Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recovery after long‐term summer drought: Hydraulic measurements reveal legacy effects in trunks of Picea abies but not in Fagus sylvatica

Abstract Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of summer droughts. Sufficient drought resistance, the ability to acclimate to and/or recover after drought, is thus crucial for forest tree species. However, studies on the hydraulics of mature trees during and after drought in natura are scarce. In this study, we analysed trunk water content (electrical resistivity: ER) and further hydraulic (water potential, sap flow density, specific hydraulic conductivity, vulnerability to embolism) as well as wood anatomical traits (tree ring width, conduit diameter, conduit wall reinforcement) of drought‐stressed (artificially induced summer drought via throughfall‐exclusion) and unstressed Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica trees. In P. abies, ER indicated a strong reduction in trunk water content after 5 years of summer drought, corresponding to significantly lower pre‐dawn leaf water potential and xylem sap flow density. Vulnerability to embolism tended to be higher in drought‐stressed trees. In F. sylvatica, only small differences between drought‐stressed and control trees were observed. Re‐watering led to a rapid increase in water potentials and xylem sap flow of both drought‐stressed trees, and to increased growth rates in the next growing season. ER analyses revealed lower trunk water content in P. abies trees growing on throughfall‐exclusion plots even 1 year after re‐watering, indicating a limited capacity to restore internal water reserves. Results demonstrated that P. abies is more susceptible to recurrent summer drought than F. sylvatica, and can exhibit long‐lasting and pronounced legacy effects in trunk water reserves.
Kv1.1 preserves the neural stem cell pool and facilitates neuron maturation during adult hippocampal neurogenesis

Significance Despite decades of research on adult neurogenesis, little is known about the role of bioelectric signaling in this process. In this study, we describe how a voltage-gated potassium channel, Kv1.1, supports adult neurogenesis by maintaining the neural stem cell niche and facilitating newborn neuron development. Additionally, we show that deletion of Kv1.1 from adult neural stem cells contributes to modest impairments in hippocampus-dependent contextual fear learning and memory. Dysfunctional adult neurogenesis has been implicated in cognitive decline associated with aging and neurological disease. Therefore, understanding the role of Kv1.1 in adult neurogenesis represents an opportunity to identify new therapeutic targets to promote healthy neurogenesis and cognition.
Compromised blood flow of the optic nerve head in acute retinal necrosis

Acute retinal necrosis (ARN) is a devastating, potentially blinding ocular infection characterised by progressive necrotizing retinitis. Occlusive vasculopathy due to retinal and choroidal vasculitis is a major manifestation of ARN and fluorescein angiography (FA) demonstrates retinal vascular occlusion with non-perfused areas, as well as dye leakage from the optic disc. Laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) has been used to measure relative blood flow velocity in the optic nerve head (ONH) in a noninvasive manner. The purpose of this study was to evaluate ONH blood flow changes by LSFG over the course of treatment of ARN, and to investigate the association between changes in ONH blood flow and ARN clinical outcomes. Medical records were reviewed of seven consecutive patients with unilateral ARN who presented to the
A blueprint for conscious machines

Although it has been the subject of human thought for many centuries, consciousness remains a mysterious and controversial topic. Every one of us is overly familiar with the phenomenon, but there is little agreement on what it is, what it entails, and how it is created. Certainly, no other phenomenon is simultaneously so familiar and so hard to explain. Researchers from fields as different as medicine, philosophy, psychology, neurobiology, and computer science have tried for centuries to frame, describe, and address the mind–body problem—how consciousness arises from purely physical processes—but success has been, to say the least, limited. Many believe that it is a phenomenon that will remain, forever, unknowable, outside the reach of human understanding. David Chalmers (1) famously argued that, while we may advance in our understanding of the different physical processes that are associated with consciousness (the easy problems), we will never be able to understand the process that leads to subjective experiences (the hard problem), since understanding this phenomenon represents a challenge of an entirely different nature. Other theories, such as mysterianism, defend that, while the phenomenon may be understandable in principle, it will never be accessible to the human mind (2), due to intrinsic limitations of the human brain. Despite these difficulties, many scientists and philosophers have advanced tentative explanations for the phenomenon (3–5), and proposed ways to assess it (6), measure it (7), create it in machines (8), and even use it to improve the performance of artificial intelligence systems (9). The paper by Blum and Blum (10), in PNAS, approaches the problem from an engineering perspective, by showing how a specific computational architecture, which they have proposed (11), can explain several phenomena that are closely related to consciousness.
Testability Estimation Of Object Oriented Design: A New Perspective

3 Abstract: Estimating testability near the beginning in the software development process particularly at design stage is a criterion of key importance for software developers, designers, practitioners and quality controllers. As a matter of fact, researchers and practitioners highly advocated the need of an accurate and efficient measurement of software testability at design phase in development life cycle. There is a common understanding between academicians and industry professionals in incorporating testability in development life cycle in order to produce quality software. Unluckily, there is no standard guideline or methodology available to compute software testability. An endeavor has been put forth in this research paper to identify the testability key factors supporting in testability measurement especially at design phase of development life cycle. Study has identified the "Understandability" and "Modifiability" is the two major factors for measuring testability in design phase. Taking into account of their contribution in testability measurement a model has been developed to quantify object oriented design testability. After that the developed model has been validated with the help of experimental test and justified by statistical measures.
SPECIAL SERIES: RADIATION AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES IN LMICS

abtract Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a key role to play at multiple steps of the radiotherapy (RT) treatment planning and delivery process. Development of high-precision RT techniques such as intensity-modulated RT, stereotactic ablative RT, and particle beam therapy has enabled oncologists to escalate RT dose to the target while restricting doses to organs at risk (OAR). MRI plays a critical role in target volume delineation in various disease sites, thus ensuring that these high-precision techniques can be safely implemented. Accurate identification of gross disease has also enabled selective dose escalation as a means to widen the therapeutic index. Morphological and functional MRI sequences have also facilitated an understanding of temporal changes in target volumes and OAR during a course of RT, allowing for midtreatment volumetric and biological adaptation. The latest advancement in linear accelerator technology has led to the incorporation of anMRI scanner in the treatment unit. MRI-guided RT provides the opportunity for MRI-only workflow along with online adaptation for either target or OAR or both. MRI plays a key role in post-treatment response evaluation and is an important tool for guiding decisionmaking. In this review, we briefly discuss the RT-related applications of MRI in the management of brain, prostate, and GI malignancies.
Prevalence, Clinical Features, and Psychological Characteristics of Dissociative Subtype of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Chinese Prisoners

ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine prevalence, clinical symptoms, and psychological characteristics of D-PTSD in a sample of Chinese prisoners with probable PTSD. A total of 1458 male prisoners were recruited from a large prison in Guangdong, China. Participants completed self-administrated questionnaires that assessed PTSD and dissociative symptoms, psychopathology, emotion regulation, emotional expressivity, social pleasure, traumatic events, and social support. According to DSM-5 criteria, participants were classified into four groups: D-PTSD, PTSD only, derealization/depersonalization (DD) only, and neither. The proportions of D-PTSD, PTSD only, DD only and neither were 2.5%, 4.7%, 2.4%, and 92.2%, respectively. PTSD symptoms and emotion regulation difficulties were distinguishing for the four groups: PTSD symptoms declined gradually in the order of D-PTSD, PTSD only, DD only, and neither, while emotion regulation difficulties declined in an order from D-PTSD, DD only, and PTSD only to neither, all ps < . 001. D-PTSD and DD only had higher depressive and dissociative symptoms than PTSD only and the neither groups, all ps < . 001. D-PTSD also had more borderline personality symptoms, emotion regulation difficulties, and more negative emotional expressivity than PTSD only and DD only, all ps < . 05. Logistic regressions indicated that D-PTSD reported lower social support compared to PTSD only (OR = 0.95, p < .01), DD only (OR = 0.96, p < .05) and neither (OR = 0.93, p < .001). D-PTSD is common in probable PTSD in prisoners and is associated with complex clinical presentations as well as emotional processing. Social support is an important protective factor of D-PTSD.
Procollagen C-protease enhancer protein is a prognostic factor for glioma and promotes glioma development by regulating multiple tumor-related pathways and immune microenvironment

Objectives Glioma is a common type of brain tumor with high incidence and mortality rates. Procollagen C-protease enhancer protein (PCOLCE) has been shown to regulate tumor growth and metastasis in several cancers. However, the role of PCOLCE in glioma is unknown. This study aims to assess the association between PCOLCE and prognosis of glioma, and investigated the potential mechanisms. Methods The prognostic value of PCOLCE was determined using data from nine publicly available glioma cohorts. We also investigated the relationship between PCOLCE and glioma immune microenvironment and predicted response to immunotherapy based on the expression levels of PCOLCE. The potential roles of PCOLCE in glioma were also explored and validated in cell experiment. Results Survival analysis suggested that high-PCOLCE expression was associated with poor prognosis in glioma. Upregulation of PCOLCE enhanced an immune suppressive microenvironment in glioma by regulating immunocyte infiltration and Cancer-Immunity Cycle. Cox and ROC analysis revealed that PCOLCE was a prognostic factor for glioma and could be used to predict survival of the patients. Patients with low-PCOLCE expression were more likely to respond to Immunotherapy with ICI (immune checkpoint inhibitor) and survive longer. Enrichment analysis showed that PCOLCE was associated with multiple tumor-related pathways. Finally, we demonstrated that the knockdown of PCOLCE inhibited glioma development by regulating cell cycle and promoting apoptosis in in vitro experiments. Conclusion PCOLCE promotes glioma progression by regulating multiple tumor-related pathways and immune microenvironment and can be used as a prognostic factor for glioma.
Correlative studies of FWD, LDW and DCP testing of railway-track sub-ballast structures in Israel

The performance of railway tracks depends to a large extent on the stiffness and strength of their subgrades and sub-ballast layers. Among the various methods of in-situ evaluation of stiffness, the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) and some additional small-scale dynamic devices, such as the Light Drop Weight (LDW), have been gaining popularity in recent years. The LDW device substitutes in Israel for the German plate-bearing device by assuming that its surface modulus is equal to the static deformation modulus obtained from the regular plate-bearing test. The use of these various devices creates the need to study the correlation between results obtained with the LDW device and those obtained by using traditional approaches, such as FWD and the Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP). The present work focuses on the correlation between these devices for local silty and clayey soils and local granular sub-base material. Studies have indicated that different types of equipment can produce different values for surface stiffness; furthermore, the experimental relationships between the different tests appear to be variable and perhaps site dependent. This paper also describes the DCP tests that were conducted together with the FWD and LDW tests in order to correlate stiffness results with CBR values. As a continuation of this line of investigation, the sensitivity of the depth of influence of the FWD device was then studied through (a) a theoretical analysis of a two-layered elastic model and (b) a correlative study of the FWD surface modulus results and the variation in CBR values with depth through DCP testing. The study concluded that although it is difficult (a) to determine a specific depth of influence and (b) to develop a unique relationship between stiffness and CBR values, approximated answers may be suggested.
Factors affecting the performance of the deep cervical flexors in young people using smartphones

ABSTRACT Objective To determine the factors affecting the performance of the deep cervical flexors (DCFs) in young people using smartphones. Methods Eighty-six individuals were enrolled in this study. Joint position sense errors, forward head and protracted shoulder posture, DCFs, and the superficial cervical muscles were evaluated. Smartphone Addiction Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and International Physical Activity Questionnaire were used. Results Regression analysis indicated that smartphone addiction and superficial cervical muscle strengths affect the performance of DCFs independently (p < 0.05). SAS was correlated with JPSE-flexion (r = 0.408), DCF activity/performance score (r = −0.453/r = −0.431), forward head posture (r = −0.412), and cervical flexor/extensor muscle strengths (r = −0.313/r = −0.319). Conclusion Smartphone addiction and cervical superficial muscles are related to the performance of the DCFs in young people. Using smartphones causes impaired joint position sense in flexion, decreased DCF activity, and forward head posture.
What Are the Characteristics of Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma Prone to High-Volume Lateral Lymph Node Metastasis? - An Analysis of 2981 Consecutive Cases

Abstract Purpose To identify candidate factors for predicting high-volume lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM) in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Methods We retrospectively studied 2981 patients with PTMC who underwent thyroidectomy from 2013 to 2016. LLNM was identified by histopathology. Patients with different LLNM statuses were compared according to clinical, sonographic and pathological parameters. A multivariate logistic model was established to predict high-volume LLNM (number of metastatic lymph nodes >5). Results High-volume LLNM of PTMC was independently associated with age < 40 years (OR = 1.791, P = 0.023), male sex (OR = 2.401, p = 0.001), tumor size > 0.5 cm (OR = 4.839, p < 0.001), extrathyroidal extension (OR = 2.097, p = 0.007) and microcalcification (OR = 2.894, p = 0.002). These five factors were incorporated together to develop a multivariate analysis, which showed good predictive ability (AUC = 0.78, 95% CI 0.72–0.83), with a sensitivity of 80.0% and a specificity of 61.4%. Moreover, more level II or V lateral regions were involved in patients with high-volume LLNM than in those with small-volume LLNM (69.2% vs. 25.0%, p < 0.001; 10.8% vs. 4.7%, p < 0.001). Conclusion Multilevel LLNM tended to be more common in patients with PTMC who had high-volume LLNM. The high-volume LLNM rates of patients with PTMC with age < 40 years, male sex, tumor size > 0.5 cm, extrathyroidal extension and microcalcification were relatively higher than those without. These findings may be useful for identifying patients at higher high-volume LLNM risk who may require more aggressive treatment or intensive follow-up management.
Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 18/membrane-associated 3/forkhead box O1 axis promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

ABSTRACT Phosphatidylinositol Transfer Protein, Membrane-Associated 3 (PITPNM3) often bind with chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 18 (CCL18) to promote tumor progression. However, the role of PITPNM3 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is unclear. We first searched GEPIA database and detected the PITPNM3 expression using immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative PCR. The results showed that PITPNM3 is high expression in ICC tissues and cells. Then we investigated the cell function of CLL18 and PITPNM3 through cell clone formation assay and transwell assay. The results indicated that CCL18 treatment promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ICC cells. Silence of PITPNM3 reversed the effect of CCL18 on cell function. Simultaneously, we detected key protein expression of forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-KB) through western blotting and found that CCL18 activated NF-KB pathway while inhibited FOXO1 pathway, the effect of which were attenuated by silence of PITPNM3. Finally, we confirmed which pathway affected the cell function using inhibitor of FOXO1 (AS1842856) and activator of NF-KB (Asatone). The results showed that AS1842856, not Asatone, relieved the inhibitory effect of si-PITPNM3 on the cell function of CCL18. In short, CCL18 treatment activated PITPNM3 to promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ICC via FOXO1 signaling pathway. These results provided a new insight for the diagnosis and therapy of ICC. Graphical abstract
Structural Analysis of Human and Mouse Dendritic Spines Reveals a Morphological Continuum and Differences across Ages and Species

Visual Abstract Dendritic spines have diverse morphologies, with a wide range of head and neck sizes, and these morphologic differences likely generate different functional properties. To explore how this morphologic diversity differs across species and ages we analyzed 3D confocal reconstructions of ∼8000 human spines and ∼1700 mouse spines, labeled by intracellular injections in fixed tissue. Using unsupervised algorithms, we computationally separated spine heads and necks and systematically measured morphologic features of spines in apical and basal dendrites from cortical pyramidal cells. Human spines had unimodal distributions of parameters, without any evidence of morphologic subtypes. Their spine necks were longer and thinner in apical than in basal spines, and spine head volumes of an 85-year-old individual were larger than those of a 40-year-old individual. Human spines had longer and thicker necks and larger head volumes than mouse spines. Our results indicate that human spines form part of a continuum, are larger and longer than those of mice, and become larger with increasing adult age. These morphologic differences in spines across species could generate functional differences in biochemical and electrical spine compartmentalization, or in synaptic properties, across species and ages.
Hand Gesture Modeling and Recognition using Geometric Features: A Review

Abstract — The use of the gesture system in our daily life as a natural human-human interaction has inspired the researchers to simulate and utilize this gift in human-machine interaction which is appealing and can take place the bore interaction ones that existed such as television, radio, and various home appliances as well as virtual reality will worth and deserve its name, this kind of interaction ensures promising and satisfying outcomes if applied in systematic approach, and supports unadorned human hand when transferring the message to these devices which is more easiest, comfort and desired rather than the communication that requires frills to deliver the message to such devices, the gesturing is also important between human-human interaction especially with hearing impaired, deaf and mute peoples, in this study, we have presented different researches that done in this area regarding the geometric features which considered as a live features compared with non-geometric features which considered as blind features, and we have focused on the researches gathered to achieve this important link between human and his made machines, also we have provide our algorithms for overcome some shortcomings existed in some mentioned algorithms in order to provide a robust gesture recognition algorithm that does not have a rotation hinder which most of current algorithms have.
Abnormal interhemispheric and intrahemispheric functional connectivity dynamics in drug‐naïve first‐episode schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations

Numerous studies indicate altered static local and long‐range functional connectivity of multiple brain regions in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs). However, the temporal dynamics of interhemispheric and intrahemispheric functional connectivity patterns remain unknown in schizophrenia patients with AVHs. We analyzed resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging data for drug‐naïve first‐episode schizophrenia patients, 50 with AVHs and 50 without AVH (NAVH), and 50 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls. Whole‐brain functional connectivity was decomposed into ipsilateral and contralateral parts, and sliding‐window analysis was used to calculate voxel‐wise interhemispheric and intrahemispheric dynamic functional connectivity density (dFCD). Finally, the correlation analysis was performed between abnormal dFCD variance and clinical measures in the AVH and NAVH groups. Compared with the NAVH group and healthy controls, the AVH group showed weaker interhemispheric dFCD variability in the left middle temporal gyrus (p < .01; p < .001), as well as stronger interhemispheric dFCD variability in the right thalamus (p < .001; p < .001) and right inferior temporal gyrus (p < .01; p < .001) and stronger intrahemispheric dFCD variability in the left inferior frontal gyrus (p < .001; p < .01). Moreover, abnormal contralateral dFCD variability of the left middle temporal gyrus correlated with the severity of AVHs in the AVH group (r = −.319, p = .024). The findings demonstrate that abnormal temporal variability of interhemispheric and intrahemispheric dFCD in schizophrenia patients with AVHs mainly focus on the temporal and frontal cortices and thalamus that are pivotal components of auditory and language pathways.