Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A growing soft robot with climbing plant–inspired adaptive behaviors for navigation in unstructured environments

Self-growing robots are an emerging solution in soft robotics for navigating, exploring, and colonizing unstructured environments. However, their ability to grow and move in heterogeneous three-dimensional (3D) spaces, comparable with real-world conditions, is still developing. We present an autonomous growing robot that draws inspiration from the behavioral adaptive strategies of climbing plants to navigate unstructured environments. The robot mimics climbing plants’ apical shoot to sense and coordinate additive adaptive growth via an embedded additive manufacturing mechanism and a sensorized tip. Growth orientation, comparable with tropisms in real plants, is dictated by external stimuli, including gravity, light, and shade. These are incorporated within a vector field method to implement the preferred adaptive behavior for a given environment and task, such as growth toward light and/or against gravity. We demonstrate the robot’s ability to navigate through growth in relation to voids, potential supports, and thoroughfares in otherwise complex habitats. Adaptive twining around vertical supports can provide an escape from mechanical stress due to self-support, reduce energy expenditure for construction costs, and develop an anchorage point to support further growth and crossing gaps. The robot adapts its material printing parameters to develop a light body and fast growth to twine on supports or a tougher body to enable self-support and cross gaps. These features, typical of climbing plants, highlight a potential for adaptive robots and their on-demand manufacturing. They are especially promising for applications in exploring, monitoring, and interacting with unstructured environments or in the autonomous construction of complex infrastructures. A growing plant–like robot with adaptive behaviors able to grow, morph, and navigate in unstructured environments is demonstrated.
News and Public Opinion: Which Comes First?

Much research demonstrates a positive association between news coverage and public opinion, both perceptions and preferences. While this relationship is clear, what accounts for it is not. The assumption in most previous research is that media causes public opinion. But there is reason to expect that the causality runs in the other direction as well. In this article, I describe the logic of two-way flows and then undertake an analysis of three different cases of US public opinion over time—economic perceptions, candidate support, and policy preferences—using measures of the content of news coverage based on automated content analyses. Vector autoregression results indicate that opinion “causes” coverage in every case, and the reverse holds less frequently and always to a lesser degree. The results underscore the role the public can play in news coverage, one that always should be entertained and assessed empirically, not settled by assumption.
Re-Irradiation of Recurrent Head and Neck Cancers Using Pulsed Reduced Dose Rate Radiotherapy: An Institutional Series.

Purpose/Objective(s): Pulsed reduced dose rate (PRDR) radiation (RT) is a re-irradiation (Re-RT) technique that potentially overcomes dose/volume constraints in the setting of previous radiation therapy. While the use of this Re-RT technique has been reported for other disease sites, there is minimal data for its use for recurrent or secondary primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). In this study, we report preliminary data from our institution of a consecutive cohort of patients with HNSCC who received PRDR Re-RT. Materials/Methods: Out of 11 patients who received PRDR Re-RT from August 2020 to January 2023, 9 had analyzable data. Intensity modulated RT was used for treatment delivery using either volume modulated arc therapy or helical tomotherapy. A wait time between 20cGy arc/helical deliveries was used to achieve the effective low dose rate. Data collected included patient demographic information, prior interventions, diagnosis, radiation therapy dose and fractionation, progression free survival, overall survival, and toxicity rates. Results: The median time to PRDR from completion of initial RT was 13 months (range, 6-50 months). All but one patient underwent salvage surgery prior to PRDR. In total, 4 patients received systemic therapy as part of their re-treatment courses. The median follow-up after Re-RT was 7 months. The median OS from PRDR was 7 months (range, 1-32 months). Median PFS was 7 months (range, 1-32 months). One patient (11.1%) had acute grade 3 toxicity, and two patients (22.2%) had late grade 3 toxicities. There were no acute or late grade 4 or 5 toxicities. Conclusion: PRDR for Re-RT is a feasible treatment strategy for patients with recurrent or second primary HNSCC. Initial findings from this retrospective review suggest reasonable survival outcomes and potentially improved toxicity; prospective data is needed to establish the safety and efficacy of this technique.
Analytical validation of NeXT Personal®, an ultra-sensitive personalized circulating tumor DNA assay

We describe the analytical validation of NeXT Personal (R), an ultra-sensitive, tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assay for detecting residual disease, monitoring therapy response, and detecting recurrence in patients diagnosed with solid tumor cancers. NeXT Personal uses whole genome sequencing of tumor and matched normal samples combined with advanced analytics to accurately identify up to ~1,800 somatic variants specific to the patient's tumor. A personalized panel is created, targeting these variants and then used to sequence cell-free DNA extracted from patient plasma samples for ultra-sensitive detection of ctDNA. The NeXT Personal analytical validation is based on panels designed from tumor and matched normal samples from two cell lines, and from 123 patients across nine cancer types. Analytical measurements demonstrated a detection threshold of 1.67 parts per million (PPM) with a limit of detection at 95% (LOD95) of 3.45 PPM. NeXT Personal showed linearity over a range of 0.8 to 300,000 PPM (Pearson correlation coefficient= 0.9998). Precision varied from a coefficient of variation of 12.8% to 3.6% over a range of 25 to 25,000 PPM. The assay targets 99.9% specificity, with this validation study measuring 100% specificity and in silico methods giving us a confidence interval of 99.92 to 100%. In summary, this study demonstrates NeXT Personal as an ultra-sensitive, highly quantitative and robust ctDNA assay that can be used to detect residual disease, monitor treatment response, and detect recurrence in patients.
A Worldwide Study of White Matter Microstructural Alterations in People Living with Parkinson's Disease

Background: The progression of Parkinson disease (PD) is associated with microstructural alterations in neural pathways, contributing to both motor and cognitive decline. However, conflicting findings have emerged due to the use of heterogeneous methods in small studies, particularly regarding the involvement of white matter (WM) tracts. Here we performed the largest diffusion MRI study of PD to date, integrating data from 17 cohorts worldwide, to identify stage-specific profiles of WM differences. Methods: Diffusion-weighted MRI data from 1,654 participants diagnosed with PD (age range: 20-89 years; 33% female) and 885 controls (age range: 19-84 years; 47% female) were analyzed using the ENIGMA-DTI protocol to evaluate regional microstructure in 21 white matter regions. Skeletonized maps of diffusion tensor imaging fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were analyzed and compared between Hoehn and Yahr (HY) disease groups and controls to reveal the profile of white matter differences at different stages. Results: We found an enhanced, more widespread pattern of microstructural differences with each stage of PD, with eventually lower FA and higher MD in almost all regions of interest (ROIs): Cohens d effect sizes reached d=-1.01 for FA differences in the fornix by PD HY Stage 4/5. The early PD signature in HY stages 1 and 2 included higher FA and lower MD across the entire white matter skeleton, in a direction opposite to that typical of other neurodegenerative diseases. FA and MD were associated with clinical metrics of motor and non-motor clinical dysfunction. Conclusion: While overridden by degenerative changes in the later stages of PD, early PD is associated with paradoxically higher FA in PD, which is consistent with early compensatory changes associated with the disorder.
Drug Supply Management at First-level Public Health Facilities: Case of Pyay District, Myanmar

Background First-level public health facilities (PHFs) serve as primary providers of essential medicines, necessitating critical attention to drug availability and quality assurance. This study aimed to examine the status of functional areas within the drug supply chain management framework and assess the overall capability maturity at first-level PHFs. Methods The cross-sectional study was conducted among 183 drug store sites from six townships of Pyay District. Only situational analysis was exercised to determine the existing situations. The overall capability maturity was determined according to the definitions of levels of the Capability Maturity Module Tool. Results The study encompassed 6 Maternal and Child Health Centers, 43 Rural Health Centers, and 134 Sub-rural Health Centers. In terms of drug supply management training, 58.47% lacked formal training, with 23.5% not undergoing performance reviews. Drug forecasting predominantly relied on a pen-paper system (91.6%) and factors like patient load (87.39%), drug consumption (85.71%), and disease prevalence (64.71%). Store site analysis revealed that 65.03% exhibited marginal capability, lacking standardized drugstores and employing unstandardized procedures. Storage practices varied, with 48.69% storing drugs conveniently and others categorizing them by drug type (32.79%) or using the first-expired-first-out system (40.98%). Approximately 42.69% reported having expired drugs. Concerning transportation costs, 37.16% incurred expenses exceeding 20,000 Kyats per time, with management staff often covering the costs. Waste management methods included burial pits (49.18%), incineration (62.84%), and sharp pits (55.19%). A majority (78.14%) used safety boxes, and 57.38% implemented a color-coded system for waste bins. The logistics management information system was entirely paper-based (100%), with key challenges attributed to insufficient training (62.84%), capacity issues (19.13%), and staffing concerns (38.25%). On average, assessments of drug quality conditions and physical damages scored 46.51% and 48.20%, respectively. Conclusion The study revealed that the overall supply chain maturity at first-level public health facilities is at a marginal capability level (36.35%). While some basic drug supply chain management procedures were in place, they were not consistently followed, and many systems remain manual. The findings underscored significant inconsistencies in the management functions of supplied drugs, with poor adherence to Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) guidelines.
Rapid and label-free exosome analysis by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy using silver nanoparticle substrate based on selective laser ablation and melting of silver nanowire

Early diagnostics of breast cancer is crucial to reduce the risk of cancer metastasis and late relapse. Exosome, which contains distinct information of its origin, can be the target object as a liquid biopsy. However, its low sensitivity and inadequate diagnostic tools interfere with the point-of-care testing (POCT) of the exosome. Recently, Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which enables the detection of Raman scattering, has been proved as a promising tool for exosome detection but the fabrication process of SERS probe or substrate is still inefficient and far from large-scale production. This study proposes rapid and label-free detection of breast cancer-derived exosomes by statistical analysis of Raman spectra using silver nanoparticle SERS substrate fabricated by selective laser ablation and melting. Employing silver nanowire and optimizing pulse repetition rate power enable rapid and energy-efficient fabrication of SERS substrate. The functionality including sensitivity, reproducibility, stability, and renewability was evaluated using rhodamine 6G as a probe molecule. Then, the feasibility of POCT was examined by the statistical analysis of Raman spectra of exosomes from malignant breast cancer cells and non-tumorigenic breast epithelial cells. The presented framework is anticipated to be utilized in other biomedical applications, facilitating cost-effective and large-scale production performance.
Impacts of a railway tunnel on the streams baseflow verified by means of numerical modelling

The high velocity railway line between Bologna and Flor- ence (Italy) mostly develops underground through the Tuscan-Emil- ian Apennine and the tunnels severely impacted groundwater and surface waters. The 15-km-long Firenzuola tunnel crosses siliciclas- tic turbidites: during the drilling, water inrushes occurred at fault and fracture zones, and the tunnel still continues to drain the aquifer. The water table dropped below the level of the valleys, and gaining streams transformed into losing streams or ran completely dry, as did many springs. Hydrological observations and two multi-tracer tests have previously characterized the streams-tunnel connections and the impact processes. In the framework of planning mitigation strategies to minimize im- pacts on streams baseflow, three-dimensional numerical modelling with MODFLOW (EPM approach) is applied in order to evaluate artificial minimum flow needed to maintain a flow continuity along the stream during the recession phase. The setting up of the two presented models is based on hydrogeological monitoring data and results of flow measurements and tracer tests. Maximum flow rates subtracted to streams baseflow by the tunnel along the connection structures are calculated for the two streams with major impacts.
Retinal input is required for the maintenance of neuronal laminae in the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons provide direct input into several nuclei of the mouse visual thalamus, including the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), which is important for classical image-forming vision, and the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN), which is associated with non-image-forming vision. Through both activity- and morphogen-dependent mechanisms, retinal inputs play important roles in the development of dLGN, including the refinement of retinal projections, morphological development of thalamocortical relay cells (TRCs), the timing of corticogeniculate innervation, and the recruitment of inhibitory interneurons from progenitor zones. In contrast, little is known about the role of retinal inputs in the development of vLGN. Grossly, vLGN is divided into two domains, the retinorecipient external vLGN (vLGNe) and the non-retinorecipient internal vLGN (vLGNi). We previously found that vLGNe consists of transcriptionally distinct GABAergic subtypes that are distributed into at least four adjacent laminae. At present, it remains unclear whether retinal inputs influence the development of these cell-specific neuronal laminae in vLGNe. Here, we elucidated the developmental timeline for the formation and maintenance of these laminae in the mouse vLGNe and results indicate that these laminae are specified at or before birth, well before eye-opening and the emergence of experience-dependent visual activity. We observed that mutant mice without retinal inputs have a normal laminar distribution of GABAergic cells at birth; however, after the first week of postnatal development, these mutants exhibited a dramatic disruption in the laminar organization of inhibitory neurons and clear boundaries between vLGNe and vLGNi. Overall, our results show that while the formation of cell type-specific layers in vLGNe does not depend on RGC inputs, retinal signals are critical for their maintenance.
Revisiting the invasion paradox: resistance-richness relationship is driven by augmentation and displacement trends

Host-associated resident microbiota can protect their host from pathogen—a community-level trait called colonization resistance. The effect of the diversity of the resident community in previous studies has shown contradictory results, with higher diversity either strengthening or weakening colonization resistance. To control the confounding factors that may lead to such contradictions, we use mathematical simulations that focus on species interactions and their impact on colonization resistance. We use a mediator-explicit model that accounts for metabolite-mediated interactions to perform in silico invasion experiments. Our results state that colonization resistance often does not have a monotonic relationship with the species richness of the resident community. Instead, colonization outcomes are often the consequence of two underlying trends as the richness of the resident community increases: a decrease in instances of augmentation (invader species added, without driving out resident species) and an increase in instances of displacement (invader species added, driving out some of the resident species). We observe these two underlying trends hold consistently under different parameters, regardless of the number of compounds that mediate interactions between species or the proportion of the facilitative versus inhibitory interactions among species. Our results provide an explanation for the seemingly contradictory trend in the resistance-diversity relationship in previous reports.
Water vapor estimation using digital terrestrial broadcasting waves

A method of estimating water vapor (propagation delay due to water vapor) using digital terrestrial broadcasting waves is proposed. Our target is to improve the accuracy of numerical weather forecast for severe weather phenomena such as localized heavy rainstorms in urban areas through data assimilation. In this method, we estimate water vapor near a ground surface from the propagation delay of digital terrestrial broadcasting waves. A real‐time delay measurement system with a software‐defined radio technique is developed and tested. The data obtained using digital terrestrial broadcasting waves show good agreement with those obtained by ground‐based meteorological observation. The main features of this observation are, no need for transmitters (receiving only), applicable wherever digital terrestrial broadcasting is available and its high time resolution. This study shows a possibility to estimate water vapor using digital terrestrial broadcasting waves. In the future, we will investigate the impact of these data toward numerical weather forecast through data assimilation. Developing a system that monitors water vapor near the ground surface with time and space resolutions of 30 s and several kilometers would improve the accuracy of the numerical weather forecast of localized severe weather phenomena.
Imipridones inhibit tumor growth and improve survival in an orthotopic liver metastasis mouse model of human uveal melanoma

Purpose Uveal melanoma (UM) is a highly aggressive disease with very few treatment options. We previously demonstrated that mUM is characterized by high oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Here we tested the anti-tumor, signaling and metabolic effects of imipridones, CLPP activators which reduce OXPHOS indirectly and have demonstrated safety in patients. Experimental Design We assessed CLPP expression in UM patient samples. We tested the effects of imipridones (ONC201, ONC212) on the growth, survival, signaling and metabolism of UM cell lines in vitro, and for therapeutic effects in vivo in UM liver metastasis models. Results CLPP expression was confirmed in primary and mUM patient samples. ONC201/212 treatment of UM cell lines in vitro decreased OXPHOS effectors, inhibited cell growth and migration, and induced apoptosis. ONC212 increased metabolic stress and apoptotic pathways, inhibited amino acid metabolism, and induced cell death-related lipids. ONC212 also decreased tumor burden and increased survival in vivo in two UM liver metastasis models. Conclusion Imipridones are a promising strategy for further testing and development in mUM.
Decreased sarcomeric mitochondrial creatine kinase 2 impairs skeletal muscle mitochondrial function independently of insulin action in type 2 diabetes

Plasma creatine levels are associated with risk of type 2 diabetes. Since skeletal muscle is the main disposal site of both creatine and glucose, we investigated the role of intramuscular creatine metabolism in the pathophysiology of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. We report in men with type 2 diabetes, plasma creatine levels are increased, while intramuscular phosphocreatine content is reduced. These alterations are coupled to reduced expression of sarcomeric mitochondrial creatine kinase 2 (CKMT2). In C2C12 myotubes, Ckmt2 silencing reduced mitochondrial respiration, membrane potential, and glucose oxidation. Electroporation-mediated overexpression of Ckmt2 in skeletal muscle of high-fat diet-fed male mice increased mitochondrial respiration, independent of creatine availability. Thus, beyond the canonical role of CKMT2 on creatine phosphorylation, we reveal a previously underappreciated role of CKMT2 on mitochondrial homeostasis, independent of insulin action. Collectively, our data provides functional evidence into how CKMT2 mediates mitochondrial dysfunction associated with type 2 diabetes.