Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Editorial: Imaging Cerebrovascular Reactivity: Physiology, Physics and Therapy

Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, 3 Thornhill Research Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada, 4 Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States, 5 Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States, 6 School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Organoids and Their Use in Modeling Gut Epithelial Cell Lineage Differentiation and Barrier Properties During Intestinal Diseases

Maintenance of intestinal epithelium homeostasis is a complex process because of the multicellular and molecular composition of the gastrointestinal wall and the involvement of surrounding interactive signals. The complex nature of this intestinal barrier system poses challenges in the detailed mechanistic understanding of intestinal morphogenesis and the onset of several gut pathologies, including intestinal inflammatory disorders, food allergies, and cancer. For several years, the gut scientific community has explored different alternatives in research involving animals and in vitro models consisting of cultured monolayers derived from the immortalized or cancerous origin cell lines. The recent ability to recapitulate intestinal epithelial dynamics from mini-gut cultures has proven to be a promising step in the field of scientific research and biomedicine. The organoids can be grown as two- or three-dimensional structures, and are derived from adult or pluripotent stem cells that ultimately establish an intestinal epithelium that is composed of all differentiated cell types present in the normal epithelium. In this review, we summarize the different origins and recent use of organoids in modeling intestinal epithelial differentiation and barrier properties.
The Development of Teachers' and Their Students' Social and Emotional Learning During the “Learning to Be Project”-Training Course in Five European Countries

In recent years, the school curricula in many European countries have introduced social and emotional learning (SEL). This calls for the teachers to have SEL competencies. The present study evaluates teachers' and their students' readiness for SEL during an intervention in five European countries. The participants were teachers (n = 402) in five European countries; Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Spain. The pre- and post-measuring points for both the intervention and the comparison group were at approximately the same time before and after the intervention. Comparison data consisted of 159 teachers in the same countries. The training for the intervention group lasted 16 h for the teachers and a maximum of 16 h for the principles and headmasters. An additional 9 h of further monitoring took place. There were two student groups participating in the study: the age group of 8–11 years (pre puberty) and the age group of 12–15-years (adolescents). Students, whose teachers had participated in the intervention, formed the intervention group (n = 2,552). Those students, whose teachers did not participate in the intervention, formed the comparison group (n = 1,730). The questionnaire data were collected at the beginning and at the end of the school year for both age groups. The results indicated that there was a favorable development in the intervention group in some of the measured skills among students, but the effects were different for the two age groups. This study adds to both theoretical and practical development of continuing teacher training about SEL and its possible role in reducing problem behavior among the students.
Early Environmental and Biological Influences on Preschool Motor Skills: Implications for Early Childhood Care and Education

Early motor skills underpin the more complex and specialized movements required for physical activity. Therefore, the design of interventions that enhance higher levels of early motor skills may encourage subsequent participation in physical activity. To do so, it is necessary to determine the influence of certain factors (some of which appear very early) on early motor skills. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of some very early environmental variables (delivery mode, feeding type during the first 4 months of life) and some biological variables (sex and age in months) on preschool motor skills, considered both globally and specifically. The sample was composed by 43 preschool students aged 5–6 years. The participant's parents completed an ad hoc questionnaire, reporting on delivery mode, feeding type, sex, and age in months. The children's motor skills were assessed using observational methodology in the school setting, while the children participated in their regular motor skills sessions. A Nomothetic/Punctual/Multidimensional observational design was used. Results revealed that certain preschool motor skills were specifically influenced by delivery mode, feeding type, sex, and age. Children born by vaginal delivery showed higher scores than children born via C-section in throwing (p = 0.000; d = 0.63); total control of objects (p = 0.004; d = 0.97); total gross motor skills (p = 0.005; d = 0.95); and total motor skills (p = 0.002; d = 1.04). Children who were exclusively breastfed outperformed those who were formula-fed in throwing (p = 0.016; d = 0.75); visual-motor integration (p = 0.005; d = 0.94); total control of objects (p = 0.002; d = 1.02); total gross motor skills (p = 0.023; d = 0.82); and total motor skills (p = 0.042; d = 0.74). Boys outperformed girls in throwing (p = 0.041; d = 0.74) and total control of objects (p = 0.024; d = 0.63); while the opposite occurred in static balance (p = 0.000; d = 1.2); visual-motor coordination (p = 0.020; d = 0.79); and total fine motor skills (p = 0.032; d = 0.72). Older children (aged 69–74 months) obtained higher scores than younger ones (aged 63–68 months) in dynamic balance (p = 0.030; d = 0.66); visual-motor integration (p = 0.034; d = 0.63); and total balance (p = 0.013; d = 0.75). Implications for early childhood care and education are discussed since this is a critical period for motor skill development and learning.
Versatile Locomotion Planning and Control for Humanoid Robots

We propose a locomotion framework for bipedal robots consisting of a new motion planning method, dubbed trajectory optimization for walking robots plus (TOWR+), and a new whole-body control method, dubbed implicit hierarchical whole-body controller (IHWBC). For versatility, we consider the use of a composite rigid body (CRB) model to optimize the robot’s walking behavior. The proposed CRB model considers the floating base dynamics while accounting for the effects of the heavy distal mass of humanoids using a pre-trained centroidal inertia network. TOWR+ leverages the phase-based parameterization of its precursor, TOWR, and optimizes for base and end-effectors motions, feet contact wrenches, as well as contact timing and locations without the need to solve a complementary problem or integer program. The use of IHWBC enforces unilateral contact constraints (i.e., non-slip and non-penetration constraints) and a task hierarchy through the cost function, relaxing contact constraints and providing an implicit hierarchy between tasks. This controller provides additional flexibility and smooth task and contact transitions as applied to our 10 degree-of-freedom, line-feet biped robot DRACO. In addition, we introduce a new open-source and light-weight software architecture, dubbed planning and control (PnC), that implements and combines TOWR+ and IHWBC. PnC provides modularity, versatility, and scalability so that the provided modules can be interchanged with other motion planners and whole-body controllers and tested in an end-to-end manner. In the experimental section, we first analyze the performance of TOWR+ using various bipeds. We then demonstrate balancing behaviors on the DRACO hardware using the proposed IHWBC method. Finally, we integrate TOWR+ and IHWBC and demonstrate step-and-stop behaviors on the DRACO hardware.
Whole-Genome Analysis Reveals That the Nucleoid Protein IHF Predominantly Binds to the Replication Origin oriC Specifically at the Time of Initiation

The structure and function of bacterial chromosomes are dynamically regulated by a wide variety of nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) and DNA superstructures, such as DNA supercoiling. In Escherichia coli, integration host factor (IHF), a NAP, binds to specific transcription promoters and regulatory DNA elements of DNA replication such as the replication origin oriC: binding to these elements depends on the cell cycle but underlying mechanisms are unknown. In this study, we combined GeF-seq (genome footprinting with high-throughput sequencing) with synchronization of the E. coli cell cycle to determine the genome-wide, cell cycle-dependent binding of IHF with base-pair resolution. The GeF-seq results in this study were qualified enough to analyze genomic IHF binding sites (e.g., oriC and the transcriptional promoters of ilvG and osmY) except some of the known sites. Unexpectedly, we found that before replication initiation, oriC was a predominant site for stable IHF binding, whereas all other loci exhibited reduced IHF binding. To reveal the specific mechanism of stable oriC–IHF binding, we inserted a truncated oriC sequence in the terC (replication terminus) locus of the genome. Before replication initiation, stable IHF binding was detected even at this additional oriC site, dependent on the specific DnaA-binding sequence DnaA box R1 within the site. DnaA oligomers formed on oriC might protect the oriC–IHF complex from IHF dissociation. After replication initiation, IHF rapidly dissociated from oriC, and IHF binding to other sites was sustained or stimulated. In addition, we identified a novel locus associated with cell cycle-dependent IHF binding. These findings provide mechanistic insight into IHF binding and dissociation in the genome.
Editorial: Tumor Microenvironment: Molecular Mechanisms and Signaling Pathways Involved in Metastatic Progression

Despite important advances in cancer treatments, metastasis remains the major cause of cancer mortality. In the complex tumor microenvironment, several malignant and non-malignant cell types, as well as components of the extracellular matrix (ECM), interact together to promote the metastatic process (1, 2). Stromal cells, which are already present in the tumor microenvironment (TME), are recruited from distant sites and “educated” by cancer cells through a dynamic cross-talk involving growth factors, cytokines, chemokines, miRNAs, and exosomes (3, 4). These primed cells, including cancer-associated fibroblasts, tumor-associated mesenchymal stem cells, tumor-associated macrophages, and other immune cells acquire a pro-metastatic function that supports tumor cells in each step of the metastatic cascade (4). Importantly, the bi-directional communication between tumor microenvironment and cancer cells induces the epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) that in turn elicits profound morphological and functional changes in tumor cells, triggering a mesenchymal-like phenotype with higher invasive potential (5). A crucial step in the establishment of metastases includes the formation of a pre-metastatic niche where recruited stromal cells contribute to creating a favorable microenvironment that permits cancer cell seeding (6). To successfully germ in a distant site, cancer cells need to find nutrients, an ECM that can support their attachment, and stromal cells that help them with paracrine signaling to survive and proliferate in the new environment (1). Responding to this complex scenario, this Research Topic aims to bring together more recent studies and discoveries that shed light on the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways involved in the cross-talk between TME and cancer cells. The special issue on the “Tumor Microenvironment: Molecular Mechanisms and Signaling Pathways Involved in Metastatic Progression” includes 27 original articles, 11 review articles, and three mini-review articles, each of which advances knowledge in this field concerning different types of carcinomas.
Prednisone Reprograms the Transcriptional Immune Cell Landscape in CNS Autoimmune Disease

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used immunosuppressive drugs for autoimmune diseases, although considerable gaps exist between current knowledge of the mechanisms of GCs and their conclusive immune-regulatory effects. Here we generated a single-cell transcriptional immune cell atlas based on prednisone-treated or untreated experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) mice. Immune cells were globally activated in EAU, and prednisone partially reversed this effect in terms of cell composition, gene expression, transcription factor regulation, and cell-cell communication. Prednisone exerted considerable rescue effects on T and B cells and increased the proportion of neutrophils. Besides commonly regulated transcriptional factors (Fosb, Jun, Jund), several genes were only regulated in certain cell types (e.g. Cxcr4 and Bhlhe40 in T cells), suggesting cell-type-dependent immunosuppressive properties of GC. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms behind the properties and cell-specific effects of GCs and can potentially benefit immunoregulatory therapy development.
5-Year Clinical Outcomes of Successful Recanalisation for Coronary Chronic Total Occlusions in Patients With or Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Despite substantial improvement in chronic total occlusions (CTO) revascularization technique, the long-term clinical outcomes in diabetic patients with revascularized CTO remain controversial. Our study aimed to investigate the 5-year cardiovascular survival for patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for CTO. Methods: Data of the current analysis derived from a large single-center, prospective and observational cohort study, including 10,724 patients who underwent PCI in 2013 at Fuwai Hospital. Baseline, angiographic and follow-up data were collected. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), which consisted of death, recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), stroke and target vessel revascularization (TVR). The secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Cox regression analysis and propensity-score matching was performed to balance the baseline confounders. Results: A total of 719 consecutive patients with ≥1 successful CTO-PCI were stratified into diabetic (n = 316, 43.9%) and non-diabetic (n = 403, 56.1%) group. During a median follow-up of 5 years, the risk of MACCE (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08–2.00, P = 0.013) was significantly higher in the diabetic group than in the non-diabetic group, whereas the adjusted risk of all-cause mortality (HR 2.37, 95% CI 0.94–5.98, P = 0.068) was similar. In the propensity score matched population, there were no significant differences in the risk of MACCE (HR 1.27, 95% CI 0.92–1.75, P = 0.155) and all-cause mortality (HR 2.56, 95% CI 0.91–7.24, P = 0.076) between groups. Subgroup analysis and stratification analysis revealed consistent effects on 5-year MACCE across various subgroups. Conclusions: In patients who received successful CTO-PCI, non-diabetic patients were related to better long-term survival benefit in terms of MACCE. The risk of 5-year MACCE appeared to be similar in less-controlled and controlled diabetic patients after successful recanalization of CTO. Further randomized studies are warranted to confirm these findings.
Microalgal Diet Influences the Nutritive Quality and Reproductive Investment of the Cyclopoid Copepod Paracyclopina nana

Copepods represent an interesting alternative or a complement live food to brine shrimps and rotifers commonly used in aquaculture. They constitute the natural prey of many fish species and therefore do not require a potential nutritional enrichment. But an optimization of the microalgal diets used to feed copepods is essential to improve their mass culture. This study examined the effects of seven microalgal diets, namely single-species diets of Rhodomonas salina (R), Tisochrysis lutea (T), and Pavlova lutheri (=Diacronema lutheri) (P), two-species diets (R + T, T + P, and R + P), and a three-species diet (R + T + P), on the fatty acid and monosaccharide composition of the cyclopoid copepod Paracyclopina nana as well as its reproductive investment. Experiments were run during 15 days in 10-L beakers; starting with nauplii collected from a large 300-L batch culture. Copepods fatty acid contents were studied, particularly the relative amounts of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosa-pentaenoic acid (EPA). The R + T, R, and T diets induced the highest total fatty acid amount in copepods. R + T and R also generated the lowest DHA/EPA ratios in copepods due to high EPA contents. The highest value of total monosaccharides was found in copepods fed with R + T + P. Diets R + T and R induced the greatest prosome volumes and clutch volumes in ovigerous females. Both prosome volume and clutch volume in P. nana ovigerous females were correlated to the individual EPA amount. The results demonstrated that all diets including R. salina enhanced the productivity of P. nana in mass culture, particularly when combined with T. lutea. R. salina, and T. lutea induced complementary fatty acid and monosaccharide profiles, confirming that R + T represents the best microalgae combination for productive culture of P. nana. Conversely, P. lutheri did not enhance the nutritional profile nor the fecundity of P. nana in the culture. This study is the first to demonstrate that R. salina is a suitable microalga for productive mass culture of P. nana for use as live food in aquaculture.
SentiXGboost: enhanced sentiment analysis in social media posts with ensemble XGBoost classifier

ABSTRACT Sentiment Analysis has emerged as one of the most challenging and significant research directions in text mining. The first milestone of Sentiment Analysis involves identifying the polarity of sentiments in social media and classifying them as positive or negative. Most of the previous work on sentiment analysis has focused on designing a classifier, for a specific dataset, using supervised machine learning approaches and feature extraction methods. Notably, choosing the most appropriate classification technique to correctly classify the sentiment polarity of text is crucial. Thus, this study proposes a novel ensemble classifier approach, which utilizes a combination of multiple feature sets with ensemble classification by combining multiple base classifiers, which are weak learners, into an ensemble classifier. These feature sets include Bag of Words, Term Frequency–Inverse Document Frequency, Part of Speech, N-gram, Opinion Lexicon, and Term Frequency. The experiments confirm that the proposed ensemble method outperforms all individual classifiers and significantly improves the overall sentiment classification performance on the most frequently used datasets in Sentiment Analysis.
SCATSAT-1 backscattering coefficient over distinct land surfaces and its dependence on soil moisture and vegetation dynamics

ABSTRACT The objective Table 1of this study is to examine the potential of SCATSAT-1 data for estimating the soil moisture and vegetation over the continental regions by evaluating the variabilities in backscattering coefficients measured over different land surface types. The SCATSAT-1 is Ku-band wind Scatterometer, which provides backscattering coefficient measurements over the globe in HH and VV polarization at fixed incidence angles. Variabilities in the backscatter coefficients over different land surfaces, mainly over four different geo-climatological regions of India, are studied based on 3 years of SCATSAT-1 dataset in conjunction with other collocated measurements. The SCATSAT-1 backscattering coefficient provides the quantitative measure of the seasonality over a region due to unique distribution of soil moisture and vegetation characteristics of that region. The variabilities in soil moisture and vegetation in these regions are compared and applicability of change detection method for estimating the soil moisture over these regions has been analysed. Based on regression analysis on SMOS measured soil moisture and SCATSAT-1 measured backscattering coefficient, a relationship has been established for the soil moisture estimation from the SCATSAT-1 backscattering coefficient.
‘Taste the value of each note’: verbal teaching strategies in guitar masterclasses

ABSTRACT Our study examines the impact of student performance level, student gender and content matter on the verbal strategies (literal language, technical instruction and images and metaphors) teachers use in guitar masterclasses. After recording and transcribing 60 guitar masterclasses, of which 40 were selected for the final sample, we operationalised the variables as follows: independent judges evaluated students’ performance levels, and the content taught and the verbal strategies used by teachers were categorised using the software NVivo 10. Statistical tests (two-way ANOVA, the Mann–Whitney U-test and the Kruskal–Wallis test) suggested that the content presented by the teacher may determine the type of verbal strategy used in the classroom. The results indicate that music education research has used images and metaphors as an umbrella concept, and this may hide specificities of the teacher's verbal discourse.
Natural Products from Marine Invertebrates and Microorganisms in Brazil between 2004 and 2017: Still the Challenges, More Rewards

The Brazilian marine biodiversity represents a unique, yet underexplored resource of biologically active compounds. This review provides an analysis of the development of marine natural products chemistry in Brazil within the period comprised between 2004 and 2017. Emphasis is directed towards marine invertebrate and marine microorganisms metabolites, including isolation, structure analysis, biosynthesis, bioactivities and total synthesis. An overview of the research on marine natural products by Brazilian researchers is also discussed, as well as perspectives for the development of the chemistry of marine natural products in Brazil.