Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vascular Auscultation of Carotid Artery: Towards Biometric Identification and Verification of Individuals

Background: Biometric sensing is a security method for protecting information and property. State-of-the-art biometric traits are behavioral and physiological in nature. However, they are vulnerable to tampering and forgery. Methods: The proposed approach uses blood flow sounds in the carotid artery as a source of biometric information. A handheld sensing device and an associated desktop application were built. Between 80 and 160 carotid recordings of 11 s in length were acquired from seven individuals each. Wavelet-based signal analysis was performed to assess the potential for biometric applications. Results: The acquired signals per individual proved to be consistent within one carotid sound recording and between multiple recordings spaced by several weeks. The averaged continuous wavelet transform spectra for all cardiac cycles of one recording showed specific spectral characteristics in the time-frequency domain, allowing for the discrimination of individuals, which could potentially serve as an individual fingerprint of the carotid sound. This is also supported by the quantitative analysis consisting of a small convolutional neural network, which was able to differentiate between different users with over 95% accuracy. Conclusion: The proposed approach and processing pipeline appeared promising for the discrimination of individuals. The biometrical recognition could clinically be used to obtain and highlight differences from a previously established personalized audio profile and subsequently could provide information on the source of the deviation as well as on its effects on the individual’s health. The limited number of individuals and recordings require a study in a larger population along with an investigation of the long-term spectral stability of carotid sounds to assess its potential as a biometric marker. Nevertheless, the approach opens the perspective for automatic feature extraction and classification.
Sandwich Structures Reflecting Thermal Radiation Produced by the Human Body

Far infrared (FIR) textiles are a new category of functional textiles that have presumptive health and well-being functionality and are closely related to human thermo-physiological comfort. FIR exerts strong rotational and vibrational effects at the molecular level, with the potential to be biologically beneficial. In general, after absorbing either sunlight or heat from the human body, FIR textiles are designed to transform the energy into FIR radiation with a wavelength of 4–14 μm and pass it back to the human body. FIR textiles can meet increased demand for light, warm, comfortable, and healthy clothing. The main aim of this research is to describe the procedure for creating the FIR reflective textile layer as part of multilayer textile structures that have enhanced thermal protection. To develop the active FIR reflecting surface, the deposition of copper nanolayer on lightweight polyester nonwoven structure Milife, which has beneficial properties of low fiber diameters, good shape stability and comfort, was used. This FIR reflective layer was used as an active component of sandwiches composed of the outer layer, insulation layer, active layer, and inner layer. The suitable types of individual layers were based on their morphology, air permeability, spectral characteristics in the infra-red region, and thermal properties. Reflectivity, transmittance, and emissivity were evaluated from IR measurements. Human skin thermal behavior and the prediction of radiation from the human body dependent on ambient conditions and metabolic rate are also mentioned. The FIR reflective textile layer created, as part of multilayer textile structures, was observed to have enhanced thermal protection.
Acral lentiginous melanoma with HER2/ErbB2 amplification

EJD, vol. 31, n◦ 4, July-August 2021 suggests that retrograde spread of the virus from a primary nipple condyloma is possible. The spread may also be due to leakage of HPV to the blood circulation from a primary infected site [4, 5]. In case of clinical suspicion of associated malignancy, breast ultrasound examination or MRI should be performed, especially in women. In our patient, the absence of relevant history and clinical atypia did not prompt additional investigations. However, close follow-up is recommended in order to detect associated skin malignancies due to comorbidities on the one hand, and to treat recurrences on the other.
Review: Veratrum californicum Alkaloids

Veratrum spp. grow throughout the world and are especially prevalent in high mountain meadows of North America. All parts of Veratrum plants have been used for the treatment of ailments including injuries, hypertension, and rheumatic pain since as far back as the 1600s. Of the 17–45 Veratrum spp. , Veratrum californicum alkaloids have been proven to possess favorable medicinal properties associated with inhibition of hedgehog (Hh) pathway signaling. Aberrant Hh signaling leads to proliferation of over 20 cancers, including basal cell carcinoma, prostate and colon among others. Six of the most well-studied V. californicum alkaloids are cyclopamine (1), veratramine (2), isorubijervine (3), muldamine (4), cycloposine (5), and veratrosine (6). Recent inspection of the ethanolic extract from V. californicum root and rhizome via liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry has detected up to five additional alkaloids that are proposed to be verazine (7), etioline (8), tetrahydrojervine (9), dihydrojervine (10), 22-keto-26-aminocholesterol (11). For each alkaloid identified or proposed in V. californicum, this review surveys literature precedents for extraction methods, isolation, identification, characterization and bioactivity to guide natural product drug discovery associated with this medicinal plant.
The ecology of electricity and electroreception

Electricity, the interaction between electrically charged objects, is widely known to be fundamental to the functioning of living systems. However, this appreciation has largely been restricted to the scale of atoms, molecules, and cells. By contrast, the role of electricity at the ecological scale has historically been largely neglected, characterised by punctuated islands of research infrequently connected to one another. Recently, however, an understanding of the ubiquity of electrical forces within the natural environment has begun to grow, along with a realisation of the multitude of ecological interactions that these forces may influence. Herein, we provide the first comprehensive collation and synthesis of research in this emerging field of electric ecology. This includes assessments of the role electricity plays in the natural ecology of predator–prey interactions, pollination, and animal dispersal, among many others, as well as the impact of anthropogenic activity on these systems. A detailed introduction to the ecology and physiology of electroreception – the biological detection of ecologically relevant electric fields – is also provided. Further to this, we suggest avenues for future research that show particular promise, most notably those investigating the recently discovered sense of aerial electroreception.
Sauchinone inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells by suppressing Akt-CREB-MMP13 signaling pathway

Abstract Sauchinone, a lignan isolated from Saururus chinenesis, is known to exhibit anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. Recently, sauchinone has been reported to inhibit the growth of various cancer cells, but its effects on breast cancer cells remain poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the effects of sauchinone on the growth of breast cancer cells along with the underlying molecular mechanisms. Our results show that sauchinone treatment markedly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells. Sauchinone reduced the phosphorylation of Akt, ERK, and CREB increased by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). In particular, sauchinone treatment suppressed the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 (MMP13) by regulating the Akt-CREB signaling pathway. Sauchinone was less effective in inhibiting cell migration in Mmp13-knockdown cells than in control cells, suggesting that MMP13 may be a novel target for sauchinone. Our study suggests that sauchinone inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells by attenuating the Akt-CREB-MMP13 pathway. In addition, the targeted inhibition of MMP13 by sauchinone represents a promising approach for the treatment of breast cancer.
Adverse Childhood Experiences: Are They Associated With Greater Risk of Elder Abuse Victimization?

Though a growing number of studies have examined the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and negative later-life health outcomes, the effects of these early life-course factors on elder abuse victimization have yet to be fully investigated. Using a life-course perspective, this study examines the associations between ACEs and elder abuse victimization. We used data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in Beijing, China. A total of 1,002 older adults were included in this study. Retrospective self-report items were used to measure ACEs and elder abuse victimization in later life. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to examine the associations between ACEs and elder abuse victimization. Five types of ACEs (i.e., socio-economic difficulty of the original family, parental divorce, frequent quarrels between parents, frequent physical punishment by parents, and starvation) were associated with a higher risk of elder abuse victimization. After controlling for participants’ socio-demographic characteristics and adding these five types of ACEs simultaneously in the multivariate regression model, the poor socio-economic status of the original family (OR = 1.759, p < .05) and suffering frequent physical punishment inflicted by parents (OR = 2.288, p < .05) were found to be significantly associated with elder abuse victimization. To have multiple (at least 4) ACEs is a risk factor for elder abuse victimization as well (OR = 3.06, p < .001). This study provides evidence for ACEs as risk factors for elder abuse victimization. The findings highlight the importance of strengthening our understanding of the impacts of ACEs in both research and practice.
Does the timing of implant placement and loading influence biological outcomes of implant‐supported multiple‐unit fixed dental prosthesis—A systematic review with meta‐analyses

Abstract Objective To investigate the impact of timing of implant placement and loading on implant survival and biological outcomes of multiple‐unit implant‐supported fixed dental prosthesis (FDPs). Material and Methods A literature search was performed by three independent reviewers for studies reporting on ≥10 patients with FPDs supported by ≥two implants over ≥3 years of follow‐up. Data were analyzed on implant survival and biological complications as primary outcomes and biological events, including changes in peri‐implant marginal bone level (MBL), probing depth, soft‐tissue level, and health condition as secondary outcomes. Results 7002 titles were identified, 360 full‐texts were screened, and 14 studies were included. These comprised 6 randomized controlled studies (RCTs), 5 cohort studies, and 3 case series with identifiable implant placement and loading protocols in five of 09 possible combinations. All groups but one (IPIL) showed implant survival rates >90%. A meta‐analysis based on 3 RCTs found no differences in survival rate between DPIL and DPDL (p = .227). Conclusions High survival rates for all studied implant placement and loading combinations were shown for FPDs over ≥3 years of follow‐up. When a delayed implant placement protocol is applied, immediate or delayed loading demonstrated similar survival rates. The heterogeneity of the data did not allow to draw any further conclusions on the occurrence of biological complications related to timing of implant placement/loading.
Are Point Mutations in HMG-CoA Reductases (Hmg1 and Hmg2) a Step towards Azole Resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus?

Invasive aspergillosis, mainly caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, can lead to severe clinical outcomes in immunocompromised individuals. Antifungal treatment, based on the use of azoles, is crucial to increase survival rates. However, the recent emergence of azole-resistant A. fumigatus isolates is affecting the efficacy of the clinical therapy and lowering the success rate of azole strategies against aspergillosis. Azole resistance mechanisms described to date are mainly associated with mutations in the azole target gene cyp51A that entail structural changes in Cyp51A or overexpression of the gene. However, strains lacking cyp51A modifications but resistant to clinical azoles have recently been detected. Some genes have been proposed as new players in azole resistance. In this study, the gene hmg1, recently related to azole resistance, and its paralogue hmg2 were studied in a collection of fifteen azole-resistant strains without cyp51A modifications. Both genes encode HMG-CoA reductases and are involved in the ergosterol biosynthesis. Several mutations located in the sterol sensing domain (SSD) of Hmg1 (D242Y, G307D/S, P309L, K319Q, Y368H, F390L and I412T) and Hmg2 (I235S, V303A, I312S, I360F and V397C) were detected. The role of these mutations in conferring azole resistance is discussed in this work.
Non-linear additive twist of Fourier coefficients of $GL(3) \times GL(2)$ and $GL(3)$ Maass forms

Let $\lambda_{\pi}(m,n)$ be the Fourier coefficients of a Hecke-Maass cusp form $\pi$ for $SL(3,\mathbb{Z})$ and $\lambda_{f}(n)$ be the Fourier coefficients of Hecke-eigen form $f$ for $SL(2,\mathbb{Z})$. The aim of this article is to get a non-trivial bound on the sum which is non-linear additive twist of the coefficients $\lambda_{\pi}(m,n)$ and $\lambda_{f}(n)$. More precisely, for any $0<\beta<1$ and $\epsilon>0$, we have $$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \lambda_{\pi}(r,n) \, e\left(\alpha n^{\beta}\right) V\left(\frac{n}{X}\right) \ll_{\pi,\epsilon} \alpha \sqrt{\beta}r^{\frac{7}{6}}X^{\frac{3}{4}+\frac{9\beta}{28}+ \epsilon}. $$ and $$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \lambda_{\pi}(r,n) \, \lambda_{f}(n) \, e\left(\alpha n^{\beta}\right) V\left(\frac{n}{X}\right) \ll_{\pi, f,\epsilon} (\alpha \beta)^{\frac{3}{2}} rX^{\frac{3}{4}+\frac{29\beta}{44}+\epsilon},$$ where $V(x)$ is a smooth function supported in $[1,2]$ and satisfying $V^{(j)}(x) \ll_{j} 1$.
Oxyresveratrol modulates the immune response in vitro

Abstract The naturally occurring stilbenoid oxyresveratrol was shown to influence inflammatory and metabolic processes. During cellular immune activation, tryptophan breakdown and neopterin formation via the enzymes indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO-1) and GTP-cyclohydrolase, respectively, are induced. Neopterin and the kynurenine to tryptophan ratio are reliable and pertinent biomarkers of Th1-type immune response and are also used in vitro to monitor effects of active plant ingredients on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We investigated the effects of oxyresveratrol on the activity of the above-mentioned pathways in mitogen-stimulated human PBMC and in the myelomonocytic cell line THP-1. Oxyresveratrol exerted suppressive effects on tryptophan breakdown in both stimulated cell models. Of note, in PBMC, tryptophan breakdown was induced at lower concentrations (5–20 µM) and suppressed at higher treatment concentrations only. Neopterin formation was decreased dose-dependently in stimulated PBMC. In unstimulated PBMC similar, albeit lesser effects were observed. Data indicate that oxyresveratrol exerts distinct and concentration-dependent effects on different immune cell types. IDO-1 is targeted by oxyresveratrol and its activity can be modulated in both directions. Detailed investigations of the interactions would be interesting to fully explore the activity of this phytocompound.
A spiking network model for semantic representation and replay-based association acquisition

The ability to form and store several types of associations between representations of natural images is an area of ongoing research in artificial deep neural networks, which may be informed by biologically-inspired computational models. It is hypothesized that replay of sensory stimuli through cortical-hippocampal connections is responsible for training associations between events, as a powerful form of associative learning. While models of associative memories and sensory processing have been studied extensively, there is a potential for spiking models encompassing sensory processing, reasoning over associations, and learning representations which has not been previously demonstrated. Such networks would be suitable for reasoning and learning from visual data on neuromorphic hardware. In this work, we demonstrate a novel visual reasoning network capable of representing semantic relationships and learning new associations through replay-based association with spiking models using natural images. This is demonstrated through associations of natural images from Tiny Imagenet with a knowledge graph derived from WordNet, and we show that relations in the knowledge graph can be accurately traversed for multiple sequential queries. We also demonstrate learning of a novel association after replayed presentations of natural images. This represents a novel capability for machine learning and reasoning with spiking neural networks which may be amenable to neuromorphic hardware.
Dilemmas of Leadership and Capacity Building in a Research–Practice Partnership

Background Research–practice partnerships (RPPs) are proliferating in education, generating increasing interest and posing many challenges. In this study, we shed light on the challenge of supporting practitioners> leadership and building capacity in an RPP. In the RPP literature, practitioner leadership is often highlighted as both a way to improve design development and enactment and as imperative for capacity building and sustainability. However, cultivating leadership also creates challenges which have not yet been adequately explored. Purpose We explore these challenges and related dilemmas in a large-scale Israeli RPP designed to cultivate teacher leadership and build district capacity. We investigate how local actors asserted their leadership, the resources they drew upon, and the dilemmas this posed for us as researchers in an RPP. We critically reflect on how we addressed these dilemmas, and the consequences and implications of our courses of action. Setting This study explores our partnership with two large Israeli districts, as part of a state-wide professional development reform supported by the Ministry of Education and a philanthropic foundation. The partnership aims to support teachers> collaborative, reflective inquiry on teaching and learning, in weekly in-school meetings facilitated by in-school leading teacher. The partnership began six years ago and currently includes 158 schools (458 leading teachers). Research Design We use linguistic ethnographic methods to analyze leadership assertion in three focal cases, representing three different leadership roles, at different levels of the system: (1) a leading teacher demonstrating creative non-compliance in the team meetings she facilitated, (2) a coach exercising her voice and authority in her professional development workshops, (3) and a district manager independently shaping structures. Data Collection Data were collected during the first three years of the RPP, including (participant) observations, audio-recordings, and field notes of in-school meetings, professional development workshops, interviews, and informal conversations. Findings and Conclusions The analysis shows that leadership assertion played an important role in constructing actors’ identities as competent leaders but posed dilemmas for us, such as how to acknowledge leaders> expertise while also maintaining program integrity. The case studies underscore the difficulties involved in managing a partnership in a large-scale educational intervention and the challenges to maintaining productive dialogue with different partners. The paper advances our understanding of the complexities involved in supporting leadership at different levels of the system, in day-to-day interaction, and at multiple micro and macro contexts in which it unfolds, in particular in a large-scale RPP.
A Decade of Research on K–12 Teaching and Teacher Learning with Social Media: Insights on the State of the Field

Background and Context The increasingly widespread use of social media to expand one's social connections is a relatively new but important phenomenon that has implications for teaching, learning, and teachers’ professional knowledge and development in the 21st century. Educational research in this area is expanding, but further investigation is necessary to better determine how to best support teachers in their professional development, collaboration, and classroom teaching. Prior literature reviews have focused extensively on higher education settings or particular platforms or platform types (e.g., Facebook, microblogging). This article provides needed insights into K–12 settings and encompasses work from a variety of social media types. We describe a systematic review of more than a decade of educational research from various countries to present the state of the field in K–12 teachers’ use of social media for teaching and professional learning across various platforms. Research Questions To define social media's potentially beneficial roles in teaching and learning, we must first take an in-depth look at teachers’ current social media practices. Toward this end, we approached our review with the following research question: How are social media perceived and used by K–12 teachers for their teaching or professional learning, and with what impacts on teachers’ practices? Research Design Guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) established standards for rigor and quality in systematic literature reviews, this article reviews empirical research to examine how social media are perceived and used by K–12 teachers with what impacts on teachers’ practices. Findings We find that social media features offer several benefits for helping teachers fulfill their goals for classroom teaching, including enhancing student engagement, community connections, and teacher–student interactions, but these affordances come with challenges that must be navigated. The literature also suggests that social media features provide benefits for teachers’ professional learning within both formal professional development programs and informal learning networks. Conclusions Implications of this literature review for future research and the design of educational practices are discussed in the final section. Among our conclusions are calls for more data triangulation between teachers’ and students’ learning and experiences on social media, more attention to teachers’ observational behaviors on social media, and further exploration of how social media facilitates interplay between teachers’ formal and informal learning.