Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Food web patterns in ecosystems: a reply to Fretwell and Oksanen

I review the theoretical and empirical evidence for various theories concerning biomass and turnover patterns of different trophic levels in ecosystems, with special reference to aquatic food webs. Particular focus is given to the food chain dynamics ("top-down"), mutualism-cybernetics, and donor control-indirect effects theories, the former and latter of which appear to be necessary for understanding ecosystem structure and function. It is concluded that the former (food chain dynamics) theory is useful for examining the direct and indirect effects of predator-prey interactions, whereas the latter (donor control-indirect effects) theory is useful for studying the indirect effects caused by nutrient cycling, competition, and abiotic factors. It is argued that both of these theories are necessary for analyzing food web patterns, because the theories focus upon complementary scales of observation; the food chain dynamics theory emphasizes trophic level patterns, whereas the donor control-indirect effects theory may be more useful for studying species and trophic guild interactions. Moreover, both theories depend upon Darwinian evolution and/or ecological interactions, in contrast to the dependence upon community selection by the mutualism-cybernetics theory. The former two theories are thus more parsimonious descriptions of nature.
Digital contact tracing and network theory to stop the spread of COVID-19 using big-data on human mobility geolocalization

The spread of COVID-19 caused by the recently discovered SARS-CoV-2 virus has become a worldwide problem with devastating consequences. To slow down the spread of the pandemic, mass quarantines have been implemented globally, provoking further social and economic disruptions. Here, we address this problem by implementing a large-scale contact tracing network analysis to find the optimal quarantine protocol to dismantle the chain of transmission of coronavirus with minimal disruptions to society. We track billions of anonymized GPS human mobility datapoints from a compilation of hundreds of mobile apps deployed in Latin America to monitor the evolution of the contact network of disease transmission before and after the confinements. As a consequence of the lockdowns, people's mobility across the region decreases by ~53%, which results in a drastic disintegration of the transmission network by ~90%. However, this disintegration did not halt the spreading of the disease. Our analysis indicates that superspreading k-core structures persist in the transmission network to prolong the pandemic. Once the k-cores are identified, the optimal strategy to break the chain of transmission is to quarantine a minimal number of 'weak links' with high betweenness centrality connecting the large k-cores. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of an optimal tracing strategy to halt the pandemic. As countries race to build and deploy contact tracing apps, our results could turn into a valuable resource to help deploy protocols with minimized disruptions.
Deep Learning for Automated Recognition of Covid-19 from Chest X-ray Images

Abstract Background: The pandemic caused by coronavirus in recent months is having a devastating global effect, which puts the world under the most ever unprecedented emergency. Currently, since there are not effective antiviral treat- ments for Covid-19 yet, it is crucial to early detect and monitor the progression of the disease, thus helping to reduce mortality. While a corresponding vaccine is being developed, and different measures are being used to combat the virus, medical imaging techniques have also been investigated to assist doctors in diag- nosing this disease. Objective: This paper presents a practical solution for the detection of Covid-19 from chest X-ray (CXR) images, exploiting cutting-edge Machine Learning techniques. Methods: We employ EfficientNet and MixNet, two recently developed families of deep neural networks, as the main classifica- tion engine. Furthermore, we also apply different transfer learning strategies, aiming at making the training process more accurate and efficient. The proposed approach has been validated by means of two real datasets, the former consists of 13,511 training images and 1,489 testing images, the latter has 14,324 and 3,581 images for training and testing, respectively. Results: The results are promising: by all the experimental configurations considered in the evaluation,our approach always yields an accuracy larger than 95.0%, with the maximum accuracy obtained being 96.64%. Conclusions: As a comparison with various existing studies, we can thus conclude that our performance improvement is significant.
Strategies to Improve Patient Outcomes and QOL: Current Complications of the Design and Placements of Ureteric Stents

Abstract Ureteric stents have played a vital role in relieving urinary obstruction in many urological conditions. Although they are extremely successful, stents have been associated with complications and reduced patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL). There are many factors that may affect the quality and longevity of stents. In this review, we have highlighted the journey and innovation of ureteric stents through the modern day. A literature review was conducted to identify relevant articles over the last 20 years. There is a plethora of evidence with various indications for the use of ureteral stents and how they affect QoL. There is still ongoing research to develop the ideal stent with reduced encrustation, one that resists infection and is also comfortable for the patients. Stents made from metal alloys, polymers and biodegradable materials have unique properties in their own right but also have certain deficiencies. These have been discussed along with an overview of newly developed stents. Certain pharmacological adjuncts have also been highlighted that may be useful to improve patient’s tolerance to stents. In summary, this paper describes the features of the different types of stents and the problems that are frequently encountered, including effect on patients’ HRQoL and financial burden to healthcare providers.
The Efficacy of Tai Chi and Qigong Exercises on Blood Pressure and Blood Levels of Nitric Oxide and Endothelin-1 in Patients with Essential Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective Tai Chi and Qigong are the two similar traditional Chinese wellness exercises. A strong body of published clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) has investigated the health benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong exercises (TCQE) in patients with essential hypertension (EH). This is the first meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of TCQE on blood pressure (BP) and blood levels of nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in EH patients and explore the potential antihypertensive mechanism of TCQE. Methods We conducted a literature retrieval for Chinese and English studies in seven databases from their respective inceptions until January 14, 2020. All RCTs examining clinical efficacy of TCQE for EH patients were considered. The major therapeutic outcomes of TCQE were changes in the blood levels of NO, ET-1, and BP in EH patients. Methodological quality of the included RCTs was detected via The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. We evaluated the data reported and performed the meta-analysis by Review Manager 5.3 software. Results 9 RCTs involving 516 EH patients were included. The intervention duration lasted from 1.5 months to 6 months. The results of comprehensive analysis showed that compared with control interventions, experimental interventions were more effective in reducing the systolic blood pressure and the diastolic blood pressure and contributed higher blood levels of NO and lower blood levels of ET-1. Conclusions TCQE could be an effective complementary and alternative therapy for EH. The lower BP in EH patients who practice TCQE may have some connection with exercise-related increased blood NO levels and decreased blood ET-1 levels. However, further research is needed to make clear the efficacy of TCQE in management of EH and the mechanism of lowering BP in TCQE.
Bioaccessibility assessment of stable elements and 210Po in food

Element bioaccessibility consists of the fraction of the element that is mobilized from food matrices into digestive extractants. The degree of bioaccessibility of a toxic metal is a fundamental consideration in estimating its bioavailability. In addition, gaining a better understanding of the essential elements released into the gastro intestinal fluids allows a more thorough assessment of the health benefits of food matrices in the field of nutrition science. In the present study, an in vitro digestion model simulating gastro-intestinal digestion (GID) was used to investigate the bioaccessibility of stable elements in mixed leaf salad and 210Po in various foods (meat, seafood, vegetables). The simulation was carried out over three phases: after a pre-treatment with a saliva solution, raw and cooked seafood samples were subjected to a complete simulated gastrointestinal digestion (gastric digestion followed by bile-pancreas digestion). The 210Po bioaccessibility was found to range from 16.2±9.39% to 62.8±17.7% and from 6.26±2.15% to 67.5±13.1% for raw and cooked food respectively. Moreover, bioaccessibility could not be determined for As, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Hg, La, Pb, Sb, Sn, Te, Th, Tl, Ti, U. It proved to be poor (1–16%) for Al, Fe and S; fair (40–50%) for Cu, P, and Si; and high (>50%) for Ba, Ca, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, Rb, Sr, Zn. The results show that bioaccessibility varies according to the chemical form of the element in the food as well as the matrix composition.
Determination of the Three Isomers of 2,3-Butanediol Formed by Yeasts or Lactic Acid Bacteria During Fermentation

In fermented fluids, the three isomers of 2,3-butanediol were quantitatively determined by gas chromatography using a chiral cyclodextrin column. Yeasts of the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae produced 200 to 700 mg diol of which 75% to 80% were D(-)-2,3-butanediol; the remainder was the meso-isomer. Hanseniaspora uvarum formed only 60 mg diol per liter, of which two thirds were meso-2,3-butanediol and one third D(-)-2,3-butanediol. Most strains of lactic acid bacteria of the genera Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus produced mainly meso-2,3-butanediol and some D- and L-butanediol-2,3 in the presence of pyruvate or citrate. Few strains produced only one optically active enantiomer. Wines that had undergone malolactic fermentation contained traces of L(+)-2,3-butanediol that was absent from wines without this bacterial fermentation.
Independent Association of Phase Angle with Fasting Blood Glucose and Hemoglobin A1c in Korean Type 2 Diabetes Patients

The relationship between phase angle (PhA) of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and glycemic parameters in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients has not been well studied. To evaluate the prognostic value of the PhA from BIA as a glycemic marker, we investigated the relationship of PhA with various variables such as age, body mass index (BMI), and glycemic parameters in Korean patients with type 2 DM (T2DM). We evaluated the anthropometric data, body composition, glycemic parameters, and PhA of 321 T2DM patients aged 30–83 years. The patients were classified by sex into men (n = 133) and women (n = 188). General linear models identified the independent effects of PhA after covarying for age, sex and BMI. The PhA, body cell mass (BCM), extracellular mass (ECM), lean body mass, intracellular water (ICW), extracellular water (ECW), total body water (TBW), fasting blood glucose, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of T2DM Korean patients were significantly higher in men than in women. However, fat mass, ECM/BCM, ECW/ICW, ECW/TBW, and serum insulin were significantly higher in women than in men. Statistically significant independent associations were observed between PhA and age, BCM, ECM, ECM/BCM, ICW, ECW, ECW/ICW, and ECW/TBW for both sexes. There was no significant association between PhA and BMI the patients. Glycemic parameters, such as HbA1c and fasting blood glucose were independently associated with PhA. These results suggest that PhA could be an indicator for assessing ability to control fasting blood glucose in T2DM patients in Korea.
Evaluation of Oxidative Stress in Patients with Difficult-to-Heal Skin Wounds Treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen

Objective To determine the concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in erythrocytes and blood plasma, and the activities of selected antioxidant enzymes: catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in erythrocytes in patients receiving hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment due to difficult-to-heal “skin wounds”. Material and Methods. Indices of oxidative stress were assessed in venous blood taken from 23 patients three times: immediately before HBO procedure, approx. 5 minutes after leaving the hyperbaric chamber, and after 25 HBO procedures. Moreover, selected blood counts were measured in the collected material two times: prior to treatment and after 25 HBO procedures. Results A statistically significant positive correlation between the CAT activity and the TBARS concentration in the erythrocytes of patients was found before treatment in the hyperbaric chamber (r = 0.394; P ≤ 0.05). No statistically significant changes in the TBARS concentration in erythrocytes and blood plasma were observed both after the first HBO procedure and after 25 procedures. No statistically significant changes in the activities of CAT, SOD, and GPx were noted. Platelet count decreased by 18.7% (P ≤ 0.05) after 25 HBO procedures. Granulocyte count decreased by approx. 21% (P ≤ 0.05), and granulocyte percentage by 11.8% (P ≤ 0.01). In turn, the percentage of lymphocytes and monocytes increased after the treatment by 16.6% (P < 0.05) and 16.4% (P < 0.05), respectively. Conclusions Exposure to HBO due to difficult-to-heal skin wounds does not significantly affect the levels of oxidative stress in the peripheral blood of patients and, from the point of view of oxidation–reduction processes, appears to be a safe therapeutic method for the treatment of chronic wounds.
Pivoting to stay the course: How women entrepreneurs take advantage of opportunities created by the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 is unique in the severity of its impact as it is a humanitarian disaster that has caused both a supply and a demand shock to the global economic system. It has disproportionately affected women entrepreneurs as their firms are younger and smaller. In this commentary, we contend that while all businesses must pivot their business models in times of tumultuous change, simultaneously reducing risk and seizing new opportunities, this is particularly difficult for women entrepreneurs, whose businesses are concentrated in the industry sectors most severely affected by the economic shutdown. We draw on recent survey data from the Diana International Research Institute (DIRI) to identify business model pivots in women-owned businesses, and conclude by offering a set of gendered future research questions.
Impact of Sacubitril/Valsartan on Patient Outcomes in Heart Failure: Evidence to Date

Abstract With an estimated 6.2 million adults affected in the USA, heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and health-care costs, despite the use of guideline-based medical therapies. The search for a more efficient therapy was rekindled when findings from the Prospective Comparison of Angiotensin Receptor–Neprilysin Inhibitor With Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure (PARADIGM-HF) trial demonstrated evidence for cardiovascular and mortality benefit of sacubitril/valsartan, a dual angiotensin receptor blocker and neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), over enalapril (an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor) in patients with heart failure and reduced rjection fraction (HFrEF). Following the trial’s compelling results, recommendations for the use of sacubitril/valsartan as a replacement for an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and/or angiotensin receptor blocker were incorporated into the 2016 American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the Heart Failure Society of America recommended (HFSA) guidelines for the management of heart failure. This review aims to gain insight into the benefits as well as limitations associated with the use of sacubitril/valsartan in the treatment of heart failure (HF) through exploration of various subgroup analyses of the PARADIGM-HF trial, subsequent retrospective analyses, and randomized controlled trials that followed this landmark trial.
Integrative Analysis of Three Novel Competing Endogenous RNA Biomarkers with a Prognostic Value in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Increasing evidence has shown competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) play key roles in numerous cancers. Nevertheless, the ceRNA network that can predict the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is still lacking. The aim of the present study was to identify the prognostic value of key ceRNAs in lung tumorigenesis. Differentially expressed (DE) RNAs were identified between LUAD and adjacent normal samples by limma package in R using The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA). Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway function enrichment analysis was performed using the clusterProfiler package in R. Subsequently, the LUAD ceRNA network was established in three steps based on ceRNA hypothesis. Hub RNAs were identified using degree analysis methods based on Cytoscape plugin cytoHubba. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was implemented to calculate the risk score using the candidate ceRNAs and overall survival information. The survival differences between the high-risk and low-risk ceRNA groups were determined by the Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test using survival and survminer package in R. A total of 2,989 mRNAs, 185 lncRNAs, and 153 miRNAs were identified. GO and KEGG pathway function enrichment analysis showed that DE mRNAs were mainly associated with “sister chromatid segregation,” “regulation of angiogenesis,” “cell adhesion molecules (CAMs),” “cell cycle,” and “ECM-receptor interaction. ” LUAD-related ceRNA network was constructed, which comprised of 54 nodes and 78 edges. Top ten hub RNAs (hsa-miR-374a-5p, hsa-miR-374b-5p, hsa-miR-340-5p, hsa-miR-377-3p, hsa-miR-21-5p, hsa-miR-326, SNHG1, RALGPS2, and PITX2) were identified according to their degree. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses demonstrated that hsa-miR-21-5p and RALGPS2 had a significant prognostic value. Finally, we found that a high risk of three novel ceRNA interactions (SNHG1-hsa-miR-21-5p-RALGPS2, SNHG1-hsa-miR-326-RALGPS2, and SNHG1-hsa-miR-377-3p-RALGPS2) was positively associated with worse prognosis. Three novel ceRNAs (SNHG1-hsa-miR-21-5p-RALGPS2, SNHG1-hsa-miR-326-RALGPS2, and SNHG1-hsa-miR-377-3p-RALGPS2) might be potential biomarkers for the prognosis and treatment of LUAD.
Analyses of DNA Methylation Involved in the Activation of Nuclear Karyopherin Alpha 2 Leading to Identify the Progression and Prognostic Significance Across Human Breast Cancer

Background Karyopherin alpha 2 (KPNA2) is a nuclear import factor that plays a crucial role in nucleocytoplasmic transport, as well as cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in several cancers. However, the roles of KPNA2 in breast cancer as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated. Materials and Methods To evaluate gene expression alterations during breast carcinogenesis, KPNA2 expression was analyzed using the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis and Oncomine analyses. The correlation between methylation and expression was analyzed using the MEXPRESS tool, UALCAN cancer database, and cBioPortal browser. Then, the expression and prognostic value of KPNA2 were investigated by our own breast cancer samples using RT-PCR. KPNA2 methylation level was detected by methylation-specific PCR. Results We obtained the following important results. (1) KPNA2 expression was significantly higher in breast cancer than normal samples and regulated by aberrant DNA hypomethylation of promoter region. (2) Among patients with breast cancer, those with higher KPNA2 expression had a lower survival rate. (3) The major mutation type of KPNA2 in breast cancer samples was missense mutation. (4) Homer1 was able to promote breast cancer progression may be through upregulating TPX2 expression. Conclusion Our findings suggest that aberrant DNA hypomethylation of promoter regions contributes to the aberrant expression of KPNA2 in breast cancer, which might be a potential indicator of poor prognosis.
The use of Ionized Gas Electric Lamps as Recorders in Measuring the Velocity of the Pulse Wave.∗

Bramwell 1 and his co-workers have devised an accurate method for measuring the velocity of the pulse wave, and have made valuable studies of the factors influencing it. They have shown that the two principal factors causing increased velocity are inelasticity of the arterial walls and a high diastolic blood pressure. That is, there is an organic and a functional cause for increased velocity. The greatest need for such a method is to differentiate between the two. It seems that this might be done by observing the effect on pulse wave velocity of reduction of diastolic pressure by means of drugs. No such study has been made, due to frequent accidents with the fragile instrument used. An instrument is needed which is rugged enough to be quite dependable and yet sensitive to the highest degree. While working in the laboratory of Dr. E. P. Carter in 1924, I devised a method, as yet unpublished, for recording arterial and venous pulsations in which the string galvanometer was used as the recording instrument. A specially designed microphone, similar to that used in telephone transmitters, was placed directly over the artery so that the pulse wave caused increased pressure on the carbon granules and thus increased the current that might pass through. Fluctuations in the current caused by the pulse were recorded by photographing the oscillations of the galvanometer string, giving an accurate picture of the pulse wave. By the use of two galvanometers focused on the same strip of film, or a galvanometer with two strings, and with two microphones placed over arteries at different and measured distances from their bifurcation, it is possible to measure accurately the velocity of the pulse.