Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Usability testing of three visual HMIs for assisted driving: How design impacts driver distraction and mental models

Abstract There is a variety of visual human-machine interfaces (HMI) designed across vehicle manufacturers that support drivers while supervising driving automation features, such as adaptive cruise control (ACC). These various designs communicate the same limited amount of information to drivers about their ACC system and it is unclear which HMI designs impact driver distraction the least or how their design could be modified to help drivers develop more accurate mental models of their ACC system. Using a user-centred design (UCD) approach, we designed a speedometer to inform drivers about some of the system’s capabilities and then invited 23 drivers to use ACC in a low-fidelity driving simulator to compare the usability of three HMIs using eye-tracking, response times, and qualitative data. Our attempt at designing an intuitive and more informative speedometer received mixed results, but design recommendations are given regarding the indication of the set target speed, set time gap between vehicles (headway distance), and system mode (conventional or adaptive cruise). Practitioner summary: Manufacturers’ heterogeneous designs of their visual HMIs for the ACC systems may impact driver distraction in different ways. We used usability testing to compare three HMIs in a driving simulator and make several design recommendations to indicate speed, time gap, and system mode in a more efficient way. Abbreviations: ACC: adaptive cruise control; ADAS: advanced driving assistance system; HMI: human-machine interface; ISO: international organisation for standardization; OEM: original equipment manufacturer; RSME: rating scale of mental effort; RT: response time; R-TLX: raw task load index; SUS: system usability scale; TGT: total glance time; UCD: user-centred design; UX: user experience; xTGT: extended total glance time
Recent advances on small molecular gels: formation mechanism and their application in pharmaceutical fields

ABSTRACT Introduction As an essential complement to chemically cross-linked macromolecular gels, drug delivery systems based on small molecular gels formed under the driving forces of non-covalent interactions are attracting considerable research interest due to their potential advantages of high structural functionality, lower biological toxicity, reversible stimulus–response, and so on. Area covered The present review summarizes recent advances in small molecular gels and provides their updates as a comprehensive overview in terms of gelation mechanism, gel properties, and physicochemical characterizations. In particular, this manuscript reviews the effects of drug-based small molecular gels on the drug development and their potential applications in the pharmaceutical fields. Expert opinion Small molecular-based gel systems, constructed by inactive compounds or active pharmaceutical ingredients, have been extensively studied as carriers for drug delivery in pharmaceutical field, such as oral formulations, injectable formulations, and transdermal formulations. However, the construction of such gel systems yet faces several challenges such as rational and efficient design of functional gelators and the great occasionality of drug-based gel formation. Thus, a deeper understanding of the gelation mechanism and its relationship with gel properties will be conducive to the construction of small molecular gels systems and their future application.
NRF2 in dermo‐cosmetic: From scientific knowledge to skin care products

The skin is the organ that is most susceptible to the impact of the exposome. Located at the interface with the external environment, it protects internal organs through the barrier function of the epidermis. It must adapt to the consequences of the harmful effects of solar radiation, the various chemical constituents of atmospheric pollution, and wounds associated with mechanical damage: oxidation, cytotoxicity, inflammation, and so forth. In this biological context, a capacity to adapt to the various stresses caused by the exposome is essential; otherwise, more or less serious conditions may develop accelerated aging, pigmentation disorders, atopy, psoriasis, and skin cancers. Nrf2‐controlled pathways play a key role at this level. Nrf2 is a transcription factor that controls genes involved in oxidative stress protection and detoxification of chemicals. Its involvement in UV protection, reduction of inflammation in processes associated with healing, epidermal differentiation for barrier function, and hair regrowth, has been demonstrated. The modulation of Nrf2 in the skin may therefore constitute a skin protection or care strategy for certain dermatological stresses and disorders initiated or aggravated by the exposome. Nrf2 inducers can act through different modes of action. Keap1‐dependent mechanisms include modification of the cysteine residues of Keap1 by (pro)electrophiles or prooxidants, and disruption of the Keap1–Nrf2 complex. Indirect mechanisms are suggested for numerous phytochemicals, acting on upstream pathways, or via hormesis. While developing novel and safe Nrf2 modulators for skin care may be challenging, new avenues can arise from natural compounds‐based molecular modeling and emerging concepts such as epigenetic regulation.
Dwarf galaxies, cold dark matter, and biased galaxy formation

A reexamination is conducted of the formation of dwarf, diffuse, metal-poor galaxies due to supernova-driven winds, in view of data on the systematic properties of dwarfs in the Local Group and Virgo Cluster. The critical condition for global gas loss as a result of the first burst of star formation is that the virial velocity lie below an approximately 100 km/sec critical value. This leads, as observed, to two distinct classes of galaxies, encompassing the diffuse dwarfs, which primarily originate from typical density perturbations, and the normal, brighter galaxies, including compact dwarfs, which can originate only from the highest density peaks. This furnishes a statistical biasing mechanism for the preferential formation of bright galaxies in denser regions, enhancing high surface brightness galaxies' clustering relative to the diffusive dwarfs.
Applications of Transcriptomics in the Research of Antibody-Mediated Rejection in Kidney Transplantation: Progress and Perspectives

ABSTRACT Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) is the major cause of chronic allograft dysfunction and loss in kidney transplantation. The immunological mechanisms of ABMR that have been featured in the latest studies indicate a highly complex interplay between various immune and nonimmune cell types. Clinical diagnostic standards have long been criticized for being arbitrary and the lack of accuracy. Transcriptomic approaches, including microarray and RNA sequencing of allograft biopsies, enable the identification of differential gene expression and the continuous improvement of diagnostics. Given that conventional bulk transcriptomic approaches only reflect the average gene expression but not the status at the single-cell level, thereby ignoring the heterogeneity of the transcriptome across individual cells, single-cell RNA sequencing is rising as a powerful tool to provide a high-resolution transcriptome map of immune cells, which allows the elucidation of the pathogenesis and may facilitate the development of novel strategies for clinical treatment of ABMR.
Finite width corrections to the vector meson dominance prediction for rho ---> e+ e-

Finite-width corrections based on a generalized effective range formula for pion-pion scattering modify by a non-negligible amount the well-known relation between Γ(ρ→e+e−) and Γ(ρ→ππ) derived on the basis of vector-meson dominance. We also present a new current-algebra prediction for the shape and magnitude of σ(e+e−→π+π−) and estimate the ρ-meson contribution to the Schwinger term.
Large‐scale investigation of zoonotic viruses in the era of high‐throughput sequencing

Zoonotic diseases considerably impact public health and socioeconomics. RNA viruses reportedly caused approximately 94% of zoonotic diseases documented from 1990 to 2010, emphasizing the importance of investigating RNA viruses in animals. Furthermore, it has been estimated that hundreds of thousands of animal viruses capable of infecting humans are yet to be discovered, warning against the inadequacy of our understanding of viral diversity. High‐throughput sequencing (HTS) has enabled the identification of viral infections with relatively little bias. Viral searches using both symptomatic and asymptomatic animal samples by HTS have revealed hidden viral infections. This review introduces the history of viral searches using HTS, current analytical limitations, and future potentials. We primarily summarize recent research on large‐scale investigations on viral infections reusing HTS data from public databases. Furthermore, considering the accumulation of uncultivated viruses, we discuss current studies and challenges for connecting viral sequences to their phenotypes using various approaches: performing data analysis, developing predictive modeling, or implementing high‐throughput platforms of virological experiments. We believe that this article provides a future direction in large‐scale investigations of potential zoonotic viruses using the HTS technology.
Impact of red yeast rice supplementation on lipid profile: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials

ABSTRACT Background Dyslipidemia/hyperlipidemia are among the risk factors for chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases. Red Yeast Rice (RYR) herbal supplement may be helpful in improving serum fat levels due to some mechanisms. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of RYR consumption on total serum cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) levels in adults. Research design and methods Four comprehensive databases (SCOPUS, PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science) were employed until 23 December 2021 RCTs, with 24 treatment arms included after screening 3623 articles. Results Pooled data showed significant effectiveness in lowering TC (WMD: −33.16 mg/dl, 95% CI: −37.69, −28.63, P < 0.001), LDL-C (WMD: −28.94 mg/dl, 95% CI: −32.90, −24.99, P < 0.001), and TG (WMD: −23.36 mg/dl, 95% CI: −31.30, −15.43, P < 0.001) concentration and increasing HDL-C concentration (WMD: 2.49 mg/dl, 95% CI: 1.48, 3.49, P < 0.001) following RYR supplementation. Furthermore, the effect of this herbal drug in doses less than 1200 mg and with an intervention duration of less than 12 weeks was more in individuals with dyslipidemia. Conclusion In conclusion, this comprehensive article and meta-analysis showed that RYR significantly decreases TC, TG, and LDL-C as well as increases HDL-C.
Reaching out to men in ending intimate partner violence: a qualitative study among male civil servants in Ibadan, Nigeria

ABSTRACT Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is one of the most pervasive human rights violation which has negative impacts on the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities. Purpose The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of male civil servants in Ibadan, Nigeria about the perpetration of IPV and to document their suggested measures to prevent IPV in our communities in Nigeria. Methods Four focus group discussions were conducted among 36 male civil servants selected from Oyo State Secretariat, Ibadan using purposive sampling technique. Data were transcribed and analysed using thematic approach. Results Six major themes were identified; awareness of the forms of IPV, women and men as victims, causes, attitude, consequences as well as the suggested strategies for the prevention of IPV. Physical and psychological abuse were mentioned across the groups. The respondents pointed out that women experience IPV more than men, but that men also experience it. Some respondents stated that physical and psychological abuse against female intimate partners were acceptable in some circumstances according to the societal norms. The negative effects of IPV on physical, mental and social well-being of the individual, families and society were mentioned. Suggested ways of preventing IPV include tolerance and patience which will promote healthy, respectful and non-violent relationships among intimate partners. Conclusion Considering the perceptions and attitudes of these men to IPV, it is important to reach out to both genders for appropriate preventive and educational intervention in ending IPV among women and men.
TGM2-mediated histone transglutamination is dictated by steric accessibility

Significance H3Q5ser is a histone mark correlated with active gene expression during neuronal differentiation. The modification stabilizes the euchromatic mark, H3K4me3, potentiating its readout by general transcription factor IID. How local chromatin structure impacts the installation of H3Q5ser by the writer enzyme, transglutaminase 2 (TGM2), remains unclear. Here, we show that steric accessibility is the primary driver of TGM2-mediated histone monoaminylation. The modification is excluded from heterochromatin in cells and is restricted to glutamine residues within the unstructured tails of histones in nucleosomes. Unlike other histone posttranslational modification (PTM) writers, TGM2 is largely insensitive to both the local primary sequence and pre-installed PTMs surrounding accessible glutamines. Our study highlights the importance of chromatin structure in guiding the installation of epigenetic marks.
Laparoscopic Versus Abdominal Radical Hysterectomy for Cervical Cancer

Background: Laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (LRH) and open abdominal radical hysterectomy (ARH) have been used for cervical cancer treatment. We aimed to perform a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of LRH and ARH in the treatment of cervical cancer to provide reliable evidence to the clinical cervical cancer treatment. Methods: Two investigators independently searched PubMed and other databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing LRH and ARH for cervical cancer treatment up to May 31, 2022. The risk of bias assessment tool recommended by Cochrane library was used for quality assessment. RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis. Results: Fourteen RCTs with a total of 1700 patients with cervical cancer were finally included. Meta-analyses indicated that compared with ARH, LRH reduced the intraoperative blood loss (mean difference [MD]=−58.08; 95% CI, −70.91, −45.24), the time to first passage of flatus (MD=−14.50; 95% CI, −16.55, −12.44) (all P<0.05), and increase the number of lymph nodes removed (MD=3.47; 95% CI, 0.51, 6.43; P=0.02). There were no significant differences in the duration of surgery (MD=27.62; 95% CI, −6.26, 61.49), intraoperative complications (odd ratio [OR]=1.10; 95% CI, 0.17, 7.32), postoperative complications (OR=0.78; 95% CI, 0.33, 1.86), relapse rate (OR=1.45; 95% CI, 0.56, 3.74), and survival rate (OR=0.75; 95% CI, 0.52, 1.08) between LRH group and ARH group (all P>0.05). Conclusions: LRH has more advantages over ARH in the treatment of cervical cancer. Still, the long-term effects and safety of LRH and ARH need more high-quality, large-sample RCTs to be further verified.
Structural and Genomic Evolution of RRNPPA Systems and Their Pheromone Signaling

Quorum sensing (QS) is a mechanism of bacterial communication, coordinating important decisions depending on bacterial population. QS regulates important processes not only in bacterial behavior but also in genetic mobile elements and host-guest interactions. ABSTRACT In Firmicutes, important processes such as competence development, sporulation, virulence, and biofilm formation are regulated by cytoplasmic quorum sensing (QS) receptors of the RRNPPA family using peptide-based communication. Although these systems regulate important processes in a variety of bacteria, their origin and diversification are poorly understood. Here, we integrate structural, genomic, and phylogenetic evidence to shed light on RRNPPA protein origin and diversification. The family is constituted by seven different subfamilies with different domain architectures and functions. Among these, three were found in Lactobacillales (Rgg, ComR, and PrgX) and four in Bacillales (AimR, NprR, PlcR, and Rap). The patterns of presence and the phylogeny of these proteins show that subfamilies diversified a long time ago, resulting in key structural and functional differences. The concordance between the distribution of subfamilies and the bacterial phylogeny was somewhat unexpected, since many of the subfamilies are very abundant in mobile genetic elements, such as phages, plasmids, and phage-plasmids. The existence of diverse propeptide architectures raises intriguing questions about their export and maturation. It also suggests the existence of diverse roles for the RRNPPA systems. Some systems encode multiple pheromones on the same propeptide or multiple similar propeptides, suggesting that they act as “chatterers. ” Many others lack pheromone genes and may be “eavesdroppers. ” Interestingly, AimR systems without associated propeptide genes were particularly abundant in chromosomal regions not classed as prophages, suggesting that either the bacterium or other mobile elements are eavesdropping on phage activity. IMPORTANCE Quorum sensing (QS) is a mechanism of bacterial communication, coordinating important decisions depending on bacterial population. QS regulates important processes not only in bacterial behavior but also in genetic mobile elements and host-guest interactions. In Firmicutes, the most important family of QS receptors is the RRNPPA family. Despite the importance of such systems in microbiology, we know little about RRNPPA origin and diversification. In this work, the combination of sequence analysis and structural biology allowed us to identify a very large number of novel systems but also to class of them in functional families and thereby study of their origin and functional diversification. Moreover, peptide pheromone analysis revealed new and intriguing mechanisms of communication, such as “eavesdropper” systems which only listen for the pheromone and “chatterers” that take control of the communication in their microenvironment.
Illness wellness scale: novel grading system for performance status of patients under surgical care

Grading the illness using clinical parameters is essential for the daily progress of inpatients. Existing systems do not incorporate these parameters holistically. The study was designed to internally validate the illness wellness scale, based upon clinical assessment of the patients requiring surgical care, for their risk stratification and uniformity of communication between health care providers.
Microlensing Optical Depth toward the Galactic Bulge from Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics Group Observations during 2000 with Difference Image Analysis

We analyze the data of the gravitational microlensing survey carried out by the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) group during 2000 toward the Galactic bulge (GB). Our observations are designed to detect efficient high-magnification events with faint source stars and short-timescale events, by increasing the sampling rate up to ~6 times per night and using Difference Image Analysis (DIA). We detect 28 microlensing candidates in 12 GB fields corresponding to 16 deg2. We use Monte Carlo simulations to estimate our microlensing event detection efficiency, where we construct the I-band extinction map of our GB fields in order to find dereddened magnitudes. We find a systematic bias and large uncertainty in the measured value of the timescale tE,out in our simulations. They are associated with blending and unresolved sources, and are allowed for in our measurements. We compute an optical depth τ = 2.59 × 10-6 toward the GB for events with timescales 0.3 < tE < 200 days. We consider disk-disk lensing, and obtain an optical depth τbulge = 3.36 × 10-6[0.77/(1 - fdisk)] for the bulge component assuming a 23% stellar contribution from disk stars. These observed optical depths are consistent with previous measurements by the MACHO and OGLE groups, and still higher than those predicted by existing Galactic models. We present the timescale distribution of the observed events, and find there are no significant short events of a few days, in spite of our high detection efficiency for short-timescale events down to tE ~ 0.3 days. We find that half of all our detected events have high magnification (>10). These events are useful for studies of extrasolar planets.
Matrine induces hepatocellular carcinoma apoptosis and represses EMT and stemness through microRNA-299-3p/PGAM1 axis

Abstract This study explored the impacts of matrine on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell growth, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and stemness through regulating the microRNA (miR)-299-3p/phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) axis. The association between miR-299-3p expression with the prognosis of HCC patients was studied. miR-299-3p and PGAM1 sequences were transfected into matrine-treated HCC cells, and cell proliferation, invasion, apoptosis, and stemness were detected, as well as protein expression of EMT- and stemness-related makers. The targeting relationship between miR-299-3p and PGAM1 was identified. Matrine elevated miR-299-3p expression, repressed proliferation, invasion, and anti-apoptosis of HCC cells, and constrained EMT and stemness in vitro. PGAM1 was a target of miR-299-3p. Repression of PGAM1 rescued the effects of miR-299-3p downregulation on HCC cells. Matrine stimulates HCC cell apoptosis and represses the process of EMT and stemness through the miR-299-3p/PGAM1 axis.
Structure-based screening for functional non-coding RNAs in fission yeast identifies a factor repressing untimely initiation of sexual differentiation

Abstract Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) ubiquitously exist in normal and cancer cells. Despite their prevalent distribution, the functions of most long ncRNAs remain uncharacterized. The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe expresses >1800 ncRNAs annotated to date, but most unconventional ncRNAs (excluding tRNA, rRNA, snRNA and snoRNA) remain uncharacterized. To discover the functional ncRNAs, here we performed a combinatory screening of computational and biological tests. First, all S. pombe ncRNAs were screened in silico for those showing conservation in sequence as well as in secondary structure with ncRNAs in closely related species. Almost a half of the 151 selected conserved ncRNA genes were uncharacterized. Twelve ncRNA genes that did not overlap with protein-coding sequences were next chosen for biological screening that examines defects in growth or sexual differentiation, as well as sensitivities to drugs and stresses. Finally, we highlighted an ncRNA transcribed from SPNCRNA.1669, which inhibited untimely initiation of sexual differentiation. A domain that was predicted as conserved secondary structure by the computational operations was essential for the ncRNA to function. Thus, this study demonstrates that in silico selection focusing on conservation of the secondary structure over species is a powerful method to pinpoint novel functional ncRNAs.