Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tick tock, tick tock: Mouse culture and tissue aging captured by an epigenetic clock

Aging is associated with dramatic changes to DNA methylation (DNAm), although the causes and consequences of such alterations are unknown. Our ability to experimentally uncover mechanisms of epigenetic aging will be greatly enhanced by our ability to study and manipulate these changes using in vitro models. However, it remains unclear whether the changes elicited by cells in culture can serve as a model of what is observed in aging tissues in vivo. To test this, we serially passaged mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and assessed changes in DNAm at each time point via reduced representation bisulfite sequencing. By developing a measure that tracked cellular aging in vitro, we tested whether it tracked physiological aging in various mouse tissues and whether anti‐aging interventions modulate this measure. Our measure, termed CultureAGE, was shown to strongly increase with age when examined in multiple tissues (liver, lung, kidney, blood, and adipose). As a control, we confirmed that the measure was not a marker of cellular senescence, suggesting that it reflects a distinct yet progressive cellular aging phenomena that can be induced in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrated slower epigenetic aging in animals undergoing caloric restriction and a resetting of our measure in lung and kidney fibroblasts when re‐programmed to iPSCs. Enrichment and clustering analysis implicated EED and Polycomb group (PcG) factors as potentially important chromatin regulators in translational culture aging phenotypes. Overall, this study supports the concept that physiologically relevant aging changes can be induced in vitro and used to uncover mechanistic insights into epigenetic aging.
Child Maltreatment During School and Childcare Closure Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aim of the present study was to examine child maltreatment prevalence rates during the first COVID-19 related national closure of schools and childcare settings (the lockdown) in the Netherlands. Based on reports of childcare professionals and primary and secondary school teachers (N = 444) the prevalence of child maltreatment during the 3 months of this first lockdown was estimated at almost 40,000 children, or 14 per 1,000 children. The prevalence of emotional neglect was found to be three times higher during the lockdown compared to a period without lockdown. This significant difference was reflected in overall emotional neglect as well as for two main subtypes of emotional neglect: educational neglect and witnessing domestic violence. No significant differences were found for other types of child maltreatment. Most of the reported cases of maltreatment were already problematic before the lockdown and became worse during the lockdown. The results of this study indicate that the closure of schools and childcare settings may have enormous negative consequences for vulnerable children.
Systematic review of the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of recombinant haemagglutinin seasonal influenza vaccines for the prevention of laboratory‐confirmed influenza in individuals ≥18 years of age

The most effective means of preventing seasonal influenza is through vaccination. In this systematic review, we investigated the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of recombinant haemagglutinin (HA) seasonal influenza vaccines to prevent laboratory‐confirmed influenza. A systematic literature search was conducted in electronic databases and grey literature sources up to 7 February 2020. Randomised controlled trials and non‐randomised studies of interventions were eligible for inclusion. The search returned 28,846 records, of which 10 studies on recombinant HA influenza vaccine met our inclusion criteria. One study found that the quadrivalent recombinant HA influenza vaccine had higher relative vaccine efficacy (rVE) in preventing laboratory‐confirmed influenza during the 2014–15 season compared with traditional quadrivalent vaccination in adults aged ≥50 years (rVE = 30%, 95% CI 10%–47%, moderate‐certainty evidence). In a subgroup analysis, higher rVE was reported for influenza A (rVE = 36%, 95% CI 14% to 53%), but not for B (non‐significant). Another study reported higher efficacy for the trivalent recombinant HA vaccine compared with placebo (VE = 45%, 95% CI 19–63, 1 RCT, low‐certainty evidence) in adults aged 18–55 years. With the exception of a higher rate of chills (RR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.03–1.72), the safety profile of recombinant HA vaccines was comparable to that of traditional influenza vaccines. The evidence base for the efficacy and effectiveness of recombinant HA influenza vaccines is limited at present, although one study found that the quadrivalent recombinant HA influenza vaccine had higher rVE compared with traditional quadrivalent vaccination in adults aged ≥50 years.
Commonality and diversity in tRNA substrate recognition in t6A biogenesis by eukaryotic KEOPSs

Abstract N 6-Threonylcarbamoyladenosine (t6A) is a universal and pivotal tRNA modification. KEOPS in eukaryotes participates in its biogenesis, whose mutations are connected with Galloway-Mowat syndrome. However, the tRNA substrate selection mechanism by KEOPS and t6A modification function in mammalian cells remain unclear. Here, we confirmed that all ANN-decoding human cytoplasmic tRNAs harbor a t6A moiety. Using t6A modification systems from various eukaryotes, we proposed the possible coevolution of position 33 of initiator tRNAMet and modification enzymes. The role of the universal CCA end in t6A biogenesis varied among species. However, all KEOPSs critically depended on C32 and two base pairs in the D-stem. Knockdown of the catalytic subunit OSGEP in HEK293T cells had no effect on the steady-state abundance of cytoplasmic tRNAs but selectively inhibited tRNAIle aminoacylation. Combined with in vitro aminoacylation assays, we revealed that t6A functions as a tRNAIle isoacceptor-specific positive determinant for human cytoplasmic isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase (IARS1). t6A deficiency had divergent effects on decoding efficiency at ANN codons and promoted +1 frameshifting. Altogether, our results shed light on the tRNA recognition mechanism, revealing both commonality and diversity in substrate recognition by eukaryotic KEOPSs, and elucidated the critical role of t6A in tRNAIle aminoacylation and codon decoding in human cells.
The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant make imperative the adoption of telerehabilitation in the Bulgarian health care system

The rapid spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 globally will challenge the accessibility and the delivery of physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) services. Many health care systems throughout the world performed effective reforms such as the transition to telerehabilitation (TR). In Bulgaria, TR is still not regulated by law, and terms such as teleconsultation and tele-education have not yet been introduced. The adoption of TR in the Bulgarian health care system will undoubtedly increase the accessibility to rehabilitation treatment for a larger group of Bulgarian patients with various neurological, cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and oncological conditions and will significantly contribute to the PRM services modernization in Bulgaria.
Sexual dimorphism in immune function and oxidative physiology across birds: The role of sexual selection

Abstract Sex‐specific physiology is commonly reported in animals, often indicating lower immune indices and higher oxidative stress in males than in females. Sexual selection is argued to explain these differences, but empirical evidence is limited. Here, we explore sex differences in immunity, oxidative physiology and packed cell volume of wild, adult, breeding birds (97 species, 1997 individuals, 14 230 physiological measurements). We show that higher female immune indices are most common across birds (when bias is present), but oxidative physiology shows no general sex‐bias and packed cell volume is generally male‐biased. In contrast with predictions based on sexual selection, male‐biased sexual size dimorphism is associated with male‐biased immune measures. Sexual dichromatism, mating system and parental roles had no effect on sex‐specificity in physiology. Importantly, female‐biased immunity remained after accounting for sexual selection indices. We conclude that cross‐species differences in physiological sex‐bias are largely unrelated to sexual selection and alternative explanations should be explored.
Learning Representations by Graphical Mutual Information Estimation and Maximization

The rich content in various real-world networks such as social networks, biological networks, and communication networks provides unprecedented opportunities for unsupervised machine learning on graphs. This paper investigates the fundamental problem of preserving and extracting abundant information from graph-structured data into embedding space without external supervision. To this end, we generalize conventional mutual information computation from vector space to graph domain and present a novel concept, Graphical Mutual Information (GMI), to measure the correlation between input graph and hidden representation. Except for standard GMI which considers graph structures from a local perspective, our further proposed GMI++ additionally captures global topological properties by analyzing the co-occurrence relationship of nodes. GMI and its extension exhibit several benefits: First, they are invariant to the isomorphic transformation of input graphs—an inevitable constraint in many existing methods; Second, they can be efficiently estimated and maximized by current mutual information estimation methods; Lastly, our theoretical analysis confirms their correctness and rationality. With the aid of GMI, we develop an unsupervised embedding model and adapt it to the specific anomaly detection task. Extensive experiments indicate that our GMI methods achieve promising performance in various downstream tasks, such as node classification, link prediction, and anomaly detection.
Customization of e-textile sensory tools for people with dementia

Abstract Sensory activities are used to increase social engagement for people with dementia, who may struggle to participate in activities due to deteriorating cognitive functions. Sensory tools are used but these can be inappropriate since they are not designed for people with dementia. This paper details the design of an e-textile sensory tool for people with dementia, with stakeholders in Mainland China. The concept, a sensory wall, was derived from a previous co-design project in Hong Kong. However, the design context differs, and this work highlights barriers to implementing co-design in sensory tool design. Instead, this project took a collaborative customization approach. This paper describes the design processes and evaluations for the first and second sensory wall, with context on dementia care in Mainland China. This paper highlights considerations in the design of a sensory tool for people with dementia, and the benefits of stakeholder engagement in sensory tool design.
Effects of different types of digital exhibits on children’s experiences in science museums

Abstract Science museums have always been considered an important informal education resource for children. However, despite extensive literature on experience and learning in the context of science museums, the roles played by digital exhibits in children’s experiences are still not fully understood. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and understand the roles of different types of digital exhibits in improving children’s experiences by analyzing their average holding time (AHT). The data of children’s AHT on digital exhibits were collected through observation of children’s behaviours on sampled digital exhibits in the Liaoning Science and Technology Museum. In addition, effects of new interactive digital technologies and digital screens were verified. Results showed that hands-on digital exhibits are more effective than hands-off digital exhibits in attracting children’s attention. Interactive exhibits with touch screens are also attractive and can hold children’s experience time.
Comparison of the Home Ranges of Mountain Hawk-Eagles during Different Phases of Wind Farm Construction

Abstract Raptors are long-lived apex predators with a lower rate of breeding success than smaller birds. Therefore, their responses to the construction of wind farms must be documented to assess the impact of wind energy on birds. We estimated the home ranges of three pairs of Mountain Hawk-Eagle Nisaetus nipalensis orientalis before, during, and after construction of a wind energy facility to assess changes in home range. We also compared altitude, inclination, and land cover composition of habitats within home ranges during the construction phase. For one pair, the home range of which included wind farm construction, the distance from the home range to the construction area during the first year of construction increased significantly compared with that during pre-construction, but there was no significant difference between the post-construction and construction phase. It is thought that the construction of a wind farm within the home range caused the displacement, and that displacement began during the first phase of construction and continuing during the second phase and afterwards. Because the birds moved about 500 m away from the wind farm during the construction and post-construction phases but succeeded in breeding, we think that the distance of 500 m may be meaningful in terms of mitigating disturbance. The nest trees of all three successful breeding pairs were more than 1.3 km from the closest wind turbine, perhaps indicative that impact on breeding is light if construction takes place this far away from breeding sites. No significant differences in either land cover or inclination within home ranges were found during the construction phase, which might explain why all birds bred successfully during the second construction phase. After construction, all three pairs continued to use areas with similar habitat.
A 100-million-year-old ensiferan with unusual mouthparts and comments on the evolution of raptorial appendages within Polyneoptera

ABSTRACT Myanmar amber is known to provide fossils of the group Insecta with surprising morphologies. Here we present fossils of the new species Gryllobencain patrickmuelleri n. gen., n. sp. from Myanmar amber that possess an overall “orthopteroid” morphology, hence resemble crickets. Unlike in most crickets, thorax appendages 1 and 2 (“legs”) are large and prominent, even in comparison to thorax appendage 3. Furthermore, thorax appendages 1 and 2 are able to fold against themselves and are armed with prominent spine-like setae, indicating that these legs were originally used for grasping prey. Most prominent is a large spine on the tibia of both appendages distantly reminding of the tibial spur or claw of praying mantises. Comparable prey-catching apparatuses have evolved repeatedly in the group Polyneoptera: gladiators (Mantophasmatodea), three ingroups of bush-crickets (Saginae, Austrosaginae, Listroscelidinae) as well as one species of fossil mantises (Santanmantis axelrodi Grimaldi, 2003) appear to have used thorax appendages 1 and 2 for prey catching. The new fossils do not seem to be closely related to any of these groups. They differ especially by prominent cerci equipped with numerous, probably mechano-sensorial setae. In the other five groups, the cerci are significantly smaller, often indistinct. The fossils furthermore have prominent maxillae with sickle-shaped proximal parts and well-armed large palps, indicating that the maxillae played an important role in processing the prey. While the thorax appendages hence represent a case of clear convergent evolution, the uniqueness of the feeding apparatus leads us to recognise the fossils as a highly specialised new species.
Bird Use of Fruit Orchards and Vineyards in Japan: Mitigating a Knowledge Gap with a Systematic Review of Published and Grey Literature

Abstract Perennial farmlands such as fruit orchards and vineyards often substitute for natural habitats and provide nesting and foraging habitats for birds. Bird use of perennial farmlands has been investigated mainly in Europe and North America, but far less in Asia, which hosts one-third of identified biodiversity hotspots. We aimed to fill this knowledge gap by performing a systematic review of bird studies in fruit orchards and vineyards in Japan. We screened literature written in English or Japanese including both published and non-peer-reviewed (grey material, e.g., books, abstracts of annual meetings, blogs, and unpublished surveys). The review identified 31 bird species, including four Red List species, that nest in orchards and vineyards in Japan. Several studies have provided insights into the habitat quality of fruit orchards, which appears to vary among bird species. Other studies have reported: (1) the effects of orchard management on bird diversity (e.g., positive effects of organic farming and grass cover on bird richness and abundance); and (2) the ecosystem services by birds (e.g., reduction of pest rodents by predatory Ural Owls Strix uralensis). Our review demonstrates the potential importance of fruit orchards and vineyards to bird species that have adapted to human-modified landscapes, although more quantitative studies are needed to investigate the actual breeding performance of birds. We also illustrate the importance of non-English-language literature, including grey literature, to mitigate ecological knowledge gaps in countries where English is not the first language.
Teachers as Self-Regulated Learners

This article describes how preservice teachers are afforded opportunities for developing self-regulation as they learn to transition to “the other side of the desk” in their teacher education program. The article focuses on self-regulated learning as it applies to teachers’ work in the classroom and distinguishes volitional work styles and student study habits from learning-oriented volitional strategies teachers engage to learn from teaching. To illustrate teachers’ strategy use and to reify volitional constructs as they are embodied in practice, this article presents practical examples from one teacher education program. Finally, the article considers ways that teacher preparation programs might structure learning environments, affording teachers opportunities to learn self-regulation and then apply those strategies to learn from their own teaching.
Civics Lessons: The Color and Class of Betrayal

This article draws from research conducted with poor and working-class youth in California attending schools that suffer from structural disrepair, high rates of unqualified teachers, high teacher turnover rates, and inadequate books and instructional materials. Arguing that such schools accomplish more than simple “reproduction” of class and race/ethnic inequities, the authors detail the penetrating psychological, social, and academic impact of such conditions on youth and educators, accelerating schooling for alienation. The evidence suggests that these schools not only systematically undereducate poor and working-class youth, and youth of color, but they taint pride with shame, convert a yearning for quality education into anger at its denial, and they channel active civic engagement into social cynicism and alienation. The consequences for schools, communities, and the democratic fabric of the nation are considered.
What is All this Talk about “Social Justice”? Mapping the Terrain of Education's Latest Catchphrase

Background/Context As of 2008, “social justice” is frequently appearing as the centerpiece of numerous educational settings and spaces, such as article and book titles, teacher activist organizations, teacher education policy documents and mission statements, and scholarly conferences. Unfortunately, the organizations and individuals employing this label often fail to elaborate the substantive meaning of social justice education and the implications of its use. Objective and Research Design Given the wide range of terms and projects used to describe education for social justice, a focused analysis on the tensions and contradictions inherent in these models can render explicit and debatable their underlying assumptions and claims. To promote greater discussion about the possibilities for, and situational constraints on, education for social justice, the following review of educational literature maps out and evaluates the conflicting discourses about, and approaches to, social justice education. Conclusions The author concludes that singular approaches to education for social justice, as well as policy formation processes that exclude or marginalize the actors implicated in them, will not result in more just and equitable forms of education.
Being a Novice Teacher in Two Different Settings: Struggles, Continuities, and Discontinuities

Drawing upon empirical research, the article explores the ways in which a cohort of novice teachers learned and developed over a 2-year period. It examines the interplay of personal and contextual influences on teachers’ development over time and on the (transformation of their professional identities. A combination of methods for data collection was used. Findings suggested that novices felt overwhelmed by the amount and variety of duties that they were expected to perform at school. This, along with the lack of support and guidance, forced them into “learning while doing. ” Most teachers developed according to a narrow and individual perspective, which was accompanied by a shift from a more inductive and student-centered approach to a more traditional one. However, some teachers seem to have developed in positive ways over time. Personal biographies associated with perceptions of school culture and leadership help to explain both similarities and differences among teachers. Implications of the findings for teacher education and induction are discussed.