Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extracellular DNA facilitates bacterial adhesion during Burkholderia pseudomallei biofilm formation

The biofilm-forming ability of Burkholderia pseudomallei is crucial for its survival in unsuitable environments and is correlated with antibiotic resistance and relapsing cases of melioidosis. Extracellular DNA (eDNA) is an essential component for biofilm development and maturation in many bacteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the eDNA released by B. pseudomallei during biofilm formation using DNase treatment. The extent of biofilm formation and quantity of eDNA were assessed by crystal-violet staining and fluorescent dye-based quantification, respectively, and visualized by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Variation in B. pseudomallei biofilm formation and eDNA quantity was demonstrated among isolates. CLSM images of biofilms stained with FITC-ConA (biofilm) and TOTO-3 (eDNA) revealed the localization of eDNA in the biofilm matrix. A positive correlation of biofilm biomass with quantity of eDNA during the 2-day biofilm-formation observation period was found. The increasing eDNA quantity over time, despite constant living/dead ratios of bacterial cells during the experiment suggests that eDNA is delivered from living bacterial cells. CLSM images demonstrated that depletion of eDNA by DNase I significantly lessened bacterial attachment (if DNase added at 0 h) and biofilm developing stages (if added at 24 h) but had no effect on mature biofilm (if added at 45 h). Collectively, our results reveal that eDNA is released from living B. pseudomallei and is correlated with biofilm formation. It was also apparent that eDNA is essential during bacterial cell attachment and biofilm-forming steps. The depletion of eDNA by DNase may provide an option for the prevention or dispersal of B. pseudomallei biofilm.
Intra-individual correlations between quantitative THK-5351 PET and MRI-derived cortical volume in Alzheimer’s disease differ according to disease severity and amyloid positivity

Purpose To assess the in vivo whole-brain relationship between uptake of [18F]THK-5351 on PET and cortical atrophy on structural MRI according to the presence and severity of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Materials and methods Sixty-five participants (21 normal controls, 32 mild cognitive impairment [MCI] subjects, and 12 AD patients) were enrolled from a prospective multicenter clinical trial (NCT02656498). Structural MRI and [18F]THK-5351 PET were performed within a 2-month interval. Cortical volume and standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR) were calculated from MRI and PET images, respectively, for 35 FreeSurfer-derived cortical regions. Pearson’s correlation coefficients between SUVR and cortical volume were calculated for the same regions, and correlated regions were compared according to disease severity and β-amyloid PET positivity. Results No significantly correlated regions were found in the normal controls. Negative correlations between SUVR and cortical volume were found in the MCI and AD groups, mainly in limbic locations in MCI and isocortical locations in AD. The AD group exhibited stronger correlations (r = −0.576–0.781) than the MCI group (r = 0.368–0.571). Hippocampal atrophy did not show any correlation with SUVR in the β-amyloid PET-negative group, but negatively correlated with SUVR (r = −0.494, P = .012) in the β-amyloid PET-positive group. Conclusions Regional THK-5351 uptake correlated more strongly with cortical atrophy in AD compared with MCI, thereby demonstrating a close relationship between the neuro-pathologic process and cortical atrophy. Hippocampal atrophy was associated with both β-amyloid and THK-5351 uptake, possibly reflecting an interaction between β-amyloid and tau deposition in the neurodegeneration process.
Video Content Annotation Method Based on Multi-weight Multi-source Transfer Learning

In solving the problem of video content annotation, this paper proposes a Multi-Weight Multi-Source Transfer Learning (MW-MSTL). According to the degree of correlation between the source domain image group and the target domain video, the method assigns different weights to different source domain image groups. Finally, based on the smoothness assumption, a target classifier capable of classifying user videos is trained.and then complete the task of video content annotation. Experiments show that the average accuracy of this method on kodak and Columbia Consumer Video(CCV) database is 42.68% in the absence of labeled data on the target domain. Compared with other methods, it has achieved better labeling effect.
Physical Activity Trend eXtraction: A Framework for Extracting Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity Trends From Wearable Fitness Tracker Data

Background Moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) offers extensive health benefits but is neglected by many. As a result, a wide body of research investigating physical activity behavior change has been conducted. As many of these studies transition from paper-based methods of MVPA data collection to fitness trackers, a series of challenges arise in extracting insights from these new data. Objective The objective of this research was to develop a framework for preprocessing and extracting MVPA trends from wearable fitness tracker data to support MVPA behavior change studies. Methods Using heart rate data collected from fitness trackers, we propose Physical Activity Trend eXtraction (PATX), a framework that imputes missing data, recalculates personalized target heart zones, and extracts MVPA trends. We tested our framework on a dataset of 123 college study participants observed across 2 academic years (18 months) using Fitbit Charge HRs. To demonstrate the value of our frameworks’ output in supporting MVPA behavior change studies, we applied it to 2 case studies. Results Among the 123 participants analyzed, PATX labeled 41 participants as experiencing a significant increase in MVPA and 44 participants who experienced a significant decrease in MVPA, with significance defined as P<. 05. Our first case study was consistent with previous works investigating the associations between MVPA and mental health. Whereas the second, exploring how individuals perceive their own levels of MVPA relative to their friends, led to a novel observation that individuals were less likely to notice changes in their own MVPA when close ties in their social network mimicked their changes. Conclusions By providing meaningful and flexible outputs, PATX alleviates data concerns common with fitness trackers to support MVPA behavior change studies as they shift to more objective assessments of MVPA.
Excretion of Dietary Cow's Milk Derived Peptides Into Breast Milk

Nanoflow-HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was used to analyze the peptide fraction of breast milk samples collected from a single non-atopic donor on different days (10 samples) after receiving an oral load of cow's milk (by drinking 200 mL of bovine milk). In addition, breast milk was sampled from the same lactating mother over a 6-h period at five time points after drinking cow's milk. We aimed to trace the intra-individual variability and to define a time profile of the excretion of dietary peptides into breast milk. Overall, 21 peptides exclusively originating from both bovine caseins and whey proteins with no match within the human milk proteome were identified in the breast milk samples. These peptides were missing in the breast milk obtained from the mother after a prolonged milk- and dairy-free diet (three samples). The time course of cow's milk-derived β-Lg f(125–135) and β-casein f(81–92) in breast milk was determined from the MS ion intensity of the peptide signals. No intact cow's milk gene products were detected by HPLC-MS/MS analysis and Western blotting with anti-β-Lg antibody, but dot-blot analysis confirmed the occurrence of β-Lg fragments in the enriched peptide fraction of breast milk. These data suggest shifting the analytical perspective for the detection of dietary food allergens in breast milk from intact proteins to digested peptide fragments. The possible sensitization and elicitation potential or the tolerogenic properties of such low amounts of dietary peptides for the breastfed newborns remain to be explored.
Addressing the Task of Rocket Recycling with Deep Reinforcement Learning

Reinforcement learning is a promising paradigm in addressing complex sequential decision-making problems, which has attracted increasing attention from various domains. In this paper, we investigated the plausibility of employing reinforcement learning algorithms to address the task of rocket recycling on the offshore platform. It is widely acknowledged recycling rockets is a tough but significant control problem, and the promotion in recycling probability would directly reduce the expense in aerospace engineering. Considering the complexity of controlling the rocket dynamically, we formulated recycling problem and applied a series of reinforcement learning algorithms to optimize the recycling process. Based on the result of experiments in the simulated environment, we found DDPO and A3C algorithms outperformed other commonly used reinforcement learning algorithms. Besides, we respectively analyzed the algorithms and corresponding results and the superior performance with DDPO and A3C algorithms demonstrated the effectiveness of reinforcement algorithm in solving the recycling problem. In the future, we would design novel deep reinforcement learning algorithm to improve the performance of rocket recycling.
Dietary and Biochemical Characteristics Associated with Normal-Weight Obesity.

BACKGROUND Inflammation and oxidative stress have been reported to be higher in subjects with normal weight obesity (NWO) syndrome [normal body mass index (BMI) (<25 kg/m2) but excessive body fat (for women ≥ 30% and for men ≥ 20%) according to World Health Organization (WHO) definitions]; however, it is unclear whether this is due to inadequate dietary antioxidant intake or the pathophysiology of NWO. The aim of present study was to assess the association between dietary factors and body antioxidant status with NWO syndrome in male university students. METHODS This study was a case-control study carried out on ninety age-matched male university students [30 normal weights (NW), 30 NWO and 30 overweight-obese (OB)]. A validated food frequency questionnaire (98 items) and 3-day 24-h recalls were used for dietary assessment. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of diet and serum and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) concentrations were also measured. RESULTS Dietary intake of fruits (frequency factor (FF) = 2.3 vs 2.9, p < 0.05), legumes (FF = 0.7 vs 1.3, p < 0.01), nuts and seeds (FF = 0.4 vs 0.8, p < 0.05), beta-cryptoxanthin (p < 0.05), lycopene (p < 0.05) and serum TAC levels (p < 0.01) were significantly lower in NWO compared to the NW group. No significant differences in these parameters were observed between NWO and OB group. A significant negative correlation was observed between serum TAC levels and BMI (r = -0.57, p < 0.001) and body fat percent (r = -0.52, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study shows that NWO male subjects consume lower amounts of dietary antioxidants and share the same low body antioxidant status as obese individuals, although they appear lean.
The Social Context of Sedentary Behaviors and Their Relationships With Health in Later Life.

This study examined sedentary behaviors among older adults and explored associations with social context and health measures using cross-sectional data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (N = 1,687). Multivariate models were estimated to explore associations of time in six sedentary behaviors (i.e., television watching, sitting and talking, hobbies, computer use, driving, and resting) with sociodemographic characteristics and level of social engagement and with health status. Results indicated substantial variability in sedentary behaviors, with television watching being the most frequent and resting the least frequent activities. Sedentary behaviors varied by sociodemographic characteristics, including age, race/ethnicity, and education, as well as by level of social engagement. Television watching and resting, but not other behaviors, were associated with poorer health. These findings help to unpack the role of social context in sedentary behaviors and could inform public health interventions aimed at reducing time spent in behaviors that are adversely associated with health.
Recent Outbreak of "Mal de Rio Cuarto" Virus on Corn in Argentina.

"Mal de Río Cuarto" (MRC) is the most important viral disease affecting corn in Argentina. Reovirus-like particles were observed in diseased plants (1,4) and were later serologically related to an isolate of maize rough dwarf virus (3), though this relationship was recently questioned (2). Based on estimates of the prevalence and severity of MRC and yield losses, government agencies, corn hybrid seed companies, and growers agreed that the worst epidemic in the country occurred during the 1996 to 1997 agricultural year. Approximately 300,000 ha of corn were affected by the disease and yield losses were estimated at $120 million. Affected areas included the central and southern Santa Fe, the central, northern, southeastern, and western Buenos Aires, and the eastern and southern (originally the endemic center of MRC in Río Cuarto County) parts of Córdoba. Virus infections were confirmed by double-antibody sandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) in root samples from each surveyed location, using an antiserum to MRC virus. The occurrence of MRC in non-endemic areas suggests an unusual phenological coincidence of high vector populations, abundant natural virus reservoirs, and susceptible stages in the crop. Most commercial hybrids surveyed were apparently susceptible to the virus, although some were tolerant. References: (1) O. E. Bradfute et al. Phytopathology 71:205, 1981. (2) C. Marzachi et al. Sem. Virol. 6:103, 1995. (3) R. G. Milne et al. Phytopathology 73:1290, 1983. (4) S. F. Nome et al. Phytopathol. Z. 101:7, 1981.
Investigating the Effects of Non-Branded Foods Placed in Cartoons on Children’s Food Choices through Type of Food, Modality and Age

Cartoons are among the most consumed media products by children, especially those at a young age. While branded food placements are not allowed in animated series, non-branded food placements are prevalent. However, little is known about the effects that these food placements might have on children’s eating preferences. In an experimental study with 124 children (51.6% girls, age range: 7–11, Mage = 9.24, and SD = 1.19), 62 children in the experimental condition were exposed to 16 food placements in cartoons, whereas children in the control condition were exposed to cartoon scenes without foods. The healthiness of the placed foods (low nutritional value foods versus high nutritional value foods) as well as the modality of food placements (unimodal versus bimodal) were manipulated. After watching the cartoon scenes, children completed a choice task where each placed food appeared on a separate choice card. Our results indicate that non-branded low nutritional value foods placed in cartoons are an effective strategy in modifying children’s food choices when children are under age 9. We suggest that policy makers, particularly those involved in the content design of cartoons, take these results into account when placing low nutritional value foods in cartoons, especially for an animated series that targets young child audiences.
Phase 1 Dose Escalation Study of the Allosteric AKT Inhibitor BAY 1125976 in Advanced Solid Cancer—Lack of Association between Activating AKT Mutation and AKT Inhibition-Derived Efficacy

This open-label, phase I first-in-human study (NCT01915576) of BAY 1125976, a highly specific and potent allosteric inhibitor of AKT1/2, aimed to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics, and maximum tolerated dose of BAY 1125976 in patients with advanced solid tumors. Oral dose escalation was investigated with a continuous once daily (QD) treatment (21 days/cycle) and a twice daily (BID) schedule. A dose expansion in 28 patients with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer, including nine patients harboring the AKT1E17K mutation, was performed at the recommended phase 2 dose (R2D) of 60 mg BID. Dose-limiting toxicities (Grades 3–4) were increased in transaminases, γ-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT), and alkaline phosphatase in four patients in both schedules and stomach pain in one patient. Of the 78 patients enrolled, one patient had a partial response, 30 had stable disease, and 38 had progressive disease. The clinical benefit rate was 27.9% among 43 patients treated at the R2D. AKT1E17K mutation status was not associated with tumor response. Genetic analyses revealed additional mutations that could promote tumor cell growth despite the inhibition of AKT1/2. BAY 1125976 was well tolerated and inhibited AKT1/2 signaling but did not lead to radiologic or clinical tumor responses. Thus, the refinement of a selection of biomarkers for AKT inhibitors is needed to improve their monotherapy activity.
Management of Congenital Heart Disease: State of the Art; Part I—ACYANOTIC Heart Defects

Since the description of surgery for patent ductus arteriosus in late 1930s, an innumerable number of advances have taken place in the management of congenital heart defects (CHDs). In this review the current status of treatment of seven of the most common acyanotic CHDs was reviewed. The discussion included indications for, and timing of, intervention and methods of intervention. The indications are, by and large, determined by the severity of the lesion. Pressure gradients in obstructive lesions and the magnitude of the shunt in left-to-right shunt lesions are used to assess the severity of the lesion. The timing of intervention is different for each lesion and largely dependent upon when the criteria for indications for intervention were met. Appropriate medical management is necessary in most patients. Trans-catheter methods are preferable in some defects while surgery is a better option in some other defects. The currently available medical, trans-catheter, and surgical methods to treat acyanotic CHD are feasible, safe, and effective.
Biological Role of Gellan Gum in Improving Scaffold Drug Delivery, Cell Adhesion Properties for Tissue Engineering Applications

Over the past few decades, gellan gum (GG) has attracted substantial research interest in several fields including biomedical and clinical applications. The GG has highly versatile properties like easy bio-fabrication, tunable mechanical, cell adhesion, biocompatibility, biodegradability, drug delivery, and is easy to functionalize. These properties have put forth GG as a promising material in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine fields. Nevertheless, GG alone has poor mechanical strength, stability, and a high gelling temperature in physiological conditions. However, GG physiochemical properties can be enhanced by blending them with other polymers like chitosan, agar, sodium alginate, starch, cellulose, pullulan, polyvinyl chloride, xanthan gum, and other nanomaterials, like gold, silver, or composites. In this review article, we discuss the comprehensive overview and different strategies for the preparation of GG based biomaterial, hydrogels, and scaffolds for drug delivery, wound healing, antimicrobial activity, and cell adhesion. In addition, we have given special attention to tissue engineering applications of GG, which can be combined with another natural, synthetic polymers and nanoparticles, and other composites materials. Overall, this review article clearly presents a summary of the recent advances in research studies on GG for different biomedical applications.
Reduction of Fat to Muscle Mass Ratio Is Associated with Improvement of Liver Stiffness in Diabetic Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Body weight reduction leads to improvement of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the contributions of body composition modification on its improvement have not been clarified yet. We performed a retrospective cohort study in a Japanese university hospital to clarify the effect of body fat reduction on the improvement of hepatic stiffness as well as hepatic steatosis. The skeletal muscle mass index (SMI, kg/m2), fat to muscle mass ratio, and the change in fat to muscle mass ratio after 1 year from baseline were calculated. Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP, dB/m) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM, kPa) were evaluated by elastography. Primary outcome was set as the association of the change of fat to muscle mass ratio after 1 year from baseline with the change of liver stiffness measurement. One hundred and seventeen patients (59 men and 58 women) completed the study. The average age was 63.5 years, and baseline CAP and LSM were 273.4 ± 53.5 dB/m and 6.3 ± 3.4 kPa, respectively. After 1 year, body mass index (BMI), SMI, and LSM decreased. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that change in fat to muscle mass ratio was associated with the change in CAP (ß = 0.38, p < 0.001) or LSM (ß = 0.21, p = 0.026). The reduction of fat to muscle mass ratio was associated with improvement in liver stiffness, but the reduction of BMI was not.
The Effect of a Combined Hydrogen Peroxide-MlrA Treatment on the Phytoplankton Community and Microcystin Concentrations in a Mesocosm Experiment in Lake Ludoš

Harmful cyanobacteria and their toxic metabolites constitute a big challenge for the production of safe drinking water. Microcystins (MC), chemically stable hepatotoxic heptapeptides, have often been involved in cyanobacterial poisoning incidents. A desirable solution for cyanobacterial management in lakes and ponds would eliminate both excess cyanobacteria and the MC that they potentially produce and release upon lysis. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has recently been advocated as an efficient means of lysing cyanobacteria in lakes and ponds, however H2O2 (at least when used at typical concentrations) cannot degrade MC in environmental waters. Therefore, mesocosm experiments combining the cyanobacteria-lysing effect of H2O2 and the MC-degrading capacity of the enzyme MlrA were set up in the highly eutrophic Lake Ludoš (Serbia). The H2O2 treatment decreased the abundance of the dominant cyanobacterial taxa Limnothrix sp. , Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, and Planktothrix agardhii. The intracellular concentration of MC was reduced/eliminated by H2O2, yet the reduction of the extracellular MC could only be accomplished by supplementation with MlrA. However, as H2O2 was found to induce the expression of mcyB and mcyE genes, which are involved in MC biosynthesis, the use of H2O2 as a safe cyanobacteriocide still requires further investigation. In conclusion, the experiments showed that the combined use of H2O2 and MlrA is promising in the elimination of both excess cyanobacteria and their MC in environmental waters.