Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Altered Eye Movements During Reading With Simulated Central and Peripheral Visual Field Defects

Purpose Although foveal vision provides fine spatial information, parafoveal and peripheral vision are also known to be important for efficient reading behaviors. Here we systematically investigate how different types and sizes of visual field defects affect the way visual information is acquired via eye movements during reading. Methods Using gaze-contingent displays, simulated scotomas were induced in 24 adults with normal or corrected-to-normal vision during a reading task. The study design included peripheral and central scotomas of varying sizes (aperture or scotoma size of 2°, 4°, 6°, 8°, and 10°) and no-scotoma conditions. Eye movements (e.g., forward/backward saccades, fixations, microsaccades) were plotted as a function of either the aperture or scotoma size, and their relationships were characterized by the best fitting model. Results When the aperture size of the peripheral scotoma decreased below 6° (11 visible letters), there were significant decreases in saccade amplitude and velocity, as well as substantial increases in fixation duration and the number of fixations. Its dependency on the aperture size is best characterized by an exponential decay or growth function in log-linear coordinates. However, saccade amplitude and velocity, fixation duration, and forward/regressive saccades increased more or less linearly with increasing central scotoma size in log-linear coordinates. Conclusions Our results showed differential impacts of central and peripheral vision loss on reading behaviors while lending further support for the importance of foveal and parafoveal vision in reading. These apparently deviated oculomotor behaviors may in part reflect optimal reading strategies to compensate for the loss of visual information.
Comparative effectiveness between mosunetuzumab monotherapy clinical trial and real-world data in relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma in third or subsequent lines of systemic therapy

Abstract A comparison of clinical outcomes in the third or subsequent line (3 L+) of systemic therapy between a real-world data (RWD) external control cohort and a mosunetuzumab single-arm clinical trial cohort is presented. Data for 3 L + patients with relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) were obtained from the mosunetuzumab single-arm trial (n = 90) and a US electronic health records database (n = 158), with patients meeting key eligibility criteria from the trial, balanced on pre-specified prognostic factors. Overall response and complete response rates were 80% and 60% in the mosunetuzumab cohort and 75% and 33% in the RWD cohort, odds ratios of 1.23 (95% CI, 0.52–2.93) and 3.18 (95% CI, 1.41–7.17), respectively. Hazard ratios for progression-free survival and overall survival were 0.82 (95% CI, 0.53–1.27) and 0.43 (95% CI, 0.19–0.94). These findings support a clinically meaningful benefit of mosunetuzumab monotherapy as a chemotherapy-free option for the 3 L + FL population.
Developing a Cell-Microcarrier Tissue-Engineered Product for Muscle Repair Using a Bioreactor System

Fecal incontinence, although not life-threatening, has a high impact on the economy and patient quality of life. So far, available treatments are based on both surgical and nonsurgical approaches. These can range from changes in diet, to bowel training, or sacral nerve stimulation, but none of which provides a long-term solution. New regenerative medicine-based therapies are emerging, which aim at regenerating the sphincter muscle and restoring continence. Usually, these consist of the administration of a suspension of expanded skeletal-derived muscle cells (SkMDCs) to the damaged site. However, this strategy often results in a reduced cell viability due to the need for cell harvesting from the expansion platform, as well as the non-native use of a cell suspension to deliver the anchorage-dependent cells. In this study, we propose the proof-of-concept for the bioprocessing of a new cell delivery method for the treatment of fecal incontinence, obtained by a scalable two-step process. First, patient-isolated SkMDCs were expanded using planar static culture systems. Second, by using a single-use PBS-MINI Vertical-Wheel® bioreactor, the expanded SkMDCs were combined with biocompatible and biodegradable (i.e., directly implantable) poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microcarriers prepared by thermally induced phase separation. This process allowed for up to 80% efficiency of SkMDCs to attach to the microcarriers. Importantly, SkMDCs were viable during all the process and maintained their myogenic features (e.g., expression of the CD56 marker) after adhesion and culture on the microcarriers. When SkMDC-containing microcarriers were placed on a culture dish, cells were able to migrate from the microcarriers onto the culture surface and differentiate into multinucleated myotubes, which highlights their potential to regenerate the damaged sphincter muscle after administration into the patient. Overall, this study proposes an innovative method to attach SkMDCs to biodegradable microcarriers, which can provide a new treatment for fecal incontinence. Impact statement At present, no life-long treatment for fecal incontinence exists. New regenerative medicine-based therapies can be seen as a new avenue to solve this burdening health situation. Our approach relies on the administration of implantable biodegradable microcarriers that deliver cells capable of regenerating muscle to the damaged sphincter. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility of using single-use, bioreactor technology for developing a cell-microcarrier combined product. Moreover, we show that the microcarrier-attached cells, due to their differentiation capacity and the presence of myogenic markers, display muscle regenerative potential, and are likely to be able to provide life-lasting repairs to the damaged muscle.
Mdivi1 ameliorates mitochondrial dysfunction in non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis by inhibiting JNK/MFF signaling

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a crucial role in the progression of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Mitochondrial division inhibitor 1 (Mdivi1) is a potential inhibitor of dynamin‐related protein (Drp1) and mitochondrial fission. However, the therapeutic effect of Mdivi1 against NASH and its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear.
Long-Term Care Preferences Among Chinese Older Adults: The Role of Sociocultural Factors

ABSTRACT Understanding individuals’ long-term care preferences is essential to the provision of person-centered care. This study aims to describe the preferences for long-term care settings and investigates sociocultural factors associated with long-term care preferences among older Chinese adults. Responses from 22,112 older adults aged 60 years or above were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. Four ideal long-term care settings were identified: in-home care, community day care, institutional care, and undecided long-term care arrangements. The study found that the majority of participants desired to age in place at home, regardless of their health status and social support conditions. Therefore, research and advocacy efforts are needed to inform policymakers to strategically develop home-based long-term care supports in China. Key points Besides needs, social means and values are crucial to long-term care preferences among older Chinese adults. Among different long-term care options, the vast majority of the participants (82%) preferred aging in place in a home setting. China’s long-term care policy should prioritize the support for developing home-based services.
Comovimentos entre Setores Econômicos Brasileiros: uma abordagem não linear

O estudo de comovimentos entre ativos e muito popular em financas. Entretanto, aplicacoes de modelos nao lineares ocupam reduzido espaco nesta gama de pesquisas. Nesse sentido, o presente trabalho estuda relacionamentos de longo prazo entre os setores de Energia Eletrica, Consumo, Imobiliario, Telecomunicacoes, Industrial e Financeiro, atraves de modelos de cointegracao linear e nao linear. Sao utilizadas cotacoes diarias dos indices setoriais da BM&F/Bovespa durante o periodo de 2 de janeiro de 2008 a 31 de dezembro de 2011, totalizando 989 observacoes. Os resultados permitem concluir que apenas os relacionamentos entre Energia-Financeiro e Consumo-Financeiro possuem equilibrio de longo prazo. Alem disso, o modelo nao linear ajustou-se melhor aos relacionamentos, com alteracoes na transmissao de precos em diferentes regimes.
Variabilité des sols et stratégie d'échantillonnage dans les études pédologiques détaillées de la plaine de Montréal

In order to estimate variability of soil information presented in detailed soil surveys of the Montreal lowlands area, more than 2000 samples were collected along stratified random transects in 133 mapping units. The coefficient of variation (CV) was used as variability criteria. Variability of selected soil characteristics of the plow layer was studied according to phases of surface texture. The CV of clay, silt, pH, CEC and exchangeable cations decrease with an increase in clay content. The CV of sand content follows the opposite direction. Four modes of deposition (marine, fluvial, till and estuarine) were compared according to the variability within taxon (soil series or variant) of soil characteristics of the A, B and C horizons. More samples are needed to estimate the population mean value with the same relative error and the same confidence level for soils developed in fluvial deposits than in those formed in marine sediments. At the 90% confidence level, the allocation of 15 samples per map unit a.
Variation of Great Lakes water levels derived from Geosat altimetry

A technique for using satellite radar altimetry data to estimate the temporal variation of the water level in moderate to large lakes and enclosed seas is described. Great Lakes data from the first 2 years of the U.S. Navy's Geosat Exact Repeat Mission (November 1986 to November 1988), for which there is an improved orbit, are used to demonstrate the technique. The Geosat results are compared to the lake level data collected by the Great Lakes Section, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and are found to reproduce the temporal variations of the five major lakes with root-mean-square error (rms) ranging from 9.4 to 13.8 cm and a combined average of 11.1 cm. Geosat data are also analyzed for Lake St. Clair, representing a moderate-sized lake, with a resulting rms of 17.0 cm. During this study period, the water level in the Great Lakes varied in a typical annual cycle of about 0.2 m (0.5 m for Lake Ontario) superimposed on a general decline of approximately 0.5 m. The altimeter data reproduced the general decline reasonably well for all the lakes, but the annual cycle was obscured in some lakes due to systematic errors in the altimeter data. Current and future altimetry missions will have markedly improved accuracy which will permit many moderate (25 km diameter) or larger lakes or enclosed seas to be routinely monitored.
Immunomodulatory properties of CD38 antibodies and their effect on anticancer efficacy in multiple myeloma

CD38 has been established as an important therapeutic target for multiple myeloma (MM), for which two CD38 antibodies are currently approved—daratumumab and isatuximab. CD38 is an ectoenzyme that degrades NAD and its precursors and is involved in the production of adenosine and other metabolites.
Vulture populations in Pakistan and the Gyps Vulture Restoration Project

Populations of three critically endangered Gyps vultures continue to decline in South Asia, due primarily to veterinary diclofenac. In the Punjab Province of Pakistan, annual rates of decline for breeding populations of Oriental White-backed Vultures Gyps bengalensis have ranged between 11% and 61% per year since 2001. Conservation initiatives to address the vulture declines have included the establishment and development of conservation breeding centres. Apart from two such centres currently operating in India, a third regional centre opened in Pakistan in 2007. Herein we describe the Gyps Vulture Restoration Project, launched by WWF-Pakistan in 2004, and the conservation breeding centre at Changa Manga, near Lahore in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. Vulture News Vol. 58 2008: pp. 35-43
Triple targeting of RSK, AKT, and S6K as pivotal downstream effectors of PDPK1 by TAS0612 in B‐cell lymphomas

B‐cell lymphomas (BCLs) are the most common disease entity among hematological malignancies and have various genetically and molecularly distinct subtypes. In this study, we revealed that the blockade of phosphoinositide‐dependent kinase‐1 (PDPK1), the master kinase of AGC kinases, induces a growth inhibition via cell cycle arrest and the induction of apoptosis in all eight BCL‐derived cell lines examined, including those from activated B‐cell‐like diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL), double expressor DLBCL, Burkitt lymphoma, and follicular lymphoma. We also demonstrated that, in these cell lines, RSK2, AKT, and S6K, but not PLK1, SGK, or PKC, are the major downstream therapeutic target molecules of PDPK1 and that RSK2 plays a central role and AKT and S6K play subsidiary functional roles as the downstream effectors of PDPK1 in cell survival and proliferation. Following these results, we confirmed the antilymphoma efficacy of TAS0612, a triple inhibitor for total RSK, including RSK2, AKT, and S6K, not only in these cell lines, regardless of disease subtypes, but also in all 25 patient‐derived B lymphoma cells of various disease subtypes. At the molecular level, TAS0612 caused significant downregulation of MYC and mTOR target genes while inducing the tumor suppressor TP53INP1 protein in these cell lines. These results prove that the simultaneous blockade of RSK2, AKT, and S6K, which are the pivotal downstream substrates of PDPK1, is a novel therapeutic target for the various disease subtypes of BCLs and line up TAS0612 as an attractive candidate agent for BCLs for future clinical development.
Thoughts on the tectonics of folded belts

Summary Balanced cross sections and their palinspastic reconstruction in structurally simple external zones of folded belts suggest that a limited amount of continental lithosphere was subducted (Ampferer or A-subduction). This process appears to be associated with preceding or synchronous basement remobilization. Therefore, the rigid or ductile nature and the timing of basement deformation remain as some of the most important orogenic problems. Decoupling and ductility contrasts within the lower continental crust and within the overlying sedimentary sequences are responsible for varying structural styles in mountain ranges. Gravity gliding as an important factor for mountain building is examined in some detail. Soft sediment gravity tectonics on passive continental margins are dominated by listric normal growth faults. This style contrasts with observed styles of deformation in folded belts. Gravity tectonics induced by stretching of the underlying basement area is commonly observed during the rifting phase of passive continental margins and in episutural basins associated with orogenic systems.
Internal wave observations from the Arctic environmental drifting buoy

A free-drifting buoy serving as an ice anchor and flotation sphere for a 125-m instrumented mooring line was deployed in the Arctic pack ice by the R/V Polarstern in August 1987 at the northernmost point achieved by the Arktis IV expedition. Current measurements were made from this Arctic environmental drifting buoy (AEDB) using a 150-kHz acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) attached to the mooring line at a depth of 16 m below the flotation sphere with the transducers facing downward. Velocity profiles spanning depths between 35 and 327 m with 15-m resolution were collected at half-hour intervals over a period of 216 days while the buoy drifted from its starting point near 86°N, 22°E to about 70°N, 16°W. The full experimental record was separated into three sections corresponding to periods of the drift spent in the Nansen Basin, over the Yermak Plateau, and in the Greenland Sea. Velocity time series and spectra were computed, and results for the three analysis sections were compared. Spectra in the Nansen Basin were found to have energy levels significantly less than those typical for mid-latitudes, roughly one third of the canonical Garrett-Munk (GM) level, and a spectral slope between ƒ and 2. 5ƒ that was significantly flatter than that expected from the GM model. Between 83°N and 81°N, as the buoy passed over the Yermak Plateau, internal wave energy increased to levels comparable to GM. Isolated, energetic near-inertial wave packets with upward group velocity were observed in this portion of the record, presumably generated by interaction of the barotropic tide with the bottom topography of the plateau. Estimates of the upward energy flux from these near-inertial packets were comparable to the downward fluxes from typical surface sources. Interpretation of the Greenland Sea section was complicated by ADCP sampling problems and a lack of Argos fixes, but the available data showed internal wave spectral levels that were intermediate between those of the Nansen Basin and Yermak Plateau and no evidence of upward-propagating near-inertial energy.
Soil contaminated with chromium by tannery sludge and identified by vis-NIR-mid spectroscopy techniques

Soil contamination is an ever-growing concern and demands efficient methods for diagnosis of areas under suspected contamination. Spectroscopy reflectance vis-NIR has been shown to be a reliable and environmentally friendly method for the rapid detection and monitoring of soil properties. Despite the use of vis-NIR it is necessary to test the effectiveness of other wavelengths (mid-IR 4000–400 cm−1). We aim with this study to (1) evaluate the contamination of Cr applied by tannery sludge and CrCl3·6H2O in tropical soils through sequential extraction procedures and spectroscopy techniques; (2) identify parameters of soil spectral variation (vis-NIR-mid) associated with Cr and explore their viability in the evaluation of contaminated soils; and (3) investigate the feasibility of using soil spectral data and chemometrics methods to predict Cr in soils. Results indicate that metal adsorption to soil constituents caused expressive changes in soil spectral curves, showing differentiation between highly contaminated soils and those that are relatively contaminant-free. Cr content can be predicted by spectroscopy reflectance in vis-NIR-mid data. The mid-IR models of Cr outperformed vis-NIR. Organic matter played a more important role in determining soil spectral signatures than the mineralogical characteristics of soils, especially in those with high organic carbon content.
Impact of high-fat diet and exposure to constant light on reproductive competence of female ICR mice

ABSTRACT Obesity and exposure to light at night are prevalent in modern society and associated with changes in physiology and behavior that can affect a female's ability to support offspring growth during pregnancy and lactation. A 2X3 factor study of ICR mice was conducted to determine the effect of diet [control (CON; 10% fat) or high fat (HF; 60% fat)] and exposure to regular 12 h light:dark cycles (LD) or continuous low (L5) or high (L100) lux of light on gestation length, birth litter size, milk composition and litter growth to lactation day 12. HF diet reduced birth litter size, but increased postnatal d 12 litter weight (P<0.05), whereas constant light tended to increase litter weight (P=0.07). Continuous light increased gestation length, altered dam feed intake, increased serum prolactin and increased final dam and mammary gland weight (P<0.05), while decreasing mammary ATP content and milk lactose (P<0.05). Correlation analysis indicated a positive relationship between final litter weight and mammary size, metabolic stores (e.g. maternal fat pad weight), kcal of feed intake, and gestation length (P<0.05). Although CON mice spent more time eating than HF dams, the calorically dense HF diet was related to greater rates of litter growth to peak lactation. Constant light circadian disrupting effects appear to be confounded by a potential long day photoperiod response exemplified by higher circulating levels of prolactin and increased body and mammary weight of females exposed to these conditions. Other model systems may be better to study the interacting effects of obesity and circadian disruption on reproductive competence.
Radiocarbon and stable carbon isotopic evidence for transport and transformation of dissolved organic carbon, dissolved inorganic carbon, and CH4 in a northern Minnesota peatland

To elucidate the roles of hydrology and vegetation in below ground carbon cycling within peatlands, radiocarbon values were obtained for pore water dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), CH4, and peat from the Glacial Lake Agassiz peatland. The major implication of this work is that the rate of microbial respiration within a peat column is greater than the peat decomposition rate. The radiocarbon content of DOC at both bog and fen was enriched relative to solid‐phase peat by ∼150‐300‰ consistent with the advection of recently photosynthesized DOC downward into the peat column. Fen Δ14C values for DIC and CH4 closely track the Δ14C of pore water DOC at depth, indicating that this recent plant production was the predominant substrate for microbial respiration. Aceticlastic methanogenesis apparently dominated the upper third of the peat column (α = 1.05), shifting toward CO2 reduction with depth (1.05 < α < 1.08). Upwelling groundwater contributed as much as 15% of the DIC to the bulk DIC pool at depth in the fen. The similarity of Δ14C values for DIC and CH4 suggests that methanogens utilized DIC from this source as well as DIC produced in situ. Bog Δ14C values for pore water DIC and CH4 differ by ≤ 15‰ at all depths and are depleted in 14C relative to DOC by ∼100‰, suggesting microbial utilization of a mixture of older and modern substrates. CO2 reduction was the primary pathway for methanogenesis at all depths in the bog (α = 1.08), and groundwater influence on bulk DIC was negligible. For both sites, Δ14C−DIC and Δ14C−CH4 are approximately equal at depths where stable isotope data indicate a predominance of CO2 reduction and dissimilar when acetate fermentation is indicated.