Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The best COVID-19 predictor is recent smell loss: a cross-sectional study

Background: COVID-19 has heterogeneous manifestations, though one of the most common symptoms is a sudden loss of smell (anosmia or hyposmia). We investigated whether olfactory loss is a reliable predictor of COVID-19. Methods: This preregistered, cross-sectional study used a crowdsourced questionnaire in 23 languages to assess symptoms in individuals self-reporting recent respiratory illness. We quantified changes in chemosensory abilities during the course of the respiratory illness using 0-100 visual analog scales (VAS) for participants reporting a positive (C19+; n=4148) or negative (C19-; n=546) COVID-19 laboratory test outcome. Logistic regression models identified singular and cumulative predictors of COVID-19 status and post-COVID-19 olfactory recovery. Results: Both C19+ and C19- groups exhibited smell loss, but it was significantly larger in C19+ participants (mean±SD, C19+: -82.5±27.2 points; C19-: -59.8±37.7). Smell loss during illness was the best predictor of COVID-19 in both single and cumulative feature models (ROC AUC=0.72), with additional features providing negligible model improvement. VAS ratings of smell loss were more predictive than binary chemosensory yes/no-questions or other cardinal symptoms, such as fever or cough. Olfactory recovery within 40 days was reported for ~50% of participants and was best predicted by time since illness onset. Conclusions: As smell loss is the best predictor of COVID-19, we developed the ODoR-19 tool, a 0-10 scale to screen for recent olfactory loss. Numeric ratings high odds of symptomatic COVID-19 (4<OR<10), which can be deployed when viral lab tests are impractical or unavailable. Persistent Smell the Recovered Smell Table S3 ). Our results indicate that a continuous rating of current olfactory function is the single best predictor of COVID-19 and improves the discrimination between C19+ and C19- over a binary question on smell loss. For example, the Smell Only model can reach a specificity of 0.83 at the low end of the VAS (sensitivity=0.36, cutoff=0). We propose here a numeric variation of the rating scale (0-10), the ODoR-19, that can be administered in person or via telemedicine to improve early COVID-19 screening for individuals without preexisting smell and/or taste disorders. Responses to the ODoR-19 scale ≤ 2 indicate high odds of COVID-19 positivity (4<OR<10, Figure 5D ). An ODoR-19 response of 3 indicates a borderline risk (OR=1.2). Therefore, our analyses represent a conservative scenario for the prediction of C19+ and C19- based on chemosensory alterations.
ABCG2 Protein Levels and Association to Response to First-Line Irinotecan-Based Therapy for Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

In this study we investigated the use of cancer cell protein expression of ABCG2 to predict efficacy of systemic first-line irinotecan containing therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). From a Danish national cohort, we identified 119 mCRC patients treated with irinotecan containing therapy in first-line setting. Among these, 108 were eligible for analyses. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses were performed on the primary tumor tissue in order to classify samples as high or low presence of ABCG2 protein. Data were then associated with patient outcome (objective response (OR), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS)). ABCG2 protein expression in the basolateral membrane was high (score 3+) in 33% of the patients. Exploratory analyses revealed a significant interaction between ABCG2 score, adjuvant treatment and OR (p = 0.041) in the 101 patients with evaluable disease. Patients with low ABCG2 (score 0–2) and no prior adjuvant therapy had a significantly higher odds ratio of 5.6 (Confidence Interval (CI) 1.68–18.7; p = 0.005) for obtaining OR. In contrast, no significant associations between ABCG2 expression and PFS or OS were found. These results suggest that measurement of the ABCG2 drug efflux pump might be used to select patients with mCRC for irinotecan treatment. However, additional studies are warranted before conclusions regarding a clinical use can be made. Moreover, patients with high ABCG2 immunoreactivity could be candidates for specific ABCG2 inhibition treatment in combination with irinotecan.
Utilization of DNA Microarrays in Weed Science Research

Abstract DNA microarrays are one of the new tools of genomics that have become quite commonplace in plant science research within the past decade. Essentially, DNA microarrays are an extension of the more traditional molecular biology technique of northern blotting. Unlike northern blotting, however, in which the expression of a single gene is monitored, DNA microarrays allow for the simultaneous monitoring of thousands of genes—or, in fact, potentially all of an organism's genes—in a single experiment. Most of the currently available plant microarrays are designed for crops species or the model plant, Arabidopsis; however, a microarray for at least one major weed species is currently available. Furthermore, cDNA-based microarrays prepared for one species can be used to investigate gene expression in related species. As the technology is maturing it is becoming much more accessible, and now is the time to begin utilizing microarrays in weed science research. Questions related to herbicide activity are particularly well suited for a microarray approach. Additionally, gene-expression profiling via microarrays can be used to address questions relating to weed biology, weed–crop competition, allelopathy, parasitic weeds, and biological control of weeds. Nomenclature: Mouse-ear cress; Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. ARBTH
Recent Progress in Flexible Wearable Sensors for Vital Sign Monitoring

With the development of flexible electronic materials, as well as the wide development and application of smartphones, the cloud, and wireless systems, flexible wearable sensor technology has a significant and far-reaching impact on the realization of personalized medical care and the reform of the consumer market in the future. However, due to the high requirements for accuracy, reliability, low power consumption, and less data error, the development of these potential areas is full of challenges. In order to solve these problems, this review mainly searches the literature from 2008 to May 2020, based on the PRISMA process. Based on them, this paper reviews the latest research progress of new flexible materials and different types of sensors for monitoring vital signs (including electrophysiological signals, body temperature, and respiratory frequency) in recent years. These materials and sensors can help realize accurate signal detection based on comfortable and sustainable observation, and may likely be applied to future daily clothing.
Distribution of Serological Response to Burkholderia pseudomallei in Swine from Three Provinces of Vietnam

(1) Background: Burkholderia pseudomallei is an environmentally mediated saprophytic pathogen that can cause severe disease in humans. It is well known that B. pseudomallei survives in tropical moist soil environments worldwide, but melioidosis is gaining recognition as a public and veterinary health issue in Vietnam. The contribution of animals to human disease is unknown, necessitating further investigation. (2) Methods: Swine sera were collected from two populations, one grazing and one commercially farmed, from three provinces in Vietnam. ELISAs utilizing B. pseudomallei capsular polysaccharide (CPS), outer polysaccharide (OPS), and Hcp1 protein were used to screen serum samples. Positive samples were mapped to the commune level. Seroprevalence calculations and pig population estimates were used to approximate number of swine exposures per commune. (3) Results: Grazing pigs from Hoa Binh had significantly higher seropositivity levels (11.4%, 95% CI: 9.7–13.1) compared to farmed pigs from Ha Tinh and Nghe An (4%, 95% CI: 3.3–4.7). Average swine seropositivity rates were ~6.3% (95% CI: 5–7.9), higher than previously identified in Vietnam (~0.88%). (4) Conclusions: Initial serological sampling identified a significant number of seropositive and potential melioidosis infections occurring in swine in Vietnam. This work is a critical step in understanding the role swine may play in the epidemiology of human melioidosis in Vietnam.
A Method of Multiple Dynamic Objects Identification and Localization Based on Laser and RFID

In an indoor environment, object identification and localization are paramount for human-object interaction. Visual or laser-based sensors can achieve the identification and localization of the object based on its appearance, but these approaches are computationally expensive and not robust against the environment with obstacles. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has a unique tag ID to identify the object, but it cannot accurately locate it. Therefore, in this paper, the data of RFID and laser range finder are fused for the better identification and localization of multiple dynamic objects in an indoor environment. The main method is to use the laser range finder to estimate the radial velocities of objects in a certain environment, and match them with the object’s radial velocities estimated by the RFID phase. The method also uses a fixed time series as “sliding time window” to find the cluster with the highest similarity of each RFID tag in each window. Moreover, the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) is used in the update stage of the particle filter (PF) to estimate the moving path of each cluster in order to improve the accuracy in a complex environment with obstacles. The experiments were verified by a SCITOS G5 robot. The results show that this method can achieve an matching rate of 90.18% and a localization accuracy of 0.33m in an environment with the presence of obstacles. This method effectively improves the matching rate and localization accuracy of multiple objects in indoor scenes when compared to the Bray-Curtis (BC) similarity matching-based approach as well as the particle filter-based approach.
An NMR Metabolomics Approach to Investigate Factors Affecting the Yoghurt Fermentation Process and Quality

A great number of factors can influence milk fermentation for yoghurt production such as fermentation conditions, starter cultures and milk characteristics. It is important for dairy companies to know the best combinations of these parameters for a controlled fermentation and for the desired qualities of yoghurt. This study investigates the use of a 1H-NMR metabolomics approach to monitor the changes in milk during fermentation from time 0 to 24 h, taking samples every hour in the first 8 h and then at the end-point at 24 h. Three different starter cultures (L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus and their combination) were used and two different heat treatments (99 or 105 °C) were applied to milk. The results clearly show the breakdown of proteins and lactose as well as the concomitant increase in acetate, lactate and citrate during fermentation. Formate is found at different initial concentrations depending on the heat treatment of the milk and its different time trajectory depends on the starter cultures: Lactobacillus cannot produce formate, but needs it for growth, whilst Streptococcus is able to produce formate from pyruvate, therefore promoting the symbiotic relationship between the two strains. On the other hand, Lactobacillus can hydrolyze milk proteins into amino acids, enriching the quality of the final product. In this way, better insight into the protocooperation of lactic acid bacteria strains and information on the impact of a greater heat treatment in the initial matrix were obtained. The global chemical view on the fermentations provided using NMR is key information for yoghurt producers and companies producing starter cultures.
Borromean: Preserving Binary Node Attribute Distributions in Large Graph Generations

vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Motivation . 1 1.2 DK-2 Graphs . 2 1.3 Objectives and Contributions . 5 CHAPTER 2: RELATED WORK . 7 2.1 Synthetic Graph Generation . 7 2.1.1 Kronecker Generation . 8 2.1.2 Block Two-Level Erdos-Renyi . 9 2.1.3 ERGMs . 9 2.1. 4 Related DK Graph Generators . 10 2.1. 4.1 DK 2.5 . 10 2.1. 4.2 2K Simple . 10 2.2 Parallel Graph Processing Frameworks . 11 2.2.1 Giraph . 11 2.2.2 Darwini . 12 2.3 Graph Generators for Graph Anonymity. 13 2.3. 1 Differential Privacy and DK-2 Graphs . 15 2.3. 2 Pygmalion: Differentially Private DK-2 Graph Anonymization . 16 CHAPTER 3: DATASETS . 18 CHAPTER 4: ORBIS DK-2 TOPOLOGY GENERATOR. 20 4.1 dK Rewiring . 21 4.2 Limitations of the Orbis DK-2 Pseudo-Graph Generation Model . 21
Integration in Multi-Community Networks

There are many social and economic situations where two or more communities need to be integrated in an efficient and stable way that facilitates overall resource access throughout the network. We study structures for efficient integration of multi-community networks where building bridges across communities incur an additional link cost compared to links within a community. Building on the connections models with direct link cost and direct and indirect benefits, we show that the efficient structure for homogeneous cost and benefit parameters, and for communities of arbitrary size, always has a diameter no greater than 3. We further show that if the internal cost is not small enough to justify a full graph for each community, integration always follows one of these three structures: Single star, two hub-connected stars, and a new structure we introduce in this paper as parallel hyperstar, which is a special multi-core/periphery structure with parallel bridges that connect the core nodes of different communities and includes a wide range of efficiently integrated structures. Then we investigate stability conditions of these structures, using two different definitions: The standard pairwise stability, as well as a new stability notion we introduce in this paper as post transfer pairwise stability, which allows for bilateral utility transfers. We show that while the parallel hyperstar structure can never be both efficient and pairwise stable, once post transfer pairwise stability is used, efficiency guarantees stability. Furthermore, we show that all possible efficient structures can simultaneously be post transfer pairwise stable. In the end, we discuss future extensions of this model to multiple communities.
A Look into Liver Mitochondrial Dysfunction as a Hallmark in Progression of Brain Energy Crisis and Development of Neurologic Symptoms in Hepatic Encephalopathy

Background: The relationship between liver disease and neuropathology in hepatic encephalopathy is well known, but the genesis of encephalopathy in liver failure is yet to be elucidated. Conceptually, the main cause of hepatic encephalopathy is the accumulation of brain ammonia due to impaired liver detoxification function or occurrence of portosystemic shunt. Yet, as well as taking up toxic ammonia, the liver also produces vital metabolites that ensure normal cerebral function. Given this, for insight into how perturbations in the metabolic capacity of the liver may be related to brain pathology, it is crucial to understand the extent of ammonia-related changes in the hepatic metabolism that provides respiratory fuel for the brain, a deficiency of which can give rise to encephalopathy. Methods: Hepatic encephalopathy was induced in starved rats by injection of ammonium acetate. Ammonia-induced toxicity was evaluated by plasma and freeze-clamped liver and brain energy metabolites, and mitochondrial, cytoplasmic, and microsomal gluconeogenic enzymes, including mitochondrial ketogenic enzymes. Parameters of oxidative phosphorylation were recorded polarographically with a Clark-type electrode, while other measures were determined with standard fluorometric enzymatic methods. Results: Progressive impairment of liver mitochondrial respiration in the initial stage of ammonia-induced hepatotoxicity and the subsequent energy crisis due to decreased ATP synthesis lead to cessation of gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis. Reduction in glucose and ketone body supply to the brain is a terminal event in liver toxicity, preceding the development of coma. Conclusions: Our study provides a framework to further explore the relationship between hepatic dysfunction and progression of brain energy crisis in hepatic encephalopathy.
No consistent female preference for higher crown UV reflectance in Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus: a mate choice experiment

Although male UV structural plumage coloration can indicate male quality (e.g. Keyser & Hill 2000) and female reproductive investment strategies (e.g. Sheldon et al. 1999, Griffith et al. 2003), unambiguous evidence that such plumage is a direct target of female choice is still lacking. A straightforward way of testing this is by conducting controlled mate choice experiments that exclude confounding factors such as male–male competition or territory quality. The first experiments on the role of structural colours in mate choice used UV-blocking windows (e.g. Bennett et al. 1996, Hunt et al. 1999), thereby completely removing male UV reflectance. A better approach is to vary UV reflectance within the natural range under natural light conditions. Only two such mate choice experiments have been undertaken to date (Ballentine & Hill 2003, Liu et al. 2007). In neither study did females show a preference for more UV-ornamented males. In the present study, we manipulated crown reflectance of first-year male Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus to test the hypothesis that females prefer males with a higher crown UV reflectance, as predicted by patterns of sex allocation, paternity and female parental investment in this species (Johnsen et al. 2005, Delhey et al. 2007a,b). In a mate choice experiment, females were offered a choice of two males (matched for yellow breast colour), one with a UV-reduced crown reflectance and one control-manipulated male. The results indicated that female preference was inconsistent and may be context-dependent
Does the photosynthetic light-acclimation need change in leaf anatomy?

There is a strong correlation between leaf thickness and the light-saturated rate of photosynthesis per unit leaf area ( P max ). However, when leaves are exposed to higher light intensities after maturation, P max often increases without increasing leaf thickness. To elucidate the mechanism with which mature leaves increase P max , the change in anatomical and physiological characteristics of mature leaves of Chenopodium album, which was transferred from low to high light condition, were examined. When compared with leaves subjected to low light continuously (LL leaves), the leaves transferred from low to high light (LH leaves) significantly increased P max . The transfer also increased the area of chloroplasts facing the intercellular space ( S c ) and maintained a strong correlation between P max and S c . The mesophyll cells of LL leaves had open spaces along cell walls where chloroplasts were absent, which enabled the leaves to increase P max when they were exposed to high light (LH). However, the LH leaves were not thick enough to allow further increase in P max to the level in HH leaves. Thus leaf thickness determines an upper limit of P max of leaves subjected to a change from low to high light conditions. Shade leaves would only increase P max when they have open space to accommodate chloroplasts which elongate after light conditions improve.
Radiological, Chemical and Pharmacological Cholinergic System Parameters and Neurocognitive Disorders in Older Pre-Surgical Adults.

BACKGROUND A pre-existing neurocognitive disorder (NCD) is a relevant factor for the outcome of surgical patients. To improve understanding of these conditions, we investigated the association between parameters of the cholinergic system and NCD. METHODS This investigation is part of the BioCog project (www.biocog.eu), which is a prospective multicenter observational study including patients aged ≥ 65 years scheduled for elective surgery. Patients with a Mini-Mental-State-Examination (MMSE) score ≤ 23 points were excluded. NCD was assessed according to the 5th Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria. The basal forebrain cholinergic system volume (BFCSV) was assessed with Magnetic Resonance Imaging, the peripheral cholinesterase (ChE) activities with point-of-care measurements, and anticholinergic load by analyzing the long-term medication with anticholinergic scales (ADS, ARS, ACBS). The associations of BFCSV, ChE activities, and anticholinergic scales with NCD were studied with logistic regression analysis, adjusting for confounding factors. RESULTS A total of 797 participants (mean age 72 years, 42% females) were included. 111 patients (13.9%) fulfilled criteria for mild NCD and 82 patients (10.3%) major NCD criteria. We found that AcetylChE activity was associated with major NCD (Odds Ratio (95%-Confidence Interval); [U/gHB] 1.061 (1.101;1.115)), as well as ADS score ([Points] 1.353 (1.063;1.723)) or ARS score respectively ([Points] 1.623 (1.100;2.397)) with major NCD. However, we found no association between BFCSV or ButyrylChE activity with mild or major NCD. CONCLUSIONS AcetylChE activity and anticholinergic load were associated with major NCD. Future research should focus on the association of the cholinergic system and the development of postoperative delirium and postoperative NCD.
Combined Auditory and Tragal Stimulation Headphone Effectively Increases Vagal Tone and Improves Short-Term Cognition

One of the few major afferent routes to the central nervous system (CNS) is the vagus nerve [1]. While there are many different outputs, including motor output, from the CNS, afferent nerves tend to be processed at the brainstem or spinal cord level. An exception is the vagus nerve, and as a result of this unique vantage point to the CNS and through it to various parts of the body, stimulation and modulation of the vagus nerve afferents have become an area of burgeoning research with multiple implications for health and disease [2]. The vagus nerve has been implicated predominantly for cardiovascular health, including the prevention of sudden death[3]. Vagal stimulation not only decreases heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) but also importantly creates a more positive healthy profile for heart rate variability (HRV). Indeed, vagal stimulation has been shown to acutely treat arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation [4,5]. A potential major effect is reducing the chance of sudden death through the tragal effects on HRV [6]. By virtue of the afferent Abstract