Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protocol of the COVID-19 Health and Adherence Research in Scotland (CHARIS) study: understanding changes in adherence to transmission-reducing behaviours, mental and general health, in repeated cross-sectional representative survey of the Scottish population

Introduction COVID-19 has unprecedented consequences on population health, with governments worldwide issuing stringent public health directives. In the absence of a vaccine, a key way to control the pandemic is through behavioural change: people adhering to transmission-reducing behaviours (TRBs), such as physical distancing, hand washing and wearing face covering. Non-adherence may be explained by theories of how people think about the illness (the common-sense model of self-regulation) and/or how they think about the TRBs (social cognition theory and protection motivation theory). In addition, outbreaks of infectious diseases and the measures employed to curb them are likely to have detrimental effects on people’s mental and general health. Therefore, in representative repeated surveys, we will apply behavioural theories to model adherence to TRBs and the effects on mental and general health in the Scottish population from June to November 2020, following the initial outbreak of COVID-19. Methods and analysis Repeated 20 min structured telephone surveys will be conducted with nationally representative random samples of 500 adults in Scotland. The first 6 weeks the survey will be conducted weekly, thereafter fortnightly, for a total of 14 waves (total n=7000). Ipsos MORI will recruit participants through random digit dialling. The core survey will measure the primary outcomes of adherence to TRBs, mental and general health, and explanatory variables from the theories. Further questions will be added, enabling more detailed measurement of constructs in the core survey, additional themes and questions that align with the evolving pandemic. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval for this study was granted by the Life Sciences and Medicine College Ethics Review Board (CERB) at the University of Aberdeen (CERB/2020/5/1942). Results will be made available to policy makers, funders, interested lay people and other researchers through weekly reports and three bimonthly bulletins placed on the CHARIS website and advertised through social media.
Willingness to Use Digital Health Tools in Patient Care Among Health Care Professionals and Students at a University Hospital in Saudi Arabia: Quantitative Cross-sectional Survey

Background The adoption rate of digital health in the health care sector is low in many countries. A facilitating factor for successful implementation and adoption of digital health is acceptance by current and future health care professionals. Objective This study was conducted to identify factors associated with willingness to use digital health tools in patient care among health care professionals and students. Methods This was a quantitative cross-sectional survey study conducted among health care professionals and students at a university hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A nonprobability convenience sampling procedure was used to recruit participants. Data were collected using a self-completed e-questionnaire that was distributed by email. Chi-square tests, t tests, and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Results We found that 181 out of 218 health care professionals (83.0%; 75.6% [59/78] physicians; 87.1% [122/140] nurses) and 115 out of 154 students (74.7%; 80.0% [76/95] medical students and 66.1% [39/59] nursing students) were willing to use digital tools in patient care. Willingness to use digital tools was significantly associated with attitude (Adjusted Odds Ratios [AOR] 1.96; 95% CI 1.14-3.36) and self-efficacy (AOR 1.64; 95% CI 1.17-2.30) among health care professionals, and with current year of study (AOR 2.08; 95% CI 1.18-3.68) and self-efficacy (AOR 1.77; 95% CI 1.17-2.69) among students. No significant difference in willingness to use digital tools was found between physicians and nurses (P=.113), and between medical and nursing students (P=.079). Conclusions The findings of this study should encourage policy makers and hospital managers to implement relevant eHealth interventions within routine health care systems in Saudi Arabia. For successful implementation, digital health education programs should be implemented simultaneously, so that current and future health care professionals are able to develop required positive attitudes as well as practical skills and competencies.
Review of machine learning methods in soft robotics

Soft robots have been extensively researched due to their flexible, deformable, and adaptive characteristics. However, compared to rigid robots, soft robots have issues in modeling, calibration, and control in that the innate characteristics of the soft materials can cause complex behaviors due to non-linearity and hysteresis. To overcome these limitations, recent studies have applied various approaches based on machine learning. This paper presents existing machine learning techniques in the soft robotic fields and categorizes the implementation of machine learning approaches in different soft robotic applications, which include soft sensors, soft actuators, and applications such as soft wearable robots. An analysis of the trends of different machine learning approaches with respect to different types of soft robot applications is presented; in addition to the current limitations in the research field, followed by a summary of the existing machine learning methods for soft robots.
Interaction des Ions Métalliques avec le DNA. II. Adsorption préférentielle de l'Ion césium par les Acides nucléiques

Preferential adsorption of cations occurs in the solvated shell surrounding polyanions, especially polynucleotides and nucleic acids. The solvation parameter Γ is determined from sedimentation coefficients which are considered as pienometric determinations of the specific volume of the sample. By comparing two identical concentrations (0.1M) of monovalent salts, NaCl and CsCl, and using the model of DNA described in the preceding paper, one can relate the ratio SCs/SNa to solvation parameters ΓCs, and ΓNa. On the other hand, Γ can be related to the difference of energy W, between cation and water, to be extracted from the solution and placed in the vicinity of the polyanion. One finds generally a preferential solvation of the polarizable caesium ion by means of London–van der Waals interactions with bases. With reasonable assumptions, an estimate of W can be made, and the predicted value of Γ can be compared to the experimental one. An average of six sites is found around each base in a single‐stranded polymer, but‐only one in the double‐stranded structure. The amount of secondary structure can thus be estimated from the simple measurement of the ratio of two sediment constants.
Assessment of Arm Lean Mass, Fat Mass, and Bone Mineral Density in Breast Cancer Survivors Without Lymphedema.

OBJECTIVES To compare lean mass, fat mass, and bone mineral density (BMD) in the affected arm (the arm on the side where breast cancer was present) and unaffected arm of breast cancer survivors without lymphedema. SAMPLE & SETTING 38 breast cancer survivors who had completed primary treatment were included in this analysis at a university in Florida. METHODS & VARIABLES Arm lean mass, fat mass, and BMD were obtained using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Paired t tests were used to compare tissue composition and BMD between the affected and unaffected arm. Independent t tests were used to compare interlimb differences between those participants whose affected arm was on the dominant and those whose affected arm was on the nondominant side. Significance was accepted at p < 0.05. RESULTS The affected arm had lower fat mass and BMD as compared to the unaffected arm. Differences in lean mass were not statistically significant (p = 0.06). In breast cancer survivors whose nondominant arm was affected, lean mass, fat mass, and BMD were significantly lower in the affected arm. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING The results show that the affected arm of breast cancer survivors is susceptible to negative tissue and BMD changes. This highlights the importance of educating individuals with breast cancer about these changes and supports the benefits of upper body resistance training.
Surveillance of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Triatomine vectors, feral dogs and cats, and wild animals in and around El Paso county, Texas, and New Mexico

The causative agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi, is transmitted by triatomine vectors. The insect is endemic in the Americas, including the United States, where epidemiological studies are limited, particularly in the Southwestern region. Here, we have determined the prevalence of T. cruzi in triatomines, feral cats and dogs, and wild animals, the infecting parasite genotypes and the mammalian host bloodmeal sources of the triatomines at four different geographical sites in the U.S.-Mexico border, including El Paso County, Texas, and nearby cities in New Mexico. Using qualitative polymerase chain reaction to detect T. cruzi infections, we found 66.4% (n = 225) of triatomines, 45.3% (n = 95) of feral dogs, 39.2% (n = 24) of feral cats, and 71.4% (n = 7) of wild animals positive for T. cruzi. Over 95% of T. cruzi genotypes or discrete typing units (DTUs) identified were TcI and some TcIV. Furthermore, Triatoma rubida was the triatomine species most frequently (98.2%) collected in all samples analyzed. These findings suggest a high prevalence of T. cruzi infections among triatomines, and feral and wild animals in the studied sites. Therefore, our results underscore the urgent need for implementation of a systematic epidemiological surveillance program for T. cruzi infections in insect vectors, and feral and wild animals, and Chagas disease in the human population in the southwestern region of the United States.
Host interactions of Aedes albopictus, an invasive vector of arboviruses, in Virginia, USA

Background As an invasive mosquito species in the United States, Aedes albopictus is a potential vector of arboviruses including dengue, chikungunya, and Zika, and may also be involved in occasional transmission of other arboviruses such as West Nile, Saint Louis encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis, and La Crosse viruses. Aedes albopictus feeds on a wide variety of vertebrate hosts, wild and domestic, as well as humans. Methodology/Principal findings In order to investigate blood feeding patterns of Ae. albopictus, engorged specimens were collected from a variety of habitat types using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention light traps, Biogents Sentinel 2 traps, and modified Reiter gravid traps in southeast Virginia. Sources of blood meals were determined by the analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences amplified in PCR assays. Our aims were to quantify degrees of Ae. albopictus interactions with vertebrate hosts as sources of blood meals, investigate arboviral infection status, assess the influence of key socioecological conditions on spatial variability in blood feeding, and investigate temporal differences in blood feeding by season. Analysis of 961 engorged specimens of Ae. albopictus sampled between 2017–2019 indicated that 96%, 4%, and less than 1% obtained blood meals from mammalian, reptilian, and avian hosts, respectively. Domestic cats were the most frequently identified (50.5%) hosts followed by Virginia opossums (17.1%), white-tailed deer (12.2%), and humans (7.3%), together representing 87.1% of all identified blood hosts. We found spatial patterns in blood feeding linked to socioecological conditions and seasonal shifts in Ae. albopictus blood feeding with implications for understanding human biting and disease risk. In Suffolk Virginia in areas of lower human development, the likelihood of human blood feeding increased as median household income increased and human blood feeding was more likely early in the season (May-June) compared to later (July-October). Screening of the head and thorax of engorged Ae. albopictus mosquitoes by cell culture and RT-PCR resulted in a single isolate of Potosi virus. Conclusion and significance Understanding mosquito-host interactions in nature is vital for evaluating vectorial capacity of mosquitoes. These interactions with competent reservoir hosts support transmission, maintenance, and amplification of zoonotic agents of human diseases. Results of our study in conjunction with abundance in urban/suburban settings, virus isolation from field-collected mosquitoes, and vector competence of Ae. albopictus, highlight the potential involvement of this species in the transmission of a number of arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika to humans. Limited interaction with avian hosts suggests that Ae. albopictus is unlikely to serve as a bridge vector of arboviruses such as West Nile and eastern equine encephalitis in the study region, but that possibility cannot be entirely ruled out.
The male germline-specific protein MAPS is indispensable for pachynema progression and fertility

Significance During meiosis prophase I in mammals, a series of events occur, such as homologous recombination, DSB repair, crossover formation, XY body formation, and meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI). We report here that a male pachynema-specific (MAPS) protein is essential for prophase I progression in mouse spermatocytes. Maps knockout causes the demise of pachytene spermatocytes throughout early to mid- and late pachynema, resulting in male but not female infertility. Moreover, protein ubiquitination was dramatically increased in Maps−/− pachytene spermatocytes, likely contributing to the dysregulated global gene expression, including failed MSCI. In summary, MAPS is an indispensable protein for male fertility. Meiosis is a specialized cell division that creates haploid germ cells from diploid progenitors. Through differential RNA expression analyses, we previously identified a number of mouse genes that were dramatically elevated in spermatocytes, relative to their very low expression in spermatogonia and somatic organs. Here, we investigated in detail 1700102P08Rik, one of these genes, and independently conclude that it encodes a male germline-specific protein, in agreement with a recent report. We demonstrated that it is essential for pachynema progression in spermatocytes and named it male pachynema-specific (MAPS) protein. Mice lacking Maps (Maps−/−) suffered from pachytene arrest and spermatocyte death, leading to male infertility, whereas female fertility was not affected. Interestingly, pubertal Maps−/− spermatocytes were arrested at early pachytene stage, accompanied by defects in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, crossover formation, and XY body formation. In contrast, adult Maps−/− spermatocytes only exhibited partially defective crossover but nonetheless were delayed or failed in progression from early to mid- and late pachytene stage, resulting in cell death. Furthermore, we report a significant transcriptional dysregulation in autosomes and XY chromosomes in both pubertal and adult Maps−/− pachytene spermatocytes, including failed meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI). Further experiments revealed that MAPS overexpression in vitro dramatically decreased the ubiquitination levels of cellular proteins. Conversely, in Maps−/− pachytene cells, protein ubiquitination was dramatically increased, likely contributing to the large-scale disruption in gene expression in pachytene cells. Thus, MAPS is a protein essential for pachynema progression in male mice, possibly in mammals in general.
Surface Science and Microbiology. The Strategy for Existence of Microorganisms. Adhesion to Solid Surfaces.

In natural and industrial environments, bacteria exist in adhering to solid surfaces such as metals, plastics, glass, soil particles, plant and animal tissues. Adherent bacteria are resistant to chemicals and heat compared with their planktonic cells, and may cause serious problems in bioprocess engineering, medicine and food processings. In order to clarify these observations and phenomena, it is necessary to study physicochemically the microstructure of solid surfaces, structure and properties of bacterial cell surfaces, mechanisms of bacterial adhesion and their correlations.
On the application of capacitance-time and charge-time measurements to determine the generation lifetime and surface generation velocity in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates

To predict accurately the leakage currents in silicon-on-insulator transistors (SOI), the minority carrier generation lifetime in the body region and the surface generation velocity at the body/buried interface must be known. It is demonstrated in this paper that both these quantities can be found from the application of charge-time and capacitance-time measurements. The measurements are applied to a SOI capacitor and consequently the standard theory for both techniques is modified for this structure. By taking account of the effective generation width, the charge-time technique yields an accurate measurement of the minority carrier generation lifetime in the body. The value obtained was 270 ns and is shown to agree well with that obtained from gated diode measurements. By careful choice of step voltage amplitude the capacitance-time technique yields both the surface generation velocity at the body/buried oxide interface and the generation lifetime in the bulk body. Since the latter is known from the charge-time measurement the surface generation velocity can now be found. It is shown that to maintain current continuity a charge storage effect occurs at the body/buried interface whose magnitude is exacerbated in large-area test structures introducing a significant error. This effect is treated in some detail.
HDAC11 Regulates Glycolysis through the LKB1/AMPK Signaling Pathway to Maintain Hepatocellular Carcinoma Stemness

This study finds that HDAC11 suppresses LKB1 expression in HCC to promote cancer stemness, progression, and sorafenib resistance, suggesting the potential of targeting HDAC11 to treat HCC and overcome kinase inhibitor resistance. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) contains a subset of cancer stem cells (CSC) that cause tumor recurrence, metastasis, and chemical resistance. Histone deacetylase 11 (HDAC11) mediates diverse immune functions and metabolism, yet little is known about its role in HCC CSCs. In this study, we report that HDAC11 is highly expressed in HCC and is closely related to disease prognosis. Depletion of HDAC11 in a conditional knockout mouse model reduced hepatocellular tumorigenesis and prolonged survival. Loss of HDAC11 increased transcription of LKB1 by promoting histone acetylation in its promoter region, thereby activating the AMPK signaling pathway and inhibiting the glycolysis pathway, which in turn leads to the suppression of cancer stemness and HCC progression. Furthermore, HDAC11 overexpression reduced HCC sensitivity to sorafenib. Collectively, these data propose HDAC11 as a new target for combination therapy in patients with kinase-resistant HCC. Significance: This study finds that HDAC11 suppresses LKB1 expression in HCC to promote cancer stemness, progression, and sorafenib resistance, suggesting the potential of targeting HDAC11 to treat HCC and overcome kinase inhibitor resistance.
Effects of Lumacaftor-Ivacaftor on Lung Clearance Index, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Airway Microbiome in Phe508del Homozygous Patients with Cystic Fibrosis.

RATIONALE Previous studies showed that lumacaftor-ivacaftor therapy results in partial rescue of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) activity and moderate improvement of spirometry in Phe508del homozygous patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, the effects of lumacaftor-ivacaftor on lung clearance index (LCI), lung morphology and perfusion detected by chest magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and effects on the airway microbiome and inflammation remain unknown. OBJECTIVES To investigate the effects of lumacaftor-ivacaftor on LCI, lung MRI scores, and airway microbiome and inflammation. METHODS In this prospective observational study we assessed clinical outcomes including spirometry and body mass index, LCI, lung MRI scores, sputum microbiome and pro-inflammatory cytokines in 30 Phe508del homozygous patients with CF 12 years and older before and 8-16 weeks after initiation of lumacaftor-ivacaftor therapy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Lumacaftor-ivacaftor had no effects on FEV1 % predicted (1.7%, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.0 to 4.3%; P = 0.211), but improved LCI (-1.6, 95% CI -2.6 to -0.5; P < 0.01) and MRI morphology (-1.3, 95% CI -2.3 to -0.3; P < 0.05) and perfusion score (-1.2, 95% CI -2.3 to -0.2; P < 0.05) in our study cohort. Further, lumacaftor-ivacaftor decreased the total bacterial load (-1.8, 95% CI -3.3 to -0.34; P < 0.05) and increased the Shannon diversity of the airway microbiome (0.4, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.8; P < 0.05), and reduced IL-1β levels (median change -324.2 pg/ml, 95% CI -938.7 to 290.4 pg/ml; P < 0.05) in sputum of Phe508del homozygous patients. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that lumacaftor-ivacaftor has beneficial effects on lung ventilation, morphology and perfusion, as well as on the airway microbiome and inflammation in Phe508del homozygous patients. Our results suggest that LCI and MRI may be more sensitive than FEV1 % predicted to detect response to CFTR modulator therapy in patients with chronic CF lung disease. Clinical trial registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02807415).
Treatment of esophageal cancer: surgical outcomes of 335 cases operated in a single center

ABSTRACT Objectives: the surgical approach persists as the main treatment for esophageal cancer. This study compares the patients of the same institution over time at three different times. Methods: this is a retrospective, observational, descriptive study comparing the surgical outcomes obtained by the Division of Surgical Oncology of Erasto Gaertner Hospital. The sample was divided into Period 1 (1987-1997), Period 2 (1998-2003) and Period 3 (2007-2015). Survival rates and disease-free survival were estimated by the Kaplan-Maier method. Survival predictors were identified with Cox regression. ANOVA test was used for comparison between groups. Data were analyzed with SPSS 25.0 and STATA 16, and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: a total of 335 patients underwent esophagectomy or esophagogastrectomy. When the clinical characteristics of the 3 groups were compared, there was no statistically significant difference. Neoadjuvance was significantly higher in Period 3 (55.4% of patients). We found a histological change in the diagnosis over time, with a significant increase in adenocarcinoma. Morbidity and mortality rates were higher in Period 3. The main complications were pulmonary and anastomotic fistulas. Overall survival in 5 years increased over time, reaching 59.7% in Period 3. Conclusions: better neoadjuvant treatment contributed to increase the global survival of patients, despite greater rate of immediate complications to surgery.