Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human Gait Analysis in Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Review

This paper reviews the recent literature on technologies and methodologies for quantitative human gait analysis in the context of neurodegenerative diseases. The use of technological instruments can be of great support in both clinical diagnosis and severity assessment of these pathologies. In this paper, sensors, features and processing methodologies have been reviewed in order to provide a highly consistent work that explores the issues related to gait analysis. First, the phases of the human gait cycle are briefly explained, along with some non-normal gait patterns (gait abnormalities) typical of some neurodegenerative diseases. Then the paper reports the most common processing techniques for both feature selection and extraction and for classification and clustering. Finally, a conclusive discussion on current open problems and future directions is outlined.
The in vivo dissolution of tricalcium silicate bone cement.

This study aimed to investigate the in vivo dissolution of tricalcium silicate (Ca3 SiO5 , C3 S) bone cement in the rabbit femoral defect. Results indicated that C3 S paste directly integrated with the bone tissue without the protection of the bone-like apatite. Calcium silicate hydrate gel (C-S-H gel) and Ca(OH)2 were the main components of C3 S paste. The dissolution model of C3 S paste was a mass loss rather than a decrease in volume. The initial dissolution of C3 S paste (0 ~ 6 weeks) was greatly attributed to the release of Ca(OH)2 , and the later dissolution (>6 weeks) was attributed to the decalcification of C-S-H gel. Although the mass of C3 S paste could decrease by more than 19 wt % after 6 weeks of implantation, the created pores (<1 μm) were not large enough for the bone tissue to migrate into C3 S paste. The loss of Ca ions also resulted in the transformation of SiO4 tetrahedrons from Q1 and Q2 to Q0 , Q3 , and Q4 in C-S-H gel. Because only isolated SiO4 tetrahedrons (Q0 ) and Ca ions could be absorbed by the bone tissue, C3 S paste gradually transformed into a silica-rich gel. The fundamental reason for no decrease in volume of C3 S paste was that the SiO4 tetrahedron network still maintained the frame structure of C3 S paste during the implantation.
Macrophages-induced IL-18–mediated eosinophilia promotes characteristics of pancreatic malignancy

The current study presents first CP murine model that show IL-18–induced eosinophil inflammation-mediated induction of oncogenic proteins and several pathological malignant characteristics. Reports indicate that accumulated macrophages in the pancreas are responsible for promoting the pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis (CP). Recently, macrophage-secreted cytokines have been implicated in promoting pancreatic acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM). This study aims to establish the role of accumulated macrophage-activated NLRP3-IL-18-eosinophil mechanistic pathway in promoting several characteristics of pancreatic malignancy in CP. We report that in a murine model of pancreatic cancer (PC), accumulated macrophages are the source of NLRP3-regulated IL-18, which promotes eosinophilic inflammation-mediated accumulation to periductal mucin and collagen, including the formation of ADM, pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanINs), and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm. Most importantly, we show improved malignant characteristics with reduced levels of oncogenes in an anti–IL-18 neutralized and IL-18 gene deficient murine model of CP. Last, human biopsies validated that NLRP3-IL-18–induced eosinophils accumulate near the ducts, showing PanINs formation in PC. Taken together, we present the evidence on the role of IL-18–induced eosinophilia in the development of PC phenotype like ADM, PanINs, and ductal cell differentiation in inflammation-induced CP.
Study of potentiality of dexamethasone and its derivatives against Covid-19

Abstract In December 2019, COVID-19 epidemic was reported in Wuhan, China, and subsequently the infection has spread all over the world and became pandemic. The death toll associated with the pandemic is increasing day by day in a high rate. Herein, an effort has been made to identify the potentiality of commercially available drugs and also their probable derivatives for creation of better opportunity to make more powerful drugs against coronavirus. This study involves the in-silico interactions of dexamethasone and its derivatives against the multiple proteins of SARS-CoV-2 with the help of various computational methods. Descriptor parameters revealed their non-toxic effect in the human body. Ultimately docking studies and molecular dynamic simulation on those target protein by dexamethasone and its derivatives showed a high binding energy. Dexamethasone showed −9.8 kcal/mol and its derivative D5 showed −12.1 kcal/mol binding energy. Those scores indicate that dexamethasone has more therapeutic effect on SARS CoV-2 than other currently used drugs. Derivatives give the clue for the synthesis of a novel drug to remove SARS CoV-2. Until then, dexamethasone will be used as a potential inhibitor of SARS CoV-2. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Impact of Hydrogen Bonding on Dynamics of Hydroxyl-Terminated Polydimethylsiloxane

Dielectric spectroscopy, rheology, and differential scanning calorimetry were employed to study the effect of chain-end hydrogen bonding on the dynamics of hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane. We demonstrate that hydrogen bonding has a strong influence on both segmental and slower dynamics in the systems with low molecular weights. In particular, the decrease in the chain length leads to an increase of the glass transition temperature, viscosity, and fragility index, at variance with the usual behavior of nonassociating polymers. The supramolecular association of hydroxyl-terminated chains leads to the emergence in dielectric and mechanical relaxation spectra of the so-called Debye process traditionally observed in monohydroxy alcohols. Our analysis suggests that the hydroxyl-terminated PDMS oligomers may associate in brush-like or chain-like structures, depending on the size of their covalent chains. The effective length of the linear-associated chains was estimated from the rheological measurements.
Twitter Users’ Views on Mental Health Crisis Resolution Team Care Compared With Stakeholder Interviews and Focus Groups: Qualitative Analysis

Background Analyzing Twitter posts enables rapid access to how issues and experiences are socially shared and constructed among communities of health service users and providers, in ways that traditional qualitative methods may not. Objective To enrich the understanding of mental health crisis care in the United Kingdom, this study explores views on crisis resolution teams (CRTs) expressed on Twitter. We aim to identify the similarities and differences among views expressed on Twitter compared with interviews and focus groups. Methods We used Twitter’s advanced search function to retrieve public tweets on CRTs. A thematic analysis was conducted on 500 randomly selected tweets. The principles of refutational synthesis were applied to compare themes with those identified in a multicenter qualitative interview study. Results The most popular hashtag identified was #CrisisTeamFail, where posts were principally related to poor quality of care and access, particularly for people given a personality disorder diagnosis. Posts about CRTs giving unhelpful self-management advice were common, as were tweets about resource strains on mental health services. This was not identified in the research interviews. Although each source yielded unique themes, there were some overlaps with themes identified via interviews and focus groups, including the importance of rapid access to care. Views expressed on Twitter were generally more critical than those obtained via face-to-face methods. Conclusions Traditional qualitative studies may underrepresent the views of more critical stakeholders by collecting data from participants accessed via mental health services. Research on social media content can complement traditional or face-to-face methods and ensure that a broad spectrum of viewpoints can inform service development and policy.
Long‐term effects of stress resilience: Hippocampal neuroinflammation and behavioral approach in male rats

Resilience to stress is the ability to quickly adapt to adversity. There is evidence that exposure to prolonged stress triggers neuroinflammation what produces individual differences in stress vulnerability. However, the relationship between stress resilience, neuroinflammation, and depressive‐like behaviors remains unknown. The aim of this study was to analyze the long‐term effects of social defeat stress (SDS) on neuroinflammation in the hippocampus and depressive‐like behaviors. Male rats were subjected to the SDS paradigm. Social interaction was analyzed 1 and 2 weeks after ending the SDS to determine which animals were susceptible or resilient to stress. Neuroinflammation markers glial fibrillary acidic protein, ionized calcium‐binding adaptor molecule 1, and elevated membrane permeability in astrocytes and microglia, as well as depressive‐like behaviors in the sucrose preference test and forced swim test were evaluated in all rats. One week after SDS, resilient rats increased their sucrose preference, and time spent in the floating behavior decreased in the forced swim test compared to susceptible rats. Surprisingly, resilient rats became susceptible to stress, and presented neuroinflammation 2 weeks after SDS. These findings suggest that SDS‐induced hippocampal neuroinflammation persists in post‐stress stages, regardless of whether rats were initially resilient or not. Our study opens a new approach to understanding the neurobiology of stress resilience.
Solanum nigrum Line inhibits osteoclast differentiation and suppresses bone mineral density reduction in the ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis model

Bone homeostasis is maintained by osteoclasts that absorb bone and osteoblasts that form bone tissue. Menopausal osteoporosis is a disease associated with aging and hormonal changes due to menopause causing abnormal activation of osteoclasts, resulting in a decrease in bone density. Existing treatments for osteoporosis have been reported to have serious side effects, such as jawbone necrosis and breast and uterine cancer; therefore, their use by patients is decreasing, whilst studies focusing on alternative treatments are increasingly popular. Solanum nigrum Line (SL) has been used as a medicinal plant that possesses several pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory and hepatotoxic protective effects. To the best of our knowledge, however, its effects on osteoporosis and osteoclasts have not been demonstrated previously. In the present study, the anti-osteoporotic effect of SL was investigated using a postmenopausal model of osteoporosis in which Sprague-Dawley rat ovaries were extracted. In addition, the inhibitory effects on osteoclast differentiation and function of SL was confirmed using an osteoclast model treated with receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) on murine RAW 264.7 macrophages. In vivo experiments showed that SL reduced the decrease in bone mineral density and improved changes in the morphological index of bone microstructure, such as trabecular number and separation. In addition, the number of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase-positive cells in the femur and the expression levels of nuclear factor of activated T-cells cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1) and cathepsin K protein were inhibited. In vitro, SL suppressed RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption ability; this was mediated by NFATc1/c-Fos, a key transcription factor involved in osteoclast differentiation, ultimately inhibiting expression of various osteoclast-associated genes. These experimental results show that SL may be an alternative treatment for osteoporosis caused by abnormal activation of osteoclasts in the future.
Predictive Value of Gross Extranodal Extension for Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma Persistence/Recurrence

Objective We systematically investigated the predictive value of gross extranodal extension (gENE) for differentiated thyroid carcinoma persistence/recurrence. Study Design Retrospective study. Setting A tertiary care hospital. Methods This study was divided into 2 groups according to gENE status: the gENE group and non-gENE group. We compared the disease persistence/recurrence rates of these 2 groups in the entire cohort and by individual risk group (intermediate/high risk), analyzed whether gENE was an independent risk factor for disease persistence/recurrence, and explored the impact of gENE-specific features on disease persistence/recurrence. Results There were 989 patients who satisfied the inclusion criteria: 57 patients in the gENE group and 932 in the non-gENE group. The disease persistence/recurrence rate of the gENE group was higher than that of the non-gENE group in the entire cohort and by individual risk group (P < .05 for each). Unexpectedly, the outcomes of the gENE group with intermediate risk were similar to those of the non-gENE group with high risk (P = .72). For the entire cohort, gENE was an independent predictor for disease persistence/recurrence (odds ratio, 2.89; 95% CI, 1.39-6.00; P = .005). Specific features of gENE (P > .05 for each) were not related to disease persistence/recurrence. Conclusion Patients with gENE and intermediate risk might be regraded as high risk. Specific features of gENE have no impact on disease persistence/recurrence.
REDD+ and leakage: debunking myths and promoting integrated solutions

ABSTRACT A corporate appetite for greenhouse gas reduction from nature-based solutions, in general, and REDD+, in particular, is driving a rapidly growing voluntary carbon market. The interest to invest in solutions that avoid or reduce deforestation holds the potential to significantly support national efforts to achieve the Paris Agreement’s temperature goals. However, controversy over leakage coupled with confusion and insufficient understanding of spill-over and displacement effects risk holding back necessary investments. This article seeks to shed light on different concepts surrounding leakage, including underlying dynamics and possible solutions on how to address them. In doing so, it makes the case for integrating avoided deforestation projects into national REDD+ strategies and highlights the need for a multi-level and multi-actor approach towards REDD+. Leakage occurs at all levels of implementation of REDD+ activities, at the project, programme and policy level, and both within and beyond national boundaries. Local leakage can largely be controlled through project design that analyses and addresses the proximate causes of leakage and underlying drivers, however, leakage is more difficult to avoid at the programme or policy level. Market leakage is particularly complex and harder to manage, but can – to a certain extent – be modelled and accounted for. Successful REDD+ efforts will combine demand-side measures with national or jurisdictional programmes that support governance reforms and integrate local investments in nature-based solutions and avoided deforestation projects. Key policy insights Emissions leakage is a ubiquitous phenomenon in climate mitigation that occurs at all levels of implementation. However, it is of particular concern in the case of REDD+, where reduced deforestation in one geographical area can lead to an increase in forest loss in another area. Leakage has to be managed and monitored at different scales: locally through avoided deforestation projects that address local drivers of deforestation; nationally through well-designed REDD+ policies; and internationally, among others, through demand-side standards in countries importing forest-risk commodities. Larger-scale programmes that link government interventions with efforts to eliminate deforestation from commodity supply chains, conservation efforts and avoided deforestation projects can limit leakage while helping to integrate various conservation and financing strategies. ‘Nesting’ of avoided deforestation projects into larger REDD+ programmes, at sub-national or national scale, allows for the integration of greenhouse gas accounting across different scales of implementation.
Effects of simulated acid rain on leaching of phosphorus,Ca~(2+),Al~(3+) and Fe~(2+) from lateritic red soils

A soil column method was applied to study influences of simulated acid rain(SAR) on leaching characteristics of dissolved phosphorus(DP),Ca2+,Al3+ and Fe2+ in lateritic red soils in south China.The results revealed that compared to the control,the change of leaching pH was not so obvious(P0.05),but large amounts of leaching losses of Ca2+,Al3+ and Fe2+ were caused by SAR,and the amounts of Ca2+,Al3+ and Fe2+ were all increased with the decrease of SAR pH.The amounts of Al3+ and Fe2+ were increased dramatically when the pH of SAR is 2.0. While as the time elapsed,the amount of leaching phosphorus was increased at first and then decreased slowly,and the total amount of leaching phosphorus also had the same trend when the pH of SAR was decreased.The amount of water soluble P leaching was increased when pH was larger than 4.0 and was decreased when pH was less than 4.0. The results of correlation analysis showed that the amounts of Al3+ and Fe2+ had dramatically negative correlation with the leaching phosphorus(r1=-0.6531,r2=-0.5107). The more the acid rain released active iron and aluminum,the more active phosphorus adsorption and fixation of soils.
The Effects of Frequency, Variability, and Co-occurrence on Category Formation in Neural Systems

Abstract Objects are grouped into categories through a complex combination of statistical and structural regularities. We sought to better understand the neural responses to the structural features of object categories that result from implicit learning. Adult participants were exposed to 32 object categories that contained three structural properties: frequency, variability, and co-occurrences, during an implicit learning task. After this exposure, participants completed a recognition task and were then presented with blocks of learned object categories during fMRI sessions. Analyses were performed by extracting data from ROIs placed throughout the fusiform gyri and lateral occipital cortex and comparing the effects of the different structural properties throughout the ROIs. Behaviorally, we found that symbol category recognition was supported by frequency, but not variability. Neurally, we found that sensitivity to object categories was greater in the right hemisphere and increased as ROIs were moved posteriorly. Frequency and variability altered the brain activation while processing object categories, although the presence of learned co-occurrences did not. Moreover, variability and co-occurrence interacted as a function of ROI, with the posterior fusiform gyrus being most sensitive to this relationship. This result suggests that variability may guide the learner to relevant co-occurrences and this is supported by the posterior ventral temporal cortex. Broadly, our results suggest that the internal features of the categories themselves are key factors in the category learning system.
Introgression dynamics from invasive pigs into wild boar following the March 2011 natural and anthropogenic disasters at Fukushima

Natural and anthropogenic disasters have the capability to cause sudden extrinsic environmental changes and long-lasting perturbations including invasive species, species expansion and influence evolution as selective pressures force adaption. Such disasters occurred on 11 March 2011, in Fukushima, Japan, when an earthquake, tsunami and meltdown of a nuclear power plant all drastically reformed anthropogenic land use. Using genetic data, we demonstrate how wild boar (Sus scrofa leucomystax) have persevered against these environmental changes, including an invasion of escaped domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus). Concurrently, we show evidence of successful hybridization between pigs and native wild boar in this area; however in future offspring, the pig legacy has been diluted through time. We speculate that the range expansion dynamics inhibit long-term introgression and introgressed alleles will continue to decrease at each generation while only maternally inherited organelles will persist. Using the gene flow data among wild boar, we assume that offspring from hybrid lineages will continue dispersal north at low frequencies as climates warm. We conclude that future risks for wild boar in this area include intraspecies competition, revitalization of human-related disruptions and disease outbreaks.
A mathematical model of the dynamics of lymphatic filariasis in Caraga Region, the Philippines

Despite being one of the first countries to implement mass drug administration (MDA) for elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) in 2001 after a pilot study in 2000, the Philippines is yet to eliminate the disease as a public health problem with 6 out of the 46 endemic provinces still implementing MDA for LF as of 2018. In this work, we propose a mathematical model of the transmission dynamics of LF in the Philippines and a control strategy for its elimination using MDA. Sensitivity analysis using the Latin hypercube sampling and partial rank correlation coefficient methods suggests that the infected human population is most sensitive to the treatment parameters. Using the available LF data in Caraga Region from the Philippine Department of Health, we estimate the treatment rates r1 and r2 using the least-squares parameter estimation technique. Parameter bootstrapping showed small variability in the parameter estimates. Finally, we apply optimal control theory with the objective of minimizing the infected human population and the corresponding implementation cost of MDA, using the treatment coverage γ as the control parameter. Simulation results highlight the importance of maintaining a high MDA coverage per year to effectively minimize the infected population by the year 2030.
Synthesis of AlAs and AlAs–GaAs Core–Shell Nanowires

The growth of free-standing AlAs nanowires on GaAs (111)B substrates by chemical beam epitaxy is presented. Nanowire growth was achieved by employing trimethylaluminium and tertiarybutylarsine as metal–organic precursors and Au as catalyst. Different temperature and group III partial pressure values were examined to investigate the growth mechanism. Furthermore, synthesis of a GaAs shell is proposed as a way to protect the AlAs nanowires from rapid oxidization. In situ reflection high energy electron diffraction analysis and ex situ scanning and transmission electron microscopy studies were performed on both AlAs and AlAs–GaAs core–shell nanowires in order to assess crystal perfection and structure of the nanowires.