Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular characterization of Heliconia by RAPD assay.

Seventeen Heliconia species and varieties were analyzed using RAPD markers. Eight primers, which produced the highest number of bands, were used for DNA amplification. The genetic similarity matrix constructed with Jaccard’s coefficient using RAPD marker scores showed that the highest value was between Petra Orange and Parakeet, while the lowest was between Golden Torch and H. humilis . The 17 species and varieties of Heliconia formed nine distinct clusters at similarity coefficient value of 0.42, implying a strong parallelism between genetic and morphologic/ taxonomic variability of Heliconia genotypes. Petra Orange, Deep Orange, Parakeet, Pascal, and Alan Carle formed a big cluster within which Petra Orange and Parakeet formed a more cohesive entity.
Wood anatomical traits in black spruce reveal latent water constraints on the boreal forest

The effects of climate change on high‐latitude forest ecosystems are complex, making forecasts of future scenarios uncertain. The predicted lengthening of the growing season under warming conditions is expected to increase tree growth rates. However, there is evidence of an increasing sensitivity of the boreal forest to drought stress. To assess the influence of temperature and precipitation on the growth of black spruce (Picea mariana), we investigated long‐term series of wood anatomical traits on 20 trees from four sites along 600 km, the latitudinal range of the closed boreal forest in Quebec, Canada. We correlated the anatomical traits resolved at intraring level with daily temperature, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and precipitation during the 1943–2010 period. Tree‐ring width, number of cells per ring and cell wall thickness were positively affected by spring and summer daily mean and maximum temperature at the northern sites. These results agree with the well‐known positive effect of high temperatures on tree ring formation at high latitudes. However, we captured, for the first time in this region, the latent impact of water availability on xylem traits. Indeed, in all the four sites, cell lumen area showed positive correlations with daily precipitation (mostly at low latitude), and/or negative correlations with daily mean and maximum temperature and VPD (mostly at high latitude). We inferred that drought, due to high temperatures, low precipitations, or both, negatively affects cell enlargement across the closed boreal forest, including the northernmost sites. The production of tracheids with narrower lumen, potentially more resistant to cavitation, could increase xylem hydraulic safety under a warmer and drier climate. However, this would result in lower xylem conductivity, with consequent long‐term hydraulic deterioration, growth decline, and possibly lead to tree dieback, as observed in other forest ecosystems at lower latitudes.
DMSO_A_206640 1573..1582

Li Li Qifa Song Xi Yang 1Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Microbiology, Ningbo Municipal Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Ningbo, People’s Republic of China Objective: Use of K-means clustering for big data technology to cluster an overweight and obese population metabolically. Methods: K-means clustering with the help of quantile transformation of attribute values was applied to overcome the impact of the considerable variation in the values of obesity attributes involving outliers and skewed distribution. Results: Overall, 447 subjects were categorized into six clusters; metabolically normal, mild, and severe categories. There were clearly separated metabolically normal Cluster 1 and severe Cluster 2, as well as intermediate Cluster 3, 4, and 5 that had profiles of fewer attributes with abnormal values. Cluster 3 was characteristic of sole hypertension. Cluster 3 and 4 exhibited contrasting HDL-C and LDL-C levels despite similarly elevated total cholesterol. Cluster 6 with slightly elevated triglyceride was closest to the normal group. Fourand 10-quantile-transformations yielded consistent clustering results. Compared with the original data, the quantile-transformed data produced more regular and spherical clusters and evenly distributed clusters in terms of object numbers. Conclusions: This big data analysis strategy makes use of quantile-transformation of data to overcome the issue of outliers and the irregular distribution and applies to the analysis of other non-communicable diseases.
Construction and Validation of an Immune-Related Prognostic Model Based on TP53 Status in Colorectal Cancer

Growing evidence has indicated that prognostic biomarkers have a pivotal role in tumor and immunity biological processes. TP53 mutation can cause a range of changes in immune response, progression, and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Thus, we aim to build an immunoscore prognostic model that may enhance the prognosis of CRC from an immunological perspective. We estimated the proportion of immune cells in the GSE39582 public dataset using the CIBERSORT (Cell type identification by estimating relative subset of known RNA transcripts) algorithm. Prognostic genes that were used to establish the immunoscore model were generated by the LASSO (Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) Cox regression model. We established and validated the immunoscore model in GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) and TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) cohorts, respectively; significant differences of overall survival analysis were found between the low and high immunoscore groups or TP53 subgroups. In the multivariable Cox analysis, we observed that the immunoscore was an independent prognostic factor both in the GEO cohort (HR (Hazard ratio) 1.76, 95% CI (confidence intervals): 1.26–2.46) and the TCGA cohort (HR 1.95, 95% CI: 1.20–3.18). Furthermore, we established a nomogram for clinical application, and the results suggest that the nomogram is a better predictive model for prognosis than immunoscore or TNM staging.
Aerosol optical properties at SORPES in Nanjing, east China

Abstract. Aerosol optical properties (AOPs) and supporting parameters – particle number size distributions, PM 2.5 mass concentrations, and the concentrations of trace gases (NO x and NO y) – were measured at SORPES, a regional background station in Nanjing, China from June 2013 to May 2015. The aerosol was highly scattering: the average scattering coefficient was σsp=403 ± 314 Mm −1 , the absorption coefficient σap=26 ± 19 Mm −1 , and the single-scattering albedo SSA = 0.93 ± 0.03 for green light. The SSA in Nanjing appears to be slightly higher than published values from several other sites in China and elsewhere. The average Angstrom exponent of absorption (AAE) for the wavelength range 370–950 nm was 1.04 and the AAE range was 0.7–1.4. These AAE values can be explained with different amounts of non-absorbing coating on pure black carbon (BC) cores and different core sizes rather than contribution by brown carbon. The AOPs had typical seasonal cycles with high σsp and σap in winter and low ones in summer: the averages were σsp=544 ± 422 and σap=36 ± 24 Mm −1 in winter and σsp=342 ± 281 and σap=20 ± 13 Mm −1 in summer. The intensive AOPs had no clear seasonal cycles, the variations in them were rather related to the evolution of pollution episodes. The diurnal cycles of the intensive AOPs were clear and in agreement with the cycle of the particle number size distribution. The diurnal cycle of SSA was similar to that of the air photochemical age, suggesting that the darkest aerosol originated from fresh traffic emissions. A Lagrangian retroplume analysis showed that the potential source areas of high σsp and σap are mainly in eastern China. Synoptic weather phenomena dominated the cycle of AOPs on a temporal scale of 3–7 days. During pollution episodes, modeled boundary layer height decreased, whereas PM 2.5 concentrations and σsp and σap typically increased gradually and remained high during several days but decreased faster, sometimes by even more than an order of magnitude within some hours. During the growth phase of the pollution episodes the intensive AOPs evolved clearly. The mass scattering efficiency MSE of PM 2.5 grew during the extended pollution episodes from ∼ 4 to ∼ 6 m 2 g −1 and the mass fraction of BC e decreased from ∼ 10 to ∼ 3 % during the growth phase of the episodes. Particle growth resulted in the backscatter fraction decreasing from more than 0.16 to less than 0.10, SSA growing from less than 0.9 to more than 0.95, and radiative forcing efficiency (RFE) changing from less than − 26 W m −2 to more than − 24 W m −2 , which means that the magnitude of RFE decreased. The RFE probability distribution at SORPES was clearly narrower than at a clean background site which is in agreement with a published RFE climatology.
Projecting terrestrial biodiversity intactness with GLOBIO 4

Scenario‐based biodiversity modelling is a powerful approach to evaluate how possible future socio‐economic developments may affect biodiversity. Here, we evaluated the changes in terrestrial biodiversity intactness, expressed by the mean species abundance (MSA) metric, resulting from three of the shared socio‐economic pathways (SSPs) combined with different levels of climate change (according to representative concentration pathways [RCPs]): a future oriented towards sustainability (SSP1xRCP2.6), a future determined by a politically divided world (SSP3xRCP6.0) and a future with continued global dependency on fossil fuels (SSP5xRCP8.5). To this end, we first updated the GLOBIO model, which now runs at a spatial resolution of 10 arc‐seconds (~300 m), contains new modules for downscaling land use and for quantifying impacts of hunting in the tropics, and updated modules to quantify impacts of climate change, land use, habitat fragmentation and nitrogen pollution. We then used the updated model to project terrestrial biodiversity intactness from 2015 to 2050 as a function of land use and climate changes corresponding with the selected scenarios. We estimated a global area‐weighted mean MSA of 0.56 for 2015. Biodiversity intactness declined in all three scenarios, yet the decline was smaller in the sustainability scenario (−0.02) than the regional rivalry and fossil‐fuelled development scenarios (−0.06 and −0.05 respectively). We further found considerable variation in projected biodiversity change among different world regions, with large future losses particularly for sub‐Saharan Africa. In some scenario‐region combinations, we projected future biodiversity recovery due to reduced demands for agricultural land, yet this recovery was counteracted by increased impacts of other pressures (notably climate change and road disturbance). Effective measures to halt or reverse the decline of terrestrial biodiversity should not only reduce land demand (e.g. by increasing agricultural productivity and dietary changes) but also focus on reducing or mitigating the impacts of other pressures.
Including ionisation in a simple model of single-bubble sonoluminescence

Abstract A small gas bubble in a liquid, when driven by intense ultrasound, collapses and emits light in a process called Single-Bubble Sonoluminescence (SBSL). While the dynamics of driven bubbles are well studied, less is known of the physical conditions in the gas or whether it is necessary to include ionisation in simpler studies of bubble dynamics. In this study, a model was derived from Rayleigh-Plesset dynamics, a van der Waals equation of state and the first law of thermodynamics (including interfacial heat transfer and ionisation). Stronger model ionisation reduced the maximum collapse temperature, and altered other collapse characteristics. Chaotic parameter regions are proximal to, but not coincident with, known stable SL regions. Resonant behaviour was only markedly affected by ionisation close to these chaotic regions.
Clinical value of LHPP‐associated microRNAs combined with protein induced by vitamin K deficiency or antagonist‐II in the diagnosis of alpha‐fetoprotein‐negative hepatocellular carcinoma

Alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) has received extensive attention in the differential diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), especially for AFP‐negative HCC (AFP‐NHCC). The current study aimed to explore the value of targeted regulation of LHPP expression‐related microRNAs (miRs) and protein induced by vitamin K deficiency or antagonist‐II (PIVKA‐II) in the differential diagnosis of AFP‐NHCC.
The Impact of Commercial Crab Traps on Northern Diamondback Terrapins, Malaclemys terrapin terrapin

Commercial crab traps are widely used throughout the range of diamondback terrapins (i.e., salt marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States). Experiments on the Cape May Peninsula in southernmost New Jersey and elsewhere show that crab traps catch significant numbers of terrapins of both sexes, including both juveniles and adults. Unfortunately, a substantial proportion of these terrapins drown before the traps are pulled for the daily crab harvest. Conservative estimates project that tens of thousands are inadvertently killed in this manner annually along the New Jersey coast alone. It is likely that consider- ably larger numbers of terrapins are killed throughout this species' range every year. During summer 1992 a rectangular wire excluder device was fitted into the inner (narrow) end of entrance funnels in typical commercial crab traps. This device, known as the "Bycatch Reduction Apparatus" (or BRA), was designed to prohibit the entry of most terrapins, yet not impair the number or size of crabs caught. Preliminary results of this pilot study and of subsequent large-scale experiments have been encouraging. Not only have the excluder rectangles greatly reduced the number of terrapins caught in modified traps, but they have also actually increased the crab catch over unmodified traps of standard design. Results of this research make prospects for the widespread adoption of terrapin excluder devices seem highly favorable. The high mortality of nesting northern diamondback ter- rapins, Malaclemys terrapin terrapin, on roads adjacent to salt marshes in southern New Jersey is clear evidence that these turtles are affected by human activities (Wood and Herlands, this volume). However, anecdotal information from commercial and recreational crabbers suggests that crab traps are a greater source of mortality than is vehicular traffic. Bishop's (1983) data (from South Carolina) demonstrates that commercial crab traps catch and drown significant numbers of terrapins. Data col- lected by the New Jersey Bureau of Marine Fish- eries (P. Scarlett, pers. comm., 1991), indicates a recent dramatic increase in the number of crab traps deployed statewide and suggests that lethal bycatch of terrapins is increasing. In New Jersey, diamondback terrapins are designated "game animals" and may be legally taken from 1 November through 30 March, a sea- son that approximately coincides with their hiber- nation period. During the remainder of the year terrapins and their eggs are fully protected by New Jersey game regulations. Commercial crabbers apparently do not sell the terrapins they find as bycatch in their traps, but because possession of terrapins during the closed season is illegal, they are gener- ally reluctant to provide information on incidental captures. In this paper I assess the impact of crabbing upon terrapin populations in New Jersey and describe measures developed to mitigate this impact.
GrindrTM Users Take more Risks, but are more Open to HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis: Could this Dating App Provide Platform for HIV Prevention Outreach?

BACKGROUND Technology has changed the way men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) seek sex. Over 60% of MSM in the US use the internet and/or smartphone-based geospatial networking apps to find sex partners. We correlated use of the most popular app (Grindr™) with sexual risk and prevention behavior among MSM. METHODS A nested cohort study was conducted between September 2018 and June 2019 among MSM receiving community-based HIV and STI screening in central San Diego. During the testing encounter, participants were surveyed for demographics, substance use, risk behavior (previous 3 months), HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use, and Grindr™ usage. Participants who tested negative for HIV and who were not on PrEP were offered immediate PrEP. RESULTS The study included 1,256 MSM, 1,090 of whom (86.8% percent) were not taking PrEP. Overall, 580/1,256 (46%) participants indicated that they used Grindr™ in the previous 7 days. Grindr™ users reported significantly higher risk behavior (greater number of male partners and condomless sex) and were more likely to test positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea (8.6% vs. 4.7% of non-users; p=0.005). Grindr™ users were also more likely to be on PrEP (18.7% vs. 8.7% of non-users; p<0.001) and had fewer newly diagnosed HIV infections (9 vs. 26 among non-users; p=0.014). Grindr™ users were also nearly twice as likely as non-users to initiate PrEP (24.6% vs. 14%; p<0.001). CONCLUSION Given the higher risk behavior and greater acceptance of PrEP among MSM who used Grindr™, Grindr™ may provide a useful platform to promote HIV and STI testing and increase PrEP uptake.
Extension of Goosander Mergus merganser distribution into the Carpathian Mountain range

The Goosander Mergus merganser occurs mainly in the Holoarctic boreal zone but isolated populations also exist in the Alps, the Balkans and in central Asia. In the late 20th century, the breeding distribution extended to the Carpathian Basin in central Europe, and the species is now widespread in the west of the Carpathian Mountain range, whilst remaining scarce in the east Carpathians and breeding only occasionally in the southern Carpathians. It was estimated that at least 240–360 pairs bred in the Carpathian Mountains in 2010–2013 (of which c. 80% were in Poland), where they are restricted to river valley systems which are generally in a natural or semi-natural state. This remains a rare species in central Europe, meriting conservation measures in the Carpathians and monitoring of its continued expansion in the region.
Enantiomeric synthesis of natural alkylglycerols and their antibacterial and antibiofilm activities

Abstract Alkylglycerols (AKGs) are bioactive natural compounds that vary by alkyl chain length and degree of unsaturation, and their absolute configuration is 2S. Three AKGs (5l–5n) were synthesised in enantiomerically pure form, and were characterised for the first time together with 12 other known and naturally occurring AKGs (5a–5k, 5o). Their structures were established using 1H and 13C APT NMR with 2D-NMR, ESI-MS or HRESI-MS and optical rotation data, and they were tested for their antibacterial and antibiofilm activities. AKGs 5a–5m and 5o showed activity against five clinical isolates and P. aeruginosa ATCC 15442, with MIC values in the range of 15–125 µg/mL. In addition, at half of the MIC, most of the AKGs reduced S. aureus biofilm formation in the range of 23%–99% and P. aeruginosa ATCC 15442 biofilm formation in the range of 14%–64%. The antibiofilm activity of the AKGs assessed in this work had not previously been studied. Graphical Abstract
Machine learning analysis to identify the association between risk factors and onset of nosocomial diarrhea: a retrospective cohort study

Background Although several risk factors for nosocomial diarrhea have been identified, the detail of association between these factors and onset of nosocomial diarrhea, such as degree of importance or temporal pattern of influence, remains unclear. We aimed to determine the association between risk factors and onset of nosocomial diarrhea using machine learning algorithms. Methods We retrospectively collected data of patients with acute cerebral infarction. Seven variables, including age, sex, modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, and number of days of antibiotics, tube feeding, proton pump inhibitors, and histamine 2-receptor antagonist use, were used in the analysis. We split the data into a training dataset and independant test dataset. Based on the training dataset, we developed a random forest, support vector machine (SVM), and radial basis function (RBF) network model. By calculating an area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve using 5-fold cross-validation, we performed feature selection and hyperparameter optimization in each model. According to their final performances, we selected the optimal model and also validated it in the independent test dataset. Based on the selected model, we visualized the variable importance and the association between each variable and the outcome using partial dependence plots. Results Two-hundred and eighteen patients were included. In the cross-validation within the training dataset, the random forest model achieved an AUC of 0.944, which was higher than in the SVM and RBF network models. The random forest model also achieved an AUC of 0.832 in the independent test dataset. Tube feeding use days, mRS score, antibiotic use days, age and sex were strongly associated with the onset of nosocomial diarrhea, in this order. Tube feeding use had an inverse U-shaped association with the outcome. The mRS score and age had a convex downward and increasing association, while antibiotic use had a convex upward association with the outcome. Conclusion We revealed the degree of importance and temporal pattern of the influence of several risk factors for nosocomial diarrhea, which could help clinicians manage nosocomial diarrhea.
Role of endogenous glucagon‐like peptide‐1 enhanced by vildagliptin in the glycaemic and energy expenditure responses to intraduodenal fat infusion in type 2 diabetes

To evaluate the effects of the dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) inhibitor vildagliptin on glycaemic and energy expenditure responses during intraduodenal fat infusion, as well as the contribution of endogenous glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) signalling, in people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).
The Association of Impulsivity and Family History of Alcohol Use Disorder on Alcohol Use and Consequences.

BACKGROUND Extensive research indicates that having a positive family history of alcohol use disorder (FHP) and impulsivity are two risk factors for problem drinking. To our knowledge, no study has investigated which facets of impulsivity interact with family history to increase risk for problem drinking. The goal of this study was to 1) examine whether FHP individuals with higher levels of impulsivity are more likely to engage in problematic drinking, and 2) identify which facets of impulsivity interact with FHP to increase risk for problems. METHODS The data consisted of a combined sample of 757 participants (50% female, 73% White, mean age = 32.85, SD = 11.31) drawn from the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center and the Center for the Translational Neuroscience of Alcohol. Analyses of covariance and cumulative logistic regression models investigated the association of family history and impulsivity-related traits with drinking quantity, frequency, and alcohol-related problems. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, ethnic group, education level, and data source. RESULTS Significant interactions between impulsivity and family history were found for measures of alcohol-related problems. Specifically, there was a stronger positive association of Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) poor self-regulation with interpersonal (F(1,504)=6.27, p=. 01) and impulse control alcohol-related problems (F(1,504)=6.00, p=. 01) among FHP compared to FHN individuals. Main effects of family history and impulsivity on alcohol quantity and frequency of use and problems were also found. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that having both a family history of AUD and high BIS poor self-regulation is more strongly associated with alcohol-related consequences in the interpersonal and impulse control domains. Given the heterogeneity of impulsivity, these findings highlight the need for additional research to examine which facets of impulsivity are associated with which alcohol outcomes to narrow phenotypic risk for alcohol misuse.