Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interactive and Complementary Feature Selection via Fuzzy Multigranularity Uncertainty Measures

Feature selection has been studied by many researchers using information theory to select the most informative features. Up to now, however, little attention has been paid to the interactivity and complementarity between features and their relationships. In addition, most of the approaches do not cope well with fuzzy and uncertain data and are not adaptable to the distribution characteristics of data. Therefore, to make up for these two deficiencies, a novel interactive and complementary feature selection approach based on fuzzy multineighborhood rough set model (ICFS_FmNRS) is proposed. First, fuzzy multineighborhood granules are constructed to better adapt to the data distribution. Second, feature multicorrelations (i.e., relevancy, redundancy, interactivity, and complementarity) are considered and defined comprehensively using fuzzy multigranularity uncertainty measures. Next, the features with interactivity and complementarity are mined by the forward iterative selection strategy. Finally, compared with the benchmark approaches on several datasets, the experimental results show that ICFS_FmNRS effectively improves the classification performance of feature subsets while reducing the dimension of feature space.
Schedules of standing and sitting directed by musculoskeletal discomfort in workers transitioning to sit-stand workstations: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Sit-stand workstations are growing in popularity, however limited guidelines exist regarding optimal schedules of sitting and standing. This was the first known study to observe sit-stand workstation schedules when postural change is based on maintaining musculoskeletal discomfort within 'acceptable' levels. Fourteen healthy adults new to sit-stand workstations completed computer-based work at a sit-stand desk for half a workday. Participants changed between standing and sitting postures each time discomfort reached the maximum acceptable threshold. On average, the amount of standing and sitting was greatest in the first standing (median 40 minutes, interquartile range 40 minutes) and sitting (median 30 minutes, interquartile range 115 minutes) bouts. Average durations spent standing and sitting were lower in all consecutive bouts. Stand-sit ratios indicated an equal amount of standing to sitting or somewhat less standing. The schedules had substantial inter-participant variability. Future studies should consider that optimal schedules may vary with regard to time and be individual-specific. Practitioner summary Refined guidelines are needed regarding effective use of sit-stand workstations. This study proposed a novel method of investigating potentially optimal schedules, in which postural change was based on reaching a threshold of musculoskeletal discomfort. The findings suggest that an optimal schedule may vary with time and be individual-specific. Abbreviations: BMI: body mass index; Borg CR-10 scale: Borg Category Ratio-10 scale; IQR: interquartile range; LMD questionnaire: the localised musculoskeletal discomfort questionnaire; MHT: maximum holding time; SD: standard deviation
Sociodemographic and Geographic Factors Associated With Non-Obstetrical Ultrasound Imaging Utilization: A Population-Based Study

Objective: Ultrasound is one of the most commonly used imaging modalities, though some populations face barriers in accessing ultrasound services, potentially resulting in disparities in utilization. The objective of this study was to assess the association between sociodemographic and geographic factors and non-obstetrical ultrasound utilization in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Methods: All non-obstetrical ultrasound exams performed from 2014 to 2018 in Saskatchewan, Canada were retrospectively identified from province-wide databases. Univariate and multivariate Poisson regression analyses were performed to assess the association between ultrasound utilization and sex, age, First Nations status, Charlson Comorbidity Index, urban vs. rural residence, geographic remoteness, and neighborhood income. Results: A total of 1,324,846 individuals (5,857,044 person-years) were included in the analysis. Female sex (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR], 2.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.19-2.22), age (aIRR, 4.97; 95% CI, 4.90-5.05 for ≥57 years vs. <11 years), comorbidities (aIRR, 4.36 for Charlson Comorbidity Index >10 vs. 0; 95% CI, 3.78-5.03), and higher neighborhood income (aIRR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.05 for highest vs. lowest quintile) were associated with higher rates of ultrasound utilization. Individuals who were status First Nations (aIRR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.90-0.92) or resided in geographically remote areas (aIRR, 0.87 for most vs. least remote; 95% CI, 0.83-0.91) had lower rates of ultrasound utilization. Individuals who lived in a rural area also had lower rates of ultrasound utilization (aIRR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.92-0.94). Conclusion: Substantial disparities exist in non-obstetrical ultrasound utilization among individuals in low-income neighborhoods, status First Nations individuals, and individuals in rural and remote communities.
Imiquimod induced vitiligo‐like lesions—A consequence of modified melanocyte function

Imiquimod plays an important role in the management of condyloma and premalignant lesions. Successively, an increase of hypopigmented lesions following imiquimod application has been reported. However, the mechanisms of imiquimod on melanocytes remain unclear. This study was designed to assess the effect of Imiquimod on the functions of melanocytes in vitro.
Associations between Acoustic Features of Maternal Speech and Infants’ Emotion Regulation following a Social Stressor

Caregiver voices may provide cues to mobilize or calm infants. This study examined whether maternal prosody predicted changes in infants’ biobehavioral state during the Still Face, a stressor in which the mother withdraws and reinstates social engagement. Ninety-four dyads participated in the study (infant age 4-8 months). Infants’ heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (measuring cardiac vagal tone) were derived from an electrocardiogram (ECG). Infants’ behavioral distress was measured by negative vocalizations, facial expressions, and gaze aversion. Mothers’ vocalizations were measured with spectral analysis and spectro-temporal modulation using a two-dimensional fast Fourier transformation of the audio spectrogram. High values on the maternal prosody composite were associated with decreases in infants’ heart rate (β=-.26, 95% CI: [-.46, -.05]) and behavioral distress (β=-.20, 95% CI: [-.38, -.02]), and increases in cardiac vagal tone in infants whose vagal tone was low during the stressor (1 SD below mean β=.39, 95% CI: [.06, .73]). High infant heart rate predicted increases in the maternal prosody composite (β=.18, 95% CI: [.03, .33]). These results suggest specific vocal acoustic features of speech that are relevant for regulating infants’ biobehavioral state and demonstrate mother-infant bi-directional dynamics.
Specific and nonspecific binding of drug eluted from a half-embedded stent in presence of atherosclerotic plaque

Abstract This study is dealt with the two-phase binding (specific and nonspecific) of drug eluted from a half- embedded drug-eluting stent in presence of atherosclerotic plaque. The specific binding due to the interaction of drug molecules with specific receptors and nonspecific binding caused by the trapping of drug in the extra-cellular matrix have been paid due attention. An idealised wall consisting of a plaque and a healthy tissue region has been considered. Moreover, a Dirichlet release condition is imposed on the strut surface. In this investigation, a two-dimensional model governing drug transport and its two-phase binding in cylindrical polar coordinate system has been solved numerically by a finite-difference method. Our simulation predicts that plaque behaves like a physical barrier in two types of the binding process and there is an inverse relationship between bound drug concentration and plaque thickness. Simulations show that a single peak profile of drug is noted when the struts are situated one-strut radius apart and as the inter-strut distance increases, the peak concentration falls and distinct peak profiles over each strut are visualised. The model also reveals that in the region downstream of a strut, the concentration of both bound drug forms in the plaque and healthy regions increases, and eventually, the saturation length of binding sites increases. Predicted results show for smaller Damköhler number, the rapid saturation of binding sites takes place and the stent having thinner strut may perform well in terms of effectiveness as well as efficacy in the stent-based delivery.
A bipedal walking robot that can fly, slackline, and skateboard

Description Synchronized control of propellers and legs enables a bipedal robot to fly, slackline, and skateboard. Numerous mobile robots in various forms specialize in either ground or aerial locomotion, whereas very few robots can perform complex locomotion tasks beyond simple walking and flying. We present the design and control of a multimodal locomotion robotic platform called LEONARDO, which bridges the gap between two different locomotion regimes of flying and walking using synchronized control of distributed electric thrusters and a pair of multijoint legs. By combining two distinct locomotion mechanisms, LEONARDO achieves complex maneuvers that require delicate balancing, such as walking on a slackline and skateboarding, which are challenging for existing bipedal robots. LEONARDO also demonstrates agile walking motions, interlaced with flying maneuvers to overcome obstacles using synchronized control of propellers and leg joints. The mechanical design and synchronized control strategy achieve a unique multimodal locomotion capability that could potentially enable robotic missions and operations that would be difficult for single-modal locomotion robots.
Learning Dense Correspondences for Non-Rigid Point Clouds With Two-Stage Regression

We propose a novel deep learning method to predict dense correspondences for partial point clouds of non-rigidly deformable targets. Dense correspondences are learned in the form of vertex displacements of a template mesh towards the point clouds. A two-stage regression framework is proposed to estimate accurate displacement vectors, including the global and local regression networks. Specifically, the global regression network estimates global displacements from the global features of the template mesh and point clouds through a graph CNN based hierarchical encoder-decoder network. Based on the initial displacements, a mesh can be generated that fits to the point clouds roughly. In the local regression network, a local feature embedding layer fuses local features of point clouds with graph features on the generated mesh through an attention mechanism. Consequently, the embedded local features are employed to refine the correspondences in local regions of the targets by predicting the increments of vertex displacements. Our method is further generalized to correspondence estimation on unseen real data with a robust fine-tuning method. The experimental results on diverse datasets of various deformable subjects (e.g., human bodies, animals, and hands) demonstrate that the proposed approach can accurately and robustly estimate dense correspondences from non-rigid point clouds.
Migrating and Nerve Fibers-Associated Eosinophilic Granule Cells in the Olfactory Organ of Catfish (Clarias garpienius): Light and Electron Microscopic Evidence

Abstract Piscine mast cells or eosinophilic granule cells (EGCs) of fish are equivalent to the mammalian mast cells. Recently, a better understanding of EGCs functions is allowed because of the growing interest in fish models. Herein, we present a trial to furnish data regarding the distribution of the EGCs in the fish olfactory organ, an issue that has not been reported so far. Regarding their distribution, two kinds of EGCs had been identified. An intra-epithelial one was detected in the olfactory epithelium lining of the olfactory lamellae. The stromal one was identified in the connective tissue core of the olfactory lamellae and in the lamina propria underlying the olfactory epithelium. Some were detected in the capillary lumen. The cytoplasm of the EGCs reacted strongly with the MMP-9 antibody. Stimulating a migration perspective for the olfactory EGCs which was confirmed by their location in the blood capillaries. Several EGCs could be verified in close relation, some underneath the epineurium, with the nerve fiber. Mutually, this verifies the existence of intra-epithelial and stromal migrating EGCs in the catfish olfactory organ and their inclusion in the olfactory immune response. Additionally, this provides evidence for an immune–nervous interaction to influence both the immune reactions and the nervous scheme in catfish.
Spatial Analysis of the Sociodemographic Characteristics, Comorbidities, Hospitalization, Signs, and Symptoms Among Hospitalized Coronavirus Disease 2019 Cases in the State of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

After more than 1 year from the beginning of the pandemic, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reached all continents. The number of infected people is still increasing, and Brazil is among the countries with the highest number of registered cases in the world. In this study, we investigated the profile of hospitalized COVID-19 cases and the eventual clusters of similar areas, using geographic information systems. The study was conducted using secondary data. Variables such as sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, hospitalization, signs, and symptoms among confirmed cases were considered for each microregion/city of the state of Rio de Janeiro. These proportions were used when calculating the Global Moran's I. The local indicator of spatial association was used to identify local clusters. A significant global spatial auto correlation was found in 28% of the variables. The presence of spatial autocorrelation indicates that the proportions of patients with COVID-19 according to these characteristics are spatially oriented. Moran maps reveal 2 clusters, 1 of high proportions and 1 of low proportions. Understanding the geographic patterns of COVID-19 may assist public health investigators, contributing to actions to prevent and control the pandemic in the state.
Complete Genome Sequence of the Lytic Bacteriophage Phab24, Which Infects Clinical Strains of the Nosocomial Pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii

Phab24 was isolated from river water in Zhejiang Province, China, and exhibits lytic activity against clinical isolates of the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii (X. Wang, B. Loh, Y. Yu, X. Hua, S. Leptihn, bioRxiv, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.23.453473). The bacteriophage belongs to the Myoviridae family and has a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genome sequence that is 93,604 bp long, containing 172 open reading frames (ORFs). ABSTRACT Phab24 was isolated from river water in Zhejiang Province, China, and exhibits lytic activity against clinical isolates of the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii (X. Wang, B. Loh, Y. Yu, X. Hua, et al., bioRxiv 2021.07.23.453473, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.23.453473). The bacteriophage belongs to the Myoviridae family and has a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genome sequence that is 93,604 bp long, containing 172 open reading frames (ORFs).
Novel DIP2C gene splicing variant in an individual with focal infantile epilepsy

Disco‐interacting protein 2 C (DIP2C) encodes a disco‐interacting protein and is highly expressed in the nervous system. Most variants of DIP2C are microdeletions on chromosome 10p15.3. This study reports a 17‐month‐old infant with focal infantile epilepsy who has a single‐nucleotide variation in DIP2C that results in alternative splicing. The de novo variation (NM_014974.3: c.1057+2T>G) in DIP2C was uncovered through whole‐exome sequencing. Minigene assays were performed and verified the alternative splicing caused by the variation. Finally, an 80‐bp nucleotide deletion in the 3′ end of Exon 8 was detected. Our study identified a de novo splicing variant that affects the coding length of DIP2C. This finding provides a new candidate gene for focal infantile epilepsy. Importantly, our finding is the first to associate a single nucleotide variant in DIP2C with focal infantile epilepsy.
Evaluations of the sum-score-based and item response theory-based tests of group mean differences under various simulation conditions

The use of patient-reported outcomes measures is gaining popularity in clinical trials for comparing patient groups. Such comparisons typically focus on the differences in group means and are carried out using either a traditional sum-score-based approach or item response theory (IRT)-based approaches. Several simulation studies have evaluated different group mean comparison approaches in the past, but the performance of these approaches remained unknown under certain uninvestigated conditions (e.g. under the impact of differential item functioning (DIF)). By incorporating some of the uninvestigated simulation features, the current study examines Type I error, statistical power, and effect size estimation accuracy associated with group mean comparisons using simple sum scores, IRT model likelihood ratio tests, and IRT expected-a-posteriori scores. Manipulated features include sample size per group, number of items, number of response categories, strength of discrimination parameters, location of thresholds, impact of DIF, and presence of missing data. Results are summarized and visualized using decision trees.
When it only takes one to tango: assessing the impact of apomixis in the fern genus Pteris

Abstract Premise Apomixis (asexual reproduction by seed, spore, or egg) has evolved repeatedly across the tree of life. Studies of animals and angiosperms show that apomictic lineages are often evolutionarily short‐lived and frequently exhibit different distributions than their sexual relatives. However, apomixis is rare in these groups. Less is known about the role of apomixis in the evolution and biogeography of ferns, in which ~10% of species are apomictic. Apomixis is especially common in the fern genus Pteris (34–39% of species); however, because of the limited taxonomic and geographic sampling of previous studies, the true frequency of apomixis and its associations with geography and phylogeny in this lineage remain unclear. Methods We used spore analyses of herbarium specimens to determine reproductive mode for 127 previously unsampled Pteris species. Then we leveraged biogeographic and phylogenetic analyses to estimate the global distribution and evolution of apomixis in Pteris. Results Among all Pteris species examined, we found that 21% are exclusively apomictic, 71% are exclusively sexual, and 8% have conflicting reports. Apomixis is unevenly distributed across the range of the genus, with the Paleotropics exhibiting the highest frequency, and has evolved numerous times across the Pteris phylogeny, with predominantly East Asian and South Asian clades containing the most apomictic species. Conclusions Apomixis arises frequently in Pteris, but apomictic species do not appear to diversify. Species that encompass both apomictic and sexual populations have wider ranges than exclusively sexual or apomictic species, which suggests that sexual and apomictic ferns could occupy separate ecological niches.
Fecal CEA Has an Advantage in the Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer at Early Stage

Purpose Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (SCEA) level is often measured in patients with CRC but suffers from poor sensitivity and specificity as a diagnostic biomarker. CEA is more abundant in stool than in serum, but it has not been widely studied. This study aimed to elucidate the efficacy of fecal CEA (FCEA) as a potential non-invasive biomarker for early diagnosis of CRC. Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed the determination of FCEA and SCEA levels by electrochemiluminescence. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of FCEA and SCEA levels in early-stage CRC patients and healthy controls using ROC curve. Results A total of 298 people were included: 115 patients with CRC, 35 patients with adenomatous polyp (APC), 46 patients with non-gastrointestinal cancer (NGC), and 102 healthy controls (HC). The FCEA concentrations in CRC and APC patients were significantly higher than that of NGC and HC, and this is different from SCEA expression in APC and NGC. As a diagnostic biomarker of CRC, FCEA had significantly larger AUC compared with SCEA (.802 vs .735, P < .001). For identifying early-stage colorectal cancer, FCEA showed better diagnostic efficacy (AUC: .831) than SCEA (AUC: .750), and the combination of the 2 biomarkers was even higher (AUC: .896). The sensitivity of FCEA was higher than that of SCEA (78.7% vs 29.8%). When SCEA was negative, 80.3% of CRC and 54.6% of APC cases could be identified by FCEA. Conclusion Compared with SCEA, FCEA has more advantages in the diagnosis of the early stage of colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps.
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Predicts Episodic Memory Decline: A 10-Year Population-Based Follow-up Study

OBJECTIVE To examine if the 2-h value of an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) can predict cognitive decline. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This study is based on a subpopulation of the Finnish population-based Health 2000 Survey and its follow-up, the Health 2011 study. Altogether, 961 individuals aged 45–74 (mean 55.6 years; 55.8% women) underwent OGTT in 2001–2002. Categorical verbal fluency, word-list learning, and word-list delayed recall were tested at baseline and at follow-up in 2011. Statistical analyses were performed with multivariable linear models adjusted for previously reported risk factors for cognitive decline. RESULTS A higher 2-h glucose value in the OGTT at baseline predicted worse performance (slope: −0.08; P = 0.01) and greater decline (slope: −0.07; P = 0.007) in the word-list delayed recall test after 10 years. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that higher 2-h glucose values in the OGTT predict a decline in episodic memory after 10 years.
Genetic diversity among wild and cultivated germplasm of the perennial pasture grass Phalaris aquatica, using DArTseq SNP marker analysis

Abstract. Phalaris aquatica L. (phalaris) is a cool-season perennial grass originating from the Mediterranean Basin, north-west Africa and Middle Eastern regions that is used for livestock agriculture mainly in temperate areas with dry summers. It has been the subject of breeding programs in Australia, South America, New Zealand and the USA. Increased knowledge of relationships between wild and cultivated germplasm through use of molecular markers has the potential to facilitate future breeding gains. For this purpose, we conducted an analysis of P. aquatica by using 3905 polymorphic DArTseq SNP markers. Genetic diversity as measured by expected heterozygosity was similar for wild (HE = 0.14; n = 57) and cultivated (HE = 0.13; n = 37) accessions. Diversity in wild germplasm was generally continuous in nature, largely related to geographical location, with a division at the broadest scale into eastern and western clades, with more admixture in the western than the eastern clade. Structure analysis of wild germplasm indicated six subpopulations consistent with country of origin, with some admixture among subpopulations likely resulting from natural and human influences. There were nine subpopulations among wild and cultivated accessions combined. This population structure should be considered if genomic selection is applied in P. aquatica. Analysis of molecular variance indicated that 71% of the genetic variation occurred within subpopulations and 29% among subpopulations. Genetic distances were low among cultivated germplasm from most countries except the USA, which was more distinct. Evaluation of material from the US pool by breeding programs in other countries, and additional material from the less utilised eastern clade, may be worthwhile.