Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coping Mechanisms of Previously Diagnosed and New HIV-Discordant, Heterosexual Couples Enrolled in a Pilot HIV Self-Testing Intervention Trial in Central Uganda

Introduction: Learning that a couple has HIV-discordant results can create tensions in the relationship including separation. We explored the coping mechanisms of HIV-discordant, heterosexual couples enrolled in an HIV self-testing (HIVST) intervention trial in Central Uganda. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was nested within a pilot HIVST intervention trial targeting pregnant women and their male partners in central Uganda. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 individuals from 13 HIV-discordant couples between July and September 2018; 18 months after the end of the main trial. Data were collected on the couples' initial reactions after learning about their HIV-discordant status, mechanisms adopted by couples to cope with HIV-discordance, and suggestions on how couples in similar situations can be supported. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed manually following a thematic framework approach. Findings: Of the 13 HIV-discordant couples, the female partner was HIV-positive (M–F+) in seven, while the male partner was HIV-positive (F–M+) in six. The mean (±SD) age of the participants was 32.6 (±6.4) years and participants had stayed together for an average of 5.5 (±3.6) years. Fourteen participants from nine couples already knew about their HIV-discordant status by the time they participated in the HIVST trial. After learning about their HIV-discordant status, most individuals (15) thought of abandoning their relationship; three (3) thought of committing suicide. To cope with HIV-discordance, some couples reported that they sought professional counselling support from healthcare providers, and this was particularly true for couples that were already aware of their HIV-discordant status by the time they participated in the HIVST trial. However, new couples that learnt about their HIV-discordant status after participating in the trial reported that they sought psycho-social support from friends or relatives. In the majority of cases, couples reported that they reduced the frequency of sex or abstained from sex. Some couples temporarily separated from their partners, while a few others resorted to using condoms to reduce HIV infection risk. Conclusion: Couples used a variety of approaches to cope with HIV-discordance. Study findings underscore the importance of ongoing professional counselling and psycho-social support in helping couples to cope with HIV-discordance.
Regulating Self-Image on Instagram: Links Between Social Anxiety, Instagram Contingent Self-Worth, and Content Control Behaviors

Social media platforms have provided human beings with unprecedented ways to virtually connect with one another, creating a novel and complex arena for psychological research. Indeed, a growing body of research has uncovered links between social media use and various aspects of health and wellbeing. However, relatively little work has examined factors that characterize how people experience and regulate their online selves on particular platforms. In the present study, we recruited a large sample of active Instagram users (N = 247; ages 18–58) to complete a questionnaire battery that included measures of participants' social anxiety, their sense of self-worth tied to Instagram use, and specific content control behaviors on the Instagram platform (e.g., editing captions, disabling comments, etc.). Results indicated that participants with higher levels of social anxiety tended to have greater Instagram contingent self-worth, and this was then associated with some content control behaviors, including editing captions and photos and videos when sharing posts. These findings suggest that those who are more socially anxious interact with Instagram differently, and this may arise from self-worth that is wedded to their experiences on the platform. Overall, this work adds to a growing body of research highlighting the benefits and risks of social media use on psychological health.
Data Mining Identifies Differentially Expressed Circular RNAs in Skeletal Muscle of Thermally Challenged Turkey Poults

Precise regulation of gene expression is critical for normal muscle growth and development. Changes in gene expression patterns caused by external stressors such as temperature can have dramatic effects including altered cellular structure and function. Understanding the cellular mechanisms that underlie muscle growth and development and how these are altered by external stressors are crucial in maintaining and improving meat quality. This study investigated circular RNAs (circRNAs) as an emerging aspect of gene regulation. We used data mining to identify circRNAs and characterize their expression profiles within RNAseq data collected from thermally challenged turkey poults of the RBC2 and F-lines. From sequences of 28 paired-end libraries, 8924 unique circRNAs were predicted of which 1629 were common to all treatment groups. Expression analysis identified significant differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs) in comparisons between thermal treatments (41 DECs) and between genetic lines (117 DECs). No intersection was observed between the DECs and differentially expressed gene transcripts indicating that the DECs are not simply the result of expression changes in the parental genes. Comparative analyses based on the chicken microRNA (miRNA) database suggest potential interactions between turkey circRNAs and miRNAs. Additional studies are needed to reveal the functional significance of the predicted circRNAs and their role in muscle development in response to thermal challenge. The DECs identified in this study provide an important framework for future investigation.
The Diagnosis of Protein Energy Wasting in Chronic Peritoneal Dialysis Patients Is Influenced by the Method of Calculating Muscle Mass. A Prospective, Multicenter Study

Objective: To analyze the concordance and agreement between bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) and anthropometry for the diagnosis of protein energy wasting (PEW) in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients. Methods: Prospective, multi-center, observational study using multifrequency bioimpedance device (Body Composition Monitor -BCM®- Fresenius Medical Care) and anthropometry for the diagnosis of PEW as recommended by the International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism (ISRNM). Cohen's kappa was the main test used to analyze concordance and a Bland-Altmann curve was built to evaluate the agreement between both methods. Results: We included 137 patients from three PD clinics. The mean age of the study population was 57.7 ± 14.9, 47.8% had diabetes, and 52.2% were male. We calculated the scores for PEW diagnosis at 3 and 6 months after the first collection (T3 and T6) and on average 40% of the study population were diagnosed with PEW. The concordance in the diagnosis of PEW was only moderate between anthropometry and BIS at both T3 and T6. The main factor responsible for our results was a low to moderate correlation for muscle mass in kilograms, with an r-squared (R2) of 0.35. The agreement was poor, with a difference of more than 10 kg of muscle mass on average and with more than a quarter of all cases beyond the limits of agreements. Conclusion: Current diagnosis of PEW may differ depending on the tools used to measure muscle mass in peritoneal dialysis patients.
The Regulatory Role of GBF1 on Osteoclast Activation Through EIF2a Mediated ER Stress and Novel Marker FAM129A Induction

Bone-resorbing activities of osteoclasts (OCs) are highly dependent on actin cytoskeleton remodeling, plasma membrane reorganization, and vesicle trafficking pathways, which are partially regulated by ARF-GTPases. In the present study, the functional roles of Golgi brefeldin A resistance factor 1 (GBF1) are proposed. GBF1 is responsible for the activation of the ARFs family and vesicular transport at the endoplasmic reticulum–Golgi interface in different stages of OCs differentiation. In the early stage, GBF1 deficiency impaired OCs differentiation and was accompanied with OCs swelling and reduced formation of mature OCs, indicating that GBF1 participates in osteoclastogenesis. Using siRNA and the specific inhibitor GCA for GBF1 knockdown upregulated endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated signaling molecules, including BiP, p-PERK, p-EIF2α, and FAM129A, and promoted autophagic Beclin1, Atg7, p62, and LC3 axis, leading to apoptosis of OCs. The present data suggest that, by blocking COPI-mediated vesicular trafficking, GBF1 inhibition caused intense stress to the endoplasmic reticulum and excessive autophagy, eventually resulting in the apoptosis of mature OCs and impaired bone resorption function.
A Novel Fragmentation Sensitivity Index Determines the Susceptibility of Red Blood Cells to Mechanical Trauma

Supraphysiological shear stresses (SSs) induce irreversible impairments of red blood cell (RBC) deformability, overstretching of RBC membrane, or fragmentation of RBCs that causes free hemoglobin to be released into plasma, which may lead to anemia. The magnitude and exposure tisme of the SSs are two critical parameters that determine the hemolytic threshold of a healthy RBC. However, impairments in the membrane stability of damaged cells reduce the hemolytic threshold and increase the susceptibility of the cell membrane to supraphysiological SSs, leading to cell fragmentation. The severity of the RBC fragmentation as a response to the mechanical damage and the critical SS levels causing fragmentation are not previously defined. In this study, we investigated the RBC mechanical damage in oxidative stress (OS) and metabolic depletion (MD) models by applying supraphysiological SSs up to 100 Pa by an ektacytometer (LORRCA MaxSis) and then assessed RBC deformability. Next, we examined hemolysis and measured RBC volume and count by Multisizer 3 Coulter Counter to evaluate RBC fragmentation. RBC deformability was significantly impaired in the range of 20–50 Pa in OS compared with healthy controls (p < 0.05). Hemolysis was detected at 90–100 Pa SS levels in MD and all applied SS levels in OS. Supraphysiological SSs increased RBC volume in both the damage models and the control group. The number of fragmented cells increased at 100 Pa SS in the control and MD and at all SS levels in OS, which was accompanied by hemolysis. Fragmentation sensitivity index increased at 50–100 Pa SS in the control, 100 Pa SS in MD, and at all SS levels in OS. Therefore, we propose RBC fragmentation as a novel sensitivity index for damaged RBCs experiencing a mechanical trauma before they undergo fragmentation. Our approach for the assessment of mechanical risk sensitivity by RBC fragmentation could facilitate the close monitoring of shear-mediated RBC response and provide an effective and accurate method for detecting RBC damage in mechanical circulatory assist devices used in routine clinical procedures.
Embryogenic Calli Induction and Salt Stress Response Revealed by RNA-Seq in Diploid Wild Species Gossypium sturtianum and Gossypium raimondii

Wild cotton species can contribute to a valuable gene pool for genetic improvement, such as genes related to salt tolerance. However, reproductive isolation of different species poses an obstacle to produce hybrids through conventional breeding. Protoplast fusion technology for somatic cell hybridization provides an opportunity for genetic manipulation and targeting of agronomic traits. Transcriptome sequencing analysis of callus under salt stress is conducive to study salt tolerance genes. In this study, calli were induced to provide materials for extracting protoplasts and also for screening salt tolerance genes. Calli were successfully induced from leaves of Gossypium sturtianum (C1 genome) and hypocotyls of G. raimondii (D5 genome), and embryogenic calli of G. sturtianum and G. raimondii were induced on a differentiation medium with different concentrations of 2, 4-D, KT, and IBA, respectively. In addition, embryogenic calli were also induced successfully from G. raimondii through suspension cultivation. Transcriptome sequencing analysis was performed on the calli of G. raimondii and G. sturtianum, which were treated with 200 mM NaCl at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h, and a total of 12,524 genes were detected with different expression patterns under salt stress. Functional analysis showed that 3,482 genes, which were differentially expressed in calli of G. raimondii and G. sturtianum, were associated with biological processes of nucleic acid binding, plant hormone (such as ABA) biosynthesis, and signal transduction. We demonstrated that DEGs or TFs which related to ABA metabolism were involved in the response to salt stress, including xanthoxin dehydrogenase genes (ABA2), sucrose non-fermenting 1-related protein kinases (SnRK2), NAM, ATAT1/2, and CUC2 transcription factors (NAC), and WRKY class of zinc-finger proteins (WRKY). This research has successfully induced calli from two diploid cotton species and revealed new genes responding to salt stress in callus tissue, which will lay the foundation for protoplast fusion for further understanding of salt stress responses in cotton.
Applying Next-Generation Sequencing Platforms for Pharmacogenomic Testing in Clinical Practice

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) studies the use of genetic data to optimize drug therapy. Numerous clinical centers have commenced implementing pharmacogenetic tests in clinical routines. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are emerging as a more comprehensive and time- and cost-effective approach in PGx. This review presents the main considerations for applying NGS in guiding drug treatment in clinical practice. It discusses both the advantages and the challenges of implementing NGS-based tests in PGx. Moreover, the limitations of each NGS platform are revealed, and the solutions for setting up and management of these technologies in clinical practice are addressed.
Two‐Dimensional Layered Materials as Catalyst Supports

Since the successful isolation of graphene, two dimensional (2D) materials have attracted immense interest in contemporary chemical research due to their unique structural and chemical properties with potential scientific applications. The layered 2D materials showed different characteristics from bulk 3D materials due to significant alteration in their electronic and structural behavior. From last decade, 2D materials including graphene have been extensively investigated as supports for metal nanoparticles (NPs) exhibiting excellent catalytic activity towards various chemical and electrochemical reactions. This review focuses the recent advances of graphene and other 2D layered materials as catalyst supports, their interactions with metal precursors and catalytic applications. The catalytic behavior of metal NPs supported on 2D materials has been discussed towards various electrochemical oxidation and reduction reactions in fuel cells as well as numerous organic reactions and catalytic hydrogen generation from the dehydrogenation of hydrogen storage materials. We appraise that the catalytic behavior of the nanomaterials can be improved by simply modifying the interactions between precursors and supports by changing the chemical and physical properties of the support materials. Finally, we summarize the review with an outlook on future opportunities and challenges of 2D materials to provide access to a variety of low-cost and high-performance catalysts in terms of both the academic and industrial applications.
PURIFICATION AND MOLECULAR WEIGHT DETERMINATION OF KERATINASE ISOLATED FROM STREPTOMYCES MALAYSIENSIS

Objective: The aim of the present study was to purify and determine the molecular weight of keratinase isolated from Streptomyces malaysiensis. Methods: For that purpose purification was done using ammonium sulphate and Sephadex-LH 100 column chromatography. Further, the fractions were pooled and subjected to molecular weight determination using sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Results: The obtained results showed keratinase with 47.57% recovery, 3.5-fold purification and an estimated molecular mass of 27,000 Da. Keratinase showed an optimal activity at 60 ο C and pH 8. Keratinase activity of the purified product was assayed with feather powder as a substrate. The isolated strain was identified as Streptomyces malaysiensis based on phylogenetic tree analysis. The strain isolated from termite mound soil showed the highest keratinase activity, which could be considered a microorganism of environmental origin. Conclusion: The production of keratinase on simple media with feathers as sole source allowing its production from the cheap substrate and a commercial production with low production cost. Stability in the presence of detergents, surfactants and solvents make this keratinase extremely useful for a biotechnological process involving keratin.
Translating the Penn Treebank with an Interactive-Predictive MT System

The Penn Treebank corpus is a commonly used corpus in the Computational Linguistics community. This corpus is manually annotated with lexical and syntactical information. It has been extensively used for Language Modeling, Probabilistic Parsing, PoS Tagging, etc. In recent years, with the increasing use of Syn-tactic Machine Translation approaches, the Penn Treebank corpus has also been used for extracting monolingual linguistic information for further use in these Machine Translation systems. Therefore, the availability of this corpus adequately translated to other languages can be considered an challenging problem. The correct translation of the Penn Treebank corpus by using Machine Translation techniques and then amending the errors in a post-editing phase can require a large human effort. Since there is not parallel text for this dataset, the translation of this corpus can be considered as a translation problem in the absence of in-domain training data. Adaptation techniques have been previously considered in order to tackle this problem. In this work, we explore the translation of this corpus by using Interactive-Predictive Machine Translation techniques, that has proved to be very efﬁcient in reducing the human effort that is needed to obtain the correct translation.
Sex disparity in subsequent outcomes in survivors of coronary heart disease

Objective Evidence on sex differences in outcomes after developing coronary heart disease (CHD) has focused on recurrent CHD, all-cause mortality or revascularisation. We assessed sex disparities in subsequent major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in adults surviving their first-time CHD. Methods Using a population-based cohort obtained from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD GOLD) linked to hospitalisation and death records in the UK, we identified 143 702 adults (aged ≥18 years) between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2017 with no prior history of MACE. MACE outcome was a composite of recurrent CHD, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, heart failure and cardiovascular-related mortality. Multivariable models (Cox and competing risks regressions) were used to assess differences between sexes. Results There were 143 702 adults with any incident CHD (either angina, myocardial infarction or coronary revascularisation). Women (n=63 078, 43.9%) were older than men (median age, 73 vs 66 years). First subsequent MACE outcome was observed in 91 706 (63.8%). Women had a significantly lower risk of MACE (hazard ratio (HR), 0.68 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.69); sub-hazard ratio (HRsd), 0.71 (0.70 to 0.72), respectively) and recurrent CHD (n=66 543, 46.3%) (HR, 0.60 (0.59 to 0.61); HRsd, 0.62 (0.61 to 0.63)) when compared with men after incident CHD. However, women had a significantly higher risk of stroke (n=5740, 4.0%) (HR, 1.26 (1.19 to 1.33); HRsd, 1.32 (1.25 to 1.39)), heart failure (n=7905, 5.5%) (HR, 1.09 (1.04 to 1.15); HRsd, 1.13 (1.07 to 1.18)) and all-cause mortality (n=29 503, 20.5%) (HR, 1.05 (1.02 to 1.07); HRsd, 1.11 (1.08 to 1.13)). Conclusions After incident CHD, women have lower risk of composite MACE and recurrent CHD outcomes but higher risk of stroke, heart failure, and all-cause mortality compared with men.
Studies of Functionalized Polyurethanes for Blood Contacting Applications

The synthesis of novel polyurethanes for use in blood contacting applications was investigated. A series of polyurethanes containing biologically active groups in the hard segment was synthesized. Sulphonate-containing polyurethanes were produced using a sulphonated chain extender (biphenyl diamino disulphonic acid) and these polymers were subsequently reacted to incorporate arginine methyl ester groups via sulphonamide bonds. The novel polyurethanes were initially evaluated using elemental sulphur analysis and nitrogen analysis, gel permeation chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to verify reaction of the sulphonated chain extender and addition of arginine methyl ester. Three sulphonated polyurethanes covering a range of sulphonate content were produced by varying the prepolymer and hard segment lengths. These three polymers and the three corresponding arginine methyl ester containing polymers were characterized to relate both bulk and surface structure to physical and biological properties. Elemental analysis, gel permeation chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the molecular structure. These techniques
Chemical Vapor Deposition of Bi-Te-Ni-Fe on Magnesium Oxide Substrate and Its Seebeck Effect

In this work, a Bi-Te-Ni-Fe complex coating material was obtained on magnesium oxide substrate by a single step ambient pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Nickel acetate, bismuth acetate, iron (III) nitrate, and tellurium (IV) chloride dissolved in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) served as the metal sources for Ni, Bi, Fe, and Te, respectively. Hydrogen was used as the carrier gas. The substrate was kept at 500 °C in a quartz tube reaction chamber. The chemical vapor deposition time was two hours. Scanning electron microscopic observation revealed porous morphology of the deposited material with a needle-like submicron fine structure. These needle-like entities form networks with fairly uniform distribution on the substrate. Thermoelectric property test showed that the coating is p-type with a Seebeck coefficient of 179 µV/K. Time-dependent potential data were obtained to show the sensitivity of the Seebeck effect to temperature changes.