Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protocol of the Healthy Brain Study: An accessible resource for understanding the human brain and how it dynamically and individually operates in its bio-social context

The endeavor to understand the human brain has seen more progress in the last few decades than in the previous two millennia. Still, our understanding of how the human brain relates to behavior in the real world and how this link is modulated by biological, social, and environmental factors is limited. To address this, we designed the Healthy Brain Study (HBS), an interdisciplinary, longitudinal, cohort study based on multidimensional, dynamic assessments in both the laboratory and the real world. Here, we describe the rationale and design of the currently ongoing HBS. The HBS is examining a population-based sample of 1,000 healthy participants (age 30–39) who are thoroughly studied across an entire year. Data are collected through cognitive, affective, behavioral, and physiological testing, neuroimaging, bio-sampling, questionnaires, ecological momentary assessment, and real-world assessments using wearable devices. These data will become an accessible resource for the scientific community enabling the next step in understanding the human brain and how it dynamically and individually operates in its bio-social context. An access procedure to the collected data and bio-samples is in place and published on https://www.healthybrainstudy. nl/en/data-and-methods/access. Trail registration: https://www.trialregister. nl/trial/7955.
A Meta-Analysis of Non-Osteoarthritis and Osteoarthritis Chondrocyte Gene Expression to Determine the Efficacy of Autologous Chondrocyte Transplantation as a Viable Treatment Option

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a clinical syndrome characterized by joint failure that is accompanied by pain and functional limitations. OA is the leading cause of chronic disability in elderly and it is estimated that the United States spends $185 billion in management of OA annually. Although OA patients receive both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments, none of them provide long-lasting treatments. Since 1980s, autologous chondrocyte transplantation (ACT) has been used to regenerate cartilage within focal cartilage defects of young patients without pre-existing OA with increased functionality by 74% to 90%. In this technique, chondrocytes are removed from patients, multiplied in vitro, then implanted into the focal cartilage defect. Our review aimed to compare chondrocyte gene expression profiles of non-OA patients with OA patients to determine if OA-derived chondrocytes could be used for the ACT. Methods: An extensive literature search was conducted with following criteria:(1) comparing chondrocyte gene expression profiles of OA joint and non-OA joint, or (2)relating to ACT. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) was then utilized to analyze the differential chondrocyte gene expression profiles of OA to non-OA patients to identify key associated biological pathways. Results: Differential gene expression profiles were similar between non-OA and OA chondrocytes: including ACAN, COL2A1, COL1A1, SOX 6 (p<0.001-0.05); FN1, COL11A1, MMP7, DLX5, SOX9, MMP2, TGFB1, THBS3, COMP, CILP2, ASPN, IGF2, DPT (p<0.001-0.05), and ADAMTS5, LAMA4 (p<0.01-0.05). Conclusion: These genes are important to cartilage function. Therefore, our results suggest that OA-derived chondrocytes may be useful to heal focal cartilage defects using ACT.
ABET Accreditation During and After COVID19 - Navigating the Digital Age

Engineering accreditation agencies and governmental educational bodies worldwide require programs to evaluate specific learning outcomes information for attainment of student learning and establish accountability. Ranking and accreditation have resulted in programs adopting shortcut approaches to collate cohort information with minimally acceptable rigor for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). With tens of thousands of engineering programs seeking accreditation, qualifying program evaluations that are based on reliable and accurate cohort outcomes is becoming increasingly complex and is high stakes. Manual data collection processes and vague performance criteria assimilate inaccurate or insufficient learning outcomes information that cannot be used for effective CQI. Additionally, due to the COVID19 global pandemic, many accreditation bodies have cancelled onsite visits and either deferred or announced virtual audit visits for upcoming accreditation cycles. In this study, we examine a novel meta-framework to qualify state of the art digital Integrated Quality Management Systems for three engineering programs seeking accreditation. The digital quality systems utilize authentic OBE frameworks and assessment methodology to automate collection, evaluation and reporting of precision CQI data. A novel Remote Evaluator Module that enables successful virtual ABET accreditation audits is presented. A theory based mixed methods approach is applied for evaluations. Detailed results and discussions show how various phases of the meta-framework help to qualify the context, construct, causal links, processes, technology, data collection and outcomes of comprehensive CQI efforts. Key stakeholders such as accreditation agencies and universities can adopt this multi-dimensional approach for employing a holistic meta-framework to achieve accurate and credible remote accreditation of engineering programs.
GFR estimation is complicated by a high incidence of non-steady-state serum creatinine concentrations at the emergency department

Background Acquiring a reliable estimate of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at the emergency department (ED) is important for clinical management and for dosing renally excreted drugs. However, renal function formulas such as CKD-EPI can give biased results when serum creatinine (SCr) is not in steady-state because the assumption that urinary creatinine excretion is constant is then invalid. We assessed the extent of this by analysing variability in SCr in patients who visited the ED of a tertiary care centre. Methods Data from ED visits at the University Medical Centre Utrecht, the Netherlands between 2012 and 2019 were extracted from the Utrecht Patient Oriented Database. Three measurement time points were defined for each visit: last SCr measurement before visit as baseline (SCr-BL), first measurement during visit (SCr-ED) and a subsequent measurement between 6 and 24 hours during admission (SCr-H1). Non-steady-state SCr was defined as exceeding the Reference Change Value (RCV), with 15% decrease or 18% increase between successive SCr measurements. Exceeding the RCV was deemed as a significant change. Results Of visits where SCr-BL and SCr-ED were measured (N = 47,540), 28.0% showed significant change in SCr. Of 17,928 visits admitted to the hospital with a SCr-H1 after SCr-ED, 27,7% showed significant change. More than half (55%) of the patients with SCr values available at all three timepoints (11,054) showed at least one significant change in SCr over time. Conclusion One third of ED visits preceded and/or followed by creatinine measurement show non-stable serum creatinine concentration. At the ED automatically calculated eGFR should therefore be interpreted with great caution when assessing kidney function.
Simplified and advanced models of a valve system used in shock absorbers

AbstrAct Purpose: The aim of this paper is to develop a model of a valve system applicable for strain and stress prediction. Design/methodology/approach: The analytical and numerical approaches are presented to provide an overview for available methods and prediction accuracy. Findings: An equivalent numerical model of a disc valve system of different complexity was developed and discussed. Research limitations/implications: It is important to provide a model functionality allowing for calculation of disc stacks supported by a coil spring and stack settings having the opening limiter. Disc stack stress and opening characteristics vs. applied pressure may be determined with simplified analytically derived model and full 2D model including almost all significant forces and moments in a stack of circular plates. An advantage of a simplified disc stack model is possibility of its implementation in an environment supporting matrix operations, e.g. Matlab. Practical implications: A valve system has to withstand the cyclic pressure load across the piston. The number of discs, their diameters and thicknesses directly affect durability of a valve system. Damper force and valve durability expressed in life-cycles are the optimization criteria considering during selection and tuning of a valve system.
Patient-derived iPSCs link elevated mitochondrial respiratory complex I function to osteosarcoma in Rothmund-Thomson syndrome

Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by poikiloderma, small stature, skeletal anomalies, sparse brows/lashes, cataracts, and predisposition to cancer. Type 2 RTS patients with biallelic RECQL4 pathogenic variants have multiple skeletal anomalies and a significantly increased incidence of osteosarcoma. Here, we generated RTS patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to dissect the pathological signaling leading to RTS patient-associated osteosarcoma. RTS iPSC-derived osteoblasts showed defective osteogenic differentiation and gain of in vitro tumorigenic ability. Transcriptome analysis of RTS osteoblasts validated decreased bone morphogenesis while revealing aberrantly upregulated mitochondrial respiratory complex I gene expression. RTS osteoblast metabolic assays demonstrated elevated mitochondrial respiratory complex I function, increased oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and increased ATP production. Inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory complex I activity by IACS-010759 selectively suppressed cellular respiration and cell proliferation of RTS osteoblasts. Furthermore, systems analysis of IACS-010759-induced changes in RTS osteoblasts revealed that chemical inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory complex I impaired cell proliferation, induced senescence, and decreased MAPK signaling and cell cycle associated genes, but increased H19 and ribosomal protein genes. In summary, our study suggests that mitochondrial respiratory complex I is a potential therapeutic target for RTS-associated osteosarcoma and provides future insights for clinical treatment strategies.
Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management for Public to Private Knowledge Transfer

This paper reviews the current academic thinking on knowledge transfer channels between universities and private industry, from a human resource perspective. It also offers a general framework for "re-organising" the literature, so as to identify gaps in the understanding of organisational behavior and human resource management for university-industry knowledge transfer. The review highlights that knowledge transfer channels with highest "relational intensity" are also most valued by industry, and that most knowledge transfer channels are not currently institutionalized or formalized. It concludes that knowledge transfer between universities and industry is characterized by important management challenges, which require an understanding of the extent and nature of individuals’ involvement. However, the existing literature emphasises the outcomes rather than processes of knowledge transfer. Future research looking at knowledge transfer processes at the individual and organizational level of analysis would provide valuable information for better policy-making.
THE STUDY ON PERFORMANCE OF NATURALLY ASPIRATED SPARK IGNITION ENGINE EQUIPPED WITH WASTE HEAT RECOVERY MECHANISM

The waste heat from exhaust gases represents a significant amount of thermal energy, which has conventionally been used for combined heating and power applications. This paper explores the performance of a naturally aspirated spark ignition engine equipped with waste heat recovery mechanism (WHRM). The amount of heat energy from exhaust is presented and the experimental test results suggest that the concept is thermodynamically feasible and could significantly enhance the system performance depending on the load applied to the engine. However, the existing of WHRM affects the performance of engine by slightly reducing the power.
Cross Talk between α7 and α3β4 Nicotinic Receptors Prevents Their Desensitization in Human Chromaffin Cells

The physical interaction and functional cross talk among the different subtypes of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) expressed in the various tissues is unknown. Here, we have investigated this issue between the only two nAChRs subtypes expressed, the α7 and α3β4 subtypes, in a human native neuroendocrine cell (the chromaffin cell) using electrophysiological patch-clamp, fluorescence, and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) techniques. Our data show that α7 and α3β4 receptor subtypes require their mutual and maximal efficacy of activation to increase their expression, to avoid their desensitization, and therefore, to increase their activity. In this way, after repetitive stimulation with acetylcholine (ACh), α7 and α3β4 receptor subtypes do not desensitize, but they do with choline. The nicotinic current increase associated with the α3β4 subtype is dependent on Ca2+. In addition, both receptor subtypes physically interact. Interaction and expression of both subtypes are reversibly reduced by tyrosine and serine/threonine phosphatases inhibition, not by Ca2+. In addition, expression is greater in human chromaffin cells from men compared to women, but FRET efficiency is not affected. Together, our findings indicate that human α7 and α3β4 subtypes mutually modulate their expression and activity, providing a promising line of research to pharmacologically regulate their activity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Desensitization of nicotinic receptors is accepted to occur with repetitive agonist stimulation. However, here we show that human native α3β4 and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes do not desensitize, and instead, increase their activity when they are activated by the physiological agonist acetylcholine (ACh). An indispensable requirement is the activation of the other receptor subtype with maximal efficacy, and the presence of Ca2+ to cooperate in the case of the α3β4 current increase. Because choline is an α3β4 partial agonist, it will act as a limiting factor of nicotinic currents enhancement in the absence of ACh, but in its presence, it will further potentiate α7 currents.
Workplace Outreach Program Improves Management of Chronic Kidney Disease

An outreach program in a work-force population was effective in improving the management of the chronic kidney disease through increased utilization of nephrologist care, an important factor for slowing progression to end stage renal disease. Objective Assess whether an employee outreach program improved management of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods Participants with suspected CKD (eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73m2) identified in employee health assessments in 2017 and 2018 were contacted by phone and offered physician consultation. Subsequent nephrologist visits at 11 months of follow up were compared between those who were (outreach group) and were not (control group) successfully contacted. Results Most CKD risk factors at baseline were similar in outreach and control groups. At the end of the follow-up, outreach participants had more than 2-fold greater incidence of visiting a nephrologist compared with controls (HR = 2.3; 95% CI 1.2–4.2, P = 0.01), after adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusions: Employee outreach program increased utilization of nephrologist care.
Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant within Tightly Monitored Isolation Facility, New Zealand (Aotearoa)

In New Zealand, international arrivals are quarantined and undergo severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 screening; those who test positive are transferred to a managed isolation facility (MIF). Solo traveler A and person E from a 5-person travel group (BCDEF) tested positive. After transfer to the MIF, person A and group BCDEF occupied rooms >2 meters apart across a corridor. Persons B, C, and D subsequently tested positive; viral sequences matched A and were distinct from E. The MIF was the only shared location of persons A and B, C, and D, and they had no direct contact. Security camera footage revealed 4 brief episodes of simultaneous door opening during person A’s infectious period. This public health investigation demonstrates transmission from A to B, C, and D while in the MIF, with airborne transmission the most plausible explanation. These findings are of global importance for coronavirus disease public health interventions and infection control practices.
Feasibility and Efficacy of Inspiratory Muscle Training in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer Receiving Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy

Objectives: Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) often experience pulmonary symptoms. This study evaluated if a 7-week inspiratory muscle training (IMT) program during CCRT is feasible, adherent, and safe in patients with HNC. This study also evaluated the effect of IMT on diaphragm thickness, mobility, and cardiorespiratory parameters in patients with HNC receiving CCRT. Methods: Ten participants with advanced stage HNC receiving CCRT were recruited for the study. Feasibility, adherence, and safety of the intervention were the primary outcomes. Changes in diaphragm thickness and mobility, maximal inspiratory pressure, maximal expiratory pressure, forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in first second and functional capacity using 6-MWT were measured at baseline and post 7 weeks of CCRT. IMT was performed at one session per day for 5 days a week for 7 weeks. Eight sets of two minutes of inspiratory manoeuvres with one minute rest period between them with intensity of 40% MIP were given. Results: Ten participants were included in this study out of the 13 patients screened, indicating the feasibility to be 76.9%. Participants completed a total of 260 training sessions out of the 350 planned sessions denoting the adherence level as 74%. Diaphragm thickness and MEP remained significantly unchanged while significant decline was seen in diaphragm mobility, MIP,FVC, FEV1 and 6-MWD at the end of 7 weeks. No adverse events were reported following the intervention. Conclusion: Inspiratory muscle training did not show significant effect on the diaphragm thickness, mobility, and cardiorespiratory parameters; however, it was feasible, adherent, and safe in patients with HNC receiving CCRT.
Numerical responses of omnivorous arthropods to plant alternative resources suppress prey populations: a meta-analysis.

Omnivory is ubiquitous in ecological communities. Yet, we lack a consensus of how plant alternative resources impact the ability of omnivores to suppress prey populations. Previous work suggests that plant alternative resources can increase, decrease, or have no effect on the magnitude of omnivore-prey interactions. This discrepancy may arise from 1) the ability of omnivores to numerically respond to plant alternative resources and 2) identity-specific effects of plant alternative resources. We used a meta-analysis to examine how omnivore numerical responses and the identity of plant alternative resources affect 1) omnivore predation rates (mainly reported as per capita predation rate) and 2) omnivore impacts on prey population density. Plant alternative resources reduced omnivore predation rate regardless of identity. The suppression of predation rate by flowers and flowering plants was magnified when pollen alone was tested as the alternative resource. Surprisingly, plant alternative resource availability reduced prey density, suggesting that omnivore predation increased with plant alternative resources. This discrepancy (plant alternative resources decreased omnivore predation rates but also decreased prey density) resulted from experimental differences in the ability of omnivores to respond numerically to plant alternative resources. In the presence of plant alternative resources, allowing omnivore numerical responses decreased prey density, while not allowing numerical responses increased prey density. Because omnivores commonly suppress prey density in the presence of plant alternative resources when numerical responses of omnivores are allowed, the effectiveness of biological control may depend upon the availability of such resources and the facilitation of numerical responses. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Local Connections of Pyramidal Neurons to Parvalbumin-Producing Interneurons in Motor-Associated Cortical Areas of Mice

Abstract Parvalbumin (PV)-producing neurons are the largest subpopulation of cortical GABAergic interneurons, which mediate lateral, feedforward, and feedback inhibition in local circuits and modulate the activity of pyramidal neurons. Clarifying the specific connectivity between pyramidal and PV neurons is essential for understanding the role of PV neurons in local circuits. In the present study, we visualized somas and dendrites of PV neurons using transgenic mice in which PV neurons specifically express membrane-targeted GFP, and intracellularly labeled local axons of 26 pyramidal neurons in layers 2–6 in acute slices of the motor-associated cortex from transgenic mice. We mapped morphologically distribution of inputs from a pyramidal neuron to PV neurons based on contact sites (appositions) between the axons from an intracellularly filled pyramidal neuron and the dendrites of PV neurons. Layer 6 corticothalamic (CT)-like pyramidal neurons formed appositions to PV neurons at a significantly higher rate than other pyramidal neurons. The percentage of apposed varicosities to all the labeled varicosities of layer 6 CT-like neurons was 28%, and that of the other pyramidal neurons was 12–19%. Layer 6 CT-like neurons preferentially formed appositions with PV neurons in layers 5b–6, while other pyramidal neurons uniformly formed appositions with PV neurons in all layers. Furthermore, both layer 6 CT-like and corticocortical-like neurons more frequently formed compound appositions, where two or more appositions were located on a dendritic branch, than other pyramidal neurons. Layer 6 CT neurons may contribute to intracortical information processing through preferential connections with PV neurons in layers 5b–6.