Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding Parents’ Roles in Children’s Learning and Engagement in Informal Science Learning Sites

Informal science learning sites (ISLS) create opportunities for children to learn about science outside of the classroom. This study analyzed children’s learning behaviors in ISLS using video recordings of family visits to a zoo, children’s museum, or aquarium. Furthermore, parent behaviors, features of the exhibits and the presence of an educator were also examined in relation to children’s behaviors. Participants included 63 children (60.3% female) and 44 parents in 31 family groups. Results showed that parents’ science questions and explanations were positively related to children observing the exhibit. Parents’ science explanations were also negatively related to children’s science explanations. Furthermore, children were more likely to provide science explanations when the exhibit was not interactive. Lastly there were no differences in children’s behaviors based on whether an educator was present at the exhibit. This study provides further evidence that children’s interactions with others and their environment are important for children’s learning behaviors.
Determining the Ecological Status of Benthic Coastal Communities: A Case in an Anthropized Sub-Arctic Area

With the widespread influence of human activities on marine ecosystems, evaluation of ecological status provides valuable information for conservation initiatives and sustainable development. To this end, many environmental indicators have been developed worldwide and there is a growing need to evaluate their performance by calculating ecological status in a wide range of ecosystems at multiple spatial and temporal scales. This study calculated and contrasted sixteen indicators of ecological status from three methodological categories: abundance measures, diversity parameters and characteristic species. This selection was applied to coastal benthic ecosystems at Sept-Îles (Québec, Canada), an important industrial harbor area in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and related to habitat parameters (organic matter, grain size fractions, and heavy metal concentrations). Nearly all indicators highlighted a generally good ecological status in the study area, where communities presented an unperturbed profile with high taxa and functional diversities and without the dominance of opportunistic taxa. Some correlations with habitat parameters were detected, especially with heavy metals, and bootstrap analyses indicated quite robust results. This study provides valuable information on the application of environmental indicators in Canadian coastal ecosystems, along with insights on their use for environmental assessments.
Patient-Specific Sedation Management via Deep Reinforcement Learning

Introduction: Developing reliable medication dosing guidelines is challenging because individual dose–response relationships are mitigated by both static (e. g., demographic) and dynamic factors (e.g., kidney function). In recent years, several data-driven medication dosing models have been proposed for sedatives, but these approaches have been limited in their ability to assess interindividual differences and compute individualized doses. Objective: The primary objective of this study is to develop an individualized framework for sedative–hypnotics dosing. Method: Using publicly available data (1,757 patients) from the MIMIC IV intensive care unit database, we developed a sedation management agent using deep reinforcement learning. More specifically, we modeled the sedative dosing problem as a Markov Decision Process and developed an RL agent based on a deep deterministic policy gradient approach with a prioritized experience replay buffer to find the optimal policy. We assessed our method's ability to jointly learn an optimal personalized policy for propofol and fentanyl, which are among commonly prescribed sedative–hypnotics for intensive care unit sedation. We compared our model's medication performance against the recorded behavior of clinicians on unseen data. Results: Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed model would assist clinicians in making the right decision based on patients' evolving clinical phenotype. The RL agent was 8% better at managing sedation and 26% better at managing mean arterial compared to the clinicians' policy; a two-sample t-test validated that these performance improvements were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results validate that our model had better performance in maintaining control variables within their target range, thereby jointly maintaining patients' health conditions and managing their sedation.
miR-7b-3p Exerts a Dual Role After Spinal Cord Injury, by Supporting Plasticity and Neuroprotection at Cortical Level

Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects 6 million people worldwide with no available treatment. Despite research advances, the inherent poor regeneration potential of the central nervous system remains a major hurdle. Small RNAs (sRNAs) 19–33 nucleotides in length are a set of non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression and have emerged as key players in regulating cellular events occurring after SCI. Here we profiled a class of sRNA known as microRNAs (miRNAs) following SCI in the cortex where the cell bodies of corticospinal motor neurons are located. We identified miR-7b-3p as a candidate target given its significant upregulation after SCI in vivo and we screened by miRWalk PTM the genes predicted to be targets of miR-7b-3p (among which we identified Wipf2, a gene regulating neurite extension). Moreover, 16 genes, involved in neural regeneration and potential miR-7b-3p targets, were found to be downregulated in the cortex following SCI. We also analysed miR-7b-3p function during cortical neuron development in vitro: we observed that the overexpression of miR-7b-3p was important (1) to maintain neurons in a more immature and, likely, plastic neuronal developmental phase and (2) to contrast the apoptotic pathway; however, in normal conditions it did not affect the Wipf2 expression. On the contrary, the overexpression of miR-7b-3p upon in vitro oxidative stress condition (mimicking the SCI environment) significantly reduced the expression level of Wipf2, as observed in vivo, confirming it as a direct miR-7b-3p target. Overall, these data suggest a dual role of miR-7b-3p: (i) the induction of a more plastic neuronal condition/phase, possibly at the expense of the axon growth, (ii) the neuroprotective role exerted through the inhibition of the apoptotic cascade. Increasing the miR-7b-3p levels in case of SCI could reactivate in adult neurons silenced developmental programmes, supporting at the same time the survival of the axotomised neurons.
Clinical Characteristics According to Age and Duration of Symptoms to Be Considered for Rapid Diagnosis of Pediatric Intussusception

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether clinical findings in children with ileocolic intussusception differ based on age and duration of symptoms and to assess the clinical characteristics of diagnosed and undiagnosed patients to determine which symptoms make diagnosis more difficult. Methods: We reviewed 536 medical records of <15-year-old children diagnosed with ileocolic intussusception between 2008 and 2019. We divided the children into three categories according to age (<1 year, 1–2 years, and ≥2 years). The children were also divided into two groups based on whether symptoms lasted for more or <6 h. Diagnosed and undiagnosed children were assessed separately during for the initial evaluation. Results: Following analysis of the three age groups, bloody stool, post-enema bloody stool, diarrhea, vomiting, poor oral intake, and lethargy were more frequent in children aged <1 year. In children aged ≥2 years, non-specific abdominal pain was more frequent and the undiagnosed rate was higher. Following analysis of the duration of symptoms, paroxysmal pain was significantly more frequent in the early group (<6 h), and bloody stool and fever were significantly more frequent in the late group (≥6 h). Nonspecific abdominal pain was more frequent and the door-to-diagnosis time was significantly longer in the undiagnosed group than in the diagnosed group. Conclusions: Clinical findings of ileocolic intussusception vary depending on the age and duration of symptoms. Younger children with paroxysmal pain, vomiting, bloody stool, poor oral intake, or lethargy should be suspected of having intussusception. In older children, non-specific abdominal pain without bloody stool may be a symptom of intussusception. Glycerin enema is helpful in diagnosing intussusception in children with no typical symptoms.
γδ T Cells Participating in Nervous Systems: A Story of Jekyll and Hyde

γδ T cells are distributed in various lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues, and act as early responders in many conditions. Previous studies have proven their significant roles in infection, cancer, autoimmune diseases and tissue maintenance. Recently, accumulating researches have highlighted the crosstalk between γδ T cells and nervous systems. In these reports, γδ T cells maintain some physiological functions of central nervous system by secreting interleukin (IL) 17, and neurons like nociceptors can in turn regulate the activity of γδ T cells. Moreover, γδ T cells are involved in neuroinflammation such as stroke and multiple sclerosis. This review illustrates the relationship between γδ T cells and nervous systems in physiological and pathological conditions.
M. bovis BCG Moreau N-Terminal Loss Leads to a Less Stable Dodecin With Lower Flavin Binding Capacity

Tuberculosis still remains a concerning health problem worldwide. Its etiologic agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, continues to be the focus of research to unravel new prophylactic and therapeutic strategies against this disease. The only vaccine in use against tuberculosis is based on the in vitro attenuated strain, M. bovis BCG. Dodecin is a dodecameric complex important for flavin homeostasis in Archea and Eubacteria, and the M. tuberculosis protein is described as thermo- and halostable. M. bovis BCG Moreau, the Brazilian vaccine strain, has a single nucleotide polymorphism in the dodecin start codon, leading to a predicted loss of seven amino acids at the protein N-terminal end. In this work we aimed to characterize the effect of this mutation in the BCG Moreau protein features. Our recombinant protein assays show that the predicted BCG homolog is less thermostable than M.tb’s but maintains its dodecamerization ability, although with a lower riboflavin-binding capacity. These data are corroborated by structural analysis after comparative modeling, showing that the predicted BCG dodecin complex has a lower interaction energy among its monomers and also a distinct electrostatic surface near the flavin binding pocket. However, western blotting assays with the native proteins were unable to detect significant differences between the BCG Moreau and M.tb orthologs, indicating that other factors may be modulating protein structure/function in the bacterial context.
SWEET Transporters and the Potential Functions of These Sequences in Tea (Camellia sinensis)

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is an important economic beverage crop. Its flowers and leaves could be used as healthcare tea for its medicinal value. SWEET proteins were recently identified in plants as sugar transporters, which participate in diverse physiological processes, including pathogen nutrition, seed filling, nectar secretion, and phloem loading. Although SWEET genes have been characterized and identified in model plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa, there is very little knowledge of these genes in C. sinensis. In this study, 28 CsSWEETs were identified in C. sinensis and further phylogenetically divided into four subfamilies with A. thaliana. These identified CsSWEETs contained seven transmembrane helixes (TMHs) which were generated by an ancestral three-TMH unit with an internal duplication experience. Microsynteny analysis revealed that the large-scale duplication events were the main driving forces for members from CsSWEET family expansion in C. sinensis. The expression profiles of the 28 CsSWEETs revealed that some genes were highly expressed in reproductive tissues. Among them, CsSWEET1a might play crucial roles in the efflux of sucrose, and CsSWEET17b could control fructose content as a hexose transporter in C. sinensis. Remarkably, CsSWEET12 and CsSWEET17c were specifically expressed in flowers, indicating that these two genes might be involved in sugar transport during flower development. The expression patterns of all CsSWEETs were differentially regulated under cold and drought treatments. This work provided a systematic understanding of the members from the CsSWEET gene family, which would be helpful for further functional studies of CsSWEETs in C. sinensis.
A Meta-Analysis of Ten Learning Techniques

This article outlines a meta-analysis of the 10 learning techniques identified in Dunlosky et al. (2013a), and is based on 242 studies, 1,619 effects, 169,179 unique participants, with an overall mean of 0.56. The most effective techniques are Distributed Practice and Practice Testing and the least effective (but still with relatively high effects) are Underlining and Summarization. A major limitation was that the majority of studies in the meta-analysis were based on surface or factual outcomes, and there is caution needed when applying these findings to deeper and more relational outcomes. Other important moderators included the presence of feedback or not, near or far transfer, and the effects were much greater for lower than higher ability students. It is recommended that more attention be paid to when, under what conditions, each technique can be used, and how they can best be taught.
Global Metabolomics Reveals That Vibrio natriegens Enhances the Growth and Paramylon Synthesis of Euglena gracilis

The microalga Euglena gracilis is utilized in the food, medicinal, and supplement industries. However, its mass production is currently limited by its low production efficiency and high risk of microbial contamination. In this study, physiological and biochemical parameters of E. gracilis co-cultivated with the bacteria Vibrio natriegens were investigated. A previous study reports the benefits of E. gracilis and V. natriegens co-cultivation; however, no bacterium growth and molecular mechanisms were further investigated. Our results show that this co-cultivation positively increased total chlorophyll, microalgal growth, dry weight, and storage sugar paramylon content of E. gracilis compared to the pure culture without V. natriegens. This analysis represents the first comprehensive metabolomic study of microalgae-bacterial co-cultivation, with 339 metabolites identified. This co-cultivation system was shown to have synergistic metabolic interactions between microalgal and bacterial cells, with a significant increase in methyl carbamate, ectoine, choline, methyl N-methylanthranilate, gentiatibetine, 4R-aminopentanoic acid, and glu-val compared to the cultivation of E. gracilis alone. Taken together, these results fill significant gaps in the current understanding of microalgae-bacteria co-cultivation systems and provide novel insights into potential improvements for mass production and industrial applications of E. gracilis.
Cocktail Therapy of Fosthiazate and Cupric-Ammoniun Complex for Citrus Huanglongbing

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a destructive citrus bacterial disease caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Ca.Las) and cannot be cured by current pesticides. Root lesion and Tylenchulus semipenetrans juveniles were observed in HLB-affected citrus tree roots. We hypothesize that root treatment with fosthiazate (FOS) and Cupric-Ammonium Complex (CAC) will improve the root growth and inhibit HLB. CAC is a broad spectrum fungicide and can promote growth of crops. FOS kills Tylenchulus semipenetrans and protects roots from damage by harmful bacteria such as Ca.Las. After 90 days of combination treatment of FOS and CAC through root drenches, the citrus grew new roots and its leaves changed their color to green. The inhibition rate of Ca.Las reached more than 90%. During treatment process, the chlorophyll content and the root vitality increased 396 and 151%, respectively, and starch accumulation decreased by 88%. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and plant tissue dyeing experiments showed that more irregular swollen starch granules existed in the chloroplast thylakoid system of the HLB-infected leaves. This is due to the blocking of their secretory tissue by starch. TEM and flow cytometry experiments in vitro showed the synergistic effects of FOS and CAC. A transcriptome analysis revealed that the treatment induced the differential expression of the genes which involved 103 metabolic pathways. These results suggested that the cocktail treatment of FOS and CAC may effectively kill various pathogens including Ca.Las on citrus root and thus effectively control HLB.
Study Protocol: The Heart and Brain Study

Background It is well-established that what is good for the heart is good for the brain. Vascular factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol, and genetic factors such as the apolipoprotein E4 allele increase the risk of developing both cardiovascular disease and dementia. However, the mechanisms underlying the heart–brain association remain unclear. Recent evidence suggests that impairments in vascular phenotypes and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) may play an important role in cognitive decline. The Heart and Brain Study combines state-of-the-art vascular ultrasound, cerebrovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cognitive testing in participants of the long-running Whitehall II Imaging cohort to examine these processes together. This paper describes the study protocol, data pre-processing and overarching objectives. Methods and Design The 775 participants of the Whitehall II Imaging cohort, aged 65 years or older in 2019, have received clinical and vascular risk assessments at 5-year-intervals since 1985, as well as a 3T brain MRI scan and neuropsychological tests between 2012 and 2016 (Whitehall II Wave MRI-1). Approximately 25% of this cohort are selected for the Heart and Brain Study, which involves a single testing session at the University of Oxford (Wave MRI-2). Between 2019 and 2023, participants will undergo ultrasound scans of the ascending aorta and common carotid arteries, measures of central and peripheral blood pressure, and 3T MRI scans to measure CVR in response to 5% carbon dioxide in air, vessel-selective cerebral blood flow (CBF), and cerebrovascular lesions. The structural and diffusion MRI scans and neuropsychological battery conducted at Wave MRI-1 will also be repeated. Using this extensive life-course data, the Heart and Brain Study will examine how 30-year trajectories of vascular risk throughout midlife (40–70 years) affect vascular phenotypes, cerebrovascular health, longitudinal brain atrophy and cognitive decline at older ages. Discussion The study will generate one of the most comprehensive datasets to examine the longitudinal determinants of the heart–brain association. It will evaluate novel physiological processes in order to describe the optimal window for managing vascular risk in order to delay cognitive decline. Ultimately, the Heart and Brain Study will inform strategies to identify at-risk individuals for targeted interventions to prevent or delay dementia.
Antiviral Activity of Interferon Alpha-Inducible Protein 27 Against Hepatitis B Virus Gene Expression and Replication

Despite the availability of effective vaccines, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is still a major health issue, and approximately 350 million people have been chronically infected with HBV throughout the world. Interferons (IFNs) are the key molecules in the innate immune response that restrict several kinds of viral infections via the induction of hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). The objective of this study was to confirm if interferon alpha-inducible protein 27 (IFI27) as an ISG could inhibit HBV gene expression and DNA replication both in cell culture and in a mouse model. In human hepatoma cells, IFI27 was highly induced by the stimulation of IFN-alpha (IFN-α), and it potentiated the anti-HBV activity. The overexpression of IFI27 inhibited, while its silencing enhanced the HBV replication in HepG2 cell. However, the knocking out of IFI27 in HepG2 cells robustly increases the formation of viral DNA, RNA, and proteins. Detailed mechanistic analysis of the HBV genome showed that a sequence [nucleotide (nt) 1715–1815] of the EnhII/Cp promoter was solely responsible for viral inhibition. Similarly, the hydrodynamic injection of IFI27 expression constructs along with the HBV genome into mice resulted in a significant reduction in viral gene expression and DNA replication. In summary, our studies suggested that IFI27 contributed a vital role in HBV gene expression and replication and IFI27 may be a potential antiviral agent for the treatment of HBV.
Fractality and Variability in Canonical and Non-Canonical English Fiction and in Non-Fictional Texts

This study investigates global properties of three categories of English text: canonical fiction, non-canonical fiction, and non-fictional texts. The central hypothesis of the study is that there are systematic differences with respect to structural design features between canonical and non-canonical fiction, and between fictional and non-fictional texts. To investigate these differences, we compiled a corpus containing texts of the three categories of interest, the Jena Corpus of Expository and Fictional Prose (JEFP Corpus). Two aspects of global structure are investigated, variability and self-similar (fractal) patterns, which reflect long-range correlations along texts. We use four types of basic observations, (i) the frequency of POS-tags per sentence, (ii) sentence length, (iii) lexical diversity, and (iv) the distribution of topic probabilities in segments of texts. These basic observations are grouped into two more general categories, (a) the lower-level properties (i) and (ii), which are observed at the level of the sentence (reflecting linguistic decoding), and (b) the higher-level properties (iii) and (iv), which are observed at the textual level (reflecting comprehension/integration). The observations for each property are transformed into series, which are analyzed in terms of variance and subjected to Multi-Fractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MFDFA), giving rise to three statistics: (i) the degree of fractality (H), (ii) the degree of multifractality (D), i.e., the width of the fractal spectrum, and (iii) the degree of asymmetry (A) of the fractal spectrum. The statistics thus obtained are compared individually across text categories and jointly fed into a classification model (Support Vector Machine). Our results show that there are in fact differences between the three text categories of interest. In general, lower-level text properties are better discriminators than higher-level text properties. Canonical fictional texts differ from non-canonical ones primarily in terms of variability in lower-level text properties. Fractality seems to be a universal feature of text, slightly more pronounced in non-fictional than in fictional texts. On the basis of our results obtained on the basis of corpus data we point out some avenues for future research leading toward a more comprehensive analysis of textual aesthetics, e.g., using experimental methodologies.