Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unexpected Association of Desacyl-Ghrelin with Physical Activity and Chronic Food Restriction: A Translational Study on Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe metabopsychiatric disorder characterised by caloric intake restriction and often excessive physical exercise. Our aim is to assess in female AN patients and in a rodent model, the co-evolution of physical activity and potential dysregulation of acyl—(AG) and desacyl—(DAG) ghrelin plasma concentrations during denutrition and weight recovery. AN inpatients were evaluated at inclusion (T0, n = 29), half—(T1) and total (T2) weight recovery, and one month after discharge (T3, n = 13). C57/Bl6 mice with access to a running wheel, were fed ad libitum or submitted to short—(15 days) or long—(50 days) term quantitative food restriction, followed by refeeding (20 days). In AN patients, AG and DAG rapidly decreased during weight recovery (T0 to T2), AG increased significantly one-month post discharge (T3), but only DAG plasma concentrations at T3 correlated negatively with BMI and positively with physical activity. In mice, AG and DAG both increased during short- and long-term food restriction. After 20 days of ad libitum feeding, DAG was associated to persistence of exercise alteration. The positive association of DAG with physical activity during caloric restriction and after weight recovery questions its role in the adaptation mechanisms to energy deprivation that need to be considered in recovery process in AN.
Impact of pharmacy technicians as part of an integrated health‐system pharmacy team on improvement of medication access in the care of cystic fibrosis patients

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease requiring patients to take multiple medications per day. Multiple barriers exist affecting access and adherence. Studies have demonstrated the positive outcomes of pharmacist involvement in CF care. The purpose of this study is to characterize the impact of pharmacy technicians on medication access in the care of CF patients.
The opposing roles of the mTOR signaling pathway in different phases of human umbilical cord blood‐derived CD34 + cell erythropoiesis

As an indispensable, even lifesaving practice, red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is challenging due to several issues, including supply shortage, immune incompatibility, and blood‐borne infections since donated blood is the only source of RBCs. Although large‐scale in vitro production of functional RBCs from human stem cells is a promising alternative, so far, no such system has been reported to produce clinically transfusable RBCs due to the poor understanding of mechanisms of human erythropoiesis, which is essential for the optimization of in vitro erythrocyte generation system. We previously reported that inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling significantly decreased the percentage of erythroid progenitor cells in the bone marrow of wild‐type mice. In contrast, rapamycin treatment remarkably improved terminal maturation of erythroblasts and anemia in a mouse model of β‐thalassemia. In the present study, we investigated the effect of mTOR inhibition with rapamycin from different time points on human umbilical cord blood‐derived CD34+ cell erythropoiesis in vitro and the underlying mechanisms. Our data showed that rapamycin treatment significantly suppressed erythroid colony formation in the commitment/proliferation phase of erythropoiesis through inhibition of cell‐cycle progression and proliferation. In contrast, during the maturation phase of erythropoiesis, mTOR inhibition dramatically promoted enucleation and mitochondrial clearance by enhancing autophagy. Collectively, our results suggest contrasting roles for mTOR in regulating different phases of human erythropoiesis.
Mach-RT: A Many Chip Architecture for High Performance Ray Tracing

Data movement, particularly access to the main memory, has been the bottleneck of most computing problems. Ray tracing is no exception. We propose an unconventional solution that combines a ray ordering scheme that minimizes access to the scene data with a large on-chip buffer acting as near-compute storage that is spread over multiple chips. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by introducing Mach-RT (Many chip - Ray Tracing), a new hardware architecture for accelerating ray tracing. Extending the concept of dual streaming, we optimize the main memory accesses to a level that allows the same memory system to service multiple processor chips at the same time. While a multiple chip solution might seem to imply increased energy consumption as well, because of the reduced memory traffic we are able to demonstrate, performance increases while maintaining reasonable energy usage compared to academic and commercial architectures. This article extends our previous work E. Vasiou, K. Shkurko, E. Brunvand, and C. Yuksel, “Mach-RT: A many chip architecture for high-performance ray tracing,” in Proc. High-Perform. Graph. Conf. , 2019 with design space exploration of the L3 cache size, more detailed evaluation of energy and memory performance, a discussion of energy delay product, and a brief exploration of boards with 16 chips. We also introduce new treelet enqueueing logic for the predictive scheduler.
No One Likes a Stick up Their Nose: Making the Case for Saliva-Based Testing for COVID-19

methods. The detection rate for SARS-CoV-2 was higher in saliva compared to NP testing (93.1%, 149/160 vs 52.5%, 84/160, p<0.001). The cycle threshold (Ct) values for E and RdRp genes were significantly lower in saliva specimens compared to NP swab specimens.
Arabidopsis E3 ligase KEG associates with and ubiquitinates MKK4 and MKK5 to regulate plant immunity.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are highly conserved signaling modules that regulate plant immune responses. The Arabidopsis thaliana Raf-like MAPK kinase kinase ENHANCED DISEASE RESISTANCE1 (EDR1) is a key negative regulator of plant immunity that affects the protein levels of MKK4 and MKK5, two important MAPK cascade members, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Here, genome-wide phosphorylation analysis demonstrated that the E3 ligase KEEP ON GOING (KEG) is phosphorylated in the edr1 mutant but not the wild type, suggesting that EDR1 negatively affects KEG phosphorylation. The identified phosphorylation sites in KEG appear to be important for its accumulation. The keg-4 mutant, a previously identified edr1 suppressor, enhances susceptibility to the powdery mildew pathogen Golovinomyces cichoracearum. In addition, MKK4 and MKK5 protein levels are reduced in the keg-4 mutant. Furthermore, we demonstrate that MKK4 and MKK5 associate with full-length KEG, but not with truncated KEG-RK or KEG-RKA, and that KEG ubiquitinates and mediates the degradation of MKK4 and MKK5. Taken together, these results indicate that MKK4 and MKK5 protein levels are regulated by KEG via ubiquitination, uncovering a mechanism by which plants fine-tune immune responses by regulating the homeostasis of key MAPK cascade members via ubiquitination and degradation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Brand awe: A key concept for understanding consumer response to luxury and premium brands

ABSTRACT In this study, we propose a new concept, brand awe, and explore its nature, underlying dimensions, and roles in relation to consumer responses. Brand awe is a specific mixture of emotions that consumers feel when they encounter a luxury or premium brand that they perceive to be vast and, thus, requires a schematic accommodation. Exploratory Factor Analysis (N = 205) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (N = 256) of the survey data based on fourteen brands yielded three dimensions of brand awe: Euphoria, Enthrallment, and Vastness. Results support the reliability and validity of the brand awe construct and the important mediating roles of brand awe between its triggers (i.e., prestige, luxuriousness, excellence, and innovation) and consumer responses.
Experimental study of the optimum puncture pattern of robot-assisted needle insertion into hyperelastic materials

The robot-assisted insertion surgery plays a crucial role in biopsy and therapy. This study focuses on determining the optimum puncture pattern for robot-assisted insertion, aiming at the matching problem of needle insertion parameters, thereby to reduce the pain for patients and to improve the reachability to the lesion point. First, a 6-degrees of freedom (DOFs) Computed Tomography (CT)-guided surgical robotic system for minimally invasive percutaneous lung is developed and used to perform puncture experiments. The effects of four main insertion factors on the robotic puncture are verified by designing the orthogonal test, where the inserting object is the artificial skin-like specimen with high transparent property and a digital image processing method is used to analyze the needle tip deflection. Next, the various phases of puncture process are divided and analyzed in detail in view of the tissue deformation and puncture force. Then, short discussion on the comparison of puncture force with different effect factors for the same beveled needle is presented. The same pattern can be observed for all of the cases. Finally, based on the experimental data, the formulations of the puncture force and needle deflection which depends on Gauge size, insertion velocity, insertion angle, and insertion depth are developed using the multiple regression method, which can be used to get an optimum puncture pattern under the constrains of minimum peak force and minimum needle tip deflection. The developed models have the effectiveness and applicability on determining the optimum puncture pattern for one puncture event, and which can also provide insights useful for the setting of insertion parameters in clinical practice.
Closing the gap: The effect of an evidence-based intervention in increasing COPD nurses' knowledge.

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) is the leading cause of respiratory failure and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Nurses play a vital role in ensuring effective, safe, and person-centered care in COPD. AIM To assess the effect of an evidence-based intervention in increasing the COPD knowledge in a sample of care nurses, staffing public primary, and secondary healthcare services infrastructures and hospitals. METHODS An intervention that entailed a combination of an educational program and the use of an educational algorithm based on the Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of COPD was performed. RESULTS At the baseline, the mean total percentage of correct answers was very low (52.74%) as opposed to the other time intervals in which there was a huge increase after the session that was maintained 3 and 6 months later. The highest effect in the total knowledge score was attributed to the educational session followed by the use of the educational algorithm. CONCLUSION The effect of the intervention on the mean score of correct answers was very strong, which is confirmed by the consistency of the high performance of nurses after 3 and 6 months, respectively.
Preferred components for the construction of a new simulation model of growth, feed intake and nutrient requirements of growing pigs

Components for a simulation model are described to predict feed intake, amino acid requirements and body composition changes over time on the basis of the inherent potential protein growth rate of pigs varying in genotype. The potential protein growth rate of the animal is predicted each day based on its genotype and state, from which the potential growth rate of the other chemical components can be predicted and hence the nutrient requirements can be calculated. By considering the potential growth rate, the nutrient requirements, the nutrient supply (the composition of the feed) and the environment simultaneously, the constrained food intake can be predicted. If this is less than the desired food intake, the actual growth rate will be less than the potential gowth rate. In either case, the growth rate of each of the chemical components can be predicted for that day. This final state of the animal at the end of the day becomes the initial state on the next day, and the process is repeated. 'n Simulasiemodel word beskryf wat voerinname, aminosuurbehoeftes en veranderinge in liggaamsamestelling voorspel volgens die inherente potensiaal in protei'engroeitempo van varke wat varieer in genotipe. De potensiele proteiengroeitempo van die dier word daagliks voorspel, gebaseer op sy genotipe en status. Die potensiele groeitempo van die ander chemiese komponente kan hiervolgens voorspel word, en vervolgens kan voedingsbehoeftes bereken word. Deur die potensiele groeitempo, voedingsbehoeftes, voorsiening van voedingstowwe (samestelling van die voer) en omgewing gelykrydig in berekening te bring, kan die bcperkende voerinname voorspel word. As dit laer as die verlangde voerinname is, sal werklike groeitempo minder as potensiele groeitempo wees. In beide gevalle kan groeitempo van elke chemiese komponent vir daardie dag voorspel word. Die finale status van die dier teen die einde van die dag word die aanvangstatus vir die volgende dag en die proses word herhaal. Keywords: Growth, modelling, nutrition, pigs
What Is the Effectiveness of Different Duration Interdisciplinary Treatment Programs in Patients with Chronic Pain? A Large-Scale Longitudinal Register Study

Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability globally. Interdisciplinary multimodal pain rehabilitation (IMPR) targets pain with a bio-psycho-social approach, often delivered as composite programs. However, evidence of optimal program duration for the rehabilitation to succeed remains scarce. This study evaluated the effectiveness of different duration IMPR-programs—using within- and between-effects analyses in a pragmatic multicenter register-based controlled design. Using the Swedish Quality Registry for Pain Rehabilitation, data from fifteen clinics specialized in chronic pain rehabilitation across Sweden were retrieved. Participants were patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain who had taken part in short (4–9 weeks; n = 924), moderate (10 weeks; n = 1379), or long (11–18 weeks; n = 395) IMPR programs. Longitudinal patient-reported outcome data were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and at a 12-month follow-up. Primary outcomes were health-related quality of life, presented as perceived physical and mental health (SF-36). Secondary outcomes included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), pain intensity (NRS 0-10), the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI), and perceived health (EQ-5D). Overall, all groups showed improvements. No clinically important effect emerged for different duration IMPR. In conclusion, while our results showed that patients following IMPR report improvement across a bio-psycho-social specter, a longer program duration was no more effective than a shorter one.
Potential inhibitors of SARS-cov-2 RNA dependent RNA polymerase protein: molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and MM-PBSA analyses

Abstract The SARS-cov-2 RNA dependent RNA polymerase (nsp12) is a crucial viral enzyme that catalyzes the replication of RNA from RNA templates. The fixation of some ligands in the active site may alter the viral life cycle. The aim of the present study is to identify the conservation level of nsp12 motifs (A–G), using consurf server, and discover their interactions with rifabutin, rifampicin, rifapentin, sorangicin A, streptolydigin, myxopyronin B, VXR and VRX using AutoDockTools-1.5. 6, Gromacs 2018.2 and g-mmpbsa. Thus, the most of amino acids residues located in nsp12 protein Motifs (A–G) were predicted as highly conserved. The binding energies of streptolydigin, VXR, rifabutin, rifapentine, VRX, sorangicin A, myxopyronin B and rifampicin with nsp12 protein are −8.11, −8.23, −7.14, −6.94, −6.55, −5.46, −5.33 and −5.26 kcal/mol, respectively. In the other hand, the binding energies of ligand in the same order with nsp7–nsp8–nsp12 complex are −7.23, −7.08, −7.21, −7, −6.59, −8.73, −5.52, −5.87 kcal/mol, respectively. All ligands interact with at least two nsp12 motifs. The molecular dynamics simulation of nsp12–streptolydigin and nsp12–VXR complexes shows that these two complexes are stable and the number of hydrogen bonds as a function of time, after 30 ns of simulation, varies between 0 and 6 for nsp12–streptolydigin complex and between 0 and 4 for nsp12–VXR complex. The average of free binding energies obtained using g_mmpbsa, after 30 ns of simulation, is −191.982 Kj/mol for nsp12–streptolydigin complex and −153.583 Kj/mol for nsp12-VXR complex. Our results suggest that these ligands may be used as inhibitors of SARS-cov-2 nsp12 protein. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Sources of awareness, perceptions, and use of JUUL e-cigarettes among adult cigarette smokers

Introduction Given JUUL e-cigarettes’ potential for smoking cessation and its drastically increased sales in the U.S., more evidence is needed to understand the antecedents of JUUL use among adult cigarette smokers. This study assessed the relationships between awareness sources, perceptions about using JUUL, and JUUL use behavior. Methods In an online study with adult smokers who were aware of JUUL e-cigarettes (n = 341), respondents reported their sources for learning about JUUL, perceptions of using JUUL versus Vuse (a competitor brand), and ever and past-30-day (current) JUUL use. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to examine the associations between awareness sources, perceptions, and JUUL use, adjusting for covariates. Results Learning about JUUL through internet ads was associated with positive perceptions about JUUL compared to Vuse, including JUUL was more fun to use (AOR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.21, 3.42) and tastier (AOR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.19, 3.22). Perceiving JUUL as being tastier (AOR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.23, 3.49), more helpful for quitting smoking (AOR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.22, 3.53), and cooler (AOR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.21, 3.56) than Vuse was associated with ever using JUUL. Only perceiving JUUL as being tastier (AOR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.10, 3.59) than Vuse was associated with current use of JUUL. Discussion Adult smokers may be more likely to focus on the sensory and social experience of using JUUL rather than JUUL’s smoking cessation benefits. These positive perceptions are likely to be influenced by internet ads in general instead of JUUL’s official marketing outlets. They are also more likely to sustain JUUL use than JUUL’s perceived smoking cessation benefits.
Preparation and Performance of Porous Carbon Nanocomposite from Renewable Phenolic Resin and Halloysite Nanotube

The growing demand for high performance from supercapacitors has inspired the development of porous nanocomposites using renewable and naturally available materials. In this work, a formaldehyde-free phenolic resin using monosaccharide-based furfural was synthesized to act as the carbon precursor. One dimensional halloysite nanotube (HNT) with high porosity and excellent cation/anion exchange capacity was mixed with the phenol-furfural resin to fabricate carbonaceous nanocomposite HNT/C. Their structure and porosity were characterized. The effects of the halloysite nanotube amount and carbonization temperature on the electrochemical properties of HNT/C were explored. HNT/C exhibited rich porosity, involving a large specific surface area 253 m2·g−1 with a total pore volume of 0.27 cm3·g−1. The electrochemical performance of HNT/C was characterized in the three-electrode system and showed enhanced specific capacitance of 146 F·g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 (68 F·g−1 for pristine carbon) in electrolyte (6 mol·L−1 KOH) and a good rate capability of 62% at 3 A g−1. It also displayed excellent cycle performance with capacitance retention of 98.5% after 500 cycles. The symmetric supercapacitors with HNT/C-1:1.5-800 electrodes were fabricated, exhibiting a high energy density of 20.28 Wh·Kg−1 at a power density of 100 W·Kg−1 in 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. The present work provides a feasible method for preparing composite electrode materials with a porous structure from renewable phenol-furfural resin and HNT. The excellent supercapacitance highlights the potential applications of HNT/C in energy storage.
A single-cell expression simulator guided by gene regulatory networks

A common approach to benchmarking of single-cell transcriptomics tools is to generate synthetic data sets that resemble experimental data in their statistical properties. However, existing single-cell simulators do not incorporate known principles of transcription factor-gene regulatory interactions that underlie expression dynamics. Here we present SERGIO, a simulator of single-cell gene expression data that models the stochastic nature of transcription as well as linear and non-linear influences of multiple transcription factors on genes according to a user-provided gene regulatory network. SERGIO is capable of simulating any number of cell types in steady-state or cells differentiating to multiple fates according to a provided trajectory, reporting both unspliced and spliced transcript counts in single-cells. We show that data sets generated by SERGIO are comparable with experimental data in terms of multiple statistical measures. We also illustrate the use of SERGIO to benchmark several popular single-cell analysis tools, including GRN inference methods.