Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biology of Parrotfishes

Parrotfish are found on almost every coral reef in the world. This ubiquity and uniqueness of their feeding action make them one of the most important groups of fishes within coral reef ecosystems. But why, exactly, are parrotfish so important to reefs? Can the evolution of a particular jaw morphology and feeding action really have had such a large impact on the health and functioning of the world's coral reefs? This book introduces the reader to this fascinating group of fishes (Labridae, Scarinae), from the morphological innovation of a jaw that has the power to bite through solid calcium carbonate, to the threats currently faced by parrotfish populations around the world. It contains new insights into their diet and food processing ability, and lifehistories, and concludes with an overview of emerging and future research directions.
COMMENT MIEUX VALORISER LES PROTEAGINEUX ET LES OLEAGINEUX EN ALIMENTATION DES RUMINANTS

Les graines proteagineuses et oleagineuses ont une teneur elevee en proteines et en energie, mais leurs proteines sont rapidement degradees dans le rumen, provoquant un gaspillage d'azote. De nombreuses etudes ont montre comment diminuer la degradabilite des proteines, mais les applications sont reduites du fait de l'omnipotence du soja. Des ameliorations par la selection genetique existent mais sont a evaluer. Les graines sont couramment utilisees entieres ou tres grossierement aplaties. Cette solution simple a prouve son efficacite pour proteger les proteines ; elle doit etre optimisee et son impact sur la valeur azotee quantifie. Les traitements thermiques foisonnent, mais rares sont ceux qui sont developpes en France, excepte l'extrusion et les traitements de chauffage inclus dans les procedes d'extraction de l'huile, fournissant un tourteau de valeur azotee bien superieure a la graine. Leur efficacite et leurs conditions d'application sont discutees. Les procedes de l'huilerie apparaissent facilement adaptables ; les traitements chimiques sont seulement evoques dans leur principe.
The interplay between lexical resources and Natural Language Processing

Incorporating linguistic, world and common sense knowledge into AI/NLP systems is currently an important research area, with several open problems and challenges. At the same time, processing and storing this knowledge in lexical resources is not a straightforward task. We propose to address these complementary goals from two methodological perspectives: the use of NLP methods to help the process of constructing and enriching lexical resources and the use of lexical resources for improving NLP applications. This tutorial may be useful for two main types of audience: those working on language resources who are interested in becoming acquainted with automatic NLP techniques, with the end goal of speeding and/or easing up the process of resource curation; and on the other hand, researchers in NLP who would like to benefit from the knowledge of lexical resources to improve their systems and models.
Incubation of human sperm with micelles made from glycerophospholipid mixtures increases sperm motility and resistance to oxidative stress

Membrane integrity is essential in maintaining sperm viability, signaling, and motility, which are essential for fertilization. Sperm are highly susceptible to oxidative stress, as they are rich in sensitive polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and are unable to synthesize and repair many essential membrane constituents. Because of this, sperm cellular membranes are important targets of this process. Membrane Lipid Replacement (MLR) with glycerophospholipid mixtures (GPL) has been shown to ameliorate oxidative stress in cells, restore their cellular membranes, and prevent loss of function. Therefore, we tested the effects of MLR on sperm by tracking and monitoring GPL incorporation into their membrane systems and studying their effects on sperm motility and viability under different experimental conditions. Incubation of sperm with mixtures of exogenous, unoxidized GPL results in their incorporation into sperm membranes, as shown by the use of fluorescent dyes attached to GPL. The percent overall (total) sperm motility was increased from 52±2.5% to 68±1.34% after adding GPL to the incubation media, and overall sperm motility was recovered from 7±2% after H2O2 treatment to 58±2.5%)(n = 8, p<0.01) by the incorporation of GPL into sperm membranes. When sperm were exposed to H2O2, the mitochondrial inner membrane potential (MIMP), monitored using the MIMP tracker dye JC-1 in flow cytometry, diminished, whereas the addition of GPL prevented the decrease in MIMP. Confocal microscopy with Rhodamine-123 and JC-1 confirmed the mitochondrial localization of the dyes. We conclude that incubation of human sperm with glycerolphospholipids into the membranes of sperm improves sperm viability, motility, and resistance to oxidizing agents like H2O2. This suggests that human sperm might be useful to test innovative new treatments like MLR, since such treatments could improve fertility when it is adversely affected by increased oxidative stress.
Efficacy and safety of acupuncture at a single BL1 acupoint in the treatment of moderate to severe dry eye disease

Background: Dry eye disease (DED) is a very common disease. Although several current treatments offer some symptomatic relief, moderate to severe DED is still difficult to cure at present. Acupuncture may be effective for DED via its promotion of tear secretion and ability to improve symptoms, but evidence of its effectiveness is limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of acupuncture versus artificial tears in moderate to severe DED. Methods/design: A total of 120 participants with moderate to severe DED will be randomly assigned to either an acupuncture group or an artificial tear group at a ratio of 1:1. Participants in the acupuncture group will undergo treatments on a single BL1 acupuncture point 3 times per week for 8 weeks. Participants in the control group will use artificial tears 4 times per day for 8 weeks. The primary outcome will be the change from baseline in a mean Schirmer-I test (SIT) at week 8. The secondary outcomes will include the visual analog score (VAS) for the improvement of ocular symptoms, the ocular surface disease index (OSDI), the tear film break-up time (TBUT), and corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) at weeks 4, 8, and 32. Acupuncture acceptance will be evaluated at week 8. Adverse events will also be monitored and documented. A follow-up assessment will be conducted 24 weeks after the treatment. Discussion: We expect to verify that acupuncture is better than artificial tears toward improving the mean SIT values of patients with moderate to severe DED.
Rapid embryonic accretion of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the brain of an altricial bird with an aquatic-based maternal diet

ABSTRACT Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an important and abundant fatty acid moiety in vertebrate brains. We measured brain phospholipid composition during development in red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), an altricial species that breeds in aquatic habitats. We also manipulated diet by feeding nestlings fish oil or sunflower oil. Finally, we assessed selective uptake of yolk by comparing the yolk fatty acid composition of freshly laid eggs and day-old hatchlings. Relative to other altricial species, blackbirds achieved high DHA in brain phospholipids (20% of phospholipid fatty acids in day-old hatchlings). This was not a result of selective uptake from the yolk, but rather a consequence of a high proportion of DHA in the yolk (2.5% of total lipids) at laying. Our dietary study confirmed that nestling brains are sensitive to fatty acid supply. Red-winged blackbirds may be able to advance cognitive development relative to other altricial species owing to their aquatic maternal diet. Summary: Red-winged blackbirds deposit docosahexaenoic acid in their brains earlier in development than other altricial birds. This may derive from their habit of feeding in aquatic ecosystems during the breeding season.
Surface meshing of underwater maps from highly defective point sets

Owing to the many possible errors that may occur during real‐world mapping, point set maps often present a huge amount of outliers and large levels of noise. We present two robust surface reconstruction techniques dealing with corrupted point sets without resorting to any prefiltering step. They are based on building an unsigned distance function, discretely evaluated on an adaptive tetrahedral grid, and defined from an outlier‐robust splat representation. To extract the surface from this volumetric view, the space is partitioned into two subsets, the surface of interest being at the boundary separating them. While both methods are based on a similar graph definition derived from the above‐mentioned grid, they differ in the partitioning procedure. First, we propose a method using S‐T cuts to separate the inside and outside of the mapped area. Second, we use a normalized cut approach to partition the volume using only the values of the unsigned distance function. We prove the validity of our methods by applying them to challenging underwater data sets (sonar and image based), and we benchmark their results against the approaches in the state of the art.
Neuropathy by folic acid supplementation in a patient with anaemia and an untreated cobalamin deficiency: a case report

The rising rates of bariatric surgery (BS) are accompanied by neurological complications related to nutrient deficiencies. One of the risk factors for neurological complications in BS patients is poor vitamin and mineral supplementation. Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of these disorders are necessary parts of lifelong care after BS. Particularly important for optimal functioning of the nervous system are vitamin B1, B6, B12 (cobalamin), E, copper and possibly vitamin B11 (folic acid). In this case report, we narrate about a patient with anaemia and multiple vitamin and mineral deficiencies after Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB) with an alimentary limb of 150 cm and a biliopancreatic limb of 100 cm. RYGB is associated with an increased risk of vitamin deficiencies, especially a vitamin B12 deficiency. The patient in this case report developed psychiatric‐neurological symptoms due to folic acid supplementation in an untreated cobalamin deficiency. Second, we tried to elucidate the vitamin physiology to understand specific mechanisms after BS.
Drug Induced Sleep Endoscopy Identification of Adenoid Regrowth in Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Objective To establish the incidence and possible contributing factors leading to adenoid regrowth in children with pediatric sleep apnea using drug induced sleep endoscopy (DISE). Methods Children treated for obstructive sleep apnea following previous adenoidectomy were evaluated using DISE. Adenoid regrowth was scored by the same attending physician using a 5-point grading scale. Age, sex, body mass index (BMI) percent for age, polysomnogram results, initial adenoid size before adenoidectomy, and postoperative complications were evaluated. Results Fifty-six patients (age range 22 months to 16 years) met inclusion criteria. Twenty-five children (44.6%) had Grade 2 adenoid or larger. Mean age at the time of DISE was 7.11 years, with an average of 1.75 years since initial adenoidectomy. Mean preadenoidectomy size based on intraoperative nasopharyngeal mirror assessment was Grade 2.55 (95% CI 2.30–2.79). Adenoid size at time of sleep endoscopy was Grade 1.64 (95% CI 1.30–1.98). Characteristics associated with adenoid regrowth were higher body mass index for age percentile at time of endoscopy (P < 0.05), initial adenoid size (P < 0.01), and time between initial adenoidectomy and endoscopy (P = 0.05). Conclusions Body mass index for age percentile, initial adenoid size, and time between initial adenoidectomy and drug induced sleep endoscopy correlate with regrowth in childhood obstructive sleep apnea.
Sex‐specific associations of obesity and N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide levels in the general population

Obese subjects have lower natriuretic peptide levels, but males and females have different anthropometric characteristics and fat distribution. Whether obesity‐associated lowering of natriuretic peptides differs among males and females is unknown. Therefore, we investigated sex‐specific associations of obesity and N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) levels among adults in the general population.
Long-limb length difference had no effect on outcomes of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery for obese Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract Bariatric surgery is effective in treating different components of metabolic syndrome including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and hyperlipidemia. But there is no consensus on the ideal biliopancreatic and Roux limb length. This study aimed to explore the effect of biliopancreatic limb and Roux limb lengths during laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) procedures on weight loss and T2DM control. We studied the clinical records of 58 patients with metabolic syndrome, T2DM, and body mass index (BMI) 32 to 50 kg/m2 who underwent LRYGB in our hospital. The short limb group (Group A) underwent LRYGB with a limb length of 160 to 200 cm (n = 31) and the long limb group (Group B) underwent LRYGB with a limb length of 210 to 240 cm (n = 27) were compared. The occurrence of acute or chronic internal hernia in Group B was higher than that in Group A (P = .026). Twelve months after surgery, patients from the 2 groups were also observed with reduction in BMI, percent excess weight loss (EWL), preoperative FPG, and HbA1c as compared with these indicators before surgery. However, the differences of these indicators between 2 groups were not significant at the time point of before and 3, 6, 12 months after surgery. LRYGB had significant effects on weight loss and diabetes control in obese T2DM patients. However, there was no significant difference in the short term on weight loss and diabetes control in the patients receiving different limb lengths.
Defense of Ripe Fruit from Pests: Its Significance in Relation to Plant-Disperser Interactions

Ripe fruits of vertebrate-dispersed plants are susceptible to irreversible damage by pathogens and invertebrates while they are attached to the parent plant "waiting" for the visit of a dispersal agent. Adaptations of plants to decreasing fruit damage include temporal escape from pests, reducing exposure time, and decreasing fruit profitability to pests by means of secondary compounds and reduced and/or unbalanced nutrient content. A variety of secondary compounds has been reported from the ripe fruits of many vertebrate-dispersed plants, including alkaloids, saponins, volatile oils, resins and phenolics. Toxic fruits containing poisonous substances that potentially are defensive agents against pests may be very frequent, as revealed by an analysis of their occurrence among European plants. As judged from the literature, fruits containing secondary substances are at a competitive disadvantage relative to nontoxic ones. It is suggested that a hierarchy of fruit defense methods should exist, with the least desirable ones selected for only when better mechanisms are precluded or rendered ineffective. A simplified model is proposed to explain the occurrence of toxic mature fruits; the roles of pest pressure and plant competition for disperser services are considered, and some testable predictions are suggested. It is finally argued that nutritionally unbalanced fruits or those with secondary compounds probably serve indirectly as a means of increasing the potential for plant coexistence through their diversifying effects on diet selection by individual frugivores.
Incorporating placental tissue in cord blood banking for stem cell transplantation

ABSTRACT Introduction: Human term placenta is comprised of various tissues from which different cells can be obtained, including hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). Areas covered: This review will discuss the possibility to incorporate placental tissue cells in cord blood banking. It will discuss general features of human placenta, with a brief review of the immune cells at the fetal–maternal interface and the different cell populations isolated from placenta, with a particular focus on MSCs. It will address the question as to why placenta-derived MSCs should be banked with their hematopoietic counterparts. It will discuss clinical trials which are studying safety and efficacy of placenta tissue-derived MSCs in selected diseases, and preclinical studies which have proven their therapeutic properties in other diseases. It will discuss banking of umbilical cord blood and raise several issues for improvement, and the applications of cord blood cells in non-malignant disorders. Expert commentary: Umbilical cord blood banking saves lives worldwide. The concomitant banking of non-hematopoietic cells from placenta, which could be applied therapeutically in the future, alone or in combination to their hematopoietic counterparts, could exploit current banking processes while laying the foundation for clinical trials exploring placenta-derived cell therapies in regenerative medicine.
Heat‐producing organ of the swordfish (Xiphias gladius): A modified eye muscle

In swordfish (Xiphias gladius), the dorsal rectus muscle of the eye (M. rectus dorsalis) is partly differentiated for heat production similar to brown adipocytes. Other parts of the dorsal rectus show a typical muscular structure. This modified muscle and its anatomical relationships to neighboring organs were investigated using macroscopic dissections, light and transmission electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance tomography, and scanning electron microscopy of vascular corrosion casts. The ophthalmic artery off the efferent pseudobranchial artery supplies the dorsal rectus muscle. The ophthalmic artery branches in a brush‐like manner as it enters the origin of the muscle. In this region, numerous arterioles and venules are arranged in parallel, suggesting a countercurrent heat exchange mechanism. Thermogenic cells, morphologically similar to brown adipocytes, surround small vascular branches in the middle of the muscle. Muscular cells also extend into this area. The vessels then divide into a tree‐like pattern, forming an extensively capillarized area near the surface of the muscle at the basisphenoid bone. The basisphenoid is reduced to a thin connective tissue layer in this area, hence facilitating thermal transfer between the blood in the muscle and the brain base. The Tela lymph‐adiposa surrounds the brain with large masses of fat. Additionally, voluminous masses of periocular fat provide thermal insulation lateral to the lateral rectus muscle of the eye. It is suggested that this system for raising the temperature of areas of the brain a few degrees above ambient temperature allows an optically oriented predator such as the swordfish to respond to optical input in cold water more efficiently. J. Morphol. 234:89–96, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Early Life Incidence of Gastrointestinal and Respiratory Infections in Children With Gastroschisis: A Cohort Study

Objectives: Survival in infants with gastroschisis is increasing although little is known about early childhood morbidity. In the context of a hypothesized link between the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and immune function, this study explores rates of GI and respiratory infections in children with gastroschisis. Methods: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using data from the Health Improvement Network, a large database of UK primary care medical records. We identified children born from 1990 to 2013, and extracted follow-up data to their fifth birthday. We calculate incidence rates (IR) of GI and respiratory tract infections, overall and stratified by age, sex, socioeconomic status, and gestational age at birth, and compared these between children with and without gastroschisis by calculating adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR). Results: Children with gastroschisis had a 65% higher IR of GI infection compared to children without (aIRR 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.37–1.99, P < 0.001). Children with gastroschisis had a 27% higher IR of all respiratory tract infections (aIRR 1.27, 95% CI 1.12–1.44, P < 0.001) and more than 2-fold increase in lower respiratory tract infections compared to children without the condition (aIRR 2.15, 95% CI 1.69–2.74, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Children born with gastroschisis have a significantly higher incidence of GI and respiratory tract infections compared to children without gastroschisis. This association requires further investigations but could be related to the neonatal care they receive such as delayed enteral feeding or frequent antibiotic courses altering the gut microbiome and developing immune system.
Guided growth for caput valgum in developmental dysplasia of the hip

This study reported guided growth for caput valgum deformity and subsequent hip development. Ten children with unilateral hip dysplasia had guided growth by one eccentric transphyseal screw at age 9.1 years with minimum 2 years of follow-up. The first change was decreasing articulotrochanteric distance and then increasing physis tilt angle and head-shaft angle by 1.5 years. The center edge angle that was significantly less than the normal side (18.3 vs. 24.8°) preoperatively became comparable between both the hips 2 years later. Rebounding of physis inclination after screw back out suggested mechanical tethering, rather than permanent physis closure, resulted in morphologic changes in the femur. Level of evidence: Therapeutic study, level IV.
Assessing the inter-observer variability of Computer-Aided Nodule Assessment and Risk Yield (CANARY) to characterize lung adenocarcinomas

Lung adenocarcinoma (ADC), the most common lung cancer type, is recognized increasingly as a disease spectrum. To guide individualized patient care, a non-invasive means of distinguishing indolent from aggressive ADC subtypes is needed urgently. Computer-Aided Nodule Assessment and Risk Yield (CANARY) is a novel computed tomography (CT) tool that characterizes early ADCs by detecting nine distinct CT voxel classes, representing a spectrum of lepidic to invasive growth, within an ADC. CANARY characterization has been shown to correlate with ADC histology and patient outcomes. This study evaluated the inter-observer variability of CANARY analysis. Three novice observers segmented and analyzed independently 95 biopsy-confirmed lung ADCs from Vanderbilt University Medical Center/Nashville Veterans Administration Tennessee Valley Healthcare system (VUMC/TVHS) and the Mayo Clinic (Mayo). Inter-observer variability was measured using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The average ICC for all CANARY classes was 0.828 (95% CI 0.76, 0.895) for the VUMC/TVHS cohort, and 0.852 (95% CI 0.804, 0.901) for the Mayo cohort. The most invasive voxel classes had the highest ICC values. To determine whether nodule size influenced inter-observer variability, an additional cohort of 49 sub-centimeter nodules from Mayo were also segmented by three observers, with similar ICC results. Our study demonstrates that CANARY ADC classification between novice CANARY users has an acceptably low degree of variability, and supports the further development of CANARY for clinical application.