Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring of metabolites and the spoilage of Atlantic salmon fillets: An NMR approach : Including a case study on the detection and analysis of metabolites during the storage of Atlantic salmon using NMR spectroscopy

This thesis studies metabolites in Atlantic salmon (S.salar) and their effect on the quality and the spoilage of the fish fillets. Of special interest is how the concentrations of metabolites can be assayed using NMR spectroscopy, and how metabolite concentrations can be used as a measure of quality and spoilage. We have conducted a literature review that reflects the current state of knowledge about metabolites and their effect on the quality and spoilage of fish fillets. Also some indices that are currently in use, or have been proposed for the measurement of metabolite concentrations, are presented. In our discussion of the literature, we suggest to further study metabolites and a combination of indices for the evaluation of quality, and the state of spoilage of Atlantic salmon fillets. NMR spectroscopy as a method has both advantages and disadvantages for the detection and quantification of metabolites. Even though NMR has its disadvantages, the technique yields large amounts of precise data in a short time, and therefore should be used more frequently in metabolite studies and more generally for the development of indices for quality and spoilage of fish. To further illustrate the point of this conclusion, we present a short case study of Atlantic salmon fillets based on NMR data recorded by Shumilina (2014). We have analyzed this data for some of the metabolites covered in our literature study in order to assess the fillets quality and the state of spoilage.
Possible role of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor for predicting cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease: a case-control study

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) plays an important role in the protection of dopaminergic neurons, but there are few reports of the relationship between GDNF and its precursors (α-pro-GDNF and β-pro-GDNF) and cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the serum levels of GDNF and its precursors and cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease, and to assess their potential as a diagnostic marker. Fifty-three primary outpatients and hospitalized patients with Parkinson’s disease (23 men and 30 women) with an average age of 66.58 years were enrolled from the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University of China in this case-control study. The patients were divided into the Parkinson’s disease with cognitive impairment group (n = 27) and the Parkinson’s disease with normal cognitive function group (n = 26) based on their Mini-Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and Clinical Dementia Rating scores. In addition, 26 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were included as the healthy control group. Results demonstrated that serum GDNF levels were significantly higher in the Parkinson’s disease with normal cognitive function group than in the other two groups. There were no significant differences in GDNF precursor levels among the three groups. Correlation analysis revealed that serum GDNF levels, GDNF/α-pro-GDNF ratios, and GDNF/β-pro-GDNF ratios were moderately or highly correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and Clinical Dementia Rating scores. To explore the risk factors for cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson’s disease, logistic regression analysis and stepwise linear regression analysis were performed. Both GDNF levels and Hoehn-Yahr stage were risk factors for cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease, and were the common influencing factors for cognitive scale scores. Neither α-pro-GDNF nor β-pro-GDNF was risk factors for cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease. A receiver operating characteristic curve of GDNF was generated to predict cognitive function in Parkinson’s disease (area under the curve = 0.859). This result indicates that the possibility that serum GDNF can correctly distinguish whether patients with Parkinson’s disease have cognitive impairment is 0.859. Together, these results suggest that serum GDNF may be an effective diagnostic marker for cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease. However, α-pro-GDNF and β-pro-GDNF are not useful for predicting cognitive impairment in this disease. This study was approved by Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, China (approval No. XYFY2017-KL047-01) on November 30, 2017.
An integrative multivariate approach for predicting functional recovery using magnetic resonance imaging parameters in a translational pig ischemic stroke model

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a clinically relevant, real-time imaging modality that is frequently utilized to assess stroke type and severity. However, specific MRI biomarkers that can be used to predict long-term functional recovery are still a critical need. Consequently, the present study sought to examine the prognostic value of commonly utilized MRI parameters to predict functional outcomes in a porcine model of ischemic stroke. Stroke was induced via permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion. At 24 hours post-stroke, MRI analysis revealed focal ischemic lesions, decreased diffusivity, hemispheric swelling, and white matter degradation. Functional deficits including behavioral abnormalities in open field and novel object exploration as well as spatiotemporal gait impairments were observed at 4 weeks post-stroke. Gaussian graphical models identified specific MRI outputs and functional recovery variables, including white matter integrity and gait performance, that exhibited strong conditional dependencies. Canonical correlation analysis revealed a prognostic relationship between lesion volume and white matter integrity and novel object exploration and gait performance. Consequently, these analyses may also have the potential of predicting patient recovery at chronic time points as pigs and humans share many anatomical similarities (e.g., white matter composition) that have proven to be critical in ischemic stroke pathophysiology. The study was approved by the University of Georgia (UGA) Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC; Protocol Number: A2014-07-021-Y3-A11 and 2018-01-029-Y1-A5) on November 22, 2017.
Flexible Assimilation of Human's Target for Versatile Human-Robot Physical Interaction

Recent studies on the physical interaction between humans have revealed their ability to read the partner's motion plan and use it to improve one's own control. Inspired by these results, we develop an intention assimilation controller (IAC) that enables a contact robot to estimate the human's virtual target from the interaction force, and combine it with its own target to plan motion. While the virtual target depends on the control gains assumed for the human, we show that this does not affect the stability of the human-robot system, and our novel scheme covers a continuum of interaction behaviours from cooperation to competition. Simulations and experiments illustrate how the IAC can assist the human or compete with them to prevent collisions. In this article, we demonstrate the IAC's advantages over related methods, such as faster convergence to a target, guidance with less force, safer obstacle avoidance and a wider range of interaction behaviours.
Hyperleptinemia as a contributing factor for the impairment of glucose intolerance in obesity

Obesity has emerged as a major risk factor for insulin resistance leading to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The condition is characterized by high circulating levels of the adipose‐derived hormone leptin and a state of chronic low‐grade inflammation. Pro‐inflammatory signaling in the hypothalamus is associated with a decrease of central leptin‐ and insulin action leading to impaired systemic glucose tolerance. Intriguingly, leptin not only regulates body weight and glucose homeostasis but also acts as a pro‐inflammatory cytokine. Here we demonstrate that increasing leptin levels (62,5 µg/kg/d, PEGylated leptin) in mice fed a high‐fat diet (HFD) exacerbated body weight gain and aggravated hypothalamic micro‐ as well as astrogliosis. In contrast, administration of a predetermined dose of a long‐acting leptin antagonist (100 µg/kg/d, PESLAN) chosen to block excessive leptin signaling during diet‐induced obesity (DIO) showed the opposite effect and significantly improved glucose tolerance as well as decreased the total number of microglia and astrocytes in the hypothalamus of mice fed HFD. These results suggest that high levels of leptin, such as in obesity, worsen HFD‐induced micro‐and astrogliosis, whereas the partial reduction of hyperleptinemia in DIO mice may have beneficial metabolic effects and improves hypothalamic gliosis.
Artificial Maturation of Iron- and Sulfur-Rich Mars Analogues: Implications for the Diagenetic Stability of Biopolymers and Their Detection with Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Acidic iron- and sulfur-rich streams are appropriate analogues for the late Noachian and early Hesperian periods of martian history, when Mars exhibited extensive habitable environments. Any past life on Mars may have left behind diagnostic evidence of life that could be detected at the present day. For effective preservation, these remains must have avoided the harsh radiation flux at the martian surface, survived geological storage for billions of years, and remained detectable within their geochemical environment by analytical instrument suites used on Mars today, such as thermal extraction techniques. We investigated the detectability of organic matter within sulfur stream sediments that had been subjected to artificial maturation by hydrous pyrolysis. After maturation, the samples were analyzed by pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (py-GC-MS) to determine whether organic matter could be detected with this commonly used technique. We find that macromolecular organic matter can survive the artificial maturation process in the presence of iron- and sulfur-rich minerals but cannot be unambiguously distinguished from abiotic organic matter. However, if jarosite and goethite are present in the sulfur stream environment, they interfere with the py-GC-MS detection of organic compounds in these samples. Clay reduces the obfuscating effect of the oxidizing minerals by providing nondeleterious adsorption sites. We also find that after a simple alkali and acid leaching process that removes oxidizing minerals such as iron sulfates, oxides, and oxyhydroxides, the sulfur stream samples exhibit much greater organic responses during py-GC-MS in terms of both abundance and diversity of organic compounds, such as the detection of hopanes in all leached samples. Our results suggest that insoluble organic matter can be preserved over billions of years of geological storage while still retaining diagnostic organic information, but sample selection strategies must either avoid jarosite- and goethite-rich outcrops or conduct preparative chemistry steps to remove these oxidants prior to analysis by thermal extraction techniques.
Effects of Wearable Devices with Biofeedback on Biomechanical Performance of Running—A Systematic Review

This present review includes a systematic search for peer-reviewed articles published between March 2009 and March 2020 that evaluated the effects of wearable devices with biofeedback on the biomechanics of running. The included articles did not focus on physiological and metabolic metrics. Articles with patients, animals, orthoses, exoskeletons and virtual reality were not included. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 417 articles were first identified, and nineteen were selected following the removal of duplicates and articles which did not meet the inclusion criteria. Most reviewed articles reported a significant reduction in positive peak acceleration, which was found to be related to tibial stress fractures in running. Some previous studies provided biofeedback aiming to increase stride frequencies. They produced some positive effects on running, as they reduced vertical load in knee and ankle joints and vertical displacement of the body and increased knee flexion. Some other parameters, including contact ground time and speed, were fed back by wearable devices for running. Such devices reduced running time and increased swing phase time. This article reviews challenges in this area and suggests future studies can evaluate the long-term effects in running biomechanics produced by wearable devices with biofeedback.
Beyond brightfield: a possible future of slide scanners

Many diseases involve changes in gross anatomy and microanatomy; the latter is typically viewed on hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue sections that are central to patient diagnosis and management. Such slides are viewed using brightfield transillumination, usually using standard desktop microscopes but increasingly following whole-slide digital imaging. More information can be available if such slides are imaged with alternative methods to brightfield alone. Our process of dual-mode emission and transmission microscopy, which combines brightfield with fluorescence, can reveal novel contrast. This simple, cost-effective and deployable technology may also serve as a data source that could empower future artificial intelligence-powered digital pathology tools.
Structure–function subsystem models of female and male forebrain networks integrating cognition, affect, behavior, and bodily functions

Significance The forebrain is required for generating mammalian voluntary and innate behaviors. Multiresolution consensus cluster analysis generated a panoramic, hierarchical view of rat intraforebrain structure–function subsystem organization, from the top level with just two relatively independent mirror image subsystems centered on either side of the brain, to over 90 bottom-level subsystems. Each top-level subsystem has two interconnected subsystems: one includes the medial forebrain bundle and integrates instinctive survival behaviors with relevant physiological responses and affect, whereas the other uses the lateral forebrain bundle and mediates voluntary behavior control, with associated cognition. The intraforebrain network is sexually dimorphic, and targeted computational lesions of nodes implicated in human Alzheimer’s disease and depression produce severe, differential, global network changes in males and females. The forebrain is the first of three primary vertebrate brain subdivisions. Macrolevel network analysis in a mammal (rat) revealed that the 466 gray matter regions composing the right and left sides of the forebrain are interconnected by 35,738 axonal connections forming a large set of overlapping, hierarchically arranged subsystems. This hierarchy is bilaterally symmetrical and sexually dimorphic, and it was used to create a structure–function conceptual model of intraforebrain network organization. Two mirror image top-level subsystems are presumably the most fundamental ontogenetically and phylogenetically. They essentially form the right and left forebrain halves and are relatively weakly interconnected. Each top-level subsystem in turn has two second-level subsystems. A ventromedial subsystem includes the medial forebrain bundle, functionally coordinating instinctive survival behaviors with appropriate physiological responses and affect. This subsystem has 26/24 (female/male) lowest-level subsystems, all using a combination of glutamate and GABA as neurotransmitters. In contrast, a dorsolateral subsystem includes the lateral forebrain bundle, functionally mediating voluntary behavior and cognition. This subsystem has 20 lowest-level subsystems, and all but 4 use glutamate exclusively for their macroconnections; no forebrain subsystems are exclusively GABAergic. Bottom-up subsystem analysis is a powerful engine for generating testable hypotheses about mechanistic explanations of brain function, behavior, and mind based on underlying circuit organization. Targeted computational (virtual) lesioning of specific regions of interest associated with Alzheimer’s disease, clinical depression, and other disorders may begin to clarify how the effects spread through the entire forebrain network model.
Effects of olanzapine on anxiety-related behaviour in male and female rats assessed after 21-24 and 42-45 days of chronic treatment.

Olanzapine can decrease anxiety and impair memory, but there is limited information about length of treatment or sex differences in its effectiveness. Therefore, effects of 21-24 and 41-45 days of treatment and sex differences on anxiety-related behaviour and spatial memory were assessed in PVG/c (PVG/c is the internationally recognised way of referring to this rat strain) male and female rats. From 70 days after birth (PND70), all rats received no drug or 6, 11 or 15 mg/kg/day olanzapine via drinking water. From PND91, they were given four daily tests in an open field, light-dark box, zero maze and Y maze, and then again 21 days later from PND112. At PND91-94, all olanzapine doses decreased open-field ambulation and walking, and 6 and 15 mg/kg/day decreased rearing, increased immobility while 15 mg/kg/day decreased shuttles in the light/dark box (all suggesting higher anxiety). At PND112-115, 11 mg/kg/day increased open-field ambulation, walking, rearing, centre occupancy and light/dark-box shuttles and light-side entries while decreasing open-field immobility and corner occupancy (all suggesting lower anxiety). There were also several results in the open field and light/dark box suggesting olanzapine decreased anxiety for males but increased it for females. A significant olanzapine-related preference for the novel Y-maze arm either improved spatial memory, or decreased anxiety. Olanzapine thus appeared anxiogenic after 21 days' treatment, becoming anxiolytic after 42 days. This could depend on the sex of the rats (females more responsive to lower doses), and the dose (11 mg/kg/day being most effective). Therefore, while olanzapine was generally anxiolytic, it also had some treatment length- and sex-related anxiogenic effects.
Transcultural adaptation and validation of the Spanish-French versions of the Self-reported Foot and Ankle Score (SEFAS)

Abstract Objective The study aim was to cross-culturally adapt the Self-reported Foot and Ankle Score (SEFAS) into Spanish and French-language versions, to validate them and to evaluate their psychometric properties. Methods The cross-cultural translation from the original SEFAS into French and Spanish was performed in accordance with the guidelines of the ISPOR. The participants were recruited from some private healthcare institutions in France and Sapin, from June to August 2019. The following inclusion criteria were applied: aged at least 18 years, with foot and/or ankle deformity, had a history of subtalar and/or ankle and/or talonavicular or hindfoot pain, did not make daily use of walking aids, and were able to achieve the normal range of motions in the ankle, subtalar and midtarsal joints. All patients gave signed informed consent and completed the SF-36 and SEFAS questionnaires in the Spanish or French version. Results The analysis was based on 319 participants. Internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.94 for the Spanish version and 0.88 for the French version). No floor/ceiling effect was observed in any item, in either version. Conclusion The Spanish and French versions of SEFAS are valid, reliable instruments for evaluating foot and ankle pain and function. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Self-report questionnaires specific to patients with rheumatoid arthritis are needed to assess the degree of pain, disability, and disability caused by foot problems. The Spanish and French versions of SEFAS show the necessary psychometric characteristics. Each version provides a valid, reliable tool ensuring the correct evaluation of pain, function and limitation of function in the foot and/or ankle in the target population.
Balance of Payments Constrained Growth Model: Evidence for Bolivia 1953-2002

Theoretical and empirical literature have focused on supply factors when studying economic growth determinants. The present work analyzes demand factors as determinants of the Bolivian economic growth between 1953-2002 using framework introduced by Thirlwall (1979). According to cointegration analysis exports were an important determinant in the Bolivian economic growth for the whole period. In addition, real exchange rate presents a negative relationship respect to the long run growth. Further results show that Bolivian imports are more elastics than exports respect to the GDP, determining a negative impact in trade balance. An hypothesis is that the implemented economic model after 1985 has increased the external constraint of the country causing a process of “deindustrialization”.
Influence of Neighborhood Environment on Physical Activity Participation among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Despite the positive influence of environmental factors on physical activity (PA) levels of children, further investigation is necessary when considering the unique characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between neighborhood environment factors and PA among children with ASD by examining the extent to which (a) the built environment, (b) neighborhood safety, and (c) neighborhood support contributes to PA. A secondary data analysis using the 2016 and 2017 combined dataset of the National Survey of Children's Health was used. The total sample included 14,944 children between the ages of 6–17 years; of this, a sample of 494 children had a parent‐reported diagnosis of ASD. Multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to explore the unique influences of the above three neighborhood environment factors on PA engagement. Among children with and without ASD, an association was found between feeling safe and engaging in PA, that is, the odds of engaging in PA are greater among children who were safe in their neighborhoods than children who were not in safe neighborhoods. Surprisingly, other neighborhood factors do not have a significant relationship with PA participation among children with ASD at this time. Future studies should consider how to incorporate the support of others and feeling of safety into the neighborhood along with how to improve accessibility of the built environment in order to increase PA for children with ASD.
Long-term course of contrast sensitivity in eyes after laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis for myopia

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term contrast sensitivity (CS) after laser in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for myopia. Methods: This retrospective, single-center, cohort study involved 190 eyes of 95 patients who underwent bilateral LASIK between January 2001 and October 2007. This study includes patients who underwent CS and higher-order aberration (HOA) measurements in a five-year postoperative period. For all enrolled patients, visual acuity, refractive error (RE) in diopters (D), CS at 3-, 6-, 12-, and 18-cycles per degree (cpd), and HOA in a 4 mm area of the dilated pupil were measured before surgery and 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years after it. Results: The mean RE measured before the surgery and after 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years after was -6.08 ± 2.50D, −0.26 ± 0.65D, −0.28 ± 0.65D, and −0.48 ± 0.80D, respectively. There were no clinically significant changes between preoperative results and the measures taken 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years after surgery. The slight increase in HOA had little effect on CS over the mid to long-term postoperative period. Conclusion: Our findings show that CS does not clinically change post LASIK. Although we were unable to identify the specific mechanism, we theorize that after LASIK there is a possibility for the compensation of HOA.