Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolic changes in aging humans: current evidence and therapeutic strategies

Aging and metabolism are inextricably linked, and many age-related changes in body composition, including increased central adiposity and sarcopenia, have underpinnings in fundamental aging processes. These age-related changes are further exacerbated by a sedentary lifestyle and can be in part prevented by maintenance of activity with aging. Here we explore the age-related changes seen in individual metabolic tissues — adipose, muscle, and liver — as well as globally in older adults. We also discuss the available evidence for therapeutic interventions such as caloric restriction, resistance training, and senolytic and senomorphic drugs to maintain healthy metabolism with aging, focusing on data from human studies.
Expansion of the Plaquing Host Range and Improvement of the Absorption Rate of a T5-like Salmonella Phage by Altering the Long Tail Fibers

Genetic editing can be used to change or expand the host range of phages and have been successfully applied in T2, T4 and other phages to obtain engineered phages. However, there are hardly any similar reports on T5-like phages due to that the determinant regions related to their host ranges have not been completely clarified and the editing of T5-like phages is more difficult compared to other phages. ABSTRACT The high host specificity of phages is a real challenge in the therapy applications of the individual phages. This study aimed to edit the long tail fiber proteins (pb1) of a T5-like phage to obtain the engineered phages with expanded plaquing host range. Two T5-like Salmonella phages with high genome sequence homology but different plaquing host ranges, narrow-host range phage vB STyj5-1 (STyj5-1) and wide-host range phage vB BD13 (BD13), were isolated and characterized. The pb1 parts of STyj5-1 were replaced by the corresponding part of BD13 using homologous recombination method to obtain the engineered phages. The alterations of the whole pb1 part or the N-terminal amino acids 1-400 of pb1 of STyj5-1 could expand their plaquing host ranges (from 20 strains to 30 strains) and improve their absorption rates (from 0.28–28.84% to 28.10–99.49%). Besides, the one-step growth curves of these engineered phages with modified pb1 parts were more similar to that of STyj5-1. The burst sizes of phages BD13, STyj5-1 and the engineered phages were 250, 236, 166, and 223 PFU per cell, respectively. The expanded plaquing host range and improved absorption rates of these engineered phages revealed that the pb1 part might be the primary determinant of the host specificities of some T5-like phages. IMPORTANCE Genetic editing can be used to change or expand the host range of phages and have been successfully applied in T2, T4 and other phages to obtain engineered phages. However, there are hardly any similar reports on T5-like phages due to that the determinant regions related to their host ranges have not been completely clarified and the editing of T5-like phages is more difficult compared to other phages. This study attempted and successfully expanded the host range of a narrow-host range T5-like phage (STyj5-1) by exchanging its whole pb1 part or the N-terminal 1-400aa of that part by a broad-host range phage (BD13). These demonstrated the pb1 part might be the primary determinant of the host specificities for some T5-like phages and provided an effective method of extension plaquing host range of these phages.
Deep Learning-Based Near-Fall Detection Algorithm for Fall Risk Monitoring System Using a Single Inertial Measurement Unit

Proactively detecting falls and preventing injuries are among the primary keys to a healthy life for the elderly. Near-fall remote monitoring in daily life could provide key information to prevent future falls and obtain quantitative rehabilitation status for patients with weak balance ability. In this study, we developed a deep learning-based novel classification algorithm to precisely categorize three classes (falls, near-falls, and activities of daily living (ADLs)) using a single inertial measurement unit (IMU) device attached to the waist. A total of 34 young participants were included in this study. An IMU containing accelerometer and gyroscope sensors was fabricated to acquire acceleration and angular velocity signals. A comprehensive experiment including thirty-six types of activities (10 types of falls, 10 types of near-falls, and 16 types of ADLs) was designed based on previous studies. A modified directed acyclic graph-convolution neural network (DAG-CNN) architecture with hyperparameter optimization was proposed to predict fall, near-fall, and ADLs. Prediction results of the modified DAG-CNN structure were found to be approximately 7% more accurate than the traditional CNN structure. For the case of near-falls, the modified DAG-CNN demonstrated excellent prediction performance with accuracy of over 98% by combining gyroscope and accelerometer features. Additionally, by combining acceleration and angular velocity the trained model showed better performance than each model of acceleration and angular velocity. It is believed that information to preemptively handle the risk of falls and quantitatively evaluate the rehabilitation status of the elderly with weak balance will be provided by monitoring near-falls.
Performance Variation of a Somatosensory BCI Based on Imagined Sensation: A Large Population Study

A proportion of users cannot achieve adequate brain-computer interface (BCI) control. The diversity of BCI modalities provides a way to solve this emerging issue. Here, we investigate the accuracy of a somatosensory BCI based on sensory imagery (SI). During the SI tasks, subjects were instructed to imagine a tactile sensation and to maintain the attention on the corresponding hand, as if there was tactile stimulus on the skin of the wrist. The performance across 106 healthy subjects in left- and right-hand SI discrimination was 78.9±13.2%. In 70.7% of the subjects the performance was above 70%. The SI task induced a contralateral cortical activation, and high-density EEG source localization showed that the real tactile stimulation and imagined tactile stimulation shared similar cortical activations within the somatosensory cortex. The somatosensory BCI based on SI provides a new signal modality for independent BCI development. Moreover, a combination of SI and other BCI modalities, such as motor imagery, may provide new avenues for further improving BCI usage and applicability, especially in those subjects unable to attain adequate BCI control with conventional BCI modalities.
Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Can Bypass Impaired Epidermal Barriers upon Ex Vivo Infection of Skin from Atopic Dermatitis Patients

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) can target skin to establish primary infection in the epithelium. While the human skin provides effective barriers against viral invasion under healthy conditions, a prominent example of successful invasion is the disseminated HSV-1 infection in the skin of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. ABSTRACT To infect its human host, herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) must overcome the protective barriers of skin and mucosa. Here, we addressed whether pathological skin conditions can facilitate viral entry via the skin surface and used ex vivo infection studies to explore viral invasion in atopic dermatitis (AD) skin characterized by disturbed barrier functions. Our focus was on the visualization of the onset of infection in single cells to determine the primary entry portals in the epidermis. After ex vivo infection of lesional AD skin, we observed infected cells in suprabasal layers indicating successful invasion in the epidermis via the skin surface which was never detected in control skin where only sample edges allowed viral access. The redistribution of filaggrin, loricrin, and tight-junction components in the lesional skin samples suggested multiple defective mechanical barriers. To dissect the parameters that contribute to HSV-1 invasion, we induced an AD-like phenotype by adding the Th2 cytokines interleukin 4 (IL-4) and IL-13 to healthy human skin samples. Strikingly, we detected infected cells in the epidermis, implying that the IL-4/IL-13-driven inflammation is sufficient to induce modifications allowing HSV-1 to penetrate the skin surface. In summary, not only did lesional AD skin facilitate HSV-1 penetration but IL-4/IL-13 responses alone allowed virus invasion. Our results suggest that the defective epidermal barriers of AD skin and the inflammation-induced altered barriers in healthy skin can make receptors accessible for HSV-1. IMPORTANCE Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) can target skin to establish primary infection in the epithelium. While the human skin provides effective barriers against viral invasion under healthy conditions, a prominent example of successful invasion is the disseminated HSV-1 infection in the skin of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. AD is characterized by impaired epidermal barrier functions, chronic inflammation, and dysbiosis of skin microbiota. We addressed the initial invasion process of HSV-1 in atopic dermatitis skin to understand whether the physical barrier functions are sufficiently disturbed to allow the virus to invade skin and reach its receptors on skin cells. Our results demonstrate that HSV-1 can indeed penetrate and initiate infection in atopic dermatitis skin. Since treatment of skin with IL-4 and IL-13 already resulted in successful invasion, we assume that inflammation-induced barrier defects play an important role for the facilitated access of HSV-1 to its target cells.
High survival of bovine mature oocytes after nylon mesh vitrification, as assessed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is an alternative technique to in vitro fertilization (IVF) for producing transferable blastocysts, especially in combination with cryopreserved oocytes, when the IVF system does not work sufficiently. The present study was conducted to directly compare the efficacy of producing bovine blastocysts by ICSI and IVF from vitrified-warmed and fresh oocytes. Denuded oocytes with a detectable first polar body were vitrified-warmed using a nylon mesh device. In the non-vitrified control group, blastocyst yields 8 days after IVF and ICSI were 32.0 and 26.8%, respectively. Oocyte vitrification and subsequent IVF resulted in an impaired blastocyst yield (15.0%); however, such a loss of efficacy due to vitrification was not observed in the ICSI group (blastocyst yield, 25.2%). The alignment of cortical granules beneath the oolemma was comparable between the fresh control and vitrified-warmed oocytes. Here, we report the high survival of vitrified-warmed bovine oocytes, as assessed by ICSI.
Systematic Literature Review of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Laboratory Testing Practices and Incidence in United States Infants and Children <5 Years of Age

Abstract Background Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause serious illness in those aged <5 years in the United States, but uncertainty remains around which populations receive RSV testing. We conducted a systematic literature review of RSV testing patterns in studies published from 2000 to 2021. Methods Studies of RSV, medically attended RSV lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), and bronchiolitis were identified using standard methodology. Outcomes were clinical decisions to test for RSV, testing frequency, and testing incidence proportions in inpatient (IP), emergency department (ED), outpatient (OP), and urgent care settings. Results Eighty good-/fair-quality studies, which reported data from the period 1988–2020, were identified. Twenty-seven described the clinical decision to test, which varied across and within settings. Two studies reported RSV testing frequency for multiple settings, with higher testing proportions in IP (n = 2, range: 83%–85%, 1996–2009) compared with ED (n = 1, 25%, 2006–2009) and OP (n = 2, 15%–25%, 1996–2009). Higher RSV testing incidence proportions were observed among LRTI infant populations in the ED (n = 1, 74%, 2007–2008) and OP (n = 2, 54%–69%, 1995–2008). Incidence proportions in LRTI populations were not consistently higher in the IP setting (n = 13). Across studies and time, there was heterogeneity in RSV testing patterns, which may reflect varying detection methods, populations, locations, time periods, and healthcare settings. Conclusions Not all infants and children with LRTI are tested for RSV, highlighting underestimation of RSV burden across all settings.
A comprehensive analysis of miRNA/isomiRs profile of hydrosalpinx patients with interventional ultrasound sclerotherapy

Hydrosalpinx is a chronic inflammatory condition with high recurrence rate, and it is reported among female population having fallopian tubal factor infertility. Previously, we have reported that interventional ultrasound sclerotherapy improves endometrial receptivity and pregnancy rate with negligible adverse effects in patients suffering from hydrosalpinx. During present investigation, we have used next generation sequencing (NGS) to characterize the isomiR profiles from the endometrium of patients suffering from hydrosalpinx before and after interventional ultrasound sclerotherapy. Our results indicated that miRNA arm shift and switch remained unaffected when compared in patients before and after interventional ultrasound sclerotherapy. We observed that isomiRs with trimming at 3’ and isomiRs with canonical sequences were lower in post-treatment than in pre-treatment group. Gene ontology (GO) annotation and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the expression of mature mir-30 was significantly lower in the pre-treatment as compared to post treatment group while the expression of mir-30 isomiR was 4.26-fold higher in pre-treatment when compared with the post-treatment group. These different expression patterns of mir-30 mature miRNA and mir-30 isomiRs in two groups are affecting the physiological function of the endometrium. Our results suggested that differential isomiR distribution in hydrosalpinx patients before and after treatment plays an important role in hydrosalpinx incidence and can help in designing novel strategy for the treatment of hydrosalpinx in female population.
Feature Identification Framework for Back Injury Risk in Repetitive Work With Application in Sheep Shearing

Background: Lower back injuries are a serious global problem. Most of these injuries occur over time with repeated sub-acute stresses. Neuromuscular control dysfunction could predict injury, however injuries are almost never observed alongside this data. No labels are available to identify important features that may be predictive of injury. While there are many individual differences in injury development, the population trend is that each individual's injury tolerance decreases over time with exposure, indicating a monotonic process. Methods: This paper proposes a framework for identifying key features of injury using an unsupervised technique that exploits knowledge of injury aetiology by analysing which features contribute to the popular trend using weak monotonicity from data segmented by task repetitions. The feature selection also evaluates feature redundancy. The efficacy of the framework is demonstrated through data from on-site sheep shearers over one day using 17 wearable inertial measurement units and 16 surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors. Results: Consistent with literature, the results demonstrate sEMG features derived from the erector spinae and multifidus muscles are the most important indicators for lower back injury. To evaluate the performance of the proposed population-trend based unsupervised feature selection technique, the self-reported fatigue information is treated as some ‘ground truth’ information so that this proposed technique can compare with 5 existing unsupervised feature selection techniques. Conclusion: The proposed technique is shown to be the most consistent with the self-reported fatigue information, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Assessment of workplace safety climate among power sector employees: A comparative study of cross-culture employer in Pakistan

Pakistan’s power sector has undergone extensive reforms to improve its technical and monetary performance over the last two decades. However, despite its fast-growing and hazardous nature, safety research remains limited in this context. This study aims to address this gap by assessing the level of safety climate in the power sector and comparing the safety climate in plants operated by multinational companies (MNCs) and local companies (LCs). To this end, five power plants operating in the southern part of the Punjab region (in Pakistan) were included in this study. The Nordic Occupational Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50), an analytical tool comprising of 50 items across seven dimensions, was used to determine the level of safety climate. An independent T-Test was then applied to compare the means in two different setups to draw a conclusion about overall safety climate differences. In MNCs, overall management/leadership perception improved; however, workers in both setups responded similarly in many cases. The lowest observed score in both setups was related to worker’s prioritization of safety and risk non-acceptance. The study highlights the importance of a company’s policies, procedures, and leadership commitments in creating a stronger safety climate by instilling trust in workers. The study further demonstrates that cross-cultural and strong policies devised by multinational companies help to improve the overall safety climate andconcludes that promoting an efficient and positive safety climate in the power sector is a long journey and that can only be achieved if all workers and leaders take on an active role.
Problems of Harmonic Analysis related to finite type hypersurfaces in R^3, and Newton polyhedra

This article, which grew out of my lecture at the conference "Analysis and Applications: A Conference in Honor of Elias M. Stein" in May 2011, is intended to give an overview on a collection of results which have been obtained jointly with I.I. Ikromov, and in parts also with M. Kempe, and at the same time to give a kind of guided tour through the rather comprehensive proofs of the major results that I shall address. All of our work is highly influenced by the pioneering ideas developed by E.M. Stein.
Debiased Scene Graph Generation for Dual Imbalance Learning

Scene graph generation (SGG) is one of the hottest topics in computer vision and has attracted many interests since it provides rich semantic information between objects. In practice, the SGG datasets are often dual imbalanced, presented as a large number of backgrounds and rarely few foregrounds, and highly skewed foreground relationships categories (i.e., the long-tailed distribution). How to tackle this dual imbalanced problem is crucial but rarely studied in literature. Existing methods only consider the long-tailed distribution of foregrounds classes and ignore the background-foreground imbalance in SGG, which results in a biased model and prevents it from being applied in the downstream tasks widely. To reduce its side effect and make the contributions of different categories equally, we propose a novel debiased SGG method (named DSDI) by incorporating biased resistance loss and causal intervention tree. We first deeply analyze the potential causes of dual imbalanced problem in SGG. Then, to learn more discriminate representation of the foreground by expanding the foreground features space, the biased resistance loss decouples the background classification from foreground relationship recognition. Meanwhile, a causal graph of content and context is designed to remove the context bias and learn unbiased relationship features via casual intervention tree. Extensive experimental results on two extremely imbalanced datasets: VG150 and VrR-VG, demonstrate our DSDI outperforms other state-of-the-art methods. All our models will be available in https://github.com/zhouhao0515/unbiasedSGG-DSDI.
The relationship between transformational leadership and job satisfaction in selected colleges at King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia

Background Leadership has become the key issues in managing the organization, the emerging business and economic environments have forced organizations to be flexible, adaptive, entrepreneurial and innovative to meet changing demand of the present-day business environment. The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between the various dimensions of transformational leadership (predictor variable) and their effects on employees’ job satisfaction (criterion variable) in three selected Colleges (Medicine, Dentistry and Science) in King Khalid University. Methods The methodology employed in this study was a quantitative and cross-sectional correlational survey type of design Data collection was done using a questionnaire design that was directly administered to the participants. 250 questionnaires were sent to the participating three colleges (Medicine, Dentistry and Sciences). Results The findings of the multiple linear regression analysis indicated a weak positive association between transformational leadership behaviour and employees’ job satisfaction (R-value 0.386). The multiple linear regression analysis signifies a weak positive correlation between transformational leadership behaviour and job satisfaction (R-value 0.386). A p-value in Spearman’s rho that is less than the 0.05 level of significance indicated that there is a significant level of relationship which exists between transformational leadership behaviour and job satisfaction. Conclusions This study concluded that transformational leadership behaviour and its four dimensions showed a weak positive correlation with a statistically significant level of relationship between transformational leadership behaviour and employees’ job satisfaction among three selected colleges (Medicine, Dentistry and Sciences) in King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.