Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phylogenetic and Trait-Based Assembly of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities

Both competition and environmental filtering are expected to influence the community structure of microbes, but there are few tests of the relative importance of these processes because trait data on these organisms is often difficult to obtain. Using phylogenetic and functional trait information, we tested whether arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal community composition in an old field was influenced by competitive exclusion and/or environmental filtering. Communities at the site were dominated by species from the most speciose family of AM fungi, the Glomeraceae, though species from two other lineages, the Acaulosporaceae and Gigasporaceae were also found. Despite the dominance of species from a single family, AM fungal species most frequently co-existed when they were distantly related and when they differed in the ability to colonize root space on host plants. The ability of AM fungal species to colonize soil did not influence co-existence. These results suggest that competition between closely related and functionally similar species for space on plant roots influences community assembly. Nevertheless, in a substantial minority of cases communities were phylogenetically clustered, indicating that closely related species could also co-occur, as would be expected if i) the environment restricted community membership to single functional type or ii) competition among functionally similar species was weak. Our results therefore also suggest that competition for niche space between closely related fungi is not the sole influence of mycorrhizal community structure in field situations, but may be of greater relative importance than other ecological mechanisms.
The Effects of Twitter Users’ Gender and Weight on Viral Behavioral Intentions Toward Obesity-Related News

In this study, male and female participants were exposed to identical news stories covering obesity topics paired with tweets from Twitter users. Our study aimed at understanding how obesity-related news combined with user-generated social media posts (i.e., tweets) affect consumers’ evaluations of online content and viral behavioral intentions (the intentions to like, share, and comment). An experiment (N = 316) explored how gender and weight of a Twitter user (tweeter) affect participants’ evaluations and viral behavioral intentions toward news stories. Participants differed in their evaluations of and viral behavioral intentions for news stories as a function of Twitter users’ gender and weight, as well as participants’ gender. While participants expressed more favorable attitudes toward news stories paired with tweets by overweight than healthy females (with the opposite true for tweets by male users), participants expressed greater viral behavioral intentions for news stories paired with tweets by healthy weight than overweight user. These effects were more pronounced among male than female participants. Findings are discussed within the context of social media posts and their persuasive effects in relation to attitude and behavior changes.
A Helicobacter pylori Homolog of Eukaryotic Flotillin Is Involved in Cholesterol Accumulation, Epithelial Cell Responses and Host Colonization

The human pathogen Helicobacter pylori acquires cholesterol from membrane raft domains in eukaryotic cells, commonly known as “lipid rafts. ” Incorporation of this cholesterol into the H. pylori cell membrane allows the bacterium to avoid clearance by the host immune system and to resist the effects of antibiotics and antimicrobial peptides. The presence of cholesterol in H. pylori bacteria suggested that this pathogen may have cholesterol-enriched domains within its membrane. Consistent with this suggestion, we identified a hypothetical H. pylori protein (HP0248) with homology to the flotillin proteins normally found in the cholesterol-enriched domains of eukaryotic cells. As shown for eukaryotic flotillin proteins, HP0248 was detected in detergent-resistant membrane fractions of H. pylori. Importantly, H. pylori HP0248 mutants contained lower levels of cholesterol than wild-type bacteria (P < 0.01). HP0248 mutant bacteria also exhibited defects in type IV secretion functions, as indicated by reduced IL-8 responses and CagA translocation in epithelial cells (P < 0.05), and were less able to establish a chronic infection in mice than wild-type bacteria (P < 0.05). Thus, we have identified an H. pylori flotillin protein and shown its importance for bacterial virulence. Taken together, the data demonstrate important roles for H. pylori flotillin in host-pathogen interactions. We propose that H. pylori flotillin may be required for the organization of virulence proteins into membrane raft-like structures in this pathogen.
Recombinant ApxIV protein enhances protective efficacy against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in mice and pigs

Available bacterins, commercial or autogenous, for Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae disease control have, thus far, shown debatable protective efficacy and only in homologous challenges. Our study sought to determine whether the addition of reombinant protein ApxIV to the multicomponent vaccine could enhance protection against homologous and heterologous challenge of A. pleuropneumoniae.
Bacterial Gut Symbionts Contribute to Seed Digestion in an Omnivorous Beetle

Background Obligate bacterial symbionts alter the diets of host animals in numerous ways, but the ecological roles of facultative bacterial residents that colonize insect guts remain unclear. Carabid beetles are a common group of beneficial insects appreciated for their ability to consume insect prey and seeds, but the contributions of microbes to diet diversification in this and similar groups of facultative granivores are largely unknown. Methodology and Principal Findings Using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and terminal restriction fragment (tRF) length polymorphism analyses of these genes, we examined the bacterial communities within the guts of facultatively granivorous, adult Harpalus pensylvanicus (Carabidae), fed one of five dietary treatments: 1) an untreated Field population, 2) Seeds with antibiotics (seeds were from Chenopodium album), 3) Seeds without antibiotics, 4) Prey with antibiotics (prey were Acheta domesticus eggs), and 5) Prey without antibiotics. The number of seeds and prey consumed by each beetle were recorded following treatment. Harpalus pensylvanicus possessed a fairly simple gut community of approximately 3-4 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTU) per beetle that were affiliated with the Gammaproteobacteria, Bacilli, Alphaproteobacteria, and Mollicutes. Bacterial communities of the host varied among the diet and antibiotic treatments. The field population and beetles fed seeds without antibiotics had the closest matching bacterial communities, and the communities in the beetles fed antibiotics were more closely related to each other than to those of the beetles that did not receive antibiotics. Antibiotics reduced and altered the bacterial communities found in the beetle guts. Moreover, beetles fed antibiotics ate fewer seeds, and those beetles that harbored the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis consumed more seeds on average than those lacking this symbiont. Conclusions/Significance We conclude that the relationships between the bacterium E. faecalis and this factultative granivore's ability to consume seeds merit further investigation, and that facultative associations with symbiotic bacteria have important implications for the nutritional ecology of their hosts.
Mid-Pliocene shifts in ocean overturning circulation and the onset of Quaternary-style climates

Abstract. A major tipping point of Earth's history occurred during the mid-Pliocene: the onset of major Northern-Hemisphere Glaciation (NHG) and of pronounced, Quaternary-style cycles of glacial-to-interglacial climates, that contrast with more uniform climates over most of the preceding Cenozoic and continue until today (Zachos et al., 2001). The severe deterioration of climate occurred in three steps between 3.2 Ma (warm MIS K3) and 2.7 Ma (glacial MIS G6/4) (Lisiecki and Raymo, 2005). Various models (sensu Driscoll and Haug, 1998) and paleoceanographic records (intercalibrated using orbital age control) suggest clear linkages between the onset of NHG and the three steps in the final closure of the Central American Seaways (CAS), deduced from rising salinity differences between Caribbean and the East Pacific. Each closing event led to an enhanced North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and this strengthened the poleward transport of salt and heat (warmings of +2–3°C) (Bartoli et al., 2005). Also, the closing resulted in a slight rise in the poleward atmospheric moisture transport to northwestern Eurasia (Lunt et al., 2007), which probably led to an enhanced precipitation and fluvial run-off, lower sea surface salinity (SSS), and an increased sea-ice cover in the Arctic Ocean, hence promoting albedo and the build-up of continental ice sheets. Most important, new evidence shows that the closing of the CAS led to greater steric height of the North Pacific and thus doubled the low-saline Arctic Throughflow from the Bering Strait to the East Greenland Current (EGC). Accordingly, Labrador Sea IODP Site 1307 displays an abrupt but irreversible EGC cooling of 6°C and freshening by ~2 psu from 3.25/3.16–3.00 Ma, right after the first but still reversible attempt of closing the CAS.
Listening Effort During Sentence Processing Is Increased for Non-native Listeners: A Pupillometry Study

Current evidence demonstrates that even though some non-native listeners can achieve native-like performance for speech perception tasks in quiet, the presence of a background noise is much more detrimental to speech intelligibility for non-native compared to native listeners. Even when performance is equated across groups, it is likely that greater listening effort is required for non-native listeners. Importantly, the added listening effort might result in increased fatigue and a reduced ability to successfully perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Task-evoked pupil responses have been demonstrated to be a reliable measure of cognitive effort and can be useful in clarifying those aspects. In this study we compared the pupil response for 23 native English speakers and 27 Italian speakers of English as a second language. Speech intelligibility was tested for sentences presented in quiet and in background noise at two performance levels that were matched across groups. Signal-to-noise levels corresponding to these sentence intelligibility levels were pre-determined using an adaptive intelligibility task. Pupil response was significantly greater in non-native compared to native participants across both intelligibility levels. Therefore, for a given intelligibility level, a greater listening effort is required when listening in a second language in order to understand speech in noise. Results also confirmed that pupil response is sensitive to speech intelligibility during language comprehension, in line with previous research. However, contrary to our predictions, pupil response was not differentially modulated by intelligibility levels for native and non-native listeners. The present study corroborates that pupillometry can be deemed as a valid measure to be used in speech perception investigation, because it is sensitive to differences both across participants, such as listener type, and across conditions, such as variations in the level of speech intelligibility. Importantly, pupillometry offers us the possibility to uncover differences in listening effort even when those do not emerge in the performance level of individuals.
Nicotinamide riboside, a form of vitamin B3, protects against excitotoxicity‐induced axonal degeneration

NAD+ depletion is a common phenomenon in neurodegenerative pathologies. Excitotoxicity occurs in multiple neurologic disorders and NAD+ was shown to prevent neuronal degeneration in this process through mechanisms that remained to be determined. The activity of nicotinamide riboside (NR) in neuroprotective models and the recent description of extracellular conversion of NAD+ to NR prompted us to probe the effects of NAD+ and NR in protection against excitotoxicity. Here, we show that intracortical administration of NR but not NAD+ reduces brain damage induced by NMDA injection. Using cortical neurons, we found that provision of extracellular NR delays NMDA‐induced axonal degeneration (AxD) much more strongly than extracellular NAD+. Moreover, the stronger effect of NR compared to NAD+ depends of axonal stress since in AxD induced by pharmacological inhibition of nicotinamide salvage, both NAD+ and NR prevent neuronal death and AxD in a manner that depends on internalization of NR. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that NR is a better neuroprotective agent than NAD+ in excitotoxicity‐induced AxD and that axonal protection involves defending intracellular NAD+ homeostasis. —Vaur, P., Brugg, B. , Mericskay, M. , Li, Z. , Schmidt, M. S. , Vivien, D. , Orset, C. , Jacotot, E. , Brenner, C. , Duplus, E. Nicotinamide riboside, a form of vitamin B3, protects against excitotoxicity‐induced axonal degeneration. FASEB J. 31, 5440–5452 (2017). www.fasebj. org
Yup’ik identity and socioeconomic status are associated with child consumption of traditional food and weight in rural Yup’ik communities

ABSTRACT Objective: In remote, Alaska Native communities, traditional foods remain a significant source of essential nutrients and appear to protect against the development of chronic diseases. Relatively low intake of traditional foods among Alaska Native children is therefore of concern. The aim of this study was to identify household and parental predictors of child traditional food (TF) consumption and weight in remote Yup’ik communities of Alaska. Design: Children (10–18 years old) and parents in two communities (populations <500) were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study. Intake of traditional foods among children and parents was estimated from two-24 h recalls using NDS-R. Weight and height were measured and BMI calculated. Sociodemographic factors, including income and education, were collected from parents. A partial least square path modeling analysis and bootstrapping were performed to identify predictors of child TF consumption and weight. Results: Parental intake of traditional foods, Yup’ik identity and income were positively associated with child intake of traditional foods. Further, parental intake of traditional foods predicted lower child BMI. Parental education was negatively associated with child traditional food intake and positively associated with child BMI. Conclusions: Findings suggest that interventions targeting parents may be an effective strategy to increase intake of traditional foods and improve diet quality among Alaska Native youth.
Analysis of the clinical value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in hepatic alveolar echinococcosis before and after autologous liver transplantation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in advanced liver alveolar echinococcosis (LAE) prior to and following autologous liver transplantation (ALT). The biodistribution of lesions in 8 patients was recorded using 18F-FDG PET/CT prior to and following surgery. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the lesions was also measured and compared with the pathological results. The overall hepatic peri-lesion SUVmax of the patients was 3.57±1.21, and the delayed SUVmax was 4.19±1.70. The diagnostic sensitivity of 18F-FDG PET/CT in LAE was 91.67%, with a specificity of 60.00% and accuracy of 82.35%. The positive predictive value was 84.62%, and the negative predictive value was 75.00%. SUVmax values of the surviving liver were 1.23±0.78 after 1 month, 1.15±0.67 after 3 months and 0.85±0.35 after 6 months. Compared with normal liver values (0.95±0.19), the 1-month SUVmax was significantly different. The SUVmax in 3 patients with high-lividity lesions was 2.05±0.72, and the delayed SUVmax was 3.15±0.83; 3 months after transplantation, the SUVmax was 1.85±0.62, and the delayed SUVmax was 2.95±0.79, revealing no significant difference. In conclusion, 18F-FDG PET/CT is effective for determining the biological boundary of LAE and shows important clinical value in determining the metabolic activities of the surviving liver following ALT.
Dietary glutamine, glutamate and mortality: two large prospective studies in US men and women.

Background Emerging studies have related circulating glutamine metabolites to various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer; diet is the major source of nutrients involved in glutamine metabolism. However, it remains unknown whether dietary intakes of glutamine, glutamate,and their ratio are related to total and cause-specific mortality. Methods We followed 74 082 women from the Nurses' Health Study (1984-2012) and 42 303 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2012), who were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline. Diet was updated every 2 to 4 years by using validated food frequency questionnaires. The content of glutamine and glutamate in foods was calculated based on protein fractions generated from gene sequencing methods and adjusted for total energy intake. Results We documented 30 424 deaths during 2 878 344 person-years of follow-up. After adjustment for potential confounders including lifestyle and dietary factors, higher intakes of glutamine and glutamine-to-glutamate ratio were associated with significantly lower risk of total and cause-specific mortality. Compared with people in the lowest quintile of dietary glutamine-to-glutamate ratio, the pooled hazard ratio (HR) in the highest quintile was 0.87 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.84, 0.91; P for trend < 0.001) for total mortality, 0.81 (95% CI: 0.75, 0.88; P for trend < 0.001) for cardiovascular mortality, and 0.93 (95% CI: 0.87, 0.99; P for trend = 0.01) for cancer mortality. Conclusions We found dietary glutamine and glutamine-to-glutamate ratio were inversely related to risk of mortality, particularly cardiovascular mortality, independent of other dietary and lifestyle factors, in US men and women.
Influence of surface sealing on color stability and roughness of composite submitted to ultraviolet‐accelerated aging

AIM In the present study, we evaluated the influence of surface sealing on color stability and surface roughness of a composite resin after accelerated artificial aging. METHODS Thirty-two specimens of a composite were prepared. After 24 h, the specimens were polished and divided into four groups (n = 8), according to the surface sealant used, including the control, which had no sealant application. Baseline color was measured according to the CIELab system using a reflection spectrophotometer. Surface roughness was determined using a profilometer with a cut-off of 0.25 mm. After these tests, specimens were aged for 252 h in an ultraviolet (UV)-accelerated aging chamber. Color stability was determined by difference between coordinates obtained before and after the aging procedure. Data of color change and roughness were evaluated by anova and Fisher's exact test (α = 0.05). RESULTS The results showed that the unsealed group had the highest color change compared to other groups (P = 0.0289), and there was no significant difference between groups sealed with surface sealant (P > 0.05). The artificial aging caused an increase in roughness values independent of the experimental group studied (P = 0.0015). CONCLUSION The sealed composites showed lower color change after UV aging, but all groups showed clinically-acceptable color change, and only liquid polish decreased roughness.
Mantle dynamics of continentwide Cenozoic subsidence and tilting of Australia

Australia is distinctive because it experienced first-order, broad-scale vertical motions during the Cenozoic. Here, we use plate-tectonic reconstructions and a model of mantle convection to quantitatively link the large-scale fl ooding history of the continent to mantle convection since 50 Ma. Subduction-driven geodynamic models show that Australia undergoes a 200 m northeast downward tilt as it approaches and overrides subducted slabs between Melanesia and the proto–Tonga-Kermadec subduction systems. However, the model only produces the observed continentwide subsidence, with 300 m of northeast downward tilt since the Eocene, if we assume that Australia has moved northward away from a relatively hot mantle anomaly. The models suggest that Australia’s paleoshoreline evolution can only be reproduced if the continent moved northward, away from a large buoyant anomaly. This results in continentwide subsidence of ~200 m. The additional progressive, continentwide tilting down to the northeast can be attributed to the horizontal motion of the continent toward subducted slabs sinking below Melanesia.
The Validity and Contributing Physiological Factors to 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test Performance in Rugby League

Abstract Scott, TJ, Duthie, GM, Delaney, JA, Sanctuary, CE, Ballard, DA, Hickmans, JA, and Dascombe, BJ. The validity and contributing physiological factors to 30-15 intermittent fitness test performance in rugby league. J Strength Cond Res 31(9): 2409–2416, 2017—This study examined the validity of the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (30-15IFT) within rugby league. Sixty-three Australian elite and junior-elite rugby league players (22.5 ± 4.5 years, 96.1 ± 9.5 kg, &Sgr;7 skinfolds: 71.0 ± 18.7 mm) from a professional club participated in this study. Players were assessed for anthropometry (body mass, &Sgr;7 skinfolds, lean mass index), prolonged high-intensity intermittent running (PHIR; measured by 30-15IFT), predicted aerobic capacity (MSFT) and power (AAS), speed (40 m sprint), repeated sprint, and change of direction (COD—505 agility test) ability before and after an 11-week preseason training period. Validity of the 30-15IFT was established using Pearson's coefficient correlations. Forward stepwise regression model identified the fewest variables that could predict individual final velocity (V IFT) and change within 30-15IFT performance. Significant correlations between V IFT and &Sgr;7 skinfolds, repeated sprint decrement, V[Combining Dot Above]O2maxMSFT, and average aerobic speed were observed. A total of 71.8% of the adjusted variance in 30-15IFT performance was explained using a 4-step best fit model (V[Combining Dot Above]O2maxMSFT, 61.4%; average aerobic speed, 4.7%; maximal velocity, 4.1%; lean mass index, 1.6%). Across the training period, 25% of the variance was accounted by &Dgr;V[Combining Dot Above]O2maxMSFT (R 2 = 0.25). These relationships suggest that the 30-15IFT is a valid test of PHIR within rugby league. Poor correlations were observed with measures of acceleration, speed, and COD. These findings demonstrate that although the 30-15IFT is a valid measure of PHIR, it also simultaneously examines various physiological capacities that differ between sporting cohorts.
Egyptian red gold

Red surface colorations frequently found on ancient Egyptian gold objects have been examined by x-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDXRS), and other methods. The results indicate that these colorations are most often associated with tarnish films in which the predominant species is a silver gold sulfide (AgAuS), occurring on a substrate gold silver alloy. Another silver gold sulfide (Ag 3 AuS 2 ) may also be associated with these alloys and especially with those of higher silver content. These results have been corroborated by the synthesis of visually similar tarnishes on gold silver alloy coupons that have yielded analytical results identical to those obtained for the archaeological material.