Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydrogen/Deuterium Dynamics in Hydroxyl Salts Co2(OH)3Br/Co2(OD)3Br Revealed by Muon Spin Relaxation

The temperature-dependent dynamics of the hydrogen/deuterium atoms in geometrically frustrated magnets Co2(OH)3Br and its deuterated form Co2(OD)3Br were investigated by muon spin relaxation (μSR). The deuterium atoms in Co2(OD)3Br were found to be rapidly fluctuating at high temperatures, which should be arising as a quantum atomic effect due to the small mass of deuterium, then they drastically slowed down toward Tc = 250 K where a broad anomaly appeared in the dielectric response, and finally became quasi-static at around 180 K. Meanwhile, the hydrogen atoms in Co2(OH)3Br also exhibited a two-step slowing at ~240 K and ~180 K, respectively. The revealed properties in Co2(OH)3Br/Co2(OD)3Br are reminiscent of relaxor-type ferroelectrics. The present study suggested the effectiveness of the μSR technique on revealing the hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) dynamics in Co2(OH)3Br/Co2(OD)3Br. Furthermore, magnetic coupling was found to be existing at high temperatures in this system. This work provides clear evidence to the mechanism of ferroelectric responses in the hydroxyl salts, i.e., the slowing of protons (deuterium ions) is directly related to the newly revealed ferroelectricity.
Intramucosal poorly differentiated and signet‐ring cell components in patients with ulcerative colitis‐associated high‐grade dysplasia

Despite the rarity of colorectal poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (Por) and signet‐ring cell carcinoma (Sig), they are more frequent in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). However, little is known about these components of early colitis‐associated cancer due to the difficulty of detection at an early stage. Here, we reviewed colitis‐associated high‐grade dysplasia/cancer with Por/Sig components within the submucosa among 103 lesions of 79 UC patients who presented between 1997 and 2017. In total, one Sig in situ, three intramucosal and two submucosal carcinomas (8.7%) were identified among 69 lesions within the submucosa. Depressed appearance, loss of crypt architecture and amorphous surface pattern suggested the presence of Por/Sig, rather than submucosal infiltration. All lesions were located in the rectosigmoid colon and included high‐grade dysplasia. While the surrounding noncancerous mucosa expressed E‐cadherin and MUC5AC, the expression of E‐cadherin was reduced and the expression of MUC5AC was negative in all of the carcinomas except for the Sig in situ. The gastric type metaplasia associated with altered MUC5AC profiles may be a sign of the stepwise accumulation of molecular alterations, including TP53 defects and a reduced expression level of E‐cadherin.
Ectopic Expression of Poplar ABC Transporter PtoABCG36 Confers Cd Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic heavy metals for plant growth in soil. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters play important roles in biotic and abiotic stresses. However, few ABC transporters have been characterized in poplar. In this study, we isolated an ABC transporter gene PtoABCG36 from Populus tomentosa. The PtoABCG36 transcript can be detected in leaves, stems and roots, and the expression in the root was 3.8 and 2 times that in stems and leaves, respectively. The PtoABCG36 expression was induced and peaked at 12 h after exposure to Cd stress. Transient expression of PtoABCG36 in tobacco showed that PtoABCG36 is localized at the plasma membrane. When overexpressed in yeast and Arabidopsis, PtoABCG36 could decrease Cd accumulation and confer higher Cd tolerance in transgenic lines than in wild-type (WT) lines. Net Cd2+ efflux measurements showed a decreasing Cd uptake in transgenic Arabidopsis roots than WT. These results demonstrated that PtoABCG36 functions as a cadmium extrusion pump participating in enhancing tolerance to Cd through decreasing Cd content in plants, which provides a promising way for making heavy metal tolerant poplar by manipulating ABC transporters in cadmium polluted areas.
Is Perceived Exertion a Useful Indicator of the Metabolic and Cardiovascular Responses to a Metabolic Conditioning Session of Functional Fitness?

The purpose of this study was to assess whether the self-regulation of training intensity based on rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is a reliable method to control the intensity during metabolic conditioning sessions of functional fitness. In addition, the relationship between RPE and the changes in heart rate, number of repetitions, and lactate responses was also analyzed. Eight male participants (age 28.1 ± 5.4 years; body mass 77.2 ± 4.4 kg; VO2 max: 52.6 ± 4.6 mL·(kg·min)−1 completed two sessions (five to seven days apart), in a randomized order, under different conditions, as follows: (1) all-out (ALL), or (2) self-regulation of intensity based on an RPE of six (hard) on the Borg CR-10 scale (RPE6). The rating of perceived exertion, lactate (LAC), and heart rate (HR) response were measured before, during, and immediately after the sessions. The RPE and LAC during the all-out sessions were higher (p < 0.0005) than the RPE6 session for all of the analyzed time points during the session. There was no difference in the HR area under the curve for the all-out and RPE6 sessions. The average number of repetitions performed was lower (p ≤ 0.009) for the RPE6 session (190.5 ± 12.5 repetitions) when compared to the all-out session (214.4 ± 18.6 repetitions). There was a significant correlation between the RPE and LAC (p = 0.005; r = 0.66; large) and number of repetitions during the session (p = 0.026; r = 0.55; large). No correlation was observed between the RPE and HR (p = 0.147; r = 0.380). These results indicate that the self-regulation of intensity of effort based on the RPE may be a useful tool to control the exercise intensity during a metabolic conditioning session of functional fitness.
Determination of Prolactin in Canine Saliva: Is It Possible to Use a Commercial ELISA Kit?

Simple Summary Prolactin is considered a remarkable index of stress response, both acute and chronic, in several species. Some studies have investigated the possibility of measuring prolactin in saliva in human beings and Rhesus macaque. The possibility of measuring it in dog saliva would provide a non-invasive, helpful tool for the assessment of dog welfare. The aims of this research article are to study (1) the possibility of quantifying canine prolactin in saliva using a prolactin canine ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kit validated for measuring prolactin in canine blood and (2) the potential presence of a correlation between prolactin levels in saliva and plasma. Abstract Prolactin has been reported to be a remarkable index of stress response, both acute and chronic, in several species. The use of biological matrixes other than blood is receiving increasing interest in the study of hormones, due to the lower invasiveness in collection. This research aimed to investigate the possibility of using a commercial ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kit for measuring canine prolactin in blood for the quantification of canine prolactin in saliva. Study 1 consisted of a validation protocol, using saliva samples collected from lactating and non-lactating dogs. Study 2 was conducted to investigate a possible correlation between prolactin concentration in saliva and plasma in sheltered dogs by using the same kit. Prolactin values were reliably read only when they came from blood samples, not from saliva, but tended to be low in most of the cases. Study 1 showed that saliva had a matrix effect. In study 2, saliva prolactin levels were low and in 42.9% of cases, not readable. No correlation between prolactin values in plasma and saliva was found (ρ = 0.482; p = 0.274). These findings suggested that the determination of prolactin in dog saliva through an ELISA kit created for measuring prolactin in dog blood was unreliable.
An AutoEncoder and LSTM-Based Traffic Flow Prediction Method

Smart cities can effectively improve the quality of urban life. Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is an important part of smart cities. The accurate and real-time prediction of traffic flow plays an important role in ITSs. To improve the prediction accuracy, we propose a novel traffic flow prediction method, called AutoEncoder Long Short-Term Memory (AE-LSTM) prediction method. In our method, the AutoEncoder is used to obtain the internal relationship of traffic flow by extracting the characteristics of upstream and downstream traffic flow data. Moreover, the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network utilizes the acquired characteristic data and the historical data to predict complex linear traffic flow data. The experimental results show that the AE-LSTM method had higher prediction accuracy. Specifically, the Mean Relative Error (MRE) of the AE-LSTM was reduced by 0.01 compared with the previous prediction methods. In addition, AE-LSTM method also had good stability. For different stations and different dates, the prediction error and fluctuation of the AE-LSTM method was small. Furthermore, the average MRE of AE-LSTM prediction results was 0.06 for six different days.
Ameliorating the Fibrotic Remodeling of the Heart through Direct Cardiac Reprogramming

Coronary artery disease is the most common form of cardiovascular diseases, resulting in the loss of cardiomyocytes (CM) at the site of ischemic injury. To compensate for the loss of CMs, cardiac fibroblasts quickly respond to injury and initiate cardiac remodeling in an injured heart. In the remodeling process, cardiac fibroblasts proliferate and differentiate into myofibroblasts, which secrete extracellular matrix to support the intact structure of the heart, and eventually differentiate into matrifibrocytes to form chronic scar tissue. Discovery of direct cardiac reprogramming offers a promising therapeutic strategy to prevent/attenuate this pathologic remodeling and replace the cardiac fibrotic scar with myocardium in situ. Since the first discovery in 2010, many progresses have been made to improve the efficiency and efficacy of reprogramming by understanding the mechanisms and signaling pathways that are activated during direct cardiac reprogramming. Here, we overview the development and recent progresses of direct cardiac reprogramming and discuss future directions in order to translate this promising technology into an effective therapeutic paradigm to reverse cardiac pathological remodeling in an injured heart.
In vitro susceptibility test of Xiao’er Feire Kechuan Oral Solution to Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effect of antibiotics and Xiao’er Feire Kechuan Oral Solution on Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) clinical isolates. Twenty clinical isolates containing A-to-G transition at position 2063 and 10 clinical isolates without mutations in 23S rRNA V regions were randomly selected. The international standard strain FH was chosen as control strain. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of macrolide, quinolones, tetracycline, and Xiao’er Feire Kechuan Oral Solution to MP clinical isolates were performed using broth microdilution method. In vitro antibiotic susceptibility test of MP clinical isolates showed that MP showed high resistance to macrolide antibiotics (erythromycin and azithromycin); MIC of both were more than 64 μg/mL. The MICs of erythromycin and azithromycin for clinical isolates without mutations in 23S rRNA V regions were ≤0.5 μg/mL. The MICs of tetracycline and levofloxacin for all clinical isolated strains were ≤2.0 μg/mL and ≤1.0 μg/mL, respectively. The MIC of Xiao’er Feire Kechuan Oral Solution was 13.828∼6.914 mg/mL. In vitro, the drug resistance of MP to macrolide antibiotics is higher, MP clinical isolates are sensitive to tetracycline and levofloxacin, and Xiao’er Feire Kechuan Oral Solution also has a certain inhibitory effect on the macrolide-resistant MP.
A Nymphalid-Infecting Group I Alphabaculovirus Isolated from the Major Passion Fruit Caterpillar Pest Dione juno juno (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Baculoviruses are capable of infecting a wide diversity of insect pests. In the 1990s, the Dione juno nucleopolyhedrovirus (DijuNPV) was isolated from larvae of the major passionfruit defoliator pest Dione juno juno (Nymphalidae) and described at ultrastructural and pathological levels. In this study, the complete genome sequence of DijuNPV was determined and analyzed. The circular genome presents 122,075 bp with a G + C content of 50.9%. DijuNPV is the first alphabaculovirus completely sequenced that was isolated from a nymphalid host and may represent a divergent species. It appeared closely related to Orgyia pseudotsugata multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (OpMNPV) and other Choristoneura-isolated group I alphabaculoviruses. We annotated 153 open reading frames (ORFs), including a set of 38 core genes, 26 ORFs identified as present in lepidopteran baculoviruses, 17 ORFs unique in baculovirus, and several auxiliary genes (e.g., bro, cathepsin, chitinase, iap-1, iap-2, and thymidylate kinase). The thymidylate kinase (tmk) gene was present fused to a dUTPase (dut) gene in other baculovirus genomes. DijuNPV likely lost the dut portion together with the iap-3 homolog. Overall, the genome sequencing of novel alphabaculoviruses enables a wide understanding of baculovirus evolution.
Contents Getting the Bugs Out of the Distance Learning Experience

As online courses have become more of an alternative to the traditional classroom environment there’s a need for exploring methods on how to evaluate these online courses and their learning objectives. The intent of this research paper is to determine how we can improve online student grades so that failure rates are not 100% higher when comparing them to students attending a traditional campus course and also reduce the rate of late assignments and dropouts. This writer will identify the causes of these three areas and look at various methodologies and evaluation processes to rectify the situation. This writer will use surveys, course evaluations and quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection to determine the causes and recommend changes.
Mixed Small Vessel Disease in a Patient with Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Background: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is characterized by deposition of amyloid in small/medium size brain vessels, and may coexist with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). We describe a patient with a clinical diagnosis of DLB and imaging/biochemical characteristics suggestive of mixed small vessel disease (both CAA and non-amyloid microangiopathy). Methods: Clinical evaluation according to recent diagnostic criteria, magnetic resonance imaging, dopamine-transporter scan (DAT-scan) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis for dementia biomarkers were all performed. Results: The patient is a 71-year-old male, fulfilling criteria for probable DLB, with a positive DAT-scan, but with multiple microbleeds in a cortical-subcortical location suggestive of CAA, some microbleeds in deep brain nuclei suggestive of non-amyloid microangiopathy and abnormal levels of only amyloid-beta (Aβ42) in CSF. Conclusion: Coexistent mixed vascular and neurodegenerative disorders are frequent in older subjects with dementia and each one of the underlying pathologies may contribute to, or modify the clinical presentation.
Sistema de detección de vida vía software en imágenes de iris utilizando criterios de calidad

A new vulnerability prediction scheme for direct attacks to iris recognition systems is presented. The objective of the novel technique, based on a 22 quality related parameterization, is to discriminate beforehand between real samples which are easy to spoof and those more resistant to this type of threat. The system is tested on a database comprising over 1,600 real and fake iris images proving to have a high discriminative power reaching an overall rate of 84% correctly classified real samples for the dataset considered. Furthermore, the detection method presented has the added advantage of needing just one iris image (the same used for verification) to decide its degree of robustness against spoofing attacks. Keywords-Security; Vulnerability; Iris recognition; Quality assessment;
Prevalence and risk of pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension in twin pregnancies: a population-based register study

Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and risk of pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension in twin pregnancies compared with singleton pregnancies. Design Population-based cohort study. Setting Medical Birth Registry of Norway and Statistics Norway. Participants 929 963 deliveries with 16 174 twin pregnancies in 1999–2014. Methods Pre-eclampsia prevalences in twin and singleton pregnancies were described in percentages. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to assess the risks of pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension in twin pregnancies compared with those in singleton pregnancies, adjusted for previously known risk factors. Primary and secondary outcome measures Prevalence and risk of pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension. Results The prevalence of pre-eclampsia in the study population was 3.7% (3.4% in singleton pregnancies, 11.8% in twin pregnancies (p=0.001)). The OR for pre-eclampsia in twin pregnancies was three to fourfold compared with singleton pregnancies (OR 3.78; 95% CI 3.59 to 3.96). After adjustment for known risk factors, twin pregnancy remained an independent risk factor for pre-eclampsia (adjusted OR 4.07; 95% CI 3.65 to 4.54). The prevalence of gestational hypertension was 1.7% in women with singleton pregnancies and 2.2% in those with twin pregnancies (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.14 to 1.41). After adjustment for known risk factors, gestational hypertension was not significantly associated with twin pregnancy. Conclusions The risk of pre-eclampsia in twin pregnancies was three to fourfold compared with singleton pregnancies, regardless of maternal age, parity, educational level, smoking, maternal comorbidity or in vitro fertilisation. The risk of gestational hypertension was not increased in women with twin pregnancies after adjustment for the main risk factors.
Ultrasound assessment of the anatomic landmarks for spinal anesthesia in elderly patients with hip fracture

Abstract Tuffier line is a common landmark for spinal anesthesia. The 10th rib line has been suggested as a new landmark to predict the intervertebral levels. We evaluated the accuracy of these 2 anatomic landmarks for identifying the L4-L5 intervertebral space using ultrasonography in elderly patients with hip fracture. Seventy-nine elderly patients scheduled for hip fracture surgery under spinal anesthesia were included. In the lateral decubitus position with the fracture side up, the L4-L5 intervertebral space was identified alternately using Tuffier line, a line drawn between the highest points of both iliac crests, and the 10th rib line. The 10th rib line, an imaginary line that joints the 2 lowest points of the rib cage, passes through the L1-L2 intervertebral space or the body of L2. The L4-L5 intervertebral space was determined by the counting-down method from the 10th rib line. Then, the estimated intervertebral spaces were evaluated using ultrasonography. The L4-L5 intervertebral space was correctly identified in 47 (59%) patients with Tuffier line and 45 (57%) patients with the 10th rib line (P = .87). The estimation ratio related to the intervertebral levels was not different between the 2 landmarks (P = .40). The wrong identifications of intervertebral level with Tuffier line and the 10th rib line was observed in the following order: L3-L4 intervertebral space: 27% vs 24%, L5-S1 intervertebral space: 9% vs 16%, and L2-L3 intervertebral space: 5% vs 3%, respectively. Tuffier line and the 10th rib line may be unreliable to estimate the intervertebral space for spinal anesthesia in elderly patients with hip fracture.
Factors related to home discharge in malnourished community-dwelling older adults

Abstract Patients who become malnourished during hospitalization because of illness or treatment often receive intervention from a nutrition support team (NST). The NST intervention not only enhances the nutritional status but also decreases medical expenses and catheter-related complications. However, the impact of the NST intervention on the home discharge of hospitalized community-dwelling older adults remains unclear. Hence, this study aims to investigate factors related to home discharge in malnourished community-dwelling older adults. In this retrospective longitudinal cohort study, examined 191 community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 years (108 males; mean age: 80.9 ± 7.8 years) who received the NST intervention. All participants were categorized into two groups based on whether they were home discharged or not (home discharge group and non-home discharge group). We performed intergroup comparisons using serum albumin (Alb) as an index of the nutritional status and functional independence measure (FIM: motor and cognitive items) as an index of activities of daily living (ADL). Furthermore, we constructed a prognostic model of home discharge using the logistic regression analysis. The home discharge group had 94 participants, with a home discharge rate of 50.8%. Baseline body mass index (BMI), motor-FIM score, and cognitive-FIM score were significantly higher in the home discharge group compared with the non-home discharge group (P = .002, P < .001, P < .001, respectively). In the home discharge group, BMI declined significantly, Alb elevated significantly, and both motor-FIM and cognitive-FIM score enhanced significantly by the completion of the NST intervention (P < .001, P < .001, P < .001, P = .005, respectively). The adjusted logistic regression analysis extracted the baseline BMI (odds ratio [OR], 1.146; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.034–1.270), baseline motor-FIM score (OR, 1.070; 95% CI: 1.036–1.105), and extent of change in the motor-FIM score (OR, 1.061; 95% CI: 1.026–1.098) as independent factors that predict home discharge. This study highlights the significance of higher baseline BMI, higher baseline ADL level, ADL enhancements, and improvements in the nutritional status by the NST intervention in malnourished community-dwelling older adults considering home discharge.
The grade of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is an independent risk factor for gallstone disease

Abstract There have been reports linking nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with gallstone disease (GD) owing to shared risk factors. However, there are no reported associations between the different NAFLD grades and GD. This study aimed to determine whether NAFLD grade is an independent risk factor for GD in a Korean population. This study enrolled 7886 participants who completed a questionnaire and underwent medical examination and ultrasound scanning at the Health Promotion Center of Jeju National University Hospital in Korea, from January 2009 to December 2017. Fatty liver grading and presence of gallstones were investigated using abdominal ultrasound. Body mass index and biochemical parameters were measured, and age, sex, and metabolic syndrome status were collected from medical records. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors for GD. The estimated prevalences of NAFLD and GD were 40.6% and 4.5%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, factors associated with GD were age; NAFLD; presence of metabolic syndrome; and levels of fasting blood glucose, high-density lipoproteins, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed older age and higher NAFLD grade as independent risk factors for GD. Older age and higher grade of NAFLD were independent risk factors for GD in our cohort. There was a strong correlation between grade of NAFLD on abdominal ultrasonography and GD.