Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thrombospondin‐2 spatiotemporal expression in skeletal fractures

Fracture healing is a complex process that relies heavily on the carefully orchestrated expansion and differentiation of periosteal mesenchymal progenitor cells (MSC). Identification of new markers for periosteal MSCs is essential for the development of fracture therapeutics. Expression of the matricellular protein thrombospondin‐2 (TSP2) increases during early fracture healing; however, it is currently unknown what cell population expresses TSP2. Using a TSP2 GFP reporter mouse and a stabilized murine fracture model, we characterized the expression of TSP2 during the inflammatory, soft callus formation, and hard callus formation phases of fracture healing. In addition, using TSP2 GFP positive cells harvested from reporter mouse cells, we characterized the cell population using flow cytometry and colony formation assays. In uninjured diaphyseal bone, we observed TSP2 expression in the cells located along the inner periosteum. We also observed a population of TSP2 expressing cells in undifferentiated regions of early fracture callus and along the periphery of the callus. Later in callus development, TSP2 cells were broadly distributed in the undifferentiated callus, but GFP was not expressed by chondrocytes. Flow cytometry confirmed that the majority of TSP2 expressing cells were positive for traditional murine MSC markers. Our in vitro assays further supported these findings by demonstrating all adherent and colony‐forming cells expressed TSP2. Taken together, our results suggest that TSP2 is expressed by undifferentiated MSCs, but downregulated in chondrocytes. Clinical significance: expression of the matricellular protein TSP2 is a promising new marker to identify MSCs in early fracture healing.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GROWTH OF NURSING PIGS AND COMPOSITION OF SOW COLOSTRUM AND MILK FROM ANTERIOR AND POSTERIOR MAMMARY GLANDS

Piglets that nurse anterior mammary glands grow faster than those suckling posterior mammary glands. The underlying mechanisms are not known. The purpose of this study was to investigate if there is a difference in composition in colostrum and milk secreted by anterior and posterior mammary glands. Seven healthy sows were used. The first three pairs of mammary glands were defined as anterior mammary glands (AMG) and the rest as posterior mammary glands (PMG). Additionally, the total of 87 born piglets from 7 litters derived from the sows involved in the experiment was analyzed. Piglets from each litter that nursed AMG were defined as AMG group while the rest of piglets from the litter were defined as PMG group. Colostrum and milk were collected at days 1, 2, 3 and 7 after parturition. Samples taken from anterior and posterior mammary glands were pooled, respectively. Results showed that total protein, IGF-I and insulin concentrations were significantly higher in the colostrum of anterior than posterior glands and IGF-I concentration remained significantly higher in milk of anterior compared to posterior glands. There were no significant differences in fat, dry matter and lactose among anterior and posterior glands during all examined periods. Additionally, blood samples from nursing sows were obtained at days 1 and 7 after parturition. Results showed that concentrations of Ca, glucose, total protein, albumin, globulin, total bilirubin and insulin significantly increased from day 1 to day 7 of parturition while concentrations of P, BUN, CK and IGF-I did not significantly change during this period. Initial body weight of pigs nursing the anterior gland was higher but not significantly that those suckling posterior glands. Pigs that nursed anterior glands gained weight faster then those which suckled posterior glands resulting with significantly higher body weigh of piglets nursing anterior compared to posterior glands at day 8 of neonatal life (p < 0.05). Therefore, it may be concluded that the priority of anterior glands milk secretion in total protein and grow stimulating factors may have an impact on increased body weight gain of nursing pigs. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 46002]
Real-world investigation on discontinuation of oral anticoagulation after paroxysmal atrial fibrillation catheter ablation in China.

BACKGROUND To find out the real-world investigation on discontinuation of oral anticoagulation after paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation China. METHODS We enrolled in our study 1,508 consecutive paroxysmal AF patients who underwent catheter ablation from five centers. Patients' clinical data and follow-up data were collected. Clinical data included on-admission characteristics such as gender, age, type and duration of AF, type of ablation, ablation sessions, history of diseases, CHA2DS2-VASc score, echocardiographic variables, medication, and blood test variables. Follow-up data included duration of follow-up, the status of oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy, adverse events, and recurrence of AF. RESULTS A total of 1,491 patients were included in the final analysis, while the other 17 patients lost contact. The follow-up duration was 12 to 74 months (27.8±14.6 months). Of 1,491 patients, 989 (66.3%) patients stopped OAC therapy 3 to 14 months after successful ablation during follow-up. Stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) occurred in 37 (2.5%) patients. Major bleeding occurred in 24 (1.6%) patients. Six (0.4%) patients died at follow-up. Patients who stopped OAC had lower CHA2DS2-VASc score (1.5±1.4 vs. 2.4±1.7, P<0.05) and lower incidence of major bleeding (11/989 vs. 13/502, P<0.05). Of 989 patients who stopped OAC, 318 stopped according to doctor's prescription, and 671 stopped on their own decision. In patients who underwent brain MRI, patients who stopped OAC had a lower incidence of silent cerebral infarction (SCI) (37/904 vs. 38/419, P<0.05). Among patients who did not stop warfarin therapy, there were 117 (117/397, 29.5%) patients had not to achieve target INR. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of adverse events was relatively low in paroxysmal AF patients who stopped OAC. The patient partly determined when OAC was discontinued. Target INR was not achieved in many patients who had not to stop OAC.
Viral infection impacts transposable element transcript amounts in Drosophila

Significance Transposable elements (TEs) are genomic parasites that are found in all genomes. Here, we show that viral infections impact TE transcript amounts in Drosophila somatic tissues. This is of major importance in the understanding of the tempo and mode of genetic diversification, suggesting that viral infections act as a significant factor determining TE activity. In addition, our results also suggest that the amounts of the maternally transmitted small RNAs that control TEs in the progeny may also be altered, which could have long-term, evolutionary impacts. Transposable elements (TEs) are genomic parasites that are found in all genomes, some of which display sequence similarity to certain viruses. In insects, TEs are controlled by the Piwi-interacting small interfering RNA (piRNA) pathway in gonads, while the small interfering RNA (siRNA) pathway is dedicated to TE somatic control and defense against viruses. So far, these two small interfering RNA pathways are considered to involve distinct molecular effectors and are described as independent. Using Sindbis virus (SINV) in Drosophila, here we show that viral infections affect TE transcript amounts via modulations of the piRNA and siRNA repertoires, with the clearest effects in somatic tissues. These results suggest that viral acute or chronic infections may impact TE activity and, thus, the tempo of genetic diversification. In addition, these results deserve further evolutionary considerations regarding potential benefits to the host, the virus, or the TEs.
Large EEG amplitude effects are highly similar across Necker cube, smiley, and abstract stimuli

The information available through our senses is noisy, incomplete, and ambiguous. Our perceptual systems have to resolve this ambiguity to construct stable and reliable percepts. Previous EEG studies found large amplitude differences in two event-related potential (ERP) components 200 and 400 ms after stimulus onset when comparing ambiguous with disambiguated visual information ("ERP Ambiguity Effects"). These effects so far generalized across classical ambiguous figures from different visual categories at lower (geometry, motion) and intermediate (Gestalt perception) levels. The present study aimed to examine whether these ERP Effects are restricted to ambiguous figures or whether they also occur for different degrees of visibility. Smiley faces with low and high visibility of emotional expressions, as well as abstract figures with low and high visibility of a target curvature were presented. We thus compared ambiguity effects in geometric cube stimuli with visibility in emotional faces, and with visibility in abstract figures. ERP Effects were replicated for the geometric stimuli and very similar ERP Effects were found for stimuli with emotional face expressions but also for abstract figures. Conclusively, the ERP amplitude effects generalize across fundamentally different stimulus categories and show highly similar effects for different degrees of stimulus ambiguity and stimulus visibility. We postulate the existence of a high-level/meta-perceptual evaluation instance, beyond sensory details, that estimates the certainty of a perceptual decision. The ERP Effects may reflect differences in evaluation results.
Microwave transurethral applicator with helix-loaded-dipole-antenna (HLDA) for prostate treatment

Three designs of transurethral applicators have been analysed to find the one that is best able to selectively heat the desired volume of prostate. A helix-loaded-dipole-antenna (HLDA) inserted into a Foley type catheter was found to be the most promising design. A change in the heat deposition pattern of the antenna depending on prostate size is possible by moving the position of the antenna within a Foley catheter. A number of prototypes of HLDA were manufactured and tested to optimize their design. These tests were performed in solid and liquid phantoms and in laboratory animals. Intra-operative measurements of intra-prostatic temperature distribution were also performed. A comparison of the HLDA with other commercially available transurethral applicators and the published data showed that the present design has a higher linear homogeneity coefficient and a better heat deposition in the prostate.
The Osteology of Alioramus, A Gracile and Long-Snouted Tyrannosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia

Abstract The Late Cretaceous tyrannosaurid theropod Alioramus has long been one of the most puzzling large carnivorous dinosaur taxa, largely because for several decades it has been represented only by a single, fragmentary specimen that seems to represent a long-snouted and gracile individual but is difficult to interpret. The discovery of a substantially complete skeleton of Alioramus at the Tsaagan Khuushu locality in the Maastrichtian Nemegt Formation of Mongolia, recovered during the 2001 American Museum–Mongolian Academy of Sciences expedition and described as a new species (Alioramus altai) in 2009, definitively shows that this mysterious taxon is a distinct form of longirostrine tyrannosaurid that lived alongside the larger and more robust Tarbosaurus. Here we describe and figure this remarkably preserved skeleton in detail. We provide exhaustive descriptions and photographs of individual bones, and make extensive comparisons with other tyrannosauroids. This monographic description provides further evidence that Alioramus is an unusual long-snouted, gracile, and slender-limbed taxon with an unpredecented degree of cranial ornamentation among tyrannosaurids and an extremely pneumatized skeleton. Anatomical comparisons indicate that the long skull of Alioramus is an autapomorphic feature that is proportionally longer (relative to femur length) than in any other known tyrannosaurid specimen, including juveniles, and that Alioramus is morphologically distinctive relative to similarly sized individuals of the contemporary and sympatric Tarbosaurus. The holotype specimen of A. altai belongs to a young individual, and many differences between it and the other known specimen of Alioramus (the holotype of A. remotus) may represent ontogenetic variation. The unusual longirostrine skull of Alioramus was largely produced by lengthening of the snout bones (maxilla, nasal, dentary, lacrimal, jugal), rather than the orbiotemporal bones (frontal, postorbital, squamosal, quadratojugal). The long snout, gracile skull bones, comparatively small attachment sites for jaw muscles, and lack of interlocking sutures and a robust orbital brow would have precluded the holotype individual from employing the characteristic “puncture-pull” feeding style of large-bodied adult tyrannosaurids, in which the muscular jaws, thick teeth, and interlocking sutures enabled individuals to bite with enough force to fracture bone. Whether adult Alioramus could utilize “puncture-pull” feeding awaits discovery of mature individuals of the genus. The coexistence of the long-snouted Alioramus and robust and deep-snouted Tarbosaurus, which are found together at the Tsaagan Khuushu locality, demonstrate that multiple large tyrannosaurids were able to live in sympatry, likely because of niche partitioning due to differences in craniofacial morphology and functional behavior.
Size matters: competition within populations of the limpet Patella depressa

Competitive interactions within and between size-classes of the limpet Patella depressa Pennant were investigated in central Portugal. Experimental enclosures of 25 x 25 cm containing marked limpets were set up at mid-tidal level on the shore. Twelve treatments with different combination of densities and size-classes were assigned to the plots, with three replicates of each. Mortality was recorded every 15 days and length was measured monthly during the approximately 6 months of the experiment. 2. At the end of the experiment limpets were collected for determination of length, height, dry weight, sex and gonad development. The availability of food was assessed indirectly by determination of chlorophyll concentration with spectrophotometric analysis of rock chips. Reduced density treatments showed very low mortality and substantially increased growth. Both size-classes of limpets showed increased mortality and reduced growth in increased density treatments. This effect was, however, more marked for large than small limpets when caged separately. 3. Although both size-classes could negatively affect each other, the effect of large limpets on small was greater than the reverse. Large limpets are superior competitors that may modulate the abundance of small limpets on the shore. It is unlikely, however, that they will totally exclude small limpets due to intensity of competition within the large size-class. Niche differentiation and high recruitment at low shore levels are other possible factors that can contribute to reduce competition between the size-classes.
Striatal Contributions to Reward and Decision Making

Abstract: The striatum is the major input nucleus of the basal ganglia. It is thought to play a key role in learning on the basis of positive reinforcement and in action selection. One view of the striatum conceives it as comprising a reiterated matrix of processing units that perform common operations in different striatal regions, namely synaptic plasticity according to a three‐factor rule, and lateral inhibition. These operations are required for reinforcement learning and selection of previously reinforced actions. Analysis of the behavioral effects of circumscribed lesions of the striatum, however, suggests regional specialization of learning and decision‐making operations. We consider how a basic processing unit may be modified by regional variations in neurochemical parameters, for example, by the gradient in density of dopamine terminals from dorsal to ventral striatum. These variations suggest subtle differences between dorsolateral and ventromedial striatal regions in the temporal properties of dopamine signaling, which are superimposed on regional differences in connectivity. We propose that these variations make sense in relation to the temporal structure of activity in striatal inputs from different regions, and the requirements of different learning operations. Dorsolateral striatal (DLS) regions may be subject to brief, precisely timed pulses of dopamine, whereas ventromedial striatal regions integrate dopamine signals over a longer time course. These differences may be important for understanding regional variations in the contribution to reinforcement of habits, versus incentive processes that are sensitive to the value of expected rewards.
Mechanical and Chemical Changes in the Adhesive-Dentin Interface after Remineralization.

PURPOSE To evaluate the remineralization effects of Bioglass 45S5 (BAG) on dentin composition, adhesive-dentin bond strength, as well as interface and diffusion zone thickness. MATERIALS AND METHODS Dentin specimens were assigned to a control group (CG), in which the adhesive was applied following the manufacturer's instructions, and a remineralized group (RG), in which remineralization treatment was carried out by rubbing a remineralization solution (0.015 g of BAG with 1.35 ml of distilled water) on the etched dentin surface for 30 s before applying the adhesive. For bioactive analysis (n = 10), control and remineralized dentin were investigated using micro-Raman spectroscopy (mRS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Stick specimens prepared with a three-step etch-and-rinse adhesive were submitted to a microtensile bond strength (µTBS) test (n = 10) after 24 h (24 h) and eight months (8 m). Micro-RS 3D-maps (n = 10) characterized the adhesive-dentin interface composition and diffusion zone thickness, and SEM images (n = 10) evaluated interface thickness. Data were analyzed using Student's t-test or two-way ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer's post-hoc test (α = 0.05). RESULTS Remineralization treatment increased the mineral content of dentin. Mean µTBSs were statistically different at 24 h, with RG higher than CG; however, this difference was not significant at 8 m. When the adhesive was applied on remineralized dentin, its penetration was reduced, its physical interaction with phosphate was improved, and its degree of conversion increased. The diffusion zone in the CG did not differ from that of the RG, and interface thickness values of the CG did not differ from that of the RG. CONCLUSION Remineralization treatment promoted mineral growth on the dentin surface, improved the interaction of dentin with adhesive monomers, and consequently resulted in higher immediate bond strengths.
SEP-1 Has Brought Much Needed Attention to Improving Sepsis Care…But Now Is the Time to Improve SEP-1.

Critical Care Medicine www.ccmjournal. org 779 Despite decades of progress, sepsis remains a major cause of death and disability (1). Recognizing the high burden of sepsis, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented the Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Early Management Bundle (SEP-1) in 2015. This measure generated strong reactions from many clinicians, administrators, and policymakers. SEP-1 brought welcome attention to sepsis, created more accountability for sepsis care, and catalyzed numerous quality improvement initiatives. At the same time, there is growing concern that there may be unintended consequences of sepsis mandates and the culture of “treat first, ask questions later” that they encourage. Critics of SEP-1 recall the well-intended but ill-fated CMS community-acquired pneumonia measure requiring clinicians to give antibiotics to patients within 4 hours of hospital arrival. This measure led to an increase in inappropriate antibiotic prescribing but no appreciable decrease in mortality (2). Over the past several years, we have seen a similar effect at sites seeking to comply with the antibiotic time threshold in SEP-1; this is magnified by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign’s recent recommendation to target even shorter goals (3). Setting aggressive time-to-antibiotic targets for all patients with sepsis risks causing more harm than time-to-antibiotic targets for pneumonia because sepsis is even more complicated and prone to misdiagnosis than pneumonia. Clinicians are faced with the challenge of differentiating infected patients from uninfected patients despite the fact that their presentations are often similar. Pressure to administer antibiotics quickly risks forcing premature diagnostic closure, overclassification of patients as infected, and ultimately administration of antibiotics to patients who will not benefit from them and may be harmed by them. Importantly, up to 40% of patients initially treated for sepsis turn
Parasites and the ontogeny of sexual size dimorphism in a passerine bird

Explanations of sexual size dimorphism in animals have generally relied on theoretical predictions of sexual selection, niche differentiation, and sex ratio theories, whereas proximate influences on size dimorphisms are undescribed in wild populations. We describe the differential effects of mite nest ectoparasites on the growth of the tarsus, a measure of skeletal size, in nestling pied flycatchers, Ficedula hypoleuca, depending on sex. The detrimental effects of mites were suffered by males to a higher degree than females. It is proposed that parasites may interact with both host hormones and the host immune system to cause sexual size dimorphisms in young animals.
High-Throughput Screening For The Discovery Of Enzyme Inhibitors.

Enzymes are common targets in high-throughput screening and related campaigns. An analysis of papers published between 1990 and 2018 showed that kinases were the most common enzymes investigated, fluorescence-based assays were the most common read-out method, and cancer and bacterial infections were the most common therapeutic areas. High-throughput screening and fragment-screening campaigns published between 2017 and 2019, were analyzed in more depth, giving 75 examples of hit to lead development. Kinases, phosphatases, proteases and peptidases were the most common targets, fluorescent assays were the most commonly used, and a wide variety of structural features were observed within the derived drugs. Hit frequency was largely independent of library size and positively correlated with Z' value for the assay. Binding of metal ions to library compounds and substrates is an under-appreciated source of false-positive results and unreproducible behavior.
Analysis, design and implementation of direct torque controlled induction motor drive based on slip angle

Abstract The conventional direct torque control (DTC) of induction motor drive has two main problems such as higher ripple in torque, flux and variable switching frequency. These problems are mainly due to the hysteresis controllers. Appreciable reduction of torque and flux ripple can be achieved by increasing the inverter switching frequency. Most of the torque ripples reduction methods in literature are centered on this concept. The hysteresis based approach also results in variable switching frequency that depends on operating conditions at particular speed. Hence a method for increasing the switching frequency and at the same time maintaining constant switching frequency is needed. Most researches have chosen the space vector pulse width modulation based DTC (SVM-DTC) scheme. In this paper, first the torque and flux ripple in the conventional DTC method are shown and the improvement achieved by using proposed DTC method based on slip angle is presented. A new method such as slip angle control of induction motor drive based on DTC are proposed, analyzed, simulated, and tested. It is shown that this method progressively reduces torque and flux ripple.