Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drivers and Constraints of Employee Satisfaction with Remote Work: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract Background/Purpose The Covid 19 epidemic has forced many organizations to move to remote work (RW), and this trend is expected to continue even later in the post-epidemic period. Employees of the organization are at the heart of this transi-tion to RW, so identifying the factors that affect employee satisfaction with RW is very important for organizations to increase employee commitment and motivation. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to identify and prioritize the factors affecting employee satisfaction with RW using an innovative method. Method In the first phase of this study, a conceptual research model was designed inspired by literature. In the next phase, the proposed conceptual model of this re-search was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Then, using the artifi-cial neural network model, the importance of each of the model variables in pre-dicting employee satisfaction with RW was identified. Results The findings of this article ultimately disclosed that work-life balance, in-stitutional and technological support, job satisfaction, and perceived limited com-munication are, respectively, are elements that affect employee satisfaction with RW. The first three factors are drivers of employee satisfaction and the last factor (i.e., perceived limited communication) is the constraint of employee satisfaction with RW because it had a statistically significant negative effect on employee satis-faction with RW. Conclusion This study revealed that organizations should focus on the processes and strategies to improve employees’ work-life balance, provide institutional and technological support during remote work, and increase job satisfaction in order to increase the satisfaction level of their employees in the remote work. On the other hand, it was found that perceived limited communication is an effective factor that causes a decrease in the level of satisfaction of employees in remote work.
Antibodies against Porphyromonas gingivalis in serum and saliva and their association with rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis. Data from two rheumatoid arthritis cohorts in Sweden

Background Periodontitis and oral pathogenic bacteria can contribute to the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A connection between serum antibodies to Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) and RA has been established, but data on saliva antibodies to P. gingivalis in RA are lacking. We evaluated antibodies to P. gingivalis in serum and saliva in two Swedish RA studies as well as their association with RA, periodontitis, antibodies to citrullinated proteins (ACPA), and RA disease activity. Methods The SARA (secretory antibodies in RA) study includes 196 patients with RA and 101 healthy controls. The Karlskrona RA study includes 132 patients with RA ≥ 61 years of age, who underwent dental examination. Serum Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies and saliva IgA antibodies to the P. gingivalis–specific Arg-specific gingipain B (RgpB) were measured in patients with RA and controls. Results The level of saliva IgA anti-RgpB antibodies was significantly higher among patients with RA than among healthy controls in multivariate analysis adjusted for age, gender, smoking, and IgG ACPA (p = 0.022). Saliva IgA anti-RgpB antibodies were associated with RA disease activity in multivariate analysis (p = 0.036). Anti-RgpB antibodies were not associated with periodontitis or serum IgG ACPA. Conclusion Patients with RA had higher levels of saliva IgA anti-RgpB antibodies than healthy controls. Saliva IgA anti-RgpB antibodies may be associated with RA disease activity but were not associated with periodontitis or serum IgG ACPA. Our results indicate a local production of IgA anti-RgpB in the salivary glands that is not accompanied by systemic antibody production.
Sensing Deformation in Vacuum Driven Foam-Based Actuator via Inductive Method

Perception in soft robotics is crucial to allow a safe interaction to effectively explore the environment. Despite the inherent capabilities of soft materials, embedding reliable sensing in soft actuators or robots could introduce constraints in the overall design (e.g., loss of deformability, undesired trajectories, etc.) or reduce their compliant characteristics. Consequently, an adequate stiffness for both sensor and actuator becomes a crucial design parameter. In particular, for sensing the deformation related to actuation motion, sensing and actuating strategies must work in full mechanical synergy. In this view, an inductive sensing solution is presented, exploiting open-cell foam and a copper (Cu) wire in an Inductive Foam Sensor (IFS). Due to entangled air cells high deformability is enabled upon vacuum pressure, and proprioceptive information is provided. The IFS is then successfully integrated into the earlier developed Ultralight Hybrid Pneumatic Artificial Muscle (UH-PAM), which encases an elastomeric bellow skin and plastic rings. Such sensorized UH-PAM (SUH-PAM) is capable of a high contraction ratio (54% upon −80 kPa), while the inductive sensing shows a high sensitivity of 0.01031/1% and a hysteresis of 5.35%, with an average error of 1.85%, respectively. In order to implement a robust feedback control system, an adaptable proportional sliding mode control is presented. As a result, the SUH-PAM motion can be controlled to the mm-scale, with an RMSE of 0.925 mm, and high robustness against disturbances is demonstrated.
Spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of urban green innovation efficiency in Northeast China

In the strategic context of promoting the comprehensive revitalization of Northeast China, green innovation, as the integration of the two development concepts of innovation-driven and green development, has become an essential means to promote sustainable and high-quality development in Northeast China. By constructing the Super-SBM model with undesired output and the Global Malmquist-Luenberger index model, the green innovation efficiency and green innovation total factor productivity of 34 prefecture-level cities in Northeast China from 2011 to 2020 are measured. Then the natural break point classification method, standard deviation ellipse and Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition method are used to explore their spatial and temporal evolution characteristics. Based on the measured results of green innovation efficiency and green innovation total factor productivity in Northeast China, all the cities are classified into four types: high-high, high-low, low-high and low-low. The study results show that the green innovation efficiency (GIE) of cities in the northeast region shows an excellent upward trend, and the distribution pattern of “strong in the North and weak in the South” is more prominent. The green innovation total factor productivity shows a fluctuating decline, and technical efficiency and technological progress inhibit the improvement of green innovation efficiency. The centre of gravity of efficiency has generally migrated towards the southwest, green innovation efficiency among cities has gradually tended to develop in a balanced manner, and inter-provincial differences are the primary source of spatial differences in green innovation efficiency. The study concludes that the northeast region should continuously improve its green innovation resource allocation capacity, accelerate the green transformation and upgrading of industrial structure, clarify green innovation subjects, optimize the green innovation environment and formulate differentiated development strategies to promote the synergistic development of green innovation among cities.
Regional changes in brain apparent diffusion coefficient in fetuses with complex congenital heart disease and normal pregnancy assessed using diffusion-weighted imaging

Objectives To explore changes in brain apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in normal fetuses and fetuses with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) during the second and early third trimesters. Methods This single-center prospective study was conducted from May 2019 through October 2021. We measured and compared the mean ADC values between 23 fetuses with CHD and 27 gestational age (GA)-matched controls using covariance analyses. ADC density plots and histograms were used to compare brain characteristics. False-discovery rates (FDR, α = 0.05) correction was used for multiple testing. Results The mean ADC in the frontal white matter, temporal white matter, parietal white matter, occipital white matter, cerebellar hemisphere, central area of the centrum semiovale, basal ganglia region, thalamus, and pons were not significantly different (all p > 0.05). Based on histogram analysis, there were no significant differences between the controls and fetuses with CHD after FDR correction. However, the ADC density plots showed significant heterogeneity between the controls and fetuses with CHD. Conclusion The mean ADC values and ADC histogram analysis did not differ between the CHD and normal groups. The ADC density plots may provide supplementary information and improve the sensitivity for detecting early brain changes in fetuses with CHD.
Adaptation under strain: an ethnographic process evaluation of community-based psychosocial support services for refugee claimants during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Montreal, Canada

During the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, tens of thousands of refugee claimants faced worsened resettlement stress with limited access to services. Community-based programs that address social determinants of health faced significant disruptions and barriers to providing care as a result of public health restrictions. Little is known about how and if these programs managed to function under these circumstances. This qualitative study aims to understand how community-based organizations based in Montreal, Canada, responded to public health directives and the challenges and opportunities that arose as they attempted to deliver services to asylum seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used an ethnographic ecosocial framework generating data through in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine service providers from seven different community organizations and 13 refugee claimants who were purposively sampled, as well as participant observation during program activities. Results show that organizations struggled to serve families due to public health regulations that limited in-person services and elicited anxiety about putting families at risk. First, we found a central trend in service delivery that was the transition from in-person services to online, which presented specific challenges including (a) technological and material barriers, (b) threats to claimants’ sense of privacy and security, (c) meeting linguistic diversity needs, and (d) disengagement from online activities. At the same time, opportunities of online service delivery were identified. Second, we learned that organizations adapted to public health regulations by pivoting and expanding their services as well as fostering and navigating new partnerships and collaborations. These innovations not only demonstrated the resilience of community-organizations, but also revealed tensions and areas of vulnerability. This study contributes to a better understanding of the limits of online service delivery for this population and also captures the agility and limits of community-based programs in the COVID-19 context. Its results can inform decision-makers, community groups and care providers to develop improved policies and program models that preserve what are clearly essential services for refugee claimants.
FindMyApps eHealth intervention improves quality, not quantity, of home tablet use by people with dementia

Introduction FindMyApps is a tablet-based eHealth intervention, designed to improve social health in people with mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment. Methods FindMyApps has been subject to a randomized controlled trial (RCT), Netherlands Trial Register NL8157. Following UK Medical Research Council guidance, a mixed methods process evaluation was conducted. The goal was to investigate the quantity and quality of tablet use during the RCT, and which context, implementation, and mechanisms of impact (usability, learnability and adoption) factors might have influenced this. For the RCT, 150 community dwelling people with dementia and their caregivers were recruited in the Netherlands. For the process evaluation, tablet-use data were collected by proxy-report instrument from all participants' caregivers, FindMyApps app-use data were registered using analytics software among all experimental arm participants, and semi-structured interviews (SSIs) were conducted with a purposively selected sample of participant-caregiver dyads. Quantitative data were summarized and between group differences were analyzed, and qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Results There was a trend for experimental arm participants to download more apps, but there were no statistically significant differences between experimental and control arm participants regarding quantity of tablet use. Qualitative data revealed that experimental arm participants experienced the intervention as easier to use and learn, and more useful and fun than control arm participants. Adoption of tablet app use was lower than anticipated in both arms. Conclusions A number of context, implementation and mechanism of impact factors were identified, which might explain these results and may inform interpretation of the pending RCT main effect results. FindMyApps seems to have had more impact on the quality than quantity of home tablet use.
CA3 circuit model compressing sequential information in theta oscillation and replay

The hippocampus compresses the sequential information in a theta oscillation cycle and short-term sequential activities during sharp-wave ripple while sleeping or resting; these processes are known as theta sequence and replay, respectively. The theta sequence is based on theta phase precession patterns of individual neurons. However, how these sequential neuronal activities are generated and how they store information about the outside environment remains unknown. We developed a hippocampal cornu ammonis (CA)3 computational model based on the biological CA3 circuit’s anatomical and electrophysiological evidence to address these. The model comprises theta rhythm inhibition, place input, and CA3-CA3 plastic recurrent connection. The model could compress the sequence of the external inputs and reproduce theta phase precession and replay, learn additional sequences, and reorganize previously learned sequences. A gradual increase in synaptic inputs, controlled by interactions between theta-paced inhibition and place inputs, explained the mechanism for sequence acquisition. This model highlights the crucial role of plasticity in the CA3 recurrent connection and theta oscillational dynamics, and hypothesizes how the CA3 circuit acquires, compresses, and replays sequential information.
Mice Expressing A53T/A30P Mutant Alpha-Synuclein in Dopamine Neurons Do Not Display Behavioral Deficits

Alpha-synuclein has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Dementia with Lewy bodies, with A53T and A30P mutations shown to be disease-causing. It has been reported that transgenic mice with tyrosine hydroxylase promotor-driven expression of A53T / A30P mutant alpha-synuclein in dopamine neurons provide a useful preclinical model of these conditions by virtue of developing dopaminergic neuronal cell death and related behavioral deficits. Here, we report a lack of replication of this finding. Despite detecting robust overexpression of A53T / A30P mutant alpha-synuclein in dopamine neurons, we observed neither cell death or related behavioral deficits in these mice. Our results demonstrate that preclinical models of synucleinopathy need careful validation in the field.
Vaccination with Helicobacter pylori attachment proteins protects against gastric cancer

Most cases of gastric cancer are caused by chronic Helicobacter pylori infection, but the lack of early onco-diagnostics and a high risk for antibiotic resistance hampers early intervention through eradication of H. pylori infection by antibiotics. We reported on a protective mechanism where H. pylori gastric mucosal attachment can be reduced by natural antibodies that block the binding of its attachment protein BabA. Here we show that challenge infection with H. pylori induced response of such blocking antibodies in both human volunteers and in rhesus macaques, that mucosal vaccination with BabA protein antigen induced blocking antibodies in rhesus macaques, and that vaccination in a mouse model induced blocking antibodies that reduced gastric mucosal inflammation, preserved the gastric juice acidity, and fully protected the mice from gastric cancer caused by H. pylori.
Tyramine promotes colon cancer risk and development by inducing DNA damage and inflammation

High dietary consumption of processed meat is associated with increased colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but mechanistic links remain largely unknown. Tyramine is a biogenic amine found in processed food and a gut bacterial product from tyrosine. However, the impact of tyramine on gut health has not been studied. We found that tyramine induced necrosis and promoted cell proliferation and DNA damage in HCT116 cells. Ingestion of tyramine increased colonic tumor size, intestinal cell proliferation and inflammation (e.g., increased mRNA expression of IL-17A and a higher number of Ly6G+ neutrophils) in ApcMin/+ mice. Furthermore, tyramine-treated wild-type mice exhibited visible adenomas and significantly enhanced intestinal tissue DNA damage, together with altered gene pathways involved in epithelial barrier function. In addition, natural killer cell numbers were lower and polymorphonuclear-myeloid derived suppressor cells were higher in tumors from tyramine-treated ApcMin/+ mice, suggesting a suppressive anti-tumor immune response. Thus, tyramine not only increases CRC risk, but also facilitates tumor development. Modulating the levels of tyramine in food and monitoring high-risk individuals could aid in better prognosis and management of CRC.
Roles of Lipopolysaccharide Glycosyltransferases in Maintenance of Helicobacter pylori Morphology, Cell Wall Permeability, and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities

Helicobacter pylori unique lipopolysaccharide structure is essential in maintaining the cell envelop integrity and renders the bacterium natural resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs). Our group has recently elucidated the complete set of LPS glycosyltransferase genes in H. pylori reference strain G27. Here, with a series of 8 systematically constructed LPS glycosyltransferase gene mutants (G27ΔHP1578, G27ΔHP1283, G27ΔHP0159, G27ΔHP0479, G27ΔHP0102, G27ΔwecA, G27ΔHP1284 and G27ΔHP1191), we investigated the roles of H. pylori LPS glycosyltransferases in maintenance of cell morphology, cell wall permeability, and antimicrobial susceptibilities. We demonstrated that deletion of these LPS glycosyltransferase genes did not interfere with bacterial cell wall permeability, but resulted in significant morphological changes (coccoid, coiled “c”-shape, and irregular shapes) after 48 h growth as compared to the rod-like cell shape of the wild-type strain. Moreover, as compared with the wild-type, none of the LPS mutants had altered susceptibility against clarithromycin, levofloxacin, amoxicillin, tetracycline, and metronidazole. However, the deletion of the conserved LPS glycosyltransferases, especially the O-antigen initiating enzyme WecA displayed a dramatic increase in susceptibility to the CAMP polymyxin B and rifampicin. Taken together, our findings suggest that the LPS glycosyltransferases play critical roles in the maintenance of the typical spiral morphology of H. pylori, as well as resistance to CAMPs and rifampicin. The LPS glycosyltransferases could be promising targets for developing novel anti-H. pylori drugs. Importance H. pylori typical helical morphology, cell wall integrity, as well as resistance to cationic CAMPs and antimicrobials are significant factors for its long-term colonization and persistent infection in human gastric mucosa. Our results show that each of the 8 LPS glycosyltransferase genes (HP1578, HP1283, HP0159, HP0479, HP0102, wecA, HP1284 and HP1191) deletion did not interfere with bacterial cell wall permeability, but resulted in significant loss of H. pylori typical helical shape. Furthermore, deletion of the conserved LPS glycosyltransferases, especially the O-antigen initiating enzyme WecA displayed a dramatic increase in susceptibility to the CAMP polymyxin B and rifampicin. Taken together, we believe that the LPS glycosyltransferases are good targets for developing novel anti-H. pylori drugs.
Changes in the gut mycobiome are associated with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and metformin treatment across populations

The human gut teems with a diverse ecosystem of microbes, yet non-bacterial portions of that community are overlooked in studies of metabolic diseases firmly linked to gut bacteria. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) associates with compositional shifts in the gut bacterial microbiome and fungal mycobiome, but whether T2D and/or pharmaceutical treatments underpin the community change is unresolved. To differentiate these effects, we curated a gut mycobiome cohort to-date spanning 1,000 human samples across 5 countries and a murine experimental model. We use Bayesian multinomial logistic normal models to show that metformin and T2D both associate with shifts in the relative abundance of distinct gut fungi. T2D associates with shifts in the Saccharomycetes and Sordariomycetes fungal classes, while the genera Fusarium and Tetrapisipora most consistently associate with metformin treatment. We confirmed the impact of metformin on individual gut fungi by administering metformin to healthy mice. Thus, metformin and T2D account for subtle, but significant and distinct variation in the gut mycobiome across human populations. This work highlights for the first time that oral pharmaceuticals can confound associations of gut fungi with T2D and warrants the need to consider pharmaceutical interventions in investigations of linkages between metabolic diseases and gut microbial inhabitants.
Nutlin-3a induces KRAS mutant lung cancer specific methuosis-like cell death that is dependent on GFPT2

Oncogenic KRAS mutation, the most frequent mutation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is an aggressiveness risk factor and leads to the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells by promoting glucose, glutamine, and fatty acid absorption and glycolysis. Lately, sotorasib was approved by the FDA as a first-in-class KRAS-G12C inhibitor. However, sotorasib still has a derivative barrier, which is not effective for other KRAS mutation types, except for G12C. Additionally, resistance to sotorasib is likely to develop, demanding the need for alternative therapeutic strategies. In this study, we found that nutlin-3a, an MDM2 antagonist, inhibited the KRAS-PI3K/Akt-mTOR pathway and disrupted the fusion of both autophagosomes and macropinosomes with lysosomes. This further elucidated non-apoptotic and catastrophic macropinocytosis associated methuosis-like cell death, which was found to be dependent on GFPT2 of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway, specifically in KRAS mutant NSCLC cells. These results indicate the potential of nutlin-3a as an alternative agent for treating KRAS mutant NSCLC cells.