Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Elecsys Cerebrospinal Fluid Assays Accurately Distinguish Alzheimer’s Disease from Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are heterogeneous in their clinical presentation and underlying pathology, but they often have overlapping features. Diagnostic accuracy is critical for guiding patient management. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diagnostic assays for the differentiation of AD and FTLD may increase diagnostic accuracy. In this study, we aimed to understand the potential role of CSF biomarkers and biomarker ratios, measured using Elecsys® CSF immunoassays (Roche Diagnostics International Ltd, Rotkreuz, Switzerland), in the differential diagnosis of AD and FTLD. This study was conducted at a single center in Munich, Germany between July 2019 and July 2020. Patient CSF samples were retrospectively collected from the study center biobank. A total of 130 patients with cognitive impairment were included in the study; 86 patients were diagnosed with AD and 44 with FTLD (behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia, and non-fluent variant of primary progressive aphasia), based on core clinical criteria and a non-CSF biomarker, a typical pattern of regional hypometabolism on [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. Patient CSF biomarker concentrations were measured using Elecsys CSF immunoassays. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were conducted to determine areas under the curve (AUCs) for CSF biomarker performance. Sensitivity and specificity analyses were conducted to evaluate the performance of established cut-offs (Aβ42 ≤1000 pg/mL, pTau181/Aβ42 ratio >0.024, and tTau/Aβ42 ratio >0.28) and optimized cut-offs based on Youden’s index. AUC-based performance was similarly good for the pTau181/Aβ42 ratio (AUC=0.841; 95% CI: 0.759–0.923), pTau181/Aβ40 ratio (AUC=0.837; 95% CI: 0.754–0.919), Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio (AUC=0.829; 95% CI: 0.746–0.912), tTau/Aβ42 ratio (AUC=0.822; 95% CI: 0.736–0.908), pTau181/Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio (AUC=0.817; 95% CI: 0.734–0.901), and Aβ42 (AUC=0.812; 95% CI: 0.722–0.902). Performance was slightly lower for the tTau/Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio (AUC=0.799; 95% CI: 0.713–0.885), pTau181 alone (AUC=0.793; 95% CI: 0.707–0.880), tTau/Aβ40 ratio (AUC=0.751; 95% CI: 0.657–0.844), and tTau alone (AUC=0.706; 95% CI: 0.613–0.799). The highest qualitative performance was observed with the pTau181/Aβ42 ratio with an established cut-off value of >0.024 and optimized cut-off value of >0.022: sensitivity and specificity values were 0.892 and 0.773, respectively. Elecsys CSF immunoassays demonstrate good diagnostic accuracy in differentiating patients with AD from those with FTLD. These immunoassays have the potential to support clinical decision making, i.e. in diagnosing patients with FTLD by excluding patients with amyloid positivity, which is indicative of underlying AD.
Comparing estrogen-based hormonal contraceptives and hormone therapy on bone mineral density in women with premature ovarian insufficiency: a systematic review

Abstract Importance: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a condition associated with estrogen deficiency which leads to decreased bone mineral density and an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Estrogen-based hormone therapy is an integral component of treatment; however, to date the ideal hormone formulation for optimizing bone health has not been established. Objective: To assess the effects of estrogen-based oral contraceptives (OCP) versus hormone therapy (HT) on bone mineral density (BMD) in women with POI. Evidence Review: A systematic review of Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases was conducted from conception until December 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies that met inclusion criteria were included in the analysis. Risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale for cohort studies and the Cochrane Risk of Bias for RCTs. The study protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews and adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. Findings: Our search yielded 1,227 studies; 3 RCTs and 2 observational cohort studies met inclusion criteria and were included in our study. The largest subpopulation was Turner Syndrome (n = 625), followed by idiopathic POI (n = 146). Of the four studies that assessed changes in BMD, two studies reported a significant increase in lumbar spine BMD with HT compared with OCP (+0.050 g/cm2, P < 0.025; +0.019 g/cm2, P < 0.01), one study found similar improvement in lumbar spine BMD across treatments (HT −0.003 g/cm2, P = 0.824), and one study did not directly compare treatments. Effects on bone turnover markers were inconsistent across three studies that evaluated this outcome. Conclusions and Relevance: This is the first systematic review to include studies that directly compared OCP and HT on bone outcomes in POI. While two studies reported increased lumbar spine BMD with HT, this result was not consistently found across studies. There were important differences in POI etiology, treatment regimens and formulations, and risk of bias was high in many of the studies. These results indicate future, larger-scale trials are needed to further understand the optimal hormone therapy for bone density in POI.
Evidence for acoustic discrimination in lemurs: A playback study on wild indris Indri indri

Abstract Indris Indri indri are group-living lemurs that occupy stable territories over several years and perform remarkable long-distance vocal displays. Vocal exchanges between long-term territory neighbors may contribute to assessing reciprocal resource-holding potentials, thus adaptively reducing the costs of territorial defense by limiting aggressive escalation. Previous work showed that indris’ songs show distinctive acoustic features at individual and group level. However, the possibility that indris use such cues for individual or group-level recognition has never been investigated experimentally. We conducted a playback experiment to test whether indris discriminate between familiar and nonfamiliar songs. Our rationale lies in the hypothesis of the dear enemy phenomenon, which predicts that territorial animals will show reduced aggression levels toward familiar neighbors compared with novel rivals. We played back stimulus recordings to wild indris from their territory boundaries and examined their responses in terms of vocal and behavioral indicators of willingness to engage in a fight. In line with our predictions, focal animals responded more rapidly and approached more often the speaker in response to playback stimuli of nonfamiliar individuals than to stimuli of neighboring groups. These results indicate that indris can discriminate between different classes of intruders based on distinctive acoustic features of their song choruses. We suggest that increased aggression directed toward unfamiliar intruders may be explained by higher threat levels associated with dispersal and group formation dynamics. We further discuss the relevance of these findings in a strepsirrhine primate model for comparative studies of vocal communication and sociality.
Numerical-based studies on hydraulic vibration of pipe flow in hydropower systems

Hydraulic vibrations of pipe flow in hydropower stations cause stability and reliability issues, or can result in local damage and operating accidents in hydraulic, structural, mechanical, electrical and associated power systems. Based on a comprehensive analysis focusing on hydraulic vibration in water conveyance system and relevant instability issues, key advances in numerical-based hydraulic vibration analysis for water conveyance systems are presented, including improved evaluation of hydraulic vibration characteristics, and new analytical models for pipe flow and analytical simulation of self-excited vibration; furthermore, the vibration reduction mechanism of the surge tank is concisely analysed. In addition, reliability-based hydraulic vibration analysis is preliminarily discussed. This detailed exploration helps to reveal the hydraulic vibration characteristics of the water conveyance system and then solve the possible hydraulic vibration problems, and shows that it is important to include hydraulic vibration analysis in engineering design.
Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin and Its Association to Cardiovascular Risk Factors in an Italian Adult Population Cohort

Abnormal sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and sex hormone concentrations are the cause or the consequence of cardiometabolic diseases, however, the clinical correlates of SHBG is clearly less understood. In our study we investigate sex- and age-specific serum SHBG levels and their association with cardiovascular risk (CVR) factors and high-risk conditions in an adult cohort of Italian population. Data from 1176 men and 2236 women, aged 20–81 were analyzed and serum SHBG determined in stored samples using an immunoassay. SHBG concentrations, higher in women than in men in the younger age groups, exhibited a curvilinear increase with age in men and a U-shaped curve across the lifespan in women, with a decrease from the 2nd to the 6th decade of age and an increase after the 6th decade when SHBG concentrations were similar in both sexes. Low SHBG serum levels correlated with the traditional CVR factors diabetes, obesity, and hypertension, whereas high level of SHBG correlated with cholesterol HDL. These associations were more numerous in women than in men, in whom decreased with age. The sex- and age specific differences observed in our population-based cohort should be considered in establishing reference ranges and clinical cut-off points to improve CVR score charts and therapeutic approaches.
A 0.4–6 GHz Receiver for Cellular and WiFi Applications

A wideband RF receiver employs a multi-loop architecture to ease the tradeoff between noise and linearity, a new method of harmonic rejection that relaxes gain and phase matching requirements, and a new op amp topology to achieve a wide bandwidth with low power consumption. Furthermore, multiple techniques are introduced to improve the out-of-band and in-band linearity, input matching, and stability. Fabricated in 28-nm CMOS technology, the prototype accommodates channel bandwidths from 200 kHz to 160 MHz and exhibits a noise figure of 2.1–4.42 dB while drawing 23–49 mW. It demonstrates an out-of-band IIP3 of 2.8–9.8 dBm and provides more than 60 dB of rejection for blockers at the third and fifth harmonics of the LO.
Isolation, Identification, and Susceptibility Profile of E. coli, Salmonella, and S. aureus in Dairy Farm and Their Public Health Implication in Central Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2018 to May 2019 in Bishoftu and Dukem in central part of Ethiopia. The objectives of the present study were to isolate and identify S. aureus, E. coli, and Salmonella from dairy cattle, personnel, and equipment at farms. In addition to this, antimicrobial resistance profiles of the isolates were determined. A total of 607 samples consisting of fresh cow milk (125), fecal sample (211), nasal swab (211), pooled milkers' hand swabs (20), pooled floor swabs (20), and tank milk (20) samples were collected from 20 dairy farms, which included 211 animals. Structured questionnaire was designed and administered to dairy farm owners and dairy food consumers to assess their consumption behavior and antibiotics usage. The samples were examined for the presence of S. aureus, E. coli, and Salmonella following standard techniques and procedures outlined by the International Organization for Standardization. Subsequently, 62 (15.7%) of S. aureus were isolated from 396 of the totals analyzed samples for S. aureus. Out of the 62 isolated S. aureus, 35/211(16.7%), 19/125(15.2%), 6/20(30%), 2/20(10%), and 0/20(0%) were from nasal swabs, udder milk, bulk milk, pooled hand swab, and floor swabs, respectively. On the other hand, 30 (7.6%) of E. coli were isolated from 396 of the totals analyzed samples for E. coli. Out of the 30 isolated E. coli, 17/211(8.1%), 12/125(9.6%), 0/20(0%), 0/20(0%), and 1/20(5%) were from faeces, udder milk, bulk milk, pooled hand swab, and floor swabs, respectively. In line with this, 13 (4.8%) of Salmonella were isolated from 271 of the totals analyzed samples for Salmonella. Out of the 13 isolated Salmonella, 10/211(4.7%), 2/20(10%), 0/20(0%), and 1/20(5%) were from faeces, bulk milk, pooled hand swab, and floor swabs, respectively. Subsequently, 62 of S. aureus, 30 of E. coli, and 13 of Salmonella isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and all isolates were resistant to at least one or more antimicrobials tested. Penicillin, methicillin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole are drugs to which a large proportion of isolated S. aureus were highly resistant, which range from 90% to 100%. From 30 tested E. coli, they showed (83%) resistance to Tetracycline and 80% to Vancomycin. The resistance level of 13 isolated Salmonella was 69% to Nalidixic acid and 54% to Vancomycin. Multiple drug resistance was detected in high (98.4%) for S. aureus, (56.7%) for E. coli, and (53.9%) for Salmonella. High proportion of multiple drug resistant in the dairy farm alerts concern for animal and public health as these drugs are used widely for treatment and prophylaxis in animals and humans.
Comparative Study on Removal Efficiency of Methylene Blue from Wastewater by using Nano-Scaled Sugarcane Bagasse Ash and Jema Silica Sand

The widely available and easily accessible natural resources are very important to remove organic dyes from wastewater. Here in this work, Methyele Blue (MB) removal efficiency of Jemma Silica Sand (JSS) and Sugar Cane Bagasse ash (SCBA) from aqueous solutions was investigated. The XRD patterns revealed that both JSS and SCBA are crystalline, but the crystalline size of JSS is 56.27 nm and that of SCBA is 70.90 nm. In addition to the percentage of silicon dioxide in JSS was 98% and in that of SCBA was 71.5% as confirmed by XRF results. The morphology and elemental composition of the two materials were revealed by SEM and EDX. The MB removal efficiency of SCBA (~99.14%) is greater than that of JSS (~93.75) because of its higher porosities nature. The adsorption of MB by SCBA follows the Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model indicating chemisorption. Therefore, SCBA is promising absorbent for removing MB from wastewater because of its efficient, cost-effectiveness, and environmentally friendly nature.
ASSESSMENT OF THE GENETIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN UDDER HEALTH AND MILK TRAITS PRODUCTION IN RELATION TO SELECTION FOR IMPROVING RESISTANCE TO MASTITIS IN FRIESIAN COWS IN EGYPT

Genetic parameters were estimated by multitrait REML programme using an animal model for udder health traits [clinical mastitis (MAST) and somatic cell counts (SCC)] and milk yield traits [305day milk yield (MY), 305day fat yield (FY) and 305day protein yield (PY)] in the first three lactations of 4015 Friesian cows records calved first from 2000 to 2005 at Sakha farm. The mixed model used in the analysis included the fixed effects of month and year of calving, and parity and the random effects of additive genetics, maternal permanent environment and residual. For each lactation, heritability estimates for MAST (0.13 to 0.20) were slightly higher than those for SCC (0.08 to 0.15) and were from 0.21 to 0.35 for milk yield traits. Heritability estimates for all lactations were 0.21, 0.11, 0.33, 0.29 and 0.29 for MAST ,SCC ,MY ,FY and PY ,respectively. The genetic correlations between MAST and SCC being 0.72 for 1 , 0.79 for 2 and 0.83 for 3 lactations indicated that both traits were genetically favorably associated and selection for low SCC will reduce the incidence of mastitis. The genetic correlations between udder health traits and milk yield traits were mildly positive (0.27 to 0.55) confirming a genetic antagonism between production and udder health traits in this herd. Genetic correlations for each trait across lactations were positive and high for all traits studied, MAST (0.70 to 0.93), SCC (0.84 to 0.91) and milk traits (0.88 to 0.99). The strongest correlations were between second and third lactation for all investigated traits. The positively high genetic correlations between both MAST and SCC in subsequent lactations suggested that susceptibility to mastitis remains unchangeable by advanced of age. For all lactations, genetic correlations were slightly lower than subsequent lactations. Estimates of permanent environmental variances as proportions of phenotypic variances were, 0.09, 0.39, 0.11, 0.22 and 0.23 for MAST, SCC, MY, FY and PY, respectively. Selection of the cow on the basis of their expected breeding values should cause reduction in the incidence MAST and SCC, and increase MY, FY and PY. The accuracy of the index that included SCC and MAST with MY was about 7 times higher than that of other indices. It is emergent to include udder health traits in the breeding programme by using SCC as a criterion for selection for mastitis resistance.
Codon usage signatures in Sabia and Chapare for host adaptation

Sabia and Chapare viruses in the Arenavirus family cause viral hemorrhagic fever among humans with a fatality rate of 30% with no treatment models. Therefore, it is of interest to document the codon usage, amino acid patterns and associated factors influencing the observed variations in Sabia and Chapare viruses for host adaptation. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed compositional constraint and host selection pressure influencing the viral codon usage patterns. These data suggests the codon usage signatures in Sabia and Chapare viruses for host adaptation in the human host implying its role in the rapid progression of the infection. Dinucleotides UpG and CpA were noted to be over-represented among the Sabia, Chapare viruses and human genomes. Strong restraint from the usage of CpG dinucleotides among viruses is linked with the molecular mimicry of the human immune system. Thus, the data reported from this study help in understanding the mechanism of viral adaptation inside the host genome for further consideration in drug discovery.
Benchmarking Consumer Data and Privacy Knowledge in Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

: Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) and their features are integrating into the conventional personal vehicle market, irrevocably transforming the definition of a vehicle. However, consumers have been routinely omitted from stakeholder research and their understanding of CAV’s data implications has been understudied. This paper addresses this through benchmarking the consumer’s current data and privacy knowledge with a survey, focus group, and analysis of privacy provisions available to consumers from manufacturers, where it found the materials insufficient. Using thematic analysis, this consultation of 168 survey respondents from 14 countries established the consumer’s need to be ‘Informed’, with further sub-themes of ‘Given Information’, ‘Information Requirements’, ‘Privacy Communications’, and ‘Privacy Control’. A follow-up focus group of 6 participants identified a further four themes of ‘Disinterest’, ‘Distrust’, ‘Impact’, and ‘Vehicle Perception’. This paper recommends industry prioritisation of consumer education and engagement with data privacy to maximise public trust, including the introduction of vehicle specific data protection legislation, government level assurance of manufacturer compliance, and use of the manufacturer’s app to control privacy. Consumers purchasing a vehicle must be made aware of its data transmission, collection, and protection technologies.
Carcass Composition and Physicochemical Characteristics of Meat from Pork Chains Based on Native and Hybrid Pigs

The purpose of the research was to investigate the carcass composition, meat quality and chemical composition of pigs from two pork chains for the production of traditional dry/cured products in Croatia. The trial involved 24 Black Slavonian barrows reared outdoors (NAT chain) and 24 PIC hybrid barrows kept under industrial conditions (INT chain); all animals were raised to 160 kg of live weight. After slaughter, carcass and meat quality traits were measured and samples for chemical composition were taken. After that, a full dissection of the carcasses was performed. The pigs from the INT pork chain had leaner carcasses, higher bone percentages, and lower fatness levels than the NAT carcasses. Pigs from the NAT chain exhibited a more desirable meat quality. No differences were found in moisture, and samples from the INT chain exhibited higher collagen and protein percentage. Muscles from the NAT chain had higher IMF and MUFA levels, and the SFA content was lower than in INT pork. Despite the superior carcass traits of the pigs from the INT chain, pigs from the NAT chain demonstrated better suitability for the production of dry/cured products.
An Exogenous Pre-Storage Melatonin Alleviates Chilling Injury in Some Mango Fruit Cultivars, by Acting on the Enzymatic and Non-Enzymatic Antioxidant System

Melatonin (MT) treatment (100 µM, 2 h) was applied to four mango fruit cultivars (‘Langra’, ‘Chaunsa’, ‘Dashehari’, and ‘Gulab Jamun’), before being stored at 5 ± 1 °C for 28 d, in order to alleviate chilling injury (CI). Maximum CI reduction was observed in ‘Langra’ mangoes, and minimum in ‘Gulab Jamun’ mangoes. This positive effect on quality preservation was associated with an increased concentration of endogenous MT, which prevented the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (H2O2 and O2·−) and stimulated non-enzymatic antioxidants (total phenolic compounds and total flavonoids), possibly due to higher activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase and tyrosine ammonia lyase. Increased antioxidant activity was also documented in MT-treated ‘Langra’ mangoes, according to four different assays (DPPH, TEAC, FRAP, and CUPRAC) and higher activity of six antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and dehydroascorbate reductase). In contrast, ‘Gulab Jamun’ mangoes showed minimal or no positive effects on the aforementioned variables in response to the exogenous MT application. ‘Chaunsa’ and ‘Dashehari’ mangoes had some intermediate effects on their antioxidant system (enzymatic and non-enzymatic) and alleviation of CI, when treated with exogenous MT. We conclude that exogenous MT exerts a cultivar-dependent stimulating effect on the antioxidant system of mangoes, which results in an increase in the fruits’ resistance to low temperature.
A Novel Key Exchange Protocol using Logic Algebra for the Factorization Problem

: Our current key exchange protocols are at risk of failing to keep private data secret due to advancements in technology. Therefore, there is a need to develop an efficient and secure key exchange protocol which can function in the new computing era to come. In this paper, we propose and develop a novel key exchange protocol based on logic algebra for the factorization problem. Both the security analysis and experimentation evaluation demonstrate promising results of our proposed approach.