validity and reliability of the EMIC-SS as a measure of stigma experienced by people affected by leprosy in Brazil. However, future studies are necessary in other samples and populations with stigmatizing conditions to determine the optimal factor structure and to strengthen the indications of the validated scale.
Global Profiling of Dynamic Alternative Splicing Modulation in Arabidopsis Root upon Ralstonia solanacearum Infection

Alternative splicing (AS) is an important mechanism by which eukaryotes regulate transcription and protein diversity. The dynamic changes in AS that occur on a genome-wide scale during interactions between plant roots and pathogens remain unknown. Here, we used the interaction between Arabidopsis and Ralstonia solanacearum as a model to explore the AS changes that take place during the response of roots to infection by means of high-throughput RNA-sequencing. We showed that dynamic changes in AS occur much earlier than changes at the level of transcription during R. solanacearum infection. Comparing genes that are regulated at the transcriptional and AS levels indicated that there are few common genes between differentially spliced genes (DSGs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The functional gene ontology (GO) analysis identified that the enriched GO terms for the DSGs were different from those of the DEGs. The DSGs were over-represented in GO terms associated with post-transcriptional and translational regulations, suggesting that AS may act on RNA stability and during post-translation, thus affecting the output of plant defense molecules. Meanwhile, changes in DSGs were infection stage-specific. Furthermore, the nucleotide binding domain and leucine-rich repeat proteins and receptor-like kinases, key regulators in plant immunity, were shown to undergo dynamic changes in AS in response to R. solanacearum. Taken together, AS, along with transcription, modulates plant root defense to R. solanacearum through transcriptome reprogramming.
Malware Detection of Hangul Word Processor Files Using Spatial Pyramid Average Pooling

Malware detection of non-executables has recently been drawing much attention because ordinary users are vulnerable to such malware. Hangul Word Processor (HWP) is software for editing non-executable text files and is widely used in South Korea. New malware for HWP files continues to appear because of the circumstances between South Korea and North Korea. There have been various studies to solve this problem, but most of them are limited because they require a large amount of effort to define features based on expert knowledge. In this study, we designed a convolutional neural network to detect malware within HWP files. Our proposed model takes a raw byte stream as input and predicts whether it contains malicious actions or not. To incorporate highly variable lengths of HWP byte streams, we propose a new padding method and a spatial pyramid average pooling layer. We experimentally demonstrate that our model is not only effective, but also efficient.
Microbial Modifications of Androstane and Androstene Steroids by Penicillium vinaceum

The biotransformation of steroid compounds is a promising, environmentally friendly route to new pharmaceuticals and hormones. One of the reaction types common in the metabolic fate of steroids is Baeyer-Villiger oxidation, which in the case of cyclic ketones, such as steroids, leads to lactones. Fungal enzymes catalyzing this reaction, Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs), have been shown to possess broad substrate scope, selectivity, and catalytic performance competitive to chemical oxidation, being far more environmentally green. This study covers the biotransformation of a series of androstane steroids (epiandrosterone and androsterone) and androstene steroids (progesterone, pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, androstenedione, 19-OH-androstenedione, testosterone, and 19-nortestosterone) by the cultures of filamentous fungus Penicillium vinaceum AM110. The transformation was monitored by GC and the resulting products were identified on the basis of chromatographic and spectral data. The investigated fungus carries out effective Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of the substrates. Interestingly, introduction of the 19-OH group into androstenedione skeleton has significant inhibitory effect on the BVMO activity, as the 10-day transformation leaves half of the 19-OH-androstenedione unreacted. The metabolic fate of epiandrosterone and androsterone, the only 5α-saturated substrates among the investigated compounds, is more complicated. The transformation of these two substrates combined with time course monitoring revealed that each substrate is converted into three products, corresponding to oxidation at C-3 and C-17, with different time profiles and yields.
Validity of Items Assessing Self-Reported Number of Breaks in Sitting Time among Children and Adolescents

Background: Sedentary behaviour guidelines recommend that individuals should regularly break up sitting time. Accurately monitoring such breaks is needed to inform guidelines concerning how regularly to break up sitting time and to evaluate intervention effects. We investigated the concurrent validity of three “UP4FUN child questionnaire” items assessing the number of breaks in sitting time among children and adolescents. Methods: Fifty-seven children and adolescents self-reported number of breaks from sitting taken at school, while watching TV, and during other screen time activities. Participants also wore an activPAL monitor (PAL Technologies, Glasgow, UK) to objectively assess the number of sitting time breaks (frequency/hour) during the school period and the school-free period (which was divided in the periods “after school” and “during the evening”). Concurrent validity was assessed using Spearman rank correlations. Results: Self-reported number of breaks/hour at school showed good concurrent validity (ρ = 0.676). Results were moderate to good for self-reported number of breaks/hour while watching TV (ρ range for different periods: 0.482 to 0.536) and moderate for self-reported number of breaks/hour in total screen time (ρ range for different periods: 0.377 to 0.468). Poor concurrent validity was found for self-reported number of breaks/hour during other screen time activities (ρ range for different periods: 0.157 to 0.274). Conclusions: Only the questionnaire items about number of breaks at school and while watching TV appear to be acceptable for further use in research focussing on breaks in prolonged sitting among children and adolescents.