Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Low-Normal vs High-Normal Oxygenation Targets on Organ Dysfunction in Critically Ill Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance Hyperoxemia may increase organ dysfunction in critically ill patients, but optimal oxygenation targets are unknown. Objective To determine whether a low-normal Pao2 target compared with a high-normal target reduces organ dysfunction in critically ill patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Design, Setting, and Participants Multicenter randomized clinical trial in 4 intensive care units in the Netherlands. Enrollment was from February 2015 to October 2018, with end of follow-up to January 2019, and included adult patients admitted with 2 or more SIRS criteria and expected stay of longer than 48 hours. A total of 9925 patients were screened for eligibility, of whom 574 fulfilled the enrollment criteria and were randomized. Interventions Target Pao2 ranges were 8 to 12 kPa (low-normal, n = 205) and 14 to 18 kPa (high-normal, n = 195). An inspired oxygen fraction greater than 0.60 was applied only when clinically indicated. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary end point was SOFARANK, a ranked outcome of nonrespiratory organ failure quantified by the nonrespiratory components of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, summed over the first 14 study days. Participants were ranked from fastest organ failure improvement (lowest scores) to worsening organ failure or death (highest scores). Secondary end points were duration of mechanical ventilation, in-hospital mortality, and hypoxemic measurements. Results Among the 574 patients who were randomized, 400 (70%) were enrolled within 24 hours (median age, 68 years; 140 women [35%]), all of whom completed the trial. The median Pao2 difference between the groups was -1.93 kPa (95% CI, -2.12 to -1.74; P < .001). The median SOFARANK score was -35 points in the low-normal Pao2 group vs -40 in the high-normal Pao2 group (median difference, 10 [95% CI, 0 to 21]; P = .06). There was no significant difference in median duration of mechanical ventilation (3.4 vs 3.1 days; median difference, -0.15 [95% CI, -0.88 to 0.47]; P = .59) and in-hospital mortality (32% vs 31%; odds ratio, 1.04 [95% CI, 0.67 to 1.63]; P = .91). Mild hypoxemic measurements occurred more often in the low-normal group (1.9% vs 1.2%; median difference, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.30 to 1.20]; P < .001). Acute kidney failure developed in 20 patients (10%) in the low-normal Pao2 group and 21 patients (11%) in the high-normal Pao2 group, and acute myocardial infarction in 6 patients (2.9%) in the low-normal Pao2 group and 7 patients (3.6%) in the high-normal Pao2 group. Conclusions and Relevance Among critically ill patients with 2 or more SIRS criteria, treatment with a low-normal Pao2 target compared with a high-normal Pao2 target did not result in a statistically significant reduction in organ dysfunction. However, the study may have had limited power to detect a smaller treatment effect than was hypothesized. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02321072.
Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of single‐ and multiple‐dose administration of islatravir (MK‐8591) in adults without HIV

Islatravir (MK‐8591) is a nucleoside analogue in development for the treatment and prevention of HIV‐1. Two phase 1 trials were conducted during initial evaluation of islatravir: rising single doses (Study 1) and rising multiple doses (Study 2) of oral islatravir in male and female participants without HIV (aged 18–60 years). Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of islatravir (plasma) and islatravir‐triphosphate (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) were assessed. In Study 1, 24 participants, assigned to 1 of 3 panels, received alternating single doses of islatravir in a fasted state from 5 mg to 400 mg, or placebo, over 3 dosing periods; a 30 mg dose was additionally assessed following a high‐fat meal. In Study 2, 8 participants per dose received 3 once‐weekly doses of 10, 30, or 100 mg islatravir or placebo in a fasted state. For each panel in both trials, 6 participants received active drug and 2 received placebo. Islatravir was generally well‐tolerated, with no serious adverse events or discontinuations due to adverse events. Islatravir was rapidly absorbed (median time to maximum plasma concentration 0.5 hours); plasma half‐life was 49–61 h; intracellular islatravir‐triphosphate half‐life was 118–171 h. Plasma exposure increased in an approximately dose‐proportional manner; there was no meaningful food effect. There was a modest degree of intracellular islatravir‐triphosphate accumulation after multiple weekly dosing. After single oral doses of islatravir greater than or equal to 5 mg, intracellular islatravir‐triphosphate levels were comparable to levels associated with efficacy in preclinical studies. These results warrant continued clinical investigation of islatravir.
Potential contribution of haemoconcentration to changes in lipid variables with empagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes: A post hoc analysis of pooled data from four phase 3 randomized clinical trials

To examine the association between changes in lipids and markers of haemoconcentration (haematocrit and serum albumin) with empagliflozin, a sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitor, in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) using pooled data from four phase 3 randomized trials.
Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis to Identify Abnormal Methylated Differentially Expressed Genes for Predicting Prognosis of Human Colon Cancer

Objective To identify the value of key differentially expressed genes (DEGs) regulated by differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in predicting the prognosis of human colon cancer. Materials and Methods RNA sequencing data and DNA methylation data of 455 colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) cases and 41 normal controls were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed by the DAVID database. To identify the hub genes regulated by methylation, univariate Cox and multivariate Cox regression analyses were carried out. A nomogram based on the risk score was built to identify the power of the hub genes to predict prognosis in patients with colon cancer. Results A total of 133 DEGs regulated by DMRs were identified through analyzing RNA sequencing data and DNA methylation data from TCGA. GO functional enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed the genes involved in the initiation and progression of colon cancer. Univariate Cox regression analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis focused on the seven hub genes (CDH4, CR2, KRT85, LGI4, NPAS4, RUVBL1 and SP140) associated with overall survival, the expression of which negatively correlated with their methylation level. The risk score and nomogram model showed that the hub genes served as potential biomarkers for the prognosis prediction of patients with colon cancer. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the DEGs regulated by DMRs are involved in the carcinogenesis and development of colon cancer, and the aberrantly methylated DEGs associated with overall survival of patients may be potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for colon cancer.
Larval environmental conditions influence plasticity in resource use by adults in the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides

Recent studies have shown that intraspecific patterns of phenotypic plasticity can mirror patterns of evolutionary diversification among species. This appears to be the case in Nicrophorus beetles. Within species, body size is positively correlated with the size of carrion used to provision larvae and parental performance. Likewise, among species, variation in body size influences whether species exploit smaller or larger carrion and the extent to which larvae depend on parental care. However, it is unclear whether developmental plasticity in response to carcass size, parental care, or both underlie transitions to new carcass niches. We examined this by testing whether variation in the conditions experienced by Nicrophorus vespilloides larvae influenced their ability to breed efficiently upon differently sized carcasses as adults. We found that the conditions experienced by larvae during development played a critical role in determining their ability to use large carcasses effectively as adults. Specifically, individuals that developed with parental care and on large carcasses were best able to convert the resources on a large carcass into offspring when breeding themselves. Our results suggest that parentally induced plasticity can be important in the initial stages of niche expansion.
Mnt Represses Epithelial Identity To Promote Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition

The bHLH TF Mnt promotes epithelial to mesenchymal transition through epigenetic repression of the epithelial gene expression program. ABSTRACT The multistep process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), whereby static epithelial cells become migratory mesenchymal cells, plays a critical role during various developmental contexts, wound healing, and pathological conditions such as cancer metastasis. Despite the established function of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors (TFs) in cell fate determination, only a few have been examined for their role in EMT. Here, using transcriptome analysis of distinct stages during stepwise progression of transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ)-induced EMT in mammary epithelial cells, we revealed distinct categories of bHLH TFs that show differential expression kinetics during EMT. Using a short interfering RNA-mediated functional screen for bHLH TFs during EMT, we found Max network transcription repressor (MNT) to be essential for EMT in mammary epithelial cells. We show that the depletion of MNT blocks TGFβ-induced morphological changes during EMT, and this is accompanied by derepression of a large number of epithelial genes. We show that MNT mediates the repression of epithelial identity genes during EMT by recruiting HDAC1 and mediating the loss of H3K27ac and chromatin accessibility. Lastly, we show that MNT is expressed at higher levels in EMT-High breast cancer cells and is required for their migration. Taken together, these findings establish MNT as a critical regulator of cell fate changes during mammary EMT. IMPORTANCE The bHLH TF Mnt promotes epithelial to mesenchymal transition through epigenetic repression of the epithelial gene expression program.
Direct and Indirect vSLAM Fusion for Augmented Reality

Augmented reality (AR) is an emerging technology that is applied in many fields. One of the limitations that still prevents AR to be even more widely used relates to the accessibility of devices. Indeed, the devices currently used are usually high end, expensive glasses or mobile devices. vSLAM (visual simultaneous localization and mapping) algorithms circumvent this problem by requiring relatively cheap cameras for AR. vSLAM algorithms can be classified as direct or indirect methods based on the type of data used. Each class of algorithms works optimally on a type of scene (e.g., textured or untextured) but unfortunately with little overlap. In this work, a method is proposed to fuse a direct and an indirect methods in order to have a higher robustness and to offer the possibility for AR to move seamlessly between different types of scenes. Our method is tested on three datasets against state-of-the-art direct (LSD-SLAM), semi-direct (LCSD) and indirect (ORBSLAM2) algorithms in two different scenarios: a trajectory planning and an AR scenario where a virtual object is displayed on top of the video feed; furthermore, a similar method (LCSD SLAM) is also compared to our proposal. Results show that our fusion algorithm is generally as efficient as the best algorithm both in terms of trajectory (mean errors with respect to ground truth trajectory measurements) as well as in terms of quality of the augmentation (robustness and stability). In short, we can propose a fusion algorithm that, in our tests, takes the best of both the direct and indirect methods.
Applying Soft Attention in Deep Reinforcement Learning for Robot Collision Avoidance

∗ Attention models have been used in many applications, like playing ATARI games and human-robot interaction, with promising results. In this paper, we integrate soft attention with deep reinforcement learning for robot collision avoidance, which provides an end-to-end approach for learning an obstacle avoidance policy for robot navigation. In specific, using experience collected from various simulation environments, a convolutional neural network (CNN) is first trained to extract feature maps from egocentric local occupancy maps of the robot. Then the attention model weighs these low-level CNN features before feeding them into the recurrent module. At last, the trained model that specifies a collision avoidance policy is deployed to the robot to guide its local path planning. We evaluate the new approach in both simulation and real-world robot experiments. The results show that the integration of soft attention can greatly improve the performance of the deep reinforcement learning algorithm, i.e., the vanilla DQN. In addition, the attention mechanism adds the intuitive interpretability to the model regarding where and what the agent’s attention is focusing on while making decisions. Extensive experiments on a real-world robot show that the learned navigation model is easy to deploy to the robotic platform.
Applying the Health Belief Model for Investigating the Impact of Political Affiliation on COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake

ABSTRACT Background Vaccination is likely the most effective approach to protect people from COVID-19. However, partisan differences have persisted for COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand different health beliefs related to COVID-19 vaccine uptake based on Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs among individuals with different political affiliations. Methods The study used a cross-sectional design and data were collected using an online survey. The survey was developed to assess political affiliation and the HBM constructs operationalized toward COVID-19 vaccination uptake. Results A total of 1187 individuals completed the survey. Results showed a significant difference between all of the HBM constructs and political affiliation with a small effect size. Compared to republicans and independents, democrats were more likely to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Discussion Findings from the study suggest that politically affiliated individuals view various constructs of HBM operationalized toward COVID-19 vaccine uptake differently. Translation to Health Education Practice The risk perception differences based on political affiliations identified in this study can inform community-based intervention to address hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccination in the United States. These efforts may help the United States reach herd immunity through successful COVID-19 vaccination at the earliest possible date.
Blind spots in visible learning: A critique of John Hattie as an educational theorist

Abstract In recent years, John Hattie’s book Visible Learning (2009) has greatly influenced educational practitioners and policymakers. The visible learning approach has been deemed “the Holy Grail of teaching” (Mansell, 2008), and Hattie has been called the “messiah” of educational research (Evans, 2012). In this article, we outline some of the significant methodological problems embedded in Hattie’s work and relate them to his theoretical stance. We argue that his focus on single causal factors causes him to disregard important dimensions in educational practice. Furthermore, by analyzing parts of the primary research and the meta-analysis upon which Hattie grounds his conclusions, we find both serious methodological challenges and validity problems. We relate these problems to the technological rationality that informs Hattie’s work and implicitly constitutes his theoretical approach. Finally, we outline, among other things, how questions of human agency and intentionality for attending school become marginalized as the broader consequences of using Hattie’s approach to institutionally organize teaching processes. Another consequence of Hattie’s work is that educational research begins with questions of methods rather than research into schools’ everyday teaching practices.
Haem-responsive gene transporter enables mobilization of host haem in ticks

Ticks, notorious blood-feeders and disease-vectors, have lost a part of their genetic complement encoding haem biosynthetic enzymes and are, therefore, dependent on the acquisition and distribution of host haem. Solute carrier protein SLC48A1, aka haem-responsive gene 1 protein (HRG1), has been implicated in haem transport, regulating the availability of intracellular haem. HRG1 transporter has been identified in both free-living and parasitic organisms ranging from unicellular kinetoplastids, nematodes, up to vertebrates. However, an HRG1 homologue in the arthropod lineage has not yet been identified. We have identified a single HRG1 homologue in the midgut transcriptome of the tick Ixodes ricinus, denoted as IrHRG, and have elucidated its role as a haem transporter. Data from haem biosynthesis-deficient yeast growth assays, systemic RNA interference and the evaluation of gallium protoporphyrin IX-mediated toxicity through tick membrane feeding clearly show that IrHRG is the bona fide tetrapyrrole transporter. We argue that during evolution, ticks profited from retaining a functional hrg1 gene in the genome because its protein product facilitates host haem escort from intracellularly digested haemoglobin, rendering haem bioavailable for a haem-dependent network of enzymes.
Self-Regulation in Creative Learning: Agentic Perspective

Abstract Creativity is agentic, and so is learning. People create and learn new things most effectively when they are convinced that they can respond appropriately to the task (creative confidence) and value the activity at hand. This investigation explores the role of the relatively understudied aspect of creative agency: self-regulatory strategies. In a longitudinal study, we tested whether self-regulation strategies, previously found to be essential drivers of academic achievement and learning in general (rehearsal, elaboration, critical thinking, and metacognition), might also support creativity in learning. Specifically, we tested sequential mediation, where creative confidence and self-regulation longitudinally mediated the relationship between creative potential (divergent thinking) and effective application of creative skills to solve problems embedded in school subjects. Our findings confirm that self-regulatory strategies predict providing creative solutions to school tasks (a proxy of creative learning) and mediate the relationship between divergent thinking, creative confidence, and creative learning.
Creativity in Humans, Robots, Humbots

Abstract This paper examines three ways that robots can interface with creativity. In particular, social robots which are designed to interact with humans are examined. In the first mode, human creativity can be supported by social robots. In a second mode, social robots can be creative agents and humans serve to support robot’s productions. In the third and final mode, there is complementary action in creative work, which may be collaborative co-creation or a division of labor in creative projects. Illustrative examples are provided and key issues for further discussion are raised.
Adipocyte-Specific Ablation of PU.1 Promotes Energy Expenditure and Ameliorates Metabolic Syndrome in Aging Mice

Objective Although PU.1/Spi1 is known as a master regulator for macrophage development and function, we have reported previously that it is also expressed in adipocytes and is transcriptionally induced in obesity. Here, we investigated the role of adipocyte PU.1 in the development of age-associated metabolic syndrome. Methods We generated mice with adipocyte specific PU.1 knockout, assessed metabolic changes in young and aged PU.1fl/fl (control) and AdipoqCre PU.1fl/fl(aPU.1KO) mice, including body weight, body composition, energy expenditure and glucose homeostasis. We also performed transcriptional analyses using RNA-Sequencing of adipocytes from these mice. Results aPU.1KO mice have elevated energy expenditure at a young age and decreased adiposity and increased insulin sensitivity in later life. Corroborating these observations, transcriptional network analysis indicated the existence of validated, aPU.1-modulated regulatory hubs that direct inflammatory and thermogenic gene expression programs. Conclusions Our data provide evidence for a previously uncharacterized role of PU.1 in the development of age-associated obesity and insulin resistance.
Wearable Activity Trackers: A Structural Investigation into Acceptance and Goal Achievements of Generation Z

ABSTRACT Background Consumers are adopting wearable activity trackers to stay healthy and monitor their fitness progress. Purpose The study investigates the acceptance of WAT by Generation Z users and draws upon achievement goal theory by theorizing how and why consumers use WAT. Methods Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze intentions to use wearable activity tracker by Generation Z. Further, the study hypothesized relationships of motivational affordances – self-monitoring, rewards, social comparison on intentions to use WAT, and goal orientations’ moderating effect. Results The SEM results indicated that the structural model had satisfactory levels of fit indices: χ2/df = 2.651, CFI = 0.955, GFI = 0.817, NFI = 0.916, TLI = 0.935, AGFI = 0.931 and RMSEA = 0.064. The moderating effect of goal orientations for the intentions to use WAT was significant for some affordances. Discussion The study suggests Generation Z users show intentions to use WAT. Motivational affordances resulted in intentions to use WAT with moderating effect of some goal orientations impacting the intentions. Translation to Health Education Practice Self-tracking using wearable technology and personal health management is gaining importance. A AJHE Self-Study quiz is online for this article via the SHAPE America Online Institute (SAOI) http://portal.shapeamerica. org/trn-Webinars
Effects of Message Framing on Public Responses to Using Genetic Engineering to Restore American Chestnut Trees

Abstract Data from two studies examined the: (a) attitudes and behavioral intentions of the public regarding the use of genetic engineering (GE) for addressing chestnut blight and helping to restore American chestnut trees (AC); and (b) extent that these attitudes and intentions are susceptible to message framing. Data from a representative sample of the United States public (n = 278) showed this sample felt, on average, neutral to slightly positive about using GE to restore AC trees. The majority (57%) would vote for this use of GE and were certain of these intentions. Data from an experiment (multiple treatments) conducted with other members of the public (n = 528), however, showed that these attitudes and intentions are susceptible to persuasion, as both between- and within-subjects comparisons showed that support dropped dramatically once messages provided negative or opposing arguments. Negatively worded information coupled with messages about scientific consensus in opposition yielded the most negative responses.