Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of the P300 potential in cognitive impairment assessments after transient ischemic attack or minor stroke

ABSTRACT Background The aims of this study were to determine the relationships between changes inlatency and amplitude of the P300 event-related potential component and cognitive impairmentsin patients after a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or a minor stroke and to assess thesuitability of the P300 for screening for cognitive impairments. Material and Method Sixty-five TIA or minor stroke patients diagnosed at the NeurologyDepartment of Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University from June 2015 toDecember 2016 and 30 healthy people evaluated in the same period were included. Allpatients were examing neuropsychological scales and event-related potentials within7 ± 3 days of onset of the disease. The TIA/minor stroke group was divided into normal cognition group(NC) and cognitive impairment group. The cognitive impairment group was further divided into vascular cognitive impairment with no dementia(VCIND) group and vascular dementia (VD) group to analyze the relationship between P300 latency. Results The P300 latency at each recording electrode was longer in the NC and VCIND groups than healthy control group (P < 0.001), the P300 latency of VCIND group longer than NC group (P < 0.001). When the P300-Fz latency cut-off value was 358.6 ms,the sensitivity for diagnosing cognitive impairment in patients after TIA/minor stroke was 0.875 and the specificity was 0.765. Conclusions The P300 latency delay can be used to detect cognitive impairments in patients after TIA/minor stroke and the P300-Fz latency is more sensitive for diagnosing cognitiveimpairments in TIA/minor stroke patients.
Image Contrast, Image Pre-Processing, and T1 Mapping Affect MRI Radiomic Feature Repeatability in Patients with Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases

Simple Summary Medical images are data. They contain more information than is routinely identified by radiologists reading scans. Many scientists are investigating if extracting shape and grey-scale features from images can predict which oncology patients will respond to therapy. This approach, termed ‘radiomics’, must be validated before being ready for clinical use. One step is to determine measurement repeatability to ensure that radiomic features are robust, and that changes in features reflect genuine changes in tumours. In this study patients had two repeated sets of magnetic resonance imaging scans. We found that radiomic feature repeatability varied depending on scan acquisition parameters and the use of an administered contrast agent. We also compared how different repeatability assessment methods can best reveal these findings. We conclude that measuring radiomic feature repeatability is essential, but is also complex and prone to pitfalls. Overall, our study provides several insights into how radiomic feature repeatability is best assessed. Abstract Imaging biomarkers require technical, biological, and clinical validation to be translated into robust tools in research or clinical settings. This study contributes to the technical validation of radiomic features from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by evaluating the repeatability of features from four MR sequences: pre-contrast T1- and T2-weighted images, pre-contrast quantitative T1 maps (qT1), and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. Fifty-one patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases were scanned twice, up to 7 days apart. Repeatability was quantified using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and repeatability coefficient (RC), and the impact of non-Gaussian feature distributions and image normalisation was evaluated. Most radiomic features had non-Gaussian distributions, but Box–Cox transformations enabled ICCs and RCs to be calculated appropriately for an average of 97% of features across sequences. ICCs ranged from 0.30 to 0.99, with volume and other shape features tending to be most repeatable; volume ICC > 0.98 for all sequences. 19% of features from non-normalised images exhibited significantly different ICCs in pair-wise sequence comparisons. Normalisation tended to increase ICCs for pre-contrast T1- and T2-weighted images, and decrease ICCs for qT1 maps. RCs tended to vary more between sequences than ICCs, showing that evaluations of feature performance depend on the chosen metric. This work suggests that feature-specific repeatability, from specific combinations of MR sequence and pre-processing steps, should be evaluated to select robust radiomic features as biomarkers in specific studies. In addition, as different repeatability metrics can provide different insights into a specific feature, consideration of the appropriate metric should be taken in a study-specific context.
Self-Consistent-Field Theory of Viscoelastic Behavior of Inhomogeneous Dense Polymer Systems

By combining the self-consistent-field (SCF) model and a reptation model, we propose a unified molecular model to explicitly account for dynamics of chain conformation in studying fast polymeric fluid flows in which the polymer chains can be severely stretched and the fluid can even become inhomogeneous. In the governing equations of the unified model, we directly couple the probability distribution function P(u;s,r) of the tangent vector u ≡ dR(s)/ds at the sth segment at position r, with the statistical weight, Q(s,r;s‘,r‘), of the subchain between sth and s‘th segments at the positions of r and r‘, respectively. The polymeric stress responses under flow condition can be readily calculated from the second moment of P(u;s,r), A(s,r) ≡ 〈uu〉 ≡ ∫uuP(u;s,r) du. The model was first validated in homogeneous simple shear flow. The quantitative agreements between the polymeric stresses evaluated by this novel method and the results of the reptation theory have been found. The model was then tested in a case stud.
The Sertoli cell expressed gene secernin‐1 (Scrn1) is dispensable for male fertility in the mouse

Male infertility is a prevalent clinical presentation for which there is likely a strong genetic component due to the thousands of genes required for spermatogenesis. Within this study we investigated the role of the gene Scrn1 in male fertility. Scrn1 is preferentially expressed in XY gonads during the period of sex determination and in adult Sertoli cells based on single cell RNA sequencing. We investigated the expression of Scrn1 in juvenile and adult tissues and generated a knockout mouse model to test its role in male fertility.
Synthesis and adsorption properties of gold nanoparticles within pores of surface-functional porous polymer microspheres

Mesoporous polymer microspheres with gold (Au) nanoparticles inside their pores were prepared considering their surface functionality and porosity. The Au/polymer composite microspheres prepared were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) techniques. The results showed that the adsorption of Au nanoparticles could be increased by imparting the pore structure and surface-functional groups into the supporting polymer microspheres (in this study, poly (ethylene glycol dimethacrylate-co-acrylonitrile) and poly (EGDMA-co-AN) system). Above all, from this study, it was established that the porosity of the polymer microspheres is the most important factor that determines the distribution and adsorption amount of face-centered cubic (fcc) Au nanoparticles in the final products. Our study showed that the continuous adsorption of Au nanoparticles with the aid of the large surface area and surface interaction sites formed more favorably the Au/polymer composite microspheres. The BET measurements of Au/poly(EGDMA-co-AN) composite microspheres reveals that the adsorption of Au nanoparticles into the pores kept the pore structure intact and made it more porous. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5627–5635, 2004
Preparation and chemistry of the artificial algal culture medium aquil

AbstractThe culture medium Aquil has been designed for studying trace metal physiology in algae. We describe recent modifications in the preparation of Aquil and discuss processes that affect its trace metals and their physiological effects. The major changes in Aquil preparation are purification of the Chelex column to avoid contamination by chelating agents, use of alternative sterilization procedures, and increases in the concentration of trace metal buffers. During growth, phytoplankton take up trace metals, thus continuously reducing their concentrations in the medium. Algae can also modify the redox state and degree of organic complexation of trace metals through the direct and indirect activity of cell surface enzymes and the release of metabolites. Illumination of the culture medium necessary to promote photosynthesis also promotes a variety of photochemical reactions that alter the chemistry of the medium and maintain it in a state of disequilibrium. In particular, light absorption by FeEDTA lead.
D-galacturonic acid ameliorates the intestinal mucosal permeability and inflammation of functional dyspepsia in rats.

BACKGROUND Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a gastrointestinal disease caused by imbalanced gastrointestinal function. Traditional treatments are deemed to be limited, and new therapeutic drugs are required. New study suggested that duodenal low-grade inflammation and increased intestinal permeability play an important role in the pathogenesis of FD. Previous studies have shown that polysaccharides containing D-galacturonic acid (GA) could modulate intestinal immune activity in vitro and in animal models. However, the ability of GA monomer to improve intestinal mucosal permeability and inflammation in FD has not been clearly elucidated. METHODS A FD rat model was established using iodoacetamide (IA). FD Rats were administrated different doses of GA. Subsequently, the body weight and behavioral sensitivity of the rats were measured and evaluated; the permeability of the intestinal barrier was measured by determining D-lactose, lactulose/ mannitol ratio (LMR), and permeability-related genes [desmocollin-2 (DSC2), TJP1, and OCLN] in FD rats. Also, inflammatory cells [cluster of differentiation (CD)3+ cells and mast cells] were assessed by immunohistochemistry, and the levels of immune-related factors, such as the Toll-like receptor-nuclear factor kappa B (TLR/NF-κB) pathway, were monitored by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) or western blot assays. RESULTS Our results suggested that GA could markedly increase the body weight and attenuate the behavioral sensitivity of FD rats. Moreover, GA also has an obvious ameliorating effect on the intestinal mucosal permeability and inflammatory response of FD rats. Furthermore, we found that GA could markedly downregulate TLR2, TLR4, and NF-κB in FD rats. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that GA could significantly attenuate the intestinal mucosal permeability and inflammation FD rats. The effect of GA was partially mediated by the TLR/NF-κB signaling pathway.
Internal and External Training Load in Under-19 versus Professional Soccer Players during the In-Season Period

This study aimed to compare the training load of a professional under-19 soccer team (U-19) to that of an elite adult team (EAT), from the same club, during the in-season period. Thirty-nine healthy soccer players were involved (EAT [n = 20]; U-19 [n = 19]) in the study which spanned four weeks. Training load (TL) was monitored as external TL, using a global positioning system (GPS), and internal TL, using a rating of perceived exertion (RPE). TL data were recorded after each training session. During soccer matches, players’ RPEs were recorded. The internal TL was quantified daily by means of the session rating of perceived exertion (session-RPE) using Borg’s 0–10 scale. For GPS data, the selected running speed intensities (over 0.5 s time intervals) were 12–15.9 km/h; 16–19.9 km/h; 20–24.9 km/h; >25 km/h (sprint). Distances covered between 16 and 19.9 km/h, > 20 km/h and >25 km/h were significantly higher in U-19 compared to EAT over the course of the study (p = 0.023, d = 0.243, small; p = 0.016, d = 0.298, small; and p = 0.001, d = 0.564, small, respectively). EAT players performed significantly fewer sprints per week compared to U-19 players (p = 0.002, d = 0.526, small). RPE was significantly higher in U-19 compared to EAT (p = 0.001, d = 0.188, trivial). The external and internal measures of TL were significantly higher in the U-19 group compared to the EAT soccer players. In conclusion, the results obtained show that the training load is greater in U19 compared to EAT.
Classification of Salivary Gland Tumors Based on Quantitative Optical Coherence Tomography

Visual inspection is the primary diagnostic method for oral diseases, and its accuracy of diagnosis mainly depends on surgeons’ experience. Histological examination is still the golden standard, but it is invasive and time‐consuming. In order to address these issues, as a noninvasive imaging technique, optical coherence tomography (OCT) can differentiate oral tissue with advantages of real‐time, in situ, and high resolution. The aim of this study is to explore optimal quantitative parameters in OCT images to distinguish different salivary gland tumors.
HbxB Is a Key Regulator for Stress Response and β-Glucan Biogenesis in Aspergillus nidulans

Homeobox transcription factors are conserved in eukaryotes and act as multi-functional transcription factors in filamentous fungi. Previously, it was demonstrated that HbxB governs fungal development and spore viability in Aspergillus nidulans. Here, the role of HbxB in A. nidulans was further characterized. RNA-sequencing revealed that HbxB affects the transcriptomic levels of genes associated with trehalose biosynthesis and response to thermal, oxidative, and radiation stresses in asexual spores called conidia. A phenotypic analysis found that hbxB deletion mutant conidia were more sensitive to ultraviolet stress. The loss of hbxB increased the mRNA expression of genes associated with β-glucan degradation and decreased the amount of β-glucan in conidia. In addition, hbxB deletion affected the expression of the sterigmatocystin gene cluster and the amount of sterigmatocystin. Overall, these results indicated that HbxB is a key transcription factor regulating trehalose biosynthesis, stress tolerance, β-glucan degradation, and sterigmatocystin production in A. nidulans conidia.
Role of carbon in GaN

GaN samples, containing various concentrations of carbon and doped intentionally with silicon, have been grown heteroepitaxially on sapphire using metal–organic chemical-vapor deposition. These samples have been characterized by a variety of electrical and optical techniques, and the resulting experimental data are compared to density-functional-theory calculations of the formation energies and electronic states of substitutional and interstitial carbon in hexagonal GaN. We find that in samples where the silicon concentration exceeds that of carbon, carbon sits in the N substitutional site, acting as an acceptor and partially compensating the material. However, when carbon densities exceed those for Si, GaN becomes semi-insulating due to carbon occupation of both N and Ga substitutional lattice sites, and a new luminescence peak appears at ∼3 eV. Calculated formation energies of carbon in both sites are strong functions of both the Fermi level and growth stoichiometry. The former dependence gives rise to .
AEG-1 Regulates TWIK-1 Expression as an RNA-Binding Protein in Astrocytes

AEG-1, also called MTDH, has oncogenic potential in numerous cancers and is considered a multifunctional modulator because of its involvement in developmental processes and inflammatory and degenerative brain diseases. However, the role of AEG-1 in astrocytes remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate proteins directly regulated by AEG-1 by analyzing their RNA expression patterns in astrocytes transfected with scramble shRNA and AEG-1 shRNA. AEG-1 knockdown down-regulated TWIK-1 mRNA. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and immunocytochemistry assays confirmed that AEG-1 modulates TWIK-1 mRNA and protein expression. Electrophysiological experiments further revealed that AEG-1 further regulates TWIK-1-mediated potassium currents in normal astrocytes. An RNA immunoprecipitation assay to determine how AEG-1 regulates the expression of TWIK-1 revealed that AEG-1 binds directly to TWIK-1 mRNA. Furthermore, TWIK-1 mRNA stability was significantly increased upon overexpression of AEG-1 in cultured astrocytes (p < 0.01). Our findings show that AEG-1 serves as an RNA-binding protein to regulate TWIK-1 expression in normal astrocytes.
Self-compassion mediates the perfectionism and depression link on Chinese undergraduates.

BACKGROUND The prevalence of depression among Chinese college students tends to be higher in recent years, which has caused a series of negative effects in their lives. One of the factors is perfectionism, and few researches have been conducted to examine the role of self-compassion in perfectionism and depression link. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationships between perfectionism, self-compassion, and depression in the context of Chinese undergraduates. METHODS The anonymous self-reported questionnaires including three scales on perfectionism, selfcompassion, and depression were utilized in the study. A total of 540 undergraduates were recruited from three universities in Nanjing and Xi'an by using convenient cluster sampling and were required to complete the questionnaires. Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the correlation between variables. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the predictive effects of perfectionism and selfcompassion on depression. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the mediating effect of self-compassion. RESULTS Regression analyses demonstrated that the maladaptive perfectionism was positively associated with depression, while adaptive perfectionism and self-compassion were negatively associated with depression. The mediation tests showed that the self-compassion partially mediated the relationship between the two types of perfectionism and depression. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed the mediating effect of self-compassion in the relation between perfectionism and depression in Chinese undergraduates. Self-compassion is likely to be an effective psychological intervention method to relieve the depressive symptoms in college students, and further study is needed to verify this possibility.
Understanding Alcohol and Marijuana Use among Sexual Minority Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study

ABSTRACT Sexual minority women (SMW; e.g., lesbian, bisexual, queer) are at increased risk for heavy/hazardous drinking and marijuana use, which may be exacerbated by stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to mitigate its spread (e.g., sheltering at home). To explore their experiences and perceptions of alcohol and marijuana use in the context of COVID-19, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of 16 SMW from a longitudinal study who previously reported being at least moderate drinkers to explore their experiences and perceptions of alcohol and marijuana use during the pandemic. We used descriptive phenomenological analysis to explore data from the interviews. Participants described how their alcohol/marijuana use intersected with the complex and changing context of the pandemic, revealing four themes: 1) losing and creating routine; 2) seeking recreation and relief; 3) connecting, reconnecting, and disconnecting; and 4) monitoring alcohol and marijuana use boundaries. Findings highlight the importance of fostering community supports and possible interventions informed by the experiences of SMW.
User Recommendation for Data Sharing in Social Internet of Things

As various types of data are generated on the social Internet of things (SIoT), which combine the Internet of things (IoT) and social networks, the relations of IoT devices should be established for necessary data exchange. In this paper, we propose a user recommendation scheme that facilitates data sharing through an analysis of an interaction between an IoT device and a user in the SIoT. An interrelation between a user and an IoT device as well as an interrelation between users exist simultaneously in the SIoT. Hence, the interaction between users must be analyzed to identify the interest keywords, and the interaction between IoT devices and users to determine the user’s preference of IoT device. Moreover, the proposed scheme calculates the similarity between users based on the IoT device preference based on IoT device usage frequency and interest keywords, which are identified through an analysis between the user and IoT device and that between users. Subsequently, it recommends top-N users who have a high similarity as the users for data sharing. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed scheme is verified through performance evaluation based on the precision, recall, and F-measure.
Automated Extraction of Skin Wound Healing Biomarkers From In Vivo Label‐Free Multiphoton Microscopy Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Histological analysis is a gold standard technique for studying impaired skin wound healing. Label‐free multiphoton microscopy (MPM) can provide natural image contrast similar to histological sections and quantitative metabolic information using NADH and FAD autofluorescence. However, MPM analysis requires time‐intensive manual segmentation of specific wound tissue regions limiting the practicality and usage of the technology for monitoring wounds. The goal of this study was to train a series of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to segment MPM images of skin wounds to automate image processing and quantification of wound geometry and metabolism.
Preparation of [61Cu]pyruvaldehyde-bis (N4-methylthiosemicarbazone) complex as a possible PET radiopharmaceutical

Summary Copper-61 (T1/2= 3.33 h) produced via the natZn(p,x) 61Cu nuclear reaction using natural zinc target, was separated from the irradiated target material by a two-step method developed in our laboratory and was used for the preparation of [61Cu]-pyruvaldehyde- bis (N4-methylthiosemicarbazone) ([61Cu]-PTSM) using an in house-made PTSM ligand. An electroplated natural zinc layer on a gold-coated copper backing (zinc and gold layer thicknesses were 80 and 50 μm respectively) was irradiated with 22 MeV; protons (22−12 MeV; on the target). 61Cu was separated by a two-step chromatography method using a cation and an anion exchange column which gave satisfactory results. After 180 μA irradiation of the target for 3.2 hours, about 6.006 Ci of 61Cu2+ was obtained with a radiochemical separation yield of more than 95% and a radionuclidic purity of more than 99% (60Cu as impurity). Colorimetric methods showed that traces of chemical impurities in the product were below the accepted limits. The solution of [61Cu]-PTSM was prepared with a radiochemical yield of higher than 80%, radiochemical purity of better than 98% and specific activity of about 246 Ci/mmol.
Leachability and Thermal Properties of Ceramic Solid Forms Immobilizing Cesium and/or Strontium

Solid forms immobilizing nuclides were prepared from Cs-mordenite and Sr-A zeolite by calcination at 1,200 °C for 1 h. Cesium and strontium were fixed in the crystal phases of pollucite (CsAlSi2O6) and Sr-feldspar (SrAl2Si2O8), respectively. The leachability of Cs and Sr was rather high in 0.1 M HNO3 leachant, while the leached percentage was lowered in 0.1 M NaOH, 0.1 M NaCl and deionized water. The recrystallized phases formed on the surface after leaching in 0.1 M NaOH resulted in the lowering of the leachability of Cs and Sr. The thermal conductivities (κ) of solid forms of Cs-MOR, Sr-A, (Cs,Sr)-A and Al-matrix (calcined Cs-mordenite dispersed in Al metal matrix) were determined to be 0.83-1.00, 0.550. 64, 0.83-1.01 and 47 W/(m·K), respectively. The central temperature of solid forms with the same diameter was in the order of Sr-A > Cs-MOR > Al-matrix.