Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Prospective Evaluation of Grip Strength Comparing a Low-Tech Method to Dynanometry in Preoperative Surgical Patients and Weak Intensive Care Patients

Objective Grip strength testing offers a mechanism to identify patients in whom frailty might be present, discriminate between robust elderly and vulnerable younger patients, and can be used as a tool to track changes in muscle bulk over the course of an inpatient stay. We compared gold-standard quantitative grip strength measurement to a low-tech alternative, a manual bedside sphygmomanometer. Design Under supervision, subjects performed hand-grip strength testing with each instrument. A mean score is calculated from three measurements on the dominant and nondominant hand. Setting. Testing was performed in a tertiary centre in Perth, Western Australia, in both outpatient clinics and intensive care units. Participants. 51 adult pre-operative surgical outpatients were assessed, alongside 20 intensive care inpatients identified as being weak. Main outcome measures. A statistical correlation between the two measures was evaluated. Feasibility, safety, and convenience were also assessed in outpatient and bedside settings. Results Highly correlated results in both tertiary surgical outpatients (rs = 0.895, p ≤ 0.001, N = 102; r (100) = 0.899, p ≤ 0.001) and weak intensive care patients (rs = 0.933, p ≤ 0.001, N = 39 r (37) = 0.935, p ≤ 0.001) Conclusions Modifying a manual bedside sphygmomanometer to measure grip strength is feasible and correlates well with a formal dynamometer in preadmission surgical patients and weak patients in the intensive care unit. The use of an existing, safe, and available device removes barriers to the measurement of weakness in patients and may encourage uptake of objective measurement in multiple settings.
Comparative Analysis of Risk in Euro-Area Sovereign Yields Comparative Analysis of Risk in Euro-Area Sovereign Yields

Abstract What risk premia exist in Euro-area sovereign yields, and how big are they? What are the similarities and differences across countries? This paper aims to answer these questions for eight Euro countries by using Kalman filtering to decompose their sovereign yields into the following premia: a short-rate and term premium, a default premium, a liquidity premium, and a segmentation premium. The main finding is that countries with similar credit ratings and yield magnitudes tend to exhibit similar patterns, and that on average, countries that were especially affected by the European Debt Crisis (Italy, Portugal, Spain) tend to have default premia that account for more than 50% of their sovereign yields. ABSTRACT What risk premia exist in Euro-area sovereign yields, and how big are they? What are the similarities and differences across countries? This paper aims to answer these questions for eight Euro countries by using Kalman filtering to decompose their sovereign yields into the following premia: a short-rate and term premium, a default premium, a liquidity premium, and a segmentation premium. The main finding is that countries with similar credit ratings and yield magnitudes tend to exhibit similar patterns, and that on average, countries that were especially affected by the European Debt Crisis (Italy, Portugal, Spain) tend to have default premia that account for more than 50% of their sovereign yields.
Stock Market Volatility, Speculative Short Sellers and Weekend Eﬀect: International Evidence

We test the Chen and Singal (2003) hypothesis that speculative short sellers add to the selling pressure on Mondays, and hence add to the weekend effect, by examining evidence from 60 market indices. We find strong evidence that, until about a decade ago, the actions of short sellers could explain the weekend ef- fect. Recently, however, the relationship between short sales and the weekend effect is gradually dissi-pating in developed markets, probably due to the cross-market hedges of short sellers. These findings strongly support, rather than weaken, the Chen and Singal hypothesis.
Justifying Scaled-Dot Product Attention

Zachary’s karate club (ZKC) is a social network of a university karate club, described in the paper "An Information Flow Model for Conflict and Fission in Small Groups" by Wayne W. Zachary. A social network captures 34 members of a karate club, documenting links between pairs of members who interacted outside the club. During the study a conflict arose between the officer/ administrator ("John A") and the instructor "Mr. Hi", which led to the split of the club into two. Half of the members formed a new club around Mr. Hi; members from the other part found a new instructor or gave up karate. Based on collected data Zachary correctly assigned all but one member of the club to the groups they actually joined after the split. You could read more about it here https://www.jstor. org/stable/ 3629752, and here https://commons.wikimedia. org/wiki/File:Social_Network_Model_ of_Relationships_in_the_Karate_Club. png
An Osteological Study of Spina Bifida in the Nariokotome Homo erectus Skeleton

Spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect apparent at birth, has been sporadically documented in paleopathological analyses. It occurs most frequently in the sacrum and has clinical manifestations ranging from mild to severe. However, reporting and interpreting spina bifida from archaeological sacral remains has been difficult because no consensus has been reached about the anatomical indicators of sacral spina bifida. Such a diagnosis is also complicated by the fact that the sacrum is the most variable region of the spine, with many of the morphometric variants being considered normal. This project explored sacral variation in a fossil hominin specimen designated KNM-WT 15000, also known as Nariokotome Boy. This Homo erectus skeleton had been initially suggested to be pathological, due to exhibiting traces of congenital skeletal abnormalities, including spina bifida. However, it has become a subject of controversy, as more recent studies refute this claim. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate these competing claims through the comparative analysis of sacral morphology in KNMWT 15000 and two prehistoric reference samples from the archaeological sites of Tepe Hissar and Hasanlu in modern-day Iran. The results indicate that the sacrum of KNM-WT 15000 falls within normal morphometric variation compared to the reference samples except in the first sacral vertebra, where an occurrence of spina bifida could be suggested.
Shexiang Baoxin Pill (MUSKARDIA) reduces major adverse cardiovascular events in women with stable coronary artery disease: A subgroup analysis of a phase IV randomized clinical trial

Background A previous phase IV trial revealed sex as a potential effect modifier of MUSKARDIA efficacy in stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Objective To assess the clinical effect of MUSKARDIA as a supplemental treatment to optimal medical therapy (OMT) in stable CAD cases. Methods This study was a subgroup analysis of a multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase IV clinical study. Eligible individuals underwent randomization to the oral MUSKARDIA and placebo groups and were treated for 24 months. All participants received OMT according to existing guidelines. The primary composite outcome was the major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), included cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), or non-fatal stroke. The secondary composite outcome encompassed all-cause mortality, non-fatal MI, non-fatal stroke, hospitalization for unstable angina and/or heart failure, and undergoing coronary procedure/surgery during treatment. Safety signals, especially cardiovascular adverse events (AEs), were analyzed. Results The female subgroup included 776 participants (384 and 392 in the MUSKARDIA and placebo groups, respectively). The occurrence of the primary composite outcome was lower in the MUSKARDIA group compared with placebo-treated individuals (HR = 0.27, 95%CI: 0.09–0.83; P = 0.02), but the secondary composite outcome showed no significant difference (HR = 0.77, 95%CI: 0.47–1.25; P = 0.29). The MUSKARDIA group had reduced incidence of cardiovascular AEs compared with placebo-treated cases (2.9% vs. 5.6%). Conclusion As a supplemental treatment to OMT, 24-month administration of MUSKARDIA is effective and safe in female stable CAD cases. Clinical trial registration [https://clinicaltrials.gov/], identifier [NCT01897805].
Case report and literature review: Novel compound heterozygous FIG4 variants causing both of peripheral and central nervous system defects

Background Pathogenic variants in the FIG4 gene have been described to be associated with a diverse spectrum of syndromes, such as autosomal recessive bilateral temporooccipital polymicrogyria (OMIM 612691), autosomal dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-11 (ALS11; OMIM 612577), autosomal recessive Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, type 4J (CMT4J; OMIM 611228), and autosomal recessive Yunis-Varon syndrome (YVS; OMIM 216340). Heterozygous FIG4 variants are responsible for ALS11 characterized by progressive muscular weakness, atrophy, and bulbar palsy. CMT4J is a disorder of peripheral nervous system defects mainly presenting with a highly variable onset of proximal and/or distal muscle weakness. YVS is a disorder of severe neurological involvement with central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction and extensive skeletal anomalies. Case Presentation We reported two Chinese siblings born with a weakness in all limbs. They experienced rapidly progressive weakness in distal limbs. At the age of 6 years, the elder brother presented with severe scoliosis and cervical kyphosis. They both had global developmental delay and a CNS involvement with cognitive deficits and swallowing problems. Genetic screening in the patients' family for inherited diseases was recommended. Novel compound heterozygous variants in the FIG4 gene (c.2148delTinsAA and c.317A > G) were found by whole-exome sequencing in the patients. These variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing in family members. Conclusions Herein, we reported two Chinese male patients with CMT4J who presented with abnormal CNS features. CMT4J with CNS involvement has been very rarely reported. We hoped this study could expand the phenotypic and genetic spectrum of FIG4-related diseases. And we helped physicians to understand the genotype–phenotype correlation.
Construction of survival prediction model for elderly esophageal cancer

Background The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of EPEC and to construct a prediction model based on the SEER database. Methods All EPECs from the SEER database were retrospectively analyzed. A comprehensive and practical nomogram that predicts the overall survival (OS) of EPEC was constructed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to explore the clinical factors influencing the prognosis of EPEC, and finally, the 1 -, 3 - and 5-year OS were predicted by establishing the nomogram. The discriminant and predictive ability of the nomogram was evaluated by consistency index (C-index), calibration plot, area under the curve (AUC), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical value of the nomogram. Results A total of 3478 patients diagnosed with EPEC were extracted from the SEER database, and the data were randomly divided into the training group (n=2436) and the validation group (n=1402). T stage, N stage, M stage, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, age, grade, and tumor size were independent risk factors for 1 -, 3 - and 5-year OS of EPEC (P< 0.05), and these factors were used to construct the nomogram prediction mode. The C-index of the validation and training cohorts was 0.718 and 0.739, respectively, which were higher than those of the TNM stage system. The AUC values of the nomogram used to predict 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS were 0.751, 0.744, and 0.786 in the validation cohorts (0.761, 0.777, 0.787 in the training cohorts), respectively. The calibration curve of 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS showed that the prediction of the nomogram was in good agreement with the actual observation. The nomogram exhibited higher clinical utility after evaluation with the 1-, 2-, and 3-year DCA compared with the AJCC stage system. Conclusions This study shows that the nomogram prediction model for EPEC based on the SEER database has high accuracy and its prediction performance is significantly better than the TNM staging system, which can accurately and individually predict the OS of patients and help clinicians to formulate more accurate and personalized treatment plans.
“Non-healing” claw horn lesions in dairy cows: Clinical, histopathological and molecular biological characterization of four cases

The increasing prevalence of bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) contributes to a higher occurrence of secondary infections of exposed corium with Treponema spp. in bovine claws. “Non-healing” claw horn lesions (NHL) clinically resemble BDD lesions. They are severe, cause chronic lameness, and may persist for several months. They poorly respond to standard treatments of BDD and represent a serious welfare issue. In this study, four cases of NHL were classified clinically either as BDD-associated axial horn fissures (BDD-HFA; n = 3) or BDD-associated sole ulcer (BDD-SU; n = 1). In all four cases, pronounced multifocal keratinolysis of the stratum corneum, ulceration, and severe chronic lymphoplasmacytic perivascular to interstitial dermatitis were observed. All lesional samples tested positive for Treponema spp. , Fusobacterium (F.) necrophorum, and Porphyromonas (P.) levii by PCRs. BDD-HFA lesions contained Treponema pedis as revealed by genetic identities of 93, 99, and 100%. Treponemes in the BDD-SU lesion were 94% homologous to Treponema phylotype PT3. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed extensive epidermal infiltration by treponemes that made up > 90% of the total bacterial population in all four lesions. FISH also tested positive for P. levii and negative for F. necrophorum in all four cases, whilst only one BDD-HFA contained Dichelobacter nodosus. Our data point to BDD-associated treponemes and P. levii constituting potential etiological agents in the development of “non-healing” claw horn lesions in cattle.
Intratracheal inoculation results in Brucella-associated reproductive disease in male mouse and guinea pig models of infection

Brucella species are considered a significant cause of reproductive pathology in male and female animals. Importantly, Brucella melitensis can induce reproductive disease in humans. Reproductive pathogenesis and evaluation of newly developed countermeasures against brucellosis studies have traditionally utilized female animal models. However, any potential, new intervention for use in humans would need to be evaluated in both sexes. Therefore, animal models for male reproductive brucellosis are desperately needed to understand disease progression. Accordingly, we evaluated guinea pigs and mice using B. melitensis 16 M in an intratracheal model of inoculation at different stages of infection (peracute, acute, and chronic) with an emphasis on determining the effect to the male reproductive organs. Aerosol inoculation resulted in colonization of the reproductive organs (testicle, epididymis, prostate) in both species. Infection peaked during the peracute (1-week post-infection [p.i.]) and acute (2-weeks p.i.) stages of infection in the mouse in spleen, epididymis, prostate, and testicle, but colonization was poorly associated with inflammation. In the guinea pig, peak infection was during the acute stage (4-weeks p.i.) and resulted in inflammation that disrupted spermatogenesis chronically. To determine if vaccine efficacy could be evaluated using these models, males were vaccinated using subcutaneous injection with vaccine candidate 16 MΔvjbR at 109 CFU/100 μl followed by intratracheal challenge with 16 M at 107. Interestingly, vaccination efficacy varied between species and reproductive organs demonstrating the value of evaluating vaccine candidates in multiple models and sexes. Vaccination resulted in a significant reduction in colonization in the mouse, but this could not be correlated with a decrease in inflammation. Due to the ability to evaluate for both colonization and inflammation, guinea pigs seemed the better model not only for assessing host-pathogen interactions but also for future vaccine development efforts.
A spectral sequence for symplectic homology

We construct a spectral sequence converging to symplectic homology of a Lefschetz fibration whose E1 page is related to Floer homology of the monodromy symplectomorphism and its iterates. We use this to show the existence of fixed points of certain symplectomorphisms.
Identification of essential genes in Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis genome for persistence in dairy calves

To cause disease Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis needs to enter mammalian cells, arrest phagosomal maturation and manipulate the host immune system. The genetic basis of the bacterial capacity to achieve these outcomes remains largely unknown. Identifying these genes would allow us to gain a deeper understanding of MAP’s pathogenesis and potentially develop a live attenuated Johne’s disease vaccine by knocking out these genes. MAP genes demonstrated to be essential for colonization in the natural host, ruminants, are unknown. Genome-wide transposon mutagenesis and high-throughput sequencing were combined to evaluate the essentiality of each coding region in the bacterial genome to survive in dairy calves. A saturated library of 3,852 MAP Tn mutants, with insertions in 56% of TA sites, interrupting 88% of genes, was created using a MycoMarT7 phagemid containing a mariner transposon. Six calves were inoculated with a high dose of a library of MAP mutants, 1011 CFUs, (input) at 2 weeks of age. Following 2 months of incubation, MAP cells were isolated from the ileum, jejunum, and their associated lymph nodes of calves, resulting in approximately 100,000 colonies grown on solid media across 6 animals (output). Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to identify the disrupted genes in all the mutants in the input pool and the output pool recovered from the tissues to identify in vivo essential genes. Statistical analysis for the determination of essential genes was performed by a Hidden Markov Model (HMM), categorizing genes into essential genes that are devoid of insertions and growth-defect genes whose disruption impairs the growth of the organism. Sequence analysis identified 430 in vivo essential and 260 in vivo growth-defect genes. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of the in vivo essential and growth-defect genes with the highest reduction in the tissues revealed a high representation of genes involved in metabolism and respiration, cell wall and cell processing, virulence, and information pathway processes. This study has systematically identified essential genes for the growth and persistence of MAP in the natural host body.
Effects of highland environments on clonal diversity in aquatic plants: An interspecific comparison study on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Clonal reproduction is one of the most distinctive characteristics of plants and is common and diverse in aquatic macrophytes. The balance between sexual and asexual reproduction is affected by various conditions, especially adverse environments. However, we know little about clonal diversity of aquatic plants under suboptimal conditions, such as at high altitudes, and having this information would help us understand how environmental gradients influence patterns of clonal and genetic variation in freshwater species. The microsatellite data of four aquatic taxa in our previous studies were revisited to estimate clonal and genetic diversity on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Clonal diversity among different genetic groups was compared. Local environmental features were surveyed. Beta regressions were used to identify the environmental factors that significantly explained clonal diversity for relative taxon. The level of clonal diversity from high to low was Stuckenia filiformis > Hippuris vulgaris > Myriophyllum species > Ranunculus section Batrachium species. A positive correlation between clonal and genetic diversity was identified for all taxa, except H. vulgaris. Clonal diversity was affected by climate in S. filiformis and by the local environment in H. vulgaris. For Myriophyllum spp. , low elevation and high sediment nutrition were significant for sexual recruitment. The environmental effects on clonal diversity were not significant in R. sect. Batrachium spp. Clonal diversity of aquatic plants is moderate to high and varies greatly in highlands. The effects of breeding systems and environmental factors on the patterns of clonal variation were identified. Elevational gradients, climates and local conditions play different roles in clonal diversity among relative taxon. Our results highlight the importance of sexual recruitment in alpine aquatic plant populations and the influence of environmental factors on the genetic patterns in freshwater species at local and regional scales.
Automated segmentation of vertebral cortex with 3D U-Net-based deep convolutional neural network

Objectives: We developed a 3D U-Net-based deep convolutional neural network for the automatic segmentation of the vertebral cortex. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the 3D U-Net deep learning model. Methods: In this study, a fully automated vertebral cortical segmentation method with 3D U-Net was developed, and ten-fold cross-validation was employed. Through data augmentation, we obtained 1,672 3D images of chest CT scans. Segmentation was performed using a conventional image processing method and manually corrected by a senior radiologist to create the gold standard. To compare the segmentation performance, 3D U-Net, Res U-Net, Ki U-Net, and Seg Net were used to segment the vertebral cortex in CT images. The segmentation performance of 3D U-Net and the other three deep learning algorithms was evaluated using DSC, mIoU, MPA, and FPS. Results: The DSC, mIoU, and MPA of 3D U-Net are better than the other three strategies, reaching 0.71 ± 0.03, 0.74 ± 0.08, and 0.83 ± 0.02, respectively, indicating promising automated segmentation results. The FPS is slightly lower than that of Seg Net (23.09 ± 1.26 vs. 30.42 ± 3.57). Conclusion: Cortical bone can be effectively segmented based on 3D U-net.