Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predicting Subjective Recovery from Lower Limb Surgery Using Consumer Wearables

Introduction: A major challenge in the monitoring of rehabilitation is the lack of long-term individual baseline data which would enable accurate and objective assessment of functional recovery. Consumer-grade wearable devices enable the tracking of individual everyday functioning prior to illness or other medical events which necessitate the monitoring of recovery trajectories. Methods: For 1,324 individuals who underwent surgery on a lower limb, we collected their Fitbit device data of steps, heart rate, and sleep from 26 weeks before to 26 weeks after the self-reported surgery date. We identified subgroups of individuals who self-reported surgeries for bone fracture repair (n = 355), tendon or ligament repair/reconstruction (n = 773), and knee or hip joint replacement (n = 196). We used linear mixed models to estimate the average effect of time relative to surgery on daily activity measurements while adjusting for gender, age, and the participant-specific activity baseline. We used a sub-cohort of 127 individuals with dense wearable data who underwent tendon/ligament surgery and employed XGBoost to predict the self-reported recovery time. Results: The 1,324 study individuals were all US residents, predominantly female (84%), white or Caucasian (85%), and young to middle-aged (mean age 36.2 years). We showed that 12 weeks pre- and 26 weeks post-surgery trajectories of daily behavioral measurements (steps sum, heart rate, sleep efficiency score) can capture activity changes relative to an individual’s baseline. We demonstrated that the trajectories differ across surgery types, recapitulate the documented effect of age on functional recovery, and highlight differences in relative activity change across self-reported recovery time groups. Finally, using a sub-cohort of 127 individuals, we showed that long-term recovery can be accurately predicted, on an individual level, only 1 month after surgery (AUROC 0.734, AUPRC 0.8). Furthermore, we showed that predictions are most accurate when long-term, individual baseline data are available. Discussion: Leveraging long-term, passively collected wearable data promises to enable relative assessment of individual recovery and is a first step towards data-driven intervention for individuals.
Interactions between hippocampal activity and striatal dopamine in people at clinical high risk for psychosis: relationship to clinical outcomes

Background: Preclinical models propose that the onset of psychosis involves increased hippocampal activity which drives subcortical dopaminergic dysfunction. We used multi-modal neuroimaging to examine the relationship between hippocampal regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and striatal dopamine synthesis capacity in people at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis, and investigated its association with subsequent clinical outcomes. Methods: Ninety-five participants (67 CHR and 28 healthy controls) underwent pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling and 18F-DOPA PET imaging at baseline. Clinical outcomes in CHR participants were determined after a median of 15 months follow-up, using the Comprehensive Assessment of At Risk Mental States (CAARMS) and the Global Assessment of Function (GAF) scale. Results: CHR participants with a poor functional outcome (follow-up GAF<65, n=25) showed higher rCBF in the right hippocampus compared to CHRs with a good functional outcome (GAF>=65, n=25) (familywise error [FWE] p=0.026). The relationship between right hippocampal rCBF and striatal dopamine synthesis capacity was also significantly different between groups (pFWE=0.035); the association was negative in CHR with poor outcomes (pFWE=0.012), but non-significant in CHR with good outcomes. The correlation between rCBF in this right hippocampal region and striatal dopamine function also predicted a longitudinal increase in the severity of positive psychotic symptoms (p=0.041). The relationship between hippocampal rCBF and striatal dopamine did not differ in the total CHR group relative to controls. Interpretation: These findings indicate that altered interactions between the hippocampus and the subcortical dopamine system are implicated in the pathophysiology of psychosis-related outcomes. Funding: Wellcome Trust and Medical Research Council.
Quantifying individual nociceptive sensitivity to optimise analgesic trials in infants

Despite the high burden of pain experienced by hospitalised infants there are few analgesics with proven efficacy. Testing analgesics in infants is experimentally and ethically challenging and minimising the number of infants required to demonstrate efficacy is essential. EEG-derived measures of noxious-evoked brain activity can be used to assess analgesic efficacy, however, as variability exists in infant's responses to painful procedures, large sample sizes are often required. Here we present a novel experimental paradigm to account for individual differences in baseline nociceptive sensitivity which can be used to improve the design of analgesic trials in infants. The paradigm is developed and tested across four studies using clinical, experimental and simulated data (99 infants). We provide evidence of the efficacy of both gentle brushing and paracetamol, substantiating the need for randomised controlled trials of these interventions. This work provides an important step towards safe, cost-effective clinical trials of analgesics in infants.
Geomorphological analysis of the San Domino Island (Tremiti Islands, Southern Adriatic Sea). Results from the 2019 Geomorphological Field Camp of the MSc in Geological Science and Technology (University of Chieti-Pescara)

ABSTRACT The 2019 Geomorphological Field Camp at San Domino Island (Tremiti Islands, Southern Adriatic Sea) is the result of geological and geomorphological field work activities carried out by a group of students attending the Geomorphological field mapping course of the Master’s Degree in Geological Science and Technology (University of Chieti-Pescara). The main map (1:5000 scale) was obtained through an integrated approach that incorporates morphometric analysis, geological and geomorphological ﬁeld mapping, and geomorphological proﬁles drawing. Activities were carried out by all students, divided into six working groups of three to four persons each. The field camp and field work activities made it possible to produce a detailed thematic map, as a scientific tool to depict the San Domino Island landscape, and to outline some geomorphological issues in terms of possible constraints to landscape evolution, geomorphological processes distribution, and natural hazard assessment.
State access to encrypted communications: A symposium

new technologies have dramatically expanded the amount and type of information that can be obtained, stored, and analysed. Advances in computer science have made more of our lives accessible to industry and to the government. Our interactions with others have multiplied and become digitized. Social media takes private relationships online where they can be observed and recorded. New algorithms can be applied to generate information that even we may not know about ourselves. Technology can be used to build a comprehensive view of formal and informal networks to which we belong, power relationships within and between groups, and levels of intimacy between us and others. Because this information is digitized, it can be combined with other data, shedding even more light on the private sphere. Geolocational information provided by remote biometric identification, RFID chips, or GPS devices generates further insight into where we go, what we do, and who we are with when we do so . 2
Dendritic Cells of Leukemic Origin: Specialized Antigen-Presenting Cells as Potential Treatment Tools for Patients with Myeloid Leukemia

The prognosis of elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and high-grade myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is limited due to the lack of therapy options and high relapse rates. Dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy seems to be a promising treatment tool. DC are potent antigen-presenting cells and play a pivotal role on the interface of the innate and the adaptive immune system. Myeloid leukemia blasts can be converted to DC of leukemic origin (DCleu), expressing costimulatory molecules along with the whole leukemic antigen repertoire of individual patients. These generated DCleu are potent stimulators of various immune reactive cells and increase antileukemic immunity ex vivo. Here we review the generating process of DC/DCleu from leukemic peripheral blood mononuclear cells as well as directly from leukemic whole blood with “minimized” Kits to simulate physiological conditions ex vivo. The purpose of adoptive cell transfer of DC/DCleu as a vaccination strategy is discussed. A new potential therapy option with Kits for patients with myeloid leukemia, which would render an adoptive DC/DCleu transfer unnecessary, is presented. In summary, DC/DCleu-based therapies seem to be promising treatment tools for patients with AML or MDS but ongoing research including trials in animals and humans have to be performed.
Synthesis of 3D Silver-Graphene-Titanium Dioxide Composite via Aerosol Spray Pyrolysis for Sensitive Glucose Biosensor

A sensitive glucose biosensor was developed based on the adsorption of glucose oxidase by a three-dimensional silver-graphene-titanium dioxide (3D Ag-GR-TiO2) composite electrode. Aerosol spray pyrolysis was employed to synthesize the 3D Ag-GR-TiO2 composite using a colloidal mixture of a silver acetate precursor (C2H3AgO2), graphene oxide, and TiO2 nanoparticles. The effects of the operating temperature, gas flowrate, and TiO2 concentration on the particle properties were investigated. The particle morphology of all 3D Ag-GR-TiO2 composites was spherical in shape. The average sizes of composites could be controlled from 0.45 to 0.64 μm with the variation of process variables. Ag nanoparticles less than 10 nm in diameter were deposited on the surfaces of the TiO2 nanoparticles and GR after a reduction process. The characteristics of the glucose biosensor fabricated with the as-prepared 3D Ag-GR-TiO2 composite were assessed through cyclic voltammetry measurements. The biosensor exhibited a high current flow as well as clear redox peaks, resulting in a superior ability of the catalyst in terms of the electrochemical reactions. The highest sensitivity of glucose biosensor was obtained by 3D Ag-GR-TiO2 composite, which was 12.2 μA/mM·cm2, among 3D Ag-GR-TiO2, 3D Ag-GR, and 3D GR-TiO2 composites. Copyright 2015 American Association for Aerosol Research
Draft Genome Sequence of the Multiple Antibiotic Producer Bacillus velezensis X-BIO-1

Here, we describe the draft genome sequence of Bacillus velezensis strain X-BIO-1, which contains 16 contigs, comprising 3,861,135 bp with a G+C content of 46.54%. The annotated draft genome contains 3,710 protein-coding genes and 62 RNA genes. We identified genes responsible for the synthesis of various antibiotics. ABSTRACT Here, we describe the draft genome sequence of Bacillus velezensis strain X-BIO-1, which contains 16 contigs, comprising 3,861,135 bp with a G+C content of 46.54%. The annotated draft genome contains 3,710 protein-coding genes and 62 RNA genes. We identified genes responsible for the synthesis of various antibiotics.
Clinical Relevance of State-of-the-Art Analysis of Surface Electromyography in Cerebral Palsy

Surface electromyography (sEMG) can be used to assess the integrity of the neuromuscular system and its impairment in neurological disorders. Here we will consider several issues related to the current clinical applications, difficulties and limited usage of sEMG for the assessment and rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy. The uniqueness of this methodology is that it can determine hyperactivity or inactivity of selected muscles, which cannot be assessed by other methods. In addition, it can assist for intervention or muscle/tendon surgery acts, and it can evaluate integrated functioning of the nervous system based on multi-muscle sEMG recordings and assess motor pool activation. The latter aspect is especially important for understanding impairments of the mechanisms of neural controllers rather than malfunction of individual muscles. Although sEMG study is an important tool in both clinical research and neurorehabilitation, the results of a survey on the clinical relevance of sEMG in a typical department of pediatric rehabilitation highlighted its limited clinical usage. We believe that this is due to limited knowledge of the sEMG and its neuromuscular underpinnings by many physiotherapists, as a result of lack of emphasis on this important methodology in the courses taught in physical therapy schools. The lack of reference databases or benchmarking software for sEMG analysis may also contribute to the limited clinical usage. Despite the existence of educational and technical barriers to a widespread use of, sEMG does provide important tools for planning and assessment of rehabilitation treatments for children with cerebral palsy.
Characterization of Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Sections by Spatially Resolved FT-IR Microspectroscopy

A combination of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and microscopy, FT-IR microspectroscopy, has been used to characterize sections of human colorectal adenocarcinoma. In this report, a database of 2601 high quality FT-IR point spectra from 26 patient samples and seven different histological structures was recorded and analyzed. The computer-based analysis of the IR spectra was carried out in four steps: (1) an initial test for spectral quality, (2) data pre-processing, (3) data reduction and feature selection, and (4) classification of the tissue spectra by multivariate pattern recognition techniques such as hierarchical clustering and artificial neural network analysis. Furthermore, an example of how spectral databases can be utilized to reassemble false color images of tissue samples is presented. The overall classification accuracy attained by optimized artificial neural networks reached 95%, highlighting the great potential of FT-IR microspectroscopy as a potentially valuable, reagent-free technique for the characterization of tissue specimens. However, technical improvements and the compilation of validated spectral databases are essential prerequisites to make the infrared technique applicable to routine and experimental clinical analysis.
Spectrophysics: Principles And Applications

Introduction. - Basic Atomic Theory. - Atomic Structure and Atomic Spectra. - The Analysis of Atomic Spectra. - A Summary of Molecular Structure. - Molecular Spectra. - Emission and Absorbtion. - The Width and Shape of Spectral Lines. - Radiative Transfer and Population Distributions. - Elementary Plasma Spectroscopy. - Introduction to Experimental Methods. - Dispersive Spectrometers. - Interferometric Spectrometers. - Laser Spectroscopy. - Light Sources and Detectors. - Experimental Determination of Transition Probabilities and Radiative Lifetimes.
A Metagenome-Wide Association Study of Gut Microbiome in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Revealed Novel Disease Pathology

While microbiome plays key roles in the etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS), its mechanism remains elusive. Here, we conducted a comprehensive metagenome-wide association study (MWAS) of the relapsing-remitting MS gut microbiome (ncase = 26, ncontrol = 77) in the Japanese population, by using whole-genome shotgun sequencing. Our MWAS consisted of three major bioinformatic analytic pipelines (phylogenetic analysis, functional gene analysis, and pathway analysis). Phylogenetic case-control association tests showed discrepancies of eight clades, most of which were related to the immune system (false discovery rate [FDR] < 0.10; e.g., Erysipelatoclostridium_sp. and Gemella morbillorum). Gene association tests found an increased abundance of one putative dehydrogenase gene (Clo1100_2356) and one ABC transporter related gene (Mahau_1952) in the MS metagenome compared with controls (FDR < 0.1). Molecular pathway analysis of the microbiome gene case-control comparisons identified enrichment of multiple Gene Ontology terms, with the most significant enrichment on cell outer membrane (P = 1.5 × 10−7). Interaction between the metagenome and host genome was identified by comparing biological pathway enrichment between the MS MWAS and the MS genome-wide association study (GWAS) results (i.e., MWAS-GWAS interaction). No apparent discrepancies in alpha or beta diversities of metagenome were found between MS cases and controls. Our shotgun sequencing-based MWAS highlights novel characteristics of the MS gut microbiome and its interaction with host genome, which contributes to our understanding of the microbiome’s role in MS pathophysiology.
A nomogram to predict unfavourable outcome in patients receiving oral anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation after stroke

Introduction It is unknown whether the type of treatment (direct oral anticoagulant versus vitamin K antagonist) and the time of treatment introduction (early versus late) may affect the functional outcome in stroke patients with atrial fibrillation. We aimed to develop and validate a nomogram model including direct oral anticoagulant/vitamin K antagonist and early/late oral anticoagulant introduction for predicting the probability of unfavourable outcome after stroke in atrial fibrillation-patients. Patients and Methods We conducted an individual patient data analysis of four prospective studies. Unfavourable functional outcome was defined as three-month modified Rankin Scale score 3 -6. To generate the nomogram, five independent predictors including age (<65 years, reference; 65--79; or 80), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (0--5 points, reference; 6--15; 16--25; or >25), acute revascularisation treatments (yes, reference, or no), direct oral anticoagulant (reference) or vitamin K antagonist, and early (7 days, reference) or late (8--30) anticoagulant introduction entered into a final logistic regression model. The discriminative performance of the model was assessed by using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results A total of 2102 patients with complete data for generating the nomogram was randomly dichotomised into training (n = 1553) and test (n = 549) sets. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.822 (95% confidence interval, CI: 0.800--0.844) in the training set and 0.803 (95% CI: 0.764--0.842) in the test set. The model was adequately calibrated (9.852; p = 0.276 for the Hosmer--Lemeshow test). Discussion and Conclusion Our nomogram is the first model including type of oral anticoagulant and time of treatment introduction to predict the probability of three-month unfavourable outcome in a large multicentre cohort of stroke patients with atrial fibrillation.
Dual Color-Image Discriminators Adversarial Networks for Generating Artificial-SAR Colorized Images from SENTINEL-1 Images

In this paper, we introduce a new generative adversarial network (GAN) with dual image-color discriminators, to predict Artiﬁcial-SAR colorized images from SAR ones (Sentinel-1). Based on the conventional architecture of GANs, we employ an additional color discriminator that evaluates the differences in brightness, contrast, and major colors between images, while the image discriminator compares texture and content. To achieve the required level of colorization in the generation process, we employ non-adversarial color loss dedicated for color comparison, unlike conventional approaches that use only L 1 loss. Moreover, to overcome the vanishing gradient problem in deep architecture, and ensure the ﬂow of low-level information inside network layers, we add residual connections to our generator that follows the general shape of U-Net. The performance of the proposed model was evaluated quantitatively as well as qualitatively with the SEN1-2 dataset. Results show that the proposed model generates realistic col-orized images with fewer artifacts compared to the state-of-the-art approaches. This model helps to maintain color steadiness as well as visual recognizability at less textured large continuous regions, such as plantation and water areas, when it’s difﬁcult to be distinguished in SAR images.
Sequential Dependence and Non-linearity in Affective Responses: a Skin Conductance Example

Individual affective responses frequently vary from the mean and often exhibit non-linear and time and sequence dependent properties. This paper examines the extent to which commonly made assumptions of linearity and sequential independence are valid using skin conductance responses to an acoustic stimulus as an example. We present 19 sessions of skin conductance traces where participants respond to five 50 millisecond acoustic bursts designed to elicit a startle. We show the data from the perspective of an online algorithm: individual responses, non-linear and dependent on prior events. We show that the coefficient of variation depends on sequence position and that these are large at 65%, 97%, 110%, and 100%. We discuss the risk of making inferences on single impressions.
Erratum

In (Hirbec et al., 2020), the first sentence under “Introduction” should have been changed from: Neurons and glial cells were first described at the same period, in the early 19th century, using a simple microscope and the mollusk as animal model (Dutrochet, 1824, reviewed in Fan and Agid 2018). To: Neurons and glial cells were first described in the 19th century using a simple microscope. We apologize for this error. REFERENCE Hirbec, H. , Déglon, N. , Foo, L. C. , Goshen, I. , Grutzendler, J., Hangen, E. , . Escartin, C. (2020). Emerging technologies to study glial cells. Glia, 68, 1692–1728. https://doi.org/10.1002/glia.237801728 DOI: 10.1002/glia.23901
Editorial: Perspectives in Primary Prevention Research for Breast Cancer: A Focus on Gene—Environment Interactions

Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States, 2 Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, West Lafayette, IN, United States, 3 Institut de Cancérologie de L’Ouest, St Herblain, France, Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Pasadena, CA, United States, Department of Biological Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
Developing a Typology for the Visitors of Wineries and Proposing Recreational Activities to Improve their Experience

Tourism can benefit rural regions which, in many cases, suffer the consequences of the extensive population migration that occurred in the previous decades. To attract more visitors to such regions, it is necessary to investigate visitors’ satisfaction levels and views so that relevant stakeholders know which steps should be taken to transform the region into an attractive destination. Using quantitative data, the present study explores the views and preferences among the visitors of the wineries located in the Regional Unit of Drama. Based on these insights, it proposes an integrated recreational experience which would not be limited to a visit to the local wineries but also offer activities which could be held in the region and fully correspond to the expectations and profile of each visitor type. The present findings could be particularly useful to local stakeholders as they point to specific paths for tourism development.