Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fatigue in Ankylosing Spondylitis Is Associated With Psychological Factors and Brain Gray Matter

Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a rheumatic inflammatory disease with unknown etiology, and fatigue is one of the main systemic symptoms of AS. The aim of the current study was to explore the mechanism of AS-associated fatigue (ASF) from multiple aspects, including neuropsychological changes. Method: A total of 120 AS patients and 78 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were recruited into the study. Fatigue was assessed by the fatigue item of the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF) scale. Anxiety and depression were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The cortical thickness and subcortical gray matter volume were assessed using a Philips Achieva 3.0 T TX MRI scanner. Result: Of the 120 AS patients, 103 (85.8%) reported varying degrees of fatigue. Among these fatigue cases, 33 (32.0%) were in the severe fatigue group (BASDAI-Fatigue ≥ 5), and 70 patients (68.0%) were considered to be in the mild fatigue group (BASDAI-Fatigue > 0 but <5). The BASDAI, ASDAS-CRP, HAD-A, and HAD-D scores of AS patients in the severe fatigue group were all significantly higher than those of patients in the mild fatigue and non-fatigue groups (all, P < 0.05). The structural equation model suggested that AS activity triggered the occurrence of fatigue by inducing psychological change. Finally, head MRI imaging found that the left thalamus volume in AS patients with severe fatigue was significantly larger than that in non-fatigue AS patients and healthy controls (both, P < 0.05). Conclusion: The study revealed neuropsychological factors involved in fatigue in AS.
Economy of Effort or Maximum Rate of Information? Exploring Basic Principles of Articulatory Dynamics

Economy of effort, a popular notion in contemporary speech research, predicts that dynamic extremes such as the maximum speed of articulatory movement are avoided as much as possible and that approaching the dynamic extremes is necessary only when there is a need to enhance linguistic contrast, as in the case of stress or clear speech. Empirical data, however, do not always support these predictions. In the present study, we considered an alternative principle: maximum rate of information, which assumes that speech dynamics are ultimately driven by the pressure to transmit information as quickly and accurately as possible. For empirical data, we asked speakers of American English to produce repetitive syllable sequences such as wawawawawa as fast as possible by imitating recordings of the same sequences that had been artificially accelerated and to produce meaningful sentences containing the same syllables at normal and fast speaking rates. Analysis of formant trajectories shows that dynamic extremes in meaningful speech sometimes even exceeded those in the nonsense syllable sequences but that this happened more often in unstressed syllables than in stressed syllables. We then used a target approximation model based on a mass-spring system of varying orders to simulate the formant kinematics. The results show that the kind of formant kinematics found in the present study and in previous studies can only be generated by a dynamical system operating with maximal muscular force under strong time pressure and that the dynamics of this operation may hold the solution to the long-standing enigma of greater stiffness in unstressed than in stressed syllables. We conclude, therefore, that maximum rate of information can coherently explain both current and previous empirical data and could therefore be a fundamental principle of motor control in speech production.
Video Analysis of Parent–Child Interactions in Behavioral Sleep Disorders: Development of a Scoring Algorithm

Introduction: Behavioral sleep disorders, including chronic insomnia (CI), are generally assessed by subjective parent interview. However, evidence suggests that parental report of children’s overnight behaviors is unreliable, perhaps due to recall bias or confusion due to sleep deprivation. Video technology has been used clinically to capture complex behavioral disorders in children during the day. However, there is no standardized means of analyzing child and parent behavior at bedtime or during the night. We aimed to create an algorithm for this purpose. Methods: Child brain tumor survivors (a population previously shown to have a high prevalence of CI) were screened for difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep using sub-scales from the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children. Those who screened positive (n = 3) then completed a detailed parent interview to confirm a clinical diagnosis of CI. One night of home video footage was obtained from initial settling period to morning waking (SOMNOmedics camera). Footage was imported into BORIS© software and a coding system for parent and child behavior was developed over multiple iterations until agreeable inter-rater reliability (>70%) was achieved between two independent coders. Results: The final coding categories were: 1) time domains, 2) physical environment, 3) child global status, 4) location, 5) activity, and 6) physical interaction. This achieved 74% inter-reliability in its last iteration. Discussion: A statistically acceptable behavior scoring algorithm was achieved. With further development, this tool could be applied clinically to investigate behavioral insomnia and in research to provide more objective outcome measurement.
Heritability of Unilateral Elbow Dysplasia in the Dog: A Retrospective Study of Sire and Dam Influence

Canine elbow dysplasia is a significant health issue affecting many breeds. Unfortunately, treatments remain relatively limited, so control of this disease often falls to selectively breeding for dogs with normal elbows. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the heritability of left-sided vs. right-sided elbow dysplasia, and to assess potential differential sire and the dam influence on offspring elbow status. In a retrospective study, elbow data from 130,117 dogs over 2 years old representing 17 breeds were obtained from the database of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals and included in the study. Heritability estimates for unilateral elbow dysplasia varied between breeds (ranging from 0.01 to 0.36) and were similar between the left and right elbows. The estimated genetic correlation between disease in the left and right elbow ~1 in the majority of breeds, with the exception of the hybrids, Australian Shepherds, and the Australian Cattle Dogs, likely due to low numbers of affected individuals. The sire and dam had equal impact on the offspring's elbow status. Furthermore, there was no increased risk for the sire or dam to pass on the same unilaterality of their elbow dysplasia to their offspring. However, the overall risk of elbow dysplasia in the offspring did increase when one or both parents were affected, though this also varied based on breed. Understanding of the impact that the sire and dam have on the offspring and of the overall heritability of both bilateral and unilateral elbow dysplasia is important in guiding breeding decisions to reduce the incidence in future generations of dogs.
Functional Implications of Multiple IM30 Oligomeric States

The inner membrane-associated protein of 30 kDa (IM30), also known as the vesicle-inducing protein in plastids 1 (Vipp1), is essential for photo-autotrophic growth of cyanobacteria, algae and higher plants. While its exact function still remains largely elusive, it is commonly accepted that IM30 is crucially involved in thylakoid membrane biogenesis, stabilization and/or maintenance. A characteristic feature of IM30 is its intrinsic propensity to form large homo-oligomeric protein complexes. 15 years ago, it has been reported that these supercomplexes have a ring-shaped structure. However, the in vivo significance of these ring structures is not finally resolved yet and the formation of more complex assemblies has been reported. We here present and discuss research on IM30 conducted within the past 25 years with a special emphasis on the question of why we potentially need IM30 supercomplexes in vivo.
CircSLNN: Identifying RBP-Binding Sites on circRNAs via Sequence Labeling Neural Networks

The interactions between RNAs and RNA binding proteins (RBPs) are crucial for understanding post-transcriptional regulation mechanisms. A lot of computational tools have been developed to automatically predict the binding relationship between RNAs and RBPs. However, most of the methods can only predict the presence or absence of binding sites for a sequence fragment, without providing specific information on the position or length of the binding sites. Besides, the existing tools focus on the interaction between RBPs and linear RNAs, while the binding sites on circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been rarely studied. In this study, we model the prediction of binding sites on RNAs as a sequence labeling problem, and propose a new model called circSLNN to identify the specific location of RBP-binding sites on circRNAs. CircSLNN is driven by pretrained RNA embedding vectors and a composite labeling model. On our constructed circRNA datasets, our model has an average F 1 score of 0.790. We assess the performance on full-length RNA sequences, the proposed model outperforms previous classification-based models by a large margin.
Minimally Invasive Video-Assisted Surgical Management for Parapharyngeal Metastases From Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Case Series Report

Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most prevalent cancer type in the endocrine system. Metastases to parapharyngeal lymph nodes (PPLNs) are rare. Herein, we reported a case series of PTC patients with PPLN metastases operated on by using the minimally invasive video-assisted (MIVA) technique to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this technique. Method: In this single-institutional study, six consecutive PTC patients with PPLN metastases between January 2012 and July 2018 were enrolled. All PPLNs were managed by the MIVA technique. Result: Six patients (three women and three men) who underwent surgery were enrolled in the current study. The median age of patients was 40.5 years (39–66). Five patients (83.3%) were diagnosed with primary PTC with PPLN metastases, and one patient had PTC recurrence in the PPLNs 17 years after her first PTC surgery. Surgical treatment was successful in all patients, and the median operative time and bleeding volume were 185 (100–280) min and 85 (30–120) ml, respectively. None of the patients experienced post-operative complications except for one patient who experienced dysphagia, which resolved within 3 months. During a median follow-up of 15 months (10–31), none of the patients exhibited recurrence or persistent disease. Conclusion: The MIVA transcervical approach was technically feasible and reliable, with less invasiveness for PTC patients with PPLN metastases. Future studies are needed to accumulate more experience, investigate the indications of the technique, and determine the long-term oncological safety.
Effect of the paper surface properties on the ink transfer parameters in offset printing

Abstract Paper has a crucial impact on the qualitative properties of printed product as properties of the paper’s surface directly impact the ink transfer, consequently, basic optical properties of the print. Although same ISO paper type, papers possess variable surface properties leading to different influence on the ink transfer. The aim of this research was to analyse influence of the surface properties of the paper, including surface free energy, smoothness and gloss of some standard papers used in lithography on the ink transfer while matching the colorimetric values defined by ISO 12647-2:2013. Determination of amount of the ink transfer, optical density, mottling and colour difference of prints were performed to evaluate paper-ink interactions. Results have shown that produced prints differ in the investigated properties. Furthermore, there are significant correlations between the surface free energy of the paper and paper smoothness and the ink transfer. In addition, amount of ink used to produce a standardized print varies for different paper types (even in the same ISO paper classification), meaning difference in ink costs. This research proved the high influence of paper’s certain parameters on the ink transfer by strong correlation coefficients. This enables better process control and optimization of the printing.
Pressão expiratória positiva na via aérea por máscara facial na hemodinâmica de pós-operatórios cardíacos

FUNDAMENTOS: A pressao expiratoria positiva na via aerea por mascara facial (EPAP) e utilizada no pos-operatorio de cirurgias cardiacas, entretanto, seus efeitos hemodinâmicos nao foram claramente estudados. OBJETIVO: Avaliar as alteracoes hemodinâmicas causadas pela EPAP em pacientes pos-cirurgia cardiaca monitorados por cateter de Swan-Ganz. METODOS: Foram incluidos no estudo, pacientes no primeiro ou segundo pos-operatorio de cirurgia cardiaca, estaveis hemodinamicamente e com cateter de Swan-Ganz. Eles foram avaliados em repouso e apos o uso de 10 cmH2O de EPAP, de forma randomizada. As variaveis estudadas foram: saturacao de oxigenio, frequencias cardiaca e respiratoria, pressoes arteriais medias sistemica e pulmonar (PAM e PAMP), pressoes venosa central (PVC) e de oclusao da ateria pulmonar (POAP), debito e indice cardiacos, e resistencias vasculares sistemica e pulmonar. Os pacientes foram divididos em subgrupos (com fracao de ejecao 50%) e os dados foram comparados por teste t e ANOVA. RESULTADOS: Vinte e oito pacientes foram estudados (22 homens, idade media 68 ± 11 anos). Comparando o periodo de repouso versus EPAP, as alteracoes observadas foram: POAP (11,9 ± 3,8 para 17,1 ± 4,9 mmHg, p < 0,001); PVC (8,7 ± 4,1 para 10,9 ± 4,3 mmHg, p = 0,014); PAMP (21,5 ± 4,2 para 26,5 ± 5,8 mmHg, p < 0,001); PAM (76 ± 10 para 80 ± 10 mmHg, p = 0,035). As demais variaveis nao mostraram diferencas significativas. CONCLUSAO: A EPAP foi bem tolerada nos pacientes e as alteracoes hemodinâmicas encontradas mostraram aumento nas medidas de pressao de enchimento ventricular direito e esquerdo, assim como, na pressao arterial media.
Pleura and Peritoneum

Background: Combining cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with Hyperthermic IntraPeritoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) can benefit patients with peritoneal metastasis from colorectal cancer. The present study evaluates the small bowel subset of the Peritoneal Cancer Index (Small-Bowel-PCI score (SBPCI), min-max 0–12) as a prognostic factor in such patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients that underwent CRS and HIPEC for recurrent colorectal cancer with peritoneal metastasis. Patient characteristics, procedure details, and clinical outcomes were evaluated. Results: Eighty patients were included. The mean intraoperative PCI-score was 16.8, with a mean SB-PCI score of 5.9. CC0/1 was achieved in 62/80 patients. The mean follow-up period was 26.3months. Univariate regression analysis showed that the ECOG status, the presence of severe complications, the HIPEC regimen (oxaliplatin vs. mitomycin-C), the PCI score, the SB-PCI score and the completeness of cytoreduction correlated significantly with overall survival. In multivariate analysis, the SB-PCI and CC score were identified as independent prognostic factors of survival. When the SB-PCI was stratified in three groups (0–4, 5–8 and 9–12), Kaplan–Meier curve analysis showed significant difference in survival (p<0.001). Conclusions: The SB-PCI correlates with overall survival in patients with peritoneal metastases secondary to colorectal cancer in this retrospective cohort. Its use should be validated in prospective patient series.
Blockchain and Smart Contracts for Entrepreneurial Collaboration in Maritime Supply Chains

Abstract Smart contracts are scripts on the top of the blockchain technology. They represent a form of automation by what the layers of intermediaries can be reduced or even completely replaced. Accordingly, blockchain smart contracting systems decrease transaction and enforcement costs as well as process time. Moreover, we argue, blockchain and smart contracts can facilitate cross-organisational collaboration and their underlying business processes. Hence, they are able to support the integration of entrepreneurs and SMEs into trans-national supply chains by reducing high entry barriers and weakening the dominating position of big players. This paper discusses the research questions how blockchain smart contracting can facilitate the implementation of collaborative logistics structures and how the integration of SMEs into sustainable maritime supply chains can be safeguarded. The research bases on expert interviews and case studies. The results showcase the potentials of using blockchain smart contracting in the environment of trans-national and multimodal supply chains.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATION: REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLINICAL LABORATORY INFORMATION SAUGUS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Parents of children in the Saugus Union School District in California were concerned about the safety of classrooms, particularly portable classrooms. Their concerns were amplified by assertions of a local medical toxicologist following evaluations of some teachers and students, and by an Environmental Working Group report about alleged problems with portables throughout California. Efforts by the school district, environmental consultants, and Los Angeles County health authorities were not sufficiently reassuring to some parents. This report discusses results from an evaluation of the classrooms by the Environmental Health Investigations Branch (EHIB) of the California Department of Health Services. Findings indicated no elevated health risks to students. The report's first part details evaluation methods and findings, while the second part directly answers each of the questions posed to EHIB staff at a parent meeting. Data tables provide results of environmental sampling at each school. (Consultations with outside authorities are appended. Contains 68 references.) (EV) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATION: REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLINICAL LABORATORY INFORMATION SAUGUS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT AUGUST, 1999 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement ED CATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent . official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
Identification of Pivotal Genes and Pathways in Osteoarthritic Degenerative Meniscal Lesions via Bioinformatics Analysis of the GSE52042 Dataset

Background To better understand the process of osteoarthritic degenerative meniscal lesions (DMLs) formation, this study analyzed the dataset GSE52042 using bioinformatics methods to identify the pivotal genes and pathways related to osteoarthritic DMLs. Material/Methods The GSE52042 dataset, comprising diseased meniscus samples and healthier meniscus samples, was downloaded and the differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) were extracted. The reactome pathways assessment and functional analysis were performed using the “ClusterProfiler” package and “ReactomePA” package of Bioconductor. The protein–protein interaction network was constructed, followed by the extraction of hub genes and modules. Results A set of 154 common DEGs, including 64 upregulated DEGs and 90 downregulated DEGs, were obtained. GO analysis suggested that the DEGs primarily participated in positive regulation of the mitotic cell cycle and extracellular matrix organization. Reactome pathway analysis showed that the DEGs were predominantly enriched in TP53, which regulates transcription of genes involved in G2 cell cycle arrest and extracellular matrix organization. The top 10 hub genes were TYMS, AURKA, CENPN, NUSAP1, CENPM, TPX2, CDK1, UBE2C, BIRC5, and CCNB1. The genes in the 2 modules were primarily associated with M Phase and keratan sulfate degradation. Conclusions A series of pivotal genes and reactome pathways were identified elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of osteoarthritic DMLs and to discover potential therapeutic targets.
Risk Factor Analysis for Breast Cancer in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women of Punjab, India

Objective: Amritsar, the second largest town of agrarian state of Punjab, India reports high number of breast cancer cases every year. The present study investigated the etiology of breast cancer using various obesity indices and other epidemiological factors among breast cancer patients residing in and around Amritsar city. Methods: In this case control study, risk factors for breast cancer were analyzed in 542 female subjects: 271 females with breast cancer patients and 271 unrelated healthy females matched for age as control females. Results: Bivariate analysis for risk factors in cases and controls showed a lower risk (OR=0.65, 95% CI 0.43-0.99, p=0.04) in obese cases with BMI≥25kg/m2 as compared to subjects with normal BMI. Risk factor analysis showed that parameter which provided risk for cancer in postmenopausal women was obesity and in premenopausal women was parity. Postmenopausal women with BMI (overweight: OR=0.39, 95% CI 0.17-0.92, p=0.03; obese: OR= 0.26, 95% CI 0.13-0.52, p=0.00), WC (OR=0.17, 95% CI 0.05-0.52, p=0.00) and WHtR (p=0.02) had highr risk. Premenopausal women with 3 or less than 3 children had a higher risk (OR=5.54, 95 % CI 2.75-11.19, p=0.00) than postmenopausal women when compared to women with more than 3 children. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that low parity (≤3) substantially increased the risk for breast cancer (OR=4.80, 95% CI 2.34-9.85, p=0.00) in premenopausal women. Conclusion: Obesity, parity associated breast cancer risk and reduced breastfeeding cumulatively predispose the premenopausal women of this region to higher risk of breast cancer.
Neonatal Weight and Prenatal Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls: A Meta-Analysis

Background: This research studied the relationship between maternal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and neonatal birth weight through systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature. Methods: We searched for all the studies published in MEDLINE / PUBMEDN / EMBASE (Medical Abstract Database) by June 2018, and seven studies had been selected. Results: The results showed that there was significant correlation between birth weight reduction and PCBS exposure throughout pregnancy (β=-0.586g, 95%CI:-0.629,-0.543). There was a negative correlation between birth weight and PCBs exposure and umbilical cord serum (β=-0.833g) and maternal serum (β= -0.504g). Subgroup analyses showed significantly different effects of PCBs exposure on birth weight in different regions, stages of pregnancy and study designs. It was thought the heterogeneity was mainly caused by geographical regions, stages of pregnancy, and the assessment methods. Conclusion: The meta analysis revealed a negative correlation between PCBs exposure and birth weight but there was significant difference in the correlation between birth weight loss.