Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genotypic diversity and plasticity of root system architecture to nitrogen availability in oilseed rape

In the emerging new agricultural context, a drastic reduction in fertilizer usage is required. A promising way to maintain high crop yields while reducing fertilizer inputs is to breed new varieties with optimized root system architecture (RSA), designed to reach soil resources more efficiently. This relies on identifying key traits that underlie genotypic variability and plasticity of RSA in response to nutrient availability. The aim of our study was to characterize the RSA plasticity in response to nitrogen limitation of a set of contrasted oilseed rape genotypes, by using the ArchiSimple model parameters as screening traits. Eight accessions of Brassica napus were grown in long tubes in the greenhouse, under two contrasting levels of nitrogen availability. After plant excavation, roots were scanned at high resolution. Six RSA traits relative to root diameter, elongation rate and branching were measured, as well as nine growth and biomass allocation traits. The plasticity of each trait to nitrogen availability was estimated. Nitrogen-limited plants were characterized by a strong reduction in total biomass and leaf area. Even if the architecture traits were shown to be less plastic than allocation traits, significant nitrogen and genotype effects were highlighted on each RSA trait, except the root minimal diameter. Thus, the RSA of nitrogen-limited plants was primarily characterised by a reduced lateral root density, a smaller primary root diameter, associated with a stronger root dominance. Among the RSA traits measured, the inter-branch distance showed the highest plasticity with a level of 70%, in the same range as the most plastic allocation traits. This work suggests that lateral root density plays the key role in the adaptation of the root system to nitrogen availability and highlights inter-branch distance as a major target trait for breeding new varieties, better adapted to low input systems.
Developing sugar-sweetened beverage warning labels for young adults

Abstract Objective: There is a lack of qualitative research developing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) warning labels with their intended end users. We sought to identify promising SSB warning elements for improving label effectiveness and for future testing in policy and institutional settings. Design: Mixed methods design using ten focus groups, a design task and a survey. The design task was used to generate ideas for an icon that would dissuade SSB consumption. The survey and focus group guide assessed participant perceptions of SSB warning label mock-ups of text (loss frame, gain frame and loss frame with attribution), colour and icon options. Setting: Three large public universities in California from February to March 2018. Participants: Young adult SSB consumers (n 86) enrolled in one of three diverse California public universities. Results: Participants perceived the following elements as most effective for reducing SSB consumption: loss-frame text with attribution to a credible source, yellow and red colour for label background and an image or icon to accompany the text. Preferred images included sugar near or inside of an SSB, intuitive shapes like a triangle with exclamation mark or octagon and a visual indicator of SSB sugar content compared with recommended limits. Support was high for using SSB warning labels in university cafeterias and on bottles/cans. Conclusions: Loss-frame text with a credible source, yellow or red label colour and icons could potentially enhance effectiveness of SSB warning labels and warrant further testing.
Mediating Effects of Smartphone Utilization between Attitude and Willingness to Use Home-Based Healthcare ICT among Older Adults

Objectives This study explored the direct and indirect effects of knowledge of new technology (e.g., artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution), attitudes towards technology use, and smartphone utilization skills on older adults’ willingness to use home-based information and communication technology (ICT) for self-health management. Methods A phone survey was conducted among 300 older adults aged 65 or older in Gangwon Province, Republic of Korea. A path analysis was performed to identify the direct and indirect effects of knowledge of new technology, attitudes towards technology use, and smartphone utilization skills on willingness to use home-based healthcare ICT. Socioeconomic variables were used as control variables. Results Knowledge of new technology, but not attitudes towards technology use, had a direct impact on smartphone utilization skills. Attitude towards technology use and smartphone utilization skills showed significant effects on willingness to use home-based healthcare ICT. One standard unit change in attitudes towards technology use contributed to a 0.172 unit change in willingness (p = 0.001), and one standard unit change in smartphone utilization skills changed willingness by 0.246 units (p < 0.001). In addition, older adults with a higher education level and economic status, and lower self-related health status, were more willing to use home-based healthcare ICT. Conclusions These findings underscore the necessity of enhancing the smartphone utilization skills of older adults and attitudes towards technology use. Providing more user-friendly services and increasing smartphone utilization skills among older adults would contribute to willingness to use home-based ICT for healthcare management.
Acceptability of a nurse-led, person-centred, anticipatory care planning intervention for older people at risk of functional decline: A qualitative study

Background As the population of older adults increases, the complexity of care required to support those who choose to remain in the community amplifies. Anticipatory Care Planning (ACP), through earlier identification of healthcare needs, is evidenced to improve quality of life, decrease aggressive interventions, and prolong life. With patient acceptability of growing importance in the design, implementation, and evaluation of healthcare interventions, this study reports on the acceptability of a primary care based ACP intervention on the island of Ireland. Methods As part of the evaluation of a feasibility cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) testing an ACP intervention for older people at risk of functional decline, intervention participants [n = 34] were interviewed in their homes at 10-week follow-up to determine acceptability. The intervention consisted of home visits by specifically trained registered nurses who assessed participants’ health, discussed their health goals and plans, and devised an anticipatory care plan in collaboration with participants’ GPs and adjunct clinical pharmacist. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze interview data. The feasibility cRCT involved eight general practitioner (GP) practices as cluster sites, stratified by jurisdiction, four in Northern Ireland (NI) (two intervention, two control), and four in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) (two intervention, two control). Participants were assessed for risk of functional decline. A total of 34 patients received the intervention and 31 received usual care. Findings Thematic analysis resulted in five main themes: timing of intervention, understanding of ACP, personality & individual differences, loneliness & social isolation, and views on healthcare provision. These map across the Four Factor Model of Acceptability (‘4FMA’), a newly developed conceptual framework comprising four components: intervention factors, personal factors, social support factors, and healthcare provision factors. Conclusion Acceptability of this primary care based ACP intervention was high, with nurses’ home visits, GP anchorage, multidisciplinary working, personalized approach, and active listening regarded as beneficial. Appropriate timing, and patient health education emerged as vital.
Incidental learning of proper names and “earwitness” recall

ABSTRACT This study tested recall of proper names versus other details of a crime in incidental learning conditions designed to parallel recall when an “earwitness” reports what he or she overheard from someone discussing a crime. Participants heard an audio recording of someone discussing details of a crime he had committed, and they then completed filler tasks designed to mislead them as to the study’s true purpose. After this short delay, participants had particularly poor recall for names in association with roles in the crime compared to other details about the crime. Their name errors sometimes implicated innocent people, a disturbing finding given the potential ramifications for people incriminated by witnesses reporting hearsay. Somewhat reassuringly, participants frequently did not provide a guess for the name when they were uncertain about who did what, and they reported reduced confidence in their name recall, with particularly low confidence when they recalled incorrect name information. Findings establish the pronounced difficulty of proper name learning in incidental learning conditions, and results suggest that earwitness testimony involving name recall should be treated with particular caution.
Phonation Types Matter in Sound Symbolism

Abstract Sound symbolism is a non‐arbitrary correspondence between sound and meaning. The majority of studies on sound symbolism have focused on consonants and vowels, and the sound‐symbolic properties of suprasegmentals, particularly phonation types, have been largely neglected. This study examines the size and shape symbolism of four phonation types: modal and creaky voices, falsetto, and whisper. Japanese speakers heard 12 novel words (e.g., /íbi/, /ápa/) pronounced with the four types of phonation and rated the size and roundedness/pointedness each of the 48 stimuli seemed to represent on seven‐point scales. The results showed that phonation types as well as consonantal and vocalic features influenced the ratings. Creaky voice was associated with larger and more pointed images than modal voice, which was in turn associated with larger and more pointed images than whisper. Falsetto was also associated with roundedness but not with smallness. These results shed new light on the acoustic approaches to sound symbolism and suggest the significance of phonation types and other suprasegmental features in the phenomenon.
Evolutionary design of magnetic soft continuum robots

Significance Magnetic soft continuum robots (MSCRs) capable of magnetic field–controllable steering offer great promise for the endovascular treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, existing MSCRs are often limited to small workspaces because of the lack of efficient design and optimization tools. In this work, we introduce an evolutionary design strategy by integrating theoretical modeling and the genetic algorithm. Enabled by this strategy, the proposed MSCR achieves an optimal workspace much larger than those of the state-of-the-art MSCRs. The proposed design strategy also offers a potent tool for efficient design and optimization of future magnetic soft robots and actuators. Worldwide cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart disease are the leading cause of mortality. While guidewire/catheter-based minimally invasive surgery is used to treat a variety of cardiovascular disorders, existing passive guidewires and catheters suffer from several limitations such as low steerability and vessel access through complex geometry of vasculatures and imaging-related accumulation of radiation to both patients and operating surgeons. To address these limitations, magnetic soft continuum robots (MSCRs) in the form of magnetic field–controllable elastomeric fibers have recently demonstrated enhanced steerability under remotely applied magnetic fields. While the steerability of an MSCR largely relies on its workspace—the set of attainable points by its end effector—existing MSCRs based on embedding permanent magnets or uniformly dispersing magnetic particles in polymer matrices still cannot give optimal workspaces. The design and optimization of MSCRs have been challenging because of the lack of efficient tools. Here, we report a systematic set of model-based evolutionary design, fabrication, and experimental validation of an MSCR with a counterintuitive nonuniform distribution of magnetic particles to achieve an unprecedented workspace. The proposed MSCR design is enabled by integrating a theoretical model and the genetic algorithm. The current work not only achieves the optimal workspace for MSCRs but also provides a powerful tool for the efficient design and optimization of future magnetic soft robots and actuators.
Applying methods for personalized medicine to the treatment of alcohol use disorder.

OBJECTIVE Numerous behavioral treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) are effective, but there are substantial individual differences in treatment response. This study examines the potential use of new methods for personalized medicine to test for individual differences in the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) versus motivational enhancement therapy (MET) and to provide predictions of which will work best for individuals with AUD. We highlight both the potential contribution and the limitations of these methods. METHOD We performed secondary analyses of abstinence among 1,144 participants with AUD participating in either outpatient or aftercare treatment who were randomized to receive either CBT or MET in Project MATCH. We first obtained predicted individual treatment effects (PITEs), as a function of 19 baseline client characteristics identified a priori by MATCH investigators. Then, we tested for the significance of individual differences and examined the predicted individual differences in abstinence 1 year following treatment. Predictive intervals were estimated for each individual to determine if they were 80% more likely to achieve abstinence in one treatment versus the other. RESULTS Results indicated that individual differences in the likelihood of abstinence at 1 year following treatment were significant for those in the outpatient sample, but not for those in the aftercare sample. Individual predictive intervals showed that 37% had a better chance of abstinence with CBT than MET, and 16% had a better chance of abstinence with MET. Obtaining predictions for a new individual is demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS Personalized medicine methods, and PITE in particular, have the potential to identify individuals most likely to benefit from one versus another intervention. New personalized medicine methods play an important role in putting together differential effects due to previously identified variables into one prediction designed to be useful to clinicians and clients choosing between treatment options. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Establishment and validation of a predictive model for mortality within 30 days in patients with sepsis-induced blood pressure drop: A retrospective analysis

Objectives To establish and validate an individualized nomogram to predict the probability of death within 30 days in patients with sepsis-induced blood pressure drop would help clinical physicians to pay attention to those with higher risk of death after admission to wards. Methods A total of 1023 patients who were admitted to the Dongyang People’s Hospital, China, enrolled in this study. They were divided into model group (717 patients) and validation group (306 patients). The study included 13 variables. The independent risk factors leading to death within 30 days were screened by univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses and used for Nomogram. The discrimination and correction of the prediction model were assessed by the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve and the calibration chart. The clinical effectiveness of the prediction model was assessed by the Decision Curve Analysis (DCA). Results Seven variables were independent risk factors, included peritonitis, respiratory failure, cardiac insufficiency, consciousness disturbance, tumor history, albumin level, and creatinine level at the time of admission. The area under the ROC curve of the model group and validation group was 0.834 and 0.836. The P value of the two sets of calibration charts was 0.702 and 0.866. The DCA curves of the model group and validation group were above the two extreme (insignificant) curves. Conclusions The model described in this study could effectively predict the death of patients with sepsis-induced blood pressure drop.
The effect of PBL combined with comparative nursing rounds on the teaching of nursing for traumatology.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) combined with comparative nursing rounds on the teaching of nursing for traumatology. METHODS This prospective study was performed in 186 nursing student interns. According to a random number table, these interns were assigned to the control group (n=93) and the experimental group (n=93). In the control group, the interns received traditional teaching methods. Meanwhile, interns in the experimental group received PBL combined with comparative nursing rounds teaching. The level of teaching approval, excellent and good rate of theoretical knowledge, operational ability, medical record writing, and critical thinking disposition inventory-Chinese version scores were compared between the two groups. RESULTS Teaching approval in learning initiative, problem solving ability, critical thinking, clinical work ability, independent information acquisition ability, and teamwork spirit in the experimental group were improved compared with the control group (all P<0.05). The excellent and good rate of theoretical knowledge, operational ability, and medical record writing in the experimental group were all higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05). Compared with the control group, critical thinking disposition inventory-Chinese version scores in all aspects in the experimental group after training were improved (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION The application of PBL combined comparative nursing rounds in the teaching of nursing for traumatology is beneficial for a significant improvement in the grasp of theoretical knowledge, operational ability, critical thinking ability, and teaching approval.
COVID-19 biomarkers and their overlap with comorbidities in a disease biomarker data model

Abstract In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, scientists and medical researchers are capturing a wide range of host responses, symptoms and lingering postrecovery problems within the human population. These variable clinical manifestations suggest differences in influential factors, such as innate and adaptive host immunity, existing or underlying health conditions, comorbidities, genetics and other factors—compounding the complexity of COVID-19 pathobiology and potential biomarkers associated with the disease, as they become available. The heterogeneous data pose challenges for efficient extrapolation of information into clinical applications. We have curated 145 COVID-19 biomarkers by developing a novel cross-cutting disease biomarker data model that allows integration and evaluation of biomarkers in patients with comorbidities. Most biomarkers are related to the immune (SAA, TNF-∝ and IP-10) or coagulation (D-dimer, antithrombin and VWF) cascades, suggesting complex vascular pathobiology of the disease. Furthermore, we observe commonality with established cancer biomarkers (ACE2, IL-6, IL-4 and IL-2) as well as biomarkers for metabolic syndrome and diabetes (CRP, NLR and LDL). We explore these trends as we put forth a COVID-19 biomarker resource (https://data.oncomx.org/covid19) that will help researchers and diagnosticians alike.
Biotin-induced thyroid stimulating hormone aberrations in the setting of immunotherapy

Introduction Immune checkpoint inhibitors are associated with immune-mediated thyroid disease and other endocrinopathies. Biotin is an over-the-counter supplement known to interfere with lab assays, including thyroid function tests. Biotin-induced complications with lab monitoring during immunotherapy have not been previously reported. Case report We present a case of a 68-year old woman with hypothyroidism after initiating immune checkpoint blockade therapy and abnormal laboratory monitoring values while concurrently taking biotin supplements. Management & outcome: The patient was initiated on levothyroxine with subsequent dose increases over a period of weeks with resolution of symptoms and normalization of free thyroxine levels. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels appeared to remain elevated until biotin supplements were held and levels normalized. Discussion The purpose of this report is to provide the first known incidence of biotin complicating the routine monitoring of immune checkpoint inhibitors with elevated TSH levels and to alert providers to elicit accurate medication histories regarding over-the-counter supplements.
Comparison of patient-reported and functional outcomes following transition from mechanical to microprocessor knee in the low-activity user with a unilateral transfemoral amputation

Background: The Scottish Specialist Prosthetics Service has provided microprocessor knees (MPKs) through the National Health Service since 2014, predominantly to high-activity transfemoral amputations (TFAs). Benefits of MPKs to the lower-activity TFA are less established in the literature. Objectives: This study aimed to compare patient-reported and functional measures in low-activity TFAs transitioning from a mechanical knee to a MPK. Study Design: This is a retrospective cohort analysis of low-activity individuals with a unilateral TFA provided with an MPK. Methods: Patient-reported measures were recorded in routine clinical care before and 6 months after MPK provision. These included HR-QoL (EQ-5D-5L Health Index), Activities Balance Confidence score, Prosthetic Limb User Survey of Mobility, falls frequency, use of walking aids, and Socket Comfort Score. Functional measures included the two-minute walk test (2MWT), L-test, and Amputee Mobility Predictor score, and three-dimensional gait analysis was used to generate a Gait Profile Score (GPS). The primary outcomes were HR-QoL and GPS. Results: Forty-five participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Thirty-one had pre-MPK and post-MPK measures, of which 15 had three-dimensional gait analysis. The mean age (n = 31) was 60 years (SD 11), and 68% were male. HR-QoL and GPS did not significantly improve with MPK provision (p = 0.014 and p = 0.019); Amputee Mobility Predictor score, L-Test, 2MWT, falls, and Activities Balance Confidence score showed a significant improvement with MPK provision (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Although no statistically significant change in the primary outcomes was measured, there were sufficient data to support MPK provision in low-activity prosthetic users with participants demonstrating improvements in balance, 2MWT, falls frequency, and confidence.