Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lifestyle Habits Predict Academic Performance in High School Students: The Adolescent Student Academic Performance Longitudinal Study (ASAP)

This study aimed to determine if lifestyle habits could predict changes in cognitive control and academic performance in high school students using a longitudinal approach. One hundred and eighty-seven grade seventh to ninth students (mean age: 13.1 ± 1.0 years old) completed a 3-year prospective study. Lifestyle habits, cognitive control, and academic performance were assessed every year during the 3-year study. Results show that in female students, screen time measures were negatively correlated with academic performance and cognitive control. Furthermore, changes (Δs) in sleeping habits were associated with Δs in academic performance in both genders, whereas Δs in eating habits and in studying time were correlated with Δs in academic performance only in male students. Moreover, in female students, screen time, social media use, and eating habits measures seem to predict the variance in the Δs of cognitive control measures (r2 between 8.2% and 21.0%), whereas, in male students, studying time, eating, and sleeping habits appear to explain the variance in the Δs of academic performance measures (r2 between 5.9% and 24.8%). In conclusion, results of the present study indicate that lifestyle habits were able to predict Δs in cognitive control and academic performance of high school students during a 3-year period.
HIV-1 Mutant Assembly, Processing and Infectivity Expresses Pol Independent of Gag

The pol retrovirus gene encodes required enzymes for virus replication and maturation. Unlike HIV-1 Pol (expressed as a Gag–Pol fusion protein), foamy virus (described as an ancient retrovirus) expresses Pol without forming Gag–Pol polyproteins. We placed a “self-cleaving” 2A peptide between HIV-1 Gag and Pol. This construct, designated G2AP, is capable of producing virions with the same density as a wild-type (wt) HIV-1 particle. The 2A peptide allows for Pol to be packaged into virions independently from Gag following co-translationally cleaved from Gag. We found that G2AP exhibited only one-third the virus infectivity of the wt, likely due, at least in part, to defects in Pol packaging. Attenuated protease (PR) activity, or a reduction in Pol expression due to the placement of 2A-mediated Pol in a normal Gag–Pol frameshift context, resulted in significant increases in virus yields and/or titers. This suggests that reduced G2AP virus yields were largely due to increased PR activity associated with overexpressed Pol. Our data suggest that HIV-1 adopts a gag/pol ribosomal frameshifting mechanism to support virus assembly via the efficient modulation of Gag–Pol/Gag expression, as well as to promote viral enzyme packaging. Our results help clarify the molecular basis of HIV-1 gene expression and assembly.
Coarse-to-Fine Classification of Road Infrastructure Elements from Mobile Point Clouds Using Symmetric Ensemble Point Network and Euclidean Cluster Extraction

Classifying point clouds obtained from mobile laser scanning of road environments is a fundamental yet challenging problem for road asset management and unmanned vehicle navigation. Deep learning networks need no prior knowledge to classify multiple objects, but often generate a certain amount of false predictions. However, traditional clustering methods often involve leveraging a priori knowledge, but may lack generalisability compared to deep learning networks. This paper presents a classification method that coarsely classifies multiple objects of road infrastructure with a symmetric ensemble point (SEP) network and then refines the results with a Euclidean cluster extraction (ECE) algorithm. The SEP network applies a symmetric function to capture relevant structural features at different scales and select optimal sub-samples using an ensemble method. The ECE subsequently adjusts points that have been predicted incorrectly by the first step. The experimental results indicate that this method effectively extracts six types of road infrastructure elements: road surfaces, buildings, walls, traffic signs, trees and streetlights. The overall accuracy of the SEP-ECE method improves by 3.97% with respect to PointNet. The achieved average classification accuracy is approximately 99.74%, which is suitable for practical use in transportation network management.
Design and Measurement Properties of the Online Gambling Disorder Questionnaire (OGD-Q) in Spanish Adolescents

Gambling disorder is of great clinical and social relevance since it seriously affects people who suffer from it. More recently, the Internet has exacerbated the problem with online casinos, poker, and sports betting. However, there is little evidence of this problem, and we know of no diagnostic questionnaire. The main objectives of this study were to develop the Online Gambling Disorder Questionnaire (OGD-Q) for adolescents, evaluate its main psychometric properties, and establish diagnostic criteria to differentiate pathological from non-pathological online gamblers. We conducted a study in 16 schools across seven regions of Spain, sampling 2691 adolescents, 883 of whom had reported some online gambling experience. Of those, 602 were boys (68.2%) and 281 were girls (31.8%) Sampling was non-probabilistic and incidental. Mean age and standard deviation were 14.25 ± 1.55 (11–19 years). Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a one-dimensional model with a good fit. The reliability indicators were satisfactory (>0.94). The scores on the OGD-Q were related to other constructs, such as Internet gaming disorder, problematic Internet use, and nomophobia. Participants classified as having problems or being at risk of online gambling disorder presented significantly more stress, anxiety, and depression. Participants categorized as having online gambling disorder comprised 0.89% (n = 24) of the total sample and 2.71% of those who have gambled at some time. We discuss these findings and their practical implications in this article and propose future lines of research.
Transcriptional Suppression of the NLRP3 Inflammasome and Cytokine Release in Primary Macrophages by Low-Dose Anthracyclines

Tissue-resident macrophages play critical roles in controlling homeostasis, tissue repair, and immunity. Inflammatory macrophages can sustain tissue damage and promote the development of fibrosis during infections and sterile tissue injury. The NLRP3 inflammasome and its effector cytokine IL-1β have been identified as important mediators of fibrosis. Epirubicin, an anthracycline topoisomerase II inhibitor, has been reported to inhibit myeloid inflammatory cytokine production and to promote tissue tolerance following bacterial infection. We investigated the anti-inflammatory properties of epirubicin on the NLRP3 inflammasome and TLR4-mediated inflammation in PMA-primed THP-1 and in primary human peritoneal macrophages (PM). Low-dose epirubicin at non-cytotoxic doses downregulated NLRP3 inflammasome components and reduced the release of cleaved caspase-1, bioactive IL-1β, and TNF-α following NLRP3 activation in a dose-dependent fashion. In addition, epirubicin attenuated inflammatory macrophage responses after TLR4 and TLR2 ligation. These anti-inflammatory effects were not mediated by the induction of autophagy or altered MAPK signaling, but as the result of a global transcriptional suppression of LPS-dependent genes. Epirubicin-treated macrophages displayed reduced acetylation of histone 3 lysine 9 (H3K9ac), suggesting anti-inflammatory epigenetic imprinting as one underlying mechanism.
In silico Design of Novel Histone Deacetylase 4 Inhibitors: Design Guidelines for Improved Binding Affinity

Histone deacetylases (HDAC) are being targeted for a number of diseases such as cancer, inflammatory disease, and neurological disorders. Within this family of 18 isozymes, HDAC4 is a prime target for glioma, one of the most aggressive brain tumors reported. Thus, the development of HDAC4 inhibitors could present a novel therapeutic route for glioma. In this work, molecular docking studies on cyclopropane hydroxamic acid derivatives identified five novel molecular interactions to the HDAC4 receptor that could be harnessed to enhance inhibitor binding. Thus, design guidelines for the optimization of potent HDAC4 inhibitors were developed which can be utilized to further the development of HDAC4 inhibitors. Using the developed guidelines, eleven novel cyclopropane hydroxamic acid derivatives were designed that outcompeted all original cyclopropane hydroxamic acids HDAC4 inhibitors studied in silico. The results of this work will be an asset to paving the way for further design and optimization of novel potent HDAC4 inhibitors for gliomas.
Unwinding 20 Years of the Archaeal Minichromosome Maintenance Helicase

Replicative DNA helicases are essential cellular enzymes that unwind duplex DNA in front of the replication fork during chromosomal DNA replication. Replicative helicases were discovered, beginning in the 1970s, in bacteria, bacteriophages, viruses, and eukarya, and, in the mid-1990s, in archaea. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first report on the archaeal replicative helicase, the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) protein. ABSTRACT Replicative DNA helicases are essential cellular enzymes that unwind duplex DNA in front of the replication fork during chromosomal DNA replication. Replicative helicases were discovered, beginning in the 1970s, in bacteria, bacteriophages, viruses, and eukarya, and, in the mid-1990s, in archaea. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first report on the archaeal replicative helicase, the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) protein. This minireview summarizes 2 decades of work on the archaeal MCM.
Does Sexual Orientation Relate to Health and Well-Being? Analysis of Adults 50+ Years of Age.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Based on the Minority Stress Theory, this article examines the associations between sexual orientation and self-reported measures of physical, mental, and cognitive health, as well as health risk behaviors. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The analytical sample included members of the 2016 wave of the Health and Retirement Study aged 50+ years. Binary and ordered logistic regressions were conducted to assess whether being a sexual minority was associated with poorer self-rated physical, mental, and cognitive health, as well as being more likely to engage in health risk behaviors. RESULTS In analyses using overall and propensity-matched samples, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) participants were about twice as likely to report ever having depression as their heterosexual counterparts but were also more likely to report better self-rated health. The LGB group was more likely to report ever having smoked but were not significantly different in any of the other health risk behaviors. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS LGB individuals appear to be at greater risk of ever experiencing depression than heterosexual individuals but, at the same time, report better physical health. This may suggest a tendency for resilience. Differences in health risk behavior may also exist. Mental health and other medical professionals should receive special training to better understand the unique problems of LGB individuals.
Liver Fibrosis Indices and Outcomes After Primary Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background and Purpose— Cirrhosis—clinically overt, advanced liver disease—is associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke and poor stroke outcomes. We sought to investigate whether subclinical liver disease, specifically liver fibrosis, is associated with clinical and radiological outcomes in patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage. Methods— We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from the Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive–Intracerebral Hemorrhage. We included adult patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage presenting within 6 hours of symptom onset. We calculated 3 validated fibrosis indices—Aspartate Aminotransferase–Platelet Ratio Index, Fibrosis-4 score, and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Fibrosis Score—and modeled them as continuous exposure variables. Primary outcomes were admission hematoma volume and hematoma expansion. Secondary outcomes were mortality, and the composite of major disability or death, at 90 days. We used linear and logistic regression models adjusted for previously established risk factors. Results— Among 432 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, the mean Aspartate Aminotransferase–Platelet Ratio Index, Fibrosis-4, and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Fibrosis Score values on admission reflected intermediate probabilities of fibrosis, whereas standard hepatic assays and coagulation parameters were largely normal. After adjusting for potential confounders, Aspartate Aminotransferase–Platelet Ratio Index was associated with hematoma volume (β, 0.20 [95% CI, 0.04–0.36]), hematoma expansion (odds ratio, 1.6 [95% CI, 1.1–2.3]), and mortality (odds ratio, 1.8 [95% CI, 1.1–2.7]). Fibrosis-4 was also associated with hematoma volume (β, 0.27 [95% CI, 0.07–0.47]), hematoma expansion (odds ratio, 1.9 [95% CI, 1.2–3.0]), and mortality (odds ratio, 2.0 [95% CI, 1.1–3.6]). Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Fibrosis Score was not associated with any outcome. Indices were not associated with the composite of major disability or death. Conclusions— In patients with largely normal liver chemistries, 2 liver fibrosis indices were associated with admission hematoma volume, hematoma expansion, and mortality after intracerebral hemorrhage.
Electronic and other new media technology interventions for HIV care and prevention: a systematic review

Electronic and other new media technologies (eHealth) can facilitate large‐scale dissemination of information and effective delivery of interventions for HIV care and prevention. There is a need to both monitor a rapidly changing pipeline of technology‐based care and prevention methods and to assess whether the interventions are appropriately diversified. We systematically review and critically appraise the research pipeline of eHealth interventions for HIV care and prevention, including published studies and other funded projects.
Protein Oxidative Damage in UV-Related Skin Cancer and Dysplastic Lesions Contributes to Neoplastic Promotion and Progression

The ultraviolet (UV) component of solar radiation is the major driving force of skin carcinogenesis. Most of studies on UV carcinogenesis actually focus on DNA damage while their proteome-damaging ability and its contribution to skin carcinogenesis have remained largely underexplored. A redox proteomic analysis of oxidized proteins in solar-induced neoplastic skin lesion and perilesional areas has been conducted showing that the protein oxidative burden mostly concerns a selected number of proteins participating to a defined set of functions, namely: chaperoning and stress response; protein folding/refolding and protein quality control; proteasomal function; DNA damage repair; protein- and vesicle-trafficking; cell architecture, adhesion/extra-cellular matrix (ECM) interaction; proliferation/oncosuppression; apoptosis/survival, all of them ultimately concurring either to structural damage repair or to damage detoxication and stress response. In peri-neoplastic areas the oxidative alterations are conducive to the persistence of genetic alterations, dysfunctional apoptosis surveillance, and a disrupted extracellular environment, thus creating the condition for transformant clones to establish, expand and progress. A comparatively lower burden of oxidative damage is observed in neoplastic areas. Such a finding can reflect an adaptive selection of best fitting clones to the sharply pro-oxidant neoplastic environment. In this context the DNA damage response appears severely perturbed, thus sustaining an increased genomic instability and an accelerated rate of neoplastic evolution. In conclusion UV radiation, in addition to being a cancer-initiating agent, can act, through protein oxidation, as a cancer-promoting agent and as an inducer of genomic instability concurring with the neoplastic progression of established lesions.
Preparation of Magnetic CuFe2O4@Ag@ZIF-8 Nanocomposites with Highly Catalytic Activity Based on Cellulose Nanocrystals

A facile approach was successfully developed for synthesis of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)-supported magnetic CuFe2O4@Ag@ZIF-8 nanospheres which consist of a paramagnetic CuFe2O4@Ag core and porous ZIF-8 shell. The CuFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were first prepared in the presence of CNC and dispersant. Ag NPs were then deposited on the CuFe2O4/CNC composites via an in situ reduction directed by dopamine polymerization (PDA). The CuFe2O4/CNC@Ag@ZIF-8 nanocomposite was characterized by TEM, FTIR, XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, VSM, and XPS. Catalytic studies showed that the CuFe2O4/CNC@Ag@ZIF-8 catalyst had much higher catalytic activity than CuFe2O4@Ag catalyst with the rate constant of 0.64 min−1. Because of the integration of ZIF-8 with CuFe2O4/CNC@Ag that combines the advantaged of each component, the nanocomposites were demonstrated to have an enhanced catalytic activity in heterogeneous catalysis. Therefore, these results demonstrate a new method for the fabrication of CNC-supported magnetic core-shell catalysts, which display great potential for application in biocatalysis and environmental chemistry.
Probiotic Supplementation in a Clostridium difficile-Infected Gastrointestinal Model Is Associated with Restoring Metabolic Function of Microbiota

Clostridium (C.) difficile-infection (CDI), a nosocomial gastrointestinal disorder, is of growing concern due to its rapid rise in recent years. Antibiotic therapy of CDI is associated with disrupted metabolic function and altered gut microbiota. The use of probiotics as an adjunct is being studied extensively due to their potential to modulate metabolic functions and the gut microbiota. In the present study, we assessed the ability of several single strain probiotics and a probiotic mixture to change the metabolic functions of normal and C. difficile-infected fecal samples. The production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and ammonia was measured, and changes in microbial composition were assessed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The C. difficile-infection in fecal samples resulted in a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in SCFA and H2S production, with a lower microbial alpha diversity. All probiotic treatments were associated with significantly increased (p < 0.05) levels of SCFAs and restored H2S levels. Probiotics showed no effect on microbial composition of either normal or C. difficile-infected fecal samples. These findings indicate that probiotics may be useful to improve the metabolic dysregulation associated with C. difficile infection.
Towards Security Joint Trust and Game Theory for Maximizing Utility: Challenges and Countermeasures

The widespread application of networks is providing a better platform for the development of society and technology. With the expansion of the scope of network applications, many issues need to be solved. Among them, the maximization of utility and the improvement of security have attracted much attention. Many existing attacks mean the network faces security challenges. The concept of trust should be considered to address these security issues. Meanwhile, the utility of the network, including efficiency, profit, welfare, etc., are concerns that should be maximized. Over the past decade, the concepts of game and trust have been introduced to various types of networks. However, there is a lack of research effort on several key points in distributed networks, which are critical to the information transmission of distributed networks, such as expelling malicious nodes quickly and accurately and finding equilibrium between energy assumption and high transmission rate. The purpose of this paper is to give a holistic overview of existing research on trust and game theory in networks. We analyzed that network utility can be maximized in terms of effectiveness, profits, and security. Moreover, a possible research agenda is proposed to promote the application and development of game theory and trust for improving security and maximizing utility.
BPC transcription factors and a Polycomb Group protein confine the expression of the ovule identity gene SEEDSTICK in Arabiodpsis.

The BASIC PENTACYSTEINE (BPC) GAGA (C-box) binding proteins belong to a small plant transcription factor family. We previously reported that BPCs of class I bind directly to C-boxes in the SEEDSTICK (STK) promoter and the mutagenesis of these cis-elements affects STK expression in the flower. The MADS-domain factor SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP) is another key regulator of STK. Direct binding of SVP to CArG-boxes in the STK promoter are required to repress its expression during the first stages of flower development. Here we show that BPCs of class II directly interact with SVP and that MADS-domain binding sites in the STK promoter region are important for the correct spatial and temporal expression of this homeotic gene. Furthermore, we show that BPCs of class I and II act redundantly to repress STK expression in the flower, most likely by recruiting TERMINAL FLOWER 2/LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN 1 (TFL2/LHP1) and mediating the establishment and the maintenance of H3K27me3 repressive marks on the DNA. We investigate the role of LHP1 in the regulation of STK expression. Besides providing a better understanding of the role of BPC transcription factors in the regulation of STK expression, our results suggest the existence of a more general regulatory complex composed of BPCs, MADS-domain factors and PRCs, that cooperate to regulate gene expression in reproductive tissues. We believe that our data along with the molecular model herein described could provide significant insights for a more comprehensive understanding of gene regulation in plants.
Design Optimization of a Compact Double-Ended-Tuning-Fork-Based Resonant Accelerometer for Smart Spindle Applications

With the rapid developments of the Industrial Era 4.0, numerous sensors have been employed to facilitate and monitor the quality of machining processes. Among them, accelerometers play an important role in chatter detection and suppression for reducing the tool down-time and increasing manufacturing efficiency. To date, most commonly seen accelerometers have relatively large sizes such that they can be installed only on the housing of spindles or the surfaces of workpieces that may not be able to directly capture actual vibration signals or obstruct the cutting process. To address this challenge, this research proposed a compact, wide-bandwidth resonant accelerometer that could be embedded inside high-speed spindles for real-time chatter monitoring and prediction. Composed of a double-ended tuning fork (DETF), a proof mass, and a support beam, the resonant accelerometer utilizes the resonance frequency shift of the DETF due to the bending motions of the structure during out-of-plane accelerations as the sensing mechanism. The entire structure based on commercially available quartz tuning forks (QTFs) with electrodes for symmetric-mode excitations. The advantages of this structure include low noise and wide operation bandwidth thanks to the frequency modulation scheme. A theoretical model and finite element analysis were conducted for designs and optimizations. Simulated results demonstrated that the proposed accelerometer has a size of 9.76 mm × 4.8 mm × 5.5 mm, a simulated sensitivity of 0.94 Hz/g, and a simulated working bandwidth of 3.5 kHz. The research results are expected to be beneficial for chatter detection and intelligent manufacturing.