Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Empathy Disposition and Risk Perception on the Psychological Impact of Lockdown During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic Outbreak

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, and especially in the absence of availability of an effective treatment or a vaccine, the main health measure is neither chemical nor biological, but behavioral. To reduce the exponential growth of infections due to the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the resulting overburdening of the healthcare system, many European Countries, parts of the US and Switzerland gradually implemented measures of quarantine and isolation defined as lockdown. This consideration leads to the need to understand how individuals are motivated to protect themselves and others. Recent research suggested that prosocial mental dispositions, such as empathy, might promote adherence to social norms of distancing. Other research conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak indicates, however, that empathy levels might fluctuate according to anxiety linked to the risk of death, and this negatively predicted prosocial willingness. The present protocol proposes a study on whether people's empathic dispositions, interacting with the levels of risk, influence the psychological impact of lockdown. The rationale is that emphatic dispositions, encouraging the acceptance of the lockdown, determine a better psychological adaptation and less distress. One retrospective study will be developed in Switzerland and, if the pandemic conditions force a new wave of lockdown on the population, one prospective study as well. A total of 120 participants will be involved, distinguished by their level of objective risk: (1) high objective risk (COVID-19 positive patients, hospitalized in isolation in post-acute phase); (2) moderate objective risk (COVID-19 positive patients, isolated at home); (3) minimum objective risk (non-positive adults, in lockdown). Measures of perceived risk of being contagious for third parties, empathic dispositions and acceptance of lockdown will be collected. The expected results provide important answers related to the immediate impact of empathic dispositions, effective risk and risk perception on the psychological impact of lockdown during a pandemic outbreak. Data gathered from this study could inform policy makers and public health managers about the best communication strategies that will take into account the various stages of health risk and, in particular, to modulate messages to the population aimed at inducing self-isolation behaviors.
Polymorph identification in green Chinese architectural paints using Raman imaging and multivariate curve resolution

Distinguishing the polymorphs of basic copper chlorides is useful to inform how these materials were used as pigments in Western artworks. Raman imaging spectroscopy and multivariate curve resolution‐alternating least squares (MCR‐ALS) were employed to distinguish the minerals used in green pigments of several Chinese architectural paintings (12th–19th centuries). MCR‐ALS generated component spectra for the Raman datasets, which allowed the resolution of trace materials separated from background features. This method established the mixtures of atacamite and botallackite polymorphs and their relative ratios in five paint samples and identified the mineral azurite, a basic copper carbonate in one sample. These findings identify and suggest a shift to synthetic basic copper chloride pigments in Chinese architectural paints based on the spectroscopically resolved spectra of these mixtures. Thus, this methodology has successfully been applied to paint cross sections to distinguish components and to inform on the materiality and history of objects.
Functional Alterations and Cerebral Variations in Humans Exposed to Early Life Stress

Early life stress can be caused by acute or chronic exposure to childhood events, such as emotional, physical, sexual abuse, and neglect. Early stress is associated with subsequent alterations in physical and mental health, which can extend into adolescence, adulthood, and even old age. The effects of early stress exposure include alterations in cognitive, neuropsychological, and behavioral functions, and can even lead to the development of psychiatric disorders and changes in brain anatomy. The present manuscript provides a review of the main findings on these effects reported in the scientific literature in recent decades. Early life stress is associated with the presence of psychiatric disorders, mainly mood disorders such as depression and risk of suicide, as well as with the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder. At the neuropsychological level, the involvement of different mental processes such as executive functions, abstract reasoning, certain memory modalities, and poor school-skill performance has been reported. In addition, we identified reports of alterations of different subdomains of each of these processes. Regarding neuroanatomical effects, the involvement of cortical regions, subcortical nuclei, and the subcortical white matter has been documented. Among the telencephalic regions most affected and studied are the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the anterior cingulate cortex. Understanding the impact of early life stress on postnatal brain development is very important for the orientation of therapeutic intervention programs and could help in the formulation and implementation of preventive measures as well as in the reorientation of research targets.
Smartband Use During Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Facilitates Inpatient Recuperation Following Minimally Invasive Colorectal Surgery

Background: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is valuable in perioperative care for its ability to improve short-term surgical outcomes and facilitate patient recuperation after major surgery. Early postoperative mobilization is a vital component of the integrated care pathway and is a factor strongly associated with successful outcomes. However, early mobilization still has various definitions and lacks specific strategies. Methods: Patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer followed our perioperative ERAS program, including mobilization from the first postoperative day. After perioperative care skills were improved in our well-established program, compliance, inpatient surgical outcomes, and complications associated with adding smartband use were evaluated and compared with the outcomes for standard protocol. Quality of recovery was evaluated using patient-rated QoR-40 questionnaires the day before surgery, on postoperative days 1 and 3, and on the day of discharge. Results: Smartband use after minimally invasive colorectal surgery failed to increase compliance with early mobilization or reduce the occurrence of postoperative complications significantly compared with standard ERAS protocol. However, when smartbands were utilized, quality of recovery was optimized and patients returned to their preoperative status earlier, at postoperative day 3. The length of hospital stay, as defined by discharge criteria, and hospital stay of patients without complications was reduced by 1.1 and 0.9 days, respectively (P = 0.009 and 0.049, respectively). Conclusions: Smartbands enable enhanced communication between patients and surgical teams and strengthen self-management in patients undergoing minimally invasive colorectal resection surgery. Accelerated recovery to preoperative functional status can be facilitated by integrating smartbands into the process of early mobilization during ERAS.
Assessment of Behavioral Characteristics With Procedures of Minimal Human Interference in the mdx Mouse Model for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe, progressive neuromuscular disorder caused by mutations in the DMD gene resulting in loss of functional dystrophin protein. The muscle dystrophin isoform is essential to protect muscles from contraction-induced damage. However, most dystrophin isoforms are expressed in the brain. In addition to progressive muscle weakness, many DMD patients therefore also exhibit intellectual and behavioral abnormalities. The most commonly used mouse model for DMD, the mdx mouse, lacks only the full-length dystrophin isoforms and has been extensively characterized for muscle pathology. In this study, we assessed behavioral effects of a lack of full-length dystrophins on spontaneous behavior, discrimination and reversal learning, anxiety, and short-term spatial memory and compared performance between male and female mdx mice. In contrast to our previous study using only female mdx mice, we could not reproduce the earlier observed reversal learning deficit. However, we did notice small differences in the number of visits made during the Y-maze and dark-light box. Results indicate that it is advisable to establish standard operating procedures specific to behavioral testing in mdx mice to allow the detection of the subtle phenotypic differences and to eliminate inter and intra laboratory variance.
Pulsatile Flow-Induced Fatigue-Resistant Photopolymerizable Hydrogels for the Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms

An alternative intracranial aneurysm embolic agent is emerging in the form of hydrogels due to their ability to be injected in liquid phase and solidify in situ. Hydrogels have the ability to fill an aneurysm sac more completely compared to solid implants such as those used in coil embolization. Recently, the feasibility to implement photopolymerizable poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) hydrogels in vitro has been demonstrated for aneurysm application. Nonetheless, the physical and mechanical properties of such hydrogels require further characterization to evaluate their long-term integrity and stability to avoid implant compaction and aneurysm recurrence over time. To that end, molecular weight and polymer content of the hydrogels were tuned to match the elastic modulus and compliance of aneurysmal tissue while minimizing the swelling volume and pressure. The hydrogel precursor was injected and photopolymerized in an in vitro aneurysm model, designed by casting polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) around 3D printed water-soluble sacrificial molds. The hydrogels were then exposed to a fatigue test under physiological pulsatile flow, inducing a combination of circumferential and shear stresses. The hydrogels withstood 5.5 million cycles and no significant weight loss of the implant was observed nor did the polymerized hydrogel protrude or migrate into the parent artery. Slight surface erosion defects of 2–10 μm in depth were observed after loading compared to 2 μm maximum for non-loaded hydrogels. These results show that our fine-tuned photopolymerized hydrogel is expected to withstand the physiological conditions of an in vivo implant study.
Database Mining to Unravel the Ecology of the Phylum Chloroflexi in Methanogenic Full Scale Bioreactors

Although microbial communities of anaerobic bioreactors have been extensively studied using DNA-based tools, there are still several knowledge gaps regarding the microbiology of the process, in particular integration of all generated data is still limited. One understudied core phylum within anaerobic bioreactors is the phylum Chloroflexi, despite being one of the most abundant groups in anaerobic reactors. In order to address the abundance, diversity and phylogeny of this group in full-scale methanogenic reactors globally distributed, a compilation of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence data from 62 full-scale methanogenic reactors studied worldwide, fed either with wastewater treatment anaerobic reactors (WTARs) or solid-waste treatment anaerobic reactors (STARs), was performed. One of the barriers to overcome was comparing data generated using different primer sets and different sequencing platforms. The sequence analysis revealed that the average abundance of Chloroflexi in WTARs was higher than in STARs. Four genera belonging to the Anaerolineae class dominated both WTARs and STARs but the core populations were different. According to the phylogenetic analysis, most of the sequences formed clusters with no cultured representatives. The Anaerolineae class was more abundant in reactors with granular biomass than in reactors with disperse biomass supporting the hypothesis that Anaerolineae play an important role in granule formation and structure due to their filamentous morphology. Cross-study comparisons can be fruitfully used to understand the complexity of the anaerobic digestion process. However, more efforts are needed to standardize protocols and report metadata information.
Past, Present, and Future of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Approaches to Treat Cognitive Impairment in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Time for a Comprehensive Critical Review

Low birth rates and increasing life expectancy experienced by developed societies have placed an unprecedented pressure on governments and the health system to deal effectively with the human, social and financial burden associated to aging-related diseases. At present, ∼24 million people worldwide suffer from cognitive neurodegenerative diseases, a prevalence that doubles every five years. Pharmacological therapies and cognitive training/rehabilitation have generated temporary hope and, occasionally, proof of mild relief. Nonetheless, these approaches are yet to demonstrate a meaningful therapeutic impact and changes in prognosis. We here review evidence gathered for nearly a decade on non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS), a less known therapeutic strategy aiming to limit cognitive decline associated with neurodegenerative conditions. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, two of the most popular NIBS technologies, use electrical fields generated non-invasively in the brain to long-lastingly enhance the excitability/activity of key brain regions contributing to relevant cognitive processes. The current comprehensive critical review presents proof-of-concept evidence and meaningful cognitive outcomes of NIBS in eight of the most prevalent neurodegenerative pathologies affecting cognition: Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Primary Progressive Aphasias (PPA), behavioral variant of Frontotemporal Dementia, Corticobasal Syndrome, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, and Posterior Cortical Atrophy. We analyzed a total of 70 internationally published studies: 33 focusing on Alzheimer’s disease, 19 on PPA and 18 on the remaining neurodegenerative pathologies. The therapeutic benefit and clinical significance of NIBS remains inconclusive, in particular given the lack of a sufficient number of double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials using multiday stimulation regimes, the heterogeneity of the protocols, and adequate behavioral and neuroimaging response biomarkers, able to show lasting effects and an impact on prognosis. The field remains promising but, to make further progress, research efforts need to take in account the latest evidence of the anatomical and neurophysiological features underlying cognitive deficits in these patient populations. Moreover, as the development of in vivo biomarkers are ongoing, allowing for an early diagnosis of these neuro-cognitive conditions, one could consider a scenario in which NIBS treatment will be personalized and made part of a cognitive rehabilitation program, or useful as a potential adjunct to drug therapies since the earliest stages of suh diseases. Research should also integrate novel knowledge on the mechanisms and constraints guiding the impact of electrical and magnetic fields on cerebral tissues and brain activity, and incorporate the principles of information-based neurostimulation.
Prior Biological Knowledge Improves Genomic Prediction of Growth-Related Traits in Arabidopsis thaliana

Prediction of growth-related complex traits is highly important for crop breeding. Photosynthesis efficiency and biomass are direct indicators of overall plant performance and therefore even minor improvements in these traits can result in significant breeding gains. Crop breeding for complex traits has been revolutionized by technological developments in genomics and phenomics. Capitalizing on the growing availability of genomics data, genome-wide marker-based prediction models allow for efficient selection of the best parents for the next generation without the need for phenotypic information. Until now such models mostly predict the phenotype directly from the genotype and fail to make use of relevant biological knowledge. It is an open question to what extent the use of such biological knowledge is beneficial for improving genomic prediction accuracy and reliability. In this study, we explored the use of publicly available biological information for genomic prediction of photosynthetic light use efficiency (ΦPSII) and projected leaf area (PLA) in Arabidopsis thaliana. To explore the use of various types of knowledge, we mapped genomic polymorphisms to Gene Ontology (GO) terms and transcriptomics-based gene clusters, and applied these in a Genomic Feature Best Linear Unbiased Predictor (GFBLUP) model, which is an extension to the traditional Genomic BLUP (GBLUP) benchmark. Our results suggest that incorporation of prior biological knowledge can improve genomic prediction accuracy for both ΦPSII and PLA. The improvement achieved depends on the trait, type of knowledge and trait heritability. Moreover, transcriptomics offers complementary evidence to the Gene Ontology for improvement when used to define functional groups of genes. In conclusion, prior knowledge about trait-specific groups of genes can be directly translated into improved genomic prediction.
Cytokine Storm in Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Adult-Onset Still’s Disease: Similarities and Differences

The catastrophic outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently a public emergency. Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is an autoinflammatory disease characterized by life-threatening complications. Systemic hyperinflammation and cytokine storm play a critical role in the pathogenesis of both COVID-19 and AOSD. We aimed to compare the similarities and differences focusing on ferritin and cytokine levels between severe COVID-19 and active AOSD. A literature search was performed using the databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science to collect the levels of cytokine including IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, TNF-α, IL-10, and ferritin in severe COVID-19 patients. After extracting available data of indicators of interest, we acquired these statistics with a single-arm meta-analysis. Furthermore, a comparison was conducted between 52 patients with active AOSD in our center and severe COVID-19 patients from databases. The levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were higher in severe COVID-19 compared with those in active AOSD. There were no significant differences on the cytokine of IL-1β and TNF-α. Fold changes of IL-18 were defined as the mean expression level ratio of severe COVID-19 to healthy controls in the COVID-19 study and active AOSD to healthy controls in our study, individually. Although the fold change of IL-18 in patients with AOSD was significantly higher than patients with severe COVID-19 (fold change: 594.00 vs 2.17), there was no statistical comparability. In addition, the level of ferritin was higher in active AOSD in comparison with severe COVID-19. Our findings suggest that severe COVID-19 and active AOSD have differences in cytokine panel and ferritin level, indicating the pathogenic role of ferritin in overwhelming inflammation. And it paves the way to make efficacy therapeutic strategy targeting the hyperinflammatory process in COVID-19 according to AOSD management, especially in severe COVID-19.
Global Land Surface Temperature Change (2003-2017) and Its Relationship with Climate Drivers: AIRS, MODIS, and ERA5-Land Based Analysis

Land surface temperature (LST) plays a critical role in the water cycle and energy balance at global and regional scales. Large-scale LST estimates can be obtained from satellite observations and reanalysis data. In this study, we first investigate the long-term changes of LST during 2003–2017 on a per-pixel basis using three different datasets derived from (i) the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard Aqua satellite, (ii) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) also aboard Aqua, and (iii) the recently released ERA5-Land reanalysis data. It was found that the spatio-temporal patterns of these data agree very well. All three products globally showed an uptrend in the annual average LST during 2003–2017 but with considerable spatial variations. The strongest increase was found over the region north of 45° N, particularly over Asian Russia, whereas a slight decrease was observed over Australia. The regression analysis indicated that precipitation (P), incoming surface solar radiation (SW↓), and incoming surface longwave radiation (LW↓) can together explain the inter-annual LST variations over most regions, except over tropical forests, where the inter-annual LST variation is low. Spatially, the LST changes during 2003–2017 over the region north of 45° N were mainly influenced by LW↓, while P and SW↓ played a more important role over other regions. A detailed look at Asian Russia and the Amazon rainforest at a monthly time scale showed that warming in Asian Russia is dominated by LST increases in February–April, which are closely related with the simultaneously increasing LW↓ and clouds. Over the southern Amazon, the most apparent LST increase is found in the dry season (August–September), primarily affected by decreasing P. In addition, increasing SW↓ associated with decreasing atmospheric aerosols was another factor found to cause LST increases. This study shows a high level of consistency among LST trends derived from satellite and reanalysis products, thus providing more robust characteristics of the spatio-temporal LST changes during 2003–2017. Furthermore, the major climatic drivers of LST changes during 2003–2017 were identified over different regions, which might help us predict the LST in response to changing climate in the future.
Ambroxol Upregulates Glucocerebrosidase Expression to Promote Neural Stem Cells Differentiation Into Neurons Through Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway After Ischemic Stroke

Ischemic stroke has been becoming one of the leading causes resulting in mortality and adult long-term disability worldwide. Post-stroke pneumonia is a common complication in patients with ischemic stroke and always associated with 1-year mortality. Though ambroxol therapy often serves as a supplementary treatment for post-stroke pneumonia in ischemic stroke patients, its effect on functional recovery and potential mechanism after ischemic stroke remain elusive. In the present study, the results indicated that administration of 70 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg enhanced functional recovery by virtue of decreasing infarct volume. The potential mechanism, to some extent, was due to promoting NSCs differentiation into neurons and interfering NSCs differentiation into astrocytes through increasing GCase expression to activate Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in penumbra after ischemic stroke, which advanced basic knowledge of ambroxol in regulating NSCs differentiation and provided a feasible therapy for ischemic stroke treatment, even in other brain disorders in clinic.