Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decomposition and Reconstruction of Human Palm Movements

Objective: The human hand is known to have excellent manipulation ability compared to other primate hands. Without the palm movements, the human hand would lose more than 40% of its functions. However, uncovering the constitution of palm movements is still a challenging problem involving kinesiology, physiology, and engineering science. Methods: By recording the palm joint angles during common grasping, gesturing, and manipulation tasks, we built a palm kinematic dataset. Then, a method for extracting the eigen-movements to characterize the common motion correlation relationships of palm joints was proposed to explore the palm movement constitution. Results: This study revealed a palm kinematic characteristic that we named the joint motion grouping coupling characteristic. During natural palm movements, there are several joint groups with a high degree of motor independence, while the movements of joints within each joint group are interdependent. Based on these characteristics, the palm movements can be decomposed into seven eigen-movements. The linear combinations of these eigen-movements can reconstruct more than 90% of palm movement ability. Moreover, combined with the palm musculoskeletal structures, we found that the revealed eigen-movements are associated with joint groups that are defined by muscular functions, which provided a meaningful context for palm movement decomposition. Conclusion: This paper suggests that some invariable characteristics underlie the variable palm motor behaviors and can be used to simplify palm movement generation. Significance: This paper provides important insights into palm kinematics, and helps facilitate motor function assessment and the development of better artificial hands.
Xanthophyll esterases in association with fibrillins control the stable storage of carotenoids in yellow flowers of rapeseed (Brassica juncea).

Biosynthesis, stabilization, and storage of carotenoids are vital processes in plants that collectively contribute to the vibrant colors observed in flowers and fruits. Despite its importance, the carotenoid storage pathway remains poorly understood and lacks thorough characterization. We identified two homologous genes, BjA02.PC1 and BjB04.PC2, belonging to the esterase/lipase/thioesterase (ELT) family of acyltransferases. We showed that BjPCs in association with fibrillin gene BjFBN1b control the stable storage of carotenoids in yellow flowers of Brassica juncea. Through genetic, high-resolution mass spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy analyses, we demonstrated that both BjA02.PC1 and BjB04.PC2 can promote the accumulation of esterified xanthophylls, facilitating the formation of carotenoid-enriched plastoglobules (PGs) and ultimately producing yellow pigments in flowers. The elimination of BjPCs led to the redirection of metabolic flux from xanthophyll ester biosynthesis to lipid biosynthesis, resulting in white flowers for B. juncea. Moreover, we genetically verified the function of two fibrillin genes, BjA01.FBN1b and BjB05.FBN1b, in mediating PG formation and demonstrated that xanthophyll esters must be deposited in PGs for stable storage. These findings identified a previously unknown carotenoid storage pathway that is regulated by BjPCs and BjFBN1b, while offering unique opportunities for improving the stability, deposition, and bioavailability of carotenoids.
Avian retroviral cardiomyopathy induced by infectious molecular clones of avian leukosis viruses (fowl glioma-inducing virus variants)

ABSTRACT We previously described cardiomyocyte abnormality caused by Km_5666 strain, a variant of fowl glioma-inducing virus (FGV) prototype, which is an avian leukosis virus (ALV). However, the cardiac involvement appeared to be eradicated from the flock after a few years. An epidemiological survey from 2017 to 2020 was performed to elucidate the current prevalence of the cardiopathogenic strains in this flock. Four of the 71 bantams pathologically examined showed both glioma and cardiomyocyte abnormality, from which three ALV strains were detected. DNA sequencing revealed that several different ALV strains coexisted in each bantam and that the conserved Km_5666 virus fluid also contained at least two different ALV strains. We generated three infectious molecular clones from these samples, named KmN_77_clone_A, KmN_77_clone_B, and Km_5666_clone. The envSU of KmN_77_clone_A shared high sequence identity with that of Km_5666 (94.1%). In contrast, the envSU of KmN_77_clone_B showed >99.2% nucleotide similarity with that of an FGV variant without cardiopathogenicity. Furthermore, Km_5666_clone experimentally reproduced both gliomas and cardiomyocyte abnormality in chickens. From these results, it is suggested that the pathogenic determinant of cardiomyocyte abnormality is located in envSU similar to that of Km_5666. The cloning technique described here is beneficial for evaluating the viral pathogenicity in cases where affected birds are coinfected with several different ALV strains.
Work Related Demands and Resources as Predictors of Well-being at Work Among Healthcare Workers in Switzerland

Well-being in the workplace of health professionals does not only have effects on the affected staff, but also on health care service. For the effective functioning of a health care system, it is therefore essential to know what impairs or promotes well-being in the workplace in a hospital setting. Objective The aim was to examine the effects of work-related demands and resources on well-being at work among employees in Swiss hospitals. Methods Self-reported survey data from 1840 employees of six hospitals/clinics were analyzed using multivariate linear regression analyses (all professions included). Results Of all demands, work-life imbalance had the strongest negative effect on well-being at work. The most relevant resource varied depending on the dimension of well-being: for job satisfaction it was good leadership, for work engagement job decision latitude and for satisfaction with relationships at work social support at work. The resources were more relevant for well-being at work than the demands. They also buffered against the negative effects of the demands. Conclusions To enhance well-being at work in hospitals, it is necessary to enable a good work-life balance and to strengthen work-related resources.
Feasibility of a Telehealth Compensatory Cognitive Training Program for Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment

ABSTRACT Objectives Older adults experiencing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may benefit from compensatory cognitive training (CCT). This study investigated the feasibility of telehealth CCT among older adults with MCI. Methods Adults age 55+ with MCI (n = 28) and a care partner (n = 18) participated in telehealth CCT. Participants rated sessions’ technological interference on an adapted 0–100 session rating scale (higher scores=less interference). Clinicians provided ratings and qualitative feedback on types of interference experienced. Feasibility was assessed by enrollment and completion rates, and through ratings and feedback. Results 6% of contacts declined participation due to telehealth delivery. 24 of 28 participants completed the program, with no dropouts due to telehealth. Participants (M = 81.32, SD = 25.61) and clinicians (M = 76.24, SD = 33.37) rated technological interference as infrequent. Clinicians indicated most interference did not impact sessions, though 4% required rescheduling due to interference. Conclusions Telehealth delivery was not a barrier to recruitment, enrollment, or completion of CCT. Technological problems were mostly minor. Telehealth CCT could support access to and intervention among older adults with MCI. Clinical Implications Telehealth CCT for older adults with MCI was feasible, with mild issues not impacting session completion. Clinicians should be prepared to offer support as technological issues arise, or have dedicated technological support services.
Cortical plasticity in central vision loss: Cortical thickness and neurite structure

Late‐stage macular degeneration (MD) often causes retinal lesions depriving an individual of central vision, forcing them to learn to use peripheral vision for daily tasks. To compensate, many patients develop a preferred retinal locus (PRL), an area of peripheral vision used more often than equivalent regions of spared vision. Thus, associated portions of cortex experience increased use, while portions of cortex associated with the lesion are deprived of sensory input. Prior research has not well examined the degree to which structural plasticity depends on the amount of use across the visual field. Cortical thickness, neurite density, and orientation dispersion were measured at portions of cortex associated with the PRL, the retinal lesion, and a control region in participants with MD as well as age‐matched, gender‐matched, and education‐matched controls. MD participants had significantly thinner cortex in both the cortical representation of the PRL (cPRL) and the control region, compared with controls, but no significant differences in thickness, neurite density, or orientation dispersion were found between the cPRL and the control region as functions of disease or onset. This decrease in thickness is driven by a subset of early‐onset participants whose patterns of thickness, neurite density, and neurite orientation dispersion are distinct from matched control participants. These results suggest that people who develop MD earlier in adulthood may undergo more structural plasticity than those who develop it late in life.
Differential contribution of between and within‐brain coupling to movement synchronization

A fundamental characteristic of the human brain that supports behavior is its capacity to create connections between brain regions. A promising approach holds that during social behavior, brain regions not only create connections with other brain regions within a brain, but also coordinate their activity with other brain regions of an interaction partner. Here we ask whether between‐brain and within‐brain coupling contribute differentially to movement synchronization. We focused on coupling between the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), a brain region associated with the observation‐execution system, and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), a region associated with error‐monitoring and prediction. Participants, randomly divided into dyads, were simultaneously scanned with functional near infra‐red spectroscopy (fNIRS) while performing an open‐ended 3D hand movement task consisting of three conditions: back‐to‐back movement, free movement, or intentional synchronization. Results show that behavioral synchrony was higher in the intentional synchrony compared with the back‐to‐back and free movement conditions. Between‐brain coupling in the IFG and dmPFC was evident in the free movement and intentional synchrony conditions but not in the back‐to‐back condition. Importantly, between‐brain coupling was found to positively predict intentional synchrony, while within‐brain coupling was found to predict synchronization during free movement. These results indicate that during intentional synchronization, brain organization changes such that between‐brain networks, but not within‐brain connections, contribute to successful communication, pointing to shift from a within‐brain feedback loop to a two‐brains feedback loop.
Use of language-specific speech cues in highly proficient second-language listening

Language-specificity in listening to speech occurs at all processing levels and even between structurally close languages (e.g., English, Dutch). Transitional cues to fricative place of articulation are used in English for identifying /f/ (which resembles theta) but not /s/, whereas in Dutch (without theta) they are used for neither. In spoken-word recognition, suprasegmental cues are used in Dutch, but not in English (with more segmental reduction); Dutch L2 listeners even outperform native L1 listeners in detecting origin of differently stressed English syllables (e.g., car- from CARton versus carTOON). Here, longterm residents in Australia with Dutch as L1 but predominantly using English completed each of these tasks. In the phonetic task, with cross-spliced nonsense words, these listeners performed just as Dutch listeners in the Netherlands, showing insensitivity to transitional cues for both /f/ and /s/. In the lexical task, with word fragments (e.g., car-), they however did not behave as L1 Dutch an.
ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO UNOBSERVED HETEROGENEITY IN THE ANALYSIS OF REPEATABLE EVENTS

This research was partially supported by grants DA01097, DA02867, and DA03196 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to Denise B. Kandel at Columbia University. Previous versions of this chapter were written when the author was affiliated with Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. The author wishes to thank James S. Coleman, Mark Davies, Denise B. Kandel, Francois Nielsen, Christopher Winship, and Lawrence L. Wu for their comments on earlier drafts. The author is solely responsible for whatever errors remain. The author is also grateful to Gary Chamberlain for sending me a copy of his unpublished 1979 paper. The research assistance of Dan Karus and Christine Schaffran at Columbia University is greatly acknowledged. Address correspondence to: Kazuo Yamaguchi, Department of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024.
Measurement of cholesterol levels of lipoprotein subclasses in human serum using anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography with a linear concentration gradient of sodium perchlorate

Background Relationships between the subclasses of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease have been studied, and using various methods, such as ultracentrifugation, electrophoresis, and nuclear magnetic resonance, for analysing lipoprotein subclasses. We established a method for HDL and LDL subclasses using anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (AEX-HPLC) with a linear concentration gradient of sodium perchlorate (NaClO4). Method In the AEX-HPLC, the subclasses of HDL and LDL were separated, and detected using a post-column reactor with an enzymatic cholesterol reagent, that contained cholesterol esterase, cholesterol oxidase, and peroxidase as major ingredients. LDL subclasses were divided based on the absolute value of first-derivative chromatogram. Result Three HDL subclasses, HDL-P1, HDL-P2, and HDL-P3, and three LDL subclasses, LDL-P1, LDL-P2, and LDL-P3, were separated by AEX-HPLC, and detected in order. The major components of HDL-P2 and HDL-P3 were HDL3 and HDL2, respectively. The linearity was determined for each lipoprotein subclass. The coefficients of variation of cholesterol concentration of the subclasses for within-day assay (n = 10) and between-day assay (n = 10) ranged between 3.08–8.94% and 4.52–9.97%, respectively. Cholesterol levels in HDL-P1 of diabetic patients were positively correlated with oxidized LDL levels (r = 0.409, p = 0.002). Moreover, cholesterol levels in LDL-P2 and LDL-P3 were positively correlated with oxidized LDL levels (r = 0.393, p = 0.004 and r = 0.561, p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion AEX-HPLC may be highly suitable as an assay to clinically assess lipoprotein subclasses.
Recent Progress in Research on Mitochondrion-Targeted Antifungal Drugs: a Review

Fungal infections, which commonly occur in immunocompromised patients, can cause high morbidity and mortality. Antifungal agents act by disrupting the cell membrane, inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis and function, or inhibiting β-1,3-glucan synthase. ABSTRACT Fungal infections, which commonly occur in immunocompromised patients, can cause high morbidity and mortality. Antifungal agents act by disrupting the cell membrane, inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis and function, or inhibiting β-1,3-glucan synthase. Because the incidences of life-threatening fungal infections and antifungal drug resistance are continuously increasing, there is an urgent need for the development of new antifungal agents with novel mechanisms of action. Recent studies have focused on mitochondrial components as potential therapeutic drug targets, owing to their important roles in fungal viability and pathogenesis. In this review, we discuss novel antifungal drugs targeting mitochondrial components and highlight the unique fungal proteins involved in the electron transport chain, which is useful for investigating selective antifungal targets. Finally, we comprehensively summarize the efficacy and safety of lead compounds in clinical and preclinical development. Although fungus-specific proteins in the mitochondrion are involved in various processes, the majority of the antifungal agents target dysfunction of mitochondria, including mitochondrial respiration disturbance, increased intracellular ATP, reactive oxygen species generation, and others. Moreover, only a few drugs are under clinical trials, necessitating further exploration of possible targets and development of effective antifungal agents. The unique chemical structures and targets of these compounds will provide valuable hints for further exploiting new antifungals.
Socio-demographic differences in access to psychological treatment services: evidence from a national cohort study

Abstract Background Since 2008, the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme has offered adults in England evidence-based psychological treatments for common mental disorders (CMDs) such as depression and anxiety disorders. However, inequalities in access have not been explored at the national level. Methods Using a unique individual patient dataset that linked 2011 Census information of English residents to national IAPT data collected between April 2017 and March 2018, we estimated the rate of access by a wide range of socio-demographic characteristics that are not routinely available. A large household survey was used to estimate the prevalence of probable CMDs by these socio-demographic characteristics. We estimated the probability of access to IAPT amongst people with CMDs by comparing the rates of access from IAPT data and the estimates of prevalence of CMDs from the household survey. Both unadjusted and adjusted (for important patient characteristics) access rates were estimated in logistic regression models. Results As a proportion of those with a probable CMD, access to IAPT varied markedly by socio-demographic characteristics. Older adults, males, people born outside of the UK, people with religious beliefs, people from Asian ethnic backgrounds, people reporting a disability and those without any academic or professional qualifications were underrepresented in IAPT services nationally, in adjusted models. Conclusions The identification of patients who may be underrepresented in IAPT provides an opportunity for services to target outreach and engagement with these groups. Further understanding of barriers to access should help increase equity in access.
The Role of Mobile Genetic Elements in Virulence Factor Carriage from Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Cases of Escherichia coli Bacteriuria

Escherichia coli is the most common etiological agent of urinary tract infections (UTIs), with UTI-associated strains designated “uropathogenic” E. coli or UPEC. Across urinary strains of E. coli, the global landscape of MGEs and its relationship to virulence factor carriage and clinical symptomatology require greater clarity. ABSTRACT Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is extremely diverse genotypically and phenotypically. Individual strains can variably carry diverse virulence factors, making it challenging to define a molecular signature for this pathotype. For many bacterial pathogens, mobile genetic elements (MGEs) constitute a major mechanism of virulence factor acquisition. For urinary E. coli, the total distribution of MGEs and their role in the acquisition of virulence factors is not well defined, including in the context of symptomatic infection versus asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). In this work, we characterized 151 isolates of E. coli, derived from patients with either urinary tract infection (UTI) or ASB. For both sets of E. coli, we catalogued the presence of plasmids, prophage, and transposons. We analyzed MGE sequences for the presence of virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance genes. These MGEs were associated with only ~4% of total virulence associated genes, while plasmids contributed to ~15% of antimicrobial resistance genes under consideration. Our analyses suggests that, across strains of E. coli, MGEs are not a prominent driver of urinary tract pathogenesis and symptomatic infection. IMPORTANCE Escherichia coli is the most common etiological agent of urinary tract infections (UTIs), with UTI-associated strains designated “uropathogenic” E. coli or UPEC. Across urinary strains of E. coli, the global landscape of MGEs and its relationship to virulence factor carriage and clinical symptomatology require greater clarity. Here, we demonstrate that many of the putative virulence factors of UPEC are not associated with acquisition due to MGEs. The current work enhances our understanding of the strain-to-strain variability and pathogenic potential of urine-associated E. coli and points toward more subtle genomic differences distinguishing ASB from UTI isolates.
Physical inference of falling objects involves simulation of occluded trajectories in early visual areas

Humans possess an intuitive understanding of the environment's physical properties and dynamics, which allows them to predict the outcomes of physical scenarios and successfully interact with the physical world. This predictive ability is thought to rely on mental simulations and has been shown to involve frontoparietal areas. Here, we investigate whether such mental simulations may be accompanied by visual imagery of the predicted physical scene. We designed an intuitive physical inference task requiring participants to infer the parabolic trajectory of an occluded ball falling in accordance with Newtonian physics. Participants underwent fMRI while (i) performing the physical inference task alternately with a visually matched control task, and (ii) passively observing falling balls depicting the trajectories that had to be inferred during the physical inference task. We found that performing the physical inference task activates early visual areas together with a frontoparietal network when compared with the control task. Using multivariate pattern analysis, we show that these regions contain information specific to the trajectory of the occluded ball (i.e., fall direction), despite the absence of visual inputs. Using a cross‐classification approach, we further show that in early visual areas, trajectory‐specific activity patterns evoked by the physical inference task resemble those evoked by the passive observation of falling balls. Together, our findings suggest that participants simulated the ball trajectory when solving the task, and that the outcome of these simulations may be represented in form of the perceivable sensory consequences in early visual areas.