Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing two facets of emotion perception across multiple neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract Deficits in emotion perception (the ability to infer others’ emotions accurately) can occur as a result of neurodegeneration. It remains unclear how different neurodegenerative diseases affect different forms of emotion perception. The present study compares performance on a dynamic tracking task of emotion perception (where participants track the changing valence of a film character’s emotions) with performance on an emotion category labeling task (where participants label specific emotions portrayed by film characters) across seven diagnostic groups (N = 178) including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), non-fluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal syndrome and healthy controls. Consistent with hypotheses, compared to controls, the bvFTD group was impaired on both tasks. The svPPA group was impaired on the emotion labeling task, whereas the nfvPPA, PSP and AD groups were impaired on the dynamic tracking task. Smaller volumes in bilateral frontal and left insular regions were associated with worse labeling, whereas smaller volumes in bilateral medial frontal, temporal and right insular regions were associated with worse tracking. Findings suggest labeling and tracking facets of emotion perception are differentially affected across neurodegenerative diseases due to their unique neuroanatomical correlates.
The safety of medications used to treat peripheral neuropathic pain, part 1 (antidepressants and antiepileptics): review of double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials

ABSTRACT Introduction Peripheral neuropathic pain is a highly disabling condition for patients and a challenge for neurologists and pain physicians. Although many drugs have been assessed in scientific studies, few have demonstrated a clear clinical efficacy against neuropathic pain. Moreover, the paucity of data regarding their safety raised the question on the benefit-risk ratio when used in patients experiencing peripheral neuropathies. Areas covered The authors conducted a review of double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials to assess the safety of medications used to treat neuropathic pain. This first review was focused on antidepressant and antiepileptic medications. The aim was to provide an overview of the treatment-emergent adverse events (≥10%) and the serious adverse effects described in clinical trials. Expert opinion Among antiepileptics and antidepressants, duloxetine appeared to have the most detailed safety for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain. Over all studies, the most commonly reported adverse effects were dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, and constipation. Only 20.0% of the included studies (N = 90) presented a good description of adverse effects that included a statistical comparison vers usa placebo group. Important methodological improvements must be made to improve the assessment of medication safety in future clinical trials.
Age‐ and pathology‐dependent alterations in the efficacy of phenylephrine‐ and 5‐hydroxytryptamine‐induced contractions in isolated rat aorta

Male Fischer 344 rats were made diabetic for 8–9 weeks by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Steady‐state contractile responses elicited by 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) and phenylephrine (PE) activation of the 5‐HT2‐ and α1‐adrenergic receptors, respectively, were studied in aortic rings from diabetic, age‐matched control and 24‐month‐old (senescent) F‐344 rats. Concentration‐response curves (CRCs) for PE and 5‐HT were analyzed by the Black and Leff operational model of pharmacological agonism to determine efficacy (τ) and slope factor values. Efficacy estimates obtained with the operational model were compared to two commonly used model‐independent estimates of agonist efficacy; (1) Stephenson's efficacy estimate (e), and (2) the estimation of agonist receptor reserves. The estimated τ for PE in aortic rings from age‐matched control animals (12.38) was significantly reduced by both experimental diabetes (4.52) and senescence (7.12), and these findings were in agreement with results obtained using the model‐independent efficacy estimates. However, with respect to 5‐HT‐induced contractions, the estimated τ in age‐matched control animals (2.46) was also significantly reduced by both diabetes (1.58) and senescence (1.69), but these alterations were not detected by the model‐independent efficacy estimates. In all cases, a decrease in operational efficacy,τ, was associated with a decrease in the asymptote of the PE or 5‐HT CRC expressed as the agonist maximal effect (Emax)/tissue maximal effect (Tmax) and/or alterations in the fractional occupancy/response relationship. In addition, τ was sensitive to small changes in agonist efficacy that occurred in the absence of any apparent alterations in the occupancy/response relationship. As such, these studies extend our previous observations in rat aorta to highlight the advantages of using the Black and Leff efficacy estimate, τ, rather than other commonly used model‐independent estimates of agonist efficacy. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evolution and Integration of Mechanisms that Regulate Population Growth

As the population of the world grows at compound interest every year, we need to know what happens to animals, including Homo sapiens, when their territories become overpopulated. In this symposium we shall hear reports, based on observation and experiment, 'on the physiological effects of crowding and stress brought about by overloads of intraspecific interaction among several animal species. Anthropologists seeking to explain the evolution of man are coming to realize that it was not only the acquisition of tool-making and speech that made our ancestors human, but also their ability to tolerate each other's presence. There can be little doubt that our ancestors were genetically changed by natural selection so that they could live in increasingly larger and more complexly organized social aggregations. Now that the rate of human population increase has itself increased to unparalleled proportions, the problems of food supply and standing room become insignificant and academic compared to the problem of increasing stress and decreasing sanity, which the following papers will elucidate. But even more important for present purposes than these practical considerations may be the fact that Christian and his associates have opened a new door to the study of evolution, a non-Malthusian kind of natural selection. Unless I am hopelessly naive, this symposium should mark some kind of a landmark, of use to workers in many branches of science.
Crown release as a potential old-growth restoration approach in northern hardwoods.

La question de savoir si le degagement de la cime peut hâter le developpement de gros arbres chez les feuillus nordiques de seconde venue a ete examinee en mesurant la reponse en croissance pour une periode de 6 a 10 ans suite a une vaste gamme de traitements d'eclaircie qui avaient ete effectues dans sept peuplements du nord du Wisconsin. Le pourcentage d'augmentation de la croissance en surface terriere apres eclaircie etait correle de facon lineaire avec le pourcentage de la surface terriere enleve dans une parcelle et avec le pourcentage du perimetre de la cime qui avait ete degage pour chaque arbre. Dans les parcelles temoins, les arbres ont subi une diminution moyenne de croissance de 7% tandis que dans les parcelles traitees, l'augmentation moyenne de croissance allait de 21%, pour les arbres dont 25% du perimetre de la cime avait ete degage, a 88-107% pour les arbres dont la cime avait ete completement degagee. Un modele d'accroissement en surface terriere calibre avec les donnees obtenues suggere que les erables a sucre (Acer saccharum Marsh.) de 30 cm au dhp, dont la cime avait ete completement degagee, atteindront 50 cm au dhp (la dimension moyenne des arbres qui forment le couvert dans les vieux peuplements) au bout de 46-49 ans, comparativement a 92 ans pour les arbres non degages. En plus d'accelerer le developpement de gros arbres, le degagement de la cime peut favoriser la diversite dans la hauteur du feuillage et augmenter le nombre de trouees dans le couvert, de chicots et de billes au sol dont la presence est relativement faible dans les peuplements equiennes de seconde venue.
Transport of metal micronutrients in the phloem of castor bean (Ricinus communis) seedlings

The metal micronutrients (MN) copper, iron, manganese, and zinc are transported via the phloem in the course of remobilization and circulation. The extent of these processes and transport species are still largely unknown. The Ricinus seedling was used to study the transport of these metal micronutrients as well as their interactions with the plant-endogenous chelator nicotianamine (NA) by daily measurements of the concentrations in the seedling parts and in the sieve tube sap obtained from a cut at the hypocotyl hook. The concentrations of these micronutrients in the phloem exudate decreased slightly from day 4 to day 8 of seedling development. Maximum values at day 4 were 65 μM for Zn, 63 μM for Fe, 27 μM for Cu, and 12 μM for Mn. The phloem transport rates reached maxima of 0.12 nmol cm−2h−1 for Zn and Fe at days 6 and 7, corresponding to the maximum exudation rates. The magnitude of these transport rates were in agreement with the net translocation rates estimated by analyses of the concentrations in the individual seedling parts. The NA content of the seedlings increased from day 0 (seed before sowing) until day 8, from 16 nmol to 474 nmol, which corresponds to an average net synthesis rate of about 100 nmol day−1 between the days 4 and 8. The NA:MN ratio was constant at 0.5 in the seedlings within this period. The NA concentrations and the sum of the concentrations of all four micronutrients in the sieve tube sap showed a constant ratio of 1.25 over the entire experimental period. Thus, both complex partners were subject to a cotransport in the phloem. Removal of the supplying endosperm led to a decrease in MN and NA concentrations in the sieve tube sap to about 80% while an average excess of NA of 1.1 was maintained. Since the concentrations of other amino acids, also possible chelators of metal micronutrients, fall to about 10% after removal of the endosperm, their role seems to be negligible as vehicles of MN transport in the phloem. Thus it is suggested that the divalent micronutrients considered in this study are loaded and maybe transported as NA complexes.
The Effect of the Transtheoretical Model Based Walking Exercise Training and Follow-Up on Improving Exercise Behavior and Metabolic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

This study aims to determine the effects of transtheoretical model-based walking exercise training and follow-up on improving exercise behavior and metabolic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. This randomized controlled trial was conducted as a pre-test and post-test experimental model with 76 intervention and 76 control individuals. The intervention group received the transtheoretical model-based exercise training. Data were collected using patient identification form, transtheoretical model scales, pedometer and metabolic outcomes. Data were analyzed by Chi square, two-way ANOVA, Mauchly’s, Greenhouse-Geisser, Friedman, and McNamer test. The overall score means for the exercise change processes, decision-making balance and self-efficacy scales increased compared to the pre-test (p < .001). The mean HDL increased from 41.39 ± 10.35 to 49.18 ± 11.58, and average number of steps per day increased from 3264.31 ± 1933.03 to 5639.37 ± 2317.01. Consequently, this difference between the groups was significant (p < .05).
Degradation of Wheat Starch in a Single-Screw Extruder: Mechano-Kinetic Breakdown of Cooked Starch

Wheat starch was processed in a 19 mm diameter split-barrel laboratory extruder under varying conditions of barrel temperature (79–121oC), screw speed (50, 100 rpm) and moisture content (25, 30%). Final product and samples removed from along the barrel length were examined for changes in molecular size by dilute solution viscometry. Final products were also examined for paste viscosity and estimated degree of cook. A mathematical model was developed which relates the residence time of the starch in the barrel, the nominal shear stress acting on the starch and the degree of cook of the product to the extent of molecular degradation of the starch. Solution viscometry was found to be more rapid than gel permeation methods previously used to determine the extent of molecular changes.
Development of Cell Junctions

The characterization of cell junctions in normal tissues has increased rapidly in the past several years. Junctional structures can now be separated into five major groups, each with significant structural pleomorphism. Cell junctions have been described in developing tissues, and their appearance can often be associated with significant morphogenetic events. Recently, the process of junctional membrane differentiation has been examined in sea urchin embryogenesis and rat testis organogenesis. Both studies indicate that dramatic membrane assembly processes are involved in cell junction development (maturation).
Sickle cell disease as a vascular disorder

ABSTRACT Introduction In sickle cell disease (SCD), hemoglobin S (HbS) red blood cells (RBCs) are characteristically deformed and inflexible. Often breaking down in the circulation, they exhibit increased adhesive properties with the endothelium and activated neutrophils and platelets, increasing the risk of occlusion of the microcirculation. SCD is categorized into two sub-phenotypes: hyperhemolytic, associated with priapism, leg ulcers, pulmonary hypertension, and stroke, and high hemoglobin/viscosity, which may promote vaso-occlusion-associated pain, acute chest syndrome, and osteonecrosis. Areas covered The sub-phenotypes are not completely distinct. Hemolysis may trigger vaso-occlusion, contributing to vascular complications. Targeting P-selectin, a key mediator of cross-talk between hyperhemolysis and vaso-occlusion, may be beneficial for vascular and vaso-occlusion-associated complications. English-language articles from PubMed on the topic of SCD and vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) were reviewed from 1 January 2000 to 1 January 2019 using the search terms ‘sickle cell disease,’ ‘vaso-occlusive crises,’ and ‘selectin. ’ Expert opinion Besides targeting P-selectin, other strategies to counter VOCs and RBC sickling are being pursued. These include platelet inhibition to counter aggregation, intercellular adhesion, and thrombosis during VOCs; gene therapy to correct the homozygous missense mutation in the β-globin gene, causing polymerization of HbS; L-glutamine, possibly reducing oxidative stress in sickled RBCs; and fetal hemoglobin inducers.
Outcomes of Conservative Management of Splenic Injury Incurred During Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy.

PURPOSE Splenic injury is a rare complication after left sided percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Although initial observation is often espoused, the natural history of non-operative, conservative management is not well established and the implications of splenic injury are not fully defined in this context. We sought to describe outcomes of conservative management of splenic injury incurred at PCNL. PATIENTS AND METHODS We performed a multi-institutional retrospective review of individual patients who underwent PCNL complicated by trans-splenic nephrostomy access injury. Demographic info, intraoperative data, management strategies, and outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS Nine patients suffered splenic injury after left PCNL. All patients had supracostal, upper pole access under fluoroscopic guidance. Splenic injury was identified by computerized tomography (CT) in the eight of nine (89%) who had imaging on first postoperative day. All eight patients were managed conservatively with nephrostomy dwell time of 2-21 days, one of whom (11%) required blood transfusion. The remaining patient (11%) - who had tubeless PCNL without postop imaging presented five days postoperatively with a delayed bleed and underwent emergent splenectomy. Seven of the nine (78%) were successfully managed non operatively and without need for transfusion or embolization. CONCLUSION The majority of patients incurring splenic injury during PCNL can be successfully managed conservatively with maintenance of nephrostomy tube for two days or greater. Consequences of unrecognized splenic injury may include splenic bleed and may prompt transfusion and/or splenectomy, underscoring role of routine postoperative CT to allow timely diagnosis, particularly in those undergoing upper pole, supracostal left sided percutaneous renal access.
Inclusion body myositis. Genetics, biomarkers and muscle biopsy

Abstract Sporadic inclusion body myositis is the most common idiopathic inflammatory myopathy over the age of 50, with a male-to-female ratio of 3:1. Symptoms onset before age of 60 occurs in 18-20% of patients, with a delay in diagnosis of 5 to 8 years. The classic clinical presentation of SIBM consists of proximal leg and distal arm weakness, and most commonly patients present early slowly progressive quadriceps weakness which leads to falls and to difficulties in climbing stairs, while less common the initial complaints refer to finger flexor weakness and atrophy, foot drop, or dysphagia, and rare presentations include prominent forearm weakness, sparing the quadriceps. The aetiopathogenesis of the disease remains unclear and despite some preliminary promising results, to the day there is no effective treatment. The diagnosis of SIBM is based on the clinical presentation and the histopathological findings in muscle biopsy, however increasing evidence on genetics and paraclinical biomarkers has recently come to light giving new insights on the pathogenesis, the diagnosis and the potential treatment of the disease. In the present study we aim to review the histopathological findings, genetics and blood biomarkers, and to review the role of muscle biopsy in the diagnosis of SIBM.
Phylogeographical analysis of cpDNA variation in Eucalyptus loxophleba (Myrtaceae)

Comparative phylogeography can reveal significant historical events that have had common influences on species with similar distributions. Phylogeographic analyses of eucalypts should provide insight into the influence of historical processes, since eucalypts are a dominant component of the Australian flora. However, use of chloroplast DNA in eucalypts is complicated by sharing of haplotypes among species, which has been attributed to hybridisation and introgression, although these patterns could also be accounted for by incomplete lineage sorting of ancestral polymorphism. Phylogeographic patterns in the cp genome of E. loxophleba Benth. , a widespread species throughout southern Western Australia, were investigated by using RFLP analysis. The chloroplast diversity was structured into two geographically distinct lineages and nested clade analysis inferred historical fragmentation as the major influence on the phylogeographic pattern. The divergence between the lineages and their geographic distributions were similar to geographically discrete divergent lineages that have been identified in two other unrelated species from different families in southern Western Australia. Congruence of phylogeographic patterns in the three species provides evidence to support the hypothesis of significant influence of climatic instability during the Pleistocene caused by cyclic contraction and expansion of the mesic and arid zones.
Plant amino acid uptake, soluble N turnover and microbial N capture in soils of a grazed Arctic salt marsh

1 The uptake of free amino acids by the grass Puccinellia phryganodes was investigated in soils of an Arctic coastal salt marsh, where low temperatures and high salinity limit inorganic nitrogen (N) availability, and the availability of soluble organic N relative to inorganic N is often high. 2 Following the injection of 13C15N‐amino acid, 15N‐ammonium and 15N‐nitrate tracers into soils, rates of soluble nitrogen turnover and the incorporation of 13C and 15N into plant roots and shoots were assessed. Chloroform fumigation‐extraction was used to estimate the partitioning of labelled substrates into microbial biomass. 3 Free amino acids turned over rapidly in the soil, with half‐lives ranging from 8.2 to 22.8 h for glycine and 8.9 to 25.2 h for leucine, compared with 5.6 to 14.7 h and 5.6 to 15.6 h for ammonium and nitrate, respectively. 15N from both organic and inorganic substrates was incorporated rapidly into plant tissue and the ratio of 13C/15N incorporation into plant tissue indicated that at least 5–11% of 13C15N‐glycine was absorbed intact. 4 Microbial C and N per unit soil volume were 1.7 and 5.4 times higher, respectively, than corresponding values for plant C and N. Plant incorporation of 15N tracer was 56%, 83% and 68% of the comparable incorporation by soil microorganisms of glycine, ammonium and nitrate ions, respectively. 5 These results indicate that P. phryganodes can absorb amino acids intact from the soil despite competition from soil microorganisms, and that free amino acids may contribute substantially to N uptake in this important forage grass utilized by lesser snow geese in the coastal marsh.
Highly Enantioselective, Hydrogen-Bond-Donor Catalyzed Additions to Oxetanes.

A precisely designed chiral squaramide derivative is shown to promote the highly enantioselective addition of trimethylsilyl bromide (TMSBr) to a broad variety of 3-substituted and 3,3-disubstituted oxetanes. The reaction provides direct and gen-eral access to synthetically valuable 1,3-bromohydrin building blocks from easily accessed achiral precursors. The products are readily elaborated both by nucleophilic substitution and through transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. The enantioselective catalytic oxetane ring opening was employed as part of a 3-step, gram-scale synthesis of pretomanid, a recently-approved medication for the treatment of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis. Heavy-atom kinetic isotope effect (KIE) studies are consistent with enantiodetermining delivery of bromide from the H-bond-donor (HBD) catalyst to the activated oxetane. While the nucleophilicity of the bromide ion is expected to be attenuated by association to the HBD, overall rate ac-celeration is achieved by enhancement of Lewis acidity of the TMSBr reagent through anion-abstraction.