Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Art as Part of Everyday Life: Understanding Applied Theatre Practices through the Aesthetics of John Dewey and Hans Georg Gadamer

In the period between 2000 and 2004, the Norwegian Research Council funded a research project on ‘cultural-aesthetic practice and welfare’. This project includes two independent studies about theatre and young people. In her dissertation Rikke Gürgens investigates the theatre experience of exceptional and extraordinary people who produce their own theatre. Bjørn Rasmussen conducted an action research project, which established a ‘reflection room’ for teenagers at risk in high schools by means of drama and theatre practice. In both studies, the notion of art as an important part of everyday life became important. The theatre experience had strong implications both socially and aesthetically. In this article we discuss the link and the difference between the aesthetic and the social dimension from the perspectives of John Dewey and Hans-Georg Gadamer. In different ways we believe these philosophers provide a bridge between an autonomous view of art and a present cultural aesthetic that emphasizes the social perspective to a greater degree.
From the Eukaryotic Molybdenum Cofactor Biosynthesis to the Moonlighting Enzyme mARC

All eukaryotic molybdenum (Mo) enzymes contain in their active site a Mo Cofactor (Moco), which is formed by a tricyclic pyranopterin with a dithiolene chelating the Mo atom. Here, the eukaryotic Moco biosynthetic pathway and the eukaryotic Moco enzymes are overviewed, including nitrate reductase (NR), sulfite oxidase, xanthine oxidoreductase, aldehyde oxidase, and the last one discovered, the moonlighting enzyme mitochondrial Amidoxime Reducing Component (mARC). The mARC enzymes catalyze the reduction of hydroxylated compounds, mostly N-hydroxylated (NHC), but as well of nitrite to nitric oxide, a second messenger. mARC shows a broad spectrum of NHC as substrates, some are prodrugs containing an amidoxime structure, some are mutagens, such as 6-hydroxylaminepurine and some others, which most probably will be discovered soon. Interestingly, all known mARC need the reducing power supplied by different partners. For the NHC reduction, mARC uses cytochrome b5 and cytochrome b5 reductase, however for the nitrite reduction, plant mARC uses NR. Despite the functional importance of mARC enzymatic reactions, the structural mechanism of its Moco-mediated catalysis is starting to be revealed. We propose and compare the mARC catalytic mechanism of nitrite versus NHC reduction. By using the recently resolved structure of a prokaryotic MOSC enzyme, from the mARC protein family, we have modeled an in silico three-dimensional structure of a eukaryotic homologue.
Construction of Highly Stable Cytotoxic Nuclear-Directed Ribonucleases

Ribonucleases are proteins whose use is promising in anticancer therapy. We have previously constructed different human pancreatic ribonuclease variants that are selectively cytotoxic for tumor cells by introducing a nuclear localization signal into their sequence. However, these modifications produced an important decrease in their stability compromising their behavior in vivo. Here, we show that we can significantly increase the thermal stability of these cytotoxic proteins by introducing additional disulfide bonds by site-directed mutagenesis. One of these variants increases its thermal stability by around 17 °C, without affecting its catalytic activity while maintaining the cytotoxic activity against tumor cells. We also show that the most stable variant is significantly more resistant to proteolysis when incubated with proteinase K or with human sera, suggesting that its half-live could be increased in vivo once administered.
The multi-country PROMOTE HIV antiretroviral treatment observational cohort in Sub-Saharan Africa: Objectives, design, and baseline findings

Background The PROMOTE study aims to measure long-term antiretroviral treatment (ART) safety and adherence; compare HIV disease progression; assess subsequent adverse pregnancy outcomes; evaluate effect of ART exposure on growth and development in HIV-exposed uninfected children; and assess long-term survival of mothers and children. This report primarily describes cohort characteristics at baseline to better understand long-term outcomes. Methods and findings This is a prospective study. HIV-infected mothers and their children originally recruited in a multisite randomized clinical trial for prevention of perinatal HIV transmission were re-enrolled in PROMOTE. A total of 1987 mothers and 1784 children were enrolled from eight sites in Uganda, Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Most women (≥75%) reported being married in Malawi and Zimbabwe compared to low proportions in South Africa (4.4% in Durban and 15% in Soweto), and 43.5% in Uganda (p<0.001). There were variabilities in contraceptive practices: injectable contraceptive was the commonest reported method (40.9% overall); implant was the second commonest (15.7% overall); oral contraceptives were common in Zimbabwe; and tubal ligation was common in Malawi and South Africa. At baseline, 97.8% of women reported currently using ART; 96.4% were in WHO clinical class 1 or 2; median CD4 cell count was 825 cells per uL; and viral load was undetectable in 1637 (~85%) of the women. Approximately, 14% of women did not inform their primary partners of their own HIV status, 18% reported that they knew their partners were not HIV tested, and 9% did not know if partner was tested. Overall mean age of children at enrollment was 3.5 years; and 5.7% and 25.0% had weight-for-age and height-for-age z-scores <2 standard deviations, respectively. Conclusions These baseline data show high adherence to ART use. However, issues of HIV disclosure and reproductive intentions remain important. In addition to ART and ensuring high adherence, other preventive measures should be included.
Preoperative elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and derived NLR are associated with poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer

Background: Preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and derived NLR (dNLR) have been suggested to be correlated with the prognosis of patients with breast cancer (BC). However, the results still remain controversial. Therefore, this study was to further evaluate the prognostic potential of preoperative NLR and dNLR for BC patients using a meta-analysis. Methods: Relevant articles were sought in PubMed and Cochrane Library databases up to September 2018. The associations between preoperative NLR/dNLR and overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were assessed by the STATA software with the results presented as pooled hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Twenty-one studies were enrolled. Pooled results showed that elevated NLR was significantly associated with poorer OS (HR = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.69–3.54), DFS (HR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.28–1.87) and RFS (HR = 4.05, 95% CI: 1.94–8.47) in BC patients undergoing surgery. High-preoperative dNLR was also significantly associated with worse OS (HR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.39–2.19) and DFS (HR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.09–2.41). Moreover, subgroup analysis showed significant associations between preoperative elevated NLR and poor prognosis were not changed by the stratification of ethnicity, cutoff of NLR, pathological stage, neoadjuvant, and adjuvant therapy. Conclusion: Preoperative NLR and dNLR may be effective predictive biomarkers for prognosis in patients with BC. Detection of NLR and dNLR may be helpful to identify the patients who may benefit from the surgery.
A Wireless Gas Sensor Network to Monitor Indoor Environmental Quality in Schools

Schools are amongst the most densely occupied indoor areas and at the same time children and young adults are the most vulnerable group with respect to adverse health effects as a result of poor environmental conditions. Health, performance and well-being of pupils crucially depend on indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of which air quality and thermal comfort are central pillars. This makes the monitoring and control of environmental parameters in classes important. At the same time most school buildings do neither feature automated, intelligent heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems nor suitable IEQ monitoring systems. In this contribution, we therefore investigate the capabilities of a novel wireless gas sensor network to determine carbon dioxide concentrations, along with temperature and humidity. The use of a photoacoustic detector enables the construction of long-term stable, miniaturized, LED-based non-dispersive infrared absorption spectrometers without the use of a reference channel. The data of the sensor nodes is transmitted via a Z-Wave protocol to a central gateway, which in turn sends the data to a web-based platform for online analysis. The results show that it is difficult to maintain adequate IEQ levels in class rooms even when ventilating frequently and that individual monitoring and control of rooms is necessary to combine energy savings and good IEQ.
New therapeutic strategy of hinokitiol in haemorrhagic shock‐induced liver injury

Haemorrhagic shock and resuscitation (HS/R) may cause global ischaemia‐reperfusion injury, which can result in systemic inflammation, multiorgan failure (particularly liver failure) and high mortality. Hinokitiol, a bioactive tropolone‐related compound, exhibits antiplatelet and anti‐inflammatory activities. Targeting inflammatory responses is a potential strategy for ameliorating hepatic injury during HS/R. Whether hinokitiol prevents hepatic injury during HS/R remains unclear. In the present study, we determined the role of hinokitiol following HS/R. The in vivo assays revealed that hinokitiol markedly attenuated HS/R‐induced hepatic injury. Hinokitiol could inhibited NF‐κB activation and IL‐6 and TNF‐α upregulation in liver tissues. Moreover, hinokitiol reduced caspase‐3 activation, upregulated Bax and downregulated Bcl‐2. These findings suggest that hinokitiol can ameliorate liver injury following HS/R, partly through suppression of inflammation and apoptosis. Furthermore, the in vitro data revealed that hinokitiol significantly reversed hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)‐induced cell death and apoptosis in the primary hepatocytes. Hinokitiol prevented H/R‐induced caspase‐3 activation, PPAR cleavage, Bax overexpression and Bcl‐2 downregulation. Moreover, hinokitiol attenuated H/R‐stimulated NF‐κB activation and reduced the levels of IL‐6 and TNF‐α mRNAs, suggesting that hinokitiol can protect hepatocytes from H/R injury. Collectively, our data suggest that hinokitiol attenuates liver injury following HS/R, partly through the inhibition of NF‐κB activation.
Impact of Air Pollution on Sedentary Behavior: A Cohort Study of Freshmen at a University in Beijing, China

Human populations worldwide have experienced substantial environmental issues in part due to air pollution, notably in China. Gaps in the scientific literature remain regarding the relationship between air pollution and sedentary behavior among young adults in China. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of air pollution on sedentary behavior among college students living in Beijing, China. We conducted follow-up health surveys on 12,174 freshman students enrolled at Tsinghua University from 2013 to 2017. Sedentary behavior was measured using the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Corresponding air pollution data measured by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China were collected to include the average hourly air quality index (AQI), PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 (µg/m³). The data were analyzed using linear individual fixed-effect regressions. An increase in air pollution concentration of one standard deviation in AQI, PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 was associated with an increase in weekly total hours of sedentary behavior by 7.35 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.89, 8.80), 6.24 (95% CI = 5.00, 7.49), 6.80 (95% CI = 5.46, 8.15), and 7.06 (95% CI = 5.65, 8.47), respectively. In the presence of air pollution, women students tended to increase their sedentary behavior more than men. Air pollution increases sedentary behavior among freshman students living in Beijing, China. Replication of this study is warranted among various populations within China.
Developing a list of invasive alien species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the European Union

The European Union (EU) has recently published its first list of invasive alien species (IAS) of EU concern to which current legislation must apply. The list comprises species known to pose great threats to biodiversity and needs to be maintained and updated. Horizon scanning is seen as critical to identify the most threatening potential IAS that do not yet occur in Europe to be subsequently risk assessed for future listing. Accordingly, we present a systematic consensus horizon scanning procedure to derive a ranked list of potential IAS likely to arrive, establish, spread and have an impact on biodiversity in the region over the next decade. The approach is unique in the continental scale examined, the breadth of taxonomic groups and environments considered, and the methods and data sources used. International experts were brought together to address five broad thematic groups of potential IAS. For each thematic group the experts first independently assembled lists of potential IAS not yet established in the EU but potentially threatening biodiversity if introduced. Experts were asked to score the species within their thematic group for their separate likelihoods of i) arrival, ii) establishment, iii) spread, and iv) magnitude of the potential negative impact on biodiversity within the EU. Experts then convened for a 2‐day workshop applying consensus methods to compile a ranked list of potential IAS. From an initial working list of 329 species, a list of 66 species not yet established in the EU that were considered to be very high (8 species), high (40 species) or medium (18 species) risk species was derived. Here, we present these species highlighting the potential negative impacts and the most likely biogeographic regions to be affected by these potential IAS.
A novel lncRNA‐mediated trans‐regulatory mechanism in the development of cleft palate in mouse

Increasing evidence indicates that long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial regulatory roles in epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, the regulatory mechanisms during EMT of the medial edge epithelium (MEE) remain elusive. The aim of this work is to reveal a novel lncRNA‐regulated dysfunction of EMT involved in the development of cleft palate (CP).
Neural coding of the sound envelope is changed in the inferior colliculus immediately following acoustic trauma

Sensorineural hearing loss is often accompanied by difficulties with understanding speech in fluctuating backgrounds, suggesting that neural coding of complex sound features, such as the sound envelope, is impaired. Here, we studied how temporal and rate coding of the envelope is affected in the inferior colliculus immediately after acoustic trauma. Neural activity in response to amplitude‐modulated noise was recorded from the inferior colliculus of the guinea pig, before and immediately after a 1‐hr 11‐kHz acoustic trauma. Units with a characteristic frequency (CF) below the trauma frequency (<11 kHz) showed increased response gains, a measure for temporal coding of the sound envelope, especially at low modulation frequencies (≤128 Hz). Units with a CF > 11 kHz, which had large acoustic trauma‐induced threshold shifts, had decreased response gains to amplitude‐modulated noise. Shapes of temporal modulation transfer functions shifted toward a higher proportion of low‐pass shapes in low‐CF units, and to less band‐pass shapes in high‐CF units. Furthermore, driven firing rates decreased, especially at high modulation frequencies for high‐CF units. The observed changes occurred immediately following trauma and were thus a result of the immediate trauma‐induced damage to the auditory system. If also present in human subjects, reduced response gains in high‐frequency units could disrupt coding of consonants and consequently impair speech understanding in noisy environments. Moreover, the enhanced temporal coding by low‐CF units of the low modulation frequencies could overly amplify responses to low‐frequency noise, further deteriorating listening in noise.
The Effect of Carbon Monoxide on the Exergy Behavior of the Lungs

The present work evaluates the impact of carbon monoxide (CO) inhalation on the human lung’s exergy behavior by considering different levels of intoxication and amounts of hemoglobin. Its impact is significant because CO is one of the most common air pollutants in cities and an increase in destroyed exergy may be correlated with lifespan reduction or the malfunctioning of certain human organs. An evaluation of the severity of intoxication as a function of city altitude may intensify the hazard associated with carbon monoxide. A computational model of human lungs obtained from the literature was used to calculate the concentrations of oxygen (O2), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2) in the respiratory system. With the purpose of better evaluating the different levels of CO intoxication and hemoglobin concentration (which is a function of acclimatization time and some pathologies, such as anemia), a model calculating exergy efficiency for the lungs was proposed. From this model, it was possible to conclude that a higher level of intoxication is associated with lower exergy efficiency values. When associated with carbon monoxide intoxication, higher hemoglobin levels also result in lower efficiency. Eventually, a comparison between previous studies and the current study was carried out, regarding the method employed to calculate the exergy destroyed in the lungs, considering not only gas transport, but also hemoglobin concentration and its reaction with the gases from a second law perspective.
A Highly Efficient Cell Division-Specific CRISPR/Cas9 System Generates Homozygous Mutants for Multiple Genes in Arabidopsis

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been widely used for targeted genome editing in numerous plant species. In Arabidopsis, constitutive promoters usually result in a low efficiency of heritable mutation in the T1 generation. In this work, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing efficiencies using different promoters to drive Cas9 expression were evaluated. Expression of Cas9 under the constitutive CaMV 35S promoter resulted in a 2.3% mutation rate in T1 plants and failed to produce homozygous mutations in the T1 and T2 generations. In contrast, expression of Cas9 under two cell division-specific promoters, YAO and CDC45, produced mutation rates of 80.9% to 100% in the T1 generation with nonchimeric mutations in the T1 (4.4–10%) and T2 (32.5–46.1%) generations. The pCDC45 promoter was used to modify a previously reported multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 system, replacing the original constitutive ubiquitin promoter. The multi-pCDC45-Cas9 system produced higher mutation efficiencies than the multi-pUBQ-Cas9 system in the T1 generation (60.17% vs. 43.71%) as well as higher efficiency of heritable mutations (11.30% vs. 4.31%). Sextuple T2 homozygous mutants were identified from a construct targeting seven individual loci. Our results demonstrate the advantage of using cell division promoters for CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing applications in Arabidopsis, especially in multiplex applications.
Disputes over the Divine

This article introduces the Religion and Armed Conflict (RELAC) data, 1975 to 2015, which is a new data set suitable for analyzing the causes, dynamics, and resolution of religious conflicts. It contains information about key religious dimensions of conflicts: whether the issue at stake is religious, the actors’ religious identity, and fine-grained data about the type and salience of religious claims. The article presents the major features of the data set and describes patterns and trends that shed new light on religious conflicts, for example, by demonstrating that conflicts over Islamist claims have become more prevalent. We also illustrate the utility of the data. For instance, we show that there is great variation in lethality across conflicts with different types of Islamist claims, thereby offering a more nuanced understanding of the deadliness of religious conflicts. RELAC should be a valuable resource for scholars, examining religious dimensions of intrastate armed conflicts.
Gender Differences in Prevalence, Patterns, Purposes, and Perceived Benefits of Meditation Practices in the United States.

INTRODUCTION Meditation is a common type of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and the evidence for its usefulness for health promotion is growing. Women have higher rates of overall CAM use than men do, but little is known about gender differences in meditation practices, reasons for use, or perceived benefits. METHODS Data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were used. The NHIS design is a multistage probability sample representative of US adults aged ≥18 (n = 34,342). Design-based F-test and logistic regression were used; all analyses were weighted and were performed in 2017-2018. RESULTS Overall, 10.3% of women and 5.2% of men reported using some type of meditation in the past year (p < 0.001). Among meditators, a higher percentage of women used meditation with yoga, tai chi, or qi gong, but men were more likely to use specific types of stand-alone practices (e.g., mindfulness) than women (p < 0.001 for each type). The most common reason reported for using meditation was to reduce stress (35%). Although women and men reported similar reasons for meditating, there were gender differences in the prevalence of some reasons. Both men and women perceived meditation to be helpful (90% and 94%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS There are gender differences in prevalence, purpose, and perceived benefits of using meditation. US adults aged ≥18 use meditation and find it helpful. Although currently less prevalent among men, providers can consider meditation as a tool for health promotion in both men and women.
The International Collaboration to Improve Respiratory Health in Children (INCIRCLE) ERS Clinical Research Collaboration

Respiratory disease is a major component of the global burden of disease, with a reduction in deaths from childhood pneumonia but an increase in chronic respiratory disease over the past few decades [1–3]. There is an increasing recognition that low lung function poses a major risk for acute and chronic lung disease. Lung function tracks closely along centiles throughout childhood [4, 5], with lung function at birth determining lung function in later life [6]. Childhood asthma is associated with low lung function [7, 8], with the deficit seen on the first occasion that it is measured. Low lung function in childhood, with failure to reach predicted peak lung function in early adult life, is a major risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), responsible for about 50% of cases in adults [9, 10]. The INCIRCLE ERS Clinical Research Collaboration has made great advances in developing new modalities of oscillometry for use in infants and young children, and this has evoked interest from the lung function device industry http://ow.ly/FPYz30mC3La