Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional macronutritional generalism in a large omnivore, the brown bear

Abstract We combine a recently developed framework for describing dietary generalism with compositional data analysis to examine patterns of omnivory in a large widely distributed mammal. Using the brown bear (Ursus arctos) as a model species, we collected and analyzed data from the literature to estimate the proportions of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, and lipid) in the diets of bear populations. Across their range, bears consumed a diversity of foods that resulted in annual population diets that varied in macronutrient proportions, suggesting a wide fundamental macronutrient niche. The variance matrix of pairwise macronutrient log‐ratios indicated that the most variable macronutrient among diets was carbohydrate, while protein and lipid were more proportional or codependent (i.e., relatively more constant log‐ratios). Populations that consumed anthropogenic foods, such agricultural crops and supplementary feed (e.g., corn), had a higher geometric mean proportion of carbohydrate, and lower proportion of protein, in annual diets. Seasonally, mean diets were lower in protein and higher in carbohydrate, during autumn compared to spring. Populations with anthropogenic subsidies, however, had higher mean proportions of carbohydrate and lower protein, across seasons compared to populations with natural diets. Proportions of macronutrients similar to those selected in experiments by captive brown bears, and which optimized primarily fat mass gain, were observed among hyperphagic prehibernation autumn diets. However, the majority of these were from populations consuming anthropogenic foods, while diets of natural populations were more variable and typically higher in protein. Some anthropogenic diets were close to the proportions selected by captive bears during summer. Our results suggest that omnivory in brown bears is a functional adaptation enabling them to occupy a diverse range of habitats and tolerate variation in the nutritional composition and availability of food resources. Furthermore, we show that populations consuming human‐sourced foods have different dietary macronutrient proportions relative to populations with natural diets.
Influence of Needle-punching Processing Parameters on Mechanical Properties of C/C Composites Reinforced by Carbon Cloth and Carbon Fiber Net

Effect of needle-punching processing parameters on carbon-carbon (C-C) composites rein- forced by carbon cloth and carbon fiber net was studied by a mechanical needling equipment in the thickness direction of perform.It is shown that high values of needle-punching density (ND) and punch- ing depth (PD) lead to high values of perform density and fiber volume fraction,both ND and PD have larger effect on interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) than on compression strength and bending strength of C-C.The interlaminar shear strength,tensile strength,and bending strength of C-C all increase lineally with increasing punching density from 20 to 50punch/cm~2,also increase with increasing punching depth range from 12 to 16mm.The optimized ND parameters are 30punch/cm~2,which result in 15.5MPa of ILSS,137.68MPa of bending strength and 224MPa of X-Y direction compression strength,respectively. The optimized PD parameters are 12mm,which result in 134MPa of bending strength and 213.2MPa of X-Y direction compression strength,respectively.
Modern Approach to Colorectal Liver Metastases

PColorectal cancer is the third leading cause of death worldwide. Approximately 15-20 % of the patients present synchronic Colorectal Liver Metastases (CRLM) and 60 % will develop them metachronicaly. Surgical treatment is the only therapy that gives these patients the option of long-term survival. In the 1980s surgical treatment offered a 5-year survival rate of approximately 20 % for patients undergoing liver resection. Recent studies show 5-year overall survival rates ranging between 42 and 58 %. Systemic chemotherapy regimens are based on fluoropirimidines. These regimes include neoadjuvant, adjuvant or both depending on the disease stage. Adjuvant chemotherapy has shown better overall survival and progression free survival in patients treated surgically for CRLM. Surgical approach to CRLM has changed dramatically in the last years. There are hardly any contraindications for treating surgically CRLM, as long as the liver remnant is at least 30 % of the total volume for non-cirrhotic non-chemotherapy treated livers. In cirrhotic or chemotherapy-treated livers this amount should reach 40 %. Aspects concerning synchronic CRLM and irresectable metastases have shown greater advances. The reverse approach or liver-first approach has offered patients with advanced disease a better option for completing total resection. Portal vein embolization, two-stage hepatectomy or ALPPS procedure (associating liver partition and portal vein ligation) are the top developments in this field showing promising results. These developments are widening surgical indications in CRLM. Surgical and systemic treatment, as well as a better understanding of molecular alterations has definitely improved the perspective for patients with CRLM. Keywords: Colorectallivermetastases; Irresectablemetastases; Synchronicmestastases
Laboratory- and community-based health outcomes in people with transtibial amputation using crossover and energy-storing prosthetic feet: A randomized crossover trial

Contemporary prosthetic feet are generally optimized for either daily or high-level activities. Prosthesis users, therefore, often require multiple prostheses to participate in activities that span a range of mobility. Crossover feet (XF) are designed to increase the range of activities that can be performed with a single prosthesis. However, little evidence exists to guide clinical prescription of XF relative to traditional energy storing feet (ESF). The objective of this study was to assess the effects of XF and ESF on health outcomes in people with transtibial amputation. A randomized crossover study was conducted to assess changes in laboratory-based (endurance, perceived exertion, walking performance) and community-based (step activity and self-reported mobility, fatigue, balance confidence, activity restrictions, and satisfaction) outcomes. Twenty-seven participants were fit with XF and ESF prostheses with standardized sockets, interfaces, and suspensions. Participants were not blinded to the intervention, and wore each prosthesis for one month while their steps were counted with an activity monitor. After each accommodation period, participants returned for data collection. Endurance and perceived exertion were measured with the Six-Minute Walk Test and Borg-CR100, respectively. Walking performance was measured using an electronic walkway. Self-reported mobility, fatigue, balance confidence, activity restrictions, and satisfaction were measured with survey instruments. Participants also reported foot preferences upon conclusion of the study. Differences between feet were assessed with a crossover analysis. While using XF, users experienced improvements in most community-based outcomes, including mobility (p = .001), fatigue (p = .001), balance confidence (p = .005), activity restrictions (p = .002), and functional satisfaction (p < .001). Participants also exhibited longer sound side steps in XF compared to ESF (p < .001). Most participants (89%) reported an overall preference for XF; others (11%) reported no preference. Results indicate that XF may be a promising alternative to ESF for people with transtibial amputation who engage in a range of mobility activities. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02440711
Communication Network Structures and Content of Men with Prostate Cancer: Models for Explaining Health-Related Quality of Life

ABSTRACT Communication networks contribute to health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for men living with prostate cancer. However, the mechanisms for understanding how communication networks shape HRQOL are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to test three models explaining the communication networks and related communication variables for HRQOL. A total of 214 men with prostate cancer in New Zealand completed a survey questionnaire describing aspects of their networks including opportunities for connection, social support/undermining, status disclosure, communication efficacy, and HRQOL. The findings support a mediating model of communication networks where social undermining has a direct and negative impact on HRQOL, and an indirect effect mediated through communication efficacy, which has a direct and positive impact on HRQOL. Contrary to previous studies, social support and disclosure did not significantly impact HRQOL in this sample. The benefits of developing communication efficacy and reducing social undermining for enhancing long-term psychosocial health in this cohort of men are two key findings.
Output synchronization for heterogeneous networks of discrete-time introspective right-invertible agents with uniform constant communication delay

In this paper, we consider synchronization problems for heterogeneous networks of introspective, right-invertible, discrete-time linear agents with uniform constant communication delay. We first design decentralized controllers for solving the output synchronization problem for a set of network topologies under arbitrary bounded delay. We then apply the proposed scheme to solve the formation problem with arbitrarily given formation vectors. Finally, we consider the output regulation problem, where the output of each agent has to track an a prior specified reference trajectory, generated by an exosystem. In this case, we assume that the common root agent has access to its own output relative to the reference trajectory. We then solve the problem for a set of network topologies with delay whose upper bound depends exosystem and some characteristic of network topologies.
B3GNT3 overexpression is associated with unfavourable survival in non-small cell lung cancer

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of beta-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-3 (B3GNT3) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and to investigate the relevance of B3GNT3 expression in tumour prognosis. Methods In this study, B3GNT3 expression was examined in five pairs of resectable NSCLC tissue by Western blot and in 42 pairs of resectable NSCLC tissue by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Immunohistochemistry and statistical analysis were performed to assess the relationship between B3GNT3 expression scores and clinicopathological parameters, as well as clinical prognosis in a retrospective cohort of 176 NSCLC patients. Results Both B3GNT3 mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly higher in NSCLC tissue than in adjacent normal tissue. In the 176 NSCLC cases, a high B3GNT3 expression level was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis (P<0.001) and advanced TNM stage (P=0.043). Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that patients with high B3GNT3 expression had significantly lower disease-free survival (DFS) (P<0.001) and overall survival (OS) (P<0.001) than those with low B3GNT3 expression. Moreover, in the multivariate analyses, B3GNT3 expression was an independent prognostic factor for DFS (HR 0.329, 95% CI 0.213 to 0.508, P<0.001) and OS (HR 0.383, 95% CI 0.249 to 0.588, P<0.001). Conclusions Our study demonstrated that high expression of B3GNT3 was associated with unfavourable DFS and OS in NSCLC patients, suggesting that B3GNT3 might be a potential prognostic biomarker for NSCLC.
Sevoflurane modulates the release of reactive oxygen species, myeloperoxidase, and elastase in human whole blood: Effects of different stimuli on neutrophil response to volatile anesthetic in vitro

Volatile anesthetics have been shown to modulate polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) functions. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of clinically relevant concentrations of sevoflurane (SEVO), a volatile anesthetic, on the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and elastase (EL) from human activated PMNs. For this purpose, samples of whole blood were collected from healthy volunteers and exposed in vitro to 2.3% or 4.6% SEVO in air. To assess for a stimulus-dependent effect of the volatile anesthetic, PMNs were activated using different validated protocols. Artificial stimulation of neutrophils involved either a combination of cytochalasin B (CB) and N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). In addition, a combination of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) was also tested as a natural activation mean of PMNs. The production of ROS by PMNs was assessed by L-012 chemiluminescence. Total MPO and EL released in supernatant were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Furthermore, degranulation of the active fraction of MPO was also measured by specific immunological extraction followed by enzymatic detection (SIEFED). Overall, SEVO enhanced the release of ROS, MPO, and EL following artificial stimulation of PMNs but the volatile anesthetic inhibited the degranulation of active MPO and EL after neutrophil exposure to LPS and TNF-α. This study highlighted that the effect of SEVO on activated PMNs is dependent on the conditions of cell stimulation. These properties should be taken into consideration in future studies investigating immunomodulatory effects of volatile anesthetics.
MicroRNA-327 regulates cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis induced by pressure overload

MicroRNA (miRNA/miR) dysregulation has been reported to be fundamental in the development and progression of cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. In the present study, miR-327 levels in fibroblasts were increased in response to cardiac hypertrophy induced by transverse aortic constriction with prominent cardiac fibrosis, particularly when compared with the levels in unstressed cardiomyocytes. In neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts, induced expression of miR-327 upregulated fibrosis-associated gene expression and activated angiotensin II-induced differentiation into myofibroblasts, as assessed via α-smooth muscle actin staining. By contrast, miR-327 knockdown mitigated angiotensin II-induced differentiation. Cardiac fibroblast proliferation was not affected under either condition. In a mouse model subjected to transverse aortic constriction, miR-327 knockdown through tail-vein injection reduced the development of cardiac fibrosis and ventricular dysfunction. miR-327 was demonstrated to target integrin β3 and diminish the activation of cardiac fibroblasts. Thus, the present study supports the use of miR-327 as a therapeutic target in the reduction of cardiac fibrosis.
The bulky and the sweet: How neutralizing antibodies and glycan receptors compete for virus binding

Numerous viruses rely on glycan receptor binding as the initial step in host cell infection. Engagement of specific glycan receptors such as sialylated carbohydrates, glycosaminoglycans, or histo‐blood group antigens can determine host range, tissue tropism, and pathogenicity. Glycan receptor‐binding sites are typically located in exposed regions on viral surfaces—sites that are also generally prone to binding of neutralizing antibodies that directly interfere with virus‐glycan receptor interactions. In this review, we examine the locations and architecture of the glycan‐ and antibody‐binding sites in four different viruses with stalk‐like attachment proteins (reovirus, influenza virus, norovirus, and coronavirus) and investigate the mechanisms by which antibodies block glycan recognition. Those viruses exemplify that direct molecular mimicking of glycan receptors by antibodies is rare and further demonstrate that antibodies often partly overlap or bind sufficiently close to the receptor‐binding region to hinder access to this site, achieving neutralization partially because of the epitope location and partly due to their sheer size.
Review of the Biological and Health Effects of Aflatoxins on Body Organs and Body Systems

Aflatoxins are a group of naturally occurring carcinogens that are known to contaminate dif‐ ferent human and animal food stuffs. Aflatoxins are poisonous by-products from soil-borne fungus Aspergillus, which is responsible for the decomposition of plant materials [1-9]. The occurrence of aflatoxins foods and food products vary with geographic location, agricultural and agronomic practices. The susceptibility of food product to fungal attack occurs during pre-harvest, transportation, storage, and processing of the foods [1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10]. The prob‐ lem of aflatoxin contamination of the food products is a common problem in tropical and subtropical regions of the world especially in the developing countries such as the sub-Sa‐ haran countries with poor practices and where the environmental conditions of warm tem‐ peratures and humidity favors the growth fungi [1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10]. The various food products contaminated with aflatoxins include cereals like maize, sorghum, pearl millet, rice and wheat; oilseeds such as groundnut, soybean, sunflower and cotton; spices like chillies, black pepper, coriander, turmeric and zinger; tree nuts such as almonds, pistachio, walnuts and coconut; and milk and milk products [11]. The aflatoxins were initially isolated and identi‐ fied as the causative agent in Turkey X disease that caused necrosis of the liver in 1960 and over 100,000 turkeys died in England and USA and the death was attributed to the con‐ sumption of a mould-contaminated peanut meal [2, 6, 9, 12, 13]. Very high concentrations of aflatoxins are most often found in nutritive seeds such as maize, nuts and cereal grains in Africa and rice in China and Southeast Asia [2, 6, 9, 12-14].
Interleukin-1β induces intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression, thus enhancing the adhesion between mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells via the p38 MAPK signaling pathway

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are an important component of stem-cell niches, which are able to promote the self-renewal and pluripotency of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The biological functions of these two cell types is dependent on adhesion, and the adhesion between MSCs and EPCs is important due to their critical role in neovascularization and bone regeneration in tissue engineering. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, also known as cluster of differentiation 54), is a member of the immunoglobulin supergene family, which functions in cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesive interactions. Compared with other adhesion molecules, ICAM-1 is expressed in hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cells, and can mediate adhesive interactions. The present study aimed to investigate the importance of ICAM-1 in the adhesion of MSCs and EPCs, and demonstrated that adhesion between these cells could be regulated by interleukin (IL)-1β via the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. In addition, the results confirmed that ICAM-1 served a critical role in regulation of adhesion between MSCs and EPCs. ELISA, cell immunofluorescence, western blot analysis and adhesion assay were used to confirm our theory from phenomenon to essence. The present study provided evidence to support and explain the adhesion between MSCs and EPCs. Furthermore, the present findings provide a theoretical basis for further stem-cell niche transplantation to increase understanding of the function of MSCs and the crosstalk between MSCs and EPCs in the stem-cell niche.
A Metric on Phylogenetic Tree Shapes

The shapes of evolutionary trees are influenced by the nature of the evolutionary process, but comparisons of trees from different processes are hindered by the challenge of completely describing tree shape. We present a full characterization of the shapes of rooted branching trees in a form that lends itself to natural tree comparisons. The resulting metric distinguishes trees from random models known to produce different tree shapes. It separates trees derived from tropical vs USA influenza A sequences, which reflect the differing epidemiology of tropical and seasonal flu. We extend the shape metric to incorporate summary features such as asymmetry, or statistics on branch lengths. Our approach allows us to construct addition and multiplication on trees, and to create a convex metric on tree shapes which formally allows computation of average trees.
Soil Moisture Content Estimation Based on Sentinel-1 and Auxiliary Earth Observation Products. A Hydrological Approach

A methodology for elaborating multi-temporal Sentinel-1 and Landsat 8 satellite images for estimating topsoil Soil Moisture Content (SMC) to support hydrological simulation studies is proposed. After pre-processing the remote sensing data, backscattering coefficient, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), thermal infrared temperature and incidence angle parameters are assessed for their potential to infer ground measurements of SMC, collected at the top 5 cm. A non-linear approach using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) is tested. The methodology is applied in Western Crete, Greece, where a SMC gauge network was deployed during 2015. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated using leave-one-out cross validation and sensitivity analysis. ANNs prove to be the most efficient in SMC estimation yielding R2 values between 0.7 and 0.9. The proposed methodology is used to support a hydrological simulation with the HEC-HMS model, applied at the Keramianos basin which is ungauged for SMC. Results and model sensitivity highlight the contribution of combining Sentinel-1 SAR and Landsat 8 images for improving SMC estimates and supporting hydrological studies.
A phase II study to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of Risperidone ISM multiple intramuscular injections once every 4 weeks in patients with schizophrenia

This study characterized the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of Risperidone ISM, a new long-acting intramuscular formulation, for monthly administration without oral supplementation. Patients with schizophrenia received multiple intramuscular injections of 75 mg in the gluteal or deltoid muscle at 28-day intervals. Of the 70 randomized patients, 67 received at least one dose of study medication. The mean Cmax of the active moiety was achieved 24–48 h (tmax) after each administration, regardless of injection site. They ranged over four consecutive doses from 39.6 to 53.2 and 54.1 to 61 ng/ml, when given in gluteal or deltoid muscle, respectively. Active moiety achieved therapeutic levels by 2 h after dose, and the levels were maintained throughout the 4-week dosing period. No significant changes across the study were observed on either Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale or Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale. Overall, 63 (94%) patients experienced at least one treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE). One serious TEAE (dystonia) was related to study treatment. The most frequently reported TEAEs were hyperprolactinaemia (57.7%) and injection site pain (32.8%). Risperidone ISM achieved therapeutic levels from the first hours after drug administration and provided a sustained release throughout the 4-week dosing period over multiple intramuscular injections and was found to be safe and well tolerated.
A Renewable Display Platform Based on the Bipolar Electrochromic Electrode

We report a renewable display platform based on bipolar electrochemistry that uses bipolar electrochromic electrode (BP-EC-E) arrays for high-throughput screening applications. Prussian blue (or another electrochromic material) is electrodeposited on one end of the bipolar electrode (BPE) as the signal reporter, and the other end is for the loading of catalyst. Owing to the quantitative relation between the two reactions occurring at both ends of the BP-EC-E, the discoloration speeds (Prussian blue to Prussian white) are related to the amount or the catalytic activity of the catalysts. Interestingly, the established platform can be used repeatedly, owing to the reversibility of the electrochromic reactions. With this strategy, we have achieved the fast imaging analysis of several electrocatalysts for methanol and ethanol oxidation.