Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Airborne contamination during post-fire investigations: Hot, warm and cold scenes

Abstract Fire investigators may be occupationally exposed to many of the same compounds as the more widely studied fire suppression members of the fire service but are often tasked with working in a given exposure for longer periods ranging from hours to multiple days and may do so with limited personal protective equipment. In this study, we characterize the area air concentrations of contaminants during post-fire investigation of controlled residential fires with furnishings common to current bedroom, kitchen and living room fires in the United States. Area air sampling was conducted during different investigation phases including when investigations might be conducted immediately after fire suppression and extended out to 5 days after the fire. Airborne particulate over a wide range of dimensions, including sub-micron particles, were elevated to potentially unhealthy levels (based on air quality index) when averaged over a 60 min investigation period shortly after fire suppression with median PM2.5 levels over 100 µg/m3 (range 16–498 µg/m3) and median peak transient concentrations of 1,090 µg/m3 (range 200–23,700 µg/m3) during drywall removal or shoveling activities. Additionally, airborne aldehyde concentrations were elevated compared to volatile organic compounds with peak values of formaldehyde exceeding NIOSH ceiling limits during the earliest investigation periods (median 356 µg/m3, range: 140–775 µg/m3) and occasionally 1 day post-fire when the structure was boarded up before subsequent investigation activities. These results highlight the need to protect investigators’ airways from particulates when fire investigation activities are conducted as well as during post-fire reconstruction activities. Additionally, vapor protection from formaldehyde should be strongly considered at least through investigations occurring 3 days after the fire and personal formaldehyde air monitoring is recommended during investigations.
Treatment-free Survival after Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy versus Targeted Therapy for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma: 42-Month Results of the CheckMate 214 Trial

Purpose: Patients discontinuing immuno-oncology regimens may experience periods of disease control without need for ongoing anticancer therapy, but toxicity may persist. We describe treatment-free survival (TFS), with and without toxicity. Patients and Methods: Data were analyzed from the randomized phase III CheckMate 214 trial of nivolumab plus ipilimumab (n = 550) versus sunitinib (n = 546) for treatment-naïve, advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC). TFS was estimated by the 42-month restricted mean times defined by the area between Kaplan–Meier curves for two time-to-event endpoints defined from randomization: time to protocol therapy cessation and time to subsequent systemic therapy initiation or death. TFS was subdivided as TFS with and without toxicity by counting days with ≥1 grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse event (TRAE). Results: At 42 months since randomization, 52% of nivolumab plus ipilimumab and 39% of sunitinib intermediate/poor-risk patients were alive; 18% and 5% surviving treatment-free, respectively. Among favorable-risk patients, 70% and 73% of nivolumab plus ipilimumab and sunitinib patients were alive; 20% and 9% treatment-free. Over the 42-month period, mean TFS was over twice as long after nivolumab plus ipilimumab than sunitinib for intermediate/poor-risk (6.9 vs. 3.1 months) and three times as long for favorable-risk patients (11.0 vs. 3.7 months). Mean TFS with grade ≥3 TRAEs was a small proportion of time for both treatments (0.6 vs. 0.3 months after nivolumab plus ipilimumab vs. sunitinib for intermediate/poor-risk, and 0.9 vs. 0.3 months for favorable-risk patients). Conclusions: Patients initiating first-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab for aRCC spent more survival time treatment-free without toxicity versus those on sunitinib, regardless of risk group.
Job burnout is associated with poorer hand-washing behaviors among restaurant kitchen chefs: evidence from Jiangsu Province, China

ABSTRACT Inadequate hand-washing among chefs is a major contributor to outbreaks of foodborne illnesses originating in restaurants. Previous studies have found that mental health influences hygiene behaviors among food handlers, who have a high rate of job burnout. However, it is still unclear whether job burnout leads to restaurant kitchen chefs’ poor hand washing behaviors (HWBs). In this study, we interviewed 453 restaurant kitchen chefs in Jiangsu Province, China regarding job burnout and HWBs during the summer (July-August) of 2020. The aims were to investigate job burnout (an individual internal motivation factor), identify determinants of job burnout, and examine the association between job burnout and HWBs. Variance analysis, post hoc multiple comparisons, linear regression models, and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the response data. This study revealed that chef age and the scale of the restaurant were significantly and negatively associated with reduced professional efficacy. Combined cuisine and pastry chefs had a more positive perception of their own professional efficacy than the other kitchen chefs, whereas the incidence of exhaustion was significantly higher in pastry chefs than in cuisine chefs and kitchen hands. Reduced professional efficacy was significantly and negatively associated with HWBs for all chefs. To improve the level of hand hygiene among chefs, measures should be taken to enhance chefs’ professional efficacy. Furthermore, close attention should be paid to chefs in small-scale restaurants, younger chefs, cuisine chefs, pastry chefs, and kitchen hands.
Effect of Loss-of-Function Genetic Variants in PCSK9 on Glycemic Traits, Neurocognitive Impairment, and Hepatobiliary Function.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between PCSK9 predicted loss-of-function (pLoF) variants and glycemic traits, hepatobiliary function, and neurocognitive traits. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We identified carriers of PCSK9 pLoF variants in UK Biobank exome sequencing data. We assessed the aggregate effects of these variants on lipid and lipoprotein traits, which served as a positive control. Association of PCSK9 pLoF carrier status and glycemic traits, hepatobiliary function, and neurocognitive traits was then evaluated as a measure for adverse effects. RESULTS We identified 374 individuals with 41 pLoF variants. As expected, we found that PCSK9 pLoF carriers had significantly lower LDL cholesterol C levels (P = 7.4 × 10-55) and apolipoprotein B levels (P = 7.6 × 10-50) than did noncarriers. However, we found no significant associations between pLoF carrier status and glycemic traits, hepatobiliary function, and neurocognitive traits (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Our results do not support adverse effects of PCSK9 pLoF variants on glycemic traits, hepatobiliary function, or neurocognitive traits.
Prevalence of Parkinson’s Disease in Adults Aged 65 Years and Older in China: A Multicenter Population-Based Survey

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease. With the aging of the Chinese population, it is important to understand the prevalence of PD in the elderly. Objective: Little data are available on the current prevalence of PD in China. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of PD in Chinese individuals aged 65 years and older and to analyze associated risk factors. Methods: We performed a population-based cross-sectional survey using a multistage cluster sampling design. Residents aged 65 years and older were drawn from 11 urban districts and 10 rural counties across China. Data were entered into spreadsheets and analyzed using SPSS 24. Results: We identified 151 patients with PD among 8,124 residents aged 65 years and over, including 75 men and 76 women. The overall prevalence of PD in the study population was 1.86%, and the standardized prevalence of PD was 1.60%. The crude prevalence in men (2.12%) was higher than that in women (1.66%) and the standardized prevalence in urban areas (1.98%) was higher than that in rural areas (1.48%). Logistic regression analysis showed that independent risk factors for PD were older age, heavy metal or pesticide exposure, urban residence, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, and heart disease. Conclusions: The prevalence of PD among individuals aged 65 years and older in China has remained constant. The prevalence of PD is higher in men than in women and higher in urban areas than in rural areas.
Disparities in COVID-19 Outcomes by Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status

Key Points Question Are race and ethnicity–based COVID-19 outcome disparities in the United States associated with socioeconomic characteristics? Findings In this systematic review and meta-analysis of 4.3 million patients from 68 studies, African American, Hispanic, and Asian American individuals had a higher risk of COVID-19 positivity and ICU admission but lower mortality rates than White individuals. Socioeconomic disparity and clinical care quality were associated with COVID-19 mortality and incidence in racial and ethnic minority groups. Meaning In this study, members of racial and ethnic minority groups had higher rates of COVID-19 positivity and disease severity than White populations; these findings are important for informing public health decisions, particularly for individuals living in socioeconomically deprived communities.
Live Imaging of Primary Neurons in Long-Term Cryopreserved Human Nerve Tissue

Abstract Tissue cryopreservation provides a convenient solution for tackling one of the major problems in neuroscience research, namely, the scarce availability of human nerve tissues, especially if needed alive. While brain tissue can be used only postmortem, live nerve tissue can reasonably well be harvested from the periphery. A valuable source of primary neurons is the intestine, which compared with brain has the advantage to be safely accessible via endoscopy. The nerve tissue innervating the intestine (the enteric nervous system; ENS) can be sampled with regular endoscopic biopsy forceps and remains viable for multiple physiological and immunohistochemical tests, as previously demonstrated. Here, we present a method to preserve, over longer periods of time, human primary neurons contained in these biopsies. The use of a cryoprotective agent and the application of controlled cooling revealed to be crucial to properly store the nerve tissue and to enable functional measurements after thawing. These primary neurons were evaluated for functionality (live imaging) and morphology (histology) up to one year after cryopreservation. Calcium (Ca2+) imaging indicated that human primary neurons remained viable and responded to selective stimulations (serotonergic and nicotinic agonists) after cryopreservation. Additionally, immunohistochemistry performed with specific neuronal markers showed that nerve structure and neuronal morphology were retained, with no signs of cellular damage. In this study, we demonstrate that the human ENS is a realistic source of primary neurons, which can be successfully preserved over long times and as such can be exploited both for gastrointestinal-specific as well as for general neuroscience research.
Reconnecting education, development and training through learning: a holographic perspective

At the levels of both the national economy and organisations, learning is linked to competitiveness and it is frequently promoted as an all‐encompassing solution to the multiplicity of issues that organisations (and societies) face. This view, however, does not fully address how learning takes place and what the relationship may be between learning, education, training and development, which are frequently treated as isolated processes. Provides a re‐conceptualisation of these relationships by proposing a holographic perspective that can support their interaction while drawing closer the connections between individual, organisational and governmental practices. The main implications of the holographic perspective and its practical ramifications, particularly for the SME sector, are discussed at the end of the paper.
Do chimpanzees enjoy a virtual forest? A pilot investigation of the use of interactive art as a form of environmental enrichment for zoo‐housed chimpanzees

Environmental enrichment is essential for the well‐being of zoo animals. Recent advances in sensor and video technologies may contribute to improvements in enrichment in terms of their flexibilities and time constraints. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether interactive movie art can be used as a form of environmental enrichment. We implemented interactive movies designed by a professional artist, a visual art aiming to reflect naturalistic forest habitat, in an indoor chimpanzee enclosure at Kyoto City Zoo in Japan. Motion‐tracking sensors embedded in buoys were installed at several locations around the indoor enclosure; the chimpanzees could change the movie contents by physically interacting with these objects. We recorded behaviors by observing entire troop of chimpanzees (six) between March 16 and 20, 2020 (control condition), then recorded behaviors when the interactive movie was presented (experimental condition) between March 21 and 29, 2020. Behaviors were recorded via direct observations and video recordings to examine any changes after the installation of interactive art. The chimpanzees spent more time in the indoor enclosures during the experimental condition than during the control condition. Activity budgets did not change substantially during the study period. There was no evidence of habituation to the movie during the study period. Three chimpanzees, including two young chimpanzees, interacted with the movie more frequently than the others; these young chimpanzees occasionally showed playful expressions when interacting with the movie and exhibited different reactivities to the movie scenes. These results demonstrate, first, that the interactive art did not negatively affect chimpanzee behavior, and second, that some of the chimpanzees indeed showed positive responses to the art. This study, therefore, introduces a novel possibility for environmental enrichment in zoos, involving a collaboration between science and art.
The important role of interaction when virtual reality is used for anatomy education

It was our pleasure to read the article by Gloy et al. (2022), who explored the value of an immersive virtual reality (VR) atlas in anatomy education. It was demonstrated that this teaching method was beneficial for students' knowledge and, thus, it was recommended as a support in cadaveric dissection courses. According to the authors, the effectiveness of the immersive VR atlas could be attributed to the high immersion of the virtual environment or to the possibility of free and interactive exploration of a realistic representation of anatomy.
The Role of Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS) in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19: A Multicenter, Cohort Study

Background: Severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can boost the systematic inflammatory response in critically ill patients, causing a systemic hyperinflammatory state leading to multiple complications. In COVID-19 patients, the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is surrounded by controversy regarding their impacts on viral infections. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ICS in critically ill patients with COVID-19 and its clinical outcomes. Method: A multicenter, noninterventional, cohort study for critically ill patients with COVID-19 who received ICS. All patients aged ≥ 18 years old with confirmed COVID-19 and admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 were screened. Eligible patients were classified into two groups based on the use of ICS ± long-acting beta-agonists (LABA) during ICU stay. Propensity score (PS)-matched was used based on patient’s Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, systemic corticosteroids use, and acute kidney injury (AKI) within 24 h of ICU admission. We considered a P-value of < 0.05 statistically significant. Results: A total of 954 patients were eligible; 130 patients were included after PS matching (1:1 ratio). The 30-day mortality (hazard ratio [HR] [95% confidence interval [CI]]: 0.53 [0.31, 0.93], P-value = 0.03) was statistically significant lower in patients who received ICS. Conversely, the in-hospital mortality, ventilator-free days (VFDs), ICU length of stay (LOS), and hospital LOS were not statistically significant between the two groups. Conclusion: The use of ICS ± LABA in COVID-19 patients may have survival benefits at 30 days. However, it was not associated with in-hospital mortality benefits nor VFDs.
Thermal-metabolic phenotypes of the lizard Podarcis muralis differ across elevation, but converge in high elevation hypoxia.

In response to a warming climate, many montane species are shifting upslope to track the emergence of preferred temperatures. Characterizing patterns of variation in metabolic, physiological, and thermal traits along an elevational gradient, and the plastic potential of these traits, is necessary to understand current and future responses to abiotic constraints at high elevations, including limited oxygen availability. We performed a transplant experiment with the upslope-colonizing common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) in which we measured nine aspects of thermal physiology and aerobic capacity in lizards from replicate low- (400 m above sea level [ASL]) and high-elevation (1700 m ASL) populations. We first measured traits at their elevation of origin and then transplanted half of each group to extreme high elevation (2900 m ASL; above the current elevational range limit of this species), where oxygen availability is reduced by ∼25% relative to sea level. After three weeks of acclimation, we again measured these traits in both the transplanted and control groups. The multivariate thermal-metabolic phenotypes of lizards originating from different elevations differed clearly when measured at the elevation of origin. For example, high-elevation lizards are more heat tolerant than low-elevation counterparts (countergradient variation). Yet, these phenotypes converged after exposure to reduced oxygen availability at extreme high elevation, suggesting limited plastic responses under this novel constraint. Our results suggest that high-elevation populations are well-suited to their oxygen environments, but that plasticity in the thermal-metabolic phenotype does not pre-adapt these populations to colonize more hypoxic environments at higher elevations.
An emerging role of transcription in chromosome segregation: Ongoing centromeric transcription maintains centromeric cohesion

Non‐coding centromeres, which dictate kinetochore formation for proper chromosome segregation, are extremely divergent in DNA sequences across species but are under active transcription carried out by RNA polymerase (RNAP) II. The RNAP II‐mediated centromeric transcription has been shown to facilitate the deposition of the centromere protein A (CENP‐A) to centromeres, establishing a conserved and critical role of centromeric transcription in centromere maintenance. Our recent work revealed another role of centromeric transcription in chromosome segregation: maintaining centromeric cohesion during mitosis. Interestingly, this role appears to be fulfilled through ongoing centromeric transcription rather than centromeric transcripts. In addition, we found that centromeric transcription may not require some of the traditional transcription initiation factors, suggestive of “uniqueness” in its regulation. In this review, we discuss the novel role and regulation of centromeric transcription as well as the potential underlying mechanisms.
Work-related musculoskeletal pain in prosthetists and orthotists: a comparison between Australia and other countries

Background: Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is a substantial societal and personal burden resulting in loss of employment and reduced productivity. Prosthetics and orthotics professionals working in Australia have previously reported a high prevalence of MSP; however, little is known about the prosthetic and orthotic communities in other countries. Objectives: To explore the prevalence and range of workplace exposures associated with MSP in a convenience sample of the international prosthetic and orthotic profession. Study design: A cross-sectional study using a convenience sample was conducted with prosthetists and orthotists worldwide. Methods: Prosthetists and orthotists were invited to participate in a survey to explore work-related factors associated with MSP. Bivariate and regression modelling was used to examine associations between self-reported demographic and workplace characteristics including job satisfaction, work–life balance, and physical and psychosocial hazards. Results: Seventy-six percent of respondents (n = 173) reported MSP in the previous 6 months. However, MSP was associated with different factors in Australia compared with other countries. Among Australia-based prosthetists and orthotists, MSP was associated with sex, physical hazards, and psychosocial hazards. For the international sample, MSP was only associated with length of employment. Conclusions: Three-quarters of all respondents reported having MSP. Differences in associations between MSP and other factors by respondents' geographical location suggest the need for context-specific identification of hazards to enable the development of targeted and contextually appropriate prevention strategies.
Theory and experiments of 1/f noise in Schottky-barrier diodes operating in the thermionic-emission mode

A 1/f noise model for diodes operating in the thermionic-emission mode under forward-bias conditions has been developed. The model is based on mobility and diffusivity fluctuations occurring in the space-charge region and accounts for the current-limiting role of the metal-semiconductor interface The bias dependence of the 1/f noise spectral density calculated from this model is in excellent agreement with the results of the authors' experiments but is at variance with the predictions of a model developed by T.G. M. Kleinpenning (1979). From the experimental data, a value of 4.2*10/sup -9/ for the Hooge parameter is derived. This value is in good agreement with theoretical calculation for electrons in silicon. >
Nonselective proteasome inhibitors in multiple myeloma and future perspectives

ABSTRACT Introduction Proteasome inhibition can lead to inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, and therefore it constitutes a potential therapeutic anticancer approach especially in the therapeutic algorithm of patients with multiple myeloma. Areas covered Three different proteasome inhibitors are currently approved, bortezomib, carfilzomib, and ixazomib, and they have been investigated in multiple myeloma and other hematological malignancies. However, these agents lack specificity, since they target both the constitutive proteasome and the immunoproteasome. Targeting the constitutive proteasome is the main reason for side toxicity due to the effect on normal tissues. In contrary, immunoproteasome inhibition may reduce the adverse events while maintaining the therapeutic efficacy. In this review, the authors present the role of the available proteasome inhibitors in myeloma therapeutics and future perspectives of both selective and nonselective proteasome inhibitors. Expert opinion The available nonselective proteasome inhibitors have changed the therapeutics of multiple myeloma the last 10 years and have significantly improved the clinical outcomes of the patients. Furthermore, selective proteasome inhibitors are now under preclinical investigation and there is hope that their optimization will come with an improved safety profile with at least comparable efficacy.