Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Colliding in the Shadows of Giants: Planetesimal Collisions during the Growth and Migration of Gas Giants

Giant planet migration is an important phenomenon in the evolution of planetary systems. Recent works have shown that giant planet growth and migration can shape the asteroid belt, but these works have not considered interactions between planetesimals. We have calculated the evolution of planetesimal disks, including planetesimal–planetesimal collisions, during gas giant growth and migration. The numbers, locations, and impact velocities of these collisions depend on the specific growth and migration path. We find that giant planet growth alone has little effect on impact velocities, and most of the planetesimals scattered by growing giants do not undergo collisions. In contrast, we find that giant planet migration induces large numbers of high-velocity collisions between planetesimals. These impacts have sufficient velocities to cause shock-induced vaporization for both water ice and silicate components of planetesimals and to cause disruption of the bodies. New bodies may form from impact debris. Collisional evolution reduces the efficiency of planetesimal implantation into the asteroid belt. A small fraction of the largest planetesimals implanted into the asteroid belt would have been processed via collisions. We identify important consequences of planetesimal collisions that have not been considered in planet accretion models. The prevalence of high-velocity collisions during giant planet migration, and their potential links to the properties of meteorites and the formation of chondrules, makes impact vaporization a critically important phenomenon. The consequences of vaporizing planetesimal constituents require further detailed study. New collision outcome models for impacts within the nebula, and models for new planetesimal formation are needed.
ISIA Food-500: A Dataset for Large-Scale Food Recognition via Stacked Global-Local Attention Network

Food recognition has received more and more attention in the multimedia community for its various real-world applications, such as diet management and self-service restaurants. A large-scale ontology of food images is urgently needed for developing advanced large-scale food recognition algorithms, as well as for providing the benchmark dataset for such algorithms. To encourage further progress in food recognition, we introduce the dataset ISIA Food-500 with 500 categories from the list in the Wikipedia and 399,726 images, a more comprehensive food dataset that surpasses existing popular benchmark datasets by category coverage and data volume. Furthermore, we propose a stacked global-local attention network, which consists of two sub-networks for food recognition. One sub-network first utilizes hybrid spatial-channel attention to extract more discriminative features, and then aggregates these multi-scale discriminative features from multiple layers into global-level representation (e.g., texture and shape information about food). The other one generates attentional regions (e.g., ingredient relevant regions) from different regions via cascaded spatial transformers, and further aggregates these multi-scale regional features from different layers into local-level representation. These two types of features are finally fused as comprehensive representation for food recognition. Extensive experiments on ISIA Food-500 and other two popular benchmark datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method, and thus can be considered as one strong baseline. The dataset, code and models can be found at http://123.57. 42.89/FoodComputing-Dataset/ISIA-Food500.html.
Sleep and Methylation of Estrogen Receptor Genes, ESR1 and GPER, in Healthy Middle-Aged and Older Women: Findings from the Women 40+ Healthy Aging Study

Purpose Sleep problems in middle-aged and older women are very common and have been associated with menopause-related changes in estrogen levels. However, not all women experience sleep problems as they enter perimenopause, and epigenetic mechanisms might contribute to the differences in sleep quality within this population. In this study, we hypothesized that increased methylation of two estrogen receptor (ER) genes (ESR1 and GPER) would be associated with increased sleep problems in healthy pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal women, either directly or indirectly through the experience of vasomotor symptoms (VMS). Materials and Methods In 130 healthy women aged 40–73 years, we assessed DNA methylation from dried blood spots (DBS). Women rated their sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and VMS using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Results Higher percentage methylation of ESR1 was associated with increased sleep problems, mediated by VMS, even after controlling for age, menopausal status, body mass index, estradiol levels, depressive symptoms, and caffeine consumption. There was no significant association between GPER methylation and either sleep problems or VMS. Conclusion The study findings support an association between increased ESR1 methylation and sleep problems through increased VMS among healthy women aged 40–73 years.
Investigating and evaluating evidence of the behavioural determinants of adherence to social distancing measures - A protocol for a scoping review of COVID-19 research.

Background: The WHO has declared the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic. With no vaccine currently available, using behavioural measures to reduce the spread of the virus within the population is an important tool in mitigating the effects of this pandemic. As such, social distancing measures are being implemented globally and have proven an effective tool in slowing the large-scale spread of the virus. Aim: This scoping review will focus on answering key questions about the state of the evidence on the behavioural determinants of adherence to social distancing measures in research on COVID-19. Methods: A scoping review will be conducted in accordance with guidelines for best practice. Literature searches will be conducted using online databases and grey literature sources. Databases will include Medline, Web of Science, Embase and PsycInfo, alongside relevant pre-print servers. Grey literature will be searched on Google Scholar. Screening, data extraction and quality appraisal will be conducted independently by two members of the research team, with any discrepancies resolved by consensus discussion and an additional team member if needed. Quality appraisal will be conducted using the Cochrane's ROBINS-I tool, the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, and the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist where appropriate. Results will be analysed by mapping findings onto the Theoretical Domains Framework and visualising characteristics of the included studies using EviAtlas. This scoping review is pre-registered with Open Science Framework. Conclusions The results of this study may facilitate the systematic development of behavioural interventions to increase adherence to social distancing measures.
The Efficacy of Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision: a Preliminary Vietnamese Report

Introduction: The e physical anatomical characteristics of Vietnamese people are similar to those of other East Asian populations, with a deep and narrow pelvis but an average body mass index (BMI) among patients at the advanced stage of rectal cancer. Aim: This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the short-term outcomes of transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) for rectal cancer treatment in a Vietnamese population. Methods: A total of 64 patients who underwent TaTME were included in this study. The pelvic anatomical parameters, BMI, operative morbidities, macroscopic qualities of the mesorectal specimens, circumferential resection margins, and anal sphincter functional data were collected. The method popularized by Quirke and Kirwan’s classification were used to assess to quality of the mesorectal specimens and the sphincter function, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 20.0. Results: The mean age and BMI of the patients were 66.4 years and 20.5 kg/m2, respectively. Most patients had narrow pelvises, with mean transverse pelvic outlet diameters of 10.12 ±1.85 cm, for males, and 10.43 ± 1.32 cm, for females, and pelvic depths of 12.36 ±2.03 cm, for males, and 11.73 ±1.12 cm, for females. The mean tumor size was 5.17 ±1.62 cm. Among the mesorectal specimens, 82.8% were complete and 14.1% were nearly complete. Disease-free survival and overall survival rates were 98.2% and 100%, respectively. Sphincter functions at 12 months post-operation were rated as 30.8% Kirwan I, 42.3% Kirwan II, and 26.9% Kirwan III. Conclusion: TaTME surgery represents a safe and suitable option among Vietnamese patients with narrow and deep pelvises and advanced rectal tumors in the middle third and lower third of the rectum.
Obesity of G2e3 Knockout Mice Suggests That Obesity-Associated Variants Near Human G2E3 Decrease G2E3 Activity

Purpose In humans, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near the adjacent protein kinase D1 (PRKD1) and G2/M-phase-specific E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (G2E3) genes on chromosome 14 are associated with obesity. To date, no published evidence links inactivation of either gene to changes in body fat. These two genes are also adjacent on mouse chromosome 12. Because obesity genes are highly conserved between humans and mice, we analyzed body fat in adult G2e3 and Prkd1 knockout (KO) mice to determine whether inactivating either gene leads to obesity in mice and, by inference, probably in humans. Methods The G2e3 and Prkd1 KO lines were generated by gene trapping and by homologous recombination methodologies, respectively. Body fat was measured by DEXA in adult mice fed chow from weaning and by QMR in a separate cohort of mice fed high-fat diet (HFD) from weaning. Glucose homeostasis was evaluated with oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) performed on adult mice fed HFD from weaning. Results Body fat was increased in multiple cohorts of G2e3 KO mice relative to their wild-type (WT) littermates. When data from all G2e3 KO (n=32) and WT (n=31) mice were compared, KO mice showed increases of 11% in body weight (P<0.01), 65% in body fat (P<0.001), 48% in % body fat (P<0.001), and an insignificant 3% decrease in lean body mass. G2e3 KO mice were also glucose intolerant during an OGTT (P<0.05). In contrast, Prkd1 KO and WT mice had comparable body fat levels and glucose tolerance. Conclusion Significant obesity and glucose intolerance were observed in G2e3, but not Prkd1, KO mice. The conservation of obesity genes between mice and humans strongly suggests that the obesity-associated SNPs located near the human G2E3 and PRKD1 genes are linked to variants that decrease the amount of functional human G2E3.
CSF VEGF Was Positively Associated with Neurogranin Independent of β-Amyloid Pathology

Purpose Increasing evidence suggests that both vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and synaptic failure have been involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, it is not clear whether CSF VEGF levels are associated with synaptic function in living human. Patients and Methods In the present study, we included a total of 291 older individuals, including 83 individuals with normal cognition (NC), 143 individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 65 patients with AD. Several linear regression models were conducted to examine the associations of CSF VEGF with CSF neurogranin levels (NG, reflecting synaptic degeneration) when controlling for other potential confounding factors, including age, gender, years of education, clinical diagnosis, APOE4 genotype and CSF β-amyloid 42 (Aβ 42) levels. Results There was no significant difference in VEGF levels between the three diagnostic groups. In the pooled sample, females had significantly lower levels of VEGF than males. Aβ-positive (CSF Aβ 42 < 192 pg/mL) individuals had lower levels of VEGF than Aβ-negative individuals. However, the relationships between VEGF and NG levels were not modified by disease stage. Finally, we found that CSF VEGF levels were associated with NG levels with adjustment of age, gender, years of education, clinical diagnosis, APOE4 genotype and CSF Aβ 42 levels. Conclusion CSF VEGF levels were associated with NG independent of AD pathology and disease stage.
Instability of circular RNAs in clinical tissue samples impairs their reliable expression analysis using RT-qPCR: from the myth of their advantage as biomarkers to reality

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a new class of RNAs with medical significance. Compared to that of linear mRNA transcripts, the stability of circRNAs against degradation owing to their circular structure is considered advantageous for their use as biomarkers. As systematic studies on the stability of circRNAs depending on the RNA integrity, determined as RNA integrity number (RIN), in clinical tissue samples are lacking, we have investigated this aspect in the present study under model and clinical conditions. Methods: Total RNA isolated from kidney cancer tissue and cell lines (A-498 and HEK-293) with different RIN after thermal degradation was used in model experiments. Further, RNA isolated from kidney cancer and prostate cancer tissue collected under routine surgical conditions, representing clinical samples with RIN ranging from 2 to 9, were examined. Quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis of several circRNAs (circEGLN3, circRHOBTB3, circCSNK1G3, circRNA4, and circRNA9), their corresponding linear counterparts, tissue-specific reference genes, and three microRNAs (as controls) was performed. The quantification cycles were converted into relative quantities and normalized to the expression of specific reference genes for the corresponding tissue. The effect of RIN on the expression of different RNA entities was determined using linear regression analysis, and clinical samples were classified into two groups based on RIN greater or lesser than 6. Results: The results of model experiments and clinical sample analyses showed that all relative circRNA expression gradually decreased with reduction in RIN values. The adverse effect of RIN was partially compensated after normalizing the data and limiting the samples to only those with RIN values > 6. Conclusions: Our results suggested that circRNAs are not stable in clinical tissue samples, but are subjected to degradative processes similar to mRNAs. This has not been investigated extensively in circRNA expression studies, and hence must be considered in future for obtaining reliable circRNA expression data. This can be achieved by applying the principles commonly used in mRNA expression studies.
Grazing and Burning Impacts on Deer Diets on Lousiana Pine-Bluestem Range

Diets of 3-5 tame white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on adjacent ungrazed and continuously grazed (35% herbage removal by late Oct) forested pastures were compared for forage-class use, botanical similarities, foraging selectivity and efficiency, and diet quality. Both pastures were divided into 3 burning subunits and burned in late February on a 3-year rotation. Botanical composition of diets differed between and within pastures, but forage-class use was similar except during winter, when deer selected more browse on ungrazed subunits. Grazing had no effect on dietary protein, phosphorus (P), or calcium (Ca) levels, but diets from ungrazed subunits were higher in digestibility (except during summer) and contained more uncommon plant taxa. Deer foraged more efficiently on grazed than on ungrazed subunits but were less efficient on recent than on older burns. Diets from 1st-year burns were higher in protein during spring and summer and higher in P during spring. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 51(4):873-880 Forested rangelands dominated by longleaf (Pinus palustris) or slash (P. elliottii) pine and bluestem grasses (Schizachyrium spp. and Andropogon spp.) occupy about 2 million ha of the southern Coastal Plain. Cattle have grazed southern forests since the 16th Century, but public land managers increasingly are under pressure from wildlife and environmental groups to curtail grazing due to its perceived detrimental effects on wildlife, especially white-tailed deer. Research to resolve this controversy began only recently (Thill and Martin 1986). Prescribed burning is an integral part of forest, wildlife, and cattle management in the South, This content downloaded from 157.55. 39.27 on Wed, 07 Sep 2016 05:11:13 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor. org/terms 874 CATTLE, BURNING, AND DEER DIETS * Thill et al. J. Wildl. Manage. 51(4):1987 but its effects on deer and cattle interactions have only recently been investigated (Thill 1984a, Thill and Martin 1986). Burning usually increases forage availability and nutrient content, and deer and cattle prefer to graze recent burns (Duvall and Whitaker 1964, Lay 1967). Late winter burning on a 3-year rotation is a common management practice for cattle. The abundant rainfall, high temperatures, and heavily leached, acid soils of the southern Coastal Plain produce an abundance of native forage of limited nutritional value. Many native forages are deficient in P all year (Blair et al. 1977) and adequate in protein only during spring for optimum deer growth (Short 1969, Thill and Morris 1985). The objective of this study was to determine effects of burning and grazing on deer diets. Specifically, we compared deer diet composition and nutritional data over a 3-year period from 3 rotationally burned subunits of a pasture receiving moderate yearlong grazing to those obtained on 3 subunits of an adjacent, rotationally burned, ungrazed pasture. Comparisons included forage-class use, botanical similarities, foraging efficiency, diet selectivity, and diet qual-
Covariate balancing based on kernel density estimates for controlled experiments

ABSTRACT Controlled experiments are widely used in many applications to investigate the causal relationship between input factors and experimental outcomes. A completely randomised design is usually used to randomly assign treatment levels to experimental units. When covariates of the experimental units are available, the experimental design should achieve covariate balancing among the treatment groups, such that the statistical inference of the treatment effects is not confounded with any possible effects of covariates. However, covariate imbalance often exists, because the experiment is carried out based on a single realisation of the complete randomisation. It is more likely to occur and worsen when the size of the experimental units is small or moderate. In this paper, we introduce a new covariate balancing criterion, which measures the differences between kernel density estimates of the covariates of treatment groups. To achieve covariate balance before the treatments are randomly assigned, we partition the experimental units by minimising the criterion, then randomly assign the treatment levels to the partitioned groups. Through numerical examples, we show that the proposed partition approach can improve the accuracy of the difference-in-mean estimator and outperforms the complete randomisation and rerandomisation approaches.
Inhibition of Digestive Enzyme and Stimulation of Human Liver Cells (HepG2) Glucose Uptake by Date Seeds Extract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing worldwide, and the United Arab Emirates is presenting one of the world's highest prevalence rates. Dietary polyphenols exert an antidiabetic effect by modulating carbohydrates digestion and cellular glucose uptake. Due to their particularly high content in polyphenols, date seeds represent a potential antidiabetic agent. This study aims to determine if date seed polyphenols inhibit the activity of the enzymes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase), responsible for the digestion of carbohydrates and modulating the glucose uptake by human liver cells. In vitro activity of the intestinal α-glucosidase, pancreatic α-amylase, the glucose uptake by HepG2 cells, and the expression of GLUT4 and AMPK analyzed by western blotting (with and without date seeds extract). Our result showed that the maximum enzymes inhibition was obtained with 400 μg/mL and 900 μg/mL DSE for α-amylase and α-glucosidase, respectively. The HepG2 cell viability significantly decreased up to 80% at 4000 μg/mL DSE. The expression of GLUT4 was higher at 100 μg/mL DSE (with insulin and without insulin). However, the expressions of P-AMPK and AMPK were increased by DSE, mainly in a non-insulin-dependent manner. Therefore, DSE, by inhibiting carbohydrate digestion and stimulating glucose uptake by HepG2, can potentially demonstrate the therapeutic potential for diabetes management.
Differing interpretations of health care encounters: A qualitative study of non-Latinx health care providers’ perceptions of Latinx patient behaviors

Introduction Due to provider shortages, it is probable that non-Latinx health care providers (HCPs) will treat Latinx patients. Because of this discrepancy, both providers and patients are likely to experience barriers and cultural differences during medical encounters. This article discusses select cultural factors and behaviors such as language, communication styles, and health care practices of Latinx families through the lens of their non-Latinx HCPs. The purpose of this study was to examine how non-Latinx HCPs perceive and describe certain behaviors they observe during healthcare visits with Latinx patients and families, and to illustrate how those behaviors can alternatively be interpreted as representing Latinx cultural norms. Methods This qualitative study used a template coding approach to examine narrative interviews conducted with 18 non-Latinx HCPs to report how they described interactions with and the behaviors of their Latinx patients. Template codes were based on well-established Latinx cultural norms (e.g., familismo, respeto, personalismo, simpatía, confianza). Results Many HCP descriptions of Latinx patient behaviors were coded into the Latinx cultural values categories (familismo, personalismo, simpatía, respeto, and confianza) by the research team. Results suggest that HCPs were not aware of how several of their patients’ behaviors may be culturally grounded, and that cultural differences between HCPs and their Latinx patients may exist. Discussion Understanding how Latinx-specific cultural norms may be exhibited by Latinx patients and their families during healthcare encounters has potential to improve providers’ understanding of patient behavior, helping to promote culturally congruent care for Latinxs.
Monitoring Italian COVID-19 spread by a forced SEIRD model

Due to the recent evolution of the COVID-19 outbreak, the scientific community is making efforts to analyse models for understanding the present situation and for predicting future scenarios. In this paper, we propose a forced Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered-Dead (fSEIRD) differential model for the analysis and forecast of the COVID-19 spread in Italian regions, using the data from the Italian Protezione Civile (Italian Civil Protection Department) from 24/02/2020. In this study, we investigate an adaptation of fSEIRD by proposing two different piecewise time-dependent infection rate functions to fit the current epidemic data affected by progressive movement restriction policies put in place by the Italian government. The proposed models are flexible and can be quickly adapted to monitor various epidemic scenarios. Results on the regions of Lombardia and Emilia-Romagna confirm that the proposed models fit the data very accurately and make reliable predictions.