Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Dynamics of Phenotypic Change and the Shrinking Sheep of St. Kilda

Little Lambs In changing environments, ecological and evolutionary dynamics are intimately intertwined. However, understanding the dynamics of phenotypic traits under natural conditions is still rudimentary. Ozgul et al. (p. 464; published online 2 July) dissected the dynamics of a phenotypic trait in the context of the contributing ecological and evolutionary processes. In a wild population of Soay sheep where mean body size has fluctuated substantially over the past 25 years and has, on average, gotten smaller, an ecological response to environmental variation is the major driver of the dynamics; evolutionary change has contributed relatively little: The sheep have become smaller because climate change has modified the way that density-dependence influences lamb growth rates. Environmental change has led to decreasing body size in a sheep population over 20 years, despite selection for increased size. Environmental change, including climate change, can cause rapid phenotypic change via both ecological and evolutionary processes. Because ecological and evolutionary dynamics are intimately linked, a major challenge is to identify their relative roles. We exactly decomposed the change in mean body weight in a free-living population of Soay sheep into all the processes that contribute to change. Ecological processes contribute most, with selection—the underpinning of adaptive evolution—explaining little of the observed phenotypic trend. Our results enable us to explain why selection has so little effect even though weight is heritable, and why environmental change has caused a decline in the body size of Soay sheep.
Clinical Evaluation of Near-Infrared Cerebral Oximetry in the Awake-Patient Carotid Endarterectomy

The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of continuous monitoring of regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) for detection of brain ischemia during carotid endarterectomy. Material and methods. We performed 44 carotid endarterectomies using regional anesthesia, with simultaneous regional cerebral oxygen saturation monitoring in both hemispheres of the brain. Results. Oxygen saturation in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the operated carotid artery dropped from 65.1±8.1 to 58.2±10.7 after carotid artery cross-clamping. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.005). Oxygen saturation in the hemisphere contralateral to the operated artery did not demonstrate a difference between that before or after carotid artery closure (65.7±9.2 and 66.1±10.2, respectively, p=0.1). In five patients (11.4%) carotid artery clamping was associated with the appearance of neurological deficits. Shunt usage was necessary in four cases; the rSO2 decreased by 19.2±14% in this group. In the group without neurological deficit during carotid clamping, the rSO2 decreased by 9.7±10.3% (the difference between groups with and without neurological deficit was not statistically significant, p=0.5). In patients with a rSO2 drop above 20%, the sensitivity of the cerebral oximetry was 20% and specificity 97.5%, while the negative predictive value was 90.7%. Conclusions. Continuous cerebral oximetry is a simple and non-invasive method of patient monitoring during carotid endarterectomy. The rSO2 decreases significantly after the ICA clamping. The sensitivity of cerebral oximetry in prediction of neurological deficit during the procedure is low. Defining the threshold value of rSO2 decrease after ICA clamping as an indication for shunt was not possible with the results of this study.
Regional analysis of age‐related decline in dopamine transporters and dopamine D2‐like receptors in human striatum

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mechanisms of age‐related decline of dopamine transporter (DAT) and dopamine D2‐like receptor (D2R) densities in the human striatum by focusing on regional difference. Methods: Positron emission tomography (PET) with [11C]CFT and [11C]raclopride for measuring DATs and D2Rs, respectively, was performed on 16 healthy volunteers ranging from 21 to 74 years in age. To evaluate in detail the regional difference within the striatum, in addition to the conventional region‐of‐interest‐based analysis, we created a parametric image that enabled us to visualize the regional decline rate on a voxel‐by‐voxel basis, mapping the slope of the regression line between the age and uptake index of each tracer. Results: The decreasing rates corresponded to 6.1, 5.5, and 5.6% per decade for DATs and 5.8, 4.9, and 4.8% per decade for D2Rs in the caudate nucleus, anterior putamen, and posterior putamen, respectively. The caudate nucleus for both DATs and D2Rs were the fastest among the striatum, and the regional difference of the decreasing rate for DATs was consistently associated with that for D2Rs. Meanwhile, previous histological studies have shown that age‐related cell loss in the substantia nigra is likely to preferentially affect its dorsomedial part, which projects to the caudate nucleus. Conclusions: These results suggested that neuronal cell loss in the substantia nigra may be associated with the age‐related DAT decline, and DAT decline may be associated functionally with age‐related D2R decline. Synapse 63:282–290, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Schooling of migrant children in China: Perspectives of school teachers

The impact of family migration on children's schooling has been the focus of much investigation in western countries. However, there are limited data on such impact in China, despite a large number of rural-to-urban migrants. In-depth interviews were conducted among 20 school teachers in Beijing. Findings reveal that barriers for migrant children to attend public schools include extra financial charge and stigmatization resulting from their migratory status. The schools serving solely migrant children were perceived as having poor teaching facilities and lacking adequately trained teachers. Migrant parents were generally perceived as having limited involvement in their children's schooling. Findings suggest that national policy related to the schooling of migrant children should be improved and support from family and society should be emphasized.
Intelligent Infrastructure for Energy Efficiency

A substantial fraction of wasted energy can be recovered by extending insights from the architecture of the Internet to the infrastructure of buildings. Buildings use 40% of the primary energy supplied in the United States, and more than 70% of all generated electricity (1), primarily for heating, cooling, and lighting. About 20% of the energy used by buildings can potentially be saved by correcting faults, including malfunctions and unnecessary operation (2). Initial deployments of advanced control systems currently in development suggest that they can save an additional 10 to 20% (3). The energy efficiency resource recoverable through such improved building controls and fault detection corresponds to the output from hundreds of power plants, equivalent to more than one-third of the coal-fired power production in the United States (1). Realizing these substantial savings will require introducing intelligence into the infrastructure of buildings, to distribute the optimization of their operation and detection of their faults.
Lower Extremity Perturbation Training

PERTURBATION TRAINING FOR THE LOWER EXTREMITY INVOLVES CONTROLLED UNPREDICTABLE FORCES DIRECTED TO AN UNSTABLE SURFACE FOR IMPROVED EFFICIENCY OF STABILIZING MUSCULAR CONTRACTIONS DURING STANCE OR GAIT. IT IS A TYPE OF NEUROMUSCULAR TRAINING THAT REFINES NEURAL PATHWAYS TO PROMOTE EFFECTIVE MUSCULAR RECRUITMENT PATTERNS AND DYNAMIC JOINT STABILITY. COUPLED WITH OTHER NEUROMUSCULAR TECHNIQUES, PERTURBATION TRAINING HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE IN PERIOPERATIVE TREATMENT OF ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RUPTURE AND RECONSTRUCTION. THE EFFECTS OF TRAINING MAY ALSO BE BENEFICIAL IN THE PREVENTION AND REHABILITATION OF OTHER ATHLETIC INJURIES.
Existing and future pharmacotherapy for erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a highly prevalent healthcare problem. For many decades treatment options were limited to either ineffective or invasive ones. The introduction of orally administered phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors in clinical practice has been a revolution, offering patients and clinicians a well-tolerated, effective treatment. Despite their advantages, PDE5 inhibitors remain a symptomatic, on-demand treatment to which a number of patients fail to respond. Accumulated knowledge on ED pathophysiology and, particularly, on the importance of molecular pathways involved in erectile function has offered multiple targets for development of new therapies, intending not only to effectively treat symptoms, but also to correct the underlying abnormalities, thus giving hope for long-term remission or even cure of ED. The existing and future pharmacotherapy for ED will be reviewed in this article.
Glucose Deprivation Contributes to the Development of KRAS Pathway Mutations in Tumor Cells

Desperately Seeking Glucose Mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes allow cancer cells to outgrow their neighboring healthy cells. What microenvironmental conditions provide a selective growth advantage to these cells? Yun et al. (p. 1555, published online 6 August) identify low glucose availability as a microenvironmental factor driving the acquisition of KRAS oncogenic mutations that allow cancer cells to survive and grow. In genetically matched colorectal cancer cells that differed only in the mutational status of the KRAS oncogene, mutant cells selectively overexpressed glucose transporter-1 and exhibited enhanced glucose uptake and glycolysis. When cells with wild-type KRAS were placed in a low-glucose environment, very few cells survived but most of the survivors expressed high levels of glucose transporter-1, and a small percentage of the survivors had acquired new KRAS mutations. Thus, glucose deprivation may help to drive the acquisition of cell growth–promoting oncogenic mutations during tumor development. Glucose deprivation can drive the acquisition of certain oncogenic mutations in human cancer cells. Tumor progression is driven by genetic mutations, but little is known about the environmental conditions that select for these mutations. Studying the transcriptomes of paired colorectal cancer cell lines that differed only in the mutational status of their KRAS or BRAF genes, we found that GLUT1, encoding glucose transporter-1, was one of three genes consistently up-regulated in cells with KRAS or BRAF mutations. The mutant cells exhibited enhanced glucose uptake and glycolysis and survived in low-glucose conditions, phenotypes that all required GLUT1 expression. In contrast, when cells with wild-type KRAS alleles were subjected to a low-glucose environment, very few cells survived. Most surviving cells expressed high levels of GLUT1, and 4% of these survivors had acquired KRAS mutations not present in their parents. The glycolysis inhibitor 3-bromopyruvate preferentially suppressed the growth of cells with KRAS or BRAF mutations. Together, these data suggest that glucose deprivation can drive the acquisition of KRAS pathway mutations in human tumors.
MEG/EEG Source Imaging with a Non-Convex Penalty in the Time-Frequency Domain

Due to the excellent temporal resolution, MEG/EEG source imaging is an important measurement modality to study dynamic processes in the brain. As the bio electromagnetic inverse problem is ill-posed, constraints have to be imposed on the source estimates to find a unique solution. These constraints can be applied either in the standard or a transformed domain. The Time-Frequency Mixed Norm Estimate applies a composite convex regularization functional promoting structured sparsity in the time-frequency domain by combining an l2,1-mixed-norm and an l1-norm penalty on the coefficients of the Gabor TF decomposition of the source signals, to improve the reconstruction of spatially sparse neural activations with non-stationary and transient signals. Due to the l1-norm based constraints, the resulting source estimates are however biased in amplitude and often suboptimal in terms of source selection. In this work, we present the iterative reweighted Time-Frequency Mixed Norm Estimate, which employs a composite non-convex penalty formed by the sum of an l2,0.5-quasinorm and an l0.5-quasinorm penalty. The resulting non-convex problem is solved with a reweighted convex optimization scheme, in which each iteration is equivalent to a weighted Time-Frequency Mixed-Norm Estimate solved efficiently using a block coordinate descent scheme and an active set strategy. We compare our approach to alternative solvers using simulations and analysis of MEG data and demonstrate the benefit of the iterative reweighted Time-Frequency Mixed Norm Estimate with regard to active source identification, amplitude bias correction, and temporal unmixing of activations.
Synergism of spectral and coupling modalities in epileptic focus localization from iEEG recordings

Determining the epileptogenic zone (EZ) from intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) recordings is an important but nontrivial task. In this pilot study we demonstrate the usefulness of phase-synchronized phase-amplitude coupling constellations as a hybrid construct from well-established phase-amplitude and phase-phase coupling measurements. Also, we introduce a heuristic measure related to spectral entropy which can further improve tDetermining the epileptogenic zone (EZ) from intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) recordings is an important but nontrivial task. In this pilot study we demonstrate the usefulness of phasesynchronized phase-amplitude coupling constellations as a hybrid construct from well-established phase-amplitude and phase-phase coupling measurements. Also, we introduce a heuristic measure related to spectral entropy which can further improve the specificity of EZ detection. Our analysis works on seizure-free sleep iEEG grid data abundant in a typical clinical setting and aside from the initial frequency band definitions operates in a thresholdfree data-driven manner.he specificity of EZ detection. Our analysis works on seizure-free sleep iEEG grid data abundant in a typical clinical setting and aside from the initial frequency band definitions operates in a thresholdfree data-driven manner.
Towards a faster randomized parcellation based inference

In neuroimaging, multi-subject statistical analysis is an essential step, as it makes it possible to draw conclusions for the population under study. However, the lack of power in neuroimaging studies combined with the lack of stability and sensitivity of voxel-based methods may lead to non-reproducible results. A method designed to tackle this problem is Randomized Parcellation-Based Inference (RPBI), which has shown good empirical performance. Nevertheless, the use of an agglomerative clustering algorithm proposed in the initial RPBI formulation to build the parcellations entails a large computation cost. In this paper, we explore two strategies to speedup RPBI: Firstly, we use a fast clustering algorithm called Recursive Nearest Agglomeration (ReNA), to find the parcellations. Secondly, we consider the aggregation of p-values over multiple parcellations to avoid a permutation test. We evaluate their the computation time, as well as their recovery performance. As a main conclusion, we advocate the use of (permuted) RPBI with ReNA, as it yields very fast models, while keeping the performance of slower methods.
An Extensive Literature Review of the Lumbar Multifidus: Anatomy

Abstract Understanding the anatomy of the lumbar multifidus and its responses to low back pain and surgery are crucial steps toward the development of preventive and intervention strategies for patients and are the focus of this review. The anatomical literature is reviewed in regards to normal, pathological, gross and histological. The histological review includes metabolism and muscle spindle density.
Efficient Modularization of Weighted Protein Interaction Networks using k-Hop Graph Reduction

Recent computational analyses of protein interaction networks have attempted to understand cellular organizations, processes and functions. Several topology-based clustering methods have been applied to the protein interaction networks for detecting functional modules. However, most of the previous algorithms do not perform well on small-world, scale-free networks. In this paper, we present an efficient approach to identify hierarchical modules in the protein interaction networks. Our algorithm selects a small number of informative proteins from a large network, and transforms the intricate small-world, scale-free network into a simple graph with high modularity. Our results show that this approach remarkably enhances the efficiency. We also demonstrate that it outperforms other previous methods in terms of accuracy
Modification of the Subscapularis Splitting Technique for Anterior Shoulder Reconstructions

One approach to the anterior shoulder for stabilization of shoulder instability is the subscapularis splitting approach. We have modified this technique and the instrumentation for use on 154 shoulders. The procedure was performed for 118 patients with traumatic anterior instability, 12 for multidirectional instability, and 24 for painful impingement with presumed instability. 27 of these were revision cases. This technique can be used for repairing Bankart lesions and capsular lesions and for bone grafting procedures to the anterior glenoid. There was only one axillary nerve neuropraxia and one partial laceration of the biceps tendon. This technique is safe and effective for treating a variety of instability patterns.
Comparative efficacy of triptans for the abortive treatment of migraine: A multiple treatment comparison meta-analysis

Background Migraine is the most common neurological condition in developed countries. The abortive treatment of migraine attacks is important both for quality of life and costs associated with illness. Triptans, serotonin 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonists, effectively relieve the pain, disability, and associated symptoms of migraine while improving health-related quality of life. Although a number of direct head-to-head triptan comparisons have been made, data for all possible permutations are not available, and unlikely to ever be so, although in clinical practice such information would be useful. Objective We aimed to determine the relative efficacy of all available triptans to abort migraine headache among patients with previous adequate response to migraine treatments. Methods We included only double-blinded randomized clinical trials comparing triptans to either placebo or another triptan. Our primary outcomes were pain-free response at two hours and 24-hour sustained pain-free response, and our secondary outcomes were headache response at two hours and 24-hour sustained headache response. We used Bayesian multiple treatment comparison meta-analyses of seven triptans used in adult patients to abort migraine attacks. We applied a random-effects analysis with meta-regression adjusting for dose. Results are reported as odds ratios with 95% credible intervals. Results We included data from 74 randomized clinical trials. All triptans were significantly superior to placebo for all outcomes, with the exception of naratriptan for 24-hour sustained pain-free response. Eletriptan consistently yielded the highest treatment effect estimates. For the two-hour endpoints, eletriptan was statistically significantly superior to sumatriptan, almotriptan, naratriptan, and frovatriptan for at least one of the two outcomes. Rizatriptan yielded the second highest treatment effects followed by zolmitriptan. For the 24-hour endpoints, eletriptan was statistically significantly superior to sumatriptan, rizatriptan, almotriptan, and naratriptan for at least one of the two outcomes. Frovatriptan data were not available at that endpoint. Further, the probability that eletriptan is the most likely of all triptans to produce a favorable outcome was 68% for pain-free response at two hours, and 54% for 24-hour sustained pain-free response. Conclusion Triptans appear to offer differing treatment effects. In the populations studied eletriptan was most likely to produce pain-free responses that were sustained.
A History Lesson for Stem Cells

Factors that led to the decline of gene therapy at the turn of the century should be considered by the stem cell community to avoid a similar outcome. When President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order on 9 March 2009 rolling back the previous administration's restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research, he took pains to temper Americans' hopes for quick fixes. “At this moment, the full promise of stem cell research remains unknown and it should not be overstated,” the president said. “I cannot guarantee that we will find the treatments and cures we seek” (1). Unfortunately, some stakeholders in hESC research have failed to exhibit the same restraint, effectively promising cures for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, macular degeneration, and hearing loss, to name a few.
Digital Soil Map of the World

Increased demand and advanced techniques could lead to more refined mapping and management of soils. Soils are increasingly recognized as major contributors to ecosystem services such as food production and climate regulation (1, 2), and demand for up-to-date and relevant soil information is soaring. But communicating such information among diverse audiences remains challenging because of inconsistent use of technical jargon, and outdated, imprecise methods. Also, spatial resolutions of soil maps for most parts of the world are too low to help with practical land management. While other earth sciences (e.g., climatology, geology) have become more quantitative and have taken advantage of the digital revolution, conventional soil mapping delineates space mostly according to qualitative criteria and renders maps using a series of polygons, which limits resolution. These maps do not adequately express the complexity of soils across a landscape in an easily understandable way.
Identification of Splenic Reservoir Monocytes and Their Deployment to Inflammatory Sites

Monitoring Monocyte Reservoirs Monocytes are cells of the immune system that are recruited to sites of tissue injury and inflammation where they help to resolve the infection and are important for tissue repair. The bone marrow and blood are believed to be the primary reservoirs from which monocytes are mobilized after injury. Swirski et al. (p. 612; see the Perspective by Jia and Pamer) now demonstrate that the spleen also serves as a critical reservoir of monocytes that are recruited during ischemic myocardial injury. Monocytes in the spleen are very similar in phenotype to blood-derived monocytes and are mobilized to the injured heart, where they represent a large fraction of the total monocytes that are recruited. The chemoattractant, angiotensin II, is required for optimal monocyte mobilization from the spleen and emigration into injured tissue. A rapid deployment force of immune cells is identified in the spleen that is important for resolving inflammation. A current paradigm states that monocytes circulate freely and patrol blood vessels but differentiate irreversibly into dendritic cells (DCs) or macrophages upon tissue entry. Here we show that bona fide undifferentiated monocytes reside in the spleen and outnumber their equivalents in circulation. The reservoir monocytes assemble in clusters in the cords of the subcapsular red pulp and are distinct from macrophages and DCs. In response to ischemic myocardial injury, splenic monocytes increase their motility, exit the spleen en masse, accumulate in injured tissue, and participate in wound healing. These observations uncover a role for the spleen as a site for storage and rapid deployment of monocytes and identify splenic monocytes as a resource that the body exploits to regulate inflammation.