Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Winning Fights Induces Hyperaggression via the Action of the Biogenic Amine Octopamine in Crickets

Winning an agonistic interaction against a conspecific is known to heighten aggressiveness, but the underlying events and mechanism are poorly understood. We quantified the effect of experiencing successive wins on aggression in adult male crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) by staging knockout tournaments and investigated its dependence on biogenic amines by treatment with amine receptor antagonists. For an inter-fight interval of 5 min, fights between winners escalated to higher levels of aggression and lasted significantly longer than the preceding round. This winner effect is transient, and no longer evident for an inter-fight interval of 20 min, indicating that it does not result from selecting individuals that were hyper-aggressive from the outset. A winner effect was also evident in crickets that experienced wins without physical exertion, or that engaged in fights that were interrupted before a win was experienced. Finally, the winner effect was abolished by prior treatment with epinastine, a highly selective octopamine receptor blocker, but not by propranolol, a ß-adrenergic receptor antagonist, nor by yohimbine, an insect tyramine receptor blocker nor by fluphenazine an insect dopamine-receptor blocker. Taken together our study in the cricket indicates that the physical exertion of fighting, together with some rewarding aspect of the actual winning experience, leads to a transient increase in aggressive motivation via activation of the octopaminergic system, the invertebrate equivalent to the adrenergic system of vertebrates.
A descriptive analysis of self‐injury in community settings: exploring behaviour–behaviour contingencies

BACKGROUND Self-injurious behaviour (SIB) is a treatment-resistant aberrant behaviour that significantly impacts the lives of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Direct observations of SIB under naturally occurring conditions can inform the unique structural properties of these behaviours, and the contexts in which they occur. While previous applications of sequential analyses have identified strong temporal associations between instances of SIB, they have relied on methods that do not adequately control for chance sequencing and may mask within-participant variability by pooling data across contexts and response topographies. We applied a new sequential analysis method to quantify SIB-SIB contingencies within and across topographies for individuals with ID in community settings. We also explored the extent to which the direction and strength of SIB-SIB contingencies varied by context. METHOD Seven individuals with chronic SIB were video-recorded during their daily routines. A continuous, timed-event data collection system was used to measure frequencies of five topographies of SIB and duration of staff interactions. We used an event lag with pauses sequential analysis method to estimate SIB-SIB contingencies within and across topographies and during times with and without staff interaction. RESULTS Positive SIB-SIB contingencies were identified for all participants, with contingency strengths varying among participants and topographies. The strength and direction of the SIB-SIB contingencies also varied by the presence and absence of staff interaction. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest the direction and strength of SIB-SIB contingencies may be fluid based on the presence or absence of certain environmental context variables. Evaluating SIB-SIB contingencies under different environmental conditions may help identify contexts in which SIB is likely to persist.
Serotonin and Dopamine Protect from Hypothermia/Rewarming Damage through the CBS/ H2S Pathway

Biogenic amines have been demonstrated to protect cells from apoptotic cell death. Herein we show for the first time that serotonin and dopamine increase H2S production by the endogenous enzyme cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) and protect cells against hypothermia/rewarming induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and apoptosis. Treatment with both compounds doubled CBS expression through mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and increased H2S production in cultured rat smooth muscle cells. In addition, serotonin and dopamine treatment significantly reduced ROS formation. The beneficial effect of both compounds was minimized by inhibition of their re-uptake and by pharmacological inhibition of CBS or its down-regulation by siRNA. Exogenous administration of H2S and activation of CBS by Prydoxal 5′-phosphate also protected cells from hypothermic damage. Finally, serotonin and dopamine pretreatment of rat lung, kidney, liver and heart prior to 24 h of hypothermia at 3°C followed by 30 min of rewarming at 37°C upregulated the expression of CBS, strongly reduced caspase activity and maintained the physiological pH compared to untreated tissues. Thus, dopamine and serotonin protect cells against hypothermia/rewarming induced damage by increasing H2S production mediated through CBS. Our data identify a novel molecular link between biogenic amines and the H2S pathway, which may profoundly affect our understanding of the biological effects of monoamine neurotransmitters.
Symposium 1: Overnutrition: consequences and solutions Foresight Report: the obesity challenge ahead

Successfully tackling obesity is a long-term commitment. Current levels of obesity in the population have been ≥30 years in the making. Not only will this position take time to reverse but there will be a considerable time lag before health and economic benefits are achieved through reductions in the morbidity from obesity-related diseases. There is clear evidence that policies aimed only at individuals will be inadequate and that increasing small-scale interventions will not suffice. Major action to prevent excess weight gain at a population level is required. The Foresight Report has confirmed that a ‘whole system’ approach is critical. This approach will require a broad portfolio of integrated policy responses including both national and local measures. This strategy requires action by government, both central and local, industry and communities and by families and the societies in which they live.
Reducing Risks in Diabetes Self-management

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this systematic review was to review published literature on risk-reducing interventions as part of diabetes self-management. DATA SOURCES Medline (1990-2007), CINAHL (1990-2007), and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (first quarter 2007) databases were searched. Reference lists from included studies were reviewed to identify additional studies. STUDY SELECTION Intervention studies that addressed reducing risks to help prevent or minimize diabetes complications were included. DATA EXTRACTION Study design, sample characteristics, interventions, and outcomes were extracted. DATA SYNTHESIS Thirty-three studies, represented by 39 articles, met the criteria for inclusion and were classified as smoking cessation (n = 3), eye examination (n = 2), foot care (n = 10), oral health (n = 2), vaccination (n = 1), cardiovascular risk reduction (n = 9), and comprehensive risk reduction (n = 6). Only 46.3% of the 283 outcomes measured in the 33 studies were significantly improved. CONCLUSIONS Reducing risks involves implementing effective risk reduction behaviors to prevent or slow the progression of diabetes complications. Recognizing risk factors for complications and what constitutes optimal preventive care is an important part of managing diabetes. Intervention studies are lacking in some areas of reducing risks. Further studies are needed to test specific interventions to reduce the risks of diabetes complications.
Effects of neonatal hyperoxia on the critical period of postnatal development of neurochemical expressions in brain stem respiratory‐related nuclei in the rat

We have identified a critical period of respiratory development in rats at postnatal days P12‐13, when inhibitory influence dominates and when the response to hypoxia is at its weakest. This critical period has significant implications for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the cause of which remains elusive. One of the known risk factors for SIDS is prematurity. A common intervention used in premature infants is hyperoxic therapy, which, if prolonged, can alter the ventilatory response to hypoxia and induce sustained inhibition of lung alveolar growth and pulmonary remodeling. The goal of this study was to test our hypothesis that neonatal hyperoxia from postnatal day (P) 0 to P10 in rat pups perturbs the critical period by altering the normal progression of neurochemical development in brain stem respiratory‐related nuclei. An in‐depth, semiquantitative immunohistochemical study was undertaken at P10 (immediately after hyperoxia and before the critical period), P12 (during the critical period), P14 (immediately after the critical period), and P17 (a week after the cessation of hyperoxia). In agreement with our previous findings, levels of cytochrome oxidase, brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), TrkB (BDNF receptor), and several serotonergic proteins (5‐HT1A and 2A receptors, 5‐HT synthesizing enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase [TPH], and serotonin transporter [SERT]) all fell in several brain stem respiratory‐related nuclei during the critical period (P12) in control animals. However, in hyperoxic animals, these neurochemicals exhibited a significant fall at P14 instead. Thus, neonatal hyperoxia delayed but did not eliminate the critical period of postnatal development in multiple brain stem respiratory‐related nuclei, with little effect on the nonrespiratory cuneate nucleus.
Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study

Nutritional supplements are popular among athletes to improve performance and physical recovery. Protein supplements fulfill this function by improving performance and increasing muscle mass; however, their effect on other organs or systems is less well known. Diet alterations can induce gut microbiota imbalance, with beneficial or deleterious consequences for the host. To test this, we performed a randomized pilot study in cross-country runners whose diets were complemented with a protein supplement (whey isolate and beef hydrolysate) (n = 12) or maltodextrin (control) (n = 12) for 10 weeks. Microbiota, water content, pH, ammonia, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were analyzed in fecal samples, whereas malondialdehyde levels (oxidative stress marker) were determined in plasma and urine. Fecal pH, water content, ammonia, and SCFA concentrations did not change, indicating that protein supplementation did not increase the presence of these fermentation-derived metabolites. Similarly, it had no impact on plasma or urine malondialdehyde levels; however, it increased the abundance of the Bacteroidetes phylum and decreased the presence of health-related taxa including Roseburia, Blautia, and Bifidobacterium longum. Thus, long-term protein supplementation may have a negative impact on gut microbiota. Further research is needed to establish the impact of protein supplements on gut microbiota.
Synergistic Effect of Dofetilide and Mexiletine on Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation

Background Although atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common abnormal heart rhythm and its prevalence continues to rise, there is a marked paucity of effective and safe antiarrhythmic drugs for AF. This study was done to test whether combined use of dofetilide and mexiletine exhibits not only a synergistic effect on AF suppression but also a safer profile in drug‐induced ventricular proarrhythmias. Methods and Results The effects of dofetilide plus mexiletine on atrial effective refractory period (ERP), AF inducibility, QT, and QT‐related ventricular arrhythmias were studied using the isolated arterially perfused rabbit atrial and ventricular wedge preparations. Dofetilide or mexiletine alone mildly to moderately prolonged atrial ERP, but their combined use produced a markedly rate‐dependent increase in atrial ERP. Dofetilide (3 nmol/L) plus mexiletine (10 μmol/L) increased the ERP by 28.2% from 72.2±5.7 to 92.8±5.9 ms (n=9, P<0.01) at a pacing rate of 0.5 Hz and by 94.5% from 91.7±5.2 to 178.3±12.0 ms (n=9, P<0.01) at 3.3 Hz. Dofetilide plus mexiletine strongly suppressed AF inducibility. On the other hand, dofetilide at 10 nmol/L produced marked QT and Tp‐e prolongation, steeper QT‐BCL and Tp‐e‐BCL slopes, and induced early afterdepolarizations and torsade de pointes in the ventricular wedges. Mexiletine at 10 μmol/L reduced dofetilide‐induced QT and Tp‐e prolongation, QT‐BCL and Tp‐e‐BCL slopes, and abolished early afterdepolarizations and torsade de pointes. Conclusions In rabbits, combined use of dofetilide and mexiletine not only synergistically increases atrial ERP and effectively suppresses AF inducibility, but also markedly reduces QT liability and torsade de pointes risk posed by dofetilide alone.
Synaptic properties of layer VI inverted pyramidal cells in the rodent somatosensory cortex

Abstract The properties of specific cortical cell types enable greater understanding of how cortical microcircuits process and transmit sensory, motor, and cognitive information. Previous reports have characterized the intrinsic properties of the inverted pyramidal cell (IPC) where the most prominent dendrite is orientated towards the cortical white matter. Using whole cell patch clamp recordings from rat and mouse somatosensory cortex in conjunction with electric microstimulation of the white matter we characterized the synaptic inputs onto IPCs and the more common upright pyramidal cell (UPC) in the infragranular layers. Both classes of pyramidal cells received monosynaptic glutamatergic input following white matter stimulation, but varied on a number of parameters. Most prominently, UPCs displayed higher amplitude responses and showed greater rates of depression compared to IPCs. These data reinforce the view that IPCs are a separate functional class of cortical neuron.
The First Mitochondrial Genome for the Fishfly Subfamily Chauliodinae and Implications for the Higher Phylogeny of Megaloptera

Megaloptera are a basal holometabolous insect order with larvae exclusively predacious and aquatic. The evolutionary history of Megaloptera attracts great interest because of its antiquity and important systematic status in Holometabola. However, due to the difficulties identifying morphological apomorphies for the group, controversial hypotheses on the monophyly and higher phylogeny of Megaloptera have been proposed. Herein, we describe the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of a fishfly species, Neochauliodes punctatolosus Liu & Yang, 2006, representing the first mt genome of the subfamily Chauliodinae. A phylogenomic analysis was carried out based on the mt genomic sequences of 13 mt protein-coding genes (PCGs) and two rRNA genes of nine Neuropterida species, comprising all three orders of Neuropterida and all families and subfamilies of Megaloptera. Both maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses highly support the monophyly of Megaloptera, which was recovered as the sister of Neuroptera. Within Megaloptera, the sister relationship between Corydalinae and Chauliodinae was corroborated. The divergence time estimation suggests that stem lineage of Neuropterida and Coleoptera separated in the Early Permian. The interordinal divergence within Neuropterida might have occurred in the Late Permian.
Spatial and Temporal Variation of Archaeal, Bacterial and Fungal Communities in Agricultural Soils

Background Soil microbial communities are in constant change at many different temporal and spatial scales. However, the importance of these changes to the turnover of the soil microbial communities has been rarely studied simultaneously in space and time. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we explored the temporal and spatial responses of soil bacterial, archaeal and fungal β-diversities to abiotic parameters. Taking into account data from a 3-year sampling period, we analyzed the abundances and community structures of Archaea, Bacteria and Fungi along with key soil chemical parameters. We questioned how these abiotic variables influence the turnover of bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities and how they impact the long-term patterns of changes of the aforementioned soil communities. Interestingly, we found that the bacterial and fungal β-diversities are quite stable over time, whereas archaeal diversity showed significantly higher fluctuations. These fluctuations were reflected in temporal turnover caused by soil management through addition of N-fertilizers. Conclusions Our study showed that management practices applied to agricultural soils might not significantly affect the bacterial and fungal communities, but cause slow and long-term changes in the abundance and structure of the archaeal community. Moreover, the results suggest that, to different extents, abiotic and biotic factors determine the community assembly of archaeal, bacterial and fungal communities.
Trans-life cycle impacts of ocean acidification on the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis

This thesis studies the impacts of ocean acidification on an ecologically and economically important invertebrate of the Nordic waters: the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis. Acidification affects the different life stages and transitions composing the life-cycle. Paper I establishes the robustness of the larval stage to a broad range of acidification (-1.5 pHT units) covering present, projected near-future variability and beyond. Development of normal, although showing morphological plasticity, swimming larvae was possible as low as pHT ≥ 7.0. Acidification increased mortality and respiration and decreased growth rate. Paper II focuses on the impacts of a decreased pH (-0.4 and -0.8 units) on the transitions phases between the larval and juvenile stages and on juveniles’ survival. Lowered pH induced both direct effects of (e.g. juvenile spine amount) and carry-over effects (e.g. increased settlement rates). Paper III deals with juvenile and adult stages. While adult fecundity was reduced after a 4-months exposure to low pH (-0.4 units), it was not affected anymore after 16-months. On the other hand, juveniles experienced a 95% mortality when grown at low pH since fertilization. Paper IV is a meta-analysis based on the available experimental data available on echinoderms in 2010 revealing differing sensitivities of the stages and processes studied to near-future predictions. Paper V reveals, from in vivo measurements on S. droebachiensis pluteus larvae, that the extracellular compartment surrounding the calcifying cells conforms to the surrounding seawater with respect to pH. Under ocean acidification, maintaining constant intracellular pH for calcium precipitation probably causes enhanced metabolic costs.
Queue-Aware Resource Allocation Scheme in Hybrid Macrocell-Femtocell Networks

In sharing-spectrum macrocell and femtocell networks, the aim of resource allocation schemes often involves maximizing system capacity or maintaining fairness under the assumption of saturated traffic for users. However, these schemes cannot be easily extended to the more practical case with the finite-queue traffic. In this paper, we design a resource allocation scheme in the finite- queue model to manage interference and keep the network stability. Considering the queue length and the dominant interference, we first construct the weighted interference graph. Then the resource allocation problem is cast into solving the maximum weight independent set problem. Finally, considering the overhead and system performance, we present a hybrid central/local algorithm according to the spatial and temporal varying pattern of traffic distribution. Simulation results show the proposed scheme can guarantee the queue stability and improve throughput in the finite-queue traffic model.
Disentangling the Intertwined Genetic Bases of Root and Shoot Growth in Arabidopsis

Root growth and architecture are major components of plant nutrient and water use efficiencies and these traits are the matter of extensive genetic analysis in several crop species. Because root growth relies on exported assimilate from the shoot, and changes in assimilate supply are known to alter root architecture, we hypothesized (i) that the genetic bases of root growth could be intertwined with the genetic bases of shoot growth and (ii) that the link could be either positive, with alleles favouring shoot growth also favouring root growth, or negative, because of competition for assimilates. We tested these hypotheses using a quantitative genetics approach in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana and the Bay-0×Shahdara recombinant inbred lines population. In accordance with our hypothesis, root and shoot growth traits were strongly correlated and most root growth quantitative trait loci (QTLs) colocalized with shoot growth QTLs with positive alleles originating from either the same or the opposite parent. In order to identify regions that could be responsible for root growth independently of the shoot, we generated new variables either based on root to shoot ratios, residuals of root to shoot correlations or coordinates of principal component analysis. These variables showed high heritability allowing genetic analysis. They essentially all yielded similar results pointing towards two regions involved in the root – shoot balance. Using Heterogeneous Inbred Families (a kind of near-isogenic lines), we validated part of the QTLs present in these two regions for different traits. Our study thus highlights the difficulty of disentangling intertwined genetic bases of root and shoot growth and shows that this difficulty can be overcome by using simple statistical tools.
Gender differences in severity of desaturation events following hypopnea and obstructive apnea events in adults during sleep

Objective: Severity estimation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is currently based on the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), which ignores individual breathing cessation event characteristics. Gender differences in the relationship between the breathing cessation event duration and the related desaturation event severity could mean that the severity of OSA is different in males and females despite a similar AHI. The aim of this work was to evaluate gender differences in the severity of peripheral oxygen desaturation events following obstructive apneas or hypopneas. Approach: Type I polysomnographic recordings of 220 males and 175 females were analyzed. The obstructive apnea and hypopnea events were divided into eight different durational categories from 10 s to 45 s with 5 s interval and >45 s. The desaturation event severities following obstructive apneas or hypopneas were compared between genders within these durational categories. Main results: Desaturations following obstructive apneas with a duration of 30–45 s were substantially more severe (p < 0.05) in females compared to males. In contrast, areas of desaturations following hypopneas (with related hypopnea event durations ⩽30 s) were smaller (p < 0.05) in females compared to males. In general, desaturation events following obstructive apneas were more severe compared to desaturations following hypopneas and the increase in the duration of obstructive apnea and hypopnea events led to an increase in the related desaturation severity in both genders. Significance: We found gender differences in the desaturation event severities following obstructive apneas and hypopneas. The results indicate that in females longer obstructive apneas (>30 s) could be more detrimental compared to those of males. As severe health consequences are related to the desaturation severity these aspects should be considered when estimating the severity of OSA.