Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fabrication and Bonding of Refractive Index Matched Microfluidics for Precise Measurements of Cell Mass

The optical properties of polymer materials used for microfluidic device fabrication can impact device performance when used for optical measurements. In particular, conventional polymer materials used for microfluidic devices have a large difference in refractive index relative to aqueous media generally used for biomedical applications. This can create artifacts when used for microscopy-based assays. Fluorination can reduce polymer refractive index, but at the cost of reduced adhesion, creating issues with device bonding. Here, we present a novel fabrication technique for bonding microfluidic devices made of NOA1348, which is a fluorinated, UV-curable polymer with a refractive index similar to that of water, to a glass substrate. This technique is compatible with soft lithography techniques, making this approach readily integrated into existing microfabrication workflows. We also demonstrate that this material is compatible with quantitative phase imaging, which we used to validate the refractive index of the material post-fabrication. Finally, we demonstrate the use of this material with a novel image processing approach to precisely quantify the mass of cells in the microchannel without the use of cell segmentation or tracking. The novel image processing approach combined with this low refractive index material eliminates an important source of error, allowing for high-precision measurements of cell mass with a coefficient of variance of 1%.
Clinical features and risk factors associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome in pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19: a multi-center case-control study

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in clinical features and laboratory parameters in critically ill pregnant women with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) compared to moderate and severe pregnant women with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) but without ARDS. Methods This was a retrospective multicenter study of all pregnant women with COVID-19 diagnosed with ARDS between February 15, and May 1, 2020 in nine level III maternity centers in Iran (ARDS group). The control COVID-19 pregnant women were selected from 3 of 9 level III maternity centers between March 15 and April 20, 2020. Univariate statistics were used to look at differences between groups. Cluster dendrograms were used to look at the correlations between clinical and laboratory findings in the groups. A value of p <. 05 was considered statistically significant. Results Fifteen COVID-19 infected women with ARDS were compared to 29 COVID-19 positive and ARDS negative control (moderate: (n = 26) 89.7% and severe: (n = 3)10.3%). The mean maternal age (35.6 vs. 29.4 years; p = .002) and diagnosis of chronic hypertension (20.0% vs. 0%, p = .034) were significantly higher in the ARDS group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in their presenting symptoms. The ARDS group had a significantly higher prevalence of tachypnea (66.6% vs. 10.3%, p = .042) and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) <93% (66.6% vs. 10.3%, p = .004) at presentation. Relative lymphopenia (lymphocyte ratio < 10.5%, 66.6% vs. 17.2%, p = .002), lymphocytes to leukocytes ratio (11.3% vs. 17.7%, p = .010), and neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (NLR) >7.5 were significantly different between the two groups (all p < .05). Conclusion Our data demonstrate that symptom-based strategies for identifying the critically ill pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 are insufficient; however, vital signs and laboratory data might be helpful to predict ARDS in critically ill COVID-19 pregnant patients.
Using a System-Based Monitoring Paradigm to Assess Fatigue during Submaximal Static Exercise of the Elbow Extensor Muscles

Current methods for evaluating fatigue separately assess intramuscular changes in individual muscles from corresponding alterations in movement output. The purpose of this study is to investigate if a system-based monitoring paradigm, which quantifies how the dynamic relationship between the activity from multiple muscles and force changes over time, produces a viable metric for assessing fatigue. Improvements made to the paradigm to facilitate online fatigue assessment are also discussed. Eight participants performed a static elbow extension task until exhaustion, while surface electromyography (sEMG) and force data were recorded. A dynamic time-series model mapped instantaneous features extracted from sEMG signals of multiple synergistic muscles to extension force. A metric, called the Freshness Similarity Index (FSI), was calculated using statistical analysis of modeling errors to reveal time-dependent changes in the dynamic model indicative of performance degradation. The FSI revealed strong, significant within-individual associations with two well-accepted measures of fatigue, maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) force (rrm=−0.86) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) (rrm=0.87), substantiating the viability of a system-based monitoring paradigm for assessing fatigue. These findings provide the first direct and quantitative link between a system-based performance degradation metric and traditional measures of fatigue.
Stereoscopic Depth Perception and Visuospatial Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease

With visuospatial dysfunction emerging as a potential marker that can detect Alzheimer’s disease (AD) even in its earliest stages and with disturbance in stereopsis suspected to be the prime contributor to visuospatial deficits in AD, we assessed stereoscopic abilities of patients with AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Whereas previous research assessing patients’ stereoacuity has yielded mixed results, we assessed patients’ capacity to process coarse disparities that can convey adequate depth information about objects in the environment. We produced two virtual cubes at two different distances from the observer by manipulating disparity type (absolute vs. relative), disparity direction (crossed vs. uncrossed) and disparity magnitude, then had participants judge the object that appeared closer to them. Two patient groups performed as well as, or even better than elderly controls, suggesting that AD patients’ coarse disparity processing capacity is capable of supporting common tasks involving reaching, grasping, driving, and navigation. Results may help researchers narrow down the exact cause(s) of visuospatial deficits in AD and develop and validate measures to assess visuospatial dysfunction in clinical trials and disease diagnosis.
Longitudinal Associations of Conscientiousness and Neuroticism With Perceived Mastery and Constraints for Aging Adults

It has not been well understood how conscientiousness and neuroticism are associated with two related but distinct dimensions of perceived control (i.e., perceived mastery and constraints) among aging adults. The present study examined these associations and their change over time, while addressing whether they differ by age or gender. For respondents aged 50+ at baseline (N = 2,768) in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, multilevel modeling analyses were conducted to assess how conscientiousness and neuroticism predicted perceived mastery and constraints over 2 decades. As expected, higher conscientiousness and lower neuroticism (for both between- and within-person variability) predicted higher perceived mastery and lower perceived constraints overall. Nuanced findings emerged related to age, gender and change over time for different associations of conscientiousness and neuroticism with the outcomes. These findings can inform future research suggesting directions of further investigations for these complex associations.
Doctors’ Perceptions, Attitudes and Practices towards the Management of Multidrug-Resistant Organism Infections after the Implementation of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Greece is among the European countries with the highest consumption of antibiotics, both in community and hospital settings, including last-line antibiotics, such as carbapenems. We sought to explore doctors’ perceptions, attitudes and practices towards the management of patients with multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infections after the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship programme (ASP) in a tertiary academic hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A self-administered, internet-based questionnaire survey was completed by doctors of the University Hospital of Heraklion in Crete, Greece. Results: In total, 202 (59.1%) hospital doctors fully completed the questionnaire. Most of them agreed that the prospective audit and feedback ASP strategy is more effective and educational than the preauthorization ASP strategy. ASP implementation prompted most respondents to monitor the continuously evolving microbiological data of their patients more closely and affected them towards a multidisciplinary and personalised care of patients with infections caused by MDROs and towards a more rigorous implementation of infection prevention and control measures. The vast majority of participants (98.5%) stated that ASP must be continued and further developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The ASP implementation in our hospital had a beneficial impact on doctors’ perceptions, attitudes and practices with regard to the management of infections due to MDROs.
Paresthesia Predicts Increased Risk of Distal Neuropathic Pain in Older People with HIV-Associated Sensory Polyneuropathy.

OBJECTIVE Distal sensory polyneuropathy (DSP) is a disabling consequence of HIV, leading to poor quality of life and more frequent falls in older age. Neuropathic pain and paresthesia are prevalent symptoms, however there are currently no known curative treatments and the longitudinal course of pain in HIV-associated DSP is poorly characterized. METHODS This was a prospective longitudinal study of 265 PWH enrolled in the CNS HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Effects Research (CHARTER) study with baseline and 12-year follow-up evaluations. Since pain and paresthesia are highly correlated, statistical decomposition was used to separate the two symptoms at baseline. Multivariable logistic regression analyses of decomposed variables were used to determine the effects of neuropathy symptoms at baseline on presence and worsening of distal neuropathic pain at 12-year follow-up, adjusted for covariates. RESULTS Mean age was 56 ± 8 years, and 21% were female at follow-up. Nearly the entire cohort (96%) was on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 82% had suppressed (≤50 copies/mL) plasma viral loads at follow-up. Of those with pain at follow-up (n = 100), 23% had paresthesia at the initial visit. Decomposed paresthesia at baseline increased the risk of pain at follow-up (OR 1.56; 95% CI 1.18, 2.07), and decomposed pain at baseline predicted a higher frequency of pain at follow-up (OR 1.96 [1.51, 2.58]). CONCLUSIONS Paresthesias are a clinically significant predictor of incident pain at follow-up among aging PWH with DSP. Development of new therapies to encourage neuroregeneration might take advantage of this finding to choose individuals likely to benefit from treatment preventing incident pain.
Phenols and Quinones from Leaves of Primula obconica

Abstract Besides primin 1 and its hydroquinone, miconidin 2, surface extracts of Primula obconica contain their longer chain homologues 1a and 2a. In addition to several derivatives of 2, namely the methyl ethers 3 and 4 and the acetate 5, the resorcinol 6 and its methyl ether 7 are found. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and - if necessary - by comparison with synthetic references. The possible biosynthesis of these natural products is discussed.
A first, naturally occurring substitution at the second pyrethroid receptor of voltage‐gated sodium channel of Aedes aegypti

Abstract BACKGROUND Aedes aegypti is a remarkably effective mosquito vector of epidemiologically important arboviral diseases including dengue fever, yellow fever and Zika. The present spread of resistance against pyrethroids, the primary insecticides used for mosquito control, in global populations of this species is of great concern. The voltage‐gated sodium channel (VGSC) in the nervous system is the known target site of pyrethroids in insects. Past studies have revealed several amino‐acid substitutions in this channel that confer pyrethroid resistance, which are known as knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations. RESULTS This study investigated a laboratory colony of Ae. aegypti, MCNaeg, established from larvae collected in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016. The MCNaeg colony showed strong resistance against pyrethroids without laboratory selection. Of the two VGSC gene haplotypes present within this colony, one harbored three known kdr mutations, V410L, V1016I, and F1534C, and the other harbored only the known F1534C mutation. In latter haplotype, we also found novel amino‐acid substations including V253F. Previous molecular modeling and electrophysiological studies suggest that this residue serves a pyrethroid‐sensing site in the second receptor, PyR2. Our genetical analysis showed that the haplotype harboring V253F and F1534C is associated with equal or slightly stronger resistance than the other triple kdr haplotype to both Type I and Type II pyrethroids. CONCLUSION The novel substitution V253F is potentially involved in pyrethroid resistance in Ae. aegypti. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of this substitution in the pyrethroid susceptibility of VGSC. © 2021 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Meiotic drive does not cause condition‐dependent reduction of the sexual ornament in stalk‐eyed flies

Meiotic drive systems are associated with low‐frequency chromosomal inversions. These are expected to accumulate deleterious mutations due to reduced recombination and low effective population size. We test this prediction using the ‘sex‐ratio’ (SR) meiotic drive system of the Malaysian stalk‐eyed fly Teleopsis dalmanni. SR is associated with a large inversion (or inversions) on the X chromosome. In particular, we study eyespan in males carrying the SR chromosome, as this trait is a highly exaggerated, sexually dimorphic trait, known to have heightened condition‐dependent expression. Larvae were raised in low and high larval food stress environments. SR males showed reduced eyespan under the low and high stress treatments, but there was no evidence of a condition‐dependent decrease in eyespan under high stress. Similar but more complex patterns were observed for female eyespan, with evidence of additivity under low stress and heterosis under high stress. These results do not support the hypothesis that reduced sexual ornament size in meiotic drive males is due to a condition‐dependent response to the putative increase in mutation load. Instead, reduced eyespan likely reflects compensatory resource allocation to different traits in response to drive‐mediated destruction of sperm.
Measuring adolescents' beliefs in conspiracy theories: Development and validation of the Adolescent Conspiracy Beliefs Questionnaire (ACBQ).

Four studies (total n = 961) developed and validated the Adolescent Conspiracy Beliefs Questionnaire (ACBQ). Initial items were developed in collaboration with teachers. An exploratory factor analysis (Study 1, n = 208, aged 11-14) and a student focus group (N = 3, aged 11) enabled us to establish the factor structure of a 9-item scale. This was replicated via confirmatory factor analysis in Study 2 (N = 178, aged 11-17), and the scale displayed good convergent (i.e., relationship with paranoia and mistrust) and discriminant validity (i.e., no relationship with extraversion). Study 3a (N = 257) further tested convergent validity with a sample of 18-year-olds (i.e., relationship with adult-validated measures of conspiracy beliefs) and demonstrated strong test-retest reliability. Study 3b (N = 318) replicated these findings with a mixed-age adult sample. The ACBQ will allow researchers to explore the psychological antecedents and consequences of conspiracy thinking in young populations.
Association of Metabolic Phenotypes With Coronary Artery Disease and Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Stable Chest Pain

OBJECTIVE Obesity and metabolic syndrome are associated with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). However, whether distinct metabolic phenotypes differ in risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) and MACE is unknown. We sought to determine the association of distinct metabolic phenotypes with CAD and MACE. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We included patients from the Prospective Multicenter Imaging Study for Evaluation of Chest Pain (PROMISE) who underwent coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography. Obesity was defined as a BMI ≥30 kg/m2 and metabolically healthy as less than or equal to one metabolic syndrome component except diabetes, distinguishing four metabolic phenotypes: metabolically healthy/unhealthy and nonobese/obese (MHN, MHO, MUN, and MUO). Differences in severe calcification (coronary artery calcification [CAC] ≥400), severe CAD (≥70% stenosis), high-risk plaque (HRP), and MACE were assessed using adjusted logistic and Cox regression models. RESULTS Of 4,381 patients (48.4% male, 60.5 ± 8.1 years of age), 49.4% were metabolically healthy (30.7% MHN and 18.7% MHO) and 50.6% unhealthy (22.3% MUN and 28.4% MUO). MHO had similar coronary CT findings as compared with MHN (severe CAC/CAD and HRP; P > 0.36 for all). Among metabolically unhealthy patients, those with obesity had similar CT findings as compared with nonobese (P > 0.10 for all). However, both MUN and MUO had unfavorable CAD characteristics as compared with MHN (P ≤ 0.017 for all). A total of 130 events occurred during follow-up (median 26 months). Compared with MHN, MUN (hazard ratio [HR] 1.61 [95% CI 1.02–2.53]) but not MHO (HR 1.06 [0.62–1.82]) or MUO (HR 1.06 [0.66–1.72]) had higher risk for MACE. CONCLUSIONS In patients with stable chest pain, four metabolic phenotypes exhibit distinctly different CAD characteristics and risk for MACE. Individuals who are metabolically unhealthy despite not being obese were at highest risk in our cohort.
Information without knowledge: the effects of Internet search on learning

ABSTRACT The Internet has radically shifted how people access information. Instead of storing information internally, increasingly, people outsource to the Internet and retrieve it when needed. While this is an efficient strategy in many ways, its downstream consequences remain largely unexplored. This research examines how accessing online information impacts how people remember information in a learning context. Across five experiments, participants studied for a quiz either by searching online to access relevant information or by directly receiving that same information without online search. Those who searched the Internet performed worse in the learning assessment, indicating that they stored less new knowledge in internal memory. However, participants who searched the Internet were as confident, or even more confident, that they had mastered the study material compared to those who did not search online. We argue that, by making information retrievability salient, Internet search reduces the likelihood of information being stored in memory. Further, these results suggest that searching online leads to the misattribution of online information to internal memory, thus masking the Internet-induced learning deficits.
Anthology of Starch Granule Morphology by Scanning Electron Microscopy

Scanning electron micrographs of the granules of 54 starches obtained from a wide variety of plant sources, consisting of roots and tubers, grains, maize, peas and beans, fruits and nuts, and small granule starches, are presented as a comparative study of their sizes and morphologies. All micrographs are presented at a magnification of 1500X with the addition of micrographs of 600X for the very large granules and micrographs of 10,000X for the very small granules.
Development of Controlled-Release Carbamide Peroxide Loaded Nanoemulgel for Tooth Bleaching: In Vitro and Ex Vivo Studies

Burst release of carbamide peroxide (CP) from traditional hydrogels causes severe inflammation to periodontal tissues. The present study explores the development of a novel CP nanoemulgel (CP-NG), an oil-in-water nanoemulsion-based gel in which CP was loaded with a view to controlling CP release. CP solid dispersions were prepared, using white soft paraffin or polyvinylpyrrolidone-white soft paraffin mixture as a carrier, prior to formulating nanoemulsions. It was found that carrier type and the ratio of CP to carrier affected drug crystallinity. Nanoemulsions formulated from the optimized CP solid dispersions were used to prepare CP-NG. It was found that the ratio of drug to carrier in CP solid dispersions affected the particle size and zeta potential of the nanoemulsions as well as drug release behavior and tooth bleaching efficacy of CP-NG. Drug release from CP-NG followed a first-order kinetic reaction and the release mechanism was an anomalous transport. Drug release rate decreased with an increase in solid dispersion carriers. CP-NG obtained from the solid dispersion with a 1:1 ratio of CP to the polymer mixture is suitable for sustaining drug release with high tooth bleaching efficacy and without reduction of enamel microhardness. The developed CP-NG is a promising potential tooth bleaching formulation.
Prebreakdown phenomena in liquids: electronic processes

Measurements of streamer velocities in a highly refined mineral oil are reported for negative and positive polarities using a point-to-plane geometry. The effects of several additives are investigated. The results indicate that whereas the negative streamers accelerate in the presence of electron-trapping additives, the velocity of the positive streamers increases in the presence of low ionization potential compounds.
Encapsulated Pine Bark Polyphenolic Extract during Gastrointestinal Digestion: Bioaccessibility, Bioactivity and Oxidative Stress Prevention

Polyphenolic extracts from pine bark have reported different biological actions and promising beneficial effects on human health. However, its susceptibility to environmental stresses (temperature, storage, etc.) and physiological human conditions prequires the development of efficient protection mechanisms to allow effective delivering of functionality. The aim of this work was to encapsulate pine bark extract rich phenolic compounds by spray-drying using maltodextrin, and understand the influence of encapsulation on the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds during gastrointestinal digestion. The optimized process conditions allowed good encapsulation efficiency of antioxidant phenolic compounds. The microencapsulation was effective in protecting those compounds during gastrointestinal conditions, controlling their delivery and enhancing its health benefits, decreasing the production of reactive oxygen species implicated in the process of oxidative stress associated with some pathologies. Finally, this encapsulation system was able to protect these extracts against acidic matrices, making the system suitable for the nutritional enrichment of fermented foods or fruit-based beverages, providing them antimicrobial protection, because the encapsulated extract was effective against Listeria innocua. Overall, the designed system allowed protecting and appropriately delivering the active compounds, and may find potential application as a natural preservative and/or antioxidant in food formulations or as bioactive ingredient with controlled delivery in pharmaceuticals or nutraceuticals.