Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection and quantification of maternal-effect gene transcripts in mouse second polar bodies: potential markers of embryo development competence

Objective— To test the hypothesis that quantification of mRNAs originating the second polar body (PB 2 ) provides a non-invasive tool for assessing embryo quality. Design— Prospective study Setting— Hospital-based academic research laboratory Animals— CD1 female mice Intervention(s)— MII oocytes obtained from 7- to 8-week-old mice after pregnant mare’s serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) priming. After in vitro fertilization, the PB 2 was biopsied from zygotes followed by reverse transcription. Real-time PCR was performed to quantify gene expression levels in single PB 2 . The sibling zygotes were continuously cultured to blastocyst stage. Main Outcome Measure(s)— Embryo developmental competence and six maternal-effect gene (Dnmt1, Mater, Nobox, Npm2, Tcl1 and Zar1) transcripts in the PB 2 Results— PB 2 mRNA was detected in all candidate genes. Transcripts that were present in greater abundance in the zygote were more likely to be detected in qPCR replicates from single PB 2 . 4 candidate genes (Dnmt1, Nobox, Npm2 and Tcl1) expression levels in PB 2 between two groups (2-cell embryo vs. blastocyts) approached statistical significance. Conclusion— PB 2 may contain a representative transcript profile to that of the zygote after fertilization. Differences in gene expression in PB 2 may be potential biomarkers of embryo quality.
Towards monitoring real-time cellular response using an integrated microfluidics-MALDI/nESI-ion mobility-mass spectrometry platform

The combination of microfluidic cell trapping devices with ion mobility-mass spectrometry offers the potential for elucidating in real time the dynamic responses of small populations of cells to paracrine signals, changes in metabolite levels, and delivery of drugs and toxins. Preliminary experiments examining peptides in methanol and recording the interactions of yeast and Jurkat cells with their superfusate have identified instrumental setup and control parameters and on-line desalting procedures. Numerous initial experiments demonstrate and validate this new instrumental platform. Future outlooks and potential applications are addressed, specifically how this instrumentation may be used for fully automated systems biology studies of the significantly interdependent, dynamic internal workings of cellular metabolic and signaling pathways.
Low-light Image Enhancement Algorithm Based on Exposure Prediction and Hybrid Feature Weighted Fusion Strategy

First, based on a given low-light image, moderately exposed and overexposed images are generated through the Exposure Image Prediction Model (EIPM). Then all three generate feature maps by a Feature Extraction Module (FEM),and then the feature maps of them are denoised. Subsequently, the feature map of the low-light image is fused with the feature maps of the two exposure rates images respectively. Finally, an adaptive weighted fusion method is used to obtain ultimate enhanced image. Experiments show that by comparing with the current SOTA algorithms,the proposed ELLIE algorithm, both in the detail feature retention and in color recovery have been significantly improved, and the subjective and objective evaluation indicators also have obvious advantages.
An Analytical Fourier Transformation Model for the Production of Hard and Soft X-Ray Time Lags in Active Galactic Nuclei: Application to 1H 0707-495

The variability of the X-ray emission from active galactic nuclei is often characterized using time lags observed between soft and hard energy bands in the detector. The time lags are usually computed using the complex cross-spectrum, which is based on the Fourier transforms of the hard and soft time series data. It has been noted that some active galactic nuclei display soft X-ray time lags, in addition to the more ubiquitous hard lags. Hard time lags are thought to be produced via propagating fluctuations, spatial reverberation, or via the thermal Comptonization of soft seed photons injected into a hot electron cloud. The physical origin of the soft lags has been a subject of debate over the last decade. Currently, the reverberation interpretation is recognized as a leading theory. In this paper, we explore the alternative possibility that the soft X-ray time lags result partially from the thermal and bulk Comptonization of monochromatic seed photons which, in the case of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0707-495, may correlate with fluorescence of iron L-line emission. In our model, the seed photons are injected into a hot, quasi-spherical corona in the inner region of the accretion flow. We develop an exact, time-dependent analytical model for the thermal and bulk Comptonization of the seed photons based on a Fourier-transformed radiation transport equation, and we demonstrate that the model successfully reproduces both the hard and soft time lags observed from 1H 0707-495.
Numerical analysis of radon behavior in radon-suppressed clean room environments

Radon-free clean rooms are essential for the production and assembly of components adopted in low-background experiments. In particular, long-lived radon decay products are often problematic for rare events searches, such as low energy neutrino interactions, direct dark matter detection, and neutrinoless double beta decay. These isotopes can easily deposit onto surfaces exposed to radon, leading to a residual background that can limit the sensitivity of experiments. In order to mitigate this background source, construction of detectors in radon-reduced environments is essential. In this framework, design and building of radon-suppressed clean rooms require a deep understanding of the radon behavior and the different sources of contamination. In the paper, computation fluid-dynamics (CFD) analyses of the radon-suppressed clean rooms built for the DarkSide-50 experiment are reported. The numerical model including the main radon contributions, such as structural materials, equipment, and operators activity, provides very promising results in a remarkable agreement with available experimental data, confirming the validity of the current modelling approach for future applications.
Supplementary Material for Learning with Twin Noisy Labels for Visible-Infrared Person Re-Identication

In the Introduction, we elaborate on the necessity and effectiveness of this work. Namely, it is intractable to adopt existing NA-oriented methods to rectify the noisy annotations in VI-ReID so that the twin noisy label (TNL) problem is solved. To support such a claim, here, we compare DART with DivideMix [2] which is the state-of-the-art method on learning with noisy annotations. In brief, DivideMix first groups the training data into clean and noisy portions with the help of a co-divide module. Then the labels in clean and noisy portions are refined and re-generated with the prediction of two models. After that, MixMatch [1] is applied on the divided portions with revised labels to learn with noisy annotations. For a comprehensive comparison, we adopt DivideMix to preprocess the noisy annotations on each modality with the following two settings:
Emerging role of astroglia in pain hypersensitivity

Recent studies suggest that astroglia, a major non-neuronal cell type in the central nervous system, actively participate in synaptic activity and potentially contribute to neurological disorders including chronic pain. Astroglia exhibit a hyperactive phenotype, also referred to as reactive astrocytosis, in response to peripheral injury. This process is often referred to as astroglial activation. By immunostaining against glial fibrillary acidic proteins, an intermediate cytoskeleton filament protein selectively localized to matured astrocytes, hypertrophy of astrocytes are clearly visible in the spinal cord dorsal horn and spinal trigeminal nucleus following a variety of injuries. Injury-related astroglial activation correlates with behavioral hyperalgesia and conversely, astroglial inhibition attenuates pain hypersensitivity. Astrocytes have a close anatomical relationship with neurons. Interactions between astrocytes and neurons contribute to the mechanisms of chronic pain. Astroglial activation is accompanied by initiation of cellular signal transduction pathways that lead to transcriptional gene regulation and release of a variety of chemical mediators or gliotransmitters, down-regulation of glutamate transporter activity that directly affects synaptic transmission, changes in gap junction proteins by which calcium waves spread, and alterations of the blood brain barrier. These coordinated changes in astroglial functions in turn modulate neuronal activity and facilitate pain transmission.
Asthma Exacerbations in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Asthma on Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists

Rationale: GLP-1R (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor) agonists are approved to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. GLP-1R agonists reduce airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in preclinical models. Objectives: To compare rates of asthma exacerbations and symptoms between adultswith type 2 diabetes and asthmaprescribed GLP-1R agonists and those prescribed SGLT-2 (sodium–glucose cotransporter-2) inhibitors, DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) inhibitors, sulfonylureas, or basal insulin for diabetes treatment intensification. Methods: This study was an electronic health records–based newuser, active-comparator, retrospective cohort study of patients with type 2 diabetes and asthma newly prescribed GLP-1R agonists or comparator drugs at an academic healthcare system from January 2000 to March 2018. The primary outcome was asthma exacerbations; the secondary outcome was encounters for asthma symptoms. Propensity scoreswere calculated forGLP-1Ragonist and non–GLP-1R agonist use. Zero-inflated Poisson regression models included adjustment for multiple covariates. Measurements and Main Results: Patients initiating GLP-1R agonists (n= 448), SGLT-2 inhibitors (n= 112), DPP-4 inhibitors (n= 435), sulfonylureas (n= 2,253), or basal insulin (n= 2,692) were identified. At 6 months, asthma exacerbation counts were lower in persons initiating GLP-1R agonists (reference) compared with SGLT-2 inhibitors (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 2.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30–6.80), DPP-4 inhibitors (IRR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.54–3.89), sulfonylureas (IRR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.20–2.77), and basal insulin (IRR, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.72–3.88). Healthcare encounters for asthma symptoms were also lower among GLP-1R agonist users. Conclusions: Adult patients with asthma prescribed GLP-1R agonists for type 2 diabetes had lower counts of asthma exacerbations compared with other drugs initiated for treatment intensification. GLP-1R agonists may represent a novel treatment for asthma associated with metabolic dysfunction.
Health and Metabolic Responses of Young Calves

Newborn, male, Holstein calves, were continuously housed for three weeks in calf hutches at 170 C or in a thermal environment which varied rhythmically on a daily basis either between -20° C and -8° C (experiment A) or between -30° C and -18° C (experiment B). Compared to warmhoused calves, cold-housed calves in experiment A had metabolic rates which were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in a standing position but which were not significantly different (p> 0.05) in a recumbent position. Recumbent and standing cold-housed calves in experiment B had an increased (p < 0.05) metabolic rate compared to warm-housed controls. Heat loss was less (p< 0.05) for recumbent cold-housed calves in experiment B than for standing calves in a thermoneutral environment. Localized subcutaneous hemorrhages of hindlimbs were a consistent necropsy finding among all coldhoused calves. Average daily gains of cold-housed calves were not significantly different from warm-housed controls. Clinical, physiological and pathological findings indicated that cold treatments used in the present study did not cause serious harm to calves. It was concluded that calves housed in properly managed hutches are remarkably cold tolerant. RESUME Cette etude portait sur 15 veaux Holstein, males et nouveau-nes, que les auteurs placerent dans des cages individuelles, pour une periode de trois semaines. Ils garderent les temoins a la temperature de 17°C, mais ils soumirent les autres a une temperature ambiante qui variait quotidiennement, de la fapon rythmique suivante: de -20° C a -8° C, pour le groupe A, et de -30° C a -18° C, pour le groupe B. Comparativement aux temoins, les veaux du groupe A afficherent un taux de metabolisme significativement plus eleve (p < 0,001), lorsqu'ils etaient debout, mais non significativement different (p > 0,05), lorsqu'ils etaient couches. Les veaux du groupe B, debout ou couches, afficherent un taux de m'tabolisme plus eleve (p < 0,05) que celui des temoins. La perte de chaleur s'avera moindre (p <0,05) chez les veaux couches du groupe B que chez les temoins debout. La necropsie des veaux des groupes A et B revela constamment des hemorragies focales, dans le tissu sous-cutane de leurs membres posterieurs. Leur gain de poids quotidien moyen ne differa pas significativement de celui des temoins. Les observations cliniques, physiologiques et pathologiques revelerent que les temperatures froides experimentales ne caus'erent pas dinconvenient serieux aux veaux. Les auteurs conclurent par consequent que les veaux gardes dans des cages adequatement entretenues tol'erent tries bien le froid.
The MUSE Hubble Ultra Deep Field Survey

The physical origin of the near-ultraviolet Mg II emission remains an underexplored domain, unlike more typical emission lines that are detected in the spectra of star-forming galaxies. We explore the nebular and physical properties of a sample of 381 galaxies between 0.70 < z < 2.34 drawn from the MUSE Hubble Ultra Deep Survey. The spectra of these galaxies show a wide variety of profiles of the Mg II λλ2796, 2803 resonant doublet, from absorption to emission. We present a study on the main drivers for the detection of Mg II emission in galaxy spectra. By exploiting photoionization models, we verified that the emission-line ratios observed in galaxies with Mg II in emission are consistent with nebular emission from HII regions. From a simultaneous analysis of MUSE spectra and ancillary Hubble Space Telescope information through spectral energy distribution fitting, we find that galaxies with Mg II in emission have lower stellar masses, smaller sizes, bluer spectral slopes, and lower optical depth than those with absorption. This leads us to suggest that Mg II emission is a potential tracer of physical conditions that are not merely related to those of the ionized gas. We show that these differences in Mg II emission and absorption can be explained in terms of a higher dust and neutral gas content in the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies showing Mg II in absorption, which confirms the extreme sensitivity of Mg II to the presence of the neutral ISM. We conclude with an analogy between the Mg II doublet and the Ly α line that lies in their resonant nature. Further investigations with current and future facilities, including the James Webb Space Telescope, are promising because the detection of Mg II emission and its potential connection with Lyα could provide new insights into the ISM content in the early Universe.
Comparison of Long-Term Risk Adverse Outcomes In Patients with Atrial Fibrillation Having Ablation vs Antiarrhythmic Medications

The impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation vs. chronic antiarrhythmic therapy alone on clinical outcomes such as death and stroke remains unclear. We compared adverse outcomes for AF ablation versus chronic antiarrhythmic therapy in 1070 adults with AF treated between 2010 and 2014 in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California and Southern California healthcare delivery systems. Patients undergoing AF catheter ablation were matched to patients treated with only antiarrhythmic medications, based on age, gender, history of heart failure, history of coronary heart disease, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, and high-dimensional propensity score. We compared crude and adjusted rates of death, ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack, Corresponding Author: James V Freeman, MD, MPH, MS, Yale School of Medicine, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, P.O. Box 208017, New Haven, CT 06520, Tel: 203-785-4126, james.freeman@yale.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. HHS Public Access Author manuscript Am J Cardiol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2021 February 15. Published in final edited form as: Am J Cardiol. 2020 February 15; 125(4): 553–561. doi:10.1016/j.amjcard. 2019.11. 004. A uhor M anscript
Optimal Gain Scheduling of VSC-HVDC System Sliding Mode Control via Artificial Bee Colony and Mine Blast Algorithms

This study focuses on the optimal gain scheduling of the robust non-linear sliding mode control (SMC) for the voltage source converters high-voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) systems, for ensuring the desired dynamic behaviour improvement and stability enhancement. First, the development of the system steady-state mathematical model of non-linear character is explored in order to control the active power, the reactive power, and the DC link voltage towards their desired set point values. Their measured signals, as the outputs, are controlled via the optimal SMC-based controllers, using their reference signals directly. Both artificial bee colony and mine blast algorithm are considered to optimally select the optimal gains of SMC controller that will minimise the steady-state error of the obtained dynamic behaviour. Therefore, the DC voltage, the active and reactive powers can be properly maintained at their reference values. Both optimal SMC-based techniques are compared in terms of the behavioural analysis and robustness. Using MATLAB™-Simulink, the results significantly verify that the designed controllers based on SMC can achieve favourable tracking performance and contribute efficiently towards improving the system dynamic behaviour.
FRONTOSTRIATAL WHITE MATTER INTEGRITY RELATIONS WITH 'COOL' AND 'HOT' SELF-REGULATION FOLLOWING PEDIATRIC TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) produces microstructural damage to white matter pathways connecting neural structures in prefrontal and striatal regions involved in self-regulation (SR). Dorsal and ventral frontostriatal pathways have been linked to cognitive ('cool') and emotional ('hot') SR, respectively. We evaluated the relation of frontostriatal pathway fractional anisotropy (FA) 2 months post-TBI on cool and hot SR assessed 7 months post-TBI. Participants were ages 8-15, including children with uncomplicated mild TBI (mTBI; n=24), more severe TBI (cmsTBI; n=60), and typically developing children (TD; n=55). Diffusion tensor tractography was used to map frontostriatal pathways. Cool SR included focused and sustained attention performance, and parent-reported attention while hot SR included risk-taking performance and parent-reported emotional control. Multivariate general linear models showed that children with cmsTBI had greater parent-reported cool and hot SR difficulties and lower dorsal and ventral FA than TD children. Focused attention, risk taking, and emotional control correlated with FA of specific dorsal and ventral pathways; however, only the effect of TBI on focused attention was mediated by integrity of dorsal pathways. Results suggest frontostriatal FA may serve as a biomarker of risk for SR difficulties or to assess response to interventions targeting SR in pediatric TBI and in broader neurodevelopmental populations.
DHQ: Digital Humanities Quarterly: Renaissance Remix. Isabella d’Este: Virtual Studiolo

Among the most elaborate and coherent instances of Renaissance self-fashioning and female self-determination through culture was a suite of rooms designed by Isabella d’Este in what is now the Ducal Palace museum of Mantua, Italy: a full-blown personal studiolo (study) and an adjoining smaller chamber she called the grotta (grotto). Isabella’s studiolo is a regular point of reference in the study of Renaissance history and art, yet for centuries it has been accessible only in dispersed pieces and in spaces depopulated of major works and artefacts. Digital technology offers the possibility of creating a “remastered” studiolo, a virtual space in which both visual and acoustic elements may be enhanced with respect to previous attempts at its representation. At the same time, historical uncertainty about numerous details in the arrangement of the objects in this collection requires a high level of flexibility in the digital remix, allowing for the programming of a customisable virtual environment. In anticipation of the project’s full construction and in order to facilitate discussion with potential users about the Virtual Studiolo’s backward design, the authors have developed a concept-demonstration video within the open-source Blender environment (www.blender.org). Among the concerns we aim to address in this phase of the project is how to combine historical accuracy, emotional power, and creative possibilities for users. This case study presents some of the opportunities, constraints and challenges we confronted during the production of our video as we strove within the Blender open environment for a result that will be historically accurate, emotionally compelling, and creatively flexible.
Megalin Participates in the Early Injury of Proximal Tubule Cells in Glomerular Disease with Non-selective Proteinuria

It remains uncertain whether megalin participates in the reabsorption of filtered proteins with large molecular size and, in so doing, contributes to the development of tubule injury in glomerular diseases. To find answers to these questions, we utilized mosaic megalin knockout (KO) mice, which lack megalin expression in 60% of proximal tubule cells (PTCs), and were subjected to experimental induction of non-selective proteinuria. Megalin KO mice were mated with another transgenic line, NEP25. In the latter, glomerular injury can be induced by immunotoxin, LMB2, which has a specific affinity to a transgene product expressed selectively on podocytes. Megalin-KO/NEP25 mice (n=11) were injected with LMB2. Ten days after the injection, megalin-KO/NEP25 mice showed massive non-selective proteinuria and mild glomerular and tubular injury. Comparison of megalin-intact (+) vs. deficient ( − ) PTCs within each megalin-KO/NEP25 mouse kidney revealed that albumin, immunoglobulin light chain, IgA and IgG were preferentially accumulated in megalin (+) PTCs. Moreover, tubule injury markers, namely heme-oxygenase-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and apoptosis, were preferentially expressed in megalin (+) PTCs. These results collectively indicate that megalin plays a pivotal role in the reabsorption of small to large molecular size proteins. The study also provided direct in vivo evidence that reabsorption of filtered proteins triggers events that can lead to tubule injury.