Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural simplification of a feed-forward, multilayer perceptron artificial neural network

Several methods to reduce the excessive number of neurons and synaptic weights in a feedforward, multilayer perceptron artificial neural network (ANN) are presented. To reduce the synaptic weights, the authors replace the original weight matrix by a product of two smaller matrices so that the number of multiplications required can be reduced. To reduce the hidden units, they exploit the correlation among the outputs of the hidden neurons in the same layer. A method to identify and remove redundant hidden units and update the weights of the remaining neurons is proposed. This approach offers potentially good performance without retraining. When retraining is applied to fine-tune the reduced network, the updated weights become very good initial conditions enabling much faster training compared with training with random initial conditions. <<ETX>>
Opportunities and problems with automated data collection via smartphones

Through smartphone measurement software, researchers will be able to collect vast amounts of log data on the use of mobile media and applications. The present paper discusses the opportunities of smartphone measurement software in multi-method research, but also the ethical and methodological issues involved. We provide suggestions on how to deal with obvious privacy issues that arise from using smartphone measurement software. We also discuss how one can deal with sampling and selecting respondents. An illustrative study in which we applied smartphone measurement suggests that methodological and ethical issues can be overcome in practice, although doing so requires a great deal of effort. Still, collecting data through smartphone measurement is highly promising as both the quality and quantity of the resulting data is impressive.
Relaxing life of the city? Allostatic load in yellow-bellied marmots along a rural–urban continuum

Urban environments are expanding. As rural areas are urbanized, animals living in those environments must respond. Examinations of ecological responses to urbanization are abundant, but much less work has focused on the physiological responses driving those ecological patterns, particularly in mammals. Whether an animal interprets urbanized environments as stressful or not can help us understand, and even predict, the likelihood of individuals persisting in urbanized areas. Unpredictable events can cause stress and responses to such events can deplete limited stores of energy. Differences between required and available energy is termed allostatic load and is an indicator of stress. Allostatic load, and hence stress, is correlated with baseline levels of the metabolic hormones, glucocorticoids. We examined allostatic load in yellow-bellied marmots along a rural-urban gradient through analysis of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs). We used GIS data and 'on-the-ground' measurements to quantify the degree of urbanization. We collected fecal samples from males and females of all age classes at six sites along this continuum. Female marmots had higher FGMs than males. All age groups of marmots exhibited a parabolic relationship between the degree of urbanization and FGM levels. In general, adult marmots had higher FGMs in more rural than urban environments, and both juveniles and yearlings had exhibited higher FGM levels in more urban environments.
Do different curriculum aligned selection procedures admit students with different personality profiles to medical school?

Background Medical schools aim to contribute to a pool of doctors who are ready for a future practice that will be ever-changing requiring collaboration skills and lifelong learning. They adapt their curricula and selection procedures to fulfil this responsibility. This study aims to determine whether two different selection procedures in one medical school, both matching the key characteristics of the subsequent curricula (one traditional, knowledge-based, and one recently designed for self directed learning and focusing on practice), select students with different personality traits as a side-effect. This perspective was chosen as personality has been related to the CanMeds competencies, innovation capacities, medical school performance and medical professional success. Methods A total of 621 students admitted through the new or the traditional selection procedure were invited to complete a Big Five Inventory questionnaire at the start of their Bachelor’s programme. Using ANCOVA, we compared Big Five traits of students admitted through the new selection procedure (n = 196) and the traditional selection procedure (n = 425). Results The group of students admitted through the procedure matching the newly designed curriculum had a lower mean score on neuroticism (p < .01) and higher mean scores on conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and openness (p < .001) than the other group. Conclusions The findings of the current study indicate that the medical school population is influenced in terms of personality traits as a side-effect of a changing selection procedure. We recommend studying this mechanism and its implications further and using it more consciously in selection procedure design.
Diatom evidence of 20th century ecosystem change in Lake Baikal, Siberia

Lake Baikal has been experiencing limnological changes from recent atmospheric warming since the 1950s, with rising lake water temperatures, reduced ice cover duration and reduced lake surface-water mixing due to stronger thermal stratification. This study uses lake sediment cores to reconstruct recent changes (c. past 20 years) in Lake Baikal’s pelagic diatom communities relative to previous 20th century diatom assemblage records collected in 1993 and 1994 at the same locations in the lake. Recent changes documented within the core-top diatom records agree with predictions of diatom responses to warming at Lake Baikal. Sediments in the south basin of the lake exhibit clear temporal changes, with the most rapid occurring in the 1990’s with shifts towards higher abundances of the cosmopolitan Synedra acus and a decline in endemic species, mainly Cyclotella minuta and Stephanodiscus meyerii and to a lesser extent Aulacoseira baicalensis and Aulacoseira skvortzowii. The north basin, in contrast, shows no evidence of recent diatom response to lake warming despite marked declines in north basin ice cover in recent decades. This study also shows no diatom-inferred evidence of eutrophication from deep water sediments. However, due to the localised impacts seen in areas of Lake Baikal’s shoreline from nutrient pollution derived from inadequate sewage treatment, urgent action is vital to prevent anthropogenic pollution extending into the open waters.
Evidence for Polymeric Membrane Dressings as a Unique Dressing Subcategory, Using Pressure Ulcers as an Example

Objective: Wound management recommendations usually group dressings by base substrate material or reimbursement codes, even when functional differences are vast (e.g., honey-containing alginates, super-absorbent hydrogels). Polymeric membrane dressings (PMDs) diverge dramatically from conventional foam dressings in functional attributes, indications, and patient results, providing an opportunity to demonstrate the evidence for categorizing dressings based upon functional differences. Approach: A search of ALL published literature describing the use of PMDs, with no date or language limits, was conducted. Documents simply listing a PMD brand name (e.g., PolyMem) as one of many “foam” dressings were eliminated. The subset of evidence evaluating PMDs for tissue damage resulting from pressure (pressure ulcers, pressure injuries, henceforth: PUs) was summarized. Results: Studies of PMDs, primarily from independent clinician-researchers, have accumulated into a significant evidence base over the past 30 years. PMDs actively cleanse and debride wounds, balance moisture, relieve pain, and limit inflammation: all functions not shared by conventional foams. Innovation: This article supports a paradigm shift for wound management guidance materials to embrace a more evidence-based, patient-centered method of classifying products. The results presented here, using PMDs for PUs as an example, show that functional attributes, indications, and patient results are not always dictated by dressing substrates. Rather than being comparable with conventional foam dressings, PMDs have substantially enhanced functions and results. Conclusion: These results strongly support the author's assertion that evidence-based wound management requires guidelines and recommendations that categorize advanced dressings based upon how they function in real-life settings, rather than upon their base substrate.
Echocardiographic Parameters in Acute Pulmonary Edema

ABSTRACT: Purpose: The present study proposes the comprehensive ultrasound evaluation of a consecutive batch of patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Method: The registry included all patients with acute pulmonary edema from 2 emergency hospitals between February and May 2016. During the first 3 days of admission, a transthoracic ultrasound was performed which included the parameters of systolic and diastolic function of the left ventricle, right ventricular systolic function, heart cavity dimensions, estimated pulmonary pressure, and the presence and severity of valvular disease. Results: A total of 70 patients were enrolled in the registry. The mean ejection fraction of the left ventricle was 39.5±11.4% and the average indexed end-diastolic volume was 77.7±29.5ml/m⊃2, above the upper limit of normal. All patients in whom diastolic function could be evaluated had a degree of diastolic dysfunction. Functional parameters of the right ventricle were normalized as average, and the mean pulmonary artery pressure was increased: 40.9±16.7mmHg. The most common valvular heart disease were mitral and tricuspid insufficiency, with moderate or severe impairment in 82.8%, respectively 65.7% of the patients.
Examining the relationship between mothers' prenatal mental health and demographic factors with postpartum depression

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Prenatal mental health has been shown to be related with postpartum depression. However, the role of mental and psychological factors in postpartum depression requires especial attention. Furthermore, the relationship between demographic factors and postpartum depression is contradictory. The study was aimed to identify role of prenatal anxiety and depression and demographic factors with postpartum depression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted with 303 pregnant women who have gestational age from 28 to 36 weeks and referred to health-care centers in Isfahan city and follow-up for 6–12 weeks after postpartum. Data were collected using the demographic form, Edinburgh depression, and anxiety Spielberger questionnaire during pregnancy and Edinburgh depression inventory in the 6th and 12th weeks after childbirth. Descriptive statistics and linear logistic regression were used to analyze the data. In demographic factors, data were analyzed using the Student's t-test, Chi-square, Pearson and Spearman test and after the meaningfulness of regression was used. RESULTS: Results showed that the 6 and 12 weeks after childbirth, 61 patients (20/1%) and 33 patients (10/9%) had postpartum depression. The most important risk factors for depression in the first 6 weeks were history of infertility (confidence interval [CI]: 0.56–0.767) (P = 0.018) and history of depression (CI: 1.155–1.369) (P = 0.000) and in 12 weeks, postpartum were history of depression (CI: 0.072–1.305) (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Infertility and history of depression during pregnancy were two risk factors of postpartum depression which should be taken into consideration during prenatal care.
Factors affecting the distribution and abundance of autumn vagrant New World warblers in northwestern California and southern Oregon

Birds found outside their typical range, or vagrants, have fascinated naturalists for decades. Despite broad interest in vagrancy, few attempts have been made to statistically examine the explanatory variables potentially responsible for the phenomenon. In this study, we used multiple linear regression to model the occurrence of 28 rare warbler species (family Parulidae) in autumn in northern California and southern Oregon as a function of migration distance, continental population size, distance, and bearing to both closest breeding population and breeding population center. In addition to our predictive model, we used capture data from the California coast to 300 km inland to examine relationships between the presence of vagrant warblers, regional warbler species richness and age class distribution. Our study yielded three important results: (1) vagrancy is strongly correlated with larger North American population size; (2) vagrants are more common at some coastal sites; and (3) where young birds are over-represented, vagrants tend to occur—such as on the coast and at far inland sites. Of the many explanations of rare and vagrant individuals, we feel that the most likely is that these birds represent the ends of the distributions of a normal curve of migration direction, bringing some few migrants to locations out of their normal migratory range as vagrants. We also examine the underrepresented species that, according to our model, are overdue for being recorded in our study area.
Enhancing Graduate Students’ Ability to Conduct and Communicate Research through an Interdisciplinary Lens†

This research is a part of a longitudinal study of the Computation and Mathematics for Biological Networks (COMBINE) program at the University of Maryland. The mission of COMBINE is to train doctoral students from a wide range of fields to pursue interdisciplinary research. Here, we focus on one component of COMBINE, a semester-long course titled Data Practicum at the Intersection of the Physical, Computer, and Life Sciences. The goal of this study was to explore the effectiveness of the teaching practices that were used in the Data Practicum. We investigated their impact on graduate students’ confidence to conduct research through an interdisciplinary lens and to communicate their research to diverse audiences. We used validated pre- and post-course online surveys, in-class observations, collection of artifacts, and interviews. Interviewed students and instructors highlighted the course’s iterative process, peer review system, and unique incorporation of outside research already being conducted by students as the most impactful aspects of the course. Based on students’ reports and artifacts, the Data Practicum was successful in helping them to communicate their research visually, orally, and in text to a wide and varied audience, to critically review others’ work, inside and outside their discipline, and to develop awareness of research in other disciplines. We observed that it is possible to enhance interdisciplinary communication skills through an iterative teaching approach that gives students a chance to incorporate feedback from multiple sources. This course could serve as a model for other graduate programs wishing to increase training in interdisciplinary skills.
Modulation of corticomotor excitability in response to distal focal cooling

Background Thermal stimulation has been proposed as a modality to facilitate motor recovery in neurological populations, such as stroke. Recently (Ansari, Remaud & Tremblay, 2018), we showed that application of cold or warm stimuli distally to a single digit produced a variable and short lasting modulation in corticomotor excitability. Here, our goal was to extend these observations to determine whether an increase in stimulation area could elicit more consistent modulation. Methods Participants (n = 22) consisted of a subset who participated in our initial study. Participants were asked to come for a second testing session where the thermal protocol was repeated but with extending the stimulation area from single-digit (SD) to multi-digits (MD, four fingers, no thumb). As in the first session, skin temperature and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited with transcranial magnetic stimulation were measured at baseline (BL, neutral gel pack at 22 °C), at 1 min during the cooling application (pre-cooled 10 °C gel pack) and 5 and 10 min post-cooling (PC5 and PC10). The analysis combined the data obtained previously with single-SD cooling (Ansari, Remaud & Tremblay, 2018) with those obtained here for MD cooling. Results At BL, participants exhibited comparable measures of resting corticomotor excitability between testing sessions. MD cooling induced similar reductions in skin temperature as those recorded with SD cooling with a peak decline at C1 of respectively, −11.0 and −10.3 °C. For MEPs, the primary analysis revealed no main effect attributable to the stimulation area. A secondary analysis of individual responses to MD cooling revealed that half of the participants exhibited delayed MEP facilitation (11/22), while the other half showed delayed inhibition (10/22); which was sustained in the post-cooling phase. More importantly, a correlation between variations in MEP amplitude recorded during the SD cooling session with those recorded in the second session with MD cooling, revealed a very good degree of correspondence between the two at the individual level. Conclusion These results indicate that increasing the cooling area in the distal hand, while still eliciting variable responses, did produce more sustained modulation in MEP amplitude in the post-cooling phase. Our results also highlight that responses to cooling in terms of either depression or facilitation of corticomotor excitability tend to be fairly consistent in a given individual with repeated applications.
miR-30a Inhibits Melanoma Tumor Metastasis by Targeting the E-cadherin and Zinc Finger E-box Binding Homeobox 2

Background: Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is actively involved in tumor invasion. The main hallmark of EMT is downregulation of the adherens junction protein E-cadherin due to transcriptional repression. Candidate E-cadherin transcription repressors are members of ZEB family, ZEB2 belong to the ZEB family transcription factor that is pivotal for embryonic development and tumor progression. ZEB2 (zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 2) is most widely known as an inducer of EMT. Growing evidence have shown the involvement of microRNAs in cancer progression. In this study, we demonstrate that miR-30a is a potent suppressor of melanoma metastasis to the lung. Materials and Methods: In this study, miR-30a has been transfected into B16-F10 melanoma cells, and then cells were injected intravenously into C57BL/6 mice. Then, the mice were sacrificed and nodules in the lungs were enumerated. Results: Ectopic expression of miR-30a in melanoma cell line resulted in the suppression of pulmonary metastasis. We also found that transfected miR-30a into melanoma cells could increase E-cadherin and decrease ZEB2 expression. Conclusions: Our findings showed that increased expression of miR-30a in melanoma inhibited metastasis in vivo by targeting ZEB2 and E-cadherin.
Hypertension genetic risk score is associated with burden of coronary heart disease among patients referred for coronary angiography

Background Recent GWAS studies have identified more than 300 SNPs associated with variation in blood pressure. We investigated whether a genetic risk score constructed from these variants is associated with burden of coronary heart disease. Methods From 2010–2014, 4,809 individuals admitted to coronary angiography in Capital Region of Copenhagen were genotyped. We calculated hypertension GRS comprised of GWAS identified SNPs associated with blood pressure. We performed logistic regression analyses to estimate the risk of hypertension and prevalent CHD. We also assessed the severity of CHD associated with the GRS. The analyses were performed using GRS quartiles. We used the Inter99 cohort to validate our results and to investigate for possible pleiotropy for the GRS with other CHD risk factors. Results In COGEN, adjusted odds ratios comparing the 2nd, 3rd and 4th cumulative GRS quartiles with the reference were 1.12(95% CI 0.95–1.33), 1.35(95% CI 1.14–1.59) and 1.29(95% CI 1.09–1.53) respectively, for prevalent CHD. The adjusted multinomial logistic regression showed that 3rd and 4th GRS quartiles were associated with increased odds of developing two(OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.04–1.71 and OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.06–1.75, respectively) and three coronary vessel disease(OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.36–2.30 and OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.26–2.15, respectively). Similar results for incident CHD were observed in the Inter99 cohort. The hypertension GRS did not associate with type 2 diabetes, smoking, BMI or hyperlipidemia. Conclusion Hypertension GRS quartiles were associated with an increased risk of hypertension, prevalent CHD, and burden of coronary vessel disease in a dose-response pattern. We showed no evidence for pleiotropy with other risk factors for CHD.
MULTIDRUG RESISTANT MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS IN ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA

Background: There is a need to have regular updates from regions where high burden of tuberculosis (TB) have been reported in order to assist the local and global bodies in their objective to curtail the spread of drug resistant TB (DRTB). This study presents a situation report of DRTB in Adamawa State which has been identified as one of the States with high burden of TB in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Sputum culture in Lowenstein-Jensen Media, drug sensitivity tests and the GeneXpert MTB/Rif analysis were used in the identification and drug susceptibility studies of M. tuberculosis isolates obtained from forty TB patients who were enrolled from three selected hospitals with DOTS facilities in the State. Results: The age of TB patients range from 17 to 70 years (median = 30 years). Twenty (50 %) M. tuberculosis isolates were detected by the GeneXpertMTB/Rif analysis while the media culture detected 31 (77.5%). The two methods however detected rifampicin resistance in 4 (10%) of the total isolates. All rifampicin resistant isolates were multidrug resistant TB (MDRTB) and three of them were from male patients aged 30, 38 and 45. There was only one case of resistance to streptomycin, 3 to ethambutol and 6 to isoniazid. Monoresistance were only observed for ethambutol and isoniazid and it was found in two isolates for each. Conclusion: There is a need to provide interventions to control MDRTB in the state and to make such interventions available and closer to the patients.
Association between maternal Autism Spectrum Quotient scores and the tendency to see pragmatic impairments as a problem

The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that individuals with higher Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scores would be more permissive of pragmatic impairments than those with lower AQ scores. We investigated the presence of a correlation between the AQ scores of mothers with children in grades 1 to 6 and their evaluation of assumed pragmatic impairments in children using the Maternal Evaluation of Pragmatic Impairments in Children (MEPC) measure. Mothers were asked to rate how they would feel if their child showed the communication behaviors listed in scales D (coherence), E (inappropriate initiation), F (stereotyped language), G (use of context), and H (nonverbal communication) of the Children’s Communication Checklist-2, which measures pragmatic impairments. All responses were given on a five-point Likert scale. The results indicated that the higher the maternal AQ score, the less the mother tended to evaluate pragmatic impairments as a problem. We also examined whether the age and gender of assumed children influenced the correlation between AQ and MEPC scores, but found no significant correlation. The partial correlation coefficients were calculated for each subscale, none of which was significant. A negative correlation was found between AQ and MEPC scores as a whole.