Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Message from the Human Placenta: Structural and Immunomodulatory Defense against SARS-CoV-2

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a global public health crisis. Viral infections may predispose pregnant women to a higher rate of pregnancy complications, including preterm births, miscarriage and stillbirth. Despite reports of neonatal COVID-19, definitive proof of vertical transmission is still lacking. In this review, we summarize studies regarding the potential evidence for transplacental transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), characterize the expression of its receptors and proteases, describe the placental pathology and analyze virus-host interactions at the maternal-fetal interface. We focus on the syncytium, the barrier between mother and fetus, and describe in detail its physical and structural defense against viral infections. We further discuss the potential molecular mechanisms, whereby the placenta serves as a defense front against pathogens by regulating the interferon type III signaling, microRNA-triggered autophagy and the nuclear factor-κB pathway. Based on these data, we conclude that vertical transmission may occur but rare, ascribed to the potent physical barrier, the fine-regulated placental immune defense and modulation strategies. Particularly, immunomodulatory mechanisms employed by the placenta may mitigate violent immune response, maybe soften cytokine storm tightly associated with severely ill COVID-19 patients, possibly minimizing cell and tissue damages, and potentially reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Demodex spp. EN PERROS CON DEMODICOSIS, EN UNA REGIÓN DE CUBA

Con el objetivo de determinar las caracteristicas morfometricas del genero Demodex, en perros con demodicosis, de una region cubana, se muestrearon 571 perros afectados por demodicosis. Se realizo el estudio morfometrico de ejemplares adultos y sus huevos, provenientes de animales naturalmente infestados. Por primera vez se comunica en Cuba, la presencia de una variedad fenotipica de Demodex diferentes a D. canis.
Value of the Frontal Assessment Battery Tool for Assessing the Frontal Lobe Function in Stroke Patients

Objective To examine the correlation between the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) test, which is used to assess the frontal lobe function, and anatomical lesions as well as the ability of the test to detect frontal lobe dysfunction. Methods Records of stroke patients undergoing a FAB test and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into three groups according to the lesions determined by an imaging study: frontal lobe cortex lesions, frontal subcortical circuit lesions, and other lesions. The FAB scores of the three groups were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The validity of the FAB test to detect frontal lobe dysfunction was assessed by a comparison with the Computerized Neuropsychological Function Test (CNT) using the Spearman correlation coefficient. The correlation coefficients between the FAB test and MMSE were analyzed further based on the MMSE cutoff score. Results Patients with frontal cortex lesions had significantly lower total and subtest scores according to the FAB test than the other patients. The FAB test correlated better with the CNT than the MMSE, particularly in the executive function and memory domains. A high MMSE score (r=0.435) indicated a lower correlation with the FAB test score than a low MMSE score (r=0.714). Conclusion The FAB test could differentiate frontal lobe lesions from others in stroke patients and showed a good correlation with the CNT. Moreover, the FAB test can be used in patients with high MMSE scores to detect frontal lobe dysfunction and determine the treatment strategies for stroke patients.
Proline accumulation in salt‐treated tomato: Different proline precursors in lycopersicon esculentum and lycopersicon pennellii

Abstract Proline levels were measured in leaf discs of the salt sensitive Lycopersicon esculentum (Mill) cv P‐73 and the salt tolerant L. pennellii (Correll), D'Arcy, accession PE 47. Proline accumulation constitutes an index of NaCl sensitivity: when submitted for 8 h to 100 mM NaCl, the excised leaves of the salt‐sensitive tomato accumulated the highest proline content, through a light‐dependent process. Arginine, asparagine, ornithine (in the light) and glutamate (under darkness) were proline precursors in L. esculentum leaf discs; arginine (under darkness), asparagine, glutamine and glutamate (both in the dark or in the light) were proline precursors in L. pennellii. In L. pennellii, the addition of NaCl to the incubation media did not modify the proline accumulation occurring in control leaves; conversely, in L. esculentum, NaCl induced or activated light and dark reactions involving the overall nitrogen (N)‐sources.
Pain Processing in Older Adults and Its Association with Prefrontal Characteristics

Aging is known to affect nociceptive processing, e.g., the ability to inhibit pain. This study aims to investigate whether pain responses in older individuals are associated with prefrontal characteristics, namely (i) executive functioning performance and (ii) structural brain variations in the prefrontal cortex. Heat and pressure stimuli were applied to assess pressure pain sensitivity and endogenous pain inhibition in 46 healthy older individuals. Executive functioning performance was assessed in three domains (i.e., cognitive inhibition, shifting, and updating) and structural brain variations were assessed in both gray and white matter. Overall pain responses were significantly associated with the executive functioning domains cognitive inhibition and shifting. However, no specific type of pain response showed an especially strong association. Endogenous pain inhibition specifically showed a significant association with gray matter volume in the prefrontal cortex and with variations in white matter structure of tracts connecting the prefrontal cortex with the periaqueductal gray. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that these variations in the prefrontal cortex can explain variance in pain inhibition beyond what can be explained by executive functioning. This might indicate that known deficits in pain inhibition in older individuals are associated with structural variations in prefrontal areas.
RF Sensing for Internet of Things: When Machine Learning Meets Channel State Information

With the rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT) techn iques, RF sensing has found wide applications for, e.g., indoor localization, activit y recognition, and healthcare. In this dissertation, we investigate the problem of RF sensing for IoT using channel state information (CSI) and machine learning techniques. In particular, our work mainl y focuses on indoor localization using deep learning and vital sign monitoring for RF sensing. In this dissertation, we first study the problem of CSI based in door localization. For first three works, we exploit deep learning for three different in door localization systems using CSI amplitudes, CSI calibrated phases, and CSI bimodal data, resp ectively. Moreover, we study and analyze CSI data, which is stable for indoor localization. We consider deep autoencoder networks to train CSI data, and employ the weights of the deep netw ork to represent fingerprints. A greedy learning algorithm is leveraged to train the weights layer-by-layer to reduce computational complexity, where a sub-network between two consecutive la y rs forms a Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM). In the online stage, we use a probabilistic meth od for online location estimation. Then, we exploit deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) f or indoor localization. Since DCNN is a supervised method, it only requires to train one grou p f weights for all the training data with related labels, which is different with our prior w orks that requires training weights for every training location. Specially, we use estimated angle of arrival (AOA) images from CSI data as input to the DCNN. By executing four convolutional and subsa mpling layers, the system can automatically extract the features of the estimated AOA ima ges, to obtain training weights. To improve indoor localization accuracy, we propose deep resi dual sharing learning for training two channels CSI tensor data. Moreover, we can stack many residua l haring blocks for adding the depth of the deep network, thus achieving higher learning an d representation ability for CSI tensor
How Effective Is Third-Party Consumer Profiling and Audience Delivery?: Evidence from Field Studies

Data brokers often use online browsing records to create digital consumer profiles they sell to marketers as pre-defined audiences for ad targeting. However, this process is a `black box': Little is known about the reliability of the digital profiles that are created, or of the audience identification provided by buying platforms. In this paper, we investigate using three field tests the accuracy of a variety of demographic and audience-interest segments. We examine the accuracy of over 90 third-party audiences across 19 data brokers. Audience segments vary greatly in quality and are often inaccurate across leading data brokers. In comparison to random audience selection, the use of black-box data profiles on average increased identification of a user with a desired attribute by 0-77%. Audience identification can be improved on average by 123% when combined with optimization software. However, given the high extra costs of targeting solutions and the relative inaccuracy, we find that third-party audiences are often economically unattractive, except for higher-priced media placements.
Outbreak of Oleander (Nerium oleander) Poisoning in Dairy Cattle: Clinical and Food Safety Implications

Oleander is a spontaneous shrub widely occurring in Mediterranean regions. Poisoning is sporadically reported in livestock, mainly due to the ingestion of leaves containing toxic cardiac glycosides (primarily oleandrin). In this study, 50 lactating Fleckvieh cows were affected after being offered a diet containing dry oleander pruning wastes accidentally mixed with fodder. Clinical examination, electrocardiogram, and blood sampling were conducted. Dead animals were necropsied, and heart, liver, kidney, spleen, and intestine were submitted to histological investigation. Oleandrin detection was performed through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in blood, serum, liver, heart, milk, and cheese samples. Severe depression, anorexia, ruminal atony, diarrhea, serous nasal discharge, tachycardia, and irregular heartbeat were the most common clinical signs. The first animal died within 48 h, and a total of 13 cows died in 4 days. Disseminated hyperemia and hemorrhages, multifocal coagulative necrosis of the cardiac muscle fibers, and severe and diffuse enteritis were suggestive of oleander poisoning. The diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of oleandrin in serum, liver, heart, milk, and cheese. Our results confirm the high toxicity of oleander in cattle and report for the first time the transfer into milk and dairy products, suggesting a potential risk for the consumers.
Hydroelectric Facilities And Fish

Hydroelectric Facilities And Fish This article gives an overview the impact hydroelectric power facilities on ichthyofauna and river ecosystems. Issues addressed include the destruction of fish by grates and turbines; disturbances in the hydrological regime of rivers; changes in the water physicochemical regime resulting from damming; the muddying of spawning and feeding grounds. Suggestions are made for counteracting these disadvantageous transformations. This is achieved by equipping hydroelectric facilities with appropriate safety devices that lead fish away from the facility to a secure place where they can swim safely downstream, and also eliminate sharp fluctuations in water level that can occur below dams. It was determined that none of the existing methods eliminate ichthyofauna losses. It is recommended to combine several protection methods such as grates and electric barriers. Due to the negative impact hydroelectric plants have on the ichthyofauna, it is essential that the energy consumers participate in the costs of fish stocking to compensate for losses. Elektrownie Wodne A Ryby Praca przygotowana została w oparciu o przegląd literatury i wyniki własnych badań. Omówiono oddziaływanie elektrowni wodnych na ichtiofaunę oraz ekosystemy rzeczne. Zaliczono do nich: niszczenie ryb na kratach i przez turbiny elektrowni, zaburzanie reżimu hydrologicznego rzeki, zmiany parametrów fizykochemicznych wody spowodowane spiętrzeniem, zamulanie tarlisk i żerowisk. Wskazano na możliwości przeciwdziałania skutkom tych niekorzystnych przekształceń. Służy temu wprowadzanie na elektrowniach wodnych odpowiednich zabezpieczeń, pozwalających na oprowadzenie ryb do miejsca, którym bezpiecznie spłyną w dół rzeki, a także wyeliminowanie gwałtownych wahań poziomu wody w rzece poniżej elektrowni. Podkreślono, że nie istnieją metody całkowicie eliminujące powstawanie strat w ichtiofaunie. Polecane jest łączenie kilku sposobów ochrony, np. krat i bariery elektrycznej. Z uwagi na negatywne dla ichtiofauny skutki pracy elektrowni wodnych, konieczne jest rekompensowanie strat poprzez partycypację użytkownika elektrowni w kosztach zarybiania.
Signals Orchestrating Peripheral Nerve Repair

The peripheral nervous system has retained through evolution the capacity to repair and regenerate after assault from a variety of physical, chemical, or biological pathogens. Regeneration relies on the intrinsic abilities of peripheral neurons and on a permissive environment, and it is driven by an intense interplay among neurons, the glia, muscles, the basal lamina, and the immune system. Indeed, extrinsic signals from the milieu of the injury site superimpose on genetic and epigenetic mechanisms to modulate cell intrinsic programs. Here, we will review the main intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms allowing severed peripheral axons to re-grow, and discuss some alarm mediators and pro-regenerative molecules and pathways involved in the process, highlighting the role of Schwann cells as central hubs coordinating multiple signals. A particular focus will be provided on regeneration at the neuromuscular junction, an ideal model system whose manipulation can contribute to the identification of crucial mediators of nerve re-growth. A brief overview on regeneration at sensory terminals is also included.
Bidirectional Modulation of the Voltage-Gated Sodium (Nav1.6) Channel by Rationally Designed Peptidomimetics

Disruption of protein:protein interactions (PPIs) that regulate the function of voltage-gated Na+ (Nav) channels leads to neural circuitry aberrations that have been implicated in numerous channelopathies. One example of this pathophysiology is mediated by dysfunction of the PPI between Nav1.6 and its regulatory protein fibroblast growth factor 14 (FGF14). Thus, peptides derived from FGF14 might exert modulatory actions on the FGF14:Nav1.6 complex that are functionally relevant. The tetrapeptide Glu-Tyr-Tyr-Val (EYYV) mimics surface residues of FGF14 at the β8–β9 loop, a structural region previously implicated in its binding to Nav1.6. Here, peptidomimetics derived from EYYV (6) were designed, synthesized, and pharmacologically evaluated to develop probes with improved potency. Addition of hydrophobic protective groups to 6 and truncation to a tripeptide (12) produced a potent inhibitor of FGF14:Nav1.6 complex assembly. Conversely, addition of hydrophobic protective groups to 6 followed by addition of an N-terminal benzoyl substituent (19) produced a potentiator of FGF14:Nav1.6 complex assembly. Subsequent functional evaluation using whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology confirmed their inverse activities, with 12 and 19 reducing and increasing Nav1.6-mediated transient current densities, respectively. Overall, we have identified a negative and positive allosteric modulator of Nav1.6, both of which could serve as scaffolds for the development of target-selective neurotherapeutics.
Reversal of T Cell Exhaustion in Chronic HCV Infection

The long-term consequences of T cell responses’ impairment in chronic HCV infection are not entirely characterized, although they may be essential in the context of the clinical course of infection, re-infection, treatment-mediated viral clearance and vaccine design. Furthermore, it is unclear whether a complete reinvigoration of HCV-specific T cell response may be feasible. In most studies, attempting to reverse the effects of compromised immune response quality by specific blockades of negative immune regulators, a restoration of functional competence of HCV-specific T cells was shown. This implies that HCV-induced immune dysfunction may be reversible. The advent of highly successful, direct-acting antiviral treatment (DAA) for chronic HCV infection instigated investigation whether the treatment-driven elimination of viral antigens restores T cell function. Most of studies demonstrated that DAA treatment may result in at least partial restoration of T cell immune function. They also suggest that a complete restoration comparable to that seen after spontaneous viral clearance may not be attained, pointing out that long-term antigenic stimulation imprints an irreversible change on the T cell compartment. Understanding the mechanisms of HCV-induced immune dysfunction and barriers to immune restoration following viral clearance is of utmost importance to diminish the possible long-term consequences of chronic HCV infection.
A Sleep Apnea Detection System Based on a One-Dimensional Deep Convolution Neural Network Model Using Single-Lead Electrocardiogram

Many works in recent years have been focused on developing a portable and less expensive system for diagnosing patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), instead of using the inconvenient and expensive polysomnography (PSG). This study proposes a sleep apnea detection system based on a one-dimensional (1D) deep convolutional neural network (CNN) model using the single-lead 1D electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. The proposed CNN model consists of 10 identical CNN-based feature extraction layers, a flattened layer, 4 identical classification layers mainly composed of fully connected networks, and a softmax classification layer. Thirty-five released and thirty-five withheld ECG recordings from the MIT PhysioNet Apnea-ECG Database were applied to train the proposed CNN model and validate its accuracy for the detection of the apnea events. The results show that the proposed model achieves 87.9% accuracy, 92.0% specificity, and 81.1% sensitivity for per-minute apnea detection, and 97.1% accuracy, 100% specificity, and 95.7% sensitivity for per-recording classification. The proposed model improves the accuracy of sleep apnea detection in comparison with several feature-engineering-based and feature-learning-based approaches.
Graphene-Based and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Monitoring the Physio-Chemical Response of Thermophilic Bacterial Spores to Low Temperatures Exposure

Monitoring the spore life cycle is one of the main issues in several fields including environmental control, sustainable ecosystems, food security, and healthcare systems. In this framework, the study of the living organism resistance to extreme conditions like those mimicking space environments is particularly interesting. The assessment of the local change of the pH level can be extremely useful for this purpose. An optical physiometer method based on the Raman response of the graphene, which is able to locally sense pH of a fluid on a micrometric scale, has been recently proposed. Due to the presence of π-bonds at the surface, the electronic doping of graphene is determined by the external conditions and can be electrochemically controlled or altered by the contact with an acid or alkaline fluid. The doping level affects the vibrational energies of the graphene that can be monitored by conventional Raman spectroscopy. In addition, Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) can give direct information on the biochemical changes occurring in spore components. In this work, we propose the joint use of Graphene-Based Raman Spectroscopy (GbRS) and SERS for the monitoring of the response of spores to exposure to low temperatures down to 100 K. The spores of the thermophilic bacterium Parageobacillus thermantarcticus isolated from an active volcano of Antarctica (Mt. Melbourne) were investigated. These spores are particularly resistant to several stressing stimuli and able to adapt to extreme conditions like low temperatures, UV irradiation, and γ-rays exposure. The results obtained showed that the joint use of GbRS and SERS represents a valuable tool for monitoring the physio-chemical response of bacterial spores upon exposure to stressing stimuli.
The Influence of the Dilution Rate on the Aggressiveness of Inocula and the Expression of Resistance against Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat

In previous research, conidium concentrations varying between 10,000 and 1,000,000/mL have not been related to any aggressiveness test. Therefore, two Fusarium graminearum and two Fusarium culmorum isolates were tested in the field on seven genotypes highly differing in resistance at no dilution, and 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, 1:8, and 1:16 dilutions in two years (2013 and 2014). The isolates showed different aggressiveness, which changed significantly at different dilution rates for disease index (DI), Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK), and deoxynivalenol (DON). The traits also had diverging responses to the infection. The effect of the dilution could not be forecasted. The genotype ranks also varied. Dilution seldomly increased aggressiveness, but often lower aggressiveness occurred at high variation. The maximum and minimum values varied between 15% and 40% for traits and dilutions. The reductions between the non-diluted and diluted values (total means) for DI ranged from 6% and 33%, for FDK 8.3–37.7%, and for DON 5.8–44.8%. The most sensitive and most important trait was DON. The introduction of the aggressiveness test provides improved regulation compared to the uncontrolled manipulation of the conidium concentration. The use of more isolates significantly increases the credibility of phenotyping in genetic and cultivar registration studies.
Effect of Different Kinds of Music on Anxiety During Implant Surgery in Turkey: Randomized Controlled Study.

PURPOSE Dental anxiety causes patients to avoid or delay dental treatments. This delay leads to more serious dental problems, which can then lead to more invasive and expensive treatment with possible emergency situations. The purpose of this study was to determine the most successful and effective kind of music to lessen the anxiety of patients during dental implant surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was a prospective observational randomized controlled study. Eighty dental implant surgery patients aged between 40 and 70 years were chosen for the study. Patients were divided into four groups: group 1-classic Turkish music group (Saba or Rast Tune); group 2-classical music (Vivaldi); group 3-slow rock music; and group 4-control group. Blood pressures, heart rate, and O2 saturations of the patients were evaluated along with Corah's Dental Anxiety Survey (CDAS) at admittance. After 5 minutes of music in the room, the same evaluations were recorded, and the survey was repeated. RESULTS All the groups with music treatment had a significant decrease in anxiety levels. It was observed that listening to music had a positive effect on dental anxiety regardless of the kind of music. There were significant differences in CDAS values postoperatively. Turkish music and classical music were much more effective in diminishing dental anxiety compared with soft rock music (P = .000 and .002, respectively). CONCLUSION This study indicated that regardless of the kind of music, listening to music diminishes dental anxiety significantly; Turkish music and classical music were the most effective kinds of music.