Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Actin-Dependent Nonlytic Rotavirus Exit and Infectious Virus Morphogenetic Pathway in Nonpolarized Cells

ABSTRACT During the late stages of rotavirus morphogenesis, the surface proteins VP4 and VP7 are assembled onto the previously structured double-layered virus particles to yield a triple-layered, mature infectious virus. The current model for the assembly of the outer capsid is that it occurs within the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. However, it has been shown that VP4 and infectious virus associate with lipid rafts, suggesting that the final assembly of the rotavirus spike protein VP4 involves a post-endoplasmic reticulum event. In this work, we found that the actin inhibitor jasplakinolide blocks the cell egress of rotavirus from nonpolarized MA104 cells at early times of infection, when there is still no evidence of cell lysis. These findings contrast with the traditional assumption that rotavirus is released from nonpolarized cells by a nonspecific mechanism when the cell integrity is lost. Inspection of the virus present in the extracellular medium by use of density flotation gradients revealed that a fraction of the released virus is associated with low-density membranous structures. Furthermore, the intracellular localization of VP4, its interaction with lipid rafts, and its targeting to the cell surface were shown to be prevented by jasplakinolide, implying a role for actin in these processes. Finally, the VP4 present at the plasma membrane was shown to be incorporated into the extracellular infectious virus, suggesting the existence of a novel pathway for the assembly of the rotavirus spike protein. IMPORTANCE Rotavirus is a major etiological agent of infantile acute severe diarrhea. It is a nonenveloped virus formed by three concentric layers of protein. The early stages of rotavirus replication, including cell attachment and entry, synthesis and translation of viral mRNAs, replication of the genomic double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), and the assembly of double-layered viral particles, have been studied widely. However, the mechanisms involved in the later stages of infection, i.e., viral particle maturation and cell exit, are less well characterized. It has been assumed historically that rotavirus exits nonpolarized cells following cell lysis. In this work, we show that the virus exits cells by a nonlytic, actin-dependent mechanism, and most importantly, we describe that VP4, the spike protein of the virus, is present on the cell surface and is incorporated into mature, infectious virus, indicating a novel pathway for the assembly of this protein.
GABA editing with macromolecule suppression using an improved MEGA‐SPECIAL sequence

The most common γ‐aminobutyric‐acid (GABA) editing approach, MEGA‐PRESS, uses J‐editing to measure GABA distinct from larger overlapping metabolites, but suffers contamination from coedited macromolecules (MMs) comprising 40 to 60% of the observed signal. MEGA‐SPECIAL is an alternative method with better MM suppression, but is not widely used primarily because of its relatively poor spatial localization. Our goal was to develop an improved MM‐suppressed GABA editing sequence at 3 Tesla.
Blood microRNA-15a Correlates with IL-6, IGF-1 and Acute Cerebral Ischemia.

OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore the function of blood microRNA-15a (miR-15a) in the pathogenesis of acute cerebral ischemia (AIS). METHODS Blood samples were collected from healthy control and AIS patients within 72 h after onset. A model of ischemia in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was established through oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD). MiR-15a in patients and in cells was measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The predicted target of miR-15a such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and insulin-like growth factors-1 (IGF-1) in plasma was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The relations between blood miR-15a and stroke severity, stroke etiology, infarct location, stroke prognosis, predicted targets were analyzed by Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) software respectively. RESULTS Higher miR-15a levels were found in AIS patients and ischemic cells within 72 h, compared to control (p < 0.05). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that blood miR-15a predicted stroke onset with 98.67% specificity. Blood miR-15a had a negative correlation with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores (r = -0.3695, p < 0.01). The AIS patients with increased miR-15a levels had a better prognosis. MiR-15a was up-regulated in anterior circulation infarction and small-artery atherosclerosis stroke. Plasma levels of IL-6 and IGF-1 were associated with blood miR-15a (r = -0.6051, 0.3231, p < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION Blood miR-15a associates with IL-6, IGF-1 and acute cerebral ischemia. It could serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for stroke.
Relationship of Smartphone Use Severity with Sleep Quality, Depression, and Anxiety in University Students

Background and Aims The usage of smartphones has increased rapidly in recent years, and this has brought about addiction. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between smartphone use severity and sleep quality, depression, and anxiety in university students. Methods In total, 319 university students (203 females and 116 males; mean age = 20.5 ± 2.45) were included in the study. Participants were divided into the following three groups: a smartphone non-user group (n = 71, 22.3%), a low smartphone use group (n = 121, 37.9%), and a high smartphone use group (n = 127, 39.8%). All participants were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory; moreover, participants other than those in the smartphone non-user group were also assessed with the Smartphone Addiction Scale. Results The findings revealed that the Smartphone Addiction Scale scores of females were significantly higher than those of males. Depression, anxiety, and daytime dysfunction scores were higher in the high smartphone use group than in the low smartphone use group. Positive correlations were found between the Smartphone Addiction Scale scores and depression levels, anxiety levels, and some sleep quality scores. Conclusion The results indicate that depression, anxiety, and sleep quality may be associated with smartphone overuse. Such overuse may lead to depression and/or anxiety, which can in turn result in sleep problems. University students with high depression and anxiety scores should be carefully monitored for smartphone addiction.
Comorbidity between idiopathic overactive bladder and chronic migraine

Objective We tested whether overactive bladder (OAB) and chronic migraine (CM) could be comorbid. Patients and methods CM women, aged 40–69 years, answered a validated OAB questionnaire. Prevalence data were compared with those reported in our country in the general population (GP) using the same questionnaire. Results We interviewed 231 CM women. Eighty-four met OAB criteria. OAB prevalence in CM patients was significantly higher than that found in the GP (36.4% vs. 21.8% in the GP; p = 0.0001). There were 34 CM women aged 40–49 years (34.3% vs. 15.2%; p = 0.001), 35 aged 50–59 years (38.9% vs. 21.7%; p = 0.004) and 15 aged 60–69 years (35.7% vs. 24.5%; p = 0.15) meeting OAB criteria. Seventy-seven (33% vs. 9.9%; p = 0.002) needed more than eight micturitions/24 h, 61 (26.4% vs. 8.1%, p = 0.002) experienced nocturia and 43 (18.6% vs. 8.1%; p = 0.001) urinary incontinence. Conclusion In this exploratory study, at least in women, OAB and CM are comorbid, which suggests shared mechanisms.
Multi-resolution modelling method based on time-state-machine in complex distribution network

In order to apply the cyber-physical system (CPS) co-simulation method based on state cache to a complex distribution network (CDN), a physical model corresponding to multiple operating states should be proposed. As the different spatial resolution of the physical model leads to different performances of the cyber-physical models, a multi-resolution model based on time-state-machine is presented for CDN here. First, the operation process of CDN is divided into five operating states by using time-state-machine method, and the boundary conditions between states are qualitatively discussed. Second, three different spatial resolution physical models of CDN are built, and their simulation performances under different operating states are quantitatively analysed to form a multi-resolution physical model of CDN. Finally, the multi-resolution model of CDN is validated by use of a cyber-physical co-simulation example. Simulation results show that the multi-resolution model is capable to automatically transmission from anyone operating state to another.
Empiric Antibiotic Use and Susceptibility in Infants With Bacterial Infections: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES To assess hospital differences in empirical antibiotic use, bacterial epidemiology, and antimicrobial susceptibility for common antibiotic regimens among young infants with urinary tract infection (UTI), bacteremia, or bacterial meningitis. METHODS We reviewed medical records from infants <90 days old presenting to 8 US children's hospitals with UTI, bacteremia, or meningitis. We used the Pediatric Health Information System database to identify cases and empirical antibiotic use and medical record review to determine infection, pathogen, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. We compared hospital-level differences in antimicrobial use, pathogen, infection site, and antimicrobial susceptibility. RESULTS We identified 470 infants with bacterial infections: 362 (77%) with UTI alone and 108 (23%) with meningitis or bacteremia. Infection type did not differ across hospitals (P = .85). Empirical antibiotic use varied across hospitals (P < .01), although antimicrobial susceptibility patterns for common empirical regimens were similar. A third-generation cephalosporin would have empirically treated 90% of all ages, 89% in 7- to 28-day-olds, and 91% in 29- to 89-day-olds. The addition of ampicillin would have improved coverage in only 4 cases of bacteremia and meningitis. Ampicillin plus gentamicin would have treated 95%, 89%, and 97% in these age groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Empirical antibiotic use differed across regionally diverse US children's hospitals in infants <90 days old with UTI, bacteremia, or meningitis. Antimicrobial susceptibility to common antibiotic regimens was similar across hospitals, and adding ampicillin to a third-generation cephalosporin minimally improves coverage. Our findings support incorporating empirical antibiotic recommendations into national guidelines for infants with suspected bacterial infection.
Diapause Prevention Effect of Bombyx mori by Dimethyl Sulfoxide

HCl treatment has been, for about 80 years, the primary method for the prevention of entry into embryonic diapauses of Bombyx mori. This is because no method is as effective as the HCl treatment. In this study, we discovered that dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) prevented entry into the diapause of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The effect of diapause prevention was 78% as a result of treatment with 100% DMSO concentration, and the effect was comparable to that of the HCl treatment. In contrast, in the case of non-diapause eggs, hatchability was decreased by DMSO in a concentration-dependent manner. The effect of DMSO was restricted within 24 hours after oviposition of diapause eggs, and the critical period was slightly shorter than the effective period of the HCl treatment. DMSO analogs, such as dimethyl formamide (DMF) and dimethyl sulfide (DMS), did little preventive effect against the diapause. Furthermore, we also investigated the permeation effects of chemical compounds by DMSO. When treated with an inhibitor of protein kinase CK2 (CK2) dissolved in DMSO, the prevention rate of the diapause was less than 40%. This means that the inhibition effect by the CK2 inhibitor was the inhibition of embryonic development after diapause prevention by DMSO. These data suggest that DMSO has the effects of preventing from entering into the diapause and permeation of chemicals into diapause eggs.
Phenolic Compounds in Flaxseed Chromatographic and Spectroscopic Analyses of Glucosidic Conjugates

Johnsson, P. 2004. Phenolic compounds in flaxseed: Chromatographic and spectroscopic analyses of glucosidic conjugates. Licentiate thesis. ISSN 1101-5411, ISBN 91-576-6630-x The dietary lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), present in high concentrations in flaxseed, and its metabolites enterolactone and enterodiol are thought to decrease the risk of hormone dependent cancers, cardiovascular disease and other “welfare” diseases. Flaxseed also contains other biologically active phenolic compounds, such as phenolic acids. The understanding of the nature of these compounds is crucial for their possible exploitation in drugs and functional foods. Until the mid 1990’s, the number of methods available for analysis of lignans and other compounds in flaxseed was limited and were divergent in terms of yields. Moreover, the structure of a “flaxseed polymer” to which these phenolic compounds are bound was not known. Thus, the aim of the work presented in this thesis was to develop a quantitative method for analysis of SDG in flaxseed and to unravel the structure of the “polymer”. A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for quantification of SDG in a base hydrolysed dioxane/ethanol flaxseed extract was developed. The method was applied to study the SDG content in 14 Swedish and 15 Danish flaxseed cultivars. The SDG content in defatted flour from the cultivars varied between 11.7 and 24.1 mg/g (6.1 – 13.3 mg/g in dried seeds). Two chromatographic peaks eluting before SDG in the developed HPLC system were identified as 4-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-p-coumaric acid and 4-O-β-Dglucopyranosyl-ferulic acid by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. Moreover, by the use of different NMR techniques, a strait chain oligomeric structure with an average composition of five SDG residues interlinked with four 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaric acid residues was assigned to the “polymer”.
Assessment of vitamin D status – a changing landscape

Abstract In recent years it has been shown that vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased incidence as well as the progression of a broad range of diseases including osteoporosis, rickets, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis and cancer. Consequently, requests for the assessment of vitamin D status have increased dramatically. Despite significant progress in the analysis of vitamin D metabolites and an expansion of our pathophysiological knowledge of vitamin D, the assessment of vitamin D status remains a challenging and partially unresolved issue. Current guidelines from scientific bodies recommend the measurement of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD) in blood as the preferred test. However, growing evidence indicates significant limitations of this test, including analytical aspects and interpretation of results. In addition, the relationships between 25-OHD and various clinical indices, such as bone mineral density and fracture risk, are rather weak and not consistent across races. Recent studies have systematically investigated new markers of vitamin D status including the vitamin D metabolite ratio (VMR) (ratio between 25-OHD and 24,25-dihydroxy vitamin D), bioavailable 25-OHD [25-OHD not bound to vitamin D binding protein (DBP)], and free 25-OHD [circulating 25-OHD bound to neither DBP nor albumin (ALB)]. These parameters may potentially change how we will assess vitamin D status in the future. Although these new biomarkers have expanded our knowledge about vitamin D metabolism, a range of unresolved issues regarding their measurement and the interpretation of results prevent their use in daily practice. It can be expected that some of these issues will be overcome in the near future so that they may be considered for routine use (at least in specialized centers). In addition, genetic studies have revealed several polymorphisms in key proteins of vitamin D metabolism that affect the circulating concentrations of vitamin D metabolites. The affected proteins include DBP, 7-dehydrocholesterol synthase and the vitamin D receptor (VDR). Here we aim to review existing knowledge regarding the biochemistry, physiology and measurement of vitamin D. We will also provide an overview of current and emerging biomarkers for the assessment of vitamin D status, with particular attention methodological aspects and their usefulness in clinical practice.
Work engagement as a mediator between employee attitudes and outcomes

This paper assesses the role of work engagement in the relationships between affective commitment, job satisfaction and two employee outcomes – supervisor-rated job performance and self-reported intention to quit – using a cross-lagged research design. Our evidence supports the discriminant validity of work engagement, job satisfaction and affective commitment, and explores the temporal relationships between these constructs. Our findings suggest that work engagement mediates the relationships from affective commitment to job performance and intention to quit. Work engagement also mediates the relationship from job satisfaction to job performance, and partially mediates the relationship from job satisfaction to intention to quit.
Effects of Posidonia Oceanica Beach-Cast on Germination, Growth and Nutrient Uptake of Coastal Dune Plants

Seagrass meadows play an important role in marine ecosystems. A part of seagrass production is also exported to adjacent coastal terrestrial systems, possibly influencing their functioning. In this work we experimentally analyzed the effect of Posidonia oceanica beach-cast on plant germination, growth, and nutrient uptake of two plant species (Cakile maritima and Elymus farctus) that grow on upper beaches and fore dunes along the Mediterranean coasts. We compared plants growing in simple sand (control) with those growing in a substrate enriched with P. oceanica wrack (treatment) in laboratory. P. oceanica wrack doubled the N substrate pool and kept the substrate humid. Plants growing in the treated substrate grew faster, were twice as large as those growing in the control substrate, while tissues were enriched in N and P (Cakile by the 1.3 fold in N and 2.5 fold in P; Elymus by 1.5 fold in N and 2 fold in P). Our results suggest a positive effect of seagrass litter for the enhancing of dune species, highlighting its role for the conservation of coastal dune ecosystems.
Hotter nests produce hatchling lizards with lower thermal tolerance

ABSTRACT In many regions, the frequency and duration of summer heatwaves is predicted to increase in future. Hotter summers could result in higher temperatures inside lizard nests, potentially exposing embryos to thermally stressful conditions during development. Potentially, developmentally plastic shifts in thermal tolerance could allow lizards to adapt to climate warming. To determine how higher nest temperatures affect the thermal tolerance of hatchling geckos, we incubated eggs of the rock-dwelling velvet gecko, Amalosia lesueurii, at two fluctuating temperature regimes to mimic current nest temperatures (mean 23.2°C, range 10–33°C, ‘cold’) and future nest temperatures (mean 27.0°C, range 14–37°C, ‘hot’). Hatchlings from the hot incubation group hatched 27 days earlier and had a lower critical thermal maximum (CTmax 38.7°C) and a higher critical thermal minimum (CTmin 6.2°C) than hatchlings from cold incubation group (40.2 and 5.7°C, respectively). In the field, hatchlings typically settle under rocks near communal nests. During the hatching period, rock temperatures ranged from 13 to 59°C, and regularly exceeded the CTmax of both hot- and cold-incubated hatchlings. Because rock temperatures were so high, the heat tolerance of lizards had little effect on their ability to exploit rocks as retreat sites. Instead, the timing of hatching dictated whether lizards could exploit rocks as retreat sites; that is, cold-incubated lizards that hatched later encountered less thermally stressful environments than earlier hatching hot-incubated lizards. In conclusion, we found no evidence that CTmax can shift upwards in response to higher incubation temperatures, suggesting that hotter summers may increase the vulnerability of lizards to climate warming. Highlighted Article: Gecko embryos that experience high temperatures during incubation produce hatchlings with lower thermal tolerance, suggesting that lizards may have limited capacity to adapt to higher nest temperatures.
Traffic Sign Recognition Based on Improved YOLOv5s

In the field of autonomous driving, it is of great significance for autonomous driving to detect traffic signs accurately. This paper proposes a method named MR_YOLO. This method addresses the issue of inadequate accuracy that plagues current systems. More specifically, to address varying sizes of traffic signs in images, our strategy refined anchor box dimensions using K-Means++ clustering and fine-tuned the model to enhance traffic sign recognition efficacy. Next, a multi-scale feature extraction model, C3Res2Net, is formed by combining the C3 and Res2Net models to address the different scales and sizes of traffic signs. This approach enables the network to accurately capture comprehensive information and intricate details of traffic signs, thus enhancing recognition capabilities. Experimental data reveal competitive outcomes when tested on the CCTSDB dataset. The method achieves values of 92.8% and 88.4% in precision and mAP, respectively.
Anxiety, Affect, Self-Esteem, and Stress: Mediation and Moderation Effects on Depression

Background Mediation analysis investigates whether a variable (i.e., mediator) changes in regard to an independent variable, in turn, affecting a dependent variable. Moderation analysis, on the other hand, investigates whether the statistical interaction between independent variables predict a dependent variable. Although this difference between these two types of analysis is explicit in current literature, there is still confusion with regard to the mediating and moderating effects of different variables on depression. The purpose of this study was to assess the mediating and moderating effects of anxiety, stress, positive affect, and negative affect on depression. Methods Two hundred and two university students (males = 93, females = 113) completed questionnaires assessing anxiety, stress, self-esteem, positive and negative affect, and depression. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted using techniques based on standard multiple regression and hierarchical regression analyses. Main Findings The results indicated that (i) anxiety partially mediated the effects of both stress and self-esteem upon depression, (ii) that stress partially mediated the effects of anxiety and positive affect upon depression, (iii) that stress completely mediated the effects of self-esteem on depression, and (iv) that there was a significant interaction between stress and negative affect, and between positive affect and negative affect upon depression. Conclusion The study highlights different research questions that can be investigated depending on whether researchers decide to use the same variables as mediators and/or moderators.