Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NEW RANGE RECORDS, AND A COMPARISON OF SWEEP NETTING AND MALAISE TRAP CATCHES OF HORSE FLIES AND DEER FLIES (DIPTERA: TABANIDAE) IN NORTHERN ONTARIO

Horse flies and deer flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) were surveyed in northern Ontario, Canada in 2011, at 11 sites, and 2012, at 12 sites using Malaise traps and daily sweep netting. A total of 2168 tabanids representing 30 species: 10 Chrysops , 18 Hybomitra , and two Tabanus were collected. Malaise traps caught fewer individuals than sweep netting but more species: 850 tabanids of 28 species, eight of which were not caught by sweep netting. Sweep netting caught 1318 tabanids of 22 species, with two not found in Malaise trap samples. The first record of Hybomitra osburni (Hine) in Ontario, and range extensions for several other species are given.
Three years of growth hormone treatment in young adults with Prader‐Willi Syndrome previously treated with growth hormone in childhood: Effects on glucose homeostasis and metabolic syndrome

Growth hormone (GH) has been approved for children with Prader‐Willi syndrome (PWS) and significantly improves body composition in adults with PWS. Adults with PWS are predisposed to develop impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2). Continuation of GH maintains body composition, but GH is known to induce insulin resistance, which might affect glucose homeostasis. Studies on long‐term effects of GH treatment in adults are very limited.
Epigenetic alterations in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) associated gastric carcinoma: a lesson in contrasts

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with diverse hematological and epithelial malignancies, such as Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, and others. Upon infection of B‑lymphoid and epithelial cells, the virus adopts distinct gene expression patterns which depend on the cellular epigenetic machinery. Moreover, virus infection regularly induces modifications of the viral and host cell transcriptomes and epigenomes through the interaction of viral proteins with cellular epigenetic regulators. Viral latent and immediate early proteins may principally contribute to the reprogramming of the cellular epigenome. While EBV-immortalized B lymphoblastoid cell lines are characterized by a massive hypomethylation of the cellular genome and genome-wide reorganization and loss of heterochromatic histone marks, EBV associated malignancies are characterized by local hypermethylation of CpG islands (CGI) at specific gene sets characteristic for each tumor type. Groups of hypermethylated promoters may represent unique EBV associated epigenetic signatures in EBV-associated gastric carcinomas (EBVaGC) and nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPC). Here, we review the similarities and differences between EBVaGC and NPC with an emphasis on the epigenetic perspective. Both tumors exhibit a CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) and a very high load of hypermethylated tumor suppressor genes, EBVaGC more so than the EBV-negative GC subtypes. However, according to present knowledge, there is only a very small set of hypermethylated gene loci which EBVaGC and NPC have in common. Construction of whole genome comparative methylomes and genome-wide analysis of further epigenetic marks may illuminate the patho-epigenetics of these EBV-associated carcinomas.
Rapid spread of OXA-244-producing Escherichia coli ST38 in Germany: insights from an integrated molecular surveillance approach; 2017 to January 2020

Annually, increasing numbers of OXA-244-producing Escherichia coli in 13 German federal states prompted us to initiate an outbreak investigation. Whole genome sequencing revealed that among 148 isolates analysed, most belonged to sequence type 38 with 62 isolates forming a genetically distinct cluster. Although no epidemiological link could be identified between cases, ongoing investigations suggest non-healthcare associated transmission. A screening-PCR was developed facilitating early detection of ST38 cluster isolates to identify the source and transmission route.
Quantitative Imaging of B1 Cyclin Expression Across the Cell Cycle Using Green Fluorescent Protein Tagging and Epifluorescence

In this article, we report the number of cyclin B1 proteins tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) in fixed U‐2 OS cells across the cell cycle. We use a quantitative analysis of epifluorescence to determine the number of eGFP molecules in a nondestructive way, and integrated over the cell we find 104 to 105 molecules. Based on the measured number of eGFP tagged cyclin B1 proteins, knowledge of cyclin B1 dynamics through the cell cycle, and the cell morphology, we identify the stages of cells in the cell cycle. © 2020 The Authors. Cytometry Part A published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on behalf of International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.
Crystal structure and snapshots along the reaction pathway of a family 51 α‐L‐arabinofuranosidase

High‐resolution crystal structures of α‐L‐arabinofuranosidase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus T‐6, a family 51 glycosidase, are described. The enzyme is a hexamer, and each monomer is organized into two domains: a (β/α)8‐barrel and a 12‐stranded β sandwich with jelly‐roll topology. The structures of the Michaelis complexes with natural and synthetic substrates, and of the transient covalent arabinofuranosyl—enzyme intermediate represent two stable states in the double displacement mechanism, and allow thorough examination of the catalytic mechanism. The arabinofuranose sugar is tightly bound and distorted by an extensive network of hydrogen bonds. The two catalytic residues are 4.7 Å apart, and together with other conserved residues contribute to the stabilization of the oxocarbenium ion‐like transition state via charge delocalization and specific protein—substrate interactions. The enzyme is an anti‐protonator, and a 1.7 Å electrophilic migration of the anomeric carbon takes place during the hydrolysis.
Different environmental gradients associated to the spatiotemporal and genetic pattern of the H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in poultry in Italy

Abstract Comprehensive understanding of the patterns and drivers of avian influenza outbreaks is pivotal to inform surveillance systems and heighten nations’ ability to quickly detect and respond to the emergence of novel viruses. Starting in early 2017, the Italian poultry sector has been involved in the massive H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza epidemic that spread in the majority of the European countries in 2016/2017. Eighty‐three outbreaks were recorded in north‐eastern Italy, where a densely populated poultry area stretches along the Lombardy, Emilia‐Romagna and Veneto regions. The confirmed cases, affecting both the rural and industrial sectors, depicted two distinct epidemic waves. We adopted a combination of multivariate statistics techniques and multi‐model regression selection and inference, to investigate how environmental factors relate to the pattern of outbreaks diversity with respect to their spatiotemporal and genetic diversity. Results showed that a combination of eco‐climatic and host density predictors were associated with the outbreaks pattern, and variation along gradients was noticeable among genetically and geographically distinct groups of avian influenza cases. These regional contrasts may be indicative of a different mechanism driving the introduction and spreading routes of the influenza virus in the domestic poultry population. This methodological approach may be extended to different spatiotemporal scale to foster site‐specific, ecologically informed risk mitigating strategies.
The new synonymy of Horikawaea with Cryptogonium and a proposal of Pseudocryptogonium, gen. nov. (Musci, Pterobryaceae)

Male organs and mature sporophytes of a calciphilous moss previously known as Horikawaea dubia are newly reported and described in detail based on a single specimen collected in Guangxi Province, southern China. Sporophytic features, such as the immersed and cylindrical capsule on a very short seta (ca. 1.2 mm long) and reduced peristome with 16 smooth and almost linear exostome teeth, as well as the gametophytic resemblance to Cryptogonium phyllogonioides in having complanate foliation, highly differentiated alar region of the stem and branch leaves, and more or less cucullate leaf apices, suggest a new synonymy of Horikawaea in Cryptogonium . Two new combinations, namely, C. dubia (Tixier) H.Akiyama & B.C.Tan comb. nov . and C. nitida (Nog.) H.Akiyama & B.C.Tan comb. nov . are made. Additionally, Pseudocryptogonium H.Akiyama & B.C.Tan gen. nov. is proposed to accommodate Horikawaea tjibodensis (syn. H. redfearnii ).
Neurocognitive Correlates of Internet Search Skills for eHealth Fact and Symptom Information in a Young Adult Sample

As the Covid 19 crisis has revealed, the internet is a first-line tool for learning critical health-related information. However, internet searches are a complex and dynamic process that can be fraught with subtleties and potential error. The mechanics of searching for and using electronic health (eHealth) information is ostensibly cognitively demanding; yet we know little about the role of neurocognitive abilities in this regard. Fifty-six young adults completed two naturalistic eHealth search tasks: fact-finding (eHealth Fact) and symptom-diagnosis (eHealth Search). Participants also completed neurocognitive tests of attention, psychomotor speed, learning/memory, and executive functions. Shorter eHealth symptom-diagnosis search time was related to better executive functions, while better eHealth symptom-diagnosis search accuracy was related to better episodic and prospective memory. In contrast, neither eHealth Fact search time nor its accuracy were related to any of the neurocognitive measures. Our findings suggest a differential relationship between neurocognitive abilities and eHealth search behaviors among young adults such that higher-order abilities may be implicated in eHealth searches requiring greater synthesis of information. Future work should examine the cognitive architecture of eHealth search in persons with neurocognitive disorders, as well as that of other aspects of eHealth search behaviors (e.g., search term generation, website reliability, and decision-making).
Predicting complex spikes in striatal projection neurons of the direct pathway following neuromodulation by acetylcholine and dopamine

The input structure of the basal ganglia, striatum, receives dense neuromodulatory input in the form of dopamine and acetylcholine. The two systems are tightly connected, for example, synchronized activity of cholinergic interneurons, leading to increased acetylcholine release, has been shown to directly trigger dopamine release from dopaminergic terminals in striatum. Both signals are further needed for induction of locomotion. High dopamine concentration leads to increased excitability of the direct pathway striatal projection neurons. High cholinergic tone inhibits various potassium channels further increasing the excitability of striatal projection neurons. Here, we investigate the combined effect of concurrent high acetylcholine and dopamine using biophysically detailed models based on rodent data. The aim of the study is to investigate how neuromodulation affects dendritic integration. The result shows that neuromodulation paired with synaptic activation of dendrites can give rise to complex spiking patterns, resembling spike shapes seen in the hippocampus. In the hippocampus, these complex spikes are associated with behavioral time scale plasticity and place cell tuning. We further investigate the mechanisms behind the complex spikes and find that there are two components, one axo‐somatic and one dendritic in origin.
Participants Selection for From-Scratch Mobile Crowdsensing via Reinforcement Learning

Participant selection is a major research challenge in Mobile Crowdsensing (MCS). Previous approaches commonly assume that adequately long and fixed periods of candidate participants’ historical mobility trajectories are available before the selection process. This enables the frameworks to accurately model mobility which enables the optimization of selection. However, this assumption may not be realistic for newly-released MCS applications or platforms because the candidates have just boarded without previous mobility profiles. The sparsity or even absence of mobility traces will incur inaccurate location prediction of the individual participant, thus imposing negative effects on the participant selection process and hindering the practical deployment of new MCS applications. To this end, this paper investigates a novel problem called "From-Scratch MCS" (FS-MCS for short), in which we study how to intelligently select participants to minimize such "cold-start" effect. Specifically, we propose a novel framework based on reinforcement learning, which we name RL-Recruiter. With the gradual accumulation of mobility trajectories over time, RL-Recruiter can make a good sequence of participant selection decisions for each sensing slot by incrementally extracting and utilizing the collective mobility patterns of all candidate participants, thus avoiding the prediction of individual participant’s location that is very inaccurate when the training data is sparse. We test our approach experimentally based on two real-world mobility datasets. Our experiment results demonstrate that RL-Recruiter outperforms the baseline approaches under various settings.
Competitive Displacement of pTα by TCR-α During TCR Assembly Prevents Surface Coexpression of Pre-TCR and αβ TCR1

During αβ T cell development, CD4−CD8− thymocytes first express pre-TCR (pTα/TCR-β) before their differentiation to the CD4+CD8+ stage. Positive selection of self-tolerant T cells is then determined by the αβ TCR expressed on CD4+CD8+ thymocytes. Conceivably, an overlap in surface expression of these two receptors would interfere with the delicate balance of thymic selection. Therefore, a mechanism ensuring the sequential expression of pre-TCR and TCR must function during thymocyte development. In support of this notion, we demonstrate that expression of TCR-α by immature thymocytes terminates the surface expression of pre-TCR. Our results reveal that expression of TCR-α precludes the formation of pTα/TCR-β dimers within the endoplasmic reticulum, leading to the displacement of pre-TCR from the cell surface. These findings illustrate a novel posttranslational mechanism for the regulation of pre-TCR expression, which may ensure that αβ TCR expression on thymocytes undergoing selection is not compromised by the expression of pre-TCR.
Packet Scheduling and Computation Offloading for Energy Harvesting Devices without CSIT

This paper proposes a joint packet scheduling and computation offloading policy for an Energy Harvesting (EH) mobile terminal wirelessly connected to a Base Station (BS) when the channel between the mobile and the BS is unavailable at the mobile side. The mobile terminal has to decide if its packet related to one application is computed either locally or remotely by the BS within a strict delay imposed by this application without knowing the channel in advance. Our objective is to guarantee reliable communication by minimizing the packet loss. This packet loss is due to butter overflow, strict delay violation and channel mismatch. We formulate the problem using a Markov Decision Process (MDP) and we propose and implement the optimal deterministic offline policy to solve it. This optimal policy decides: (i) the execution location (locally or remotely), (ii) the number of packets to be executed and (iii) the corresponding transmission power. This policy offers a dramatic increase in the number of executed packets and a significant energy saving.
Deep Learning Algorithm for Classification and Prediction of Lung Cancer using CT Scan Images

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and among all the cancers, Lung cancer is considered to be the major reason for all cancer-related deaths. Detecting lung cancer at early stages can improve the survival rate, but it is a difficult task as lung cancer shows very few symptoms. To diagnose lung cancers at an earlier stage, Computed Tomography (CT) images are used. Nowadays medical decision-making is performed using only CT scan images and an automatic assessment of Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) system. Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) system is a medical diagnosis tool that is very useful for today’s medical imaging practicality. The primary aim of this work is to develop an advanced computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system using deep learning algorithms that will efficiently extract data from CT scan images and provide precise and timely diagnosis of lung cancer. The work is divided into three phases -segmentation, feature extraction and classification. The CT scan images are segmented using (OTSU) Thresholding. This work focuses on utilizing the deep learning techniques, namely Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for feature extraction and recurrent neural network (RNN-LSTM) for lung cancer classification and obtain high accuracy.
“Unspoken Questions”: A Qualitative Study of Rheumatologists’ Perspectives on the Clinical Implementation of Patient-reported Outcome Measures

Objective To identify rheumatologists’ views on perceived barriers and facilitators to the clinical implementation of patient-reported outcome measures (PROM). Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with academically affiliated clinical rheumatologists. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Deidentified transcripts were independently coded and analyzed for themes. Results Fifteen attending rheumatologists, 8 women (53%) and 7 men (47%) with a mean of 17.3 years in practice (range 5–43) at 2 urban academic medical centers, participated in interviews. Rheumatologists identified several barriers to integrating PROM in clinical care, highlighting physician buy-in and culture change as significant challenges beyond logistical considerations. They further underscored the lack of effective interventions and resources for addressing the domains of most interest to patients. Physicians also recognized significant benefits of PROM in clinical care, including contributing to the clinical impression by providing the patient perspective, and promoting agenda setting by uncovering “unspoken questions. ” They additionally noted that PROM could support treatment planning, build patient-physician relationships, and facilitate patient engagement. Participants suggested that technology, physician education, and team-based care could facilitate the effective implementation of PROM. Conclusion Rheumatologists identified multiple mechanisms through which PROM could augment clinical care, but also noted several obstacles to implementation, questioning the added value of PROM and the limited availability of interventions to improve patient-centered outcomes. Programs seeking to successfully integrate PROM to enhance patient-centered care and meet quality benchmarks should prioritize physician buy-in and training, and provide resources to address the outcomes that are measured.
Proactive tobacco treatment for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

OBJECTIVE Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) smoke at higher rates compared to the general population and experience significant barriers to initiating cessation treatment. Proactive outreach addresses these barriers by directly engaging with smokers and facilitating access to treatment. The objective of the present study was to evaluate a proactive outreach intervention for increasing rates of treatment utilization and abstinence among veteran smokers with and without PTSD. METHOD This is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial conducted from 2013 to 2017 that demonstrated the effectiveness of proactive outreach among veterans using Veterans Affairs mental health care services. Electronic medical record data were used to identify participants with (n = 355) and without (n = 1,583) a diagnosis of PTSD. Logistic regressions modeled cessation treatment utilization (counseling, nicotine replacement therapy [NRT], and combination treatment) and abstinence (7-day point prevalence and 6-month prolonged at 6- and 12-month follow-ups) among participants randomized to proactive outreach versus usual care in the PTSD and non-PTSD subgroups, respectively. RESULTS Compared to usual care, proactive outreach increased combined counseling and NRT utilization among participants with PTSD (odds ratio [OR] = 26.25, 95% confidence interval [3.43, 201.17]) and without PTSD (OR = 10.20, [5.21, 19.98]). Proactive outreach also increased 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 12 months among participants with PTSD (OR = 2.62, [1.16, 5.91]) and without PTSD (OR = 1.61, [1.11, 2.34]). CONCLUSIONS Proactive outreach increased treatment utilization and abstinence among smokers with and without PTSD. Smokers with PTSD may need additional facilitation to initiate cessation treatment but are receptive when it is offered proactively. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Model Predictive Motion Planning for Autonomous Vehicle in Mid-high Overtaking Scene

Planning a safe and comfortable trajectory in complex traffic scenarios is very challenging because there are many constraints to consider, such as vehicle dynamics constraints and traffic rules. The existing method is either to search for the trajectory in the lattice space, or to combine the front-end coarse path searching and the back-end trajectory smoothing. These methods only constrain the position, slope and second derivative of the trajectory externally, so that the planned trajectory is either too conservative to play the vehicle’s motion performance or is so aggressive that the controller cannot track. We propose a motion planning method based on vehicle dynamics model prediction to solve an optimization problem involving vehicle dynamics constraints, safety and comfort requirements. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method can plan safe and smooth overtaking trajectory. Also it has good real-time performance and can run stably at 15 Hz.
Akemetopon , a new genus containing three new species of planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae)

2 Corresponding author Abstract The new delphacid genus Akemetopon gen. n. (Delphacinae: Delphacini) is described and illustrated with 3 new species from Arizona and Mexico: Akemetopon inornatum sp. n. , A. politum sp. n. , and A. ainigma sp. n. A key to species is pro- vided. The barcoding portion of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) was sequenced for A. politum sp. n. A maximum likelihood analysis places this genus in the basal Delphacini.