Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do We Take a Robot's Needs into Account? The Effect of Humanization on Prosocial Considerations Toward Other Human Beings and Robots

Robots are becoming an integral part of society, yet the extent to which we are prosocial toward these nonliving objects is unclear. While previous research shows that we tend to take care of robots in high-risk, high-consequence situations, this has not been investigated in more day-to-day, low-consequence situations. Thus, we utilized an experimental paradigm (the Social Mindfulness "SoMi" paradigm) that involved a trade-off between participants' own interests and their willingness to take their task partner's needs into account. In two experiments, we investigated whether participants would take the needs of a robotic task partner into account to the same extent as when the task partner was a human (Study I), and whether this was modulated by participant's anthropomorphic attributions to said robot (Study II). In Study I, participants were presented with a social decision-making task, which they performed once by themselves (solo context) and once with a task partner (either a human or a robot). Subsequently, in Study II, participants performed the same task, but this time with both a human and a robotic task partner. The task partners were introduced via neutral or anthropomorphic priming stories. Results indicate that the effect of humanizing a task partner indeed increases our tendency to take someone else's needs into account in a social decision-making task. However, this effect was only found for a human task partner, not for a robot. Thus, while anthropomorphizing a robot may lead us to save it when it is about to perish, it does not make us more socially considerate of it in day-to-day situations.
Impaired postprandial glucose and no improvement in other cardiometabolic responses or cognitive function by breaking up sitting with bodyweight resistance exercises: a randomised crossover trial

ABSTRACT The effects of breaking up sitting with resistance exercise on cardiometabolic health and cognitive function in young healthy adults are unknown. This study evaluated the acute effects of breaking up sitting with bodyweight resistance exercise on postprandial glucose, lipids, blood pressure and cognitive function. A randomised crossover design was used. Twelve normal-weight participants aged 25 ± 6 years took part in two, 5 h conditions: (1) uninterrupted sitting (SIT), and (2) sitting with 3 min of bodyweight resistance exercise breaks every 30 min (REX). Dietary intake was standardised across conditions. Linear mixed models were used to compare outcomes between conditions. Postprandial glucose was significantly higher in the REX condition than in SIT (incremental area under the curve 346.3 [95% confidence interval: 233.9, 458.7] and 256.9 [144.4, 369.3] mmol/L∙5 h, respectively, p = 0.045). Blood pressure, lipids and cognitive function outcomes were not different between conditions (p ≥ 0.05). This study suggests that breaking up sitting with bodyweight resistance exercise does not benefit cardiometabolic health or cognitive function acutely in young healthy adults. The longer-term effects of breaking up sitting with resistance exercise warrants investigation to appropriately inform public health guidelines.
Liquid-liquid interface ion-transfer amperometric sensors for tenofovir as a model nucleoside/nucleotide anti-retroviral drug

V DECLARATION. VII ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . IX PUBLICATIONS . XI TABLE OF CONTENTS . XIII LIST OF FIGURES . XV LIST OF TABLES . XXIII LIST OF ABBREVIATION. XXVII CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION . 1 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW . 5 2.1 Nucleoside/ Nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors . 6 2.1. 1 Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) . 7 2.1. 2 Nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) . 8 2.3 General Analytical Methods for Nucleoside and Nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors 10 2.3.1 Electrochemical sensors . 13 CHAPTER III: ELECTROCHEMISRY AT THE ITIES: THEORY & APPLICATIONS . 17 3.1 Electrochemistry at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions . 17 3.2 Amperometric sensors and detectors . 19 3.3 Ion partitioning and drug delivery testing . 24 3.4 Cyclic voltammetry (CV) . 28 CHAPTER IV: EXPERIMENTAL. 31 4.1 Chemicals . 31
Discovery of a pyrimidine-dione derivative with potent inhibitory activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis ketol-acid reductoisomerase.

New drugs aimed at novel targets are urgently needed to combat the increasing rate of drug resistant tuberculosis (TB). Here, the National Cancer Institute Developmental Therapeutic Program (NCI-DTP) chemical library was screened against a promising new target, ketol-acid reductoisomerase (KARI), the second enzyme in the branched chain amino acid (BCAA) biosynthesis pathway. From this library, 6-hydroxy-2-methylthiazolo[4,5- d ]pyrimidine-5,7(4 H ,6 H )-dione (NSC116565) was identified as a potent time-dependent inhibitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( Mt ) KARI with a K i of 95.4 nM. Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) studies showed that this inhibitor binds to Mt KARI in the presence and absence of the co-factor, NADPH, which was confirmed by crystal structures of the compound in complex with the closely related Staphylococcus aureus ( Sa ) KARI. We have also shown that NSC116565 inhibits the growth of H37Ra and H37Rv strains of Mt with MIC 50 values of 2.93 µM and 6.06 µM, respectively. These results further validate KARI as a TB drug target and show that NSC116565 is a promising lead for anti-TB drug development.
Competition between Usutu virus and West Nile virus during simultaneous and sequential infection of Culex pipiens mosquitoes

ABSTRACT Usutu virus (USUV) and West Nile virus (WNV) are closely related mosquito-borne flaviviruses that are mainly transmitted between bird hosts by vector mosquitoes. Infections in humans are incidental but can cause severe disease. USUV is endemic in large parts of Europe, while WNV mainly circulates in Southern Europe. In recent years, WNV is also frequently detected in Northern Europe, thereby expanding the area where both viruses co-circulate. However, it remains unclear how USUV may affect the future spread of WNV and the likelihood of human co-infection. Here we investigated whether co-infections with both viruses in cell lines and their primary mosquito vector, Culex pipiens, affect virus replication and transmission dynamics. We show that USUV is outcompeted by WNV in mammalian, avian and mosquito cells during co-infection. Mosquitoes that were exposed to both viruses simultaneously via infectious blood meal displayed significantly reduced USUV transmission compared to mosquitoes that were only exposed to USUV (from 15% to 3%), while the infection and transmission of WNV was unaffected. In contrast, when mosquitoes were pre-infected with USUV via infectious blood meal, WNV transmission was significantly reduced (from 44% to 17%). Injection experiments established the involvement of the midgut in the observed USUV-mediated WNV inhibition. The competition between USUV and WNV during co-infection clearly indicates that the chance of concurrent USUV and WNV transmission via a single mosquito bite is low. The competitive relation between USUV and WNV may impact virus transmission dynamics in the field and affect the epidemiology of WNV in Europe.
Resolving and Analyzing Landfast Ice Deformation by InSAR Technology Combined with Sentinel-1A Ascending and Descending Orbits Data

Detailed mapping of landfast ice deformation can be used to characterize the rheological behavior of landfast ice effectively and to improve sea ice modeling subsequently. In order to analyze the characteristics, trends and causes of deformation comprehensively and accurately, the Sentinel-1A ascending and descending orbits data were used to detect the horizontal and vertical deformation of the fast ice in the Baltic Sea. Firstly, the fast ice edge lines were acquired through feature extraction with interferometric coherence images and SAR amplitude images. Then, the deformation transformed model was constructed according to the geometric relationship of multi-orbits deformation measurements. Finally, the landfast ice deformations were resolved and the horizontal and vertical deformations were obtained. The results showed that the maximum deformation was—44 cm in horizontal direction and 16 cm in vertical direction within the fast ice region of 960 km2 during the time from 2 to 16 February 2018. The southwest wind was the principal reason for the deformation, which made the deformation mainly occur in the horizontal direction from east to west. Moreover, the inner fast ice kept stable due to the protection of outer consolidated ice. The results showed that the deformation trend and characteristics can be better understood by using InSAR technology that was combined with multi-orbits SAR data to resolve and analyze the landfast ice deformation.
Fc-Engineering for Modulated Effector Functions—Improving Antibodies for Cancer Treatment

The majority of monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics possess the ability to engage innate immune effectors through interactions mediated by their fragment crystallizable (Fc) domain. By delivering Fc-Fc gamma receptor (FcγR) and Fc-C1q interactions, mAb are able to link exquisite specificity to powerful cellular and complement-mediated effector functions. Fc interactions can also facilitate enhanced target clustering to evoke potent receptor signaling. These observations have driven decades-long research to delineate the properties within the Fc that elicit these various activities, identifying key amino acid residues and elucidating the important role of glycosylation. They have also fostered a growing interest in Fc-engineering whereby this knowledge is exploited to modulate Fc effector function to suit specific mechanisms of action and therapeutic purposes. In this review, we document the insight that has been generated through the study of the Fc domain; revealing the underpinning structure-function relationships and how the Fc has been engineered to produce an increasing number of antibodies that are appearing in the clinic with augmented abilities to treat cancer.
Viral Infections in Burn Patients: A State-Of-The-Art Review

Infections that are triggered by the accompanying immunosuppression in patients with burn wounds are very common regardless of age. Among burn patients, the most frequently diagnosed infections include the bacterial ones primarily caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Klebsiella pneumonia, as well as fungal infections with the etiology of Candida spp. or Aspergillus spp. Besides, burn wounds are highly susceptible to viral infections mainly due to the impaired immune responses and defective functions of the immune cells within the wound microenvironment. The most prevalent viruses that invade burn wounds include herpes simplex virus (HSV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), human papilloma virus (HPV), and varicella zoster virus (VZV). Likewise, less prevalent infections such as those caused by the orf virus or Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) might also occur in immunosuppressed burn patients. Viral infections result in increased morbidity and mortality rates in severely burned patients. Additionally, a positive correlation between the hospitalization duration and the severity of the viral infection has been demonstrated. Viral infections trigger the occurrence of various complications, ranging from mild symptoms to even fatal incidents. Accurate detection of viral infection is of great clinical importance because of the possibility for a quicker introduction of proper treatment therapy and shortening of hospitalization time. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the literature and summarize the findings regarding the most common viral infections in immunosuppressed burn patients.
Divergent shrub‐cover responses driven by climate, wildfire, and permafrost interactions in Arctic tundra ecosystems

The expansion of shrubs across the Arctic tundra may fundamentally modify land–atmosphere interactions. However, it remains unclear how shrub expansion pattern is linked with key environmental drivers, such as climate change and fire disturbance. Here we used 40+ years of high‐resolution (~1.0 m) aerial and satellite imagery to estimate shrub‐cover change in 114 study sites across four burned and unburned upland (ice‐poor) and lowland (ice‐rich) tundra ecosystems in northern Alaska. Validated with data from four additional upland and lowland tundra fires, our results reveal that summer precipitation was the most important climatic driver (r = 0.67, p < 0.001), responsible for 30.8% of shrub expansion in the upland tundra between 1971 and 2016. Shrub expansion in the uplands was largely enhanced by wildfire (p < 0.001) and it exhibited positive correlation with fire severity (r = 0.83, p < 0.001). Three decades after fire disturbance, the upland shrub cover increased by 1077.2 ± 83.6 m2 ha−1, ~7 times the amount identified in adjacent unburned upland tundra (155.1 ± 55.4 m2 ha−1). In contrast, shrub cover markedly decreased in lowland tundra after fire disturbance, which triggered thermokarst‐associated water impounding and resulted in 52.4% loss of shrub cover over three decades. No correlation was found between lowland shrub cover with fire severity (r = 0.01). Mean summer air temperature (MSAT) was the principal factor driving lowland shrub‐cover dynamics between 1951 and 2007. Warmer MSAT facilitated shrub expansion in unburned lowlands (r = 0.78, p < 0.001), but accelerated shrub‐cover losses in burned lowlands (r = −0.82, p < 0.001). These results highlight divergent pathways of shrub‐cover responses to fire disturbance and climate change, depending on near‐surface permafrost and drainage conditions. Our study offers new insights into the land–atmosphere interactions as climate warming and burning intensify in high latitudes.
Livestock plants and COVID-19 transmission

Significance The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health and economic crisis in which policymakers face tradeoffs between maintaining essential economic activities and mitigating disease spread. Our study suggests that, among essential industries, livestock processing poses a particular public health risk extending far beyond meatpacking companies and their employees. We estimate livestock plants to be associated with 236,000 to 310,000 COVID-19 cases (6 to 8% of total) and 4,300 to 5,200 deaths (3 to 4% of total) as of July 21. We also illustrate potential contributions of plant size, industrial concentration, plant shutdowns, and policy actions to this phenomenon. These results motivate investigation into supply chains, operating procedures, and labor relations within the meatpacking industry. Policy responses to the COVID-19 outbreak must strike a balance between maintaining essential supply chains and limiting the spread of the virus. Our results indicate a strong positive relationship between livestock-processing plants and local community transmission of COVID-19, suggesting that these plants may act as transmission vectors into the surrounding population and accelerate the spread of the virus beyond what would be predicted solely by population risk characteristics. We estimate the total excess COVID-19 cases and deaths associated with proximity to livestock plants to be 236,000 to 310,000 (6 to 8% of all US cases) and 4,300 to 5,200 (3 to 4% of all US deaths), respectively, as of July 21, 2020, with the vast majority likely related to community spread outside these plants. The association is found primarily among large processing facilities and large meatpacking companies. In addition, we find evidence that plant closures attenuated county-wide cases and that plants that received permission from the US Department of Agriculture to increase their production-line speeds saw more county-wide cases. Ensuring both public health and robust essential supply chains may require an increase in meatpacking oversight and potentially a shift toward more decentralized, smaller-scale meat production.
Physical Activity and Trajectory of Cognitive Change in Older Persons: Mayo Clinic Study of Aging

Background: Little is known about the association between physical activity (PA) and cognitive trajectories in older adults. Objective: To examine the association between PA and change in memory, language, attention, visuospatial skills, and global cognition, and a potential impact of sex or Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 status. Methods: Longitudinal study derived from the population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, including 2,060 cognitively unimpaired males and females aged ≥70 years. Engagement in midlife (ages 50–65) and late-life (last year) PA was assessed using a questionnaire. Neuropsychological testing was done every 15 months (mean follow-up 5.8 years). We ran linear mixed-effect models to examine whether mid- or late-life PA at three intensities (mild, moderate, vigorous) was associated with cognitive z-scores. Results: Light intensity midlife PA was associated with less decline in memory function compared to the no-PA reference group (time x light PA; estimate [standard error] 0.047 [0.016], p = 0.004). Vigorous late-life PA was associated with less decline in language (0.033 [0.015], p = 0.030), attention (0.032 [0.017], p = 0.050), and global cognition (0.039 [0.016], p = 0.012). Females who were physically inactive in midlife experienced more pronounced cognitive decline than females physically active in midlife and males regardless of PA (p-values for time interaction terms with midlife PA levels and sex were all p < 0.05 for global cognition). APOE ɛ4 carriership did not moderate the association between PA and cognition. Conclusion: Engaging in PA, particularly of vigorous intensity in late-life, was associated with less pronounced decline in global and domain-specific cognition. This association may differ by sex.
Vitamin D in obesity and obesity-related diseases: an overview.

Hypovitaminosis D and obesity represent two pandemic conditions sometimes associated with each other. Although it is known that there is a close relationship between these two health problems, the underlying pathophysiological mechanism has not yet been fully clarified. In fact, on the one hand, obesity per se seems to involve low circulating levels of vitamin D due to low sun exposure, physical activity, and intake of foods rich in vitamin D, volumetric dilution and sequestration in the adipose tissue. Conversely, since pre-adipocytes and adipocytes express the receptors and are involved in the metabolism of vitamin D it would seem that low levels of this vitamin may be involved in adipogenesis and therefore in the development of obesity. This connection is extremely important when considering obesity-related diseases. In fact, low vitamin D levels and severe obesity are significantly associated with some cardio-metabolic risk factors, including high body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, impaired lipid and glycemic profile, and insulin resistance, as they would seem associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes and higher cancer incidence and mortality. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to examine the recent evidence linking low vitamin D status, obesity and obesity-related diseases, highlighting the scientific achievements and the gaps to be filled with further investigations.
Synthesis and evaluation of novel amphiphilic macromolecules as drug carriers and therapeutics

OF THE DISSERTATION SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF NOVEL AMPHIPHILIC MACROMOLECULES AS DRUG CARRIERS AND THERAPEUTICS By JINZHONG WANG Dissertation Director: Professor Kathryn E. Uhrich Novel amphiphilic star-like macromolecules (ASM) and amphiphilic scorpion-like macromolecules (AScM) with double-chained and single-chained tails were synthesized and characterized. All macromolecules are composed of mucic acid-based hydrophobic “heads” and poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrophilic “tails”. Two different ASMs (M12P5 and M12P2x2) and two different AScMs (NC12P5 and NC12P2x2) were investigated to explore how branched PEG chains influence particle size, water-solubility, drug loading capacity, drug release rate and micelle stability. A hydrophobic, anti-inflammatory drug (indomethacin) was used to evaluate the encapsulation ability and release rate from the macromolecules. The double-chained macromolecules reduced the micellar sizes (10 nm for AScM, 22 nm for ASM) compared to single-chained macromolecules (18 nm for AScM, 48 nm for ASM). Through oil/water emulsion methods, drug-loading efficiency of ASM reached nearly 50%, higher than the self-assembled micelle AScMs, which display a drug-loading efficiency 30%. Indomethacin-loaded ASM released 52% of free drug within 50 hours, compared with 78% for AScM. Dynamic light scattering experiments showed that ASM minimized protein
Climate Change, Water Quality and Water-Related Challenges: A Review with Focus on Pakistan

Climate variability is heavily impacting human health all around the globe, in particular, on residents of developing countries. Impacts on surface water and groundwater resources and water-related illnesses are increasing, especially under changing climate scenarios such as diversity in rainfall patterns, increasing temperature, flash floods, severe droughts, heatwaves and heavy precipitation. Emerging water-related diseases such as dengue fever and chikungunya are reappearing and impacting on the life of the deprived; as such, the provision of safe water and health care is in great demand in developing countries to combat the spread of infectious diseases. Government, academia and private water bodies are conducting water quality surveys and providing health care facilities, but there is still a need to improve the present strategies concerning water treatment and management, as well as governance. In this review paper, climate change pattern and risks associated with water-related diseases in developing countries, with particular focus on Pakistan, and novel methods for controlling both waterborne and water-related diseases are discussed. This study is important for public health care, particularly in developing countries, for policy makers, and researchers working in the area of climate change, water quality and risk assessment.