Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bioprosthetic or mechanical heart valves: prosthesis choice for borderline patients?—Results from 9,616 cases recorded in Polish national cardiac surgery registry

Background In middle-aged patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR), the selection of prosthesis type is a complex process. Current guidelines do not unequivocally indicate the type of prosthesis (bioprosthetic or mechanical) recommended for patients between 60–70 years of age. The aim of the study was to present the trends in AVR prosthesis selection in borderline patients over a 10-year period, based on real-life registry data. Methods The study population comprised of 9,616 consecutive patients aged between 60–70 years, who underwent isolated AVR between 2006 and 2016 in all cardiac surgery departments in Poland. Data were extracted from the Polish National Registry of Cardiac Surgery. Results Among 27,797 consecutive AVR procedures, patients aged 60–70 years represented 34.6% of the population operated on. From 2006 to 2016, bioprosthetic valves (BVs) were implanted in 53.9% cases, (and) mechanical valves (MVs) in 42.1%. The proportion of different valve types changed in time: from 77.5% of MVs vs. 22.5% of BVs in 2006 to 23.2% of MVs vs. 76.8% of BVs in 2016 (P<0.001). The most commonly implanted BV was the Hancock II (used in 36.4% of BV implantations), the most commonly used MV was the Saint Jude Mechanical prosthesis (implanted in 36.4% of MV implantation cases). A multivariable model identified smaller annulus [OR (95% CI) 0.89 (0.86–0.92), P<0.001], atrial fibrillation [OR (95% CI) 1.32 (1.05–1.67), P=0.017], male sex [OR (95% CI) 1.47 (1.24–1.74), P<0.001] and year of implantation [OR (95% CI) 0.75 (0.71–0.79), P<0.001] as predictors of MV implantation. Conclusions Patients aged 60–70 years represent more than one-third of all AVR patients. Between 2006 and 2016, the proportion of implanted prostheses has changed dramatically. In 2016 BVs were implanted in nearly 75% of AVR cases, three times more often than in 2006.
Two cases of bovine holoacardius amorphus monsters

Παρουσιάζονται δυο σπάνιeς πeριπτώσeις ακάρδιων άμορφων τeράτων βοοeιδών (Holoacardius Amorphus Totalis), καθένα από τα οποία αποτeλούσe προϊόν δίδυμης κυοφορίας μe φυσιολογικό το δeύτeρο νeογέννητο. Τα τέρατα eξeτάσθηκαν μακροσκοπικά, ακτινογραφικά και ιστολογικά, eνώ πραγματοποιήθηκe καρυοτυπικη eξέταση στο ένα από τα φυσιολογικά δίδυμα νeογέννητα. Αμφότeρα τα τέρατα πeριβάλλονταν από δέρμα, eνώ η eσωτeρική τους μάζα, η οποία δeν πeριeίχe σκeλeτικά στοιχeία ήταν ιστολογικά ομοιογeνής. Το ένα ήταν παρόμοιο σe διαστάσeις μe αυτά που έχουν ήδη πeριγραφeί, eνώ το άλλο eίναι το μικρότeρο (βάρος 21.3 gr) απ' όσα έχουν αναφeρθeί στη διeθνή βιβλιογραφία. Και στις δυο πeριπτώσeις, δυο ημέρeς μeτά τη γέννηση τους, στις ωοθήκeς των μητέρων τους βρέθηκαν δυο ωχρά σωμάτια. Συζητούνται τα πιθανά αίτια, αλλά και οι πλέον πιθανοί μηχανισμοί σχηματισμού των δυο τeράτων.
Meta-microRNAs as potential noninvasive markers for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

Introduction The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of a microRNA panel as early diagnostic markers for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods The differentially expressed serum microRNAs were screened with microarray among cognitively normal controls (CNC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD. QRT-PCR assay was applied to evaluate differentially expressed microRNAs with two independent cohorts including 202 participants. Logistic regression model based on microRNA panel was constructed using a training cohort and then validated using an independent cohort. Results First, four differentially expressed serum microRNAs (let-7g, miR-197, miR-126 and miR-29a) were found, which expressions were positively correlated with mini mental state examination (MMSE) score. Second, a microRNA panel with the four microRNAs demonstrated good diagnostic performance for MCI and AD with 84% and 92% accuracy. Third, when combined with MMSE score, the diagnostic performance of the microRNA panel was further improved. Discussion Blood microRNAs are potential AD biomarkers that may lead to new diagnostic strategies.
The radial expression of dorsal-ventral patterning genes in placozoans, Trichoplax adhaerens, argues for an oral-aboral axis

The placozoans are a morphologically simplistic group of marine animals found globally in tropical and subtropical environments. They consist of a single named species, Trichoplax adhaerens and have roughly six morphologically distinct cell types. With a sequenced genome, a limited number of cell-types and a simple flattened morphology, Trichoplax is an ideal model organism to understand cellular dynamics and tissue patterning in the first animals. Using new approaches for identification of gene expression patterns this research looks at the relationship of Chordin/TgfB signaling and the axial patterning system of Placozoa. Our results suggest that placozoans have an oral-aboral axis similar to cnidarians and that the parahoxozoan ancestor (common ancestor of Placozoa and Cnidaria) was likely radially symmetric.
Language exposure and phonological short-term memory as predictors of majority language vocabulary and phonological awareness in dual language learning

Abstract Previous work suggests that child-internal and -external factors influence dual language learning (DLL), although more work is needed – to clarify the role of phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and language exposure in particular. Accordingly, we investigated the role of language exposure and PSTM in phonological awareness and receptive and expressive vocabulary development in the majority language in DLL. PSTM was measured with both a language-specific and language-universal nonword repetition task (NWR). Sixty-five DLL preschoolers were assessed twice, five months apart. Results show that maternal majority-language proficiency as well as language-specific and universal NWR predicted all outcomes, whereas length of exposure to the majority language only predicted receptive and expressive vocabulary. Current exposure did not predict any outcome. The findings extend previous research on child-internal and child-external factors as predictors of DLL to phonological awareness and language-universal NWR.
Development of microsatellite markers for Hosta capitata (Asparagaceae) and amplification in related taxa

Microsatellite markers were developed as a tool for phylogeographic studies of Hosta capitata. We also assessed cross-amplification in species closely related to Hosta capitata. We produced 28 polymorphic microsatellite markers by mapping 300 bp paired-end reads obtained from Illumina MiSeq data of H. capitata. In H. capitata, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 1 to 13. Observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 0.844 and 0.000 to 0.832, respectively. Additionally, 13 loci were successfully transferable to the related species of H. minor and H. venusta. These markers will provide a powerful genetic tool not only for elucidating the phylogeographic patterns of H. capitata populations but also for studying the genetic delimitation of H. capitata from its related species.
Gene regulatory control of immune cell specification and differentiation in the sea urchin embryo and larva

Hematopoietic systems in mammals have been the focus of intense study. However, complications such as paralog compensation among transcription factor genes in complex vertebrate models can make it difficult to characterize gene regulatory networks (GRNs) for immune cell differentiation in detail, especially in vivo. Simple invertebrates can provide systems-level models to explore GRN function as it directs development in the intact organism. The sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) is an emerging model for such studies. Larval immunocytes are patterned in the mesoderm at the blastula stage. Immunocyte precursors express single gene orthologs of vertebrate hematopoietic factors, including GATA-1,-2, 3 factors, Scl/Tal2/Lyl1, and the E-proteins (E2A/HEB/E2-2). Genome analyses also reveal a complex system of immune receptors and effectors. In my thesis I sought to 1) characterize immune cell terminal differentiation genes in more detail, 2) characterize the role of E-protein transcription factor splice variants driving the emergence of distinct mesodermal cell types, and 3) characterize the later expression of key transcription factors in maintaining larval immunocyte populations. I identified two markers: a thioester αmacroglobulin like protein, Tecp2, and MacpfA2. MacpfA2 is part of a multi-gene family of 22
Backchannels and the pragmatics of South Asian Englishes

Funding information DeutscheForschungsgemeinschaft, Grant/AwardNumber:BE5812/2-1 Abstract The pragmatics of postcolonial Englishes including backchannels have so far remained in the periphery of academic inquiry. As pragmatic principles may be regarded as culture-sensitive and various cultural differences have been attested between Great Britain and South Asia, the present paper studies backchannels in British, Indian and Sri Lankan English. Drawn from the respective spoken parts of the International Corpus of English, 3,212 backchannels are multifactorially modelled via a conditional inference tree and random forests including recent methodological improvements. Indications of pragmatic nativisation with backchannels are evident in Indian and Sri Lankan English with their distributions and forms in the light of various sociobiographic factors such as age and gender, but also type-token ratio and conversational topic resonate with cultural differences across the speech communities. Lexical echo backchannels only attestable in the South Asian varieties instantiate a creative pragmatic innovation adding to the existing repertoire of backchannels in world Englishes.
CX3CR1/CX3CL1 axis drives the migration and maturation of oligodendroglia in the central nervous system

In the central nervous system, the axons of neurons are protected from damage and aided in electrical conductivity by the myelin sheath, a complex of proteins and lipids formed by oligodendrocytes. Loss or damage to the myelin sheath may result in impairment of electrical axonal conduction and eventually to neuronal death. Such demyelination is responsible, at least in part, for the disabling neurodegeneration observed in pathologies such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Spinal Cord Injury. In the regenerative process of remyelination, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), the resident glial stem cell population of the adult CNS, migrate toward the injury site, proliferate and differentiate into adult oligodendrocytes which subsequently reform the myelin sheath. Existing research indicates that OPC migration is directed by chemomigratory signals released from the site of injury and that the absence of OPCs is a feature of some MS lesions, suggesting that increased recruitment of OPCs to injury sites might improve remyelination, eventually leading to treatments of patient pathologies. I hypothesized that as yet undiscovered migration cues for OPCs might be released at sites of demyelination, diffuse through the CNS tissue, activate distal OPCs and guide them back to sites of demyelination. In this thesis, I performed bioinformatics analysis of gene expression arrays and identified upregulated cell surface receptors on OPCs activated in a cuprizone model, and upregulated secreted factors in whole lesion sites from an LPC induced MS type injury model and a Spinal Cord Injury model. I then optimised the X-celligence system for the quantification of OPC migration in response to secreted factors identified in my bioinformatics screen. By combination of these techniques with immunofluorescent staining I discovered novel expression of the cell surface receptor CX3CR1 on OPCs, increased expression of the corresponding ligand CX3CL1 in both MS type injury and Spinal Cord Injury, increased directional migration of OPCs in response to low concentrations of CX3CL1, and increased maturation of OPCs into adult oligodendrocytes at high concentrations of CX3CL1. Taken together these results propose a system in which an increasing gradient of CX3CL1 released from the site of injury directs the recruitment, then maturation of OPCs, making CX3CL1 a master regulator of OPC led CNS regeneration.
The effects of perceived regulatory efficacy, ethnocentrism and food safety concern on the demand for organic food

Widespread concern regarding food safety (Liang & Scammon, 2016) and the sustainability of food production (Aschemann-Witzel et al., 2019), as well as the linkages between diet and health, have increased consumer interest in organic food (Janssen, 2018) as a mechanism for providing consumers with environmentally sustainable and healthy food, that is in keeping with natural life-cycle systems (Leifeld, 2012; Rana & Paul, 2020). Led by Western Europe and North America, consumer demand for organic foods has grown rapidly (Willer & Lernoud, 2019), with nascent markets in many emerging and middle-income economies (Willer & Lernoud, 2019). This has given rise to considerable interest in the factors affecting consumers’ Willingness to Pay (WTP) for organic food. Prior research considers the effects of taste and other sensory characteristics (Denver & Jensen, 2014; Rousseau & Vranken, 2013), production methods (Hempel & Hamm, 2016; Merlino et al., 2018; Yeh et al., 2018) and origin (Gracia et al., 2014; Mauracher et al., 2013; Yeh et al., 2018) on consumers’ WTP for organic food. The literature identifies that consumer demand for organic foods reflects both personal and nonegotistical factors connected with animal welfare and supporting local/domestic producers (Janssen, 2018). While consumers generally possess a preference for domestically produced organic food, this is stronger in some countries than others and even absent in some cases (Cosmina et al., 2016; Ortega et al., 2016; Wu et al., 2014). The reasons for the varying importance of origin remain unclear (Janssen & Hamm, 2012; Yeh et al., 2018). This paper investigates two issues that may affect demand for organic foods specifically, but which remain under-researched in this context (Dangelico & Vocalelli, 2017), namely ethnocentrism and perceived regulatory efficacy. Ethnocentrism refers to concern for one's own country and a belief that imports harm its citizens Received: 18 June 2020 | Revised: 9 September 2020 | Accepted: 10 September 2020 DOI: 10.1111/ijcs.12619
Remarks, corrections, comments and additions to Vol. 23 and 25 of the ‘Mariposas del Ecuador’ on the genus Gonodonta Hübner, 1818 (Noctuoidea, Erebidae, Ophiderinae).

Species of the genus Gonodonta Hubner, 1818, listed and illustrated in the series “Mariposas del Ecuador” (Pinas, 2005a,b) are reviewed and re-identifed where necessary. The following Gonodonta species are recorded for the first time in Ecuador: G. pulverea Schaus, 1911, G. chorinea (Stoll, 1780), G. incurva (Sepp, [1840]), G. amiantha Hampson, 1924, G. nitidimacula Guenee, 1852, G. maria Guenee, 1852, G. uxoria (Cramer, 1780), G. latimacula Guenee, 1852, G. clothilda (Stoll, 1791), G. syrna Guenee, 1852, G. indentata Hampson, 1926, G. lincus (Cramer, 1775), G. biarmata biarmata Guenee, 1852, G. distincta Todd, 1959, G. magnifica Thony, 2001, G. fulvidens Felder & Rogenhofer, 1872, G. holosericea Guenee, 1852, G. parens Guenee, 1852, and G. milla Thony, 1999. Las especies del genero Gonodonta Hubner, 1818, en “Mariposas del Ecuador” de Pinas (2005a,b), estan corregidas y determinadas. Gonodonta pulverea Schaus, 1911, G. chorinea (Stoll, 1780), G. incurva (Sepp, [1840]), G. amiantha Hampson, 1924, G. nitidimacula Guenee, 1852, G. maria Guenee, 1852, G. uxoria (Cramer, 1780), G. latimacula Guenee, 1852, G. clothilda (Stoll, 1791), G. syrna Guenee, 1852, G. indentata (Hampson, 1926), G. lincus (Cramer, 1775), G. biarmata biarmata Guenee, 1852, G. distincta Todd, 1959, G. magnifica Thony, 2001, G. fulvidens Felder & Rogenhofer, 1872, G. holosericea Guenee, 1852, G. parens Guenee, 1852, und G. milla Thony, 1999, son los primeros registros para el Ecuador. Die Arten der Gattung Gonodonta Hubner, 1818, in “Mariposas del Ecuador” (Pinas, 2005a,b) werden uberpruft und neu bestimmt. Die folgenden Gonodonta-Arten werden erstmals fur Ecuador nachgewiesen: G. pulverea Schaus, 1911, G. chorinea (Stoll, 1780), G. incurva (Sepp, [1840]), G. amiantha Hampson, 1924, G. nitidimacula Guenee, 1852, G. maria Guenee, 1852, G. uxoria (Cramer, 1780), G. latimacula Guenee, 1852, Gonodonta clothilda (Stoll, 1791), G. syrna Guenee, 1852, G. indentata (Hampson, 1926), G. lincus (Cramer, 1775), G. biarmata biarmata Guenee, 1852, G. distincta Todd, 1959, G. magnifica Thony, 2001, G. fulvidens Felder & Rogenhofer, 1872, Gonodonta holosericea Guenee, 1852, G. parens Guenee, 1852, und G. milla Thony, 1999.
The Effects of HIV-Related Stigma on HIV Counselling and Testing in Nigeria: A Mediation Analysis

Human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) counselling and testing (HCT) plays a major role in the continuum of HIV programmes in Nigeria. However, HIV-related stigma (STGM) poses a serious threat to its success. Consequently, a cross-sectional study was carried out to examine whether STGM mediates the relationships between the explanatory variables (HIV-related knowledge, HIV transmission misconception (MSHIV), and perceived seriousness of HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)), and the outcome variable (HCT service utilization). The mediation analysis was undertaken using data from 768 individuals collected through convenience sampling in the Local Government Areas of Alimosho, Ikorodu, and Surulere of Lagos state, and deploying partial least squares–structural equation modelling. The results show that STGM played a mediating role in the relationship between MSHIV, perceived seriousness of HIV/AIDS, and HCT utilization. These findings offer wide ramifications for the intensification and enforcement of Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS Anti-Discrimination Act 2014 to eradicate stigma, which is important to enhance uptake of HCT to achieve the United Nations’ 90-90-90 HIV targets by 2020.
Unsupervised phenotypic analysis of cellular images with multi-scale convolutional neural networks

Large-scale cellular imaging and phenotyping is a widely adopted strategy for understanding biological systems and chemical perturbations. Quantitative analysis of cellular images for identifying phenotypic changes is a key challenge within this strategy, and has recently seen promising progress with approaches based on deep neural networks. However, studies so far require either pre-segmented images as input or manual phenotype annotations for training, or both. To address these limitations, we have developed an unsupervised approach that exploits the inherent groupings within cellular imaging datasets to define surrogate classes that are used to train a multi-scale convolutional neural network. The trained network takes as input full-resolution microscopy images, and, without the need for segmentation, yields as output feature vectors that support phenotypic profiling. Benchmarked on two diverse benchmark datasets, the proposed approach yields accurate phenotypic predictions as well as compound potency estimates comparable to the state-of-the-art. More importantly, we show that the approach identifies novel cellular phenotypes not included in the manual annotation nor detected by previous studies. Author summary Cellular microscopy images provide detailed information about how cells respond to genetic or chemical treatments, and have been widely and successfully used in basic research and drug discovery. The recent breakthrough of deep learning methods for natural imaging recognition tasks has triggered the development and application of deep learning methods to cellular images to understand how cells change upon perturbation. Although successful, deep learning studies so far either can only take images of individual cells as input or require human experts to label a large amount of images. In this paper, we present an unsupervised deep learning approach that, without any human annotation, analyzes directly full-resolution microscopy images displaying typically hundreds of cells. We apply the approach to two benchmark datasets, and show that the approach identifies novel visual phenotypes not detected by previous studies.
User Experience Evaluation: A Validation Study of a Tool-based Approach for Automatic Stress Detection Using Physiological Signals

ABSTRACT HCI researchers and practitioners are increasingly using physiological data to measure User eXperience (UX) parameters. The dynamic nature of physiological data offers a continuous window for an in-depth understanding of users’ interaction experience. However, in order to be truly informative, physiological signals need to be linked to users’ interaction experience aspects, such as their emotional states, in a systematic and efficient way. Studies have shown that skin conductance is a physiological signal highly associated with stress. The main purpose of this paper is to present the validation study of our proposed stress detection mechanism which is integrated into a software named PhysiOBS. PhysiOBS is an observation analysis tool that can be used in the post-study analysis phase. PhysiOBS uses nonspecific skin conductance responses (NS-SCRs) in order to auto-report time periods that are probably associated with a problematic interaction. PhysiOBS can also combine multiple data sources. Hence, UX evaluators are able to further investigate a recorded session in order to reveal additional interaction flaws. The integrated stress assessment mechanism, which uses four trained classifiers, can be applied in the reported periods (auto/expert-reported) in order to classify them as stress or non-stress. For the purpose of the validation study, 24 users were recruited in order to participate in a lab experiment. Results showed that our stress assessment mechanism supports UX evaluators by accurately identifying stressful regions within an interaction scenario.
Combination of Astragalus membranaceous and Angelica sinensis Ameliorates Vascular Endothelial Cell Dysfunction by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress

Vascular endothelial dysfunction is an essential and early sign of diabetic macroangiopathy, a primary complication of diabetes mellitus. Astragalus membranaceous-Angelica sinensis is a classic medical combination applied in China to treat diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the granule form of the extract produced from the dried root of Astragalus membranaceous (AM) combination with the granule form of the extract produced from the dried Angelica sinensis (AS) on diabetic macroangiopathy and its underlying mechanism. Herein, rats were treated by AM-AS at a ratio of 3 : 2 via intragastric administration. High glucose-induced human umbilical vein vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) were then treated with drug-containing serum collected from the rats. In high glucose-treated HUVECs, AM-AS combination increased cell viability (P < 0.05), decreased the percentage of apoptotic cells (P < 0.05) and the expression of the proapoptosis protein caspase 3 (P < 0.05), reduced the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase (P < 0.05), decreased reactive oxygen species level (P < 0.05), enhanced cell migration and invasion (P < 0.05), and reduced the level of 8-iso-prostaglandin F2alpha. These results indicate that AM-AS combination at the ratio of 3 : 2 ameliorated HUVEC dysfunction by regulating apoptosis, cell migration, and invasion, which might be mediated by their regulatory effect on reactive oxygen species production. The current study provides a theoretical basis for the treatment of diabetic macroangiopathy using AM-AS.