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Despite the development of several effective vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread, causing serious illness among the unvaccinated. Healthcare professionals are trusted sources of information about vaccination, and therefore understanding the attitudes and beliefs of healthcare professionals regarding the vaccines is of utmost importance. We conducted a survey-based study to understand the factors affecting COVID-19 vaccine attitudes among health care professionals in NYC Health and Hospitals, at a time when the vaccine was new, and received 3759 responses. Machine learning and chi-square analyses were applied to determine the factors most predictive of vaccine hesitancy. Demographic factors, education, role at the hospital, perceptions of the pandemic itself, and location of work and residence were all found to significantly contribute to vaccine attitudes. Location of residence was examined for both borough and neighborhood, and was found to have a significant impact on vaccine receptivity. Interestingly, this borough-level data did not correspond to the number or severity of cases in the respective boroughs, indicating that local social or other influences likely have a substantial impact. Local and demographic factors should be strongly considered when preparing pro-vaccine messages or campaigns.

Thymoquinone (TQ), which is one of the main bioactive constituents of Nigella sativa seeds, has demonstrated its potential against various cancer models. The poor solubility of TQ in aqueous solution limits its uses in clinical application. The present study aimed to develop a novel formulation of TQ to increase its bioavailability and therapeutic potential with minimal toxicity. Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated DSPC/cholesterol comprising TQ liposomes (PEG-Lip-TQ) were prepared and characterized on various aspects. A computational investigation using molecular docking was used to assess the possible binding interactions of TQ with 12 prospective anticancer drug targets. The in vitro anticancer activity was assessed in A549 and H460 lung cancer cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, while the oral acute toxicity assay was evaluated in silico as well as in vivo in mice. TQ docked to the Hsp90 target had the lowest binding energy of −6.05 kcal/mol, whereas caspase 3 was recognized as the least likely target for TQ with a binding energy of −1.19 kcal/mol. The results showed 96% EE with 120 nm size, and −10.85 mv, ζ-potential of PEG-Lip-TQ, respectively. The cell cytotoxicity data demonstrated high sensitivity of PEG-Lip-TQ and a several fold decrease in the IC50 while comparing free TQ. The cell cycle analysis showed changes in the distribution of cells with doses. The in vivo data revealed an ~9-fold increase in the LD50 of PEG-Lip-TQ on free TQ as an estimated 775 and 89.5 mg/kg b.w, respectively. This study indicates that the pharmacological and efficacy profile of PEG-lip-TQ is superior to free TQ, which will pave the way for an exploration of the effect of TQ formulation in the treatment of lung cancer in clinical settings.

Smoldering MM (SMM) is a premalignant stage of multiple myeloma (MM). Here the authors perform whole genome sequencing of unique paired samples of SMM progressing to MM, and show that the genomic landscape at the SMM stage is very similar to MM, but trajectories of evolution can vary from patient to patient.

Many islands promote their destinations by including islets that surround them. Conscious of the competitive tourism market, the move is based on the need for tourism diversification. Islets are endowed with unique flora and fauna, and when included in the tourism package, islets receive considerable prominence in the gaze of tourists looking for authentic experiences. Mauritius Island has not lagged behind in adopting this trend. Studies show that islets surrounding Mauritius are major tourism assets, but these seem to have received insufficient attention in tourism studies. The current study uses Jordan’s core-periphery model to investigate Ilot Bernaches, one of the popular islets of Mauritius. The uniqueness of this study is two-fold: first, it seeks to investigate implications of tourism development at Ilot Bernaches, and second, it makes a case for setting up an islet management authority. The research design is based on a mixed methodology. The major findings reveal that Ilot Bernaches has potential to diversify the existing tourism product and adds value to the Mauritian tourism product. The study discusses destination management implications, makes recommendations regarding tourism development at Ilot Bernaches, and sets the groundwork for further studies of islets in tourism. It is recommended that an islet management authority be established to help cope with core-periphery tensions.

Understanding the interactions between happiness, self-perception of health, healthy eating behaviors, physical activities, and psychological feelings or symptoms of mental health provides necessary inputs for social policymaking. Using data from the second cycle of the Abu Dhabi Quality of Life survey, this study examined a path analysis of Abu Dhabi residents’ nature of assimilations between these variables. The results point to the significant association between happiness and self-rated health. In addition, the results portray significant direct paths to happiness from three mental feeling variables—“feeling calm and peaceful”, “having lots of energy”, and “feeling downhearted and depressed”. The variable of “often feeling rushed or pressed for time” shows a direct path to self-rated health only. Eating healthy food is significantly associated with both happiness and self-perception of health. In addition, “often doing physical activities” positively influences happiness. The present study enhances and refines policymakers’ understanding of the considered factors on happiness and self-rated health with further elaborations of the mediating roles of specific well-being determinants. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.

Serving deep learning (DL) models on relational data has become a critical requirement across diverse commercial and scientific domains, sparking growing interest recently. In this visionary paper, we embark on a comprehensive exploration of representative architectures to address the requirement. We highlight three pivotal paradigms: The state-of-the-art DL-centric architecture offloads DL computations to dedicated DL frameworks. The potential UDF-centric architecture encapsulates one or more tensor computations into User Defined Functions (UDFs) within the relational database management system (RDBMS). The potential relation-centric architecture aims to represent a large-scale tensor computation through relational operators. While each of these architectures demonstrates promise in specific use scenarios, we identify urgent requirements for seamless integration of these architectures and the middle ground in-between these architectures. We delve into the gaps that impede the integration and explore innovative strategies to close them. We present a pathway to establish a novel RDBMS for enabling a broad class of data-intensive DL inference applications.

Objective: Methyl methanesulfonate ultraviolet sensitive gene clone 81 (MUS81) is a structure-specific endonuclease that plays a pivotal role in the DNA repair system of cancer cells. In this study, we aim to elucidate the potential association between the dysfunction of MUS81 and the progression of Serous Ovarian Cancer (SOC).Methods: To investigate the association between MUS81 and prognosis of SOC, immunohistochemistry technology and qPCR were used to analyze the level of MUS81 expression, and transcriptional profile analysis and protein interaction screening chip were used to explore the MUS81 related signal pathways. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, immunofluorescence and comet assays were further performed to evaluate genomic instability and DNA damage status of transduced SOC cells. Experiments both in vitro and in vivo were conducted to verify the impact of MUS81 silencing on chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity of SOC.Results: The overexpression of MUS81 in SOC tissues was related to poor clinical outcomes. The transcriptional chip data showed that MUS81 was involved in multiple pathways associated with DNA repair. Deficiency of MUS81 intensified the genome instability of SOC cells, promoted the emergence of DSBs and restrained the formation of RAD51 foci in SOC cells with exposure to UV. Furthermore, downregulation of MUS81 enhanced the sensitivity to Camptothecin and Olaparib in SOC cell lines and xenograft model.Conclusions: MUS81 is involved in the progression of SOC and inhibition of MUS81 could augment the susceptibility to chemotherapeutic agents. MUS81 might represent a novel molecular target for SOC chemotherapy.

Summary: Parsing diverse nerve cells into biological types is necessary for understanding neural circuit organization. Morphology is an intuitive criterion for neuronal classification and a proxy of connectivity, but morphological diversity and variability often preclude resolving the granularity of neuron types. Combining genetic labeling with high-resolution, large-volume light microscopy, we established a single neuron anatomy platform that resolves, registers, and quantifies complete neuron morphologies in the mouse brain. We discovered that cortical axo-axonic cells (AACs), a cardinal GABAergic interneuron type that controls pyramidal neuron (PyN) spiking at axon initial segments, consist of multiple subtypes distinguished by highly laminar-specific soma position and dendritic and axonal arborization patterns. Whereas the laminar arrangements of AAC dendrites reflect differential recruitment by input streams, the laminar distribution and local geometry of AAC axons enable differential innervation of PyN ensembles. This platform will facilitate genetically targeted, high-resolution, and scalable single neuron anatomy in the mouse brain. : Wang et al. combine mouse genetic labeling with high-resolution, large-volume light microscopy and establish a single-neuron anatomy platform. They show that cortical axo-axonic cells, a GABAergic interneuron type that innervates pyramidal neurons at axon initial segments, consist of multiple subtypes distinguished by laminar position and dendritic and axonal arborization. Keywords: GABAergic interneurons, axo-axonic cells, AACs, chandelier cells, ChCs, neuron subtypes, genetic single neuron anatomy, gSNA, fMOST

This meta-analysis examined whether motivation mediated the relationship between self-efficacy, locus of control, and academic achievement. Thirty-seven studies providing correlation estimates for 40 different samples were included in the analysis. The data from these studies were fitted to three models using a two-stage structural equation modelling method. In stage 1, a total correlation matrix was created by combining the correlations. In stage 2, this matrix was used for examining the models. First, a proposed model was fitted to examine the effect of self-efficacy and locus of control on achievement through motivation. Second, an alternative model was tested by drawing a direct line from self-efficacy to achievement. Third, another model was tested by examining the mediating role of motivation between self-efficacy and achievement. The analyses suggested that academic achievement significantly correlates with self-efficacy (r=0.218) and motivation (r=0.237). Motivation significantly correlates with self-efficacy (r=0.415) and locus of control (r=0.216). However, locus of control does not correlate with self-efficacy and achievement (p>0.05). Self-efficacy and locus of control positively influence motivation. Self-efficacy influences achievement both directly and indirectly through motivation. The findings provide a general overview of how these variables correlate and affect student achievement.

In the present study, we investigated the activity of free thymoquinone (TQ) or liposomal thymoquinone (Lip-TQ) in comparison to standard antibiotic amoxicillin (AMX) against the drug-sensitive and drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. A liposomal formulation of TQ was prepared and characterized and its toxicity was evaluated by analyzing the hematological, liver and kidney function parameters. TQ was effective against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant A. baumannii as shown by the findings of drug susceptibility testing and time kill kinetics. Moreover, the therapeutic efficacy of TQ or Lip-TQ against A. baumannii was assessed by the survival rate and the bacterial load in the lung tissues of treated mice. The mice infected with drug-sensitive A. baumannii exhibited a 90% survival rate on day 30 post treatment with Lip-TQ at a dose of 10 mg/kg, whereas the mice treated with AMX (10 mg/kg) had a 100% survival rate. On the other hand, the mice infected with drug-resistant A. baumannii had a 70% survival rate in the group treated with Lip-TQ, whereas AMX was ineffective against drug-resistant A. baumannii and all the mice died within day 30 after the treatment. Moreover, Lip-TQ treatment effectively reduced the bacterial load in the lung tissues of the mice infected with the drug-sensitive and drug-resistant A. baumannii. Moreover, the blood of the mice treated with Lip-TQ had reduced levels of inflammation markers, leukocytes and neutrophils. The results of the present study suggest that Lip-TQ may prove to be an effective therapeutic formulation in the treatment of the drug-sensitive or drug-resistant A. baumannii infection as well.