Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Predictors of Precautionary Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The attempts to mitigate the unprecedented health, economic, and social disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are largely dependent on establishing compliance to behavioral guidelines and rules that reduce the risk of infection. Here, by conducting an online survey that tested participants’ knowledge about the disease and measured demographic, attitudinal, and cognitive variables, we identify predictors of self-reported social distancing and hygiene behavior. To investigate the cognitive processes underlying health-prevention behavior in the pandemic, we co-opted the dual-process model of thinking to measure participants’ propensities for automatic and intuitive thinking vs. controlled and reflective thinking. Self-reports of 17 precautionary behaviors, including regular hand washing, social distancing, and wearing a face mask, served as a dependent measure. The results of hierarchical regressions showed that age, risk-taking propensity, and concern about the pandemic predicted adoption of precautionary behavior. Variance in cognitive processes also predicted precautionary behavior: participants with higher scores for controlled thinking (measured with the Cognitive Reflection Test) reported less adherence to specific guidelines, as did respondents with a poor understanding of the infection and transmission mechanism of the COVID-19 virus. The predictive power of this model was comparable to an approach (Theory of Planned Behavior) based on attitudes to health behavior. Given these results, we propose the inclusion of measures of cognitive reflection and mental model variables in predictive models of compliance, and future studies of precautionary behavior to establish how cognitive variables are linked with people’s information processing and social norms.
Thoracic Fluid Content (TFC) Measurement Using Impedance Cardiography Predicts Outcomes in Critically Ill Children

Objective: Conventional methods of fluid assessment in critically ill children are difficult and/or inaccurate. Impedance cardiography has capability of measuring thoracic fluid content (TFC). There is an insufficient literature reporting correlation between TFC and conventional methods of fluid balance and whether TFC predicts outcomes in critically ill children. We hypothesized that TFC correlates with indices of fluid balance [FIMO (Fluid Intake Minus Output) and AFIMO (Adjusted Fluid Intake Minus Output)] and is a predictor of outcomes in critically ill children. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Patients: Children <21 years, admitted to our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) between July- November 2018 with acute respiratory failure and/or shock and who were monitored for fluid status using ICON® monitor. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: We collected demographic information, data on daily and cumulative fluid balance (CFB), ventilator, PICU and hospital days, occurrence of multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), and mortality. We calculated AFIMO using insensible fluid loss. We analyzed data using correlation coefficient, chi-square test and multiple linear regression analysis. We analyzed a total 327 recordings of TFC, FIMO and AFIMO as daily records of fluid balance in 61 critically ill children during the study period. The initial TFC, FIMO, and AFIMO in ml [median (IQR)] were 30(23, 44), 300(268, 325), and 21.05(−171.3, 240.2), respectively. The peak TFC, FIMO, and AFIMO in ml were 36(26, 24), 322(286, 334), and 108.8(−143.6, 324.4) respectively. The initial CFB was 1134.2(325.6, 2774.4). TFC did not correlate well with FIMO or AFIMO (correlation coefficient of 0.02 and −0.03, respectively), but a significant proportion of patients with high TFC exhibited pulmonary plethora on x-ray chest (as defined by increased bronchovascular markings and/or presence of pleural effusion) (p = 0.015). The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that initial and peak TFC and peak and mean FIMO and AFIMO predicted outcomes (ventilator days, length of PICU, and hospital days) in critically ill children (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In our cohort of critically ill children with respiratory failure and/or shock, TFC did not correlate with conventional measures of fluid balance (FIMO/AFIMO), but a significant proportion of patients with high TFC had pulmonary plethora on chest x-ray. Both initial and peak TFC predicted outcomes in critically ill children.
Identification of the QTL-allele System Underlying Two High-Throughput Physiological Traits in the Chinese Soybean Germplasm Population

The QTL-allele system underlying two spectral reflectance physiological traits, NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) and CHL (chlorophyll index), related to plant growth and yield was studied in the Chinese soybean germplasm population (CSGP), which consisted of 341 wild accessions (WA), farmer landraces (LR), and released cultivars (RC). Samples were evaluated in the Photosynthetic System II imaging platform at Nanjing Agricultural University. The NDVI and CHL data were obtained from hyperspectral reflectance images in a randomized incomplete block design experiment with two replicates. The NDVI and CHL ranged from 0.05–0.18 and 1.20–4.78, had averages of 0.11 and 3.57, and had heritabilities of 78.3% and 69.2%, respectively; the values of NDVI and CHL were both significantly higher in LR and RC than in WA. Using the RTM-GWAS (restricted two-stage multi-locus genome-wide association study) method, 38 and 32 QTLs with 89 and 82 alleles and 2–4 and 2–6 alleles per locus were identified for NDVI and CHL, respectively, which explained 48.36% and 51.35% of the phenotypic variation for NDVI and CHL, respectively. The QTL-allele matrices were established and separated into WA, LR, and RC submatrices. From WA to LR + RC, 4 alleles and 2 new loci emerged, and 1 allele was excluded for NDVI, whereas 6 alleles emerged, and no alleles were excluded, in LR + RC for CHL. Recombination was the major motivation of evolutionary differences. For NDVI and CHL, 39 and 32 candidate genes were annotated and assigned to GO groups, respectively, indicating a complex gene network. The NDVI and CHL were upstream traits that were relatively conservative in their genetic changes compared with those of downstream agronomic traits. High-throughput phenotyping integrated with RTM-GWAS provides an efficient procedure for studying the population genetics of traits.
Associations of Serum Liver Function Markers With Brain Structure, Function, and Perfusion in Healthy Young Adults

Background: Previous neuroimaging studies have demonstrated brain abnormalities in patients with hepatic diseases. However, the identified liver–brain associations are largely limited to disease-affected populations, and the nature and extent of such relations in healthy subjects remain unclear. We hypothesized that serum liver function markers within a normal level would affect brain properties. Method: One hundred fifty-seven healthy young adults underwent structural, resting-state functional, and arterial spin labeling MRI scans. Gray matter volume (GMV), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and cerebral blood flow (CBF) analyses were performed to assess brain structure, function, and perfusion, respectively. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected to measure serum liver function markers. Correlation analyses were conducted to test potential associations between liver function markers and brain imaging parameters. Results: First, serum proteins showed relations to brain structure characterized by higher albumin associated with increased GMV in the parahippocampal gyrus and amygdala and lower globulin and a higher albumin/globulin ratio with increased GMV in the olfactory cortex and parahippocampal gyrus. Second, serum bilirubin was linked to brain function characterized by higher bilirubin associated with increased ReHo in the precuneus, middle cingulate gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and supramarginal gyrus and decreased ReHo in the caudate nucleus. Third, serum alanine transaminase (ALT) was related to brain perfusion characterized by higher ALT associated with increased CBF in the superior frontal gyrus and decreased CBF in the middle occipital gyrus, angular gyrus, precuneus, and middle temporal gyrus. More importantly, we found that CBF in the superior frontal gyrus was a significant mediator of the association between serum ALT level and working memory performance. Conclusion: These findings may not only expand existing knowledge about the relationship between the liver and the brain but also have clinical implications for studying brain impairments secondary to liver diseases as well as providing potential neural targets for their diagnosis and treatment.
SARS-CoV-2-Specific Memory T Lymphocytes From COVID-19 Convalescent Donors: Identification, Biobanking, and Large-Scale Production for Adoptive Cell Therapy

Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is causing a second outbreak significantly delaying the hope for the virus’ complete eradication. In the absence of effective vaccines, we need effective treatments with low adverse effects that can treat hospitalized patients with COVID-19 disease. In this study, we determined the existence of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells within CD45RA– memory T cells in the blood of convalescent donors. Memory T cells can respond quickly to infection and provide long-term immune protection to reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Also, CD45RA– memory T cells confer protection from other pathogens encountered by the donors throughout their life. It is of vital importance to resolve other secondary infections that usually develop in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. We found SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T cells in all of the CD45RA– subsets (CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+) and in the central memory and effector memory subpopulations. The procedure for obtaining these cells is feasible, easy to implement for small-scale manufacture, quick and cost-effective, involves minimal manipulation, and has no GMP requirements. This biobank of specific SARS-CoV-2 memory T cells would be immediately available “off-the-shelf” to treat moderate/severe cases of COVID-19, thereby increasing the therapeutic options available for these patients.
Human β-Defensin 2 Mutations Are Associated With Asthma and Atopy in Children and Its Application Prevents Atopic Asthma in a Mouse Model

Asthma and allergies are complex, chronic inflammatory diseases in which genetic and environmental factors are crucial. Protection against asthma and allergy development in the context of farming environment is established by early animal contact, unpasteurized milk consumption and gut microbiota maturation. The human β-defensin 2 (hBD-2) is a host defense peptide present almost exclusively in epithelial tissues, with pronounced immunomodulatory properties, which has recently been shown to ameliorate asthma and IBD in animal models. We hypothesized that adequate hBD-2 secretion plays a role in the protection against asthma and allergy development and that genetic variations in the complex gene locus coding for hBD-2 may be a risk factor for developing these diseases, if as a consequence, hBD-2 is insufficiently produced. We used MALDI-TOF MS genotyping, sequencing and a RFLP assay to study the genetic variation including mutations, polymorphisms and copy number variations in the locus harboring both genes coding for hBD-2 (DEFB4A and DEFB4B). We administered hBD-2 orally in a mouse model of house dust mite (HDM)-asthma before allergy challenge to explore its prophylactic potential, thereby mimicking a protective farm effect. Despite the high complexity of the region harboring DEFB4A and DEFB4B we identified numerous genetic variants to be associated with asthma and allergy in the GABRIELA Ulm population of 1,238 children living in rural areas, including rare mutations, polymorphisms and a lack of the DEFB4A. Furthermore, we found that prophylactic oral administration of hBD-2 significantly curbed lung resistance and pulmonary inflammation in our HDM mouse model. These data indicate that inadequate genetic capacity for hBD-2 is associated with increased asthma and allergy risk while adequate and early hBD-2 administration (in a mouse model) prevents atopic asthma. This suggests that hBD-2 could be involved in the protective farm effect and may be an excellent candidate to confer protection against asthma development.
Sodium Transporters in Human Health and Disease

Sodium (Na+) electrochemical gradients established by Na+/K+ ATPase activity drives the transport of ions, minerals, and sugars in both excitable and non-excitable cells. Na+-dependent transporters can move these solutes in the same direction (cotransport) or in opposite directions (exchanger) across both the apical and basolateral plasma membranes of polarized epithelia. In addition to maintaining physiological homeostasis of these solutes, increases and decreases in sodium may also initiate, directly or indirectly, signaling cascades that regulate a variety of intracellular post-translational events. In this review, we will describe how the Na+/K+ ATPase maintains a Na+ gradient utilized by multiple sodium-dependent transport mechanisms to regulate glucose uptake, excitatory neurotransmitters, calcium signaling, acid-base balance, salt-wasting disorders, fluid volume, and magnesium transport. We will discuss how several Na+-dependent cotransporters and Na+-dependent exchangers have significant roles in human health and disease. Finally, we will discuss how each of these Na+-dependent transport mechanisms have either been shown or have the potential to use Na+ in a secondary role as a signaling molecule.
Precision Medicine Approaches to Overcome Resistance to Therapy in Head and Neck Cancers

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most incident cancer worldwide. More than half of HNSCC patients experience locoregional or distant relapse to treatment despite aggressive multimodal therapeutic approaches that include surgical resection, radiation therapy, and adjuvant chemotherapy. Before the arrival of immunotherapy, systemic chemotherapy was previously employed as the standard first-line protocol with an association of cisplatin or carboplatin plus 5-fluorouracil plus cetuximab (anti-EFGR antibody). Unfortunately, acquisition of therapy resistance is common in patients with HNSCC and often results in local and distant failure. Despite our better understanding of HNSCC biology, no other molecular-targeted agent has been approved for HNSCC. In this review, we outline the mechanisms of resistance to the therapeutic strategies currently used in HNSCC, discuss combination treatment strategies to overcome them, and summarize the therapeutic regimens that are presently being evaluated in early- and late-phase clinical trials.
Impact of Ischemic Intra-Conditioning on Power Output and Bar Velocity of the Upper Limbs

This study evaluated the effects of ischemic conditioning on power output and bar velocity in the bench press exercise. Ten healthy males (age: 25 ± 2 years; body mass: 92 ± 8 kg; bench press one repetition maximum −1RM: 145 ± 13 kg), took part in two experimental sessions (with and without ischemia), 1 week apart in random and counterbalanced order. In the ischemic condition, cuffs placed around the upper part of the arms were inflated to 80% of arterial occlusion pressure before each set, while in the control condition there was no blood flow restriction. The exercise protocol included 5 sets of three repetitions each, against a resistance equal to 60% 1RM, with 5 min recovery intervals between sets. There was a main effect of condition for mean power output (MP) and mean bar velocity (MV) (p = 0.01), with overall MP being higher in ischemia than in control by 5.6 ± 4.1% (mean ± 90% compatibility limits), a standardized effect size (ES) of 0.51. Overall MV was also higher by 5.5 ± 4.0%, ES = 0.63. Peak power output (PP) and peak bar velocity (PV) were similar in set 1 of the control and ischemia condition (1039 ± 105 vs. 1054 ± 82 W; 684 ± 74 vs. 696 ± 53 W; 1.09 ± 0.07 vs. 1.12 ± 0.09 m/s; 0.81 ± 0.05 vs. 0.82 ± 0.05 m/s, p = 0.67 to 0.99, mean ± standard deviation). However, from set 3 onward (p = 0.03 to 0.001), PP and PV were higher in ischemia compared with control, with the highest difference observed in set 5 (10.9 ± 5.9%, ES = 0.73 for PP and 8.6 ± 4.6%; ES = 0.89 for PV). These results indicate that ischemia used before each set of the bench press exercise increases power output and bar velocity and this may be used as performance-enhancing stimulus during explosive resistance training.
Hydrotalcite as adsorbent for the removal of chromium (VI) from aqueous media: Equilibrium studies

The so rbent power of hydrotalci te compound [Mg3AI (OH)g hCO)XH20 for Cr(VI ) fr om water solution has been evalu ated. The adsorption behaviour of Cr(VI) was investigated at different initial concentration of adsorbate, co ntact time, pH, temperature and adsorbent dose by batch equilibrium technique. The extent of adsorpti on decreased from 23 . 2 mg to 4.9 mg with in crease in pH from 2.0 to 10.0. The adsorption of Cr(VI) proceeds predominantly by the ani on-exchange mechanis m. A reacti on kinetic study was undertaken by considering adsorption of the Cr(VI ) o n the outer surface as well as diffu si on within th e pores of th e adsorbent. The mass-transfer coefficients as a fun ction o f temperature were calcul ated to ex pl ain th e results. The adsorption fo llo ws first-order kineti cs . A Langmuir isotherm model fit s th e equilibrium data well. Thermodynamic parameters such as ! :lG I , Mil and ! :lSI were calcul ated to predict the nature of adso rpt ion. Desorpti on stu dies showed th at about 95.7% of Cr(VI) can be desorbed from the adsorbent at 0.1 M NaOH. The effi ciency of th e adsorbent to remove Cr(VI ) from synthetic wastewater has also been tested . Chromjum has varying valencies, but among these trival ent and hexavalent states are common. When low level s are prese nt in the environment, trivalent chromium apparently plays an essential role in plant and anima l metabolism, while hexavalent chrorruum is directl y toxic to man, animals and plants l . Elevated environme ntal level of chrorruum comes from a variet y of sources. The pote ntial sources of chrorruum include leath er tanning, paints, dyes, mmmg, photographical materi als, steel and alloys and cement industri es 2 The max imum level perrrutted to hexava lent chromium in wastewater is O.OS mg/L. Various methods e xis t for the removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solutions, viz. , chemical reduction and precipitation , adsorpti on and ion­ exchange' . Adsorpti on is by far the most versatile and widely used process . Adsorpti on of Cr(VI) on activated carbon and -other adsorbents have bee n the subject o f va ri ous studi es over recent years4. There a re many o ther insolu ble materi als other than activ ated ca rbon. that have th e pote nti al fo r removi ng heavy metals fro m waste wate rs such as natural and synthet ic zeo lit es. c lays and modified clay mjnerals, al umina a nd resi ns 5 6 . In recent years, greater att ention has bee n g i ven to the stud y of hydrota lci te clays and th eir us e in c hromatogra phy and catalytic refining7. Hyci rotalci ll' ( HT) compounds of empirical formul a [(M~~xM;+(OH)JrX~~m H20 , have positively charged brucite layers neutralised with interlayer anions, and water molecules occupying interlayer .
Basis set convergence of electric properties in HF and DFT calculations of nucleic acid bases

Recently, a hierarchical sequence of augmented basis sets of double, triple, and quadruple zeta valence quality plus polarization functions (AXZP, X = D, T, and Q) for the atoms from H to Ar were presented by Jorge et al. We report a systematic study of basis sets required to obtain accurate values of several electric properties for benzene, pyridine, the five common nucleic acid bases (uracil, cytosine, thymine, guanine, and adenine), and three related bases (fluorouracil, 5-methylcytosine, and hypoxanthine) at their full optimized geometries. Two methods were examined: Hartree-Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DFT). Including electron correlation decreases the magnitude of the dipole moment and increases the mean polarizability and also the polarizability anisotropy for every molecule. Calculated B3LYP/ADZP dipole moments and dipole polarizabilities show good agreement with both experimental and ab initio results based on second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory calculations. We have also showed that a basis set of double zeta quality is enough to obtain reliable and accurate electric property results for this kind of compounds. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009
Assessment of Impacts from the Transition to Electric Mobility in Morocco

Global climate change initiatives have recommended significant changes in mobility technologies due to increasing emissions in the transportation sector, which accounts for about a quarter of total global emissions. These initiatives have encouraged the use of alternative options with cleaner fuels, such as electric mobility, which is one of the most important options being introduced worldwide. Moreover, Morocco made progress toward achieving the principle of sustainability, which requires addressing many challenges, including climate protection, pollution prevention, and the preservation of ecosystems and human health, and ensured the fulfillment of Morocco's energy commitments, particularly with respect to the reliability of energy supply in the transport sector. However, electric mobility faces significant constraints to large-scale implementation, such as costs, infrastructure, and institutional barriers, which are beyond the ability of transport sector actors to overcome them. In this article, the effects of the transition to electric mobility in Morocco are analyzed using an approach called the A3 report, to address the transition towards sustainable mobility in Morocco. This analysis is supported by a research report on the evaluation of sustainable mobility in Morocco, carried out by the Moroccan Energy Federation, the Sunergia group, and Nevolys consulting.
Secure Multifactor Authenticated Key Agreement Scheme for Industrial IoT

The application of Internet of Things (IoT) has generally penetrated into people’s life and become popular in recent years. The IoT devices with different functions are integrated and applied to various domains, such as E-health, smart home, Industrial IoT (IIoT), and smart farming. IIoT obtains the general attention among these domains, which allows the authorized user remotely access and control the sensing devices. The user suffices to attain the real-time data collected by sensing devices during the process of production. However, these data is usually transmitted via an insecure channel, which brings the problem of the security and privacy arising from the hostile attacks in IIoT. To resist the hostile attacks by the adversary and protect the security of the transmitted data, we propose a secure multifactor authenticated key agreement scheme for IIoT to support the authorized user remotely accessing the sensing device. The scheme adopts password, biometrics, and smart card to identify the user in the IIoT environment. We employ the secret-sharing technology and Chinese remainder theorem to construct a group key among legitimate sensing devices, and then this group key is utilized to assist in negotiating a secure session key between the user and multiple sensing devices. The proposed scheme is suitable for the resource-constrained IIoT as it only uses hash function, bitwise XOR operation, and symmetric cryptography. The performance analysis indicates that our scheme has less communication and computational costs in contrast to other correlative schemes. Besides, the security analysis indicates that our scheme can withstand many known attacks.