Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection for Clustering Taxa through Vocalizations in a Neotropical Passerine (Rough-Legged Tyrannulet, Phyllomyias burmeisteri)

Simple Summary Recognizing the different species can help us better understand the nature. One way to differentiate bird species is the bird song. There are mathematical techniques that extract information from the bird songs, potentially allowing automatic differentiation of species. However, there is still a lack of techniques that use the extracted information and accurately differentiate individuals of different species. For the first time, we have used a technique called Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) to identify the two taxonomic groups of a bird named Rough-legged Tyrannulet Phyllomyias burmeisteri, which is a species that can be found all the way from Costa Rica to Argentina. Although there is evidence of the existence of two taxonomic groups, previous studies have shown them to be difficult to distinguish. We collected Rough-legged Tyrannulet bird songs of 101 birds from 11 countries. UMAP allowed us to make a transformation of the multiple measures obtained from the bird song of each bird into just two values. Plotting the UMAP values of each bird in a two-dimensional graph, it turns out that UMAP was able to clearly identify the two taxonomic groups, which has been named as Rough-legged Tyrannulet Phyllomyias burmeisteri and White-fronted Tyrannulet Phyllomyias zeledoni. UMAP can potentially help the identification of other species difficult to classify. Abstract Vocalizations from birds are a fruitful source of information for the classification of species. However, currently used analyses are ineffective to determine the taxonomic status of some groups. To provide a clearer grouping of taxa for such bird species from the analysis of vocalizations, more sensitive techniques are required. In this study, we have evaluated the sensitivity of the Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) technique for grouping the vocalizations of individuals of the Rough-legged Tyrannulet Phyllomyias burmeisteri complex. Although the existence of two taxonomic groups has been suggested by some studies, the species has presented taxonomic difficulties in classification in previous studies. UMAP exhibited a clearer separation of groups than previously used dimensionality-reduction techniques (i.e., principal component analysis), as it was able to effectively identify the two taxa groups. The results achieved with UMAP in this study suggest that the technique can be useful in the analysis of species with complex in taxonomy through vocalizations data as a complementary tool including behavioral traits such as acoustic communication.
Association of Established Blood Pressure Loci With 10‐Year Change in Blood Pressure and Their Ability to Predict Incident Hypertension

Background Genome‐wide association studies have identified >1000 genetic variants cross‐sectionally associated with blood pressure variation and prevalent hypertension. These discoveries might aid the early identification of subpopulations at risk of developing hypertension or provide targets for drug development, amongst other applications. The aim of the present study was to analyze the association of blood pressure‐associated variants with long‐term changes (10 years) in blood pressure and also to assess their ability to predict hypertension incidence compared with traditional risk variables in a Swedish population. Methods and Results We constructed 6 genetic risk scores (GRSs) by summing the dosage of the effect allele at each locus of genetic variants previously associated with blood pressure traits (systolic blood pressure GRS (GRSSBP): 554 variants; diastolic blood pressure GRS (GRSDBP): 481 variants; mean arterial pressure GRS (GRSMAP): 20 variants; pulse pressure GRS (GRSPP): 478 variants; hypertension GRS (GRSHTN): 22 variants; combined GRS (GRScom b): 1152 variants). Each GRS was longitudinally associated with its corresponding blood pressure trait, with estimated effects per GRS SD unit of 0.50 to 1.21 mm Hg for quantitative traits and odds ratios (ORs) of 1.10 to 1.35 for hypertension incidence traits. The GRScomb was also significantly associated with hypertension incidence defined according to European guidelines (OR, 1.22 per SD; 95% CI, 1.10‒1.35) but not US guidelines (OR, 1.11 per SD; 95% CI, 0.99‒1.25) while controlling for traditional risk factors. The addition of GRScomb to a model containing traditional risk factors only marginally improved discrimination (Δarea under the ROC curve = 0.001–0.002). Conclusions GRSs based on discovered blood pressure‐associated variants are associated with long‐term changes in blood pressure traits and hypertension incidence, but the inclusion of genetic factors in a model composed of conventional hypertension risk factors did not yield a material increase in predictive ability.
Therapeutic Target Discovery Using High-Throughput Genetic Screens in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

The development of high-throughput gene manipulating tools such as short hairpin RNA (shRNA) and CRISPR/Cas9 libraries has enabled robust characterization of novel functional genes contributing to the pathological states of the diseases. In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), these genetic screen approaches have been used to identify effector genes with previously unknown roles in AML. These AML-related genes centralize alongside the cellular pathways mediating epigenetics, signaling transduction, transcriptional regulation, and energy metabolism. The shRNA/CRISPR genetic screens also realized an array of candidate genes amenable to pharmaceutical targeting. This review aims to summarize genes, mechanisms, and potential therapeutic strategies found via high-throughput genetic screens in AML. We also discuss the potential of these findings to instruct novel AML therapies for combating drug resistance in this genetically heterogeneous disease.
Mechanisms that result in large herbivore grazing distribution patterns.

Grazing distribution patterns of large herbivores are affected by abiotic factors such as slope and distance to water and by biotic factors such as forage quantity and quality. Abiotic factors are the primary determinants of large-scale distribution patterns and act as constraints within which mechanisms involving biotic factors operate. Usually there is a proportional relationship between the time large herbivores spend in a plant community and the available quantity and quality of forage. This grazing pattern may result from decisions made by animals at different spatial and temporal scales. Foraging velocity decreases and intake rate increases in areas of abundant palatable forage. These non-cognitive mechanisms that occur at smaller spatial scales (bites, feeding stations, small patches) could result in observed grazing patterns. However, large herbivores also appear to select areas (patches and feeding sites) to graze. Optimal foraging models and other models assume animals use "rules of thumb" to decide where to forage. A cognitive mechanism assumes animals use spatial memory in their foraging decisions. With such abilities, large herbivores could return to nutrient-rich sites more frequently than to nutrient-poor sites. Empirical studies indicate that large herbivores have accurate spatial memories and have the ability to use spatial memory to improve foraging efficiency. Body size and perceptual abilities can constrain the choices animals can make during foraging. A conceptual model was developed to demonstrate how cognitive foraging mechanisms could work within constraints imposed by abiotic factors. Preliminary predictions of the model correspond to observed grazing patterns. Recognizing that large herbivores may use previous experiences to decide where to forage may be useful in developing new techniques to modify grazing patterns. Grazing distribution patterns appear to result from decisions and processes made at a variety of spatial and temporal scales.
Import of Entamoeba histolytica Mitosomal ATP Sulfurylase Relies on Internal Targeting Sequences

Mitochondrial matrix proteins synthesized in the cytosol often contain amino (N)-terminal targeting sequences (NTSs), or alternately internal targeting sequences (ITSs), which enable them to be properly translocated to the organelle. Such sequences are also required for proteins targeted to mitochondrion-related organelles (MROs) that are present in a few species of anaerobic eukaryotes. Similar to other MROs, the mitosomes of the human intestinal parasite Entamoeba histolytica are highly degenerate, because a majority of the components involved in various processes occurring in the canonical mitochondria are either missing or modified. As of yet, sulfate activation continues to be the only identified role of the relic mitochondria of Entamoeba. Mitosomes influence the parasitic nature of E. histolytica, as the downstream cytosolic products of sulfate activation have been reported to be essential in proliferation and encystation. Here, we investigated the position of the targeting sequence of one of the mitosomal matrix enzymes involved in the sulfate activation pathway, ATP sulfurylase (AS). We confirmed by immunofluorescence assay and subcellular fractionation that hemagluttinin (HA)-tagged EhAS was targeted to mitosomes. However, its ortholog in the δ-proteobacterium Desulfovibrio vulgaris, expressed as DvAS-HA in amoebic trophozoites, indicated cytosolic localization, suggesting a lack of recognizable mitosome targeting sequence in this protein. By expressing chimeric proteins containing swapped sequences between EhAS and DvAS in amoebic cells, we identified the ITSs responsible for mitosome targeting of EhAS. This observation is similar to other parasitic protozoans that harbor MROs, suggesting a convergent feature among various MROs in favoring ITS for the recognition and translocation of targeted proteins.
Avaliação in vitro da toxicidade de óleos essenciais da flora Latino-americana candidatos ao uso em cosméticos

ESTEVES-PEDRO, N.M. In vitro toxicity of essential oils from Latin American plants candidates for use in cosmetics. 2013. 138p. Dissertação (Mestrado em Fármaco e Medicamentos) Área de Produção e Controle Farmacêuticos, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2013. Essential oils from plants flora Latin America, have been presented as candidates for use in cosmetic formulations as fragrances, skin permeation enhancers, antioxidants and natural preservatives. The safety of the formulation components should be assessed by validated toxicological tests. The cytotoxicity assays (OECD/GD 129), in vitro phototoxicity (OECD 432), in vitro micronucleus (OECD 487) and intracellular antioxidant activity correspond to alternative methods guided by the 3R’s principles: Refinament, Reduction and Replacement. In this scenario, the proposed objective was to evaluate the cytotoxicity, phototoxicity in vitro, the genotoxic potential and intracellular antioxidant activity of Minthostachys setosa (Briq.) Epling, Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus (Gomes) Landrum and Drimys brasiliensis Miers essential oils, from Latin American plants candidates for use in cosmetics. The essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and its dispersion was evaluated in culture medium. The results obtained in cytotoxicity assays on line BALB/3T3 clone A31 was calculated the IC50. In vitro phototoxicity in BALB/3T3 clone A31 cell line and the micronucleus assay in vitro in the CHO-K1 cell line, it was verify phototoxic and genotoxic potential, respectively. With the exception of essential oil Drimys brasiliensis, the intracellular antioxidant activity was assessed in WS1 cell lines. In conclusion Minthostachys setosa, Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus and Drimys brasiliensis Miers essential oils showed no cytotoxic, phototoxic and genotoxic potential, moreover, the antioxidant activity was expressive for Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus.
Dimensional reduction of balance parameters in risk of falling evaluation using a minimal number of force-sensitive resistors

Purpose. As the instrumented insole is available for a wide commercial range in the retail trade, this study aims to reduce its overall cost using fewer sensors by carrying out an effective risk of falling evaluation. Methods. We compared the effect of reducing balance parameters using four and three force-sensing resistors (FSRs) of an instrumented insole. Data were previously collected among elderly participants during a Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Results. While reducing the number of balance parameters, during sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit activities, the risk scores using four FSRs were not significantly different compared with three FSRs. Parameter reduction did not show any significant loss of information among the study population using four FSRs. For certain configurations of three FSRs, a significant effect of information loss was found in the study participants, revealing the importance of investigating the sensor locations in the process. Conclusions. We conclude that it is feasible to estimate a risk index during a TUG test not only after reducing the number of needed sensing units from four to three FSRs but also after reducing the number of balance parameters. The three FSRs should be located at strategic positions to avoid a significant loss of information.
Cerebral protection in left atrial appendage closure in the presence of appendage thrombosis

Presence of thrombus in the left atrial appendage (LAA) remains a severe contraindication to the percutaneous left atrial appendage closure procedure (LAAC), due to increased embolic risk. Recently, the experience developed in cerebral protection device in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedure was translated in LAAC to address this issue.
Parental Perspectives and Experiences in Relation to Lifestyle-Related Practices in the First Two Years of a Child’s Life: A Qualitative Study in a Disadvantaged Neighborhood in The Netherlands

The first two years of a child’s life are a critical period in preventing several lifestyle-related health problems. A qualitative study was conducted to explore parental experiences and perspectives in relation to lifestyle-related child-rearing practices in order to minimize risk factors at an early stage. Data were collected through interviews (n = 25) and focus groups (n = 4) with parents of children aged 0–2 years, in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Results showed that parents were often uncertain about a number of lifestyle-related practices. Ambiguity also appeared regarding the parents’ intentions to engage in certain practices and what they were able to achieve in everyday life. In addition, parents experienced strong sociocultural influences from their family, which interfered with their ability to make their own decisions on lifestyle-related practices. Parents also expressed a need for peer-support and confirmation of their practices. Future studies should focus on supporting parents in their parental practices during the first two years of their child’s life. Any such study should take into account the specific sociocultural context accompanying lifestyle-related parental practices.
Classification of Epilepsy Risk Levels Using Variable Thresholding Based Feature Extraction Technique and Suitable Post Classifiers

— Electroencephalography (EEG) is a well-established clinical procedure, which can provide information pertinent to the diagnosis of a number of brain disorders (e.g. epilepsy or brain tumors). However, despite its widespread use, it is one of the last routine clinical procedures to be fully automated. Analysis of the electroencephalogram (EEG) includes the detection of patterns and features characteristic of abnormal conditions. For example, Asymmetries in the amplitude or frequency of background activity suggest a lesion, while the presence of Epileptiform activity supports a clinical diagnosis of epilepsy. Over half the EEG referrals relate to epilepsy, with the EEG being the most useful procedure in its diagnosis. In this paper, the variable thresholding concept is applied to a wavelet transformed raw EEG signals/samples and then classified using Post Classifiers like Sparse Representation Classifiers (SRC), Singular Value Decomposition (SVD), Approximate Entropy (ApEn) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for the perfect classification of epilepsy risk levels from EEG Signals. The risk levels are measured and analyzed in terms of Performance Index (PI), Quality Value (QV), Sensitivity, Specificity and Time Delay.
Probing the Functionality of Physically Modified Corn Flour as Clean Label Thickening Agent with a Multiscale Characterization

A multilevel and multianalytical approach, combining both traditional and unconventional analytical tools, was used to characterize two physically modified (heated and heated-extruded) corn flours to be used as a “clean label” food ingredient. Physical treatments decreased the resistant starch content and increased the water holding capacity and water binding capacity, more extensively in the product subjected to heating-extrusion, as compared to an untreated control. Heated-extruded flour had the highest ability to form homogeneous systems in cold water while all modified flours produced homogeneous systems when mixed with hot water. Systems made with heated-extruded flour were “more rigid” than other samples at all levels of investigation as they were harder (macroscopic) and had higher storage modulus (mesoscopic), as well as lower proton 1H mobility (molecular). Overall, the results highlighted the ability of the multiscale method to give a thorough overview of the flour–water interactions and showed highest water affinity of heated-extruded flour. Heated-extruded flour was then tested in three real-food industrial applications (carrot soup, tomato sauce and a meat patty), where it was successfully implemented as a clean label thickening agent.
Magnetorheological Fluid Haptic Shoes for Walking in VR

In this article, present RealWalk, a pair of haptic shoes for HMD-based VR, designed to create realistic sensations of ground surface deformation, and texture using Magnetorheological fluid (MR fluid). RealWalk offers a novel interaction scheme through the physical interaction between the shoes, and the ground surfaces while walking in VR. Each shoe consists of two MR fluid actuators, an insole pressure sensor, and a foot position tracker. The MR fluid actuators are designed in the form of multi-stacked disc structure with a long flow path to maximize the flow resistance. With changing the magnetic field intensity in MR fluid actuators based on the ground material in the virtual scene, the viscosity of MR fluid is changed accordingly. When a user steps on the ground with the shoes, the two MR fluid actuators are pressed down, creating a variety of ground material deformation such as snow, mud, and dry sand. We built an interactive VR application, and compared RealWalk with vibrotactile-based haptic shoes in four different VR scenes: grass, sand, mud, and snow. We report that, compared to vibrotactile-haptic shoes, RealWalk provides higher ratings in all scenes for discrimination, realism, and satisfaction. We also report qualitative user feedback for their experiences.
The Role of Corporate Governance on Strategic Management Accounting Disclosure

This research aims to investigate the role of the board of commissioners and the board of directors on the extent of Strategic Management Accounting (SMA) disclosure in annual reports of Indonesian manufacturing companies. The annual reports of manufacturing listed companies for 2014 – 2018 were examined to measure the extent of SMA disclosure and to investigate the effect of the characteristics of the board of commissioners and board of directors. This study used 42 items of weighted disclosure index, based on international guidelines and SMA literature. This study used data panel regression analysis technique. The result shows that the characteristics of the board of commissioners (tenure and educational background) have a significant effect on the extent of SMA disclosure. Meanwhile, only the tenure of the board of directors has a significant effect on the extent of SMA disclosure.
Effects of Dietary Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load on Cardiometabolic and Reproductive Profiles in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) exhibit cardiometabolic (e.g., insulin resistance) and associated reproductive disruptions. Lifestyle modification (e.g., diet) is recommended as the first-line therapy to manage PCOS; however, a favorable dietary regimen remains unclear beyond energy restriction. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to summarize evidence on impacts of dietary glycemic index (GI) or glycemic load (GL) on cardiometabolic and reproductive profiles to update the International Evidence-based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of PCOS. Databases of MEDLINE, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched through 30 October 2019, and confirmed on 25 March 2020, to identify RCTs (≥8 wk) comparing the effects of diets with lower (LGI/LGL) and higher (HGI/HGL) GI/GL on glucoregulatory outcomes, lipid profile, anthropometrics, and androgen status in PCOS. The primary outcome was HOMA-IR. Data were pooled by random-effects models and expressed as weighted mean differences and 95% CIs. The risk of bias was assessed by the Cochrane tool. Ten RCTs (n = 403) were eligible. Eight evaluated LGI and 2 LGL diets. LGI diets decreased HOMA-IR (-0.78; -1.20, -0.37; I2 = 86.6%), fasting insulin (-2.39; -4.78, 0.00 μIU/mL; I2 = 76.8%), total cholesterol (-11.13; -18.23, -4.04 mg/dL; I2 = 0.0%), LDL cholesterol (-6.27; -12.01, -0.53 mg/dL; I2 = 0.0%), triglycerides (-14.85; -28.75, -0.95 mg/dL; I2 = 31.0%), waist circumference (-2.81; -4.40, -1.23 cm; I2 = 53.9%), and total testosterone (-0.21; -0.32, -0.09 nmol/L; I2 = 8.6%) compared with HGI diets (all: P ≤ 0.05) without affecting fasting glucose, HDL cholesterol, weight, or free androgen index (all: P ≥ 0.07). Some results were contradictory and only described narratively for 2 RCTs that evaluated LGL diets, since inclusion in meta-analyses was not possible. LGI diets improved glucoregulatory outcomes (HOMA-IR, insulin), lipid profiles, abdominal adiposity, and androgen status, conceivably supporting their inclusion for dietary management of PCOS. Further RCTs should confirm these observations and address whether LGI diets improve more patient-pressing complications, including ovulatory cyclicity, infertility, and cardiovascular disease risk in this high-risk population. This review was registered at www.crd. york.ac. uk/PROSPERO as CRD42020175300.