Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Computational Screen for Sex-Specific Drug Effects in a Cardiac Fibroblast Network Model

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. Cardiac fibrosis is the uncontrolled accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins which can exacerbate the progression of heart failure, and there are currently no drugs approved specifically to target matrix accumulation in the heart. Computational signaling network models (SNMs) can be used to facilitate discovery of novel drug targets. However, the vast majority of SNMs are not sex-specific and/or are developed and validated using data skewed towards male in vitro and in vivo samples. Biological sex is an important consideration in cardiovascular health and drug development. In this study, we integrate a previously constructed cardiac fibroblast SNM with estrogen signaling pathways to create sex-specific SNMs. The sex-specific SNMs maintained previously high validation when compared to in vitro experimental studies in the literature. A sex-specific perturbation analysis and drug screen uncovered several potential pathways that warrant further study in the pursuit of sex-specific treatment recommendations for cardiac fibrosis. Author Summary Heart failure is a leading cause of death for both men and women, but we still do not have adequate therapies to prevent or reverse this disease. One factor that contributes to heart failure is scarring of cardiac tissue, also known as fibrosis. Computer models can help find new heart failure drugs by simulating hundreds of biological reactions that regulate fibrosis at the molecular level. Unfortunately, the differences in male and female patients are not usually considered for these drug discovery simulations, which can result in drugs that work well for some individuals but not for other individuals. In our study, we added sex-specific biological reactions to a computer model in order to identify drugs that could treat fibrosis differently in male and female patients. Our simulations also predicted why premenopausal women may generally develop less fibrosis than men, while post-menopausal women may develop similar levels of fibrosis as men.
Separate attentional processes in the two visual systems of jumping spiders

By selectively focusing on a specific portion of the environment, animals can solve the problem of information overload, toning down irrelevant inputs and concentrate only on the relevant ones. This may be of particular relevance for animals such as the jumping spider, which possess a wide visual field of almost 360° and thus could benefit from a low-cost system for sharpening attention. Jumping spiders have a modular visual system composed of four pairs of eyes, of which only the two frontal eyes (i.e., AMEs) are motile, whereas the other secondary pairs remain immobile. We hypothesized that jumping spiders can exploit both primary and secondary eyes for stimulus detection and attentional shift, with the two systems working synergistically. In Experiment 1 we investigated AMEs’ attentional responses following a spatial cue presented to the secondary eyes. In Experiment 2, we tested for enhanced attention in the secondary eyes’ visual field congruent with the direction of the AMEs’ focus. In both experiments, we observed that animals were faster and more accurate in detecting a target when it appeared in a direction opposite to that of the initial cue. In contrast with our initial hypothesis, these results would suggest that attention is segregated across eyes, while each system works to compensate the other by attending to different spatial locations, rather than sharing a common attentional focus.
Different behavioural profiles between invasive and native nudibranchs: means for invasion success?

Behaviour is predicted to be a primary determinant of the success of the invasion process during the early phases of colonization. Comparing sympatric invaders and native species may provide a good approach to unravel behavioural traits involved in an invasion process. In this study, we carried out an experimental simulation of the introduction and the establishment phase into a new environment and assessed the expression of activity, alertness and habituation in a non-indigenous Mediterranean population of the South African nudibranch Godiva quadricolor comparing its profiles with those of the sympatric native Cratena peregrina and Caloria quatrefagesi. Individuals of these three species were subjected to three behavioural tests: spontaneous activity, carried out in the introduction phase (immediately after sampling) and after a week of acclimatization; alert test, in which a potential threat was simulated by means of a tactile stimulus; habituation test, where the same alert test stimulus was repeated five times at thirty- minute intervals. Native nudibranch had repeatable traits, although with species differences perhaps related to their different ecological niches. The comparison with the invasive species highlighted its low repeatability in activity levels, suggesting higher plasticity, a strong tendency to locomotor activity, and a marked sensitization in the habituation test. Such traits could play an important and active role in the ongoing invasion process.
Research progress on the mechanisms underlying poultry immune regulation by plant polysaccharides

With the rapid development of poultry industry and the highly intensive production management, there are an increasing number of stress factors in poultry production. Excessive stress will affect their growth and development, immune function, and induce immunosuppression, susceptibility to a variety of diseases, and even death. In recent years, increasing interest has focused on natural components extracted from plants, among which plant polysaccharides have been highlighted because of their various biological activities. Plant polysaccharides are natural immunomodulators that can promote the growth of immune organs, activate immune cells and the complement system, and release cytokines. As a green feed additive, plant polysaccharides can not only relieve stress and enhance the immunity and disease resistance of poultry, but also regulate the balance of intestinal microorganisms and effectively alleviate all kinds of stress faced by poultry. This paper reviews the immunomodulatory effects and molecular mechanisms of different plant polysaccharides (Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz polysaccharide, Astragalus polysaccharides, Taishan Pinus massoniana pollen polysaccharide, and alfalfa polysaccharide) in poultry. Current research results reveal that plant polysaccharides have potential uses as therapeutic agents for poultry immune abnormalities and related diseases.
A compact underactuated gripper with two fingers and a retractable suction cup

Modern industrial applications of robotics such as small-series production and automated warehousing require versatile grippers, i.e., grippers that can pick up the widest possible variety of objects. These objects must often be grasped or placed inside a container, which limits the size of the gripper. In this article, we propose to combine the two most popular gripper technologies in order to maximise versatility: finger grippers and suction-cup (vacuum) grippers. Many researchers and a few companies have followed this same idea in the past, but their gripper designs are often overly complex or too bulky to pick up objects inside containers. Here, we develop a gripper where the suction cup is lodged inside the palm of a two-finger robotic hand. The suction cup is mounted on a retractile rod that can extend to pick up objects inside containers without interference from the two fingers. A single actuator drives both the finger and sliding-rod motions so as to minimise the gripper complexity. The opening and closing sequence of the gripper is achieved by using a planetary gear train as transmission between the actuator, the fingers and the suction cup sliding mechanism. Special attention is paid to minimise the overall gripper size; its diameter being kept to 75 mm, which is that of the end link of the common UR5 robot. A prototype of the gripper is built and its versatility is demonstrated in a short accompanying video.
Exploring the role of ketone bodies in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders

In recent times, advances in the field of metabolomics have shed greater light on the role of metabolic disturbances in neuropsychiatric conditions. The following review explores the role of ketone bodies and ketosis in both the diagnosis and treatment of three major psychiatric disorders: major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. Distinction is made between the potential therapeutic effects of the ketogenic diet and exogenous ketone preparations, as exogenous ketones in particular offer a standardized, reproducible manner for inducing ketosis. Compelling associations between symptoms of mental distress and dysregulation in central nervous system ketone metabolism have been demonstrated in preclinical studies with putative neuroprotective effects of ketone bodies being elucidated, including effects on inflammasomes and the promotion of neurogenesis in the central nervous system. Despite emerging pre-clinical data, clinical research on ketone body effectiveness as a treatment option for psychiatric disorders remains lacking. This gap in understanding warrants further investigating, especially considering that safe and acceptable ways of inducing ketosis are readily available.
The purpose, adaptability, confidence, and engrossment model: A novel approach for supporting professional trainees’ motivation, engagement, and academic achievement

Trainees often decide to pursue a career in the professions because they see it as a means to attain their life goals: to become the kind of person they want to be, to live the kind of life they want to lead, and to make the kind of impact they want to have on the world. The life goals trainees pursue through a professional career are derived from their conception of their ideal self and are thus the most important and self-defining goals that they possess. In this article, we propose a novel approach for designing training activities to harness the motivational potential of professional trainees’ life goals, toward supporting their deep engagement in training activities. We propose that activities can be designed to help trainees make links between (1) the concepts and skills covered in an activity, (2) the professional practice behaviors that an activity prepares them to enact, and (3) the life goals that are served by enacting these professional practice behaviors. Informed by Control Theory and Self-Determination Theory, we predict that this design may promote trainees’ adoption of activity-specific goals that emphasize deep understanding, long-term retention, and transfer, and enhance their autonomous motivation to attain their goals. However, there are some situations when this design may be less effective for, or even harmful to, trainees’ motivation. Specifically, we predict that helping trainees establish a purpose for learning by linking an activity to their life goals may be most effective when they can adapt an activity to best align with their purpose, when they are confident in their ability to attain their activity-specific goal, and when they become engrossed in an activity because it affords interest- and curiosity-stimulating actions. We package our theoretical analysis into the PACE model of motivational design. When our predictions are supported by more empirical evidence, the model can help educators set the PACE for trainees, thereby motivating them to engage deeply in training activities.
Effect of different modalities of artificial intelligence rehabilitation techniques on patients with upper limb dysfunction after stroke—A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background This study aimed to observe the effects of six different types of AI rehabilitation techniques (RR, IR, RT, RT + VR, VR and BCI) on upper limb shoulder-elbow and wrist motor function, overall upper limb function (grip, grasp, pinch and gross motor) and daily living ability in subjects with stroke. Direct and indirect comparisons were drawn to conclude which AI rehabilitation techniques were most effective in improving the above functions. Methods From establishment to 5 September 2022, we systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that met the inclusion criteria were included. The risk of bias in studies was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaborative Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. A cumulative ranking analysis by SUCRA was performed to compare the effectiveness of different AI rehabilitation techniques for patients with stroke and upper limb dysfunction. Results We included 101 publications involving 4,702 subjects. According to the results of the SUCRA curves, RT + VR (SUCRA = 84.8%, 74.1%, 99.6%) was most effective in improving FMA-UE-Distal, FMA-UE-Proximal and ARAT function for subjects with upper limb dysfunction and stroke, respectively. IR (SUCRA = 70.5%) ranked highest in improving FMA-UE-Total with upper limb motor function amongst subjects with stroke. The BCI (SUCRA = 73.6%) also had the most significant advantage in improving their MBI daily living ability. Conclusions The network meta-analysis (NMA) results and SUCRA rankings suggest RT + VR appears to have a greater advantage compared with other interventions in improving upper limb motor function amongst subjects with stroke in FMA-UE-Proximal and FMA-UE-Distal and ARAT. Similarly, IR had shown the most significant advantage over other interventions in improving the FMA-UE-Total upper limb motor function score of subjects with stroke. The BCI also had the most significant advantage in improving their MBI daily living ability. Future studies should consider and report on key patient characteristics, such as stroke severity, degree of upper limb impairment, and treatment intensity/frequency and duration. Systematic review registration www.crd. york.ac. uk/prospero/#recordDetail, identifier: CRD42022337776.
Quartz Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy for Detection of Improvised Explosive Devices and Precursors

A compact portable and standalone point sensor has been developed for the detection and identification of precursors of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and to be part of a network of sensors for the discovery of hidden bomb factories in homeland security applications. The sensor is based on quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS), and it implements a broadly tunable external cavity quantum cascade laser source (EC-QCL). It makes use of an optical cell purposely designed with a miniaturized internal volume, to achieve fast response and high sensitivity, and that can also be heated to improve sensitivity towards less volatile compounds. The sensor has been assembled and successfully tested in the lab with several compounds, including IED’s precursors such as acetone, nitromethane, nitric acid, and hydrogen peroxide. The identification capability and limits of detection near the ppm level have been estimated for all these compounds.
Activation of cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1) modulates oligodendroglial process branching complexity in rat hippocampal cultures stimulated by olfactory ensheathing glia-conditioned medium

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) refers to a complex cell-signaling system highly conserved among species formed by numerous receptors, lipid mediators (endocannabinoids) and synthetic and degradative enzymes. It is widely distributed throughout the body including the CNS, where it participates in synaptic signaling, plasticity and neurodevelopment. Besides, the olfactory ensheathing glia (OEG) present in the olfactory system is also known to play an important role in the promotion of axonal growth and/or myelination. Therefore, both OEG and the ECS promote neurogenesis and oligodendrogenesis in the CNS. Here, we investigated if the ECS is expressed in cultured OEG, by assessing the main markers of the ECS through immunofluorescence, western blotting and qRT-PCR and quantifying the content of endocannabinoids in the conditioned medium of these cells. After that, we investigated whether the production and release of endocannabinoids regulate the differentiation of oligodendrocytes co-cultured with hippocampal neurons, through Sholl analysis in oligodendrocytes expressing O4 and MBP markers. Additionally, we evaluated through western blotting the modulation of downstream pathways such as PI3K/Akt/mTOR and ERK/MAPK, being known to be involved in the proliferation and differentiation of oligodendrocytes and activated by CB1, which is the major endocannabinoid responsive receptor in the brain. Our data show that OEG expresses key genes of the ECS, including the CB1 receptor, FAAH and MAGL. Besides, we were able to identify AEA, 2-AG and AEA related mediators palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and oleoylethanolamide (OEA), in the conditioned medium of OEG cultures. These cultures were also treated with URB597 10-9 M, a FAAH selective inhibitor, or JZL184 10-9 M, a MAGL selective inhibitor, which led to the increase in the concentrations of OEA and 2-AG in the conditioned medium. Moreover, we found that the addition of OEG conditioned medium (OEGCM) enhanced the complexity of oligodendrocyte process branching in hippocampal mixed cell cultures and that this effect was inhibited by AM251 10-6 M, a CB1 receptor antagonist. However, treatment with the conditioned medium enriched with OEA or 2-AG did not alter the process branching complexity of premyelinating oligodendrocytes, while decreased the branching complexity in mature oligodendrocytes. We also observed no change in the phosphorylation of Akt and ERK 44/42 in any of the conditions used. In conclusion, our data show that the ECS modulates the number and maturation of oligodendrocytes in hippocampal mixed cell cultures.
Identification of novel pathways and immune profiles related to sarcopenia

Introduction Sarcopenia is a progressive deterioration of skeletal muscle mass strength and function. Methods To uncover the underlying cellular and biological mechanisms, we studied the association between sarcopenia's three stages and the patient's ethnicity, identified a gene regulatory network based on motif enrichment in the upregulated gene set of sarcopenia, and compared the immunological landscape among sarcopenia stages. Results We found that sarcopenia (S) was associated with GnRH, neurotrophin, Rap1, Ras, and p53 signaling pathways. Low muscle mass (LMM) patients showed activated pathways of VEGF signaling, B-cell receptor signaling, ErbB signaling, and T-cell receptor signaling. Low muscle mass and physical performance (LMM_LP) patients showed lower enrichment scores in B-cell receptor signaling, apoptosis, HIF-1 signaling, and the adaptive immune response pathways. Five common genes among DEGs and the elastic net regression model, TTC39DP, SLURP1, LCE1C, PTCD2P1, and OR7E109P, were expressed between S patients and healthy controls. SLURP1 and LCE1C showed the highest expression levels among sarcopenic Chinese descent than Caucasians and Afro-Caribbeans. Gene regulatory analysis of top upregulated genes in S patients yielded a top-scoring regulon containing GATA1, GATA2, and GATA3 as master regulators and nine predicted direct target genes. Two genes were associated with locomotion: POSTN and SLURP1. TTC39DP upregulation was associated with a better prognosis and stronger immune profile in S patients. The upregulation of SLURP1 and LCE1C was associated with a worse prognosis and weaker immune profile. Conclusion This study provides new insight into sarcopenia's cellular and immunological prospects and evaluates the age and sarcopenia-related modifications of skeletal muscle.
Multi-task learning to detect suicide ideation and mental disorders among social media users

Mental disorders and suicide are considered global health problems faced by many countries worldwide. Even though advancements have been made to improve mental wellbeing through research, there is room for improvement. Using Artificial Intelligence to early detect individuals susceptible to mental illness and suicide ideation based on their social media postings is one way to start. This research investigates the effectiveness of using a shared representation to automatically extract features between the two different yet related tasks of mental illness and suicide ideation detection using data in parallel from social media platforms with different distributions. In addition to discovering the shared features between users with suicidal thoughts and users who self-declared a single mental disorder, we further investigate the impact of comorbidity on suicide ideation and use two datasets during inference to test the generalizability of the trained models and provide satisfactory evidence to validate the increased predictive accurateness of suicide risk when using data from users diagnosed with multiple mental disorders compared to a single mental disorder for the mental illness detection task. Our results also demonstrate different mental disorders' impact on suicidal risk and discover a noticeable impact when using data from users diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. We use multi-task learning (MTL) with soft and hard parameter sharing to produce state-of-the-art results for detecting users with suicide ideation who require urgent attention. We further improve the predictability of the proposed model by demonstrating the effectiveness of cross-platform knowledge sharing and predefined auxiliary inputs.
Assembly strategies for polyethylene-degrading microbial consortia based on the combination of omics tools and the “Plastisphere”

Numerous microorganisms and other invertebrates that are able to degrade polyethylene (PE) have been reported. However, studies on PE biodegradation are still limited due to its extreme stability and the lack of explicit insights into the mechanisms and efficient enzymes involved in its metabolism by microorganisms. In this review, current studies of PE biodegradation, including the fundamental stages, important microorganisms and enzymes, and functional microbial consortia, were examined. Considering the bottlenecks in the construction of PE-degrading consortia, a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches is proposed to identify the mechanisms and metabolites of PE degradation, related enzymes, and efficient synthetic microbial consortia. In addition, the exploration of the plastisphere based on omics tools is proposed as a future principal research direction for the construction of synthetic microbial consortia for PE degradation. Combining chemical and biological upcycling processes for PE waste could be widely applied in various fields to promote a sustainable environment.