Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanical Characterization of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes: Numerical Simulation Study

The elastic properties of armchair and zigzag multiwalled carbon nanotubes were investigated under tensile, bending, and torsion loading conditions. A simplified finite element model of the multiwalled carbon nanotubes, without taking into account the van der Waals interactions between layers, was used to assess their tensile, bending, and torsional rigidities and, subsequently, Young’s and shear moduli. Relationships between the tensile rigidity and the squares of the diameters of the outer and inner layers in multiwalled carbon nanotubes, and between the bending and torsional rigidities with the fourth powers of the diameters of the outer and inner layers, were established. These relationships result in two consistent methods, one for assessment to the Young’s modulus of armchair and zigzag multiwalled carbon nanotubes, based on tensile and bending rigidities, and the other to evaluate shear modulus using tensile, bending, and torsional rigidities. This study provides a benchmark regarding the determination of the mechanical properties of nonchiral multiwalled carbon nanotubes by nanoscale continuum modeling approach.
Prediction of improvement after extended thymectomy in non-thymomatous myasthenia gravis patients

Background It is popularly believed that myasthenia gravis (MG) patients show acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChRAb) production associated with the thymus (germinal centers, approximately 80%). It has been suggested that thymectomy can remove the area of autoantibody production. This study aimed to determine whether the solid volume of the thymus calculated using three-dimensional (3D) imaging could be used to predict the efficacy of thymectomy. Additionally, the study assessed the relationships of the solid volume with germinal centers, change in the serum AChRAb level, postoperative MG improvement, and prednisolone (PSL) dose reduction extent. Methods This retrospective study included 12 consecutive non-thymomatous MG patients (9 female and 3 male patients), who underwent extended thymectomy at our institution over the last 10 years. The mean patient age was 43.3 ± 14.2 years (range, 12–59 years). The study assessed the number of germinal centers per unit area, change in the serum AChRAb level, postoperative MG improvement, PSL dose reduction extent, and solid volume of the thymus. Results The number of germinal centers per unit area was significantly correlated with the solid volume of the thymus. The PSL dose reduction extent tended to be correlated with the solid volume. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the solid volume of the thymus can possibly predict steroid dose reduction. Additionally, the solid volume of the thymus in 3D images is the most important indicator for predicting the efficacy of extended thymectomy.
Generalized Deep Neural Network Model for Cuffless Blood Pressure Estimation with Photoplethysmogram Signal Only

Due to the growing public awareness of cardiovascular disease (CVD), blood pressure (BP) estimation models have been developed based on physiological parameters extracted from both electrocardiograms (ECGs) and photoplethysmograms (PPGs). Still, in order to enhance the usability as well as reduce the sensor cost, researchers endeavor to establish a generalized BP estimation model using only PPG signals. In this paper, we propose a deep neural network model capable of extracting 32 features exclusively from PPG signals for BP estimation. The effectiveness and accuracy of our proposed model was evaluated by the root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standard and the British Hypertension Society (BHS) standard. Experimental results showed that the RMSEs in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) are 4.643 mmHg and 3.307 mmHg, respectively, across 9000 subjects, with 80.63% of absolute errors among estimated SBP records lower than 5 mmHg and 90.19% of absolute errors among estimated DBP records lower than 5 mmHg. We demonstrated that our proposed model has remarkably high accuracy on the largest BP database found in the literature, which shows its effectiveness compared to some prior works.
Metabolic Changes Induced by Deletion of Transcriptional Regulator GCR2 in Xylose-Fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Glucose repression has been extensively studied in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, including the regulatory systems responsible for efficient catabolism of glucose, the preferred carbon source. However, how these regulatory systems would alter central metabolism if new foreign pathways are introduced is unknown, and the regulatory networks between glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway, the two major pathways in central carbon metabolism, have not been systematically investigated. Here we disrupted gcr2, a key transcriptional regulator, in S. cerevisiae strain SR7 engineered to heterologously express the xylose-assimilating pathway, activating genes involved in glycolysis, and evaluated the global metabolic changes. gcr2 deletion reduced cellular growth in glucose but significantly increased growth when xylose was the sole carbon source. Global metabolite profiling revealed differential regulation of yeast metabolism in SR7-gcr2Δ, especially carbohydrate and nucleotide metabolism, depending on the carbon source. In glucose, the SR7-gcr2Δ mutant showed overall decreased abundance of metabolites, such as pyruvate and sedoheptulose-7-phosphate, associated with central carbon metabolism including glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway. However, SR7-gcr2Δ showed an increase in metabolites abundance (ribulose-5-phosphate, sedoheptulose-7-phosphate, and erythrose-4-phosphate) notably from the pentose phosphate pathway, as well as alteration in global metabolism when compared to SR7. These results provide insights into how the regulatory system GCR2 coordinates the transcription of glycolytic genes and associated metabolic pathways.
Acceptability and Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Translation of the Schwartz Outcome Scale-10 (SOS-10-E) Outside the United States: A Replication and Extension in a Latin American Context

Abstract The Schwartz Outcome Scale-10 is a 10-item measure that has proven utility for assessing well-being and mental health and measuring change over time. Although there is a Spanish translation of the measure created in the United States for the Latino population, its acceptability and psychometric properties have not been studied in unilingual Spanish speakers, nor outside the United States. The aim of the present study is to explore these properties in larger samples, clinical and non-clinical, from Latin America adding convergent validity checking and exploration of effects of gender and age on scores. A qualitative study was conducted with 11 participants to test for dialect/language issues, then a psychometric exploration of data from 886 participants in a non-clinical sample and 172 in a clinical sample. The results showed good psychometric characteristics and suggest that the SOS-10-E can be used in Latin America. A cutoff of 42.51 differentiates clinical scores from non-clinical. Future studies are needed to explore sensitivity to change and check replication in other Spanish speaking populations.
Genetic evidence for partial redundancy between the arginine methyltransferases CARM1 and PRMT6

CARM1 is a protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) that acts as a coactivator in a number of transcriptional programs. CARM1 orchestrates this coactivator activity in part by depositing the H3R17me2a histone mark in the vicinity of gene promoters that it regulates. However, the gross levels of H3R17me2a in CARM1 KO mice did not significantly decrease, indicating that other PRMT(s) may compensate for this loss. We thus performed a screen of type I PRMTs, which revealed that PRMT6 can also deposit the H3R17me2a mark in vitro. CARM1 knockout mice are perinatally lethal and display a reduced fetal size, whereas PRMT6 null mice are viable, which permits the generation of double knockouts. Embryos that are null for both CARM1 and PRMT6 are noticeably smaller than CARM1 null embryos, providing in vivo evidence of redundancy. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) from the double knockout embryos display an absence of the H3R17me2a mark during mitosis and increased signs of DNA damage. Moreover, using the combination of CARM1 and PRMT6 inhibitors suppresses the cell proliferation of WT MEFs, suggesting a synergistic effect between CARM1 and PRMT6 inhibitions. These studies provide direct evidence that PRMT6 also deposits the H3R17me2a mark and acts redundantly with CARM1.
A study of animal movement in the Hoanib River catchment, northwestern Namibia

Seasonal movements of domestic stock and wildlife were analysed across the Hoanib River catchment. Data were gathered by ground and aerial surveys and represent the seasonal movement of animals, rather than the total number of animals in the catchment area. Domestic stock movement and distribution did not vary substantially and appeared to be associated with the seasonal, spatial availability of water and grazing in different places, and with human settlements. There was an apparent movement of cattle out of the catchment area during the hot-dry season. Only African elephant and springbok were found close to human settlements. Giraffe, Hartmann's mountain zebra and oryx were found to avoid human settlements and were predominantly observed in areas with little disturbance from humans and domestic stock.Wildlife had distinctive wet- and dry-season ranges, with larger concentrations occurring in the Hoanib River during the cold-dry and hot-dry seasons when grazing and browsing was limited elsewhere.
A New Type of Chronic Wound Infection after Wisdom Tooth Extraction: A Diagnostic Approach with 16S-rRNA Gene Analysis, Next-Generation Sequencing, and Bioinformatics

Delayed-onset infections are rare postoperative complications of lower third molar extractions. This article presents a case of a chronic combined hard and soft tissue infection after the extraction of a third molar, where the causative organisms could only be elucidated by molecular methods. Experimental 16S-rRNA gene analysis with next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics was used to identify the bacterial spectrum of the infection. 16S-rRNA gene analysis delivered the microbiome of the abscessing inflammation while standard culture and laboratory examinations were all sterile. The microbiome showed a mixed bacterial infection with a dominance of Delftia and Alcanivorax (spp.) besides other bacteria of the normal oral flora. Using 16S-rRNA-gene analysis, next-generation sequencing, and bioinformatics, a new type of chronic wound infection after wisdom tooth extraction was found. The property of Delftia and Alcanivorax (spp.) as water-affine environmental bacteria raises suspicion of infection from contaminated water from a dental unit. Thus, osteotomies of teeth should only be done with sterile cooling water. The 16S-rRNA gene analysis should become a part of the routine diagnostics in medical microbiology.
Adaptability to acute stress among women survivors of intimate partner violence: protocol for a mixed-methods cross-sectional study in a laboratory setting (BRAW study)

Introduction Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common and alarming form of violence against women, affecting around 30% of all women around the world. Using an integrative methodology, we approach IPV as a form of chronic exposure to severe stress that alters the stress-response system of exposed women. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that sustained exposure to IPV in women confers a vulnerability-to-stress profile characterised by higher neuroendocrine and behavioural responsiveness associated with a selective attentional processing bias towards threat. Methods and analysis Women between 21 and 50 years old from the area of Barcelona (Spain) will be invited to participate. A sample of 82 women exposed to IPV and 41 women not exposed to IPV will be included and assessed for attentional bias and response to acute stress in a laboratory condition (the Trier Social Stress Task). The study will include quantitative and qualitative measures of cognitive performance, neuroendocrine activity and face-to-face interviews to obtain an integrative description of the stress-response profile of these women. Results are expected to help build resilience strategies with a long-lasting impression on women’s healthy functioning. Ethics and dissemination The study has obtained the approval of the local Ethics Committee (‘Comité de Ética de Investigación Parc Taulí de Sabadell’; 2 018 551 V.1.2 June 2018). Besides the communication of results in peer-reviewed papers and scientific congresses, the project will inform guidelines and recommendations through policy-dialogues and workshops with relevant regional and national representatives for future work and prevention strategies. Participants will be invited to be an active part in the dissemination strategy focussed on raising awareness of coping limitations and abilities that women themselves will be able to identify throughout the study. Trial registration details The study has been registered at the ClinicalTrails.gov database (Identifier number: NCT03623555; Pre-results).
Accuracy of serological testing for SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies: First results of a large mixed‐method evaluation study

Serological immunoassays that can identify protective immunity against SARS‐CoV‐2 are needed to adapt quarantine measures, assess vaccination responses, and evaluate donor plasma. To date, however, the utility of such immunoassays remains unclear. In a mixed‐design evaluation study, we compared the diagnostic accuracy of serological immunoassays that are based on various SARS‐CoV‐2 proteins and assessed the neutralizing activity of antibodies in patient sera.
Disharmonic Inflammatory Signatures in COVID-19: Augmented Neutrophils’ but Impaired Monocytes’ and Dendritic Cells’ Responsiveness

COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus, emerged as a pandemic disease posing a severe threat to global health. To date, sporadic studies have demonstrated that innate immune mechanisms, specifically neutrophilia, NETosis, and neutrophil-associated cytokine responses, are involved in COVID-19 pathogenesis; however, our understanding of the exact nature of this aspect of host–pathogen interaction is limited. Here, we present a detailed dissection of the features and functional profiles of neutrophils, dendritic cells, and monocytes in COVID-19. We portray the crucial role of neutrophils as drivers of hyperinflammation associated with COVID-19 disease via the shift towards their immature forms, enhanced degranulation, cytokine production, and augmented interferon responses. We demonstrate the impaired functionality of COVID-19 dendritic cells and monocytes, particularly their low expression of maturation markers, increased PD-L1 levels, and their inability to upregulate phenotype upon stimulation. In summary, our work highlights important data that prompt further research, as therapeutic targeting of neutrophils and their associated products may hold the potential to reduce the severity of COVID-19.
Geographical variation of body size in sigmodontine rodents depends on both environment and phylogenetic composition of communities

Body size variation in animal assemblages is a widely addressed pattern in biogeographical studies, and is affected by both environmental gradients and phylogenetic constraints. However, no study has yet explored to what extent the association between body size variation and environmental gradients across broad spatial scales is influenced by the biogeographical distribution of different phylogenetic lineages. In this study, we discriminate the influences of environmental variables and phylogenetic community composition on body size variation in South American sigmodontine rodents.
Microarray Studies on the Effects of Palm Fruit Juice in Diabetic Nile Rats

The Nile rat (NR) models diet‐induced human type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In previous experiments (Brit J Nutr 106:1664, 2011), palm fruit juice (PFJ) blocked T2DM in male NR, while untreated rats exhibited advanced disease stages. The molecular mechanisms whereby PFJ exerts anti‐diabetic effects are unknown, prompting microarray gene expression analysis. Livers were obtained from NR undergoing 4 diet plans: hiCHO alone (diabetic control), 4800ppm resveratrol (RES) in food, 4800ppm PFJ in food, or 1500ppm PFJ in drinking water. Compared to hiCHO (most diabetic), hepatic liver gene expression profiles were enhanced for RES and PFJ‐food, while PFJ‐water gene expression changes were subtler. Random blood glucose was lowered (p<0.05) in both PFJ groups, but only slightly by RES (n.s.). Compared to hiCHO, PFJwater had 17 genes up‐regulated, 29 down‐regulated. PFJ‐food had 71 genes up‐regulated, 108 down‐regulated. RES had 90 genes upregulated, 76 down‐regulated. As a preliminary observation, the insulin signaling pathway, especially phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3‐ kinase, was significantly down‐regulated by PFJ‐food and RES, PFJ‐water being less marked. PI 3‐kinase has been reported to suppress glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion (Diabetes 51:87, 2002), suggesting PFJ and RES may modulate this activity in NRs to favor insulin secretion.
Gastrotrichs in bromeliads — newly recorded Chaetonotus (Hystricochaetonotus) furcatus Kisielewski, 1991 (Chaetonotida) from the Łódź Palm House

ABSTRACT Chaetonotus (Hystricochaetonotus) furcatus Kisielewski, 1991 was found during a study of fauna in water micro-reservoirs with bromeliads exhibited at the Łódź Palm House (Poland). This freshwater gastrotrich species was previously known only from the locus typicus in central Amazonia (Brazil). This observation constitutes the first finding of gastrotrichs in water microreservoirs formed in the axils of Bromeliaceae in artificial habitats such as greenhouses. It also raises the number of freshwater gastrotrichs found in palm houses to 19, and the number of nominal species known from Poland to 100. Newly recorded species correspond to the original descriptions but differ in some characters. Taxonomic, morphometric and biogeographic remarks are provided for the species together with microphotographs and drawing figures.
FPGA-Based Real-Time Simulation Platform for Large-Scale STN-GPe Network

The real-time simulation of large-scale subthalamic nucleus (STN)-external globus pallidus (GPe) network model is of great significance for the mechanism analysis and performance improvement of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s states. This paper implements the real-time simulation of a large-scale STN-GPe network containing 512 single-compartment Hodgkin-Huxley type neurons on the Altera Stratix IV field programmable gate array (FPGA) hardware platform. At the single neuron level, some resource optimization schemes such as multiplier substitution, fixed-point operation, nonlinear function approximation and function recombination are adopted, which consists the foundation of the large-scale network realization. At the network level, the simulation scale of network is expanded using module reuse method at the cost of simulation time. The correlation coefficient between the neuron firing waveform of the FPGA platform and the MATLAB software simulation waveform is 0.9756. Under the same physiological time, the simulation speed of FPGA platform is 75 times faster than the Intel Core i7-8700K 3.70 GHz CPU 32GB RAM computer simulation speed. In addition, the established platform is used to analyze the effects of temporal pattern DBS on network firing activities. The proposed large-scale STN-GPe network meets the need of real time simulation, which would be rather helpful in designing closed-loop DBS improvement strategies.
A Unified Analytical Framework With Multiple fNIRS Features for Mental Workload Assessment in the Prefrontal Cortex

Knowing the actual level of mental workload is important to ensure the efficacy of brain-computer interface (BCI) based cognitive training. Extracting signals from limited area of a brain region might not reveal the actual information. In this study, a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device equipped with multi-channel and multi-distance measurement capability was employed for the development of an analytical framework to assess mental workload in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). In addition to the conventional features, e.g. hemodynamic slope, we introduced a new feature – deep contribution ratio which is the proportion of cerebral hemodynamics to the fNIRS signals. Multiple sets of features were examined by a simple logical operator to suppress the false detection rate in identifying the activated channels. Using the number of activated channels as input to a linear support vector machine (SVM), the performance of the proposed analytical framework was assessed in classifying three levels of mental workload. The best set of features involves the combination of hemodynamic slope and deep contribution ratio, where the identified number of activated channels returned an average accuracy of 80.6% in predicting mental workload, compared to a single conventional feature (accuracy: 59.8%). This suggests the feasibility of the proposed analytical framework with multiple features as a means towards a more accurate assessment of mental workload in fNIRS-based BCI applications.
SPAs promote thermomorphogenesis by regulating the phyB-PIF4 module in Arabidopsis

ABSTRACT High ambient temperature attributable to global warming has a profound influence on plant growth and development at all stages of the life cycle. The response of plants to high ambient temperature, termed thermomorphogenesis, is characterized by hypocotyl and petiole elongation and hyponastic growth at the seedling stage. However, our understanding of the molecular mechanism of thermomorphogenesis is still rudimentary. Here, we show that a set of four SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA-105 (SPA) genes is required for thermomorphogenesis. Consistently, SPAs are necessary for global changes in gene expression in response to high ambient temperature. In the spaQ mutant at high ambient temperature, the level of SPA1 is unaffected, whereas the thermosensor phytochrome B (phyB) is stabilized. Furthermore, in the absence of four SPA genes, the pivotal transcription factor PIF4 fails to accumulate, indicating a role of SPAs in regulating the phyB-PIF4 module at high ambient temperature. SPA1 directly phosphorylates PIF4 in vitro, and a mutant SPA1 affecting the kinase activity fails to rescue the PIF4 level in addition to the thermo-insensitive phenotype of spaQ, suggesting that the SPA1 kinase activity is necessary for thermomorphogenesis. Taken together, these data suggest that SPAs are new components that integrate light and temperature signaling by fine-tuning the phyB-PIF4 module. Highlighted Article: Four SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA-105 (SPA) genes destabilize the thermosensor phyB and are crucial for stabilizing PIF4 through direct phosphorylation, fine-tuning thermomorphogenesis in response to high ambient temperature.