Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Replicating prediction algorithms for hospitalization and corticosteroid use in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Introduction Previous work had shown that machine learning models can predict inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-related hospitalizations and outpatient corticosteroid use based on patient demographic and laboratory data in a cohort of United States Veterans. This study aimed to replicate this modeling framework in a nationally representative cohort. Methods A retrospective cohort design using Optum Electronic Health Records (EHR) were used to identify IBD patients, with at least 12 months of follow-up between 2007 and 2018. IBD flare was defined as an inpatient/emergency visit with a diagnosis of IBD or an outpatient corticosteroid prescription for IBD. Predictors included demographic and laboratory data. Logistic regression and random forest (RF) models were used to predict IBD flare within 6 months of each visit. A 70% training and 30% validation approach was used. Results A total of 95,878 patients across 780,559 visits were identified. Of these, 22,245 (23.2%) patients had at least one IBD flare. Patients were predominantly White (87.7%) and female (57.1%), with a mean age of 48.0 years. The logistic regression model had an area under the receiver operating curve (AuROC) of 0.66 (95% CI: 0.65−0.66), sensitivity of 0.69 (95% CI: 0.68−0.70), and specificity of 0.74 (95% CI: 0.73−0.74) in the validation cohort. The RF model had an AuROC of 0.80 (95% CI: 0.80−0.81), sensitivity of 0.74 (95% CI: 0.73−0.74), and specificity of 0.72 (95% CI: 0.72−0.72) in the validation cohort. Important predictors of IBD flare in the RF model were the number of previous flares, age, potassium, and white blood cell count. Conclusion The machine learning modeling framework was replicated and results showed a similar predictive accuracy in a nationally representative cohort of IBD patients. This modeling framework could be embedded in routine practice as a tool to distinguish high-risk patients for disease activity.
Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Promote the Proliferation of Schwann Cells by Regulating the PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway via Transferring miR-21

As an alternative mesenchymal stem cell- (MSC-) based therapy, MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown promise in the field of regenerative medicine. We previously found that human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived EVs (hUCMSC-EVs) improved functional recovery and nerve regeneration in a rat model of sciatic nerve transection. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated for the first time that hUCMSC-EVs promoted the proliferation of Schwann cells by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Furthermore, we showed that hUCMSC-EVs mediated Schwann cell proliferation via transfer of miR-21. Our findings highlight a novel mechanism of hUCMSC-EVs in treating peripheral nerve injury and suggest that hUCMSC-EVs may be an attractive option for clinical application in the treatment of peripheral nerve injury.
The Reasons and Associated Injuries Related to Baby Walkers Use Among Children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background: Baby walkers (BW) are devices commonly used for helping babies’ mobility. However, it is associated with different types of injuries. Parents still use BWs and believe that it promotes early walking. Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the use of baby walkers among children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to identify the parental reasons for using BW, and to list their associated injuries. Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted between January 9, 2021, and January 31, 2021. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed through online means. We included all families living in Riyadh who have at least one child that is older than six months and younger than 36 months. Results: This study included a total of 977 responders, of which, the majority 765 (78.3%) were baby walker users and 212 (21.6%) were non-users. Among those families using BW, the highest reason behind using them was to help the baby walk earlier (27.3%). However, believing that there is no need for using BW is the highest reason in the non-user group (29.40%). Fifteen percent of the responders reported that they had injuries related to BW usage and most of those injuries were falling downstairs (51.7%). The level of awareness regarding the disadvantage of BW was high in BW non-users (21.1%) compared to BW users (5.1%). Conclusion: The results of our study show that the prevalence of BW usage is high in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The majority of the families lack knowledge of the benefits and hazards of BW. Thus, pediatricians and the Ministry of Health have to increase the awareness of BW. Furthermore, the government should ban their importation and selling.
Experiences of Nursing Students in the Care for Patients Diagnosed With COVID-19: A Qualitative Study

The present study examined the experiences of nursing students in the care of patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This qualitative study was performed based on inductive qualitative content analysis in 2020. The samples were 10 nursing students who were selected purposively from the emergency and intensive care unit wards of hospitals affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Data were collected through semistructured and individual interviews and analyzed simultaneously and continuously by Granheim and Landman inductive qualitative content analysis. Experiences of nursing students in the care for patients with COVID-19 include 3 main categories and 7 subcategories: (a) psychological stress (fear of ward and patients and mental conflict), (b) social isolation (rejection by the family and friends, isolation, and concealment of the workplace), and (c) coping strategies as an adaption strategy (a positive impact of spirituality and an effective role of increasing information). According to the findings of this study, the education system and university administrators can help reduce psychological stress and improve the quality of care in nursing students.
Privacy-Cost Management in Smart Meters With Mutual-Information-Based Reinforcement Learning

The rapid development and expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm has drastically increased the collection and exchange of data between sensors and systems, a phenomenon that raises serious privacy concerns in some domains. In particular, smart meters (SMs) share fine-grained electricity consumption of households with utility providers that can potentially violate users’ privacy as sensitive information is leaked through the data. In order to enhance privacy, electricity consumers can exploit the availability of physical resources such as a rechargeable battery (RB) to shape their power demand as dictated by a privacy-cost management unit (PCMU). In this article, we present a novel method to learn the PCMU policy using deep reinforcement learning (DRL). We adopt the mutual information (MI) between the user’s demand load and the masked load seen by the power grid as a reliable and general privacy measure. Unlike previous studies, we model the whole temporal correlation in the data to learn the MI in its general form and use a neural network to estimate the MI-based reward signal to guide the PCMU learning process. This approach is combined with a model-free DRL algorithm known as the deep double ${Q}$ -learning (DDQL) method. The performance of the complete DDQL-MI algorithm is assessed empirically using an actual SMs data set and compared with simpler privacy measures. Our results show significant improvements over state-of-the-art privacy-aware demand shaping methods.
How physicians evaluate patients with dementia who present with shortness of breath

Whether the presence of dementia in patients makes it difficult for physicians to assess the risk such patients might have for serious conditions such as pulmonary embolism (PE) is unknown. Our objective was to examine the differential association of four clinical factors (deep venous thrombosis (DVT)/PE, malignancy, recent surgery, and tachycardia) with PE testing for patients with dementia compared to patients without dementia.
Prescribed-Time Consensus Tracking of Multiagent Systems With Nonlinear Dynamics Satisfying Time-Varying Lipschitz Growth Rates

Prescribed-time consensus tracking for second-order nonlinear multiagent systems (MASs) with the unknown nonlinear dynamics satisfying a time-varying Lipschitz growth rate is investigated in this article. A time-varying function is introduced as a part of the controller gains, and it plays an important role in overcoming the rapid growth of nonlinear terms and in ensuring that the consensus can be achieved in a preassigned time. An integral sliding-mode control protocol, which forces the system trajectory to move on to the defined sliding manifold at the initial moment, is proposed for solving the prescribed-time consensus tracking problem of leader-following MASs with disturbances. Furthermore, we propose a slightly different control law based on terminal sliding-mode control, and under such a controller, the trajectories of each follower reach the sliding manifold in an arbitrary assigned time <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{1}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and then in a specified time <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, the position and velocity tracking errors for all followers converge to 0 at the same time instant. Based on the graph theory, state transformations, and Lyapunov theorem, we prove that the proposed solutions are feasible and, finally, three simulation examples are provided to verify the theoretical results.
The Pseudoalteromonas multipartite genome: distribution and expression of pangene categories, and a hypothesis for the origin and evolution of the chromid

Although several hypotheses have been proposed, the significance of secondary genetic elements remains uncertain. In an effort to extend our current knowledge on multipartite genomes we studied how different gene categories are distributed and expressed in Pseudoalteromonas. Our data support that secondary replicons are open and flexible in nature, and likely serve a variety of specialized roles in bacteria. This work also adds to the growing body of evidence demonstrating that bacterial cells are highly organized at all levels.
Antibacterial activity of ZnO quantum dots and its protective effects of chicks infected with Salmonella pullorum

In light of emerging antibiotic resistance, synthesis of active, environmental friendly antimicrobial alternatives becomes increasingly necessary. In this study, ZnO quantum dots (ZnO QDs) were developed by the sol–gel method and characterized. The antibacterial activities of ZnO QDs against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Salmonella Pullorum (S. Pullorum) were systematically investigated. Moreover, the protective effects of ZnO QDs on Salmonella-caused pullorosis in chicks were also explored. The results indicated that the size range of ZnO QDs was 3–6 nm. Antibacterial results showed that ZnO QDs treatment inhibited the growth of E. coli, S. aureus, and S. Pullorum in the rate of 87.06 ± 0.98%, 94.75 ± 2.28%, and 85.55 ± 1.15%, respectively. Its excellent antibacterial property was manifested with the minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.7812, 0.0976, and 0.1953 mg ml−1, which may be attributed to the production of reactive oxygen species, the dissolution of Zn2+ ions, and the loss of cell integrity. Furthermore, in the in vivo test, the ZnO QDs effectively reduced the mortality of chicks infected with S. Pullorum via regulating the balance of the intestinal flora, protecting liver and intestine, and modulating the balance of antioxidation systems. This study reveals that ZnO QDs exerts remarkably antibacterial activity in vitro and anti-pullorosis effect in chicks.
Circadian regulation of the Drosophila astrocyte transcriptome

Recent studies have demonstrated that astrocytes cooperate with neurons of the brain to mediate circadian control of many rhythmic processes including locomotor activity and sleep. Transcriptional profiling studies have described the overall rhythmic landscape of the brain, but few have employed approaches that reveal heterogeneous, cell-type specific rhythms of the brain. Using cell-specific isolation of ribosome-bound RNAs in Drosophila, we constructed the first circadian “translatome” for astrocytes. This analysis identified 293 “cycling genes” in astrocytes, most with mammalian orthologs. A subsequent behavioral genetic screen identified a number of genes whose expression is required in astrocytes for normal sleep behavior. In particular, we show that certain genes known to regulate fly innate immune responses are also required for normal sleep patterns.
Understanding the Electronic Structure Evolution of Epitaxial LaNi1-xFexO3 Thin Films for Water Oxidation.

Rare earth nickelates including LaNiO3 are promising catalysts for water electrolysis to produce oxygen gas. Recent studies report that Fe substitution for Ni can significantly enhance the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of LaNiO3. However, the role of Fe in increasing the activity remains ambiguous, with potential origins that are both structural and electronic in nature. On the basis of a series of epitaxial LaNi1-xFexO3 thin films synthesized by molecular beam epitaxy, we report that Fe substitution tunes the Ni oxidation state in LaNi1-xFexO3 and a volcano-like OER trend is observed, with x = 0.375 being the most active. Spectroscopy and ab initio modeling reveal that high-valent Fe3+δ cationic species strongly increase the transition-metal (TM) 3d bandwidth via Ni-O-Fe bridges and enhance TM 3d-O 2p hybridization, boosting the OER activity. These studies deepen our understanding of structural and electronic contributions that give rise to enhanced OER activity in perovskite oxides.
Poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness and association with mental health in college students

Abstract Aim To estimate the prevalence of poor sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) among college students and to analyse their association with aspects of mental health. Subjects and methods A cross-sectional study carried out with 1113 college students, enrolled in full-time courses at a public university in the Mid-West region of Brazil. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire with questions about demographics, socioeconomics, mental health, sleep quality, and EDS. Measurements of weight and height were taken to assess weight status using the body mass index. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between perceived stress (classified as light, moderate, and high) and presence of depressive symptoms with poor sleep quality and presence of EDS. Results High prevalence of poor sleep quality (65.5%) and EDS (55%) was observed. In the adjusted models, poor sleep quality was significantly associated with moderate and high perceived stress and presence of depressive symptoms. For EDS, there was also a significant association with moderate and high perceived stress and presence of depressive symptoms. Conclusions High prevalence of poor sleep quality and EDS was found among college students. Perceived stress and presence of depressive symptoms were significantly associated with both evaluated outcomes.
Association of phase angle and appendicular upper and lower body lean soft tissue with physical performance in young elite soccer players: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND In soccer, a better understanding of the bioimpedance parameters with physical performance may be useful to efficiently monitor and interpret players' performance variation throughout a certain period of the season. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between phase angle (PhA) and arms and legs lean soft tissue (ALST and LLST) with physical performance in young elite soccer players. METHODS Fifteen young male elite soccer players (age = 14.2±1.2 years, BMI = 20.51±1.38 kg/m2) participated in this investigation. Raw bioimpedance parameters (reactance, resistance, and phase angle) were obtained by a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) device. Then, ALST and LLST were estimated. All players underwent a physical testing battery including countermovement jump (CMJ), 10-m and 20-m sprint, and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test level 1 (YoYo IRTL1) in the domains of anaerobic and aerobic performance, respectively. RESULTS The results showed that LST (total, arms and legs) positively correlated with CMJ (0.64 < r < 0.69; p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with 10-m (-0.59 < r < -0.63; p < 0.05) and 20-m sprint (-0.67 < r < -0.73; p < 0.001), while PhA positively correlated with CMJ (r = 0.57; p < 0.05) and negatively correlated (r = -0.54; p < 0.05) only with 20-m sprint. No significant association was found between the BIA-related parameters (PhA and LST) and Yo- Yo IRT level 1. CONCLUSIONS The present findings highlight the existing association of PhA and LST with jumping and sprinting performance in young elite soccer players. This result supports the use of BIA-related measures as a simple and practical approach to monitoring anaerobic performance changes, rather than aerobic, over time throughout the season.
Total platelet donation count and donation frequency are determinants of plateletpheresis‐associated lymphopenia

Plateletpheresis using a leukocyte reduction system (LRS) traps donor WBCs in the LRS chamber, which may lead to lymphopenia, especially in frequent plateletpheresis donors. It seems plausible that this might cause adverse effects. However, current knowledge about potential confounders and donor health impacts is incomplete.
Chronic Relapsing Inflammatory Optic Neuropathy (CRION)

Purpose of review This review highlights the epidemiology, clinical and radiologic characteristics of chronic relapsing inflammatory optic neuropathy (CRION) and treatment modalities. Recent findings Similar to other autoimmune diseases, CRION appears to have a female predominance. There is no racial or ethnic preponderance. Pain is a common characteristic of CRION and may be the initial presenting feature prior to subacute vision loss. Currently, no specific serologic biomarkers exist to help diagnose CRION but some cases may be associated with myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-associated disease or connective tissue diseases. Radiologic biomarkers are not specific, but a dedicated MRI of the orbits typically shows optic nerve hyperintensity with or without enhancement, whereas MRI of the brain is typically normal. Summary CRION is an inflammatory optic neuropathy that is characterized by a chronic and relapsing course, that is characterized by pain associated with subacute vision loss. It is favorably responsive but highly dependent on corticosteroids with frequent relapses in the setting of steroid tapering. Additional diagnostic biomarkers and further studies are required to better diagnose and treat this rare but potentially debilitating condition.
Gender inequities in the online dissemination of scholars’ work

Significance Prior work establishes wide-ranging gender inequities in science. Disparities at the level of earnings, support, and promotion indicate that women’s research is not recognized equally to men’s. Since an imbalance in visibility might have consequential downstream effects on citations and awards, the study of online success is critical to address the gender gap. Here we show that women are less successful than men in disseminating their research online. We demonstrate that scientific impact, social capital, and gendered tie formation in coauthorship networks are associated with the online success of men across research areas and levels of success, but not of women. Unbiased science dissemination has the potential to alleviate some of the known gender disparities in academia by exposing female scholars’ work to other scientists and the public. And yet, we lack comprehensive understanding of the relationship between gender and science dissemination online. Our large-scale analyses, encompassing half a million scholars, revealed that female scholars’ work is mentioned less frequently than male scholars’ work in all research areas. When exploring the characteristics associated with online success, we found that the impact of prior work, social capital, and gendered tie formation in coauthorship networks are linked with online success for men, but not for women—even in the areas with the highest female representation. These results suggest that while men’s scientific impact and collaboration networks are associated with higher visibility online, there are no universally identifiable facets associated with success for women. Our comprehensive empirical evidence indicates that the gender gap in online science dissemination is coupled with a lack of understanding the characteristics that are linked with female scholars’ success, which might hinder efforts to close the gender gap in visibility.
Diversity Interventions in the Classroom: From Resistance to Action

What goes into faculty decisions to adopt a classroom intervention that closes achievement gaps? We present a theoretical model for understanding possible resistance to and support for implementing and sustaining a diversity-enhancing classroom intervention. We propose, examine, and refine a “diversity interventions—resistance to action” model with four key inputs that help explain faculty’s decision to implement (or not) an evidence-based intervention: 1) notice that underrepresentation is a problem, 2) interpret underrepresentation as needing immediate action, 3) assume responsibility, and 4) know how to help. Using an embedded mixed-methods design, we worked with a sample of 40 biology faculty from across the United States who participated in in-depth, semistructured, qualitative interviews and surveys. Survey results offer initial support for the model, showing that the inputs are associated with faculty’s perceived value of and implementation intentions for a diversity-enhancing classroom intervention. Findings from qualitative narratives provide rich contextual information that illuminates how faculty think about diversity and classroom interventions. The diversity interventions—resistance to action model highlights the explicit role of faculty as systemic gatekeepers in field-wide efforts to diversify biology education, and findings point to strategies for overcoming different aspects of faculty resistance in order to scale up diversity-enhancing classroom interventions.
EFhd2 brain interactome reveals its association with different cellular and molecular processes

EFhd2 is a conserved calcium‐binding protein that is highly expressed in the central nervous system. We have shown that EFhd2 interacts with tau protein, a key pathological hallmark in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. However, EFhd2’s physiological and pathological functions in the brain are still poorly understood. To gain insights into its physiological function, we identified proteins that co‐immunoprecipitated with EFhd2 from mouse forebrain and hindbrain, using tandem mass spectrometry (MS). In addition, quantitative mass spectrometry was used to detect protein abundance changes due to the deletion of the Efhd2 gene in mouse forebrain and hindbrain regions. Our data show that mouse EFhd2 is associated with cytoskeleton components, vesicle trafficking modulators, cellular stress response‐regulating proteins, and metabolic proteins. Moreover, proteins associated with the cytoskeleton, vesicular transport, calcium signaling, stress response, and metabolic pathways showed differential abundance in Efhd2(−/−) mice. This study presents, for the first time, an EFhd2 brain interactome that it is associated with different cellular and molecular processes. These findings will help prioritize further studies to investigate the mechanisms by which EFhd2 modulates these processes in physiological and pathological conditions of the nervous system.