Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional connectivity between the habenula and default mode network and its association with the antidepressant effect of ketamine

Recently, an animal model for depression has shown that ketamine, an N‐methyl‐ d‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, elicits a rapid‐acting antidepressant effect by blocking NMDAR‐dependent bursting in the lateral habenula (Hb). However, evidence from human studies remains scarce.
Die Rolle der Mikrozirkulation in der Entstehung des Organversagens

The microcirculation includes all blood and lymph vessels with a diameter < 100 µm. Microcirculatory dysfunction is common in critically ill patients and is closely associated with both the severity of (multi-)organ dysfunction and mortality. The nature and extent of microcirculatory dysfunction differ depending on the underlying disease and are most pronounced in patients with systemic inflammation (e. g. sepsis), specific infections (e. g. malaria, dengue) or thrombocytopenia-associated multiple organ failure. This manuscript provides an overview of the pathophysiology, monitoring and therapy of microcirculatory dysfunction in the critically ill patient.
Cold acclimation alleviates cold stress-induced PSII inhibition and oxidative damage in tobacco leaves

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore how cold acclimation (CA) modulates cold stress in tobacco leaves and reveal the relationship between CA and cold stress resistance, and the mechanism of CA-induced plant resistance to cold stress. This study examined the effects of CA treatment (at 8–10℃ for 2 d) on the cold tolerance of tobacco leaves under 4°C cold stress treatment using seedlings without CA treatment as the control (NA). In both CA and NA leaves, cold stress treatment resulted in a decrease in maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (F v /F m), increase in relative variable fluorescence (V J) at 2 ms on the standardized OJIP curve, inhibition of PSII activity, and impairment of electron transfer on the acceptor side. Besides increasing the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and electrolyte leakage rate, the cold stress exacerbated the degree of membrane peroxidation. The CA treatment also induced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide anion (O2·−) and H2O2, and increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbic acid peroxidase (APX). The CA treatment also enhanced the accumulation of soluble sugar (SS) and soluble protein (SP), cyclic electron flow (CEF), and the proportion of regulatory energy dissipation Y(NPQ). Moreover, CA+ cold stress treatment significantly reduced CEF and Y(NPQ) in tobacco leaves than under NA+ cold stress treatment, thus significantly alleviating the degree of PSII photoinhibition. In conclusion, CA treatment significantly alleviated PSII photoinhibition and oxidative damage in tobacco leaves under cold stress treatment. Improvement in cold resistance of tobacco leaves is associated with the induction of antioxidant enzyme activity, accumulation of osmoregulation substances, and initiation of photoprotective mechanisms.
Design and microfabrication of a hybrid piezoelectric‐capacitive tactile sensor

Purpose – To measure the force applied to the tissue, the traditional endoscopic graspers might be equipped with a kind of tactile force sensor.Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents the design, analysis, microfabrication and testing of a piezoelectric and capacitive endoscopic tactile sensor with four teeth. This tactile sensor, which is tooth‐like for safe grasping, comprises a Polyvinylidene Fluoride, PVDF film for high sensitivity and is silicon‐based for micromachinability. Being a hybrid sensor, employing both capacitive and piezoelectric techniques, it is possible to measure both the static and dynamic loads. Another feature, to be considered in its design, is the ability to detect pulse. The proposed sensor can be integrated with the tip of any current commercial endoscopic grasper without changing its original design. It is shown that using an array of sensor units, the position of the applied load can still be determined.Findings – The static response of the sensor is obtained by appl.
Disgusting Democrats and Repulsive Republicans: Members of Political Outgroups Are Considered Physically Gross

The status of disgust as a sociomoral emotion is debated. We conducted a stringent test of whether social stimuli (specifically, political outgroup members) can elicit physical disgust, as distinct from moral or metaphorical disgust. We employed stimuli (male faces) matched on baseline disgustingness, provided other ways for participants to express negativity toward outgroup members, and used concrete self-report measures of disgust, as well as a nonverbal measure (participants’ facial expressions). Across three preregistered studies (total N = 915), we found that political outgroup members are judged to be “disgusting,” although this effect is generally weaker for concrete self-report measures and absent for the nonverbal measure. This suggests that social stimuli are capable of eliciting genuine physical disgust, although it is not always outwardly expressed, and the strength of this result depends on the measures employed. We discuss implications of these results for research on sociomoral emotions and American politics.
Amide Bond Formation via the Rearrangement of Nitrile Imines Derived from N-2-Nitrophenyl Hydrazonyl Bromides

We report how the rearrangement of highly reactive nitrile imines derived from N-2-nitrophenyl hydrazonyl bromides can be harnessed for the facile construction of amide bonds. This amidation reaction was found to be widely applicable to the synthesis of primary, secondary, and tertiary amides and was used as the key step in the synthesis of the lipid-lowering agent bezafibrate. The orthogonality and functional group tolerance of this approach was exemplified by the N-acylation of unprotected amino acids.
An Efficient IT Energy-Saving Approach Based on Cloud Computing for Networked Green Manufacturing

Networked manufacturing technology has provided an effective approach to integrating manufacturing resources over Internet. However, a vast number of resources involving networks, computing, and storage resulted in ever increasing energy consumption. This paper proposed an IT energy-saving approach based on Cloud Computing for networked green manufacturing. The paper first presented the architecture of networked green manufacturing on Cloud Computing to support service-oriented IT resources outsourcing. Then the paper discussed the dynamically-scalable resource utilization mechanism for networked manufacturing. The approach can provide effective support for manufacturing resource virtualization and deliver a variety of services to distributed manufacturing enterprises. Moreover, IT resources of network, computing, and storage can be shared concurrently and scheduled dynamically that are adaptive to practical resource demand of collaborative manufacturing tasks. Thus, a great amount of IT resources can achieve high efficient utilization in networked manufacturing and result in reduced energy consumption to benefit green manufacturing.
A prospective study examining the expression of STAT 1, 3, 6 in prurigo nodularis lesions with its immunopathogenic and therapeutic implications

Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a chronic dermatologic condition manifesting as multiple papulonodular lesions occurring on the background of intense pruritus. PN could be primary or secondary. The exact immune pathogenesis of PN is not yet clear, and multiple pathways are proposed with the JAK‐STAT pathway rarely being investigated.
Efficacy and Safety of FX201, a Novel Intra-Articular IL-1Ra Gene Therapy for Osteoarthritis Treatment, in a Rat Model

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disabling, degenerative disease characterized by progressive cartilage and bone damage. There remains a need for local therapies that, following a single injection, can provide long-term pain relief and functional improvement and potentially delay disease progression. FX201 is a novel, intra-articular (IA), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) gene therapy in development for the treatment of OA. In this study, we assessed the efficacy, biodistribution, and safety of helper-dependent adenovirus (HDAd)-ratIL-1Ra, the rat surrogate of FX201, and the biodistribution of FX201, in the anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) rat OA model. A single IA injection of HDAd-ratIL-1Ra administered 7 days post-ACLT mitigated OA-related changes to cartilage, bone, and the synovial membrane at week 12 following surgery. Furthermore, FX201 and HDAd-ratIL-1Ra persisted for at least 92 days in the injected joint and proximal tissues with minimal evidence of vector spreading peripherally. Finally, HDAd-ratIL-1Ra showed a favorable safety profile without any local or systemic adverse effects. In conclusion, HDAd-ratIL-1Ra demonstrated local therapeutic and disease-modifying effects and was well tolerated, supporting further clinical development of FX201.
Situation, Me, Act, and Check (SMAC): A toolkit that helps students learn to Act Wisely in practice

This article answers a question asked by many clinicians: ‘There are students in my workplace, what next? ’. Experience-based learning (ExBL), the evidence-informed theory we have progressively developed over 20 years, has provided answers and raised new questions. Our response has been to complement ExBL with an even finer-honed tool, which we introduce here. The acronym SMAC (Situation, Me, Act, and Check) summarises how clinicians can help students learn from encounters with patients. Before elaborating on SMAC, the next paragraph and Box 1 summarise how ExBL helps create environments that favour clinical learning. While ExBL was developed to educate medical students, it is founded on principles that make it transferable, potentially, to students of any health profession.
Platelets mediate inflammatory monocyte activation by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

Infection with SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, causes mild to moderate disease in most patients but carries a risk of morbidity and mortality. Seriously affected individuals manifest disorders of hemostasis and a cytokine storm, but it is not understood how these manifestations of severe COVID-19 are linked. Here, we showed that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein engaged the CD42b receptor to activate platelets via 2 distinct signaling pathways and promoted platelet-monocyte communication through the engagement of P selectin/PGSL-1 and CD40L/CD40, which led to proinflammatory cytokine production by monocytes. These results explain why hypercoagulation, monocyte activation, and a cytokine storm are correlated in patients severely affected by COVID-19 and suggest a potential target for therapeutic intervention.
Genetic counseling access for parents of newborns who screen positive for cystic fibrosis: Consensus guidelines

A risk associated with cystic fibrosis newborn screening (CFNBS) is parental misunderstanding of genetic information generated by the over 6600 positive screens reported annually in the United States. CFNBS algorithms incorporating DNA analysis can generate genetic information that requires clinical interpretation and has significance for the newborn, parents, and other relatives. Engagement between CF care centers and trained genetic counseling providers, such as licensed and/or certified genetic counselors (GCs), is variable and limited in providing information to CFNBS positive (CFNBS+) families.
Sitagliptin ameliorates hypoxia-induced damages in endometrial stromal cells: an implication in endometriosis

ABSTRACT Hypoxia-induced damage in endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) is an important event in the pathological progression of Endometriosis. It is reported that significant inflammation is induced by hypoxia in ESCs, mediated by serval inflammatory progressions, pathways, or factors. Sitagliptin, an important member of the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors family and has been widely used for the management of type 2 diabetes. It has been recently reported to exert significant anti-inflammatory effects. Here, we aim to assess whether Sitagliptin possesses a protective effect against hypoxia-induced damages in ESCs. Our findings indicate that exposure to hypoxia significantly increased oxidative stress in ESCs by increasing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreasing the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), which was ameliorated by Sitagliptin. Additionally, the excessively produced inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and high mobility group box (HMGB)-1, in hypoxia-treated HESCs were pronouncedly repressed by Sitagliptin. The activated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathway was observed in hypoxia-stimulated HESCs, then greatly inhibited by the introduction of Sitagliptin. Lastly, hypoxia-induced phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα, as well as the upregulation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) p65 and increased transcriptional activity of NF-κB, were dramatically abolished by Sitagliptin. Collectively, Sitagliptin ameliorated hypoxia-induced damages in ESCs by suppressing the inflammation.
Significance of serum miR‐29a in the occurrence and progression of diabetic nephropathy: A cross‐sectional study

Diabetic nephropathy (DN), a common microvascular complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is an important factor causing chronic kidney disease. However, the relationship between miR‐29a and DN remains unknown. Therefore, a cross‐sectional study was conducted to identify a potential molecular biomarker for DN prevention and management by detecting the serum miR‐29a levels.
The Effect of Irradiated Riboflavin in Human Tenon’s Fibroblast – A Study on Cellular Viability

ABSTRACT Purpose/ Aim The main purpose of this work is to study the cellular viability effect of irradiated riboflavin in cultured human tenon fibroblasts. Materials and Methods The tenon tissue was harvested from a patient undergoing strabismus surgery. The human tenon fibroblast cell culture and isolation were performed according to the standard laboratory cell culturing protocol. The cells were divided into three groups: control, treatment with irradiated and non-irradiated riboflavin. There were five different concentrations (0.00156%, 0.003125%, 0.00625%, 0.0125%, 0.025%) in each group of riboflavin. The fibroblasts were treated with riboflavin and the cellular viability was assessed at 24-hour and 48-hour post treatment with MTT 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide colorimetric assay. The absorbance values were analysed using Magellan microplate reader data analysis. A triplicate of readings was taken. The data were presented as mean ± standard deviation of the triplicates. Statistical analysis was performed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) analysis version 23. Results Irradiated riboflavin caused a concentration-dependent cell death in human tenon fibroblast cell culture (p < .05). The antiproliferative difference between irradiated and non-irradiated riboflavin was significant up to 48 hours (p < .05). Post hoc multiple comparisons showed higher concentrations of irradiated riboflavin (0.0125% and 0.025%) caused more reduction in cellular viability in human tenon fibroblast cells (p < .05). The duration of treatment is not a causative factor in this study. Conclusions This pilot experiment demonstrated that irradiated riboflavin induced cell death in human tenon fibroblast culture in a concentration-dependent manner, but is not time-dependent. Further exploratory investigations should be performed to determine the mechanism of cell death. We postulate that apoptosis occurred in these irradiated riboflavin-treated cells.
Multiplex proteomics as risk predictor of infection in patients treated with hemodialysis—A prospective multicenter study

Severe infection is a major problem in hemodialysis patients. Multiplex proteomics might reveal novel insights into disease mechanisms increasing the risk of infection and might also be used as a risk prediction tool. The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate associations between 92 proteins assessed by a proximity extension assay and the development of severe infection in patients on hemodialysis and (2) to develop a risk prediction model for severe infection using prespecified clinical variables and proteomics.
The Effects of Environmental Stresses on the Reliability of Flexible and Standard Termination Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors

Title of Document: THE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSES ON THE RELIABILITY OF FLEXIBLE AND STANDARD TERMINATION MULTILAYER CERAMIC CAPACITORS Garry Brock Jr., Master of Science, 2009 Directed By: Chair Professor, Michael G. Pecht, Department of Mechanical Engineering Flexible termination capacitors were designed to reduce stresses transmitted to the ceramic dielectric of a capacitor and thereby prevent flex cracking. Two studies were conducted to examine the reliability of flexible termination multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) subjected to environmental stresses. The first study used temperature-humiditybias to compare the effects of termination type (standard vs. flexible), presence of a conformal coating (acrylic coating vs. no coating), and voltage bias level. In situ monitoring demonstrated similar failure statistics between the flexible and standard termination capacitors, presence of conformal coating, and voltage bias level. Upon removal from THB conditions recovery occurred only in the standard termination MLCCs. Flexible termination capacitors at the rated voltage bias were found to have more permanent failures after exposure to THB testing as compared to standard termination capacitors. Failure analysis indicated that silver and palladium migration between electrodes was the failure mechanism in the biased flexible termination capacitors. In the second study flexible and standard termination MLCCs experienced a storage test in which they were exposed to elevated temperature and humidity conditions. It was found that the standard termination MLCCs had a lower reliability with the majority of the MLCCs failing compared to the flexible termination MLCCs where only one MLCC failed. Nearly all failures were for insulation resistance with few capacitors failing for other parameters. Subsequent bake-out of the MLCCs showed some recovery, however more failures were still occurring in the standard termination MLCCs compared to the flexible termination MLCCs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cross-sectioning were used to examine the failure mechanisms of the capacitors. A bulk migration of silver into the dielectric was determined to be one of the failure mechanisms in the capacitors. THE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSES ON THE RELIABILITY OF FLEXIBLE AND STANDARD TERMINATION MULTILAYER CERAMIC CAPACITORS By Garry Robert Brock Jr. Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering May 2009 Advisory Committee: Dr. Michael Pecht, Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Donald Barker, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Patrick McCluskey, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering © Copyright by Garry Robert Brock Jr. 2009
An increase in glycoprotein concentration on extracellular virions dramatically alters vaccinia virus infectivity and pathogenesis without impacting immunogenicity

The extracellular virion (EV) form of Orthopoxviruses is required for cell-to-cell spread and pathogenesis, and is the target of neutralizing antibodies in the protective immune response. EV have a double envelope that contains several unique proteins that are involved in its intracellular envelopment and/or subsequent infectivity. One of these, F13, is involved in both EV formation and infectivity. Here, we report that replacement of vaccinia virus F13L with the molluscum contagiosum virus homolog, MC021L, results in the production of EV particles with significantly increased levels of EV glycoproteins, which correlate with a small plaque phenotype. Using a novel fluorescence-activated virion sorting assay to isolate EV populations based on glycoprotein content we determine that EV containing either higher or lower levels of glycoproteins are less infectious, suggesting that there is an optimal concentration of glycoproteins in the outer envelope that is required for maximal infectivity of EV. This optimal glycoprotein concentration was required for lethality and induction of pathology in a cutaneous model of animal infection, but was not required for induction of a protective immune response. Therefore, our results demonstrate that there is a sensitive balance between glycoprotein incorporation, infectivity, and pathogenesis, and that manipulation of EV glycoprotein levels can produce vaccine vectors in which pathologic side effects are attenuated without a marked diminution in induction of protective immunity.
A Novel Classification Framework Using the Graph Representations of Electroencephalogram for Motor Imagery Based Brain-Computer Interface

The motor imagery (MI) based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have been proposed as a potential physical rehabilitation technology. However, the low classification accuracy achievable with MI tasks is still a challenge when building effective BCI systems. We propose a novel MI classification model based on measurement of functional connectivity between brain regions and graph theory. Specifically, motifs describing local network structures in the brain are extracted from functional connectivity graphs. A graph embedding model called Ego-CNNs is then used to build a classifier, which can convert the graph from a structural representation to a fixed-dimensional vector for detecting critical structure in the graph. We validate our proposed method on four datasets, and the results show that our proposed method produces high classification accuracies in two-class classification tasks (92.8% for dataset 1, 93.4% for dataset 2, 96.5% for dataset 3, and 80.2% for dataset 4) and multiclass classification tasks (90.33% for dataset 1). Our proposed method achieves a mean Kappa value of 0.88 across nine participants, which is superior to other methods we compared it to. These results indicate that there is a local structural difference in functional connectivity graphs extracted under different motor imagery tasks. Our proposed method has great potential for motor imagery classification in future studies.
Development and technical validation of a smartphone‐based pediatric cough detection algorithm

Coughing is a common symptom in pediatric lung disease and cough frequency has been shown to be correlated to disease activity in several conditions. Automated cough detection could provide a noninvasive digital biomarker for pediatric clinical trials or care. The aim of this study was to develop a smartphone‐based algorithm that objectively and automatically counts cough sounds of children.