Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of extracellular vesicles in plasma and urine of prostate cancer patients by flow cytometry and surface plasmon resonance imaging

Large (> 1 μm) tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (tdEVs) enriched from the cell fraction of centrifuged whole blood are prognostic in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients. However, the highest concentration of tdEVs is expected in the cell-free plasma fraction. In this pilot study, we determine whether mCRPC patients can be discriminated from healthy controls based on detection of tdEVs (< 1μm, EpCAM+) and/or other EVs, in cell-free plasma and/or urine. The presence of marker+ EVs in plasma and urine samples from mCRPC patients (n = 5) and healthy controls (n = 5) was determined by flow cytometry (FCM) and surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) using an antibody panel and lactadherin. For FCM, the concentrations of marker positive (+) particles and EVs (refractive index <1.42) were determined. Only the lactadherin+ particle and EV concentration in plasma measured by FCM differed significantly between patients and controls (p = 0.017). All other markers did not result in signals exceeding the background on both FCM and SPRi, or did not differ significantly between patients and controls. In conclusion, no difference was found between patients and controls based on the detection of tdEVs. For FCM, the measured sample volumes are too small to detect tdEVs. For SPRi, the concentration of tdEVs is probably too low to be detected. Thus, to detect tdEVs in cell-free plasma and/or urine, EV enrichment and/or concentration is required. Furthermore, we recommend testing other markers and/or a combination of markers to discriminate mCRPC patients from healthy controls.
Loss of CPAP in developing mouse brain and its functional implication for human primary microcephaly

ABSTRACT Primary microcephaly (MCPH) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by small brain size with mental retardation. CPAP (also known as CENPJ), a known microcephaly-associated gene, plays a key role in centriole biogenesis. Here, we generated a previously unreported conditional knockout allele in the mouse Cpap gene. Our results showed that conditional Cpap deletion in the central nervous system preferentially induces formation of monopolar spindles in radial glia progenitors (RGPs) at around embryonic day 14.5 and causes robust apoptosis that severely disrupts embryonic brains. Interestingly, microcephalic brains with reduced apoptosis are detected in conditional Cpap gene-deleted mice that lose only one allele of p53 (also known as Trp53), while simultaneous removal of p53 and Cpap rescues RGP death. Furthermore, Cpap deletion leads to cilia loss, RGP mislocalization, junctional integrity disruption, massive heterotopia and severe cerebellar hypoplasia. Together, these findings indicate that complete CPAP loss leads to severe and complex phenotypes in developing mouse brain, and provide new insights into the causes of MCPH. Summary: Deletion of microcephaly-associated gene Cpap (or Cenpj), leads to cilia loss, neuroprogenitor mislocalization, junctional integrity disruption, massive heterotopia and severe cerebellar hypoplasia in developing mouse brain.
GLAST‐CreERT2 mediated deletion of GDNF increases brain damage and exacerbates long‐term stroke outcomes after focal ischemic stroke in mouse model

Focal ischemic stroke (FIS) is a leading cause of human death. Glial scar formation largely caused by reactive astrogliosis in peri‐infarct region (PIR) is the hallmark of FIS. Glial cell‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) was originally isolated from a rat glioma cell‐line supernatant and is a potent survival neurotrophic factor. Here, using CreERT2–LoxP recombination technology, we generated inducible and astrocyte‐specific GDNF conditional knockout (cKO), that is, GLAST‐GDNF−/− cKO mice to investigate the effect of reactive astrocytes (RAs)‐derived GDNF on neuronal death, brain damage, oxidative stress and motor function recovery after photothrombosis (PT)‐induced FIS. Under non‐ischemic conditions, we found that adult GLAST‐GDNF−/− cKO mice exhibited significant lower numbers of Brdu+, Ki67+ cells, and DCX+ cells in the dentate gyrus (DG) in hippocampus than GDNF floxed (GDNFf/f) control (Ctrl) mice, indicating endogenous astrocytic GDNF can promote adult neurogenesis. Under ischemic conditions, GLAST‐GDNF−/− cKO mice had a significant increase in infarct volume, hippocampal damage and FJB+ degenerating neurons after PT as compared with the Ctrl mice. GLAST‐GDNF−/− cKO mice also had lower densities of Brdu+ and Ki67+ cells in the PIR and exhibited larger behavioral deficits than the Ctrl mice. Mechanistically, GDNF deficiency in astrocytes increased oxidative stress through the downregulation of glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in RAs. In summary, our study indicates that RAs‐derived endogenous GDNF plays important roles in reducing brain damage and promoting brain recovery after FIS through neural regeneration and suggests that promoting anti‐oxidant mechanism in RAs is a potential strategy in stroke therapy.
Secondary analysis of case‐control association studies: Insights on weighting‐based inference motivate a new specification test

Case‐control sampling is frequently used in genetic association studies to examine the relationship between disease and genetic exposures. Such designs usually collect extensive information on phenotypes beyond the primary disease, whose associations with the genetic exposures are also of great interest. Because the cases are over‐sampled, appropriate analysis of secondary phenotypes should take into account this biased sampling design. We previously introduced a weighting‐based estimator for appropriate secondary analysis, but have not thoroughly explored its statistical properties. In this article, we revisit our previous estimator to offer new insights and methodological extensions. Specifically, we extend our previous estimator and construct its more general form based on generalized least squares (GLS). Such an extension allows us to connect the GLS estimator with the generalized method of moments and motivates a new specification test designed to assess the adequacy of the disease model or the weights. The specification test statistic measures the weighted discrepancy between the case and control subsample estimators, and asymptotically follows a central Chi‐squared distribution under correct disease model specification. We illustrate the GLS estimator and specification test using a case‐control sample of peripheral arterial disease, and use simulations to further shed light on the operating characteristics of the specification test.
Effective binarization for historically degraded as-built drawing maps using convolutional neural networks

Binarizing historically degraded as-built drawing (HDAD) maps is a challenging job, especially in removing noise, yellowing areas, and folded lines while preserving the foreground components. This paper first proposes a convolutional neural networks-based (CNN-based) color classifier to determine the dominant color class of each HDAD block. Then, a dominant color driven- and CNN-based binarization method is proposed, producing a high-quality binarized HDAD map. Based on real HDAD dataset, the thorough experiments have been carried out to show that in terms of F-measure and perceptual effect, our binarization method substantially outperforms existing state-of-the art binarization methods.
Fatigue in children and adolescents with immune thrombocytopenia

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), an acquired autoimmune disorder of low platelets and risk of bleeding, has a substantial impact on health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). Patients with ITP often report significant fatigue, although the pathophysiology of this is poorly understood. In this observational cohort of 120 children receiving second‐line therapies for ITP, we assessed reports of fatigue using the Hockenberry Fatigue Scale. Children and adolescents with ITP reported a similarly high level of fatigue with 54% (29/54) of children and 62% (26/42) of adolescents reporting moderate‐to‐severe fatigue. There was no correlation between fatigue and age or gender. Adolescents with newly diagnosed and persistent ITP had higher mean fatigue scores than those with chronic ITP (P = 0·03). Fatigue significantly improved in children and adolescents by 1 month after starting second‐line treatments, and this improvement continued to be present at 12 months after starting treatment. Fatigue scores at all time‐points correlated with general HRQoL using the Kids ITP Tool, but did not correlate with bleeding symptoms, platelet count, or platelet response to treatment. Fatigue is common in children and adolescents with ITP and may benefit from ITP‐directed treatment even in the absence of bleeding symptoms.
Changes in knee adduction moment wearing a variable‐stiffness shoe correlate with changes in pain and mechanically stimulated cartilage oligomeric matrix levels

This study aimed to determine if changes in knee adduction moment (KAM) after 6 months of variable‐stiffness shoe wear are associated with changes in symptoms or serum levels of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) following a mechanical stimulus in subjects with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA). Twenty‐five subjects were enrolled in the study and assigned a variable‐stiffness shoe, and 19 subjects completed the 6‐month follow‐up. At baseline and follow‐up subjects underwent gait analysis in control and variable‐stiffness shoes, completed Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) questionnaires, and serum COMP concentrations were measured immediately before, 3.5 and 5.5 hours after a 30‐minute walking activity. Relationships between changes in KAM (first peak and impulse) and changes in (a) COMP levels in response to the 30‐minute walking activity and (b) WOMAC scores from baseline to 6‐month follow‐up were assessed by Pearson correlation coefficients. Changes in first peak KAM were associated with changes in COMP levels 5.5 hours postactivity from baseline to follow‐up (R = .564, P = .045). Subjects with greater reductions in KAM had larger decreases in COMP (expressed as a percent of preactivity levels) at follow‐up. Subjects with greater reductions in KAM impulse had significantly greater improvements in WOMAC Pain (R = −.56, P = .015) and Function (R = −.52, P = .028) scores at follow‐up. The study results demonstrated the magnitude of reduction in the KAM wearing a variable‐stiffness shoe is associated with decreases in mechanically stimulated COMP levels and pain/function. This work suggests that interactions between COMP and joint loading during walking should be further investigated in future studies of treatment outcomes in OA.
The influence of climate on the spatial patterning of Neotropical plant families

Aim Climate is recognized for the significant role it plays in the global distribution of plant species diversity. We test the extent to which two aspects of climate, namely temperature and precipitation, explain the spatial distribution of high taxonomic groupings (plant families) at a regional spatial resolution (the Neotropics). Our goal is to provide a quantitative and comparative framework for identifying the local effects of climate on the familial composition of tropical forests by identifying the influence of climate on the number of individuals and the number of species within a given family.
Application Lifecycle Management for Industrial IoT Devices in Smart Grid Use Cases

: Complex cyber-physical systems like the Smart Grid, in which Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology is used, require advanced software maintenance mechanisms to remain dependable and secure. In this paper, requirements and tasks for an application lifecycle management for IIoT use cases, with special focus on the domains of Smart Grid and Smart Buildings, are deﬁned and state-of-the-art software deployment processes from IoT use cases are evaluated for usage in those domains. As there is no suitable framework, an approach for the deployment of OSGi components is described. On top of such software deployment tools, a knowledge-based software management framework that utilizes domain speciﬁc knowledge to create and execute software rollout plans will be presented. Thus, dependencies can be managed on device, system and domain level.
In vitro and in vivo mycotoxin production of Fusarium species isolated from Finnish grains

Abstract The capabilities of seven Finnish Fusarium species to produce mycotoxins under controlled laboratory (in vitro) conditions as well as on barley and wheat in the field (in vivo) were studied using mass spectrometric methods. In addition, the contaminating Fusarium species of the in vivo samples were identified and quantified with morphological and real-time polymerase chain reaction techniques. All investigated isolates (representing the species F. avenaceum, F. arthrosporioides, F. tricinctum, F. poae, F. culmorum, F. graminearum and F. sporotrichioides) produced mycotoxins on rice cultures and their production capabilities were generally in accordance with the available literature. The main mycotoxins produced were deoxynivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol and zearalenone by F. culmorum and F. graminearum, beauvericin, diacetoxyscirpenol and HT-2/T-2 – toxins by F. sporotrichioides, beauvericin, enniatins, fusarenon-X, diacetoxyscirpenol and nivalenol by F. poae and enniatins and moniliformin by F. avenaceum/F. arthrosporioides and F. tricinctum. Most mycotoxins that were produced in vitro were also produced in vivo when concerning F. culmorum, F. graminearum and F. avenaceum. Statistical significance was recorded between the production of mycotoxins in vitro and in vivo for HT-2 and T-2 toxins in barley and for deoxynivalenol and T-2 toxin in wheat.
Nontechnical Losses Detection Through Coordinated BiWGAN and SVDD

Nontechnical losses (NTLs) are estimated to be considerable and increasing every year. Recently, high-resolution measurements from globally laid smart meters have brought deeper insights on users’ consumption patterns that can be exploited potentially by NTL detection. However, consumption-pattern-based NTL detection is now facing two major challenges: the inefficiency of harnessing high dimensionality and the severe lack of fraudulent samples. To overcome them, an NTL detection model based on deep learning and anomaly detection is proposed in this article, namely bidirectional Wasserstein GAN and support vector data description-based NTL detector (BSBND). Motivated by the powerful ability of generative adversarial networks (GANs) to learn deep representation from high-dimensional distributions of data, in the BSBND, we utilized a BiWGAN for feature extraction from high-dimensional raw consumption records, and a one-class classifier trained only on benign samples—SVDD—is adopted to map features into judgments. Moreover, a novel alternate coordinating algorithm is proposed to optimize the cooperation between the upstream BiWGAN and the downstream SVDD, and also, an interpreting algorithm is proposed to visualize the basis of each fraudulent judgment. Case studies have demonstrated the superiority of the BSBND over the state of the arts, the powerful feature extraction ability of BiWGAN, and also the effectiveness of the proposed coordinating and interpreting algorithms.
Caring for gender diverse children and adolescents in Italy: A mixed-method investigation of clinicians’ knowledge and approach to clinical practice

Introduction: In today’s Italy, gender diversity has assumed a remarkable resonance and visibility in both scientific and popular literature, which has facilitated the development of studies regarding treatments and support for children and adolescents with gender-related issues. Aim: the aim of this study was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of how Italian clinicians (psychologists and pediatricians) perceive gender variant children and adolescents, evaluating their approach to clinical practice. Methods: An online questionnaire directed to clinicians regarding their experience with, and perceptions of, gender variant children and adolescents was used for the first part of the research. In the second part of this study, Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) methodology was applied to semi-structured interviews aimed at investigating clinicians’ approach to clinical practice. Results: Professionals reported 374 cases, including 200 children (aged 2–11 years) and 174 adolescents (aged 12–19 years); a total of 10 interviews were conducted with professionals. Conclusion: This study highlights the increase of gender variant children and adolescents seen by professionals, but also the poor awareness of Italian professionals about gender diversity and their care, as well as an absence of a network model of intervention.
Relationship Between Age and Weight Loss in Noom: Quasi-Experimental Study

Background The prevalence of obesity and diabetes among middle-aged and older adults is on the rise, and with an increase in the world population of adults aged 60 years and older, the demand for health interventions across age groups is growing. Noom is an mHealth behavior change lifestyle intervention that provides users with tracking features for food and exercise logging and weighing-in as well as access to a virtual 1:1 behavior change coach, support group, and daily curriculum that includes diet-, exercise-, and psychology-based content. Limited research has observed the effect of age on a mobile health (mHealth) lifestyle intervention. Objective The goal of the research was to analyze engagement of middle-aged and older adults using a mobile lifestyle or diabetes prevention intervention. Methods A total of 14,767 adults (aged 35 to 85 years) received one of two curricula via an mHealth intervention in a quasi-experimental study: the Healthy Weight program (HW) by Noom (84%) or the Noom-developed Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), recognized by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The main outcome measure was weight over time, observed at baseline and weeks 16 and 52. Results Linear mixed modeling found age to be a significant predictor of weight at week 16 (F2,1398.4=9.20; P<.001; baseline vs week 16: β=–.12, 95% CI –0.18 to –0.07), suggesting that as age increases by 1 year, weight decreased by 0.12 kg. An interaction between engagement and age was also found at week 52 (F1,14680.51=6.70; P=.01) such that engagement was more strongly associated with weight for younger versus older adults (age × engagement: β=.02, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.04). HW users lost 6.24 (SD 6.73) kg or 5.2% of their body weight and DPP users lost 5.66 (SD 7.16) kg or 8.1% of their body weight at week 52, meeting the CDC standards for weight loss effects on health. Conclusions Age and engagement are significant predictors of weight. Older adults lost more weight using an mHealth evidence-based lifestyle intervention compared with younger adults, despite their engagement. These preliminary findings suggest further clinical implications for adapting the program to older adults’ needs.
The Long and Short of It: The Emerging Roles of Non-Coding RNA in Small Extracellular Vesicles

Small extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a significant role in intercellular communication through their non-coding RNA (ncRNA) cargo. While the initial examination of EV cargo identified both mRNA and miRNA, later studies revealed a wealth of other types of EV-related non-randomly packed ncRNAs, including tRNA and tRNA fragments, Y RNA, piRNA, rRNA, and lncRNA. A number of potential roles for these ncRNA species were suggested, with strong evidence provided in some cases, whereas the role for other ncRNA is more speculative. For example, long non-coding RNA might be used as a potential diagnostic tool but might also mediate resistance to certain cancer-specific chemotherapy agents. piRNAs, on the other hand, have a significant role in genome integrity, however, no role has yet been defined for the piRNAs found in EVs. While our knowledgebase for the function of ncRNA-containing EVs is still modest, the potential role that these EV-ensconced ncRNA might play is promising. This review summarizes the ncRNA content of EVs and describes the function where known, or the potential utility of EVs that harbor specific types of ncRNA.
Evidence from traditional and new technologies for northward migrations of Australian plague locusts (Chortoicetes terminifera) (Walker) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) to western Queensland

The development of recent infestations of the Australian plague locust (Chortoicetes terminifera) (Walker) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) has been traced using traditional survey data combined with information from several modern technologies including simulation of windborne transport trajectories, direct observation with entomological radar and satellite imagery. The results indicate that migration from spring generations in the southern and eastern parts of the species range, including agricultural areas, to the summer rainfall areas in arid western Queensland (Qld) has contributed to the development of infestations on several occasions. Migration from swarm populations in New South Wales to western Qld in November and December 1999 contributed to a rapid population increase that, over a sequence of generations, led to the major infestation of agricultural areas in March and April 2000. There is evidence that northward migrations also occurred in 1995, 1997 and 2000. These contributed to the early summer populations in Qld, but did not result in large migrations to the south in autumn. These observations suggest that a pattern of exchange migration across much of the geographical range of the species between regions of winter and summer rainfall characterizes the spatial dynamics of this species. This pattern appears to be adaptive and suggests migration in C. terminifera is sustained by contemporary natural selection.
Metabolism of Lactobacillus sakei Chr82 in the Presence of Different Amounts of Fermentable Sugars

Lactobacillus sakei is widely used as a starter culture in fermented sausages since it is well adapted to meat environments and able to maintain high viability thanks to secondary pathways activated when hexoses are depleted (i.e., metabolism of pentoses and amino acids). In this study, a commercial strain of L. sakei was inoculated in a defined medium with ribose or glucose as the carbon source, at optimal or reduced concentrations, to evaluate its different physiological and metabolic responses in relation to different growth conditions. The results obtained with different approaches (HPLC, 1H-NMR, flow cytometry) evidenced different growth performances, amino acid consumptions and physiological states of cells in relation to the carbon source as an active response to harsh conditions. As expected, higher concentrations of sugars induced higher growth performances and the accumulation of organic acids. The low sugars amount induced the presence of dead cells, while injured cells increased with ribose. Arginine was the main amino acid depleted, especially in the presence of higher ribose, and resulted in the production of ornithine. Moreover, the 1H-NMR analysis evidenced a higher consumption of serine at the optimal sugars concentration (pyruvate production). This information can be helpful to optimize the use of these species in the industrial production of fermented sausages.