Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adjustable biodegradability of low-swelling hydrogels prepared from recombinant peptides based on human collagen type 1

An ideal hydrogel for tissue engineering and regenerative therapy is cytocompatible, biocompatible, and has low-swelling characteristics. Recently, a novel low-swelling hydrogel with a homogenous structure was developed by crosslinking a recombinant peptide, modeled on human collagen type 1 (RCPhC1), with a four-arm polyethylene glycol (tetra-PEG). Here, we hypothesized that the biodegradability of the RCPhC1 hydrogel was adjustable by altering its initial polymer concentration. Three types of RCPhC1 hydrogels were prepared using the initial polymer at different concentrations, and their morphology, swelling ratio, collagenase degradability, cytocompatibility, biocompatibility, and biodegradability were compared. The results revealed a low swelling ratio. The higher the concentration of the initial polymer, the longer it took for it to be degraded by collagenase. The average cell viability ratio was over 92% when using the direct contact method, which suggests that the hydrogels have excellent cytocompatibility. No death, tumorigenesis, exposure of the implants, or skin necrosis associated with the subcutaneous implantation of the hydrogels was found in mice in vivo. Moreover, histological evaluation revealed the formation of a thin fibrous capsule, which suggests an acceptable biocompatibility. Furthermore, as hypothesized, it was confirmed that the biodegradability can be adjusted by changing the initial polymer concentration. Collectively, the ability to fine-tune the biodegradability of RCPhC1 hydrogels demonstrates their potential for use in various clinical applications.
Assessment of single-nucleotide variant discovery protocols in RNA-seq data from human cells exposed to mycotoxins

Abstract Food and feed contamination by nonlegislated mycotoxins beauvericin (BEA) and enniatin B (ENB) is a worldwide health concern in the present. The principal objective of this work is to assess some of the existing protocols to discover the single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in transcriptomic data obtained by RNA-seq from Jurkat cells in vitro samples individually exposed to BEA and ENB at three concentration levels (1.5, 3 and 5 µM). Moreover, previous transcriptomic results will be compared with new findings obtained using a different protocol. SNVs rs201003509 in BEA exposed cells and the rs36045790 in ENB were found in the differentially expressed genes in all doses compared to controls by means of the Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) Best Practices workflow. SNV-RNA-seq complementary pipeline did not show any SNV. Concerning gene expression, discrepant results were found for 1.5 µM BEA exposed cells compared with previous findings. However, 354 overlapped differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the three ENB concentrations used, with 147 matches with respect to the 245 DEGs found in the previous results. In conclusion, the two discovery SNVs protocols based on variant calling from RNA-seq used in this work displayed very different results and there were SNVs found manually not identified by any pipeline. Additionally, the new gene expression analysis reported comparable but non identical DEGs to the previous transcriptomic results obtained from these RNA-seq data. Graphical Abstract Single-nucleotide variants discovery protocols in transcriptomic data by RNA-seq from Jurkat cells exposed to mycotoxins for the first time
Traffic Sign Detection Using a Multi-Scale Recurrent Attention Network

Traffic sign detection plays an important role in intelligent transportation systems. But traffic signs are still not well-detected by deep convolution neural network-based methods because the sizes of their feature maps are constrained, and the environmental context information has not been fully exploited by other researchers. What we need is a way to incorporate relevant context detail from the neighboring layers into the detection architecture. We have developed a novel traffic sign detection approach based on recurrent attention for multi-scale analysis and use of local context in the image. Experiments on the German traffic sign detection benchmark and the Tsinghua-Tencent 100K data set demonstrated that our approach obtained an accuracy comparable to the state-of-the-art approaches in traffic sign detection.
In Vitro Evaluation and Mitigation of Niclosamide’s Liabilities as a COVID-19 Treatment

Niclosamide, an FDA-approved oral anthelmintic drug, has broad biological activity including anticancer, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Niclosamide has also been identified as a potent inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro, generating interest in its use for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19. Unfortunately, there are several potential issues with using niclosamide for COVID-19, including low bioavailability, significant polypharmacology, high cellular toxicity, and unknown efficacy against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. In this study, we used high-content imaging-based immunofluorescence assays in two different cell models to assess these limitations and evaluate the potential for using niclosamide as a COVID-19 antiviral. We show that despite promising preliminary reports, the antiviral efficacy of niclosamide overlaps with its cytotoxicity giving it a poor in vitro selectivity index for anti-SARS-CoV-2 inhibition. We also show that niclosamide has significantly variable potency against the different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and is most potent against variants with enhanced cell-to-cell spread including the B.1. 1.7 (alpha) variant. Finally, we report the activity of 33 niclosamide analogs, several of which have reduced cytotoxicity and increased potency relative to niclosamide. A preliminary structure–activity relationship analysis reveals dependence on a protonophore for antiviral efficacy, which implicates nonspecific endolysosomal neutralization as a dominant mechanism of action. Further single-cell morphological profiling suggests niclosamide also inhibits viral entry and cell-to-cell spread by syncytia. Altogether, our results suggest that niclosamide is not an ideal candidate for the treatment of COVID-19, but that there is potential for developing improved analogs with higher clinical translational potential in the future.
How Flexible are Treatments for Youth Internalizing Disorders? Examining Modification Guidelines Included across Supported Treatments

ABSTRACT Objective Treatment protocols for youth-internalizing disorders have been developed, however these protocols have yielded mixed findings in routine care settings. Despite increased recognition of the importance of flexibility when delivering evidence-based treatments (EBTs), little is known about the extent to which protocols offer guidance to providers in flexible EBT implementation. The current study examined the extent to which supported EBTs for youth internalizing disorders explicitly incorporate guidance for treatment modification. Methods Supported treatment protocols for youth internalizing disorders were identified (N = 44), from which 4,021 modification guidelines were extracted and coded using a structured coding system to classify modification strategies (i.e., the forms that recommended modifications take), and associated tailoring factors (i.e., the rationale for which modifications are recommended). Results Across all EBTs, modification guidelines were quite common, with the average protocol including almost 91 text passages providing guidance for modification. The majority of modification guidelines functionally increase session or treatment length by recommending the addition or repetition of material, whereas less than 5% of modification guidelines provided strategies for condensing or streamlining care. Strikingly, less than 2% of modification guidelines in EBT protocols address patient cultural factors, and rarely address provider or setting issues that can challenge standard implementation. Conclusions Findings highlight critical gaps in the available guidance to modify EBTs for youth internalizing disorders, and suggest EBT protocols may not be optimally poised to flexibly address the broad diversity of children and adolescents across varied settings in need of mental health care.
Prediction of Taxi Destinations Using a Novel Data Embedding Method and Ensemble Learning

The accurate and timely destination prediction of taxis is of great importance for location-based service applications. Over the last few decades, the popularization of vehicle navigation systems has brought the era of big data to the taxi industry. Existing destination prediction approaches are mainly based on various Markov chain models or trip matching ideas, which require geographical information and may encounter the problem of data sparsity. Other machine learning prediction models are still unsatisfactory in providing favorable results. In this paper, first, we propose use of a novel and efficient data embedding method for time-related feature pre-processing. The key idea behind this is to embed the data into a two-dimensional space before feature selection. Second, we propose use of a novel data-driven ensemble learning approach for destination prediction. This approach combines the respective superiorities of support vector regression and deep learning at different segments of the whole trajectory. Our experiments are conducted on two real data sets to demonstrate that the proposed ensemble learning model can get superior performance for taxi destination prediction. Comparisons also confirm the effectiveness of the proposed data embedding method in the deep learning model.
Feed1st, No Questions Asked: How a Hospital-Based Food Pantry Program Grew Its Impact During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Feed1st, a no-questions-asked, self-serve food pantry program at a Chicago, Illinois, medical center, increased its impact during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding five new pantries and distributing 124% more food in March 2020 to November 2021 (42 970 pounds or 36 000 meals) than in the same period of 2018 to 2019 (19 220 pounds or 16 000 meals). Of 11 locations, distribution was highest in a phlebotomy waiting area and a cafeteria pantry. The community-engaged model enabled Feed1st to increase food access for patients, caregivers, and workers during the pandemic. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print August 25, 2022:e1-e5. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306984).
Role of Vitamin K in Selected Malignant Neoplasms in Women

The main function of vitamin K in the human organism is its activity in the blood clotting cascade. Epidemiological studies suggest that reduced intake of vitamin K may contribute to an increased risk of geriatric diseases such as atherosclerosis, dementia, osteoporosis, and osteoarthritis. A growing number of studies also indicate that vitamin K may be involved not only in preventing the development of certain cancers but it may also support classical cancer chemotherapy. This review article summarizes the results of studies on the anticancer effects of vitamin K on selected female malignancies, i.e., breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer, published over the past 20 years. The promising effects of vitamin K on cancer cells observed so far indicate its great potential, but also the need for expansion of our knowledge in this area by conducting extensive research, including clinical trials.
CD36 down regulation by the macrophage antioxidant 7,8-dihydroneopterin through modulation of PPAR-γ activity

Abstract CD36 is the key scavenger receptor driving the formation of cholesterol-loaded foam cells, the principal cellular component of atherosclerotic plaques. CD36 is down regulated by 7,8-dihydroneopterin, a potent superoxide and hypochlorite scavenging antioxidant generated by interferon-γ stimulated macrophages. 7,8-dihydroneopterin downregulates CD36 mRNA and protein levels so inhibiting macrophage foam cell formation in vitro. We examined the mechanism of 7,8-dihydroneopterin downregulation of CD36 by measuring CD36 and PPAR-γ levels by Western blot analysis, in the monocyte-like U937 cells with a range of PPAR-γ stimulants and inhibitors. Lipoxygenase activity was measured by monitoring linoleic acid oxidation at 234 nm for diene formation. Between 100 and 200 μM, 7,8-dihydroneopterin decreased CD36 levels by 50% within 12 h with levels dropping below 25% by 24 h. CD36 levels returned to basal levels after 24 h. Inhibition of protein synthesis by cycloheximide shows 7,8-dihydroneopterin had no effect on CD36 degradation rates. PPAR-γ levels were not altered by the addition of 7,8-dihydroneopterin. MAP Kinase, P38 and NF-κB pathways inhibitors SP600125, PD98059, SB202190 and BAY 11-7082, respectively, did not restore the CD36 levels in the presence of 7,8-dihydroneopterin. The addition of the lipophilic PPAR-γ activators rosiglitazone and azelaoyl-PAF prevented the CD36 downregulation by 7,8-dihydroneopterin. 7,8-dihydroneopterin inhibited soybean lipoxygenase and reduced U937 cell basal levels of cellular lipid oxides as measured by HPLC-TBARS analysis. The data show 7,8-dihydroneopterin down regulates CD36 expression by decreasing the level of lipid oxide stimulation of PPAR-γ promotor activity, potentially through lipoxygenase inhibition.
Percutaneous electrical stimulation-induced muscle contraction prevents the decrease in ribosome RNA and ribosome protein during pelvic hindlimb suspension.

Skeletal muscle unloading leads to muscle atrophy. Ribosome synthesis has been implicated as an important skeletal muscle mass regulator owing to its translational capacity. Muscle unloading induces a reduction in ribosome synthesis and content, with muscle atrophy. Percutaneous electrical muscle stimulation (pEMS)-induced muscle contraction is widely used in clinics to improve muscle mass. However, its efficacy in rescuing the reduction in ribosomal synthesis has not been addressed thus far. We examined the effects of daily pEMS treatment on ribosome synthesis and content during mouse hindlimb unloading. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to sedentary (SED) and hindlimb unloading by pelvic suspension (HU) groups. Muscle contraction was triggered by pEMS treatment of the right gastrocnemius muscle of a subset of the HU group (HU+pEMS). Hindlimb unloading for 6 days significantly lowered 28S rRNA, rpL10, and rpS3 expression, which was rescued by daily pEMS treatment. The protein expression of phospho-p70S6K and UBF was significantly higher in the HU+pEMS than in the HU group. The mRNA expression of ribophagy receptor Nufip1 increased in both the HU and HU+pEMS groups. Protein light chain 3 (LC3)-II expression and the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio were increased by HU, but pEMS attenuated this increase. Our findings indicate that during HU, daily pEMS treatment prevents the reduction in the levels of some proteins associated with ribosome synthesis. Additionally, the HU-induced activation of ribosome degradation may be attenuated. These data provide insights into ribosome content regulation and the mechanism of attenuation of muscle atrophy by pEMS treatment during muscle disuse.
Transcriptional deregulation of LSD1 and LSD2 is associated with cytogenetic risk in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Daniel Freitas da Costa, Luma Dayane de Carvalho Fili u-Braga, Amandda Evelin Silva-Carvalho, Josiane Lilian Schiavinato, Maria Catarina Cals de Vasconcelos, Lorena Lôbo de Figueiredo-Pontes, Antonio Roberto Lucena-Araujo and Felipe Saldanha-Araujo Laborat orio de Hematologia e C elulas-Tronco, Universidade de Bras ılia, Brasilia, Brasil; Laborat orio de Farmacologia Molecular, Universidade de Bras ılia, Brasilia, Brasil; Laborat orio de Hematologia, Universidade de S~ao Paulo, S~ao Paulo, Brazil; Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal, Setor Hospitalar Sul, Bras ılia, Brazil; Laborat orio de Hematologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
Cigarette smoke modulates inflammation and immunity via ROS-regulated trained immunity and trained tolerance mechanisms.

SIGNIFICANCE Cigarette smoke (CS) is a prominent cause of morbidity and death and poses a serious challenge to the current healthcare system worldwide. Its multifaceted roles have led to cardiovascular, respiratory, immunological, and neoplastic diseases. RECENT ADVANCES CS influences both innate and adaptive immunity and regulates immune responses by exacerbating pathogenic immunological responses and/or suppressing defense immunity. There is substantial evidence pointing toward a critical role of CS in vascular immunopathology, but a comprehensive and up-to-date review is lacking. CRITICAL ISSUES This review aims to synthesize novel conceptual advances on the immunomodulatory action of CS with a focus on the cardiovascular system from the following perspectives: (1) the signaling of danger-associated molecular pattern (DAMPs) receptors contributes to CS modulation of inflammation and immunity; (2) CS reprograms immunometabolism and trained immunity-related metabolic pathways in innate immune cells and T cells, which can be sensed by the cytoplasmic (cytosolic and non-nuclear organelles) reactive oxygen species (ROS) system in vascular cells; (3) how nuclear ROS drive CS-promoted DNA damage and cell death pathways, thereby amplifying inflammation and immune responses; and (4) CS induces endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction and vascular inflammation to promote cardiovascular diseases. FUTURE DIRECTIONS Despite significant progress in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms linking CS to immunity. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate novel mechanisms responsible for CS-mediated immunopathology of cardiovascular diseases; in particular, the research in redox regulation of immune functions of ECs and their fate affected by CS is still in its infancy.
Provider Characteristics That Hinder Relationships with Black Women in the Perinatal Period

Black women have often reported challenges in their relationships with health care providers during the perinatal period. This study synthesized the findings of qualitative studies to describe health care providers’ characteristics that hinder therapeutic relationships with Black women in the perinatal period. A systematic search was conducted and findings from 12 qualitative studies were synthesized using a thematic synthesis approach. Two overarching themes that included seven descriptive themes were discovered. The seven descriptive themes include the following: (1) provides differential treatment; (2) expresses biased attitudes; (3) lacks empathy; (4) limits choices; (5) communicates inadequate health information; (6) provides deficient care; and (7) dismisses concerns. Participants experienced challenged relationships with health care providers who held implicit biases and discouraged them from participating in their care. The findings suggest the importance of confronting implicit biases, promoting a bias-free health care system, and providing quality care that is respectful to Black women in the perinatal period.
Structurally integrated 3D carbon tube grid–based high-performance filter capacitor

Filter capacitors play a critical role in ensuring the quality and reliability of electrical and electronic equipment. Aluminum electrolytic capacitors are the most commonly used but are the largest filtering components, limiting device miniaturization. The high areal and volumetric capacitance of electric double-layer capacitors should make them ideal miniaturized filter capacitors, but they are hindered by their slow frequency responses. We report the development of interconnected and structurally integrated carbon tube grid–based electric double-layer capacitors with high areal capacitance and rapid frequency response. These capacitors exhibit excellent line filtering of 120-hertz voltage signal and volumetric advantages under low-voltage operations for digital circuits, portable electronics, and electrical appliances. These findings provide a sound technological basis for developing electric double-layer capacitors for miniaturizing filter and power devices. Description Carbon-based filter capacitors Filter capacitors are used in filter circuits to convert alternating current into direct current by smoothing out ripples in the incoming supply. They have been dominated by aluminum electrolytic capacitors and are typically the largest component in an electronic circuit because of their low areal capacitances, thus limiting the potential for miniaturization. Using three-dimensional porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates, Han et al. constructed a network of carbon tubes in which they deposited nickel catalyst nanoparticles and grew vertically aligned carbon nanotubes using chemical vapor deposition. After removal of the AAO, a flexible film was obtained. The films showed a 25% improvement in areal capacitance at 120 hertz and can be connected in series without affecting their electrochemical performance. —MSL High-performance filtering double-layer capacitors show high-frequency response.
Development of Grid-Connected Inverter Experiment Modules for Microgrid Learning

New paradigms in the modern power system should be introduced to student of electrical engineering, or engineer in training, as early as possible. Besides class-room study, experimental exercise may be introduced to help the student understand the concept of microgrid. One main challenge is the power electronics converter, which connects the distributed energy source to the existing power grid. This study modeled and developed a grid-connected inverter that is useful for providing a close to real application for a student or engineer in training. This development is important for microgrid learning to give practical perspective to the student. A grid-connected inverter for distributed generation was developed at laboratory scale. The grid-connected inverter was developed modularly to make it easier for the student to understand the basic concept of grid-connected inverter building blocks, as well as its function as a whole. The developed grid-connected inverter was intended to be able to operate on two different mode: grid-forming mode and grid-injecting mode. Experiments were conducted to verify the results.
Neurodevelopmental Conditions and the NGRI Defense

Guina et al. summarize the literature on neurodevelopmental conditions and crime, focusing on the use of the insanity plea for this population. There have been a small number of cases in several jurisdictions, using both cognitive and volitional prongs, generating questions about the use of the defense for people with neurodevelopmental conditions. There are theoretical scenarios in which the defense seems appropriate, such as the argument that higher order moral reasoning is contingent on a series of developmental steps, including the development of theory of mind. Other lines of argument could be based on differences in conceptual thinking, reasoning, language, memory, attention, executive functioning, emotional regulation, and impulsivity. There are multiple barriers, however, to the use of the defense, including its antiquated language, which does not reflect our current conceptualizations of mental conditions and disorders. Another barrier is associated with the implicit stigmatization of defining a different way of being as a disorder, a position at the core of the important and burgeoning neurodiversity movement. It is not clear whether neurodevelopmental conditions will become the basis for an increasing number of insanity pleas, but more information in the form of primary data and good analysis is a critical next step.